Chapter 16
Big Nerdy Alien
None of the humans made a move.
“What did he say?” Brooke muttered, her knuckles white where she gripped the prod.
“To drop our weapons—” Nicole clutched Krir’s hand and held tight.
“No fucking way,” Marcus said.
“And something about a First Minister.”
More of her people crouched and aimed their prods at the armored Giuk.
The enormous leader surveyed the scene, and if he’d been a human teenager, Nicole would’ve expected an eye roll and an exasperated sigh.
“Enough harm has been done here today. The First Minister is here to ensure your fair treatment and see you safely into the custody of the Interstellar Alliance, hopefully for repatriation.”
“They’re not here to hurt us,” Nicole translated. “It…it sounds like they’re going to take us home.”
“Yeah, right,” someone in the back piped up.
“If you do not put your weapons down,” continued the guard, “we will use gas to render you unconscious.”
“If we don’t, they’ll use knockout gas,” Nicole said.
Some of the prods pointed toward the floor, and a couple clattered as people released their grips entirely.
“Can we trust them?” she asked.
“Probably.” Krir crouched to set his gun on the deck. “But if the First Minister is here, there’s at least another thirty heavily armored guards in the corridor. You can’t fight them all.”
She carefully placed her prod next to Krir’s gun. “There are more guards in the hall, and they’re not giving us much choice.”
The other humans followed her lead. All except Marcus.
“This is a fucking terrible idea,” he said, but after scanning the force arrayed before him, he dropped his weapon.
The lead Giuk pointed at Nicole. “You understand me?”
“Yes. Translator disc.”
“Come over here and translate for the minister. Please.”
The last word seemed forced, but she appreciated the effort. She walked toward him, and Krir followed.
“Not you, Qilffiran.”
“Where she goes, I go.”
Another twitch in the Giuk’s facial muscles spoke volumes, but he merely barked out, “I’ll allow it. Everyone else, stay where you are.”
Nicole repeated the exchange and stood a good arm’s length away from the large Giuk. Holy hell, he was big. Taller and wider than any Giuk she’d seen before.
“Presenting the First Minister of Giuk, Her Most Wise Grace, Uvis of Ammih.”
An even taller Giuk entered, encased head to toe in black armor that absorbed the light. Only her face showed, a cherry-blossom pink with crinkles by her eyes and a few strands of short silver hair escaping her cowl. So female Giuk had hair. Interesting.
“Holy ancestors, it is her,” Krir murmured.
“You’ve met her?”
“She’s the leader of the Giuk, her face is well-known.”
Uvis of Ammih turned her hard gaze on the two of them, and Krir shut his mouth. What was the leader of all Giuk doing here, rescuing enslaved humans? Wasn’t this a task for an underling?
Once again, Nicole felt adrift in a world—a universe—she’d once believed she understood.
“Krir of the Qbilit clan, we received word from the Qilffiran government regarding your situation. We were on our way to meet the Interstellar Crisis Response Team to address the illicit activities of the Yindir when we intercepted your emergency signal. We decided to investigate ourselves.” Minister Uvis spoke clearly and slowly, giving Nicole a moment to translate.
“Thank you, Your Grace,” Krir said with a slight bow.
She waved away his words.
“We have been searching for the Yindir. The captain has been flouting Giuk law as well as interstellar agreements for years. We had heard rumors about his exploitation and enslavement of a non-spacefaring race but lacked the evidence to bring him to justice. The humans have the full support of the Giuk government to integrate into the interstellar society of their choosing or assistance in repatriation. I have the same assurances from the Qilffiran government at the highest levels.”
Nicole finished translating and relief swept through the humans. A few collapsed to the ground, some hugged in groups, and several smiled. Marcus and Brooke seemed less than convinced, but actions spoke louder than words.
“You have my personal apology for your treatment and my assurance the captain of the Yindir will see the full justice of the Giuk.”
She bowed to Krir, and her guards’ eyes rounded in surprise. The minister left with no more fanfare.
“You are honored guests aboard the minister’s flagship while she oversees operations here on the Yindir,” the primary guard announced. “Qilffir has agreed to host you until Earth is located and repatriation commenced.”
“Can we trust them, Nicole?” Brooke asked when he was done.
Nicole turned the question to Krir. “Can we?”
Once again, the guard huffed at the delay, but he was surprisingly patient given the circumstances.
“The minister offered her personal assurances and apology,” he said, trilling excitedly.
“I have never heard of that happening. Not merely on behalf of her government, but hers personally. She is putting her reputation on the line and offering the best guarantee of help you are likely to receive from any planet in the Interstellar Alliance.”
“Okay, then.” She faced Brooke. “Short answer: yes. Long answer: it’s like if the President of the United States ordered the entire Executive Branch to make sure nothing else happens to us and offered Air Force One to escort us home.”
