Journey Beyond the Sea - 11. Chapter 11

In the morning, Jem and Nico skipped breakfast after rising and went straight to the catch room. They found Nita and Deera there, standing before Bzup's tank, watching the little alien as he stood peacefully inside. Both women looked tired, and Jem could well understand that. Neither he nor Nico had slept well, either. They had talked too late, wondering what the new day would bring, and then found sleep hard to hold onto. Jem had found his eyes popping open at odd moments throughout the night, as if some sound had disturbed him. But it was only his own dreams - and fears - that were chasing him.

Despite Master Terpin's declaration of their visitor's intelligence, Jem was still worried about Bzup, and what might happen when the little alien became enmeshed in the affairs of their soon-to-arrive visitors from Colonial Administration. His brain had had some time now to compare Bzup's situation to that of the teddy bears of Sadler's Pleasure, and to ponder something of human morals. That the two bureaucrats might be of a different sort than the people that Jem knew had become clear to him now. He and Nico had decided that they would not stand by and allow Bzup to be treated as anything but an equal under the law. That others aboard Vespris had made the same decision was comforting, but no guarantee that Bzup would be treated fairly if the government people were of a different mind on the matter.

Jem had come to a startling realization: Bzup was now a friend. And one did not desert one's friends, ever.

As they crossed the catch room, Bzup suddenly called out to them. "Jem! Nico!"

His voice issued forth from the speakers above the tank, sounding unusually cheery to Jem. They hurried to Nita's side, halfway expecting to see Bzup gazing at them from his new eye. But the little alien's forehead above his transducer was just as blank as it had been the night before.

"Nothing's changed!" Jem said, his disappointment clear.

Nita frowned at them. "No, there have been changes. I took a scan of him a short time ago, and there is a clear indication of further development at the place that Bzup suggested he might have a new eye. And, the structure I am seeing does resemble a human eye in form, though quite a bit larger than anything we can imagine. But I can't even guess at a timeline for such a formative process to come to term, save to say that it looks to me to be near completion. But I suspect we won't know anything for certain until Bzup is ready to show it to us.

Jem calmed himself, and smiled at the little alien through the glass. "Good morning, Bzup."

"Goodmorning, Jem. Goodmorning, Nico."

Both boys grinned. "He seems to understand that's a greeting of some sort now," Nico suggested.

"He learns incredibly fast," Nita agreed. "I'm certain that's a survival trait of his kind, though. Bzup's people seem designed to cope with change at a speed that humans would be hard-pressed to imagine."

Deera looked a little taken aback at that. "Are you saying they're superior to humans in ability?"

"No." Nita smiled and shook her head. "I don't think that's the case. Overall, I would rate the cognitive intelligence I have witnessed with our new friend to be similar to our own. I just think Bzup is wired to be unusually quick to learn. I attribute that ability in large part to his acute memory, which by our standards is considerable. His brain is simply more developed in areas that are associated with retaining new experiences and ideas. This has surely evolved as a selective edge in surviving on the world on which his kind originated."

"Would it matter if they were superior to us?" Jem asked, watching the catch supervisor curiously.

Deera looked surprised, and then thoughtful. "No. It was probably bound to happen at some point, that we'd meet someone who is further along than we are. I guess we're just used to the way things have gone since we left the Old World. We've gotten used to being on top, out here among the stars."

"Probably do us some good to meet someone smarter than we are," Nico offered. "We should never get the idea that we're better than everyone else."

"I don't think most humans - at least on Benteen - feel that way," Nita said. "Humans have come a long way in their thinking on other life."

Jem smiled at that, and patted the glass front of the tank. "Bzup hungry? Come on out, and we'll go eat."

The excited buzzing sound that came through the speakers then made him laugh.

"Bzup hungry," the little alien agreed, and started up the inside of the tank. Everyone watched, smiling, as he made his way up the glass, stepped adroitly over the top, and started down the outside.

Nita laughed. "I bet it would be fun, to be able to walk up walls!"

Jem sighed happily. "He's so different from us. So...so interesting."

"He'd be fun, even if he wasn't smart," Nico agreed cheerily.

"But he is smart," Jem said. "Bzup is a person. I'm sure of it."

