Page 21 of Ava Stargazer (Planet Xai #2)

Lirell pinged them for a check-in after ten cycles in space. Ava was waiting, grateful to get the call to come visit with him after painting so much with Sai.

Once the call connected, it was a contrast for Ava to see Lirell after being around the younger Vorbax over the trip, and she realized just how much more grown he was now.

His eyes also were more hardened and distant, more mature, which made Ava nostalgic, remembering when he had sat with her watching her dreams and expressing wonder. He is an adult now . A twisting in her gut happened looking at him, wishing she could have had more time to spend with him back when he was younger. I miss him.

Lirell had stayed at the Galactic Board, still training with Iryl, instead of joining them on the ship to Cipra. She felt a flush of pride for him as he answered the call calmly, without his usual enthusiasm. He’s assuming more and more roles outside of Xai.

“Iryl is not here,” Lirell said, stately. “I am monitoring the communications, but—”

“Where did he go?” Rhutg said, eyes narrowed on the feed. “This is poor timing. We are needing to firm up our plans for Cipra.”

Lirell glanced at Ava, and a bit of the uncertainty and naivety came back to his gaze. “To get Joy. He found her. He left at the same time as Vox’s shuttle back to Xai. But he’ll be back soon; the transaction had already been worked out digitally. Joy will come here to the Galactic Board with him before going back to Xai to settle.”

Oh. Oh! Ava’s smile grew large. She breathed in and tugged on her hair in excitement, pulling some strands out of her bun. “That’s great!”

Pyra walked up to the feed, his body flashing a bright blue. “He just left? In the middle of the peace talks? And we’re all the way out here?”

Ava ignored his comment, too excited to care. He went to get Joy. She had to stop herself from dancing on the balls of her feet.

Vox answered for Lirell, who looked taken aback at Pyra’s outburst. He sneered over at Pyra. “There never would be an opportune time for any of this, and it’s good to take advantage of the lull. Now we will have another one of the females safe.” He added in a gruffer tone, “The peace talks are just a farce anyways.”

Ava interjected, speaking through the heavy glare Rhutg was leveling at Pyra. “Do you know when he will be back?”

Lirell’s face relaxed looking back at Ava. “He is already on his way back. He messaged me last cycle.”

“Oh! He has her already?”

He nodded and smiled, looking excited as well. His demeanor lost its professionalism as his eyes sparkled. “Yes. I saw her, Ava. She looks like you. But she didn’t talk. She looked scared.”

“...Oh.” Ava’s voice fell, her mood abruptly sobering. She bit her bottom lip nervously. Very scared? I hope she was okay coming with Iryl. Her feet stopped dancing and she began to wring her hands instead. “Did she look like she was hurt?”

“No. It was only a very brief check-in. Iryl was navigating an asteroid field and sounded stressed. It appeared it was harder to get her out than he anticipated. He paid, but they didn’t want to let her go easily. I couldn’t get the full story.”

Vox leaned forward and said roughly, “Just as long as they are both safe.”

At that, Lirell nodded enthusiastically. “Yes. They both looked intact and whole.”

Zeed cleared his throat, slinking out of the shadows where he and Tiral had been observing the entire time. “The moment they get back in, can you have him message? There are some questions about the data he had, about Cipra. It feels like we are going there blind.”

Tiral walked forward to stand next to him, his stockier body a contrast to Zeed’s taller and more angular frame, and added, “I am happy though, that another is safe.”

Lirell’s tone became more formal again. “I will let him know that you wish to talk with him. He should be back soon, before you get to Cipra, but I don't think there is any more data. I’ve been trying to find whatever I can on the facility as well.” Through gritted teeth he added, “It’s weird. Cipra is mentioned in various places, but also looks scrubbed and redacted in others. There’s more information about the plants of Earth than about the Humans that inhabited the planet.”

Rhutg growled. “It isn’t weird at all. It means someone is covering it up.”

Despite how the call ended after Rhutg’s pronouncement, Ava still almost skipped out of navigation. The conditions Joy was found in hung in the back of her mind, but it was overshadowed by the fact she was in Iryl’s hands now. Regardless of what happened before, Joy was free. And Ava would get to meet her. She clenched her hands together. Soon .

Ava took her meal communally in the mess hall with the others, instead of down in the engine room alone with Vox. She was all smiles as they ate together, including all the younger Vorbax. Tiral sat by them, answering their questions about the meeting earlier. It was the most ragtag group a Phor ship had ever known in the mess hall.

