Verid
Selena Thomason
Verid
was on the bridge of a decrepit starship.
As she prepared the premier's lunch, a couple stale rolls and a small
block of cheese, she discreetly watched the Elani around her.
Most
of the Elani were along the edges of the room; they made an inner wall several
people deep. They were huddled
together partly for warmth, but also for comfort. Sometimes they would assure each other that the cold and
hunger were temporary, that one day the Elani would reclaim their rightful
place at the top of interstellar society and once again enjoy lives of art and
science and prosperity. Such
hopeful stories only comforted the children. Everyone else knew it had been this way for a very long
time.
At
the center of the bridge, their leader Premier Halwyn and his first officer Lt.
Brice stood over a computer console.
Their attention was focused on something the sensors had picked up. A ship, it seemed.
"Do
you recognize the configuration?" the premier asked.
"No. Look at the markings though. It's that new race the traders on
Borath were talking about."
Lt. Brice responded.
"Yes,
humans, I remember." Halwyn
paused to marvel jealously at the ship. "It's so big."
They
were silent for a moment and Verid knew they were already seeing the human ship
and all its contents as theirs.
"Did
the Borans have a language update for these humans?"
"Yes,
it's already loaded in the translator."
Halwyn
looked up at his first officer. He
seemed torn between being angry and being grateful. "And how did we pay for that? Does your contact like treva ale? That's the only thing we can afford to trade."
"He
likes treva but he wouldn't trade the update for just some ale." Brice looked at the floor. "However, he did drink a
substantial amount of treva ale at our meeting. I was able to steal the update
while he was intoxicated."
Halwyn
was silent for a moment then replied, "Good work."
It
was sad to see the Elani resort to thieving so much. They hardly even seemed to feel remorse or awkwardness about
it anymore. Such a shame, Verid thought. The Elani didn't used to be
thieves. Before the cataclysm that
destroyed their homeworld, the Elani had considered stealing distasteful. But somewhere along the way, their
desperation had overwhelmed their manners.
"Engage
the translator and hail them," the premier ordered, then quickly added
"But wait, we should be appropriately dressed. Verid, bring my jacket and the lieutenant's, and his weapon. We want to make a good first
impression."
Verid
disappeared into another room then returned with a regal overcoat for the
premier and an officer's jacket and firearm for the lieutenant. She tidied up the area that the
viewscreen would display, shooing about ten Elani from the background of the
shot. They were ready. They took their positions, Premier
Halwyn in front with Lt. Brice behind him at his right shoulder and Verid at
his left.
Brice
opened the channel.
"Greetings,
I am Premier Halwyn of the Elani.
We welcome you and offer our assistance."
A
neat-looking man in a clean uniform responded.
"Hello,
I am Captain Michael Merrimore of the Earth Cruiser Hawking. We're explorers and are new to this
region of space."
"Then
our meeting is fortuitous for we can offer some assistance. I'd be happy to provide you with star
charts and information in exchange for whatever supplies or currency you have
to trade."
"Sounds
wonderful. Would you like to come
aboard and meet in person to discuss the details?"
The
Elani tried to hide their surprise and delight, but Verid knew them too
well.
"Of
course, we'd be happy to," was all Halwyn said.
"We'll
transmit docking procedures."
Merrimore turned away from the screen and seemed to be directing someone
to send the information.
Lt.
Brice nodded confirmation that they were receiving the data.
"We'll
see you shortly then."
Merrimore concluded.
"Agreed."
After
the channel closed, Halwyn and Brice stood in shocked silence for a few
moments. Finally, Halwyn shook his
head.
"That
was too easy." He said. "These humans must be an
exceedingly gullible race."
"Or
so arrogant that they can't imagine we're any threat to them." Brice added as he checked the
displays. "Their ship is
quite large and in very good condition.
Based on preliminary readings they seem to have a wealth of food and
other supplies."
"A
historic find to be sure, one we are not going to let slip through our
fingers."
Halwyn
turned to Verid. "Get our
portable translators. And bring a
bottle of treva ale. We should
bring a token of friendship to our meeting with Captain Merrimore."
