9. “And that was impressively brutal,” I announced.

NINE

“And that was impressively brutal,” I announced.

Two days after the gate mishap, we prepared to disembark and explore the beach. After running numerous tests, including a lengthy virology examination of air, water, and sand samples, Waldren decided we would make our visit without protective suits.

As the generalized test subject willing to deal with the quarantine bay, I volunteered to see how homo sapiens might handle the atmospheric conditions and general walk. As Alban viewed himself as plenty old and about to die at the claws of his wife anyway, he volunteered to go with me, carrying a large satchel around his neck filled with supplies for both of us.

Herserael wanted me to carry as little as possible in case the exercise proved too much for me so soon after my operation.

Waldren sulked on the bridge to monitor the outing, as everyone had vetoed his desire to take part of the initial expedition force.

He who flew the ship did not play on the beach without others verifying if the beach was safe first.

Once everyone was out of the quarantine bay and we finished setting up what would be our temporary quarters for the next day, Alban pressed a bunch of buttons near the ship’s bay doors, flooded the bay with the planet’s air, and waited.

Within a few minutes, I became aware of the slight change in my breathing. “It is thinner, isn’t it?”

Alban bobbed his head. “This is borderline survivable for Veloc,” he replied, giving himself a shake. “We can hunt in these conditions, but we cannot hunt for as long before we need to rest, and it could be a week before I adapt. You will have it easier. The air will just feel a little thin to you.”

“And this is ideal for Palta?”

“Very. To her, our air is a little heavy, but she can function and adapt in it. Her breed loves the high mountains, where the air is thin. The high mountains on this world would lack sufficient oxygen for her, I suspect.”

The bay doors turned out to be a ramp, which lowered to the sand. Waldren had parked the ship beyond where the waves crashed, angled to the side so we could get a good view of the water and the trees. While cooler than the interior of the ship, I savored the breeze and the crisp scent on the air, something new to me. “What is that smell?”

“That is the saltwater of the ocean. Decaying plant and animal life mixed with salt. Some like it. Others do not. I enjoy it, even when it can get overly fragrant.”

“It’s nice.” As breathing hadn’t led to any troubles, I hopped down the ramp until it met the sand, eyeing the beige substance with interest. “I’ve heard of sand. I’ve heard that some sand can kill. How do I know which type of sand this is?”

“Often, you do not until you step in it, but this sand should be safe enough. It is when the sand pools with water in specific conditions that it becomes dangerous. Where it meets the ocean will generally be solid enough, although you will sink in it some. That is why I have rope and you will go first. You are much easier to pull out of quicksand than I am. I am pleased they have taught you some common dangers.”

I stepped onto the sand, and my feet sank as warned, although not enough to alarm me. After a few steps, I realized I’d ventured onto tiring terrain, and I scowled. “This is not easy stuff to walk through.”

“Sand rarely is.” The Veloc hopped out, and he whistled at my expression. “The sand will be particularly troublesome where it is meeting the shore in some ways, so do be careful.” After a moment, Alban pointed at something farther up the beach. “A bird.”

Sure enough, a small, fluffy bird with long legs and white and black splotches covering its body and wings pecked at the sand with a needle-like beak. After a few attempts, it pulled out a small, multi-legged creature. “What is that?”

“It seems to be a species of crustacean. Something similar to a crab, which we have on our world, but not quite like these.”

We observed the bird take the wriggling, multi-legged creature away from the water before it shook its head, whipping its prey side to side. Once done, it dropped it and began ripping off the legs until certain its meal would not be running away.

“And that was impressively brutal,” I announced.

Alban hooted, then he lifted the small radio Waldren had given him, tapping on the button at its top. “There are small, predatory birds on this beach, worthy of any Veloc planet.”

After Alban released the button, Waldren replied, “I saw. I have visual from the ship, and I recorded the incident. I’m already running it through the database to see if I can find any matches. If not, it’ll go into our new species registration. See if you can retrieve one of those legs—assuming the bird doesn’t eat everything.”

“Roger,” Alban replied before stowing the radio in his satchel. “Do be particularly careful of any jellyfish you see on the beach. Those are found on most planets, and they can be quite lethal. And while Waldren dedicated much space to universal treatments, it is impossible to carry a cure for everything, so do not touch anything that is in the water that has a jelly-like consistency. In fact, do not go into the water at all. Should we find a jellyfish, we will catch it along with a sample of water and keep it on board. Jellyfish are on the universal allowed capture list for study—and a live specimen is worth quite a lot to various organizations.”

I searched the beach until I found a blob-like thing lying on the sand. “Like that?”

At Alban’s gesture, I followed him, drawing close to the thing I’d spotted. “Precisely like that.” Opening his satchel, he pulled out a plastic bag, a strange pole with a hoop, and rigged the bag to rest in the hoop. Using the bag as a shovel, he scooped up the jellyfish, added some water, and observed.

To my horror, the blob began to move, waving tentacles covered in fine hairs, shedding bits of sand into the bottom of the bag.

