Basil tried to pay attention to the latest chemical experiment that zie was running on zir blood, isolating the new compound added by the queens that the Chonchu could sense.
Zie worked in the secondary engineering room this time instead of down in the engine room as zir other office. The experiments zie was running were all theoretical computer simulations, and not dealing with actual chemicals that the others complained about.
However, zie continued to find zir attention drawn to the dais holding the three tall amber spars of Eleanor, Gawain, and Abban. Though zie didn’t see the difference the strips of fabric wrapped around them made, the rest of the crew all thought the fabric improved the Chonchu’s appearance dramatically.
Eleanor appeared to notice Basil’s distraction. “Is everything all right?” she asked. It was just her at this time. The melodious overtones of one of the queens wasn’t present.
“I am,” Basil said. Zie sighed and pushed back from zir workstation, turning to face her. “I was just wondering how you were.”
As much as Basil tried, zie couldn’t sense the Chonchu, not on the same level that they could evidently now sense the rest of the crew. It distressed zim, and honestly, made zim feel something of a failure.
The Oligochuno prided themselves on being able to sense things beyond the other races.
There had to be a way that zie could sense the Chonchu, particularly now that it was built into zir very system.
“We are well,” Eleanor assured zim.
“You know, anytime you need to return to the Chonchu system, all you have to do is to let us know,” Basil said.
“We know,” Gawain replied. “Though that will probably no longer be necessary, not with the queens controlling the hyperspace tunnels.”
Basil nodded, having been thinking the same thing. Zie also hadn’t been surprised by Gawain being the one replying. That had been happening a lot—it was no longer just Eleanor who interfaced with the crew, but all three of them.
“Good,” Basil said. Zie paused, then had to ask, “Has the ability to sense the crewmembers grown stronger? Weaker? Remained the same?”
Abban’s halting laugh sounded, but it was Eleanor who replied. “Ever the scientist?”
Basil smiled and waited. Though zie wasn’t certain how Eleanor and the others now sensed them, zie did know that they now responded as well to non-verbal signals as if they were in the same room.
“I would stay it’s stronger,” Gawain added after a slight pause. “That might just be because you’re encased in our ship.”
Basil also nodded at that. Many, if not most, of the wiring inside of the ship had been replaced with new wires that appeared to have been grown, not manufactured. Though the ship itself was still made of metal and other parts, much of the interior workings were now organic.
Eleanor and the others were now fully in control of the ship. Though she still ceded control to Judit when necessary—while Eleanor could fly the ship, Judit was a better pilot, at least for now.
Basil knew that made Judit nervous occasionally. But mostly she’d gotten over herself.
Basil found zir thoughts darting away. Zie really wasn’t focusing well.
“Since we, this ship, are successful, and we’ve figured out how to be successful, will there be others?” zie asked. “Will the queens continue with Arthur’s experiments?”
“Negative,” Abban replied. “We are unique.”
The pride that filled zir voice surprised Basil.
“What Abban is trying to say is that the only way to achieve what we have with Eleanor would be with another bonded crew,” Gawain said. “Just a ship, with Chonchu as the drive, isn’t enough. They have to have the right people, who would be willing to take the long run with them, aboard.”
“Partake in the Jaimeng ceremony?” Basil asked.
“Exactly,” Eleanor replied. “And there are few who would do that. So for now, we remain unique. The only ship capable of digging its own hyperspace tunnels.”
Basil didn’t think that was necessarily the worst outcome. Much better for there to be some level of control in terms of access, so that those who were powerful and greedy couldn’t just appear in someone else’s system and take what they wanted.
“And what about you?” Eleanor asked after a few moments. “What is distracting you so much today?”
“I keep trying to sense you in return,” Basil finally admitted. “And I haven’t been successful yet.”
Eleanor’s merry laughter greeted zir confession. “Of course you can’t!” she said. “You don’t have the necessary sensing organs.”
“Oh?” Basil said. “But could I grow them?”
Now, it was Eleanor’s turn to sigh. “Possibly. The queens have discussed it. But it would mean you’d be able to sense not merely us, but all of us.”
It took Basil a moment to parse Eleanor’s meaning.
Zie would be able to sense the queens and the other Chonchu, not just zir crewmates.
That was another level of trust that needed to be gained. And possibly not by all of the crew. They also might not want that level of commitment.
Or responsibility.
Basil thought for a moment, then threw a segment into the ring, as it were.
“I’d like to be able to do that,” zie said. “Though I can’t speak for the others.”
Gawain replied. “We assumed that might be the case. You do work the closest with all of us.”
Basil paused, then said, “Thank you.”
“For what?” Gawain asked.
Eleanor added, “It should be us thanking you, for keeping us alive, for working so hard at repairing systems that had been designed deliberately to break.”
Basil still sometimes wanted to resurrect Masala just to strangle zim. Less so these days.
Though the other Oligochuno would have been as delighted as Basil at the new discoveries they’d made, at how well the queens were now integrated into the hyperspace tunnels.
“You gave me purpose,” Basil said after a few moments. “I was, well, floundering before would be putting it too strongly. But I didn’t have a good path to follow. A strong future to inch toward.”
“We are symbiotic,” Abban said. His harsh laugh echoed through the room. “Ha! Ha! Ha! You and the queens.”
Basil bowed zir head at that, then went back to zir current experiments.
Yes, symbiotic. That explained a lot, both of zir relationship with the ship and the Chonchu’s relationship with the crew.
They needed each other, to flow and form the shapes as needed. Just a single bond wouldn’t do, but multiple ones.
Basil felt zieself settle further into zir segments as zie started to work again with new focus.
Together, they would survive. And thrive.