Verid
nodded and headed for Halwyn's quarters, the only individual living space on
board. It also served as his
office and general storage.
Verid
retrieved all three of their portable translators, as well as one of the
younger bottles of treva. As she
headed back to the door, she caught her reflection in a mirror. No one could see her so she stopped to
examine the image. As she did, her
reflected face changed to that of Merrimore. The vertical ridges characteristic of the Elani slowly
smoothed away and became a human face.
Verid rubbed a finger over the flat forehead and cheeks then ran a hand
through the fine, straight hair.
It felt very different from the coarse, matted mane she had worn moments
ago.
Verid
stared at the human reflection.
Could these really be the same humans Zara encountered so long ago, the
ones the Doorway brought into Kedrin space? They certainly resembled the form Zara had taken at her
Choosing. When Verid had heard the
Borans talking about a new alien species called humans, she had thought it was
just a coincidence.
But
now, faced with them and their obvious resemblance to the form of the last
Kedrin monarch... it was too much to believe, too much to hope for. Verid thought briefly about returning
home to Kedru as fast as she could.
She wanted to tell the Council, to tell everyone, that the old stories
were true, that humans did exist and weren't just the product of a heart-broken
leader's imagination. But she
couldn't leave now. She had to see
what the Elani would do. Knowing
the Elani as she had come to, she knew she may even have to protect the humans
from them. No, she would stay for
now and send word to Kedru at the first opportunity. She changed back to her previous appearance and returned to
the bridge.
Halwyn
and Brice were hunched over the computer console.
"See?"
Brice said, pointing to something on the screen. "That's the engine core. And these are the crew quarters. Each is more than twice the size of one of ours. I'd say we could comfortably house more
than six people in each."
"It's
still not enough."
"I
know, but we could convert the cargo bays into living quarters as well as some
other underused space."
"What
about food?"
"The
galley is well stocked. Plus they
seem to grow food in a hydroponics bay here."
"Really? They grow their own food on that
ship?"
Brice
nodded. "Yes, it seems to be
designed for long-term space travel."
None
of the Elani ships were, Verid knew.
That was part of their problem.
With no homeworld to return to in order to restock, refuel, and repair,
the Elani had become scavengers, living off what they could find or steal.
Halwyn
was lost in thought, perhaps suddenly realizing that the Hawking represented
more than just a quick fix.
"Do you think we can use their food-growing technology?"
"I
don't see why not."
"But
at some point it will break down, need maintenance, repairs?"
"Like
everything. But perhaps their
computer database explains how to use and maintain the technology."
Yet
another mistake the Elani had made in their rush to the stars, Verid thought
ruefully. Elani ships only stored the information needed for their immediate voyage
and relied on updates from the master computer on Elani for everything
else. Once the ship-board
technology began to fail, there was often no one on board who knew how to fix
it.
"Perhaps,
but we can't take that chance.
We'll have to leave one of these humans alive to keep everything in
working order." Halwyn must
have seen Brice's objection before he even stated it because he quickly added,
"With the ability to grow our own food, we could afford to feed one more
person."
"Agreed."
"What
do we know about these humans?"
Halwyn asked.
"Not
much. They have only recently
developed long-range space travel."
"Children,
then." Halwyn added. "That accounts for their naivetÈ
at least. What about their
biology?"
"Their
biology is unremarkable. No
protective ridges, no redundant nervous system. Low tolerances to heat and cold. They are quite fragile."
"A
lesser species for sure."
"So
it would seem."
"Yet
their resources are considerable."
"A
true inequity."
"One
that I am prepared to remedy." Halwyn responded. "Do you think the Derian toxin will work on them?"
"There's
no way to know until we get a sample of their DNA."
"But
it works on most species?"
"Yes,
except Derians of course.
They developed it in their war with the Beorn, so I know it works on
them. I've also known it to be
used successfully against Gimmins, the Baral, and sadly the Elani.
"Yes,
obtaining it cost us seven lives.
But those deaths will be worthwhile if the toxin allows us to take
control of the Hawking and its vast resources. Do we have enough of it left?"