“Oh, most excellent. Still alive. Let us put this on board the ship and get some other water samples so we can make certain it has a suitable habitat until we hand it over to the conservatory studying them.” Alban bounded up the ship’s ramp, leaving me to gawk at him. After a few minutes, the Veloc returned, displaying his crest and whistling a merry little tune. “They did not teach you about the kidnapping of plants and animals on expedition voyages, did they?”

“I mean, it was probably just going to die if it was left out on the sand like that, but won’t scavengers miss the potential meal?” I shrugged and resumed my search of the beach, discovering shells, odd holes with bubbles coming out of them, and several more jellyfish in a myriad of different colors. Alban gathered all the jellyfish and took them on board. I questioned how we’d keep them alive with no idea of what they ate, but I figured I’d learn soon enough. More of the birds came and hunted the crustaceans, leaving twitching legs in their wake. Making use of a pair of tongs, I gathered samples, putting them into sterilized bags for later review.

One of the braver birds approached me while I was rummaging through the remains, and it peeped at me, fluttering its wings and hopping about.

I considered the discarded legs, noticed that one had morsels of meat on it, and used the tongs to present the food to the bird.

With zero evidence of fear, it accepted my offering, going to work consuming the snack.

I went back to my business, and the bird continued to follow me, staring at me with its beady little eyes, peeping each time I moved on.

Nearby, where he investigated the discarded shells, the Veloc whistled and hooted his amusement. “You’ve made a friend.”

“One of the samples had more meat on it than others, and I think it’s hungry.” I resumed my work to fill the bag with molted crustacean shells, legs the birds hadn’t consumed, and even the dismembered but living body of a crab. “Alban? This one is still alive, I think. But it has no legs. The birds took its legs?”

The Veloc ceased laughing, came over, and joined me. “A painful part of life, little one. It might live if you feed it, but it would take a long time to regrow its limbs, and we simply don’t know if we can feed it with what we have.” Reaching down, he scooped the crustacean up, went to the water, and placed it in, submerging it and holding it in place so the water wouldn’t wash it away. “Yes, you are correct. It still lives.”

“Do they count in the type of creatures we can take?”

“They do, but you would have to feed it by hand often and take care of all its needs. It cannot swim, it cannot eat, and it cannot do anything others of its kind can do. On my world, it takes a long time for their limbs to regrow. It may not survive its injuries.”

“Why didn’t the birds eat it?”

“The shell is too strong. The birds were strong enough to remove its legs, but they were not strong enough to break through the shell. Bad luck for the bird and its prey.” After placing the crustacean on the sand, he pulled out a bag and placed the distressed animal inside before adding water. “We cannot show compassion to every beast that has lost nature’s game, but I will inquire with Waldren if this little one can become a ship pet and experiment. Try to catch a little one or two of this type so we can observe their social inclinations. We do not want to take only one if they live in groups. That would be cruel to it.”

“What is it, do you think?”

“A crab of some sort, but with more legs than the ones I am familiar with.” Alban returned to the ship, leaving me with two clear boxes with lids and instructions to put one crab in each box should I manage to catch any.

The little bird, who’d watched me with interest, ran off, dug at a small hole with bubbles, and captured a tiny crab. Rather than shake it, it brought the crab to me, waiting while its prey waved its claws and legs in the air.

Astonished, I took the box and held it under the crab.

The bird dropped the crab and ran off to hunt.

In the time it took Alban to return, the tiny bird had brought me ten crabs.

“Alban?”

The Veloc cooed, plucked the largest of the wiggling crabs from the container, and systematically removed its legs, cracked the shell, and handed it back to me. “Its beak is broken, and it cannot break the crab’s legs. See?” Alban pointed at one of the nearby birds, and sure enough, the tip of the little one’s beak was shorter and blunted, nor did it close correctly. “You provided it with food when it cannot feed itself.”

“It asked for help?”

“It is smart for such a small little bird. And we are learning much here. There are few predators of its kind. It has no reason to fear us.”

Hoping I wasn’t about to contract some disease from handling a dead crab, I pulled out what I thought was the meat for the bird and offered it. Without hesitation, it ate, swallowing as much as it could at a time. “If we leave it here, it’s going to die, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it will die,” Alban said, and he sighed. “I will see if we can utilize some form of loophole to keep your bird, but do not get your hopes up. I will bring you larger boxes so you can gather crabs for it. We will try to feed it, but again, we make no promises for its survival.”

Life was hard; I’d learned that lesson when a spaceship had tumbled from the sky, stealing my hearing.

An act of kindness from a mercy ship and her crew had saved my life. A second act of kindness, from Waldren and the Veloc, had restored my hearing.

If I could save the bird, I would.

After eating the crab, the bird went off to catch more, bringing small and larger prey alike to me. After observing, I realized something was also wrong with the bird’s wings. Unlike the others, which took flight at their whim, the little one limited itself to ineffective flapping.

Alban returned with Herserael, who wore gloves over his clawed hands. He scooped the bird up and began an examination of it, cooing and whistling.

I tensed, wondering what the verdict would be.

