Innu-Akku

#Ye olde Pledge

The clouds, which now seemed gloomy, returned to the observation deck. There, where it all began. Once again, Esma was surrounded by light. But unlike the first memory, the space didn't feel cold or hectic. Somewhere in the distance, Elma's quiet song could be heard, filling the space with unexpected warmth.
Looking out of the panoramic window, Valentin awaited the guest in his human form.
Thin, with a pointed face and a tired look. Grey-haired, but not old — that's how he appeared before saying goodbye. Apart from the hair color, he didn't resemble his former, animalistic body in the slightest.
Turning around, the host of memories smiled at the guest just as he had to the younger survivor.
Approaching and taking Esma's hands, the man asked her to take care of the children.
- Don't be sad for our farewell. Stay calm, I've been waiting for this, - Valentin smiled. - Ever since I got caught at thirty-five for stealing from the 'gene rent catalog'! I just didn't want the material of my late wife to be used to develop model lines. In my time as a human, there was a practice: rent was deducted for submitting material, and we urgently needed the money. That's how she got caught up in all of this. We wanted to fly to Mars. She had dreamed of space since childhood. Dreamt of Martian freedom, having heard and seen all the news. And then she was gone... I honestly wanted to resolve everything legally. I created a petition, raised money for the ransom. The sum they asked for was substantial - impossible for one person to earn. But I honestly tried. I regret being too late — the material was sent to develop one of the lines. I could no longer claim the ransom for the 'non-profitable' code. Just one of the copies. And that didn't work out either. Three times I paid exorbitant amounts of money. Fell out with all my relatives! And three times they issued death certificates. At that time, I didn't know about Yermakova's 'Immortal' deceptions.
And when legal means were no longer available to me, I resorted to stealing!
I couldn't imagine her as a lab rat! Her, who had been standing up for the persecuted since childhood! She helped so many flee to Mars! And there was no help for her? Is that fair?! So I tried to steal the code, having the opportunity as a medical geneticist. I was caught in the act when I was deleting data from the database. And then everything happened quickly. The 'death cycle protocol' took me just a month. I remember flying to the orbital ring, and the convoy to the capsule, and the direction from the distributor to my hometown of Naro-Fominsk.
But even in this nightmare, I was smiled at by incredible luck! Yes, I became a powerless serf, but in the IGC, where they grew that very line of carbons! What more could I want? Even when I found out that it was all planned by the directress, I didn't change my mind. She was right - a little lie drowns in the ocean of truth. Only one certificate was false. And in the center, I met the "copycat" of my beloved.
Everyone assured that the transmitter wouldn't function for long due to the reduced frequency, that deprived of some emotions, I would quickly go insane and be disconnected. That punishment worse than death - to stop being human. But I never considered myself like a tool. Even though the body changed, I remained the same! My thoughts, emotions, knowledge, memory - that's what made me me, not the shell. Whether a dog or not. And so I lived unforgivably long! Perhaps the protege became the meaning. She gave me strength on such a long journey. It's bitter that I chickened out and didn't tell her the truth that night before the catastrophe.
Please, save these children. Born among the canpics, the last princesses of the Far away planet, descendants of my beloved! I beg you, Esmeralda! Let them see the blue dawns of Mars and its freedom! Like I saw it in your memories. Promise me that you will take care of them. After all, you are one of the Gorgonopsid's! Your ancestors once pledge me salvation for Lana in exchange for the truth about the IGC and the center's corrupt schemes! For me and the memory of the colonists!
Once again, Esma began to be carried away somewhere. She didn't even have time to shout, "Valentin, wait!" before returning to the server room and holding her hand over the vial with the flower. The vortex of foreign memories spat out just as quickly as it had swallowed them.
The bitterness of parting turned into tears. Buran's memories still pulsed with quiet echoes.
"Kupala Night. The celebration seems reminiscent of the night of Kupala Night. I found my fern flower. Even if it's light years away from Earth," - whispered the familiar's voice from the bud.
- Innu-Akku? - the younger one asked softly, cautiously touching the rescuer's hand.
- Yap, a dog demon, - wiping away her tears, Esma tried to smile. It came out crooked and bitter - what she had seen didn't want to let go. - He told you everything, didn't he?
"Reporter Min'aas?" - the crew reminded herself, concerned about the pilot's question.
