The Star Guardian

Chapter 6: Rescue

Cyrille and I got very close, expecting to die together if the power or supplies failed. I'd never shared affection with another being before, and there were all kinds of problems with intimacy and customs between different species to consider. The Tians were different from me and emotionally distant, so they never drew me in. I had developed a dislike for them in subsequent cycles on Tian Prime.

Cyrille looked more like myself, but a little taller. She was nothing like a Tian. It took meeting the Ori for me to understand what it meant to have friends, to have something resembling a true family. I got to experience some sense of relationship with a female as a result of this perilous adventure in an escape pod with Cyrille. I was maturing quickly.

I had no clues about physical or genetic compatibility between human and Ori. Even though events had put the two of us together in a small space, I could not think of doing anything more. I was happy how things had progressed, and content to enjoy our close time together, before meeting my impending death.

I could learn more about cultural differences, just by talking with Cyrille. She was easy to talk with. Her notion of a life-debt, or the short time we had left, seemed to make her keen to answer even my dumbest questions.

If I had been more experienced, I would have figured that our shared experiences, and facing death together, our closeness and the intimate setting had forged a bond between us. I just knew I was glad to spend my last days with Cyrille, and she with me.

But death was not to greet us so soon. Unknown to us, a cloaked satellite within range had picked up the distress call from our escape pod and relayed it to a nearby vessel of an ancient race known as the Baglogi. The cloaked satellite was one of a number that monitored this section of the Galaxy. The AI of the Baglogi vessel changed course to intercept the escape pod, based on three criteria:

1. The Baglogi vessel was in the area, with a chance of intercepting the escape pod before it's occupants ran out of air.

2. The escape pod was so far into deep space, there was no hope of rescue by any other vessels.

3. A bio scan of the pod by the satellite showed two occupants, both alive, and one of the life signs was a close enough match to possibly be that of a Baglogi.

It was the third item that piqued it's interest. The AI of the Baglogi vessel was currently running a protocol that put a high value on preservation of the Baglogi species. The chance it could be a living Baglogi was reason enough to decide. So a while later, our escape pod found itself within a shuttle bay of the same Baglogi vessel, with a suitable atmosphere, gravity, light and temperature established.

Inside our escape pod, the control panel woke us up with an alert that there was a change outside. I could also feel we now had gravity, for the first time in many days my body was pressed back into my seat. Things were not floating around inside.

It was with some cautious optimism that I activated the display to show that we were no longer in deep space, but within what appeared to be the hold of a larger ship. The walls and ceiling were a metallic grey, and there were no visible markings or insignia.

"What do we do now?" I asked.

"I think it is safe to assume they are not pirates, or they would have used us for target practice. It is probably safe to get out." Stated Cyrille.

"I agree. We're running low on food and water, so the timing couldn't have been better." I said.

After verifying it was indeed safe to exit, I opened the hatch. We both climbed wearily out of the escape pod, and sank to the deck.

For a while, we remained there, since being in space for many days, the lack of artificial gravity in the escape pod had made us weak. In larger vessels there was always an artificial gravity, so that muscles and bones didn't atrophy, and things would stay more or less where you put them. An escape pod is pared down to just the survival essentials, which meant you did without.

I was surprised that there was no-one there to greet us, so after some rest, we got up and moved towards what appeared to be a large door. The door did not open, and I looked for some kind of door control. At this point I was starting to become unsure that this might not be one of the pirates, so I nervously kept alert and looking cautiously around. Finally, Cyrille shouted out loud in Ori "Hello! Is there someone there?"

At this point, perhaps in response to her words, the door opened.

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A computer voice in Ori said "Please enter this way to decontamination." It dawned on me that our rescuers would not risk contamination to meet us in person until we have been checked out as safe. I should have realized.

After a moment the voice repeated itself, and we both stepped cautiously through the doorway into the next room, and the door closed behind us. This room was smaller than the hold where our escape pod was, and the walls were a lighter grey. The lighting was brighter in here too. Space-faring races usually have various kinds of decontamination, to protect from things such as viruses and parasites being passed on from visitors. In that light it seemed only reasonable to proceed.

In this room we were asked in Ori to disrobe and enter some kind of shower, which we did. On space ships, there is little modesty. The showers included scanners that identified and eliminated any dangerous contamination that remained. It had been days in the escape pod, and the shower was quite refreshing. After the process was complete, we were then directed to put on new clothing that was provided. Once dressed, we were directed to proceed to another doorway.

Cyrille and I kept close, holding hands for comfort, as we followed the directions we were given. We'd faced the possibility of death together, and survived. We had become accustomed to leaning on each other, drawing strength from our connection.

That we were out of the void, out of our escape pod, gave us hope. The prompting of the computer voice in the familiar Ori language was a very good sign. But we had been through a lot recently and the experience left us feeling drained. I had not spoken since we got out of the escape pod, and Cyrille had only said hello. We were still quite stunned.

This next room was more like some kind of waiting area. The lighting was softer, and there was various comfortable seating, including a table and chairs and some very inviting looking sofas. On one wall was what appeared to be a small galley, equipped with a food dispenser. There was a door on one wall, that later investigation would reveal to be a washroom.

I suddenly felt relieved. We were saved! At least we were not dying today. There was no reason for anyone to go to this trouble if they planned to kill us.

I looked at Cyrille and finally smiled. She smiled back, I could tell she also felt relieved. Feeling safe is a basic need for all beings. If you lose that feeling, and then get it back, you will know how we felt.

The adrenalin and survival instincts seemed to switch off inside both of us at this point. We both moved to and collapsed into a sofa together, and promptly fell into a deep sleep. The stress and exhaustion finally caught up to us. Although we were oblivious, sensors in the room determined our unconscious state, and the lights dimmed automatically. Throughout our sleep, the air vents were filtering the air and carefully monitoring for any airborne viruses and other such nasties. Fortunately the results were negative, and no further decontamination action was taken.