“Relax,” Alban ordered. “Waldren thinks we can get away with the bird due to its circumstances. He has plenty of videos showcasing healthy specimens, and it is clear this one is deformed and unhealthy and would become fodder for scavengers. He has counted at least fifty individuals on this stretch of beach, so it meets the criteria for common species. Registering the bird, showing our care in catching its prey, and recording its behavior will handle what the regulations and rules do not already cover. If you wish to use the space in your quarters for a crab and a bird, that is entirely your business. We will sort out habitat and take some sand for the crabs. With luck they will produce a supply of food for the bird, but he thinks we can mimic something for it.”

I nodded. “But what about pests and illnesses?”

Herserael cooed, and after a moment, showed me the bird, spreading out a wing. “The little one will have a very unpleasant few minutes, as will we all when we are hosed down with various insecticides. The crabs will be scanned using different machines, as some will be food for the bird. See the shape of the wing at the joint? Where it does not bend quite right compared to other birds?”

I nodded. “I see it.”

“This is a sign of malnutrition on birds on our world. It is resolvable with the machines we have on board, although for now, we will leave it as is. We do not want the little one to fly around the ship until we determine if it can be trained or if it will thrive on board a ship. If not, we will make a habitat for it on our world so it can live out its days in comfort. This is good evidence we do no harm to the ecosystem taking the bird. This is a sign there are too many birds for this stretch of beach—the strong thrive, and the poor hunters, injured, or malformed eventually starve.” Herserael tilted his head to the side. “There is no prey instinct in these birds at all. These must be the largest predators on shore. Not even other birds hunt them. Had they, we would have terrified them. There must be larger but gentler prey species within the woods, but nothing like foxes or cats.”

“Releasing cats here would destroy the ecosystem,” I predicted.

“You are correct. There would be nothing to hunt the cats, and the birds would be wiped out. This would not be a good place to release cats. But perhaps it would be a good place for a menagerie.” Herserael adjusted how he held the bird, cupping his gloved claws around it. “No fear at all. What a brave and beautiful little creature.”

“Perhaps the gate didn’t care about us at all but saw the plight of the bird and the crab,” I suggested, gesturing at the thriving beach and its nearby forest. “They certainly need far more help than I.”

“The universe works in mysterious ways. I cannot say you are right,” Herserael replied, and he flashed a toothy grin my way. “I also cannot say you are wrong. But do try not to adopt the entire planet. On a normal expedition, the crab and the bird would be monitored to see how they came to their ends to be recorded for the sake of science. You’re getting away with the jellyfish because those are for scientific study. But as we are not here fully for science, we have room on board the ship for compassion. The captain of the ship requests that you limit your acts of compassion to one more count for the day if at all possible. He can rig up one extra unexpected resident on board of alien origin. After that, we will be pushing our luck.”

After an hour on the beach collecting crabs, samples of seaweed, and small stones, sea-polished crystals, and shells, I discovered there was one predator of the birds: fish. The birds ventured close to the water to catch crabs, and something large, dark with glistening scales, brave, and with big teeth surged up the beach, caught a bird in its mouth, and used the same tactic the birds used on the crabs to secure its supper. Feathers flew along with blood. Without bothering to return to the water first, the fish gulped down its meal.

Then it waited for a wave and wiggled back into deeper water.

I turned to Alban and said, “You could not pay me all the credits in the universe to go in that water.”

The Veloc hooted, bobbed its head, and replied, “That was highly educational, yes. The oceans on our home contain similar fish, as brave as they are hungry and willing to test their luck for their next meal. So, do you want the good news or the bad news?”

“Let’s go with the bad news first.”

“The crab is probably going to make it, and it already shows signs of regrowing its limbs.”

“How is that bad news?”

“The fresh limbs you gathered from the birds seem to be regrowing crabs.”

I blinked. “Excuse me? Did you just say the limbs are growing crabs ?”

“Yes, that is what I said.” The Veloc shook out his feathers. “We were not anticipating having hundreds upon hundreds of dismembered crab legs growing bodies on board the ship.”

“Is that normal crustacean biology? I do not remember this from my biology classes.”

“That is more bad news. It seems to be a first. Waldren can’t find any evidence of this happening in the records. Crabs growing new legs? Yes. Crab legs growing new crabs? No.”

I shuddered. “What does that mean for our samples?”

“Well, that’s more bad news. You probably won’t be able to keep any of the crabs as pets.”

I stared at him before shaking my head. “I have lines, Alban. I draw a line where if I accidentally yank off my pet’s leg, it grows into another pet.”

“It explains why the birds were ripping off the legs of the crabs. When you can grow at least twelve new crabs in short order from dismembering a single crab, they’re replenishing their food supply. I am a fierce predator, but I do not want my dismembered prey growing into more prey.”

“So, we’re agreed. The crabs are creepy, and they can regenerate new crabs from yanking off their legs. Maybe we should leave the crabs here.”

“The crabs are invaluable to science, so Waldren has decreed we will not be leaving the crabs here. He is the only one who thinks his logic is sound.”

“Do you have an airlock and a method of ejecting these crabs into space?” I muttered.

“I am concerned the crabs will become spacefaring crabs, able to survive through the vacuum of space,” the Veloc confessed.

As the last thing anyone needed was spacefaring, regenerative crabs, I shuddered. “I revoke that idea.”

“Wise.”