Nita tapped her chin thoughtfully at that, and nodded. "I think so, too."

Bzup reached the floor, and turned to face Jem. "Bzup out. Eat?"

Everyone laughed at the little alien's hopeful tone.

Jem waved a hand at him. "Sure. Bzup come. Go eat now."

"I guess I'm hungry, too," Nita said, scratching her brow tiredly. "I may as well go with you."

The alien issued forth another excited hum, and soon they were on their way to the mess.

There were others in the room when they arrived. By now, it had become apparent to Jem that some members of the crew ate at very regular times, which seemed to handily coincide. This was obviously a part of the social life of the crew, to take their meals together when feasible. And, it seemed that Bzup was turning out to be a welcome addition to the daily mealtime get-togethers..

There were a chorus of calls to Bzup as they entered, and the little alien rapidly scanned the room with his sound disk. "Pora. Kel. Mila. Mizterzharlpez. Goodmorning."

"I see you're running late today," Pora said cheerfully, as they came up to the table. "We're nearly finished here."

"We we're checking on Bzup first," Nico explained. "Seeing if he had a new eye."

"I don't see one," Mila said, leaning forward to peer at Bzup. "Not even a hint yet."

"It's coming along," Nita returned, frowning at Bzup. "It seems to me, from my scans, that it actually should be about ready for use. At least, by external criteria. I have no idea what might still need to be completed within the optic structure, though."

Jem smiled at the little alien, and bent to examine the smooth flesh above the transducer. There wasn't even a suggestion of change there. "Bzup eye?" Jem asked.

The alien raised a hand and gently patted the place Jem had just examined. "Bzup eye."

"That seems rather clear," the chief engineer said, smiling. "Even these bio-engineering projects can't be rushed, Miss Frees. Miracles take time."

Nita smiled at that, and then shrugged. "It's obviously larger than our own eyes, whatever it is. Maybe it will be something a little different than we think. Perhaps some other sensory organ that can operate from within the body. We just don't know yet."

"What do you feel like?" Nico asked Jem. "I'll get our meals, while you tend to Bzup."

"Whatever you're having is fine." Jem paused to smile at the other boy. "I seem to like everything you do."

Nico grinned at that, and nodded. "One hot breakfast, coming right up."

Jem turned back to Bzup, aware now that everyone was watching. "Bzup? What eat? Gruff? Stonefish? How many?"

The little alien placed his small fingertips together so that the tiny suction cups on the tips met, and seemed to be contemplating the question. "Jem. Three gruff. Four stonefish."

"He's hungry this morning," Nita noted. "I guess making new body parts will do that to you."

Everyone smiled, but no one took their eyes off Bzup and Jem. The curiosity in the room was like a cheerful mist in the air, and Jem smiled as he headed to the counter to fill the order.

"I see everyone's here," a new voice said. "And our little visitor, too."

Jem turned to find the large display on the wall of the room active now, and Til Majors watching them from his bed. "Good morning, everyone."

"How are you feeling?" Nita called, finding a seat at the table.

"You look ready to go," Kel added, taking a sip of his coffee.

"I'm about ready to climb the walls, you mean," Til responded, though with a small smile.

"Have you eaten?" Nita asked.

"Yes. Moira has fed me, and now I am being a good lad and not shredding my pillow or blanket."

That brought more smiles to the room.

"Master Terpin was by earlier," Til went on. "He said we're still moving west, and that we'll meet the grav flyer from Hennessy sometime late tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how our government visitors react to our alien visitor. I am expecting some sparks, myself."

Jem finished putting the meat on the plate and returned to Bzup's side. "You think they'll be difficult?" he asked the man in the display.

"I think they'll be bureaucrats," Til returned, sighing. "Which is much the same thing. The right way is always their way, I think you'll find out."

Jem held out the plate to Bzup, who took it in his hands and brought it closer. The thin line of his mouth appeared, and then it opened. The alien took one hand off the plate and used it to push the cuts to his mouth, where they disappeared within.

"Now, Til," Pora said, kindly. "Let's not upset Jem and Nico this early in the morning. Let them enjoy their meal first, and then upset them."

