Chapter 7

Chapter 7

T he cargo bay amazed me. Hundreds of grazers hung from hooks, and I couldn’t tell how they intended on keeping the meat fresh. They’d left the hides on, and while they’d done basic cleaning of the animals, Pearrilla informed me that they kept every part to make sure none of the animal’s gift went to waste.

The organs were stored in a separate container so the meat would not be tainted.

“How?” I blurted, pointing at the carcasses.

“They’re in stasis,” the Veloc explained, and she went to the nearest grazer and tried to tug on its ear. It remained fixed in position. “When we are ready to partake, we remove the animal from stasis and carve it as normal. If you would like to improve your skills and skinning and tanning, I am sure my kin can assist you with that. There are many things humans with agile fingers can do on our world and others like ours.” She then turned and pointed at a pair of grazers that were marked with black ribbons. “Those two are yours. You would not have time to hunt for yourself, so Taesinn hunted on your behalf. I will encourage him to hunt a few more for you, as he is not as adept at our hunting arts as we would like, and it is the first time we’ve gotten him to do so willingly. He will do his duty, especially when planet busters are involved. But on the hunts? He is an adorable hatchling and good company, but he is mostly useless.”

I suspected I could teach him how to be a better hunter if given some time alone with him. “If time allows, perhaps we can go hunt a grazer together?”

“He would appreciate that, I suspect. Before we leave, we will see if we have time to plan a trip. We will sleep beneath the stars if the weather is good and within tents should it be poor, and we will begin teaching you how we adventure into the wild places of foreign worlds when we leave the comfort of our nests. This is a good plan.” Pearrilla entered an aisle between the hanging bodies. “Come, I will show you something else.”

I followed her. She took me to the cargo bay wall, which had stacks of metal containers lashed into place. She pointed out a set of ten marked with a black ribbon. “Those will contain most of your belongings. I have been asked if you would like us to transport your home to our world. You have worked hard on it, and your treatments of the great tree have rendered it appropriate for travel. We would empty it, excavate it, treat the exterior to remove any pests that cannot leave this world, and load it into the bay. We will make space for it.”

My eyes widened. “You can bring my tree?”

“It will be a feat, but it is a challenging feat my kin are willing to do. You ask for nothing but give everything you can. If you like your home, you should keep it. Of course, we will add it as an extension to your nest proper, a place you can visit if your proper nest proves not as comfortable as you would prefer. That is a possibility, because the tree is what you are now used to. We do not have great trees like that one, so you could not recreate your environment. And don’t worry about the space. We would store our kills within your tree for transit.”

“But what about the quarantine? Won’t the tree and the carcasses carry illness and pests?”

Pearrilla shook her head. “We purify the carcasses before we put them into stasis, and then we do more treatments on their hide to make certain there are no hitchhikers. It is an art we have honed. We do take precautions. Do not fear. The illness that killed your people will not spread from us, our animals, from you, or from your home. Are you ready to see the medical bay? That is where we will do the work on Persistence.”

“I’m ready.”

The Veloc guided me back through the maze of carcasses and to the door leading deeper within the ship. “Much like your colony ship, we use sterile surfaces on the hallways and throughout much of the ship. It’s easier to clean and sanitize. The living quarters have customizations, and we deal with the heightened requirements during quarantine situations. I will show you Taesinn’s quarters, as he gave his approval, and it’s just one of the ways we can customize our living spaces. He spent a lot of his youth on an odd ship, and they used hammocks instead of beds. I prefer a bed.”

We’d had hammocks on our world, but we had not been able to bring such a luxury with us — and we hadn’t managed to build any that held our weight comfortably. The world had vines, but they irritated the skin over time. While the colony had still lived, we hadn’t had much in the way of extra cloth to try to fashion such a luxury.

Curious about what Taesinn felt was comfortable, I replied, “I’d like that.”

“This way. He has quarters fairly close to the cargo bag; he’s agile and doesn’t mind working in zero gravity spaces, so he often gets assigned to do cargo bay work during flight. We usually keep gravity at a minimum to lessen our fuel usage during a voyage. We turn on gravity in the cargo bay when needed, though.”

True to her word, Pearrilla led me to a room a short distance away. The hammock reminded me of a hanging bedroll, large enough even two people could sleep in one. Much like his feathers, a riot of color splashed most surfaces. Upon closer inspection of one of the nearby cabinets, I determined someone had gotten creative with paint, which had been covered with a glossy clear coating. “It’s so bright.”

“He enjoys bright colors and art, so he had his chamber decorated in such a fashion. His is a little more custom than most, as manufacturers do not typically sell rainbow chaos as a theme. One of our kin has his cabinets all done in a separate color so he can organize himself better. Taesinn enjoys his colorful chaos.” Pearrilla pointed at one of the cabinet doors near the ground. “Should you decide to venture into space often, your cabin will have a special cage installed so your furred pets have a safe haven.” She pointed at another cabinet a little higher. “That space would become your bird’s. That does mean you have less room for luxuries, but we’ve found those who are determined enough to bring feathered or furred companions into space do not mind losing other things.”

