12. Zeerah

I'm on the bridge researching how to argue with Werrin when Noemi calls.

Her little "hail" icon appears on my pristine, buttery-smooth viewscreen. I answer half distracted by its beauty. "What's up?"

"The cure has arrived."

Nerves shoot through me. "Already?"

"Actually, it's been a gora longer than expected."

We schedule a meeting, just the two of us. Kollok's been agitating to get me off the bridge again. Falkion seems to be leaning toward obliging him.

Our private talk, where I ask him plainly about going off on my own, still sparks a small fight.

"Before you roam alone, get an implant," Falkion orders.

"Excuse me?" I say.

"Then you'll never be beyond my reach."

An Arrisan brain implant could be cool. I'd want it to interface with my skinsuit and give me their unnatural strength and superspeed, for one.

Noemi uses her implant to access the knowledge databases of the empire. She says it takes a few goras to figure out because the implant has to "map" to our human brains differently.

But it's still super experimental. As in, the only human in the entire empire with an implant right now is Noemi. My aunt always said not to mess around in the brain unless it's an emergency because you just never know.

I also don't know how I feel about being reachable inside my brain.

Noemi says it's possible to toggle the implant on and off, but is that always true? Arrisans have a bad habit of forcing communications on the lower ranks. Falkion's probably fine, but what if I got drunk-dialed by High Commander Drin? Nightmare.

As of right now, Falkion tracks me by my skinsuit. I have no plans of ever taking that off except when I'm getting naked with him.

Anyway… At the appointed time, brain intact and still lacking an implant, I rise from my console and announce I'm going to the science office. Falkion studies me for a long moment. We agreed on this, but I almost think he's going to change his mind. And it'd be a relief if he did, honestly. If I can't get the spray, oh well, right? We can't try it out, can't cure him. Not my fault.

Falkion looks at the other bridge officers, who studiously avoid his gaze. Even Kollok.

Falkion finally nods. "If the Harsi are sighted, return at once."

I snap my fingers. "You know I will."

He already looks like he regrets this.

I skip off like a kid released from chores. For the next two clegs, I'm not thinking about the awkward bridge dynamics, unwinnable battles, or the stupid Harsi. I swing my arms, choose my own pace, and enjoy my freedom.

I reach the science office just as Noemi's leaving.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." She seals Tom into a high-tech cat backpack and pushes a science cart out the door. "Something's come up at the Harsi ship. We'll have to reschedule the test."

Reprieve!

"That's okay." I keep pace with her easily. "I wanted to ask a few questions beforehand anyway."

"Oh, come with me. Ask on the way."

Tom stares out the see-through backpack, upright as Noemi flies sideways through the grav tubes. That means his backpack has its own gravity inside, and he's unaffected by any jostling.

"Tom's got a new ride," I comment.

"Yes, I wanted to give him a change of scenery. Isn't it fun? He must get bored in the office watching cat TV all day."

Noemi maneuvers the huge, fully stocked science cart gracefully through multiple gravity changes. Maybe it's her implant. Ooh. I do covet it a bit.

Right, so what were my made-up questions about the cure…?

"What's come up at the H-alien ship?" I ask instead. As rationality officer, I should probably know.

"The ship's been regrowing itself, right?" Noemi's eyes glimmer with excitement. "Recently, it's regrown the ‘brain.'"

"Uh, that's bad."

"No, it's great. We were sure the new brain was giving off signals, but we couldn't detect anything. Well, we've had these Tsingvaris ‘Boxes' in the empire for years. The Tsingvaris people invented them to detect the most unlikely forms of communication, but the Arrisans never really cared about communicating with anyone ‘beneath' them."

"I'm shocked," I say dryly.

She shares my amusement. We're from a planet that once had over seven thousand languages, and now every single person speaks Arrisan Standard.

"After Allie gave her speech about lessers being equal to allies, the Tsingvaris ambassador personally gifted her a Box ‘so other races can understand the beauty within your message as we understand it.' She realized the importance and asked the Science Center why we weren't stocking them everywhere. And now, they're the reason we've made a huge breakthrough."

I follow her to the jumping point between our ships.

A team of engineers is still trying to cut the metal spine. It's narrower than before. They're making progress pushing it out. It's curved over our heads and looks skinny enough for one person to worm through.