Jem grinned at that. "We're getting used to Til's opinions on certain matters."

"He doesn't trust Colonial Administration much," Nico agreed.

Kel cleared his throat. "I think he's right to treat my great uncle with some wariness. Even within our family, he makes people mad sometimes."

"There you go," Til said, his eyes smiling, though his expression remained carefully neutral. "Straight from the gene line, itself."

Jem turned to appraise Kel. "You think he'll make trouble for Bzup?"

The ship's armorer made a face. "I can't say that at all. My great-uncle is very good at his job, in fact. The southern cities are as secure as they are today in large part due to his efforts. But...let's just say that he has disrupted more than one family reunion with his mannerisms. He's going to want what he wants, no matter how we feel about it. You should be prepared for him to discount anything we say in favor of what he has already decided. "

"I don't understand that sort of failure to compromise," Nico said, frowning. "This man has to obey the law, and I can tell you now, we plan to see that he does!"

Jem nodded. "Has there been any word from Hennessy that hostilities have been declared with anyone? Any more attacks? Anything at all to label Bzup's people as an enemy?"

"I can answer that," Mister Sharples said, tapping a fingertip restlessly against the tabletop. "There has been no official change in the situation. No more ships have been attacked, Chregar has not been found, and no further evidence has appeared to suggest any sort of trouble is afoot."

Nico made a soft sound of relief. "So, there are no legal grounds as yet for this Mikulsa guy to treat Bzup as anything but the visiting alien intelligence that Master Terpin has designated him?"

"None. And Master Terpin will not tolerate any ill behavior towards our little guest while these people are aboard his ship, either." Mister Sharples smiled briefly at Bzup, and then nodded. "Nor will I."

Jem felt a certain sense of relief flow throughout his body. Bzup's welfare had become central to his thinking of late. His and Nico's, rather. He tossed a quick smile at the other boy, who caught it and aimed one right back.

"Then I hope things will be okay," Jem said, retrieving the plate when Bzup held it out to him. He smiled then. "Bzup still hungry?"

"Two stonefish, Jem?" The polite tone of the request only delighted everyone.

Mila sighed and smiled over her coffee. "You have a winner there, Jem. He's even getting the inflections right now."

Jem got the stonefish for Bzup, and then took the empty plate back to the dishwasher after the little alien's mouth had resealed itself, indicating he was through eating.

"Does he drink anything?" Kel asked, sipping the last of his coffee and holding up the cup. "Water, if nothing else?"

"If he does, he gets it in his tank," Nita supplied. "Though we have not witnessed him taking in any fluids."

Jem frowned at that. "Bzup?"

"Jem?"

"Bzup thirsty?"

The alien emitted a soft buzzing sound, one that certainly sounded indecisive to Jem. The word for thirst had yet to come up in conversation yet, so it seemed apparent that Bzup was at a loss on how to answer.

Jem picked up a clean cup and filled it with water from the tap, and then brought it back to the table. "Water, Bzup. Jem thirsty, Jem drink." He held up the cup and tipped it back, taking a good mouthful of the cool, clear liquid, and swallowed it. Then he held the cup out to Bzup. "Bzup thirsty?"

The little alien raised his hands towards Jem, clearly asking to hold the cup. Jem came forward and handed it over, careful to ensure that Bzup had it securely before releasing it.

Bzup brought the cup to his transducer and held it there a moment, before lowering it. His mouth reappeared, opened, and the slender, trifurcated tongue appeared, and daintily sampled the liquid in the cup.

"Water," Jem repeated. "Thirsty, drink."

The delicate suction cups on the end of Bzup's tongue dipped into the water, and for a moment the alien stood still as everyone watched.

Bzup emitted a contented buzz then, and carefully poured the water into his mouth, before holding up the cup to Jem. "Thirsty. Bzup drink water."

"More?" Jem asked.

Bzup had three glasses before his mouth closed and disappeared.

Nita sighed. "So, now we know to offer him a drink when he eats."

Nico shook his head. "I can't believe he hasn't had a drink since he's been here. I sure know I would be thirsty by now!"

