9

A grin stretched across Channy’s face. She sat cross-legged, her back against the curved wall in the hallway outside the Conference Room. The object of her delight was Iris, the cat that had become the unofficial mascot of the ship, rescued from a small metallic pod orbiting Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. Channy could often be found escorting Iris to the domes, where the cat would spend many happy hours exploring the fields and rolling in the dirt.

At the moment she lay sprawled across the hallway, her legs stretched out, her eyes mostly closed but her tail giving away her attentive state by twitching at the very end. Crew members rounding the turn laughed as they stepped over the animal, and many of them stopped to either rub her belly or delight her with a quick scratch behind the ears. Iris was soaking up the attention, and Channy was sure that was why the cat had positioned herself as she had; there was no getting around her without some form of acknowledgment.

“She’s a bigger ham than you,” Channy heard someone say with a chuckle, and looked up to see Gap leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. “And,” he added, “I never would have thought that possible.”

Channy looked back at the cat. “She is an affection hog, isn’t she? It’s almost like people have to pay a bit of a toll to cross over her. One rub or scratch per person.”

As if she recognized that she was again the center of attention, Iris sat up and began one of her many daily bathing routines. She licked at one paw and rubbed the side of her head with it, her eyes closed, and a soft purring sound rolled from her throat.

“I take it we’re the first to arrive for the meeting,” Gap said. When Channy nodded, he added, “Lots to talk about, too. I’m anxious to hear what Triana wants to do about the vultures.”

Channy gave a noticeable shudder at the word. “I’m creeped out to think about them stuck to the ship. Can’t we get rid of them?”

Gap shrugged. “Probably. Oh, and I’ll bet we talk about your Dating Game. I heard it was a smash hit. Congrats to you.”

“Thank you. You never had a doubt, did you?”

“No, but I heard that you did,” Gap said. “What’s next on the agenda for you?”

“Ugh, nothing right now. I want to savor the success of the Dating Game before I worry about anything else. You?”

Gap slid down the wall to sit next to her and rubbed a hand through his hair. “The most exciting thing in my life today is getting this cut. I’m a shaggy dog. I need to go see Jenner and have him chop it off.”

Channy laughed. “I swear you get more haircuts than anyone else on board. Besides, it doesn’t look bad to me. Trying to impress someone?”

“Right.”

“Speaking of which, what’s going on with you and Hannah?”

A cloud passed over Gap’s face, and Channy quickly continued. “I mean, if you don’t want to talk about it, I understand. But you two were so cute together, and…” She trailed off.

“I think the world of Hannah,” Gap said, nodding at two crew members who strolled past and briefly stopped to pet Iris before continuing down the hall. “But she seems to need her space right now.”

“Have you tried talking with her?”

“Yeah, I tried.” Gap realized he was saying more than he intended; Channy had a way of pulling that out of people without much effort. He turned to her and smiled. “Enough about me. What’s going on with you? I hear you’re part of a games group in the evenings. How come you haven’t said anything about that?”

He noticed a momentary look of panic that streaked across her face before she recovered with her usual grin. “Oh,” she said, “it’s just a few people that get together once in a while. I thought you knew.”

In a flash Gap thought of all the times Channy had needled him about his love life, and decided this was the perfect time for some payback. He kept an innocent look on his face as he said, “No, this is the first you’ve mentioned it. Anyone I know in the group? Maybe I should drop by and play sometime, eh?”

The anxious look on her face lingered a bit longer this time, and he could tell that she was weighing her response.

“Um … well, you probably know some of them,” she finally said. “I’m not sure there’s really enough room right now. You know,” she added quickly, “you have to have an even number for so many of the games. Partners and stuff, right?”

He nodded in understanding. “Of course. Well, if someone can’t make it, I would love to sit in, okay?”

She smiled again, obviously relieved to have dodged him. “Sure.”

Gap had to get in one more shot. “My friend Taresh told me about it, so maybe I’ll come with him sometime and just watch.”

He had to stifle a laugh when she almost choked. The timing was perfect, however; before she could reply they looked up to see Triana and Lita approaching from their left, while Bon briskly walked up from the right.

“Another hallway meeting?” Lita said. “I’m starting to think we might get more done out here than in the Conference Room.” She kneeled down and gave Iris a scratch on the chin; the cat responded by closing her eyes and once again stretching out across the carpeted floor.