The common area was also starting to look different. Sai had taken a break from the more intricate drawings they were doing by the engine room and had started to paint the walls a plain blue color. Sai sat down heavily next to her in the row of chairs that ran alongside the table, the blue paint still on her hands in places where it didn’t scrub off all the way. Her elbow knocked Ava’s arm in greeting.

“You are so excited, Ava,” Fijjak started, his antennas coming forward to almost touch her shoulders as he sat. “It is fun to feel.” He did not sit in a chair. Instead, his black carapace rested on itself in an empty spot at the table.

“Yes. They found Joy,” Sai answered as she stood up again to retrieve a box from the corner of the room.

Ava looked over her shoulder, curious, as Sai pulled out several red fruits. Fruit? The synthetic plate of food in front of Ava looked plain in comparison. “You know too? About Joy? Already?”

Sai tapped her head with her even more blue-stained finger before beginning to eat. “Of course. I was listening here, right across the hall from navigation while painting.”

“Oh,” Ava replied. That’s so convenient.

After eating a few bites Ava looked up, feeling eyes on her. Zeed was watching her with an intensity that made her squirm. She pushed further into Vox’s side, sliding her chair closer. Vox didn’t notice her discomfort, as he was speaking about the logistics regarding Cipra, out loud for everyone’s benefit.

Rhutg added to his explanation, giving details about what they’d discussed in the meeting.

Ava forced herself to focus, repeating the words spoken out loud in her mind to absorb them, determined to participate and be informed enough to make her own decisions. The facility at Cipra was invitation only. It is clear from what little they could find that to come without an invitation meant resistance. Most of the talk centered on how to enter, and they all agreed that stealth was the best option. Which, due to the modifications on the ship from the Spry, should not be a concern.

Sai pushed her food away, the protein noodles on it trailing off the plate. “How did you eat this all the time, Ava?”

Ava took a big bite from her plate. Tastes fine. “I guess I got used to it. You should have seen some of the things the processor made when supplies were low. Now that was gross.”

Sai poked at her food again, a disgusted expression on her face. “I don’t get it, we filled the synthesizer with the best protein components, but it still tastes so bland.” She leaned over it to grab another of the fruits from the box she’d brought.

Ava looked at what Sai was eating, then back to her own plate. I didn’t know there was fresh fruit on board.

“Yes,” Sai answered, glowing, her mouth busy eating , “the parents of the ones Tiral is mentoring dropped it off as a contribution before we left.”

Fijjak leaned back in his seat, talking with her before she could eat more. “Ava. How long did you live here? On the ship? Do you know how many cycles? Do you know how old you are? I am so curious.”

It took her a minute to answer. Ava pushed her synthetic food away and took one of the fruits on the table from Xai instead. “There was a record when I came. I lived here for a long time. I think a bit over half my life has been here.”

She remembered the cycle count from when the advertisement was made until now. Her tone was firmer now, more certain she was correct. “Yeah.” Ava rubbed her arms. After staying on Xai, the amount of time she’d lost was starting to weigh heavily on her. All the living I didn’t do. She peeled open and bit into the real fruit hungrily, as if to emphasize the difference. Sai is right. This is better.

Fijjak’s antenna tapped her on the shoulder as she peeled off the rest of the fruit’s fuzzy outer layer, bringing her attention back to him. “So, half your life on Cipra and then half on the Phor ship?”

Ava kept her hands busy splitting the inside of the fruit into sections. “That’s about right. Maybe a bit more here on the ship than Cipra. The Human logs showed how long Humans could live. It said around eighty of their sun rotations, which was something like a few million cycles.”

Vox tilted his head. “Erox said you are full grown, but I didn't know you had an actual Earth reference.”

“Yea, Ebel had worked it out at one point. I think I’m around twenty-four of that number now, for the Earth rotations. Maybe around nine when I left Cipra.”

One of the younger Vorbax asked, “When were you an adult?”

“I don’t really know. I grew faster than normal. That much I do know. They gave me shots to make me grow faster but it kind of messed with my head a little too, made it harder to focus for a while after.”

Zeed's eyes narrowed. “Growth shots?”

“Yeah. Anyways, I left with Ebel before getting all of them, so I didn’t grow for a bit, but then had one more big growth spurt here on the ship after he thought I was at full size,” Ava said the last part in a rush, noting she felt better thinking it through out loud. She was still young. Lots of life left. More than three times my life again is left, if that number is right. That was enough time to really live.