"He probably has had water from his tank," Nita said. "We just haven't seen him take any in. The tank holds seawater, and our drinking water is purified. He seemed to like our version, so maybe the seawater tastes nasty to him, even though he can use it." She shrugged. "We just don't know. I can run back the archival footage of him in his tank and see if we can find him drinking, but I think that's pointless now that we know he can use our own supply."

Jem took the cup over to the washer and put it inside. "We now know what he needs to eat and drink. He evidently can breathe the air without a problem. I wonder what's left? I don't want to miss anything he might need."

Nita shook her head. "I have a feeling we've reached the point where if he needs anything, he will ask, and try to make his need understood."

"He doesn't seem bashful to me," Til offered from the display. The man sighed. "And even from here, I can sense his desire to get along. That he's studying us just as we are studying him seems pretty clear to me."

Mila chuckled at that. "I would do exactly the same in his place."

"So would I," Til admitted.

Jem smiled up at the man in the screen. "You seem less worried now than before."

Til closed his eyes a moment, and then smiled. "Well...I've always felt that I was a halfway decent judge of character. If Bzup were human...let's just say that he doesn't come across to me as a threat."

Nico smiled at Jem before turning back to the display. "So, we'll bring him up to meet you. You're the only person on the ship who hasn't met Bzup face-to-face now."

Til's eyebrows raised, and then he smiled. "I think I might enjoy that. When?"

"You look awake now," Jem pointed out.

"I am awake now. So, after you're done eating?"

"We'll be there," Jem confirmed.

"Go easy on him, will you?" Mister Sharples said, smiling.

Til laughed. "I won't harm a non-existent hair on his head."

The chief engineer's eyes sparkled merrily as he smiled at the shotsman's image. "I was speaking to Bzup, about you!"

 

* * * * * * *

 

Jem smiled, and used a hand to indicate the man in the bed. "Bzup? Til Majors."

The little alien turned his transducer on the shotsman. "Tilmajorz. Bzup."

Til laughed. "Pleased to meet you, Bzup."

"Pleazedtomeetchoo, Tilmajorz."

The man's eyes widened. "He does seem to be getting the hang of our language. I mean, he understands that some things are greetings."

"He's smart," Jem said plainly. "As smart as we are."

The older man considered that. "I much doubt we would be doing as well with Bzup's language, if our positions were reversed."

Nico smiled at that. "But his language is much more complicated than ours. If nothing else, just at the frequencies at which it operates."

Til nodded. "That's true. It's apples and oranges, as they used to say on Old Earth."

Nico shared a merry glance with Jem a moment, then turned back to Til. "Why did they say that?"

"Back on Old Earth?" Jem added quickly, trying to keep a straight face.

Til laughed. "Apples and oranges were fruits on the homeworld. But they appeared different, tasted different, and were somewhat different chemically. Their chief similarity was in their nature as fruits." He waved a hand at Bzup. "Likewise, we and Bzup are both living beings, we share some similar traits, but are vastly different in other respects, including even the basics of language. Apples and oranges." He pointed a finger at Jem and Nico. "And it's not nice to play games with the poor man in the bed."

Jem and Nico both laughed. "Your knowledge of history and the homeworld just impresses us, Til," Nico said.

"Well, it's a story, anyway." Til's gaze fastened on Bzup again. "I notice the way he turns to follow the conversation. That transducer would make a mighty efficient ear, as well as generating sound."

"He has a more advanced sound system in his fingertips," Jem explained. "He sort of sees with his hands. It allows him to do finer work than just the transducer would allow."

"That's fascinating. And Nita says he is working now on creating an eye?"

"That's what Bzup seems to be telling us," Jem agreed. "He examined my eye with his fingertips, and got very excited about it. Nita thinks his kind maintain a genetic log of body parts they can create, and that Bzup recognized the structure of my eye, and is now making his own."

Til laid a hand against his cheek, his eyes displaying a certain amount of amazement. "That suggests to me that he comes from a rather amazing world, to even need such capabilities."

"That's what we think, too," Nico agreed.

"I wonder where," Til said then. "I wonder where they hail from?"

Jem sighed, having already trod the same paths of wonder. "It's a mighty big galaxy."

