THREE

There was much to do still. Between them, Lianna, Stavros and Ernie shuffled boxes and loose slates and uniforms tossed carelessly over the bed and dresser. The boxes with her parents’ journals they moved to the pilot deck until they could think of a better storage space. Then Lianna shifted her undergarments to the bottom drawer. That left the two upper drawers for Gita’s belongings. Lianna never had that much junk to begin with.

Fortunately the station’s allotment allowed her to run a warm bath for Gita. She wanted this first day to be special. Gita wriggled out of her half-sari, which she promptly tossed to the deck as she climbed in. I’ll have to teach her some neatness, Lianna thought, but reconsidered once it dawned on her that she was in need of such training herself. Gita giggled lost in the bubbles, then beckoned with both hands. Lianna pointed at herself, to which Gita nodded. “Okay, kid, but I don’t know if this is proper—”

A shrill yelp jerked Lianna off the deck. Her skinsuit was draped half off of her chest. Both of Gita’s hands were clasped to her small mouth, and then she peeled one away to point at Lianna’s bare back. She didn’t need to incline herself toward the powder room’s mirror. For once she’d forgotten the fist-sized circular welts scarring her back. There would be more covering her arms and legs.

I guess this is gonna be one of those talks. She knelt beside the tub, still half exposed, and took Gita by the hands. “Sorry, kid, there are monsters in this universe.” She wanted to say more—NEEDED to reassure the child. All of a sudden, though, she was drawing a blank. ”Guess that’s another reason I hide under a skinsuit,” Lianna sighed. Gita’s hands flicked furiously, splattering water on them both. “Yeah,” Lianna said, looking down. “I killed it. It killed me, too.”

Gita’s arms opened to her. Lianna leaned in to hug her as her tail flopped out of the bath to tug at Lianna’s waist. “Okay. Then I suppose you’ll want to hear all about how your mom avenged me.”

After a good long soak and a toweling off, she tucked her little baby in to her cot. Gita held her with a worried frown. “It’s okay,” Lianna reassured her. “I usually don’t sleep here anyway.”

Little Stavros crawled across the cot to climb under the blankets beside Gita. Something warm beat inside Lianna, just gazing at the pair of them beside each other. “I’m gonna stay here a minute, just till you fall asleep. Okay?”

Both children nodded. Lianna didn’t know if the little ameboid needed ‘sleep’. Even so, unlike her parent body, she seemed to have grown eyelids that shut lightly over her oversized pupils at the same time as Gita’s. Lianna sat in a stiff back seat watching Gita’s blankets rise and fall with the soft whistles from her nostrils, with Little Stavros’ arm across her. Yeah, just a few minutes…

She jerked suddenly to a stiff ache in her back. Lianna stretched and groaned as the chronometer rang Nine in the morning. Had she been there all…? Never mind. Gita had already bounded out of bed, flinging the blankets half off the cot with Little Stavros bouncing right along behind her. Okay, what to do, first? Best to update Fayd at the observatory; he’d be worried sick.

Ernie had the linkage tied in before Lianna poured her first cup of qahwah sadah, with cardamom. Ooh, that woke her up. She sat in the command chair, patchy as it was, while the girls raced all over the ship. “Poppa,” Lianna smiled as a dark haired, lean faced man with two day old stubble smiled back at her across the stars.

“Habibi!” Fayd grinned back. “How goes the symposium?” Lianna raised her right hand and wriggled it, flat to her chest level. Faud shook her head. “I know that sigh, Habibi. What can I do?’

“There’s a bunch of fanatics who’ve shut me down for a couple of days. You know, I’m longing for the days when I could hang out in the calibration chamber with you. Nobody else wanted me around then either. I was always grateful you put up with me, Poppa.”

“Pff! You needed a secluded place where you could acclimate to us, to the observatory. I was happy to offer you the space.”

Lianna ducked her head as the thought barged back in: I was an animal.

She recalled she was a child, still feral after months fending for herself. The other scientists, apart from the Professor, tolerated her but kept their distance. Faud had given her free roam of a critical but isolated area on the station. Sometimes he left her a warm bowl of hummus which she devoured with her bare hands. He kept his keffiyeh folded neatly beside himself as he conducted routine adjustments or took precise stellar measurements at the telescope array.

One day she’d crept up and put it on just as she’d seen him wear it. She fiddled with the egel, winding it three times around her small head instead of the traditional twice. Fayd eyed her across a telescope and thought he’d be furious. Then he chuckled and resumed his work. Nobody else had thought she was cute at that point, and it helped her relax a little.

Some weeks later while he ducked inside a telescope tube, he asked, “Could you hand me that spanner, Habibi?” She grabbed the tool, but then padded toward him slowly, pausing every few steps. His hand remained open, expectantly. Finally she slapped the spanner into his hand and dodged behind a power conduit.  Fayd smiled, “thank you,” and continued his adjustments.

Lianna raised her head, returning his radiant smile. “You taught me everything I know about astrophysics and mechanics, and everything else.”

Fayd shrugged. “I know what it is to be abandoned. It’s a heritage my fathers and my mothers handed down in story and song, I did my little part to welcome you to our family.”

