Spaced Out

Cyclops There. Cyclops There.

Both the lieutenant-technician and the captain faced the observation shield when Lily and doctor Puu entered the navigation chamber. The proximity alarm trumpeted again. Lily moaned and staggered and the Verakian siblings turned.

"What's the matter with you?" Vortrand asked.

Doctor Puu spoke on Lily's behalf. "Captain, if I may—"

"Only if you promise to use a great many large words when one smaller word would do."

Curling his lip, doctor Puu said, "The proximity alarm is affecting Lily as it would the manta and its fledglings. I believe her neural link to the juvenile ship also ties her to its parentship."

"That's what I thought too," Reesa said. "How else would she be able to dilate port fissures in the manta?"

"Can you shut that thing off?" Lily hollered while the alarm ramped up again.

Vortrand swiped a few icons on the HOptic tiles floating over the central control dash. The klaxon spluttered out. Cramps convulsing Lily's guts released. She eased off doctor Puu.

"Why would an alarm do that to me?" Lily rubbed her tummy.

"The manta's proximity alarm is a vocalization and an emitted neural pulse to its offspring. Your neural bond causes the same reaction to the pulse a fledgling would have," Reesa said.

"That's just awesome. Who's in our proximity?"

Reesa gestured at the observation shield. Three scrapers hovered before the manta's nose.

Lily frowned. "But that other scraper I talked with didn't set off any alarms."

"That scraper's fade cannons weren't primed and targeting us. Those are," Vortrand said.

"Shit," Lily said when the manta's hail channel came on.

"Manta Cal-zero-zero-twenty-five, this is scraper Cilviri-four-eight-two-twenty, lieutenant Cilviri Relmin piloting, sixth scout regiment. You have a Utori prisoner on board. We would speak with him now."

Relmin. This was the same scraper from before. How did he know they had Vlex in the belly? Lily hadn't told him. Vortrand rubbed a thumb over his chin and stared out at the enemy ships.

"You have twenty peccards to comply. Should you refuse we will open fire, disable, and board your ship under the Unauthorized Detainment Terms of the Tasaki Treaty. You will remand yourselves to our custody until a formal trial is arranged by the Tasaki Council on Interstation." The hail terminated.

Lily gnawed her thumbnail until it bled. Eyes flicked to everyone around her. No one else seemed concerned. Finally, Vortrand gave orders.

"Reesa, stay here with the Pashmi. Get our ie and oe-ampoules to full power. Patch our public hail feed to my private channel."