"It is that. Jem, at the time we lost contact with Earth, our people had moved out over 500 light years from our point of origin. I can't imagine how far humans have gone since that time." Til indicated Bzup. "Let's suppose for a moment that Bzup's people have been at this galactic exploration business at least as long as we have. Let's suppose that their interstellar travel technology is at least equivalent to our own. We may be meeting here with someone born on a world thousands of light years from our own. Maybe even more distant."

Jem thrilled at the very idea. It was so far! The idea of life arising on so many worlds, circling so many suns, astounded him. Humans had already met several races in their travels that might someday reach the stars on their own. But Bzup's people would be the first they had met that were doing the same thing that humans were doing: exploring and expanding, looking for new worlds to settle. The more Jem considered that, the more determined he was that this chance meeting would be one between new friends, and not new enemies.

"We need to take great care not to let anyone break the trust we have formed with Bzup," Jem said then. "I'm worried about these people coming from Colonial Administration."

Til frowned at that. "Master Terpin hasn't spoken to you about that in any detail?"

"He's been busy," Jem returned. "We've been listening to some of the others talk, though." He smiled. "Including you!"

Til's eyes widened. "I didn't mean to poison your appraisal of that situation, Jem. I just want you to be wary. But rest assured that Master Terpin has jurisdiction here, and that he won't let these people pull any fast ones on Bzup."

Nico gave a shake to his head. "What if something else happens? What if another ship is attacked?"

Til's frown returned. "If the authorities at Hennessy were to put us on a war footing, it might make some difference in what this Varin Mikulsa could do with regard to Vespris, and us. Even so, I don't believe he can simply arrest Bzup and take him away. Bzup has not shown himself to be dangerous to us in any way. He didn't arrive here armed, and he in no way makes the definition of an enemy combatant. He may be related to a rider genetically, but he is not one of them, and so has to be considered differently. His actions until now have actually placed him into the role of negotiator, rather than an aggressor. He would have to be treated with all the civility that accompanies a negotiator of a foreign power."

Jem leaned forward. "You're sure Mikulsa can't just take Bzup away?"

Til smiled. "I'm pretty positive, Jem. These aren't the dark ages of Old Earth, where rights were always in doubt. The Compact on the Right to Life is amazingly explicit about individual freedoms, and not subject to argument. Bzup has been declared an A-Prime life form, and has all the rights inherent to that status. In addition, he is demonstrably the emissary of a foreign power, and has the rights that go with that status, too. Mikulsa had better treat Bzup with respect, if he knows what's good for him. That's the double-edge of the law you've probably heard about."

Nico squinted at the shotsman. "Double-edge?"

"Sure. These people will have a lot of authority to act, but everything they do has to be within the law, and the law is quite explicit. I've already looked this up, as I'm sure Master Terpin has done. And Mister Sharples, too, I'd wager. You won't find better sea lawyers anywhere than those two."

"I was thinking about the story you told us of the Teddy Bears," Jem reminded.

Til nodded. "A horse of a different color, Jem. Bzup is already proven to be a member of a technologically advanced race. If the riders they have bioengineered, and that black flying disc are anything to go by, anyway."

A sense of relief flooded throughout Jem, and he and Nico grinned at each other. They both knew what a horse was, but neither boy wanted to confront the issue of their colors just now.

"I think Kel kind of scared us," Jem admitted. "He talked about his great uncle as if he was a tyrant. In fact, everyone did, in a way."

"Rumors and stories, Jem." Til held up a cautionary hand. "I guess we were all a little guilty of translating our fears into unwarranted speculation. Relax, but be cautious. Consider what you say to these people, and be respectful. You'll be fine. And so will Bzup."

Jem smiled, and looked again at the little alien. "I'd love to know where he comes from."

"Do you think he'd show us?" Nico asked then. "Once he has an eye, he could look at a holographic star field and maybe pick out his home star."

Til looked surprised by the notion, and smiled. "If I were in his place, I wouldn't."

Jem squinted at the man. "Why not?"

