“I dare not risk another time doctor.” B'loor spoke softly as if worried that Sparr, who was regaining consciousness, would hear him. “The scans indicate that the single lippa is hatching. Perhaps if we returned to the ship I can surgically remove it.”
“That would not be wise doctor, once the lippa has broken out of its shell, it would then integrate itself with the host body. This would be the start the second part of its gestation cycle.”
Still dazed, Sparr was looking around him confused. He was still too weak to speak. All he could do was grab B'loor's forearm and held on tight.
“Who is still on the planet?”
Immediately B'loor tapped on his scarab.
“Nesper, do you read?”
“Here sir.”
“Your position and status mister.”
“I am still at the flat rocks south of your position. Commander Stone has made contact with an indigenous species here. He went into the water with it about forty-five minutes ago. I think they are behind some of the rocks.”
“You lost visual of your commanding officer and you don't think that it was necessary to report this?”
“Sir, I...”
“Where is the rest of the landing party who was to rendezvous with you?” snapped B'loor without waiting.
“They have returned to the ship sir, on Commander Holts' orders.”
“Very well. Find Commander Stone.”
“Aye sir.”
“You're being very hard on the young lieutenant,” DeSelle said as soon as the communication link was severed. “You do realize that you didn't check in with Stone as you said you would right?”
B'loor ignored him.
…
Stone woke up. He didn't realize that he had fallen asleep. And what a dream he had. It was so vivid. He was in the ocean, swimming, no, gliding through the water into it's dark depths. He felt free.
He tried to sit up but found Squeak asleep on top of him. The boy's head was on his chest with one hand holding his arm and the other on his groin, its digits coiled around his flaccid penis.
Stone moved and the boy stirred. He hugged the merman and found his touch familiar, as if he had felt his body for years. He felt as if he knew Squeak. Stone reached down to where the boy's tail met with his humanoid torso and felt for a scar on his side. When he touched the skin he knew exactly how the mark got there. A metal spear of some sort had cut him, long ago, he survived, no he escaped but one of his brothers did not. The metal spear had lifted, snatched, no pulled, his brother out of the water, and he never saw him again. There was so much blood. And from a distance there was laughter. Stone could hear the laughter. Then he heard merman's scream and then more laughter.
“That was twelve storm cycles ago.”
So he wasn't imagining it. Squeak was talking to him.
“You can talk?”
“I can understand you now. After the bonding.”
“You hear me in your language?”
“What is language?”
“Never mind,” said Stone realizing that there was no need to define communication now that they had it.
“I can see your thoughts, from long ago?”
“You can see my thoughts, from long ago.”
Stone smiled and kissed the boy. He felt relieved and happy for the communication. He held Squeak and part of him wanted to stay that way forever.
Little pieces of rocks shifted and fell from above. When Stone looked up he saw Lieutenant Nesper looking down at him.
…
“This is totally unacceptable!” said Manduk on the holoscreen that hovered over the captain's desk.
“I think you are misunderstanding us ambassador,” said Hunt addressing Bolak directly and ignoring the outburst of his chief of staff standing behind him. “We merely want to study the Ollustra as there are some signs they might be sentient.” Hunt actually had no such indication, but from what his first officer had told him, complete with all the gory details, he wanted to make sure.
“To what end?” asked Bolak.
“Perhaps we communicate with them. Perhaps establish some sort of a contact, who knows?”
“And after that? Are you going to oppose us hunting them after that?”
“That is all premature mister ambassador, we do not even know if the Ollustra can communicate. We would just like the opportunity to try.”
“You know,” Bolak shifted in his chair and straightened his tunic. “I find it amusing. You humans come begging for a place to live in our system and when we show you our way of life, you get sanctimonious on us and are now passing judgment. Where do you find this nerve of yours? Is this how your species live?”
“Sir, we appreciate your hospitality and all that you have shown us. Believe me, we are in no way judging your culture. All we ask is that we study some of your system's... wildlife.”
“This is no way a guest behaves! Unacceptable!”
“Mister ambassador, we...”
“Unacceptable!”
Now both Manduk and Bolak were yelling. Indignant and gesturing wildly. Hunt wanted to drop the subject completely, apologize and withdraw his request, if he could only get a word in. He couldn't. He felt the chance of their relocation slipping away.
“If this is the attitude of your world, then perhaps we don't want you here! Yes! We do not want you here. This is our sector of space! Ours! Leave immediately. Recall your men. Now! Or we shall have to extract them!”
With nothing else left to lose, Hunt sat up and leaned in closer to the holoscreen.
“I don't understand why you are reacting this way,” said Hunt staring at the two aliens. He didn't care if they were still talking over him. “Unless. Unless you know for a fact that these creatures are sentient, that they are intelligent and are capable of communicating!” He raised his voice a decibel. “You have shown us all your culture and your sophistication, yet, I suspect this is your dark little secret isn't it?”
“You are wasting your time. Leave now. You have one hour before I send our extraction team to the planet!”
The screen went blank.
Hunt took a moment to absorb what had transpired over the last few minutes. He was so close. They were going to allow them to settle on their planet. And now it was all gone.
“Damn it.” Hunt cursed under his breath and slammed his hand on the desk.
…
DeSelle could hear the sound of the landing barge setting down nearby. He looked at Sparr helplessly and wished that there was something that he could do. The last scan had shown that the lippa had embedded itself onto the lieutenant's colon wall and it was almost indistinguishable from the rest of his body. The T'aal medical archives say that the lippa would grow bigger now, drawing more nutrients from the host and would eventually reach a stage where it'd be ready to be born. That is for a T'aal. The doctor could only imagine that the process on a human may kill him. Actually, he knew that it would.
Stone and Nesper briskly walked to where the trio were huddled and one look at the expression on DeSelle's face Stone knew that things were not good. Stone also didn't have good news to share as well.
“Doctor, B'loor, I have just been informed by Commander Holts that we are to leave the planet immediately.”
“It would seem that the talks fell through,” B'loor said without looking up.
“It's not gonna be that easy Stone, there is still one lippa in his body and I'm afraid that we can't extract it.” DeSelle looked at Sparr who had turned pale. In a way, he was glad that he was too weak to fully appreciate the gravity of the situation. “And I'm afraid we've run out of time.”
“Nesper, will you bring the lieutenant some water from the barge?”
Stone waited until Nesper was gone before crouching down next to the men.
“I know a way.”
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