We pass through the atmosphere veil. My stomach lurches with the change in gravity.

"The Box picks up things we can't detect," Noemi continues, her voice sounding completely natural even though it's transmitted from her hood to mine across the silent vacuum. "Not like colors outside the visible spectrum, but like theoretical energy waves on alternate planes of existence."

Alternate planes of existence? "Like, what, ghosts? Demons? Ectoplasm?"

"If otherworldly beings exist, then yes, the Box could communicate with them. Given enough data, I mean. Just now, we've put the Box next to the Harsi ship's brain and guess what?"

"It's picking up a signal?"

"No." She giggles. "It's picking up thousands of invisible signals."

A cold pebble settles in my stomach. "What do they say?"

"We don't know yet. The only thing the Box has translated into Arrisan Standard is a number: zero."

"Ship's ID?"

"We just have no idea, really."

We fly across the Outside grav tube. Noemi expertly grabs the scaffolding and I barely catch the edge with my fingertips. We clamber inside the H-alien ship, winding through the jagged, cavernous tunnels.

Beneath us lie the char marks of the Vanadisans' ill-fated setup. It's a little creepy that our own wires and equipment are strung along the same path. The engine control room is filled with engineers. Noemi veers into a different room. This is the brain.

Ukuri and the other scientists descend on her cart. They pull out stacks of data tablets and sync them to what is apparently a literal box. It stands as tall as my knee and has the thickness of my torso. Lights and colors flash at the edge of my visual spectrum. Arrisan words print on the big viewscreen mounted next to it.

Zero. Zero. Zero.

It's like a voice from an ancient evil.

And its meaning is a total mystery.

I hug my elbows. "Isn't this a little dangerous? Zero might be how many of us are aware that a monster is creeping up from behind."

"Wow." Noemi beams. "You're really settling into your rationality officer role, aren't you? The Arrisan paranoia is taking hold."

She's not wrong.

And I have finally thought of a question. "About that cure…"

"Yes, it's here." She pulls it out of a holder on Tom's backpack. It's a small square bottle, like a cartridge for a weapon.

I rest my finger on the dispenser. "I spray it on me?"

"On your harasser, of course. It suppresses the inner teeth, so he'll no longer feel the urge to bite."

Has Falkion been suppressing that urge this whole time? He never tried to bite me except at the beginning, when he…

Ugh, not thinking about our charged first encounter. Nope, nope. I resolutely push that out of my mind. This small, lightweight container is liquid calm. Emotional neutrality. Falkion needs this.

And yet, all I can think of is changing my mind, losing it, or pretending I never found out it existed. "How fast does it work?"

"Within a few instants."

"So fast…"

If I never tell Falkion, we'll never use it. He'll never even know.

Ugh. Zeerah. Please.

Seriously, my bad thoughts over this are really gross. How would I feel if our situations were reversed? If I was the lovesick one and he never told me he had a cure? I'd hate him.

He deserves to have the choice to be free of me.

No more hesitation.

I borrow a viewscreen and call the bridge. The communications officer, Marip, answers flatly.

"I'm calling for Falkion," I say.

"He's in the middle of an important conference." Marip's emphasis, meaning more important than you, isn't subtle. She terminates the call.

Fine, it doesn't matter. I turn to Noemi. "Thanks for this. I'll leave you to your exciting new Box thing."

"Of course. After I finish this, we could…that's strange." She points her data tablet at a panel. "Doesn't it seem more shiny over here?"

In real life, no, but the data tablet must have extra filters because the panel looks iridescent. It stands out from the dark panels around it like a bubble.

"You can almost see the ship regrowing sometimes," she muses. "It's super responsive to the most unlikely energy. Look at this." She takes a special light from her cart and waves it over the panel. Again, I see nothing with my eyes, but on the data tablet, the panel glows brighter. "There."

While we're watching, the panel beside it suddenly also glows.

"Two," she says.

And the next shines, and the next. Then the whole wall gleams. The hair on the back of my neck stands up. "What's happening?"

Her eyes sparkle. "I have no idea."

The halls around us glimmer, this strange iridescence spreading as far as we can see.

It's like the entire ship just turned on.

Behind us, the researchers exclaim. "The Box! It's registering a massive burst of energy. The ship is sending out a powerful signal!"

Noemi clears her throat. "Excuse me."

They're too excited to hear her soft words.