Vox put his hand over Ava’s on the table and rubbed it gently. She turned hers over and squeezed back.

Zeed leaned back, watching her carefully. “We will need to do some calculations to see how that compares to us at some point.”

Rhutg interjected as he got up from where he was sitting in one of the booths along the edges of the room, coming over and grabbing some fruit. “Erox said Ava’s blood has the same aging indicators as ours, so it should be similar.”

Ava shrugged. I guess we will have to see.

If anything, Fijjak looked even more curious. “More than half your life here. We do not like the Phor much. But they were kind to you?”

Ava nodded. “One was. Ebel, who I lived with. He’s the one I told you about. My Phor . . . friend. Others were too. Honestly, most of the drones were okay. None of them were mean. The only one who wasn’t okay was their queen. She ruled everyone, and they all hopped when she said to. But as long as you stayed out of her way, everyone else was fine.”

“But the queen liked you?”

A squirm went through her at Fijjak's line of questioning. She noticed that the rest of the conversation around the table had quieted. I guess everyone is interested. “More or less. I brought her things from the cargo bay. I went in the vents and sort of stole things that wouldn’t be missed. You know how the Phor are with their cargo. I was a way around that. I was useful, so we just existed together.”

Zeed said softly, “More than just useful.”

Vox shot him a glance as he put a hand on Ava's back, rubbing lightly.

Fijjak withdrew his antennas, pensive. “We have not had much to do with the Phor. We tried early on, mostly because of that.” He pointed at the biologics around Ava’s neck. “But the Phor were evasive and didn’t ever trade in good faith. It sounds like even the agreements with their cargo were not in good faith either.”

Ava couldn’t disagree. “Yes, wherever they could cut corners, they did. But ...” Again, she felt the need to defend Ebel. “Ebel, the one I lived with. He was good to me.”

Zeed cleared his throat, his tone dubious. “But he kept you as a servant. Bought you to be a slave.”

Ava’s face heated as she looked away, biting her lip. None of them understand.

Vox waved Zeed down, his voice low as he glanced at Ava. “Don’t. It is a ... sore subject between us.”

Fijjak just clicked and changed the subject, reaching across to point at Ava’s biologics again. “These creatures work for the Phor too, willingly. May I see them closer?”

Ava put her hand on her container and felt them pulse back. She took that as them being in agreement and removed the strap from her neck, passing the container to him.

Fijjak held the jar, and his antennas raised straight up. “Oh, holding them like this is wonderful. Do you know any more about them? The Phor were the most secretive about them out of anything.”

Ava thought hard, enjoying the sight of Fijjak’s antennas stretching high as she tried to sum up what she knew.

Rhutg spoke instead, as he reached for some more fruit. “From the Phor ... husks ... back when we took over the ship, we learned that the biologics are native to their planet. It was always a symbiotic relationship between the two, power in return for protection and food, which was scarce where they lived. The biologics come from wells deep on their planet, not observable from the outside. They themselves cannot communicate directly, but there are indicators in the ship to show their well-being. The Phor do not know how intelligent they really are.”

Fijjak tapped the container. “If it’s food and protection they want, then us—and many others—would be overjoyed to provide that.”

I don't know what they really want. I don't think they want to be owned at all. At least I don't. Ava looked down at the container speculatively.

Fijjak continued. “Can they talk with anyone else because the Vorbax?”

Ava nodded. “Yes, if the biologics get too excited, there’s error codes in the control room. Or if they’re hungry, a red light will flash. That’s about the limit in how we could communicate with them. But we always knew they were smart enough to have basic needs.” Her eyes twinkled as she remembered. “One time they got mad at Ebel for not feeding them on time and even slowed down a little. I never knew they really could think or anything more until Vox began connecting with them. I don’t think the Phor even know how much they can think.”

Tiral leaned forward, his big frame looming over the table as he put a hand on the container. His hand covered it completely, and he closed his eyes a moment as he shone. “Leashed lightning. That’s what they are. They don’t mind us feeling. In fact, they’re happy to finally be heard.” He tugged the container gently out of Fijjak’s hands, bringing it close. “Here, feel. Let them sing in your minds.” He put the biologics in front of the young Vorbax, who took turns pressing their small hands to the container. Their faces lit up one by one as they connected.

Even Pyra, who had stayed back and just listened the entire time Ava spoke about her life, came forward to touch the biologics again.

Zeed also put a finger on the container, but his eyes slipped toward Ava once more as he did so.