“As much as I enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the hall, let’s go ahead and move inside and get started,” Triana said. “I assume that Iris is joining us.”

Channy, who appeared to have recovered from Gap’s comments, rubbed the cat’s belly a few times, then scooped her up. “If she gets antsy I’ll have Kylie stop by and take her up to the domes.”

The five Council members took their seats around the conference table. Triana opened her workpad, scanned her notes, then laced her fingers together and addressed the room.

“Before we get down to the serious business at hand, I wanted to acknowledge a few things. Channy, I apologize for missing the Dating Game. As you know by now, we had a bit of drama to deal with in the Control Room.”

Channy waved her hand. “Yes, I know how much you were dying to join us.” There were chuckles from around the table, including Triana’s own guilty laugh. “I almost believed you invented these new creatures just to get out of attending, actually.”

“Well,” Triana said, “I just wanted to congratulate you on another successful social event. I’ve heard rave reviews from Lita and a couple of other people. Thank you for your hard work in keeping the crew entertained. Honestly, I don’t take that lightly, and I’m grateful to have you on our team.”

Channy looked touched. “Thank you, Tree.”

Triana turned her attention to the opposite end of the table. “And I want to also acknowledge you, Bon, for the sacrifices you’ve made—physically and emotionally—in helping to lead us out of the Kuiper Belt. I know that your connections with the Cassini are not very pleasant, but your links provided us with a safe path to follow. So, thank you.”

There were assorted words of agreement from the other Council members. Bon looked uncomfortable.

“You … um, you’re welcome,” he said, and cast his gaze down at the table. Triana knew that attention was always the last thing he wanted; she punched a key on her workpad and redirected the conversation.

“But although we are out of the danger zone with the Kuiper Belt, it would seem we have a whole new issue to deal with. By now you all know that we have picked up some unexpected passengers. I’ll let Roc fill you in with the latest information.”

“They’re icky,” the computer said. “That’s my latest information.”

Gap leaned forward. “Have you been able to get a close-up look with one of the exterior cameras?”

“No, they’re in awkward places, and our cameras are set to scan outward, not so much inward. But one of them is clamped onto Dome 1, so we had a crew member scramble up onto a maintenance catwalk and get close enough to snap some shots. Icky.”

“Why do you say that?” Channy said.

“Ever seen the suction side of a snail, or octopus tentacle?” the computer said. “Those things give me the creeps. Blegh.”

Triana steered the conversation back to business. “A few more pertinent details, please.”

“Seven alien entities,” Roc said. “They have extraordinary maneuvering capabilities, they can accelerate to remarkable speed in the wink of an eye, they can turn on a dime—you guys wouldn’t know that expression, since you’re part of the postcurrency generation—but trust me, it means we could never outrun or dodge them.

“As of right now we can only guess as to their makeup, including their source of energy, their guidance systems, and the sticky stuff that keeps them glued to the skin of our ship.”

“Okay—” Triana said before Roc interrupted her.

“Wait, one more thing. I know I called them vultures earlier, and if you really like that name, you’re welcome to keep using it. But I’ll tell you right now that what they really act like are parasites.”

Channy grimaced. “Parasites?”

“The official definition means ‘an organism that lives in, on, or around another organism for the sake of feeding, without benefiting or killing the host.’ From the ancient Greek parasitos, which meant ‘one who eats at another’s table.’ How’s that for detail?”

“Feeding?” Channy said.

“Well,” Roc said, “so they haven’t started feeding on us or anything … yet. But they have suctioned themselves onto the ship like a copepod on a shark. So, yes, I am more inclined to call them parasites than vultures. They must want something.”

This induced silence from Galahad’s Council. Triana looked around and saw each of them considering this last comment.

“I’ve discussed this with Roc,” she finally said, “and I think the obvious answer is an EVA.”

Channy blinked. “An EVA? Extra vehicle something?”

“Extravehicular activity,” Roc piped in. “What used to be known as a space walk.”

Gap said, “I’m assuming that this would be in a Spider, right? So we go out and either shoo these things away, or…”

Lita fixed him with a look. “Or what? Kill them?”

“I’m not sure that sweeping them off the ship with a broom would do much good,” Gap