The shotsman sighed. "Jem, you and Nico are both bright lads, but your inexperience is showing here. For one thing, recognizing a star within a star field is not an easy task at all. Perspective is everything there. The night sky viewed from a world in one star system looks different than the night sky viewed from a world in another star system even a dozen light years away. And once you move away from your own star group, the sky looks different still. Even if Bzup somehow knew the stars well enough to point out his home star, it would be unwise for him to do so. He would have to know he was pointing out his home to possible enemies."

Jem gaped at that. "We're not his enemies!"

Til nodded patiently. "I agree that we aren't. And I do feel certain that Earth's leaders would avoid a conflict in any way, if possible. But Bzup cannot be certain that our people will not become his enemies...anymore than we can be certain that his people won't become enemies of ours."

"Enemies," Jem repeated distastefully, as if the word had barbs.

"All the evidence points to the fact that Bzup's people did something to Chregar," Til reminded. "The riders they made seem to have turned orx into weapons. And those weapons were used against us, on this very ship."

Jem and Nico exchanged glances. "I guess he's right," Nico said, looking unhappy about the idea.

"Uh huh." Jem was unsettled by the idea that Bzup's people could actually be their enemies. He had come to think of everything that had come before as an accident - a misunderstanding of some sort. They still had no idea what had become of Chregar. But the attack on their own vessel had been clear.

Jem turned to look at Bzup, trying to gauge his feelings about the little alien. How much of what he felt was considered and logical, and how much was simply wishful thinking? His instincts said that Bzup was not a danger to them. But could he trust his instincts?

Til reached out a hand and laid it on Jem's arm. "Stop worrying, Jem. If it's any consolation to you, my own feelings are that our new friend is not a danger to us. Not on purpose, I mean. But he's just one member of an alien race. He can't speak for his kind, any more than we can speak for ours."

Jem reached out and laid his fingertips against Bzup's hide. The touch was warm, yielding, hardly what one would expect from an enemy.

"Jem?" the little alien inquired.

Jem withdrew his hand. "It's okay, Bzup." He turned back to Til. "Is there anything you'd like to ask him?"

The man thought about that, and then slowly shook his head. "No. For one thing, I don't want him to get the idea that he was brought here to be interrogated. As you said, I'm the only crew member he has not met before now. I don't want him to get the wrong impression."

Jem frowned, but could see some sense to what Til said. "Okay. Maybe we should take him back belowdecks, then."

Til smiled. "But, please, don't feel you can't bring him back when you visit again."

"Oh, we won't." Nico laughed. "I can tell by the way Bzup was watching you that you interest him."

"Everyone probably interests Bzup," Til returned drily.

"Bzup," Bzup said, as if in agreement.

Til smiled. "Let me try something." He raised a hand, gently waggled his fingers, until he was sure the alien was focused upon him, and then slowly brought the hand to his breast. "Bzup? Til."

"Til? Tilmajorz."

"No. Just Til."

Bzup buzzed a moment, and then raised his hands almost questioningly. "Til?"

"Yes. Til."

"Pleasedtomeetchoo, Til."

Jem and Nico both laughed out loud in surprise. "He understood that you wanted to be called by your first name!" Nico said excitedly.

"Yes." Til waved his hand, his eyes smiling. "I wasn't totally sure he wasn't parroting us somehow. But he understands the reassignment of values, which is a higher-order thought process." He sighed." Lads, you've given me a lot to think about. I want to get on the com with Master Terpin and toss a few ideas at him."

Jem grinned. "I think he and Mister Sharples have been up to something, too. I hope it's something to protect Bzup."

"Bzup," the little alien said again, and everyone smiled.

Til leaned forward. "It was nice to meet you, Bzup." To Jem's surprise, the man offered his hand to the alien.

Bzup leaned forward slightly to inspect the hand, but made no other move.

"Bzup," Jem said quickly. "Bzup touch Til? Til touch Bzup?"

The little alien immediately moved forward on his pseudopods and raised a hand. "Bzup touch Til. Til touch Bzup."

Til's eyes widened, and a smile came onto his face. He leaned forward just a little more, and Bzup laid his hand in Til's palm. Til closed his fingers gently, and gave his hand a little shake. "Wonderful!"

"Wunnderful!" Bzup repeated, following that with a happy-sounding buzz.

Jem and Nico both laughed. "I think he likes you." Nico said.