"Just
enough for one, maybe two more uses."
"So
we have to be sure."
"Yes. That's why I plan to obtain a sample of
human DNA during our visit."
"Very
good. Let's get ready to meet
these humans and relieve them of their undeserved riches."
Lt.
Brice left the bridge, but Premier Halwyn remained at the console, cataloging
the wealth that would soon belong to him and his band of displaced Elani. Finally, he thought, he could clear his
bridge of its ring of huddled bodies.
Verid
remained as well, watching and listening from the periphery. Verid's people, the Kedru, were
fascinated by the Elani.
They considered the speed with which the Elani developed a thriving,
space-faring society to be legendary.
It is said that the Elani took to space travel as if they had found
their ancestral home among the stars.
The fact that such a huge percentage of them were off-world at the time
of the tragedy is the only reason the Elani survived at all.
However
the Elani had made a critical error.
While they were often in space, away from home, they continued to rely
on the centralized government on their homeworld for all their resources. The sum of Elani knowledge and wealth
was stored on Elani Prime. The
Elani considered it safer there. A
ship could be destroyed and its resources, crew and information lost. But they never imagined their homeworld
and all on it could be destroyed.
Elani
civilization would never be the same.
Without the resources and knowledge of their homeworld, the surviving
Elani were lost. They had nowhere
to refuel and nothing to restock with.
When the shipboard technology began to break down, there was no one to
repair it.
The
Kedru considered the Elani's story a cautionary tale for all space-faring
species. The Kedru knew that the
Elani's mistakes in their rush to the stars accounted for their current
state. But the Kedru also blamed
themselves. Their policy of only
observing other species, never interfering in another culture's development,
had cost dearly. The Kedru berated
themselves for not at least backing up some of the Elani's knowledge base,
saving a copy of it off-world somewhere.
But they hadn't seen the disaster coming either and the Kedru had been
hesitant to interfere.
The
Kedru's policy of non-interference changed greatly after the fall of the
Elani. Perhaps the Kedru's
continued fascination with the Elani, as well as their desire to discreetly
help them, came from their regret at not interfering sooner. Verid knew that was part of why she was
on Halwyn's ship. She felt a
little responsible for the Elani's situation, for her people not acting sooner
to protect them.
Near
Verid, a mother held a child who looked especially sick. She was rocking him
and weeping softly. Verid pulled a
vial out of her pocket and handed it to the mother who glanced nervously at
Halwyn. But he was still facing
away from them, intent on the computer display.
Verid
put a finger to her lips to indicate silence then whispered to her, "It's
alright. Give it to him. It will make him comfortable at
least."
The
mother took the vial gratefully.
Halwyn called "Verid" from across the room, causing a
momentary panic in both Verid and the mother. But Verid quickly saw that he was still absorbed in the
Hawking and its treasures.
"Yes,
Premier," Verid replied as she headed toward him.
"Check
with Brice to make sure preparations are complete. We cannot afford for this to go wrong."
"Of
course."
The
first thing that Verid noticed when they boarded the Hawking was that all of
the humans' uniforms were clean and pressed, not just the captain's.
Five
humans met them. Verid recognized
the captain, and tried to determine who the others were by their uniforms and
their position relative to Captain Merrimore. She noticed immediately that one of the humans had a firearm
stowed on his hip. He seemed to be
the wariest and most watchful of the humans. Verid assumed he was the security officer and wondered if he
disagreed with the Captain's decision to allow strangers on board. He certainly seemed anxious about the
Elani and ready to spring into action if something went wrong.
Merrimore
extended one of his hands towards the premiere in a startling and unfathomable
gesture. Halwyn backed away in
alarm. Merrimore seemed to sense
that Halwyn found the gesture threatening and quickly withdrew his hand.
"Welcome
aboard Premiere Halwyn. This is my first officer Cdr. Michaelson."
A
woman stepped forward, began to extend her hand then thought better of it. Verid noticed that she only had three
stripes on the shoulders of her uniform instead of the four the captain had, so
she presumed the stripes indicated rank.
Halwyn
responded politely to the commander, "A pleasure to meet you."
