A World for the Taking Ch. 09

"Captain," she said and waited for him to look up. "What will we do now?"

"We?" he asked.

"The Hegemony," she clarified.

"I do not know," he said. "Our duty is done. The rebels have been captured, thanks to you and Navigator Qel'ta Nhem. He gave his life to disable the weapons aboard your ship. I am submitting him for special recognition. Perhaps one of the new scout vessels will be named for him. The Conglomerated Planets ships are due here soon. We have already exchanged information with them regarding this incident. It is the politicians who must decide what occurs. I do not believe there will be war. Not over this."

"I am glad," she said, relaxing considerably. F`reet `du Hom had no wish to make war on these people. She had come to care for some of them almost as if they were jZav`Etch. She felt Humans would be troublesome subjects, if it came to that. Certainly they would be more dangerous than the Dusig.

"Tomorrow we will begin recovering the shuttles," Aka`Tem`al said, breaking into her thoughts.

"That will be a serious undertaking," she observed. "Have we learned how the Humans were able to damage them?"

"The Dusig left the cargo ramps down," the captain said, leaning back in his chair. "Apparently the Humans loaded one of their light aircraft with explosives and remote piloted it up into the bay. When it detonated the shuttle's drive core breached. Fortunately the failsafe systems locked it down. Regardless, the damage was severe enough to send the ship careening into to the other shuttles, disabling all three with a single attack. Very resourceful of them."

"It seems to be a prime characteristic of the species," F`reet du Hom said with a pleased flick of her ears.

"Indeed? I wish to hear more of them," he said thoughtfully. "We will discuss the Humans at length and in private after the recovery is complete. Do you understand?"

"Of course, Captain."

"Go and rest, Pilot. I must consider things."

*****

"There it is, Fuzzybutt," Bob said as the old escape pod was lifted from the bottom of Big Lake.

"Papaaaa..." whined Tammy, though she smiled at the familiar old nickname. They stood upon the slope where her mother was buried and watched the salvage process.

Silt and water grass slid off the pod's battered hull to reveal dull white paint beneath, green with algae. The jZav`Etch recovery vessel held it just above the surface, allowing the water to drain from the interior before hoisting the pod into its cargo bay.

"You kept your promise," she said and put her arm around her father, sighing happily. "Thank you."

"I tried," he said and stretched up to kiss her cheek below the bandage wrapping her head. "Sorry I couldn't arrange to let you have a look inside. The jZav`Etch wouldn't allow it."

"It's okay," she said with a little shrug and a flick of her ears. From her pocket she took the small device F`reet `du Hom had given her and opened the file with her family portrait. "I know what I need to know."

*****

*synthaskin - A synthetic material used to seal shallow wounds.

*****

AN: I normally do not like deus ex machine but in the old days when westerns ruled the silver screen there were a lot of movies where the cavalry came in at the last second to save the day. My cavalry just happen to look like jZav`Etch fighter craft.