But Ukuri joins her side in an instant. "Ah? Good work, Noemi. Well, well, Rationality Officer, you've come during an exciting shift."

"Ah! Another massive surge!" The science officers around the Box chatter excitedly. "Perhaps a reply? Quick, set up more recording equipment."

A subtle hum vibrates the scaffolding beneath my feet.

I jump. "What was that?"

Ukuri answers."The engines cycled on."

"What?!"

Ukuri checks his chronometer, strangely unbothered. "Bit early for the daily cycle."

"I'll note it." Noemi does so calmly.

"I'm not leaving here for anything," a young science officer exclaims. "Dibs on the next ten shifts!"

"Wait, wait, wait." I feel like I'm going crazy. "The brain just came to life, sent out and maybe also received a message, and then the engines turned on? And you want to sit here and study it?"

The area goes dangerously quiet. The science officers tear their eyes away from their data tablets to stare at me.

Ukuri tilts his head. "What would you recommend, Rationality Officer?"

I don't even care that his use of my title sounds like a sneer. "I recommend we get the H out of here."

No one reacts.

"Evacuate the ship," I enunciate. Nobody's going to accuse me of stuttering. "Right now."

There's a long pause.

How is it that the first time we've separated, I actually need Falkion to enforce my orders?

Ukuri's a blade, though, and he's the official leader of the researchers.

"Why are you hesitating?" I ask him. "We could all be in danger."

"Science officers aren't afraid to take a little risk in pursuit of the truth." Ukuri smiles without mirth. "Is evacuating at this moment really necessary?"

"Welp, I can't speak for science officers, but…" I drape my arm across Noemi's shoulders, resting my elbow on the top of Tom's cat backpack. "Exactly what do you consider a little risk?"

Ukuri's lips part.

The silence stretches.

Yep, I've played the "So you're okay risking your girlfriend's life? Like, really?" card.

This is my first real test as a rationality officer.

I don't even care if I'm wrong. If there's no danger, great. But we don't know that yet.

He takes Noemi's elbow.

She eases out from under my arm with an apologetic smile and goes to his side.

He touches his implant. His voice is detached. Icy. And utterly commanding. "Evacuate the Harsi ship."

Unlike when the green false alarm was sounded and everyone went silent, this evacuation is super noisy. The science officers erupt in protest. Engineers swear, and tools clatter. Everyone argues with both me and Ukuri while they reluctantly obey. The other science officers try to contact Falkion to override us, but they can't get past Marip.

"Are you insane?" they cry, and "This is a massive breakthrough. We have to study it."

"Study it from space," I snap back at the anonymous complainers.

We crowd onto the Outside grav tube and fly back en masse to the dreadnought. We land and stream through the atmosphere veil inside.

On the dreadnought, all the work on detaching the Harsi ship has stopped. The engineering team stands to one side, lasers pointed down and shut off. They stare up at…

Is that a new greenish-beige intrusion in the ceiling?

Where did the smaller spike they've been working on go?

I hurry to the engineer in charge of this shift. "Tell me again. How long does it take to separate ships?"

"We can't separate now, can we?" She gestures at the new ceiling, and I suddenly realize that is the small spike, but it's expanded into a massive pipeline capable of letting an army tromp through. "That last surge exploded us. One spike's gone all the way to the main engineering bay."

Ice flows in my veins. "How do we fix it?"

"Undo what those science officers did."

"They didn't do anything! The Harsi ship came alive all by itself, and…"

She's not listening. The evacuees are complaining to her.

I'm not wrong, though. Right? Noemi and Ukuri have disappeared amid the crowds of researchers, so there's no one to back me up.

The lead engineer refocuses on me. "We gotta reverse what you did."

"We have to evacuate this ship," I insist.

"The dreadnought?" She blinks. "Only the captain can do that."

I pat my pockets for a data tablet. She offers hers, and together, we try to contact the bridge, but nobody picks up. We're blocked.

I am going to yell at that communications officer, Marip. I'm going to really scream.

"Authorize my engineers to go back," the engineer urges. "One team. We can't fix this from here. Maybe they can't either, but we've got to try."

"Fine, but if they press the wrong button, you'd better be prepared."

She nods and shouts for a team.

Science officers mill around me, whining that this is all a waste of precious time.

I take off for the bridge at a run.