“And there are chambers with beds for those who don’t like hammocks?”

The Veloc pointed at several more cabinets. “Taesinn, perhaps wisely, sacrificed the actual bed for more storage space. He is required to sit in one of the common rooms nearby during landings and takeoffs, where the chambers with beds are designed for users to be able to be nestled in their bed for such things. The hammock is unsuitable for that. I’m of the opinion Taesinn has the right idea. I am thinking we should acquire a pet for him to better appeal to his nature — and perhaps put him in charge of the care of all other pets on our vessel. An important role where he can shine and be appreciated.”

“There is a small animal on the planet that has much more fur and is also a great deal softer than the bounders. They are almost as stupid, friendly enough, but too small to be hunted for meat. But they are a delight to touch. They are a long walk from where I lived, and they did not provide enough meat to be worth the effort to kill. But they are soft.” I held my hands apart to show the Veloc the animal’s size. “They are breeding this time of year, so perhaps a breeding pair of them and their babies might be a suitable present for him?”

The Veloc’s crest rose. “Would you like to do that?”

Unsure of how to reply, I shrugged and said, “He’s been very kind.”

“Then we shall go to this place where these animals are, and you can help catch a pair and their babies for him. I was not aware of small animals other than the ones we’ve already captured.”

“They generally come out near nightfall, and they like to stay mostly underground. They come out to roll around in the sand near a stream.”

“Ah, I know of the place you speak. Yes, that is far from your nest. Before we leave, we shall venture there. There is a good meadow for meat not far from there, and we can finish our hunt there. I will now show you the medical bay, and we will begin the work restoring Persistence’s leg.”

Pearrilla guided me through the ship, stopping here and there to show me little things, from lounges, entertainment rooms, a garden with glass domes containing butterflies and bees that wouldn’t be released until the ship had been sanitized. She showed me her chamber as well, which featured a bed, one with a mattress and several blankets and three pillows. “This is how you should have traveled on your way to this world.”

I found a strange comfort in the knowledge that more care about our comfort wouldn’t have changed anything.

The planet itself was hostile to human life.

“Why did I survive, Pearrilla?”

“Come. I will show you.” She gestured for me to follow her, and she went down a hallway and stopped at a large door leading into a stainless, sterile room beyond. “This is our triage. The injured come here, and we begin treatments here. It isn’t a welcoming place at first glance, but this is where we save lives.” She pointed at another door, open and leading into another room. “Our genetics machines are in there, and that is where you will learn the answer to your question.”

At last. Answers. I hurried across, stopping at the threshold to peer into a chamber filled with machines and stations with big chairs suitable for even a Veloc. “There’s so much in here.”

After joining me, Pearrilla regarded the various stations, and her crest rose. After some thought, she went to one of the chairs and sat down. “Do you see the perch in the cylinder?”

The perch stood out, made of wood I recognized from the forest, hard to work with but durable. “I do.”

“Ask Persistence to stand there.”

As such refined flight would prove more than the bird could overcome, I picked Persistence up and placed her within the cylinder, giving her a moment to get her leg situated beneath her. Once certain she wouldn’t fall, I released her. “What now?”

“We scan her. This part she will be awake for.” Pearrilla pressed a few buttons, and the cylinder glowed with a soft white light. A panel closed off the cylinder, moving in silence. I worried the bird might panic, but Persistence settled into preening, waiting for me to retrieve her from her perch.

The process took about ten minutes, and when it finished, the light dimmed and the cylinder reopened.

“All right. You can take her out. The next step will be sedation. The results from the test will tell us what sedative and how much to use to be safe for her. After she has been dosed, we will put her in a padded box with her wings secured to her body and run her through a machine. The machine will regenerate her missing limb. It will take about six hours. I will take you out to hunt. Loitering around and waiting will do you no good, and she won’t be awake if anything does go wrong.”

If something did go wrong with my bird, I’d be heartbroken. “The odds something will go wrong?”

“Slim. This sort of regenerative work is commonplace, especially in animals like birds. Amberley will take great care with your Persistence, that much I can promise you. She will be much happier when she can hunt to her full potential at your side. You’ll have to be patient with her as she learns how to use her second leg, but that is a matter time will resolve.”

I went to the cylinder, picked her up around her body, and returned her to my shoulder. “How long will it take for Amberley to begin?”

“About five minutes,” a deep, male voice announced from the doorway. I recognized the Veloc as one of the more aggressive hunters inclined to engage with the largest grazers in a rather direct fashion. His prey rarely lasted long, and he lacked any of Taesinn’s scruples about bloodshed. “Before we begin with her, shall we discuss your genetics?”