“You always did, Poppa. Speaking of which, I’ve got someone you’ve gotta meet…”

After she shut off the link, Lianna rubbed her eyes. “What to do…?”

“Might I suggest you get dressed first,” Ernie chimed behind her, shaking ten years’ growth off her. “Breakfast might also be in order for little Gita. It is the most important meal of the day.”

She found a shawarma deli in the Slush Pit she loved. Gita’s nose was practically in the cook’s pan as he mixed eggs, tomatoes, peppers and more and sauteed it to a warm stew. The cook was a genius, and after a second helping she left an extra big tip. If only the rest of the day had been so pleasant.

Back on the Observation Deck, a hooded figure loomed over the crowd, despite his hunched posture. With him were two equally long companions, all huddled close, cringing with each bump from the bustling humanity. Ordinarily Lianna would shy away, except, something familiar tingled inside her. With Gita still riding her shoulders, she visualized an empty starfield. Once her mind was clear, she sent out a single thought message: “Bon?”

The lead figure froze, straitening head and shoulders over the passing patrons. Then he and his companions turned to her, three slender beings with pale iridescent eyes large as saucer plates. The lead fellow tapped his staff on the deck and sent back: “Star sister!”

Gita’s leg muscles must’ve been stronger than they looked. Lianna nearly dislodged her when she barreled right int Bon’s chest and flung her arms around him. The crowd seemed to disappear as she snuggled into him. His companions draped their arms around her in turn. “It’s been so long,” she thought. “How have you been, my friend?”

“We are…fine,” Bon returned. “Just fine.” He gazed across her into Gita’s eyes. “And you have a child now. Blessings to you both. Do you hide her true nature for her protection?”

Lianna started in their collective grip. Then she gazed up into Bon’s face. “Yeah. There’s some loonies here. Is everything okay?”

The tall figure sagged again. “We are returning home. This place is not…welcoming.”

“I’m sorry.” Another tickle in her brain. “Yeah, they’re not exactly happy to see me, either.” Buzz. Lianna grinned. “You saw my symposium?”

“Indeed. It was very enlightening. We regret that your brethren are not open enough to receive your findings.”

“They haven’t even heard the really weird shit.” Bon bent down and they touched skulls. As his forehead touched Lianna’s, Gita reached down to touch Bon’s face. Where a nose and mouth would normally be in humans, his people displayed a stretched plate of skin. She signed, indicating her mouth.

“We oxygenate in our own way. Does our appearance frighten–?”

A swift jab at his shoulder dispelled that concern. She leaned across Lianna’s neck and tossed both arms around Bon’s head.

“I wish I’d known you were here,” Lianna sighed. “I’d have loved to spend some time with you. You always made me welcome.”

“We did not wish to endanger you. We have received some…unsavory correspondence.” His left-hand companion extracted a slip of paper from the sleeve of his robe. A slash cleaved through the upper right corner. Still, the note was bad enough: NOT IN OUR SOLR SYSTEM—ALIEN TRASH DON’T BELONG HERE.

Lianna was tempted to crumble the paper to dust, if she could. Her hands tightened inside her skinsuit as she fought the impulse. “Did you show this to the Commander?”

“Yes. It was examined. No fingerprints were found to trace the individuals responsible, so the Commander was unable to take action. So she says.”

“I bet.”

“We cannot stay longer. Our ship awaits. I’m sorry our visit has been contracted.”

“Could I at least walk you back to your ship? Just to make sure you’re safe?”

“Of course, star sister.”

With Gita holding Bon’s hand on one side and Lianna’s arm laced around the other, they walked together toward the space dock. Every once in a while, Lianna would shoot a poisonous glance at the milling crowd, daring anyone to challenge them. Outside the docking plate, Bon paused to offer Lianna a thought. “It is not true.”

“Sorry?”

“You are not the Harlot of Babylon, or any of the other accusations certain visitors have been thinking. You have always come to us without malice or prejudice. These are new things among us. It has always been a pleasure to call you friend.”

“And I’ve always been grateful for your friendship.”

Their ship was not ostentatious. Sleek pterodactyl wings braced a tubular body from which extended a 20-meter neck capped by a two-seater pilot’s capsule. “It’s gorgeous,” Lianna breathed aloud.

“Before we depart…” Bon hesitated in his transmissions. “May we see young Gita as she truly is?”

Lianna frowned, until Bon’s companions nodded and flanked Gita, flaring their cloaks as a shield. Between one breath and the next she’d traded her legs for a shimmering serpent’s trunk. Lianna sensed the awe in all her friend’s thoughts as she thumped her tail on the deck. If it were possible, Bon probably would’ve whistled. “The holy mothers,” thought he. All three raised their right arms to their chests, bowing their heads respectfully.

Then she had her legs again, and the pair pulled their cloaks tight around themselves again. Lianna and Gita vacated the docking area, waiting by the airlock hatch as Bon’s ship dipped from the launch bay. Her booster jets lifted her clear of the station. First she banked toward the Oort Cloud. Then it was a streak departing the Sol System. A surge of heat swelled Lianna’s cheeks. “Come on, kid,” she said to Gita. “We’ve got someone to see.”