Til sighed, and released the alien's hand. "I think I like Bzup, too." He looked at his fingers a moment, and then nodded. "No, I know I do."

Nico put a hand on Jem's shoulder. "That was quite a turnaround, wasn't it?"

Jem nodded. "You have to admit, Til, that you weren't exactly warm to Bzup at first."

"Oh, I agree with that, fully. I was the voice of caution, because I felt everyone was moving too quickly." He smiled then. "But facing one's fears does wonders for disarming them." He canted his head towards the door. "Go ahead back to your duties, lads. Come on back when you have some time."

Jem nodded, and he and Nico turned to go. They were halfway to the door when Jem realized that Bzup was not following them. Jem turned back, to see Bzup and Til still watching each other. "What's that about?" he asked out loud.

Til looked surprised. "I have no clue. He just seems to be staring at me, if it can be said that one can stare with sound, anyway."

Jem returned to Bzup and canted his head to look down at the little alien. "Bzup?"

"Jem?"

"We're going. Come?"

Bzup buzzed again, and leaned briefly towards Til. He raised a hand, and waggled his three fingers just as Til had done only a few minutes prior, causing everyone to stare.

And then the alien turned toward the door. " Jem go. Nico go. Bzup go."

Til laughed. "I guess that's final."

Jem shook his head, but then smiled. "I think the hand gesture is what intrigued him. So far, we have only communicated with him via speech."

"We all use hand gestures in our conversations," Til pointed out. "Usually without even thinking about it. Mine was deliberate. Perhaps that was the difference?"

"We can only guess," Nico decided.

Jem smiled down at Bzup, who now appeared to be waiting patiently go to. "Yes. All we can do is guess."

 

* * * * * * *

 

"Game of Marksman?" Nico asked, as they relaxed in their cabin after dinner. There had been no sign of orx the entire day, and the whole crew was slightly on edge. The sea seemed unnaturally quiet, almost as if it was waiting for something to happen.

Jem shook his head. "I'd be too distracted." He frowned at his friend. "It's odd we haven't seen any orx today. I know that Mya thinks it's strange."

"Mister Sharples didn't seem to think so," Nico countered. "At dinner he said he'd seen three days go by before with no sightings."

"Well...it's uncommon, then."

Nico laughed. "This whole experience is uncommon." He put an arm around Jem's shoulders and gave him a gentle squeeze. "But I can't think of anyone I'd rather go through uncommon times with, than you."

Jem sighed, and turned his head to kiss Nico. He closed his eyes then, and just enjoyed the warmth of the other boy's face against his own. Comforting as it was, it was not quite enough to dispel his unease. "I'm still worried about when the flyer gets here from Hennessy tomorrow."

Nico pulled back to smile at him. "I'm not. I really think Til is right, and that Master Terpin and Mr. Sharples won't let anything happen to Bzup."

Jem squeezed his eyes shut a moment, but then nodded. "I feel like they'll do their best, anyway."

"They will." Nico gave Jem another squeeze. "Since you can't relax, how about we go down to the catch room and see Bzup one more time before bed? Maybe that will help?"

Jem smiled. "I'd like that." He dropped a hand to rub the thin material of his sleeping suit. "We'll have to change our clothes, though."

"So, let's change our clothes!"

They did that, and headed down a deck to the catch room. They entered to find Nita and Deera standing by the desk, looking at scans of Bzup on the large display.. The two women turned as they heard the boy's footfalls, and Nita smiled. "Well, look who it is."

Jem smiled as they came up to the women. "We felt a little restless. We thought we'd visit Bzup."

"Jem! Nico!" Bzup called over the tank speaker, sounding happy to see them.

Jem and Nico both laughed at the excitement they detected in the alien's voice.

"Hi, Bzup!" Jem called, smiling.

"Seems we aren't the only ones that can't sleep," Nico added, grinning.

Deera's eyebrows raised, and she smiled at them. "We were just talking about that, actually."

Nita nodded. "I'm convinced now that Bzup does sleep, in a fashion all his own." She glanced over at the tank. "Interestingly, I think half of his brain sleeps at one point, while the other half remains awake. And then the other part sleeps while the refreshed half takes over. That way, one pair of lobes seems to always be alert."