"Survivors. Two. The rest are dead. The colony is destroyed," - the Martian replied, trying to keep herself together. She didn't want to talk about what she had seen for long - anyway, according to protocol, the data would be taken for further analysis. Especially after the drone found two mummies behind the altar, with traces on their hands where Buran managed to recognize the rescued girls. The altar itself turned out to be a cabinet with life-giving equipment.
Disconnecting from the crew's messages, the Martian carefully took the vial, carrying it to the glowing waters.
This was the last thing she could do for Valentin, who inadvertently became the protector between life and death and the guardian of the inhabitants saved by Elm.
Releasing the flower, the guest briefly saw through a beam of blue sparks that the colonists were happy. They continued their peaceful life in symbiosis with the Arxelonamo, finally becoming free.
Even the experiment's victims, whose brain areas had developed, capable of sensing electromagnetic vibrations. It saved them from a severe death.
As Valentin had promised, they met Lana in the "Theotropha", finding peace in the buds of the lake flowers. He was able to do what was not expected of a familiar - he remained faithful to himself and his beloved, who had become more of a daughter than a wife. He remained human despite everything!
Her soul finally became calm, and as a farewell, the last lines of the song echoed in her thoughts:
"Across the borders we will run. Like falling stars we have become!"
***
And so Elem remained far behind. Along with the constellation of the "Black Dogs".
The ship circled the stars several times and, breaking free from their gravitational pull, entered "jump" mode. Revving the gyroscopes and creating a protective shield, it engaged the warp, hurtling towards Earth on the analyst's set course. What Esma had seen on Elem demanded thorough investigation involving archives and historians. The key to this trove was Valentin Lefortov's name. Because of what happened, the next stop was a neutral territory - Asurang. Ahead awaited a new tribunal, new questions from three different sides, and new disputes about the position of familiars.
But Esma no longer worried about what was to come. Having drunk the deathly peace of Elem, the rescuer thanked fate for the chance to meet an extraterrestrial race.
Returning to the station, surprisingly, went smoothly this time. The colonists were light cargo, although careful trailblazing and detour selection were required compared to the initial search. Carrying the children from the server room and bringing them up to the surface was not a challenge. The difficulty was persuading everyone that the enormous, fanged creature resembling a wolflizard was the same entity as the rescuer with the kind face.
The flight and docking with the station also went smoothly, despite the analyst's concerns and Esma's doubts about the magneto-gravitational tether.
"The module's rotation can handle more weight! Here, it's the same as with regular tethers and winches. Once you gain altitude, we'll latch on and guide you to docking!" boastfully declared the pilot, connecting to the shuttle at start. "Alright, dragon, spread your wings! It's time to fly!"
The children looked around throughout the journey, holding tight to the neck of the Gorgonope. It was as if they were princes and princesses on wolves - the remnants of Buran's memories and thoughts warmed the soul. There was something childishly good and naive in them.
The flight frightened the foundlings even more. The sight of glowing red radiators on one end and rotating compartments and gyroscopes on the other, connected by a thin bridge-stem, completely shocked them. They certainly hadn't seen anything like it among the destroyed camps. Not even among Buran's memories.
When the children stepped aboard, both clung to Esma, blinking their irises as if in a trance. This revealed another strange trait of Elem's children - they were blind, communicating through smells, sounds, and those very electromagnetic vibrations...
The frightened colonists could only be calmed by leading them to the server room. At least the smell and chirping of the camp systems were more familiar and even homely to them. It was here in the server room that the final method of communication was revealed, showing Esma and her partners all of the children's memories.
"The Elem Impression" - the team decided, not wishing to delve into further details.
Whether it was a mixing of bloodlines, the proximity of the reactor, or radiation from the coronated suns and genetic experiments - Esma did not know which exactly contributed to this kind of mutation. And if it was present in the rescued girls.
But she definitely knew how difficult it was to adapt to a new place. Especially in a world that was completely different from the familiar and native. Only the warming hope of a peaceful life smoothed her anxiety about the fate of the rescued.
Looking at them, sleeping in hibernation and named Alena and Ivan, the Martian remembered Buran's request.
"I pledged, I will take care of them. They will see our sunrises!" Esma whispered, disconnecting from her body for the duration of the flight.