Finally, Marcus and Brooke relaxed.
“Follow me to Her Grace’s ship,” ordered the primary guard.
Nicole slipped her hand into Krir’s, grateful for the familiar pebbled skin.
He trilled softly, and it sounded awfully smug to her.
They followed the guard, and the rest of the humans fell in line behind them.
One guard trailed them, the rest scattered through the hydroponic farms and gathered the Giuk pirates.
They walked along the corridor to a hatch, then through a tube to an opulent airlock, if such an ordinary room could be considered opulent.
The walls were shiny copper, and padded benches lined the room.
A short and lithe Giuk with long brassy hair stood at the hatch between the airlock and the rest of the ship.
“Thank you, Commander, I’ll take them from here.” The voice was softer, similar to the minister’s, more than any of the guards Nicole had encountered. The lead guard left, the rest marching behind.
“I am Skrain, your liaison for the duration of your journey. My task is to make you comfortable and ensure you have anything you need.”
Once again, Nicole stepped in to translate, and her words were repeated quietly in several languages.
“Since so many of the guards are on the Yindir, we will put you in their berths. There is a communal living and dining area. Should you wish for a translator disc of your own, please inform me. You can train the algorithm appropriately.”
Skrain opened the door and led them through the maze of elegantly decorated corridors, murals painted on the walls, the doors outlined in gold, until they arrived at a large room.
Comfortable low couches were scattered about, as were tables and dining chairs.
Several tablets rested on each table, and five doorways led further into the ship.
Their liaison stood in front of the closest one while the humans filed in, some sitting, some picking up the tablets.
She gestured elegantly at an alcove. “Four rooms and a bathing and toileting suite are in each pod. There are four beds in each room. Please, at least two per room so everyone has a bed. The tablets have entertainment and can be used to train the translator algorithm.”
The Giuk walked to a cabinet in the corner and opened it.
“There are sustenance rations here, and you are free to help yourselves. A hot meal will be delivered twice a day, and you may request more rations whenever you are hungry.”
“Get her away from the cabinet,” Nicole muttered to Krir before she translated the last bit.
He gently took Skrain by the elbow and pulled her away, muttering apologies. As soon as Nicole translated the part about food, the humans rushed toward the cabinet, grabbing whatever they could and distributing it to their fellows.
Skrain tried not to watch the people scramble for food, disapproval furrowing her brow.
“They have been kept hungry and desperate,” Krir said.
“Yes, of course.” Her face returned to its calm neutrality. “I wish I could communicate directly.”
“I can update your translator matrix once the people have settled.”
“That would be appreciated.”
“Not all humans speak the same language, so it won’t work for everyone, but it seems many understand Nicole’s language.”
“Much thanks, Krir of the Qbilit clan. Should you need me, please press this button. My room is down the corridor.”
She pointed at a large blue button, and Krir chittered to himself. Skrain slipped out the door.
In twos, threes, and fours, the other humans sorted themselves into the various pods, leaving Krir and Nicole alone. Finally.
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. Tears leaked out of her eyes, which became sobs as Nicole released the tension of the past two days. Two days of terror, two days of fighting, two days of uncertainty.
“Hush now.” He stroked as she sobbed, his blunt claws gently scratching her scalp. “We’re safe, and you’ll soon be home.”
Home. Once she’d assumed it was a place. Her parents’ house, filled with love and laughter and tears. Her many boyfriends’ places, filled with testosterone and beer and sex. Her small apartment filled with plants.
But this interstellar adventure had taught her home wasn’t a place, not always.
Home, at least for her, was a person. Home was Krir.
He made her feel safe and loved and precious.
His chitters and glasses and intense intelligence had worked their way deep in her heart.
She’d had to leave her solar system to find him, but now that she had, she wasn’t about to let him go. At least, if he’d have her.
“I am home,” she muttered.
Krir pulled back. She wiped away the tears and snot, waiting for his reaction. What if…what if he didn’t feel the same? And who could blame him—she was an ugly crier.
“What?” His heart raced under her palm, and his scales changed from aqua to green.
“I am home. I don’t want to go anywhere if it’s not with you.”
“You don’t owe me anything, Nicole. I saved you because it was the right thing to do. We’ll figure out where your home planet is and return you to your life.”
“I don’t want my old life. Not anymore.”
“But you have family and friends and—”
“Who will think I’ve lost touch with reality when I tell them where I’ve been the last few weeks. The others still need me, and there may be more out there like me, needing a rescue.”
“But—”
Go big or go home, Nicole. What do you have to lose?
“I love you, you big nerdy alien. Where you go, I go. Unless…you don’t want me.”