Jem was amazed by the idea. "Why would that be?"

Nita gave a little shake to her head. "It must be quite an amazing planet our guest comes from. The ability to stay alert and be ready to quickly adapt are required traits for survival there."

Jem frowned, not liking the idea of Bzup always being in danger. "That would be in the past, though, right? I mean, they're civilized now."

"Maybe. We have no way of knowing for certain." Nita squinted as she thought about it, but then nodded. "I'd say it's almost certain that they have mastered their homeworld. Maybe that's why all the body parts they can manufacture aren't active all the time. They probably evolved those things as needed, and then later gained the ability to dispense with them if they didn't."

"But retained the ability to recall them if the need arose again," Deera added. "Which brings us to an interesting idea."

Jem looked from one woman to the other. "And that is?"

Nita gently cleared her throat. "When we first observed Bzup on the hull, and the drones went to fetch him, we could see that he had the ability to elongate himself, and there was evidence in the video that Bzup had a water jet like the riders. But by the time we had him aboard and scanned him the next day, there was no sign of such a jet in his anatomy. Considering he would have almost had to have some sort of locomotive power in order to attach himself to the hull in the first place, that suggests to me that, after he was attached to the ship he, um...he dispensed with the jet as no longer needed."

Jem and Nico exchanged glances.

"You mean he was planning to stay?" Nico asked.

"It kind of looks that way," Nita agreed. "Since the apparent change time for these features seems to be around two days, that means he was probably on the hull at least that long. And that he planned to stay with us, once here."

"That seems kind of wrong," Jem decided. "I mean, what if he had to escape again? He'd need that water jet, right?"

"I don't think he planned to need to escape," Nita returned. "I have to wonder now if he arrived here intending to come aboard at some point. And I mean, intending to come aboard, as in, on deck, with the rest of us."

Jem gasped. "That would mean he came here to actually meet us!"

Nita nodded. "I have talked to Master Terpin about my suspicions, that Bzup coming to us may have been an attempt at first contact all along."

Deera licked her lips. "The only thing that we can't figure about that was, if Bzup was intending to contact us, why the riders then attacked us with orx. That event occurred almost surely after Bzup was already attached to the hull."

Jem was stunned by the notion. His mind raced away with the idea, new thoughts coming and going at an almost blinding speed. "And when he had a chance to leave, he didn't! All he did was make a broadcast of some sort into the water!"

"And there have been no further hostilities from the riders, at least that have been reported as yet," Nita agreed.

Nico turned to look at Jem, excitement plain in his eyes. "That almost sounds like there are two groups of Bzup's people. One that wants to contact us, and one that doesn't!"

"You mean, like two factions?" Jem asked, amazed at the idea. "Like, maybe the crew of their ship is split on how to act here?"

"Or, Bzup could have just been acting on his own, against his people's wishes," Nita pointed out. She sighed. "It's all supposition and conjecture at this point. But I think now there is a lot more going on here than we originally thought."

"Jem!" Bzup called then. "Come see Bzup!"

Jem took in a sharp breath at the wording of the request. It was different in meaning than anything the alien had said up to that point.

"Come on," he said, taking Nico by the arm and heading them over to the tank. He was conscious of Nita and Deera falling in behind them, and a sense of anticipation that all four of them shared somehow.

They arrived at the tank. A happy bzzzz arose over the tank speakers, and Jem had to smile at the idea that Bzup was particularly delighted to have them there.

"Bzup, Jem here," he said, leaning up against the glass face of the tank.

"Jem see Bzup?"

Jem smiled. "Yes. Jem see Bzup."

For a moment nothing happened. And then a line formed on the alien's forehead, above his transducer, just as if another mouth was going to open there. Jem tensed, feeling Nico do the same beside him.

The line deepened in definition, and then split apart, revealing a large eye, with a golden iris that immediately reminded Jem of the eye of a mountain siffle, though much larger. It was quite beautiful in fact, even as it turned to fix on them, the sure notes of awareness and intelligence beaming forth from its depths.

"Jem!" Bzup called then, a delighted buzzing apparent in his voice. "Bzup see Jem!"