Page 17 of Stripped By the Alien

"When?” Sris persists. “With all respect."

The alien female moves again on the resting platform, drawing my attention despite my best efforts. She has finally stopped glaring at me continuously, though she still watches me whenever she believes I am not looking. The behavior is oddly familiar. Many intelligent creatures behave that way when confronted with something they cannot yet categorize.

I understand the feeling. "We know almost nothing. We have one damaged vessel, one pilot, no language, no coordinates, and no understanding of their political structure, military strength, territorial claims, or technological capabilities. What if it turns out to be nothing?"

Sris places the tools down. "Those sound like arguments for reporting this."

"They are arguments for learning more first and not risk another Harrower stealing my discovery. You know how the Queen’s court gossips. Imagine someone like Xal’threk hearing about this! He’d be off in a flash with his whole fleet, sending ship after ship into that minefield until they’d cleared a path by exploding the mines, killing ship and crew."

“Chief Harrower Xal’threk is ambitious,” Sris says, “but surely the only thing that matters is the greater good of the Queen and her brood?”

“Surely having me as a Royal Mate would improve the greater good,” I state. “Certainly more than Xal’threk.”

Her antennae twitch. The gesture suggests disagreement, though I suspect the disagreement existed before the conversation began. "Others may arrive at different conclusions."

“Then let them!" I snap.

For a moment neither of us speaks. The Beast hums softly around us.

Sris finally lowers both claws. "You intend to keep control of the discovery, then. For now."

The statement is accurate enough that denying it would be pointless. "I intend to understand the discovery before I report to Her Majesty. And it may take time. This could be the most crucial event in the history of our whole brood."

Sris studies me for several moments. Then, to my relief, she begins moving toward the exit membrane. "I'll refrain from mentioning your reluctance to the Queen."

I frown. That’s not a tone I appreciate from a servant. "My reluctance? Wait– are you in contact with the Queen?"

"No, of course not. I mean, if one day she asks." The membrane closes behind her, and silence settles over the chamber. For the first time since recovering the female, we are alone. I look toward her, and she immediately pretends not to notice. The reaction produces an unexpected flicker of amusement.

Interesting. Beyond the transparent wall, stars continue drifting through the darkness. Somewhere among them lies the answer to a question I have spent years pursuing. Somehow, against all probability, that answer is now sitting in my quarters wrapped in a sheet and trying very hard to appear unconcerned.

Then the lights in the chamber dim. Not gradually, the way they do when I rest. Sharply, as though something has been switched off.

The female's eyes widen. I feel her alarm before I see it.

The Beast's pulse changes beneath my feet. Faster and heavier, carrying a note I haven't felt in a very long time. The last time I sensed it, a rival female had boarded uninvited, and the Beast had sealed every corridor around her within seconds.

My ship knows there is a female in my quarters. And she's not happy about it.

5

- Nora -

The room is alive.

At first I think it's only the walls. They're curved and uneven, with no visible seams anywhere, and soft light glows beneath translucent layers of flesh-colored material. Every surface looks grown instead of built. The floor beneath me is warm, and every now and then a faint vibration travels through it, as though something immense has shifted somewhere deep inside the ship.

The light dims. Then another pulse passes through the room. I stay still and wait. A few seconds later it happens again. Slow and steady.

My eyes drift toward the nearest wall. "That's a heartbeat, or I am Minnie Mouse," I mutter under my breath.

Nobody answers. The giant Space Locust continues examining pieces of my flight suit as though he hasn't just carried me aboard the world's largest living organism. I pull the alien plastic sheet tighter around myself and force my attention back to my surroundings.

The more I study the chamber, the less comfortable I become. The walls curve upward into a ceiling that resembles the inside of some enormous shell. Thin veins of glowing tissue branch through it in intricate patterns. Even the furniture appears grown from the floor rather than assembled.

The refugees talked about ships like this, creatures large enough to cross the stars while carrying entire crews inside them. At the time I assumed they were exaggerating. Now I’m not so sure.

A ship is supposed to be built. This thing appears to have been born.