"And
this is my head of security, Lt. Cdr Mitchell." The one with the weapon, Verid noticed. She had been correct. "And my chief of communications,
Lt. Craig." Only two stripes,
Verid noted. "And our
helmsman, Ensign Santos."
Halwyn
grew impatient with the introductions.
He didn't care to know the names of Merrimore's inconsequential
crew. He decided to move things
along.
"Hello
all." He said. "This is my first officer, Lt.
Brice and my personal aide Verid.
We've brought a gift to commemorate the meeting of our
peoples." Verid handed him
the bottle. "It's treva ale,
a traditional Elani drink. It is
given and shared in friendship."
Verid
wished he hadn't added that last part.
It was true, but not in this context.
Merrimore
took the bottle and seemed to have no idea that the Elani's gesture was
insincere. They are so
trusting, Verid thought. She hated
that such a good quality was being used against them.
"Thank
you." Merrimore said. "Our conference room is this
way. If you'll follow me..."
"Where
is the Elani homeworld?"
Merrimore asked as they walked down the hall. "I've never heard of it."
Verid
could see annoyance tightening around Halwyn's eyes.
"No
reason you should have." The
premier instructed. "It is
many light years away. No one
aboard has been home in ages.
We're explorers you see, a space-faring people. We prefer space to solid ground."
"It's
strange that we have never heard of you." Merrimore ventured.
The
tightening began to extend down the ridges on Halwyn's face. "Ah, well, it is as I said, the
Elani homeworld is very far away.
Also, most Elani aren't as friendly as we are, I'm afraid."
They
arrived at the conference room door.
"Here
we are," Merrimore said as he stood in the doorway and let the others file
past him. Lt. Brice bumped into
him and Verid knew DNA harvesting had begun.
"Pardon
me." Brice said, managing to actually seem sorry.
Merrimore
was unfazed. "It's
alright. Let's have a seat. We have plenty to discuss."
The
captain was upbeat about his new friends.
More than the rest of his crew, he seemed unconcerned about his new
friends the Elani. He seemed so
excited to meet a new alien race that he had forgotten to wonder whether or not
they were friendly. The first
officer and security officer appeared somewhat less sure and watched the Elani
discreetly. Verid noticed that the
security officer kept fingering his firearm as if to make sure it was still
there.
"It
sounds like we are in a position to help one another," Merrimore
said. "We can provide you
with the supplies you mentioned."
Halwyn
took his cue, "And in exchange, we will provide you with star charts for
this region along with information we've collected during our travels. I propose that we adjourn to prepare
our items for trade, and then meet again tomorrow to conclude our
business."
"Agreed. But before you go perhaps you would
like to tour our ship and sample some of our cuisine. Our chef is quite good."
Verid
could almost feel Brice's heart leap from across the room. She also noticed that the security
officer thought to object but then caught a glimpse of the determination in
Merrimore's face and remained silent.
Halwyn
managed to make it sound as if they were staying only to avoid offending their
host.
Merrimore
was delighted and assigned Ensign Santos to give them the grand tour. Lt. Cdr. Mitchell volunteered to
accompany them on the tour.
Verid knew his motives were driven by security not hospitality. But Merrimore didn't object. He seemed satisfied with the
arrangements and left the party to oversee preparations for the trade.
Verid
caught Halwyn's attention.
"Premiere Halwyn, may I be excused? I'd like to return to our ship to begin preparations."
Halwyn
eyed her strangely but agreed.
"This
way, Premiere Halwyn," the ensign said. Halwyn and Brice followed the young man. Mitchell followed them, watchful as
always.
As
they walked away Verid could hear the ensign describing the ship's features, all things the
Elani already knew. But they
pretended to be surprised and impressed.
Verid
knocked on the captain's office door.
"Come
in," Merrimore called from inside.
As
Verid entered, Merrimore said "I was just going over our list of items for
trade. Would you like to take a
look?"
"No,
captain, we have more important things to discuss."
"Alright." Merrimore motioned to a chair but Verid
didn't understand the meaning of the gesture. Merrimore decided it didn't matter and went on. "What do you want to talk
about?"
