Ball of Silence

Ball of Silence - Chapter 20

Chapter 20

We let the airlock fully cycle, then open the outer lock. All three of us stumble backwards. It doesn't stink, but never have I smelled something as outright weird and alien as the combined odors of the Rel crew and their food, gasses, and plants they must have brought along. It's far more intense than in Hriff's house in Cleves, a sweet-bitter smell, heavy and warm, oh, it's so warm. The sticky humidity feels like the tropics.

We walk down the ramp and onto the iron floor of our landing bay. At the far end, a door irises open and Rel feet scurry over the floor, fast and purposeful. The hairs on my neck rise again. The sound of Heelith walking signals danger to the caveman's part of the human brain, even if the rational part knows they are friendly.

Sina and Priar react the same way after a time delay. Sina grabs my arm, and Priar takes a step backwards. A moment later, Hriff comes into view, hurrying around the larva ship that led us here. She is alone; what a thoughtful Rel.

"Hello, Jaiah," she says and I have to suppress a shriek of joy. I hear her real voice so clearly beneath the emotionless translation, and I can tell that she's glad to see me. I realize with shock that, to a certain extent, I can comprehend her language, or at least I think so.

"Hello, Hriff. I'm very glad to see you again, too. May I introduce you? This is Sina, and that's Priar."

Hriff stops two yards in front of us and nods her head to Sina and Priar.

"Guys, that's Hriff."

"Hello, Sina, Priar, I'm honored to meet you."

"Oh, the honor is ours," Sina mumbles shyly.

"Hi..." is all that Priar manages to say.

"I am so sorry to hear about your loss. I wish I could have known your friend Flin," Hriff says.

"Thank you, Hriff." I bow to her.

Priar and Sina are too overwhelmed to say anything.

"Shall we go?" Hriff asks.

"A few questions, please. How many units are on this ship?" I ask.

"Currently about one thousand, comprised of four swarms. The Iklaf's command swarm is Gorlis, its engineer swarm is Nafl, and there are two guest swarms. One is myself, of course. The other is Kinlan, a leader swarm, parliament member, advisor to the central government on the Heelith home world and member of the currently ruling party. The regular crew of the Iklaf is six hundred units. Kinlan has a thousand units, but it came only with four hundred."

For a moment, we are speechless and need a minute to digest this news. Hriff politely waits.

"How important exactly is Kinlan and does she like what's going on?"

"The Kinlan speaker unit on board is male, so 'he' is the appropriate reference. Kinlan is pro-human, a great advocate of the scientific exchange program, whose one and only member I have been. He's very excited to have you aboard. He's fairly important at home, but there's always someone who is more important, isn't there?"

I have to smile. "Well said. I'm looking forward to making his acquaintance."

"Great. Then let's go." Hriff turns and leads the way.

"By the way, I can hear your real voice again," I say.

"Oh, that's wonderful. Are you fully healed now?"

"More than that, I think. Tell me, Hriff, what color is Heelith blood?"

"It's yellow, why?"

It's probably unwise to ask so directly, but the question is bursting to come out.