I nodded. “I’m still not sure what they did to me.” I hesitated before gesturing to my ears and tails. “I guess I understand why.”

“They did a substantial amount of work — and I question where they got the genetic data for your modification. I have figured out why you were the only survivor. As part of your adaptation, they used some Veloc genetics. Our genetics are compatible with most species, but most do not do genetic manipulations using our genetic code; there is a high level of risk of the genes taking over. Veloc genetics are dominant, and they have a tendency to override other genetics. Should a human and a Veloc wed and produce children, the children are Veloc.”

My eyes widened at the thought of a woman trying to give birth to a Veloc. “And the baby doesn’t just tear its way out?”

Both Veloc tossed their heads up and hooted their laughter. Pearrilla recovered first and said, “Hatchlings born to a human mother are born either from an egg, which she births at two to three months and they grow outside of her body, or as a live birth. When live birthed, the young hatchling does not have claws nor teeth, nor does the little one have an egg horn. The male Veloc of the relationship adapts. A young couple of that nature will not attempt to have a hatchling until two or three years after their union. We use controls to make certain neither male nor female are fertile until the male has finished adapting. The same applies to female Veloc with human males — or a male of any other compatible species. Generally, it’s safe after about a year, as measured on Veloci Minor, but many couples do not want to face losing a little one, so they wait longer.”

My eyes widened. “Veloc and humans are really compatible?”

“We are,” Amberley confirmed, and his crest rose while he tilted his head to regard me with interest. “You are tolerant of Veloc, so we presumed you had some xenodiversity training.”

I shook my head. “I just figured the pretty feathered predators would either eat me or be friendly, and I had no problems with either happening.” I winced at my confession. “Persistence is wonderful, as is the rest of her flock, but they aren’t great conversationalists.”

Amberley nodded, reached over, and nuzzled my cheek. “And you are a social human. You have missed companionship. It may be you are naturally xenodiverse. It happens in humans on a startlingly frequent basis. When you remove a human from prejudiced environments, they adapt. They also forget the reasons for their prejudice once away from negative influences for long enough. We’ve found hatred in humans is a cultivated trait, not a natural one.”

“I’ve only ever seen other humans,” I admitted, shrugging. “And they were all like me until they gave me ears and a tail.”

“They stole your humanity from you in some ways. Their meddling spared your life, however — and there is no good in judging the dead. They have already paid the ultimate price for their sins. And those who destroyed your world have already paid the ultimate price for their sins.”

I wondered what that left me with. Nothing? Freedom? Everything? I stroked Persistence’s breast feathers, and the bird lowered her head to scrape her beak against my hand. “What are the odds she won’t survive?”

“It is slim. We have done similar for her kind thousands upon thousands of times without ever losing one. Your bird will be as safe as we can make her. She will experience a minor amount of soreness for a few days, but once she has recovered, she will enjoy a long and fruitful life. We will give her a longevity mod, which will improve her quality of life as she ages. We’ve found that the animals we give this treatment to enjoy their lives until their last moments, and then they simply stop, usually in their sleep. We may be predators, but we do our best for the little ones put in our care.” Amberley gestured to one of the machines, which resembled a tube large enough for a Veloc to fit inside without a single feather peeking out. “This is our regenerative device. As Persistence is rather small, we will put her within a special box and set her inside the machine while she sleeps. The machine will be sealed, and it will handle the work. There are smaller models meant for animals and birds, but we don’t keep those on this ship. This model will handle anything up to a Veloc in size, we just have to make a few adjustments.”

“How will you sedate her?”

Amberley went to a small cabinet, opened it to reveal a refrigeration unit, and pulled out a small plastic box filled with pieces of meat. He selected a small one and used a metal tool to insert a pill. “She will swallow this, and within twenty minutes, she will fall asleep. It is a time-release capsule, so she will stay asleep for the duration of the procedure.”

He offered me the piece of meat, and I took it, clicked my tongue to get Persistence’s attention, and offered it to her.

As I’d never fed the bird anything unsafe, she gulped it down without hesitation. I praised her, petted her breast, and waited for the pill to do its work. As promised, within twenty minutes, she slept. The Veloc took her from me, gave me another nuzzle of my cheek, and said, “She will be fine. Pearrilla will go out and entertain you in the wilds. Perhaps you can find some other fiendishly sweet beings we cannot eat and will take up dreadful amounts of space on our ship.”

“There is a sandy beach along the water not far from here,” Pearrilla stated, and her crest rose. “Perhaps some of those furry creatures you want for Taesinn live there. Let us explore and find out while Persistence is treated. When you return here, she will be awake and learning how to live with two legs rather than one. A good hunt will keep your mind off your worries.”

I kissed the sleeping bird’s head before leaving her in Amberley’s care, hoping for the best while fearing the worst.