Commander Stephensen was scrolling through a slate when Lianna burst in. “WHEN THE HELL ARE YOU GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THESE LUNATICS?”

The report hovering above the Commander’s palm burst like a solar prominence. She sighed as both hands dropped to her side. “I assume you’re referring to Captain Bon’s merry crew.”

“Don’t you patronize him—ever! I’m referring to someone who welcome me as an honored guest, who always treated me and all visitors to his planet with courtesy and respect. For Christ’s sake, he saved my life!”

“I’m glad.” They stood across from each other over a mural of the Milky Way Galaxy emblazoning the floor, Lianna huffing as the Commander stared at her feet. “Did he tell you they tried to vandalize his starship 48 hours after he landed? I’ve initiated deportation proceedings against thirteen members of this FAITH sect.”

“Sorry, faith—?

“Jesus Christ, don’t you even know who’s harassing you? “The Commander—Cassie—ticked off each word into her right palm. “The Fellowship of Agnostic Inter-Terrestrial Humans. They believe we made mistakes, ruined our chances on Earth, allowed refugees into developed nations—”

“—After they ruined their indigenous lands or flooded them out of existence—”

“—Can I finish? Can I? They don’t want to dilute the purity of our species, or some crap like that. They believe they should permit bonds between the best pairs of people, to bring the best fruit to bear.”

“Yeah, there’s a word for that. It’s called inbreeding. Why can’t you boot the rest of those fanatics off the station?”

“It’s not that easy. They’ve claimed their religious liberties have been trespassed on back on Terra. That’s what forced them into space in the first—”

“Nobody forced them! People stopped believing because they were acting like jackasses!”

“How would you know? You’ve never been to Earth! You weren’t even born there!”

“I have it on an extraordinarily good authority.”

Another silence, only punctuated by Cassie’s nails rapping on her desktop as she eyed Gita. “One question. People are gonna ask. Where did she come from?”

“I’m her appointed guardian,” Lianna said. Gita meanwhile was tapping on her padd, which she momentarily handed to Cassie. Her eyes widened occasionally as she scrolled through.

‘Well, we both know she couldn’t be your natural child,” Cassie muttered with a sad tinge in her voice. “I’m happy for you, I truly am. I saw how good you were with the kids at your show. I assume you have some legal documentation to support your guardianship. People are gonna ask.”

Lianna’s stomach seemed to drop. But she kept her expression neutral. “People already have.”

“Goddamn waste of time,” Lianna grumbled, her hand tightly gripping Gita’s. She’d hoped some solace would be found at the Portal. Solitude certainly wasn’t. Someone was already standing by it. A very tall someone; she had to be at least a head taller than Lianna. Her neck length curls seemed frizzy, and there were prominent bags under her eyes. But her skin was a glistening cinnamon brown under a coral tinted shawl flowing to her heels. Dogs and butterflies danced all across the fabric. “Hey gorgeous,” Lianna greeted her.

She grinned. “Hello. Do you greet everyone in that manner?”

“It puts most people at ease,” Lianna shrugged. It worked for most exospecies, too.

“You’re Doctor Jensen, aren’t you? I’ve seen your presentation.”

Sweet Kali, she was falling in love with that husky lilt of hers. “Yeah. Where are you from?”

“Earth, of course, the same as you,” she laughed. “And who is this little sweetheart?” She bent low over Gita. Then suddenly her hands flashed over Gita’s ribs. The child burst into giggles before ducking behind Lianna. She peeked over her right thigh, still giggling. “She’s delightful! Who’s the father?”

Shit. That’s three. “Umm…I’m acting as her guardian. I don’t know about the father. I didn’t—oww!” She glared at Gita before she could pinch her again. Did nagas even need a father?

The lady had turned aside so Lianna and Gita could have a better view out the Portal. “Isn’t that something? So many beings skimming through the atmosphere, drinking helium and expelling hydrogen. And no one knows.”

Lianna frowned. “How do YOU know? No life has ever been confirmed on Uranus.”

She shrugged. “I know. No one has bothered to properly search. They’re too enthralled with more romantic facades like Titan or Mars. Uranus has her charms…ohhh.”

Her eyes grew rounder, her hands rising to her mouth as the daily flash from the polar beacons illuminated the planet’s rings in an pale iridescent glow, like a saw blade rotating toward the station. For just a few seconds, Uranus’ cloud features became more prominent, displaying faint bands amidst a global haze. “Look, we have to go,” Lianna said after a few minutes.

The lady nodded, “I’ll be around. Call on me if you need anything.”

“That would be a neat trick, since I don’t even know your name.”

“Some people call me Fatima. I’ve kind of gotten used to people calling me Granny. That’s how most of the crew knows me around the station. Take care.” She reached out to stroke Lianna’s shoulder, then turned away.

Doctor Jensen had disappeared with her child into the bowels of the ship. As she turned back to the Portal, a blue skinned reflection stared back. “Contact has been made,” Granny sighed. “I hope you’re happy.”

Part 1: https://mike3839.com/2023/09/

Part 2: https://mike3839.com/2024/04/03/her-last-chance-part-2/