New Discovery (The Survivors Book Twelve) by Nathan Hystad

New Discovery (The Survivors Book Twelve) by Nathan Hystad

Author:Nathan Hystad [Hystad, Nathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Woodbridge Press
Published: 2020-03-10T16:00:00+00:00


____________

We were a few days away from dropping Uce the Philod off at her homeworld of Dechar, and I wanted to talk with her, learn more about her people. The Philod were clearly intelligent, and we’d managed to translate with basic concepts over the last year.

I walked to her tank, peering behind me at the one we’d kept the Lucat inside. It was still covered in sand, but the heating vents were no longer on, the lights off. Maggie was with me, and she ran down the corridor, tail wagging in earnest.

The tank was quite large, and Uce floated toward the glass as she saw me coming. Her primary eyes were on the top of her head: a useful design, since their main food source floated atop the oceans on Dechar. She had secondary senses along her sides, and I noticed slits with white behind them looking toward me. The communicator speaker was just outside the glass, and I pressed a button to activate it.

“Hello, Uce,” I said, the words echoing into the water as the sing-songy Philod language.

She sang in return, the translation coming out in a robotic female voice. “Hello, land walker Parker. Are we nearing the great expanse?”

“Yes. We’ll be there in six days,” I told her, causing her to spin in a circle underwater, her eight legs waving around under her in what I could only guess was exhilaration.

“That is welcome information, land walker Parker.”

“Uce, what can you tell me about your home?” I asked her. As a Gatekeeper, I was always curious to learn about other beings and cultures. Most races who lived above ground didn’t understand an ocean-dwelling creature, but after spending a little time with Aquleen while we’d searched for the Theos years ago, I had an added level of respect and understanding for living in an ocean.

“The great expanse is a wonderful place, with colorful vegetation, warm currents, and plenty to eat,” she advised me.

“How many Philod are there on your world?” I asked.

“World? You mean in the expanse? There are millions of us. We live in groups, spread over the breadth of our home.” She floated there, her legs twitching every now and then, the slits along the side of her head blinking as she talked.

“I’m sorry the Collector tore you from your home.”

“It is not your fault, land walker Parker. Would you like to see the expanse when we arrive?” she asked.

“I would very much like to see your home, but perhaps another time. Our mission is pressing,” I informed her, hoping this wasn’t going to offend her.

“I understand and hope you do visit one day.”

I stayed there, not anxious to return to my quarters quite yet. Mary was meeting with some dignitaries here from Haven about the Tedaus bargain, and Jules was with Hugo and Regnig today. Maggie was sleeping at my feet, and I bent down, petting the cocker.

I continued to ask about their customs, family structures, and food sources for another hour, Uce only too happy to discuss it with me.



Download



Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.