"I
have come to warn you that your crew is in danger."
This
provoked an immediate reaction.
Merrimore stood and came from behind his desk. "What?
How?" Anger and
concern had replaced the open friendliness Merrimore's face usually
displayed. Verid found she was
saddened by the change.
"The
Elani are deceiving you. They
desire your ship and its contents.
They only entered into negotiations with you so they could get the DNA
sample they need to make sure a toxin they have will be sufficient to
exterminate your crew."
"Where
is this toxin?" he demanded.
Merrimore was becoming agitated.
He probably wished he had listened to his security chief.
Verid
rushed to reassure him.
"Don't worry; it's still on the Elani ship. They plan to release the toxin into
your air supply when they return tomorrow for the trade. You are safe until then, but you must
not under any circumstances allow them to return to your ship or send anyone
else over."
Merrimore
returned to his desk and thumped at something on the surface of it. "Michaelson." He said to it.
"Yes,
sir." It responded in the
first officer's voice.
"Where
are the Elani right now?"
"You
mean Halwyn and Brice? They are in
the mess with Santos and Mitchell. The
third is with you. Isn't
she?"
"Yes. Don't let any other Elani on board, no
matter what. And don't let them
return. Have Mitchell escort them
to the airlock as soon as they're through eating. Watch them carefully but don't let on that anything's
wrong."
"Will
do. What's going on?"
"I'll
explain everything shortly."
Merrimore tapped the desk again and looked up at Verid. He was silent and seemed to wrestle
with his words, as if he couldn't decide what to address first.
Verid
wondered if he was regretting the openness he had shown the Elani and if he
would be more guarded with new species in the future. She wondered if he was berating himself for allowing his
trusting enthusiasm to endanger his crew.
"Would
they really murder my crew just to get our ship?" He nearly whispered.
"Yes."
Merrimore
sat back behind the desk. He
seemed dejected, regretful, Verid thought. She hated to see him that way.
"Captain,
I won't allow the Elani to harm you or your crew. You must believe me.
As long as you don't allow the Elani back on board, you are safe."
"I
don't understand how they could-" Merrimore didn't even finish the
sentence. The magnitude of the
barely averted disaster weighed heavily on him. Verid saw that he was still struggling with it, replaying
and criticizing his actions, his openness.
"The
Elani are desperate, Captain.
There are nearly a thousand people crowded into that ship. All of them are under-nourished, many
are close to death. Half will die
of starvation before reaching adulthood.
They look at you and see a lesser species - they do consider you a
lesser species - hoarding resources that should be theirs. They feel justified in exterminating
you to gain what they need."
"I
don't understand. Aren't you
Elani?"
"No,
of course not," she said as if stating the obvious. "I am Verid of the Kedru."
Merrimore
was unconvinced. "But you
look like the others."
This annoyed Verid and she turned away, instinctively wanting to put some distance between her and this incomprehensible human. She was reminded of why Kedru didn't usually reveal themselves to other species.
"Monoforms are so attached to appearances," she muttered to herself.
It
was said that the Dasa couldn't be trusted with knowledge of the Kedru, that their
simple minds couldn't grasp the Kedru's true nature and would thus always
misunderstand or fear Kedru.
Verid didn't believe it.
She considered it the remains of a Kedrin sense of superiority that
hadn't been completely vanquished yet.
She hated the term Dasa.
Just having a word that meant "all who are not Kedru" seemed
wrong to her. Monoforms have
value, she thought. All species
have value.
She
turned back to Merrimore.
"I'm sorry Captain."
She began. "I didn't
mean to... I mean, I'm not used to having my person determined by my physical
form. I'm just not accustomed to
that way of thinking, although I do understand why monoforms would believe such
- that if someone looks Elani then they must be Elani. But surely you also know that
appearances can sometimes be deceiving."
"Yes,
I know that all too well. So,
you're not Elani but you look Elani."
"Yes,
I am currently in Elani form."
"Then
you're a shape shifter."
"Exactly."
"Why
don't you prove what you are saying by changing shapes?"
The suggestion made Verid
uncomfortable.
"Captain,
I am not here to entertain you.
And Kedru do not shift in the presence of monoforms."
"Why
are you pretending to be Elani?"
"To
study them. The Kedru learn about
other species by becoming them.
During our experimentation phase, we try on many forms. Then when we come of age, we chose one
to remain in for the rest of our lives, in order to learn about it in
depth."
"Are
you still in this experimentation phase?"
"Yes." She smiled at him, hoping to establish
some commonality between them.
"We are both young and new to the universe, Captain, learning as we
go. Don't criticize yourself too
harshly for your openness with the Elani.
Being optimistic and believing that people are essentially good are both
positive traits. I hate that they
were used against you in this case."
Verid
wasn't sure whether or not she was getting through to the captain. He remained silent and tapped his
fingers on the desk for a few moments.
"And
these Elani?" He said finally. "You seem devoted to them even
though they would massacre my crew for our supplies."
"You
don't understand. You don't know
what the Elani used to be, all they have been through. I feel for them, I value their
existence, their culture. But I
couldn't let them destroy you."
"I
appreciate that."
"I'd
appreciate it if you would you proceed with the trade."
Merrimore's
face flared in anger and disbelief.
"You
can't seriously expect me to trade with them after what they planned to
do!"
"I
wouldn't ask you to do anything that would jeopardize your crew. I promise you that. But the Elani desperately need those
supplies and anything else you can spare, especially some of your ship-board
farming technology and information on how to use and maintain it."
Merrimore
stood and walked away from Verid, choosing instead to stare at the Elani ship
through a portal.
Verid
knew she was asking a lot but she couldn't let the opportunity pass. "Captain, put yourself in Halwyn's
place, with a ship full of starving people. If they can learn to grow their own food like you do, they
could sustain themselves. They
wouldn't resort to such desperate measures. The Elani aren't naturally aggressive Captain. Before the cataclysm they were peaceful
people who would never have resorted to thieving and murder. Think about it. You wouldn't just be helping the
Elani."
Verid
could see he was considering it, that his anger was dissipating and he was
beginning to feel for his "enemy."
"I
have brought the star charts and information Halwyn offered to
trade." She handed Merrimore
a small cube. "You and your
crew will be safe as long as you don't let the Elani back on board or take
anything from them."
Looking
at the cube in his hand seemed to rekindle his suspicion, remind him of his
earlier mistakes.
"How
do I know this cube doesn't contain the toxin?"
Verid
was hurt; she wasn't used to being mistrusted. "Why would I warn you if I intended to help them
destroy you? You can trust me Captain. You can. Have your people check out the datacube. If they are satisfied that it is what I
say it is then put the supplies in a cargo container and release it into
space. The Elani can claim the
supplies from there. Just make
some excuse to cancel tomorrow's meeting and don't, under any circumstances let
any Elani back onboard."
"Agreed."
Verid
returned to the Elani ship and found the bridge ringed with mostly sleeping
Elani. Through a barely open door,
she heard Halwyn and Brice making final preparations for the extermination of
the humans. The mother Verid had
helped looked up from her sleeping child and whispered, "They've been
looking for you."
"It's
alright." She replied.
Verid
heard Halwyn and Brice heading back onto the bridge so she faded into a group
of Elani.
"Hawking
has raised their shields and disengaged the docking link." Brice said when
he reached the console.
"What? Open a channel."
Merrimore
appeared on the screen.
"Captain
Merrimore, is there a problem?"
Merrimore
gave no hint that he knew his crew had been in danger. "Not at all. However, we won't be able to have
visitors for a while. Our doctor
has detected a virus making its way through my crew. For humans it's relatively harmless, but our doctor fears it
may be fatal to Elani physiology.
As a precaution I have placed the Hawking under quarantine. I couldn't live with myself if
accidental exposure to one of our germs were to wipe out your crew."
Halwyn
was stunned. Verid knew that he was also deeply offended by the notion that
humans were strong enough to handle this virus but not the Elani, as if the
Elani were not clearly the superior species in every way.
Halwyn
tried to salvage the situation.
"But our trade! I have
the star charts you wanted."
"No
need."
Verid
stepped forward. "Yes, there
is no need. I have already
provided Captain Merrimore with the agreed upon information."
"You! We were looking for you."
"I
was aboard the Hawking. I happened
to be there when the doctor told Captain Merrimore about the outbreak. Their doctor scanned me to be sure I
hadn't been infected. Since
I knew we wouldn't be able to return to the Hawking, I gave Captain Merrimore
the information before I left."
Halwyn
was furious. The ridges on his
face blanched until they were hard white lines running up and down his tan
face. "What have you
done?" Halwyn moved
threateningly towards Verid.
Merrimore
tried to distract him. "Oh, I
almost forgot our payment."
He turned away from the screen to give an order and a cylinder was
launched from the Hawking.
"They've
fired something at us." Brice
studied the display.
"Wait,"
Merrimore said from the screen before Brice cut him off.
Halwyn's
rage focused on Verid.
"You've ruined everything!
Don't you know what you've cost us?" Halwyn motioned to two of his guards. "Get her. Throw her out the airlock."
The
guards moved towards Verid as she backed into Halwyn's quarters. As soon as she was out of sight behind the
door, she shifted into an energy form and headed for the window.
She
heard Brice call, "Premier Halwyn, you might want to take a look at
this."
"What
is it?"
"It's
food and other supplies."
"Are
you sure?" Halwyn replied as
he moved to the console to see for himself. "Well, bring it aboard then."
Verid
was glad Merrimore had come through with the supplies despite the Elani's
aggression towards his crew. That
surely said something positive about his character, about the character of
humans.
Before
leaving the ship, Verid heard the guards try to explain to Halwyn why they had
come back empty-handed.
"She
isn't in there." They said.
"What
do you mean?"
"I
don't know. She's gone."
Verid
jumped into the cold emptiness of space, satisfied that this little band of
Elani would be okay at least.
Merrimore
looked up from his desk to see Verid standing just inside the closed door.
"How
did you get in here?"
Verid
didn't understand his question at first, and then said simply "It must be
very limiting to be trapped in solid matter all your life."
"Perhaps. But never having been anything else, I
suppose I wouldn't know."
"Pure
energy forms are much more convenient, especially for traversing the void of
space."
"I
will have to take your word for it."
"I
wanted to thank you for helping the Elani."
"I
wanted to thank you for saving my crew."
"Humans
are a kind and honorable people.
They must be allowed to continue on their course. In fact, I would like to study humans
further. Perhaps you would allow
me to stay aboard for a while and observe."
Merrimore
smiled. "Do you think you
would fit in?"
"Perhaps." Verid's form morphed into a human
version of her previous Elani form, complete with a Hawking-style uniform. "How's this?"
"I
thought Kedru didn't shape-shift in the presence of monoforms."
"We
don't usually. Monoforms generally
don't react well to sudden, physical changes. But I trust you.
We do have trust between us now, don't we Captain?"
"Yes
we do." Merrimore
smiled.
"My
people have encountered yours before, you know. Long ago."
"Really?'
"Have
you truly never heard of the Kedru?"
"We
have some stories of shape-shifters, but none mention the Kedru by name."
"Ah,
well, the humans we encountered were very far from home. Maybe they never returned to... what's
your homeworld called?"
"Earth."
"Yes,
Earth."
"Well,
we're here now. Our species have
officially met again and this time the knowledge won't be lost. I'll make sure of that."
This
made Verid smile.
"I
still have the ale you brought.
Now that we are truly friends, shall we share it?"
"Agreed."
Merrimore
pulled the bottle and two glasses from a cabinet behind his desk. "I'll make you a deal. I'll tell you about humans, if you tell
me about the Kedru."
"Now
that's a good trade." Verid
said as Merrimore poured the treva.
Selena Thomason writes mostly science fiction, but
sometimes feels called to other forms and genres. Although she holds a B.A. in
Drama, writing continues to be her first love.
Cover: "Science Station Alpha 1"
Bill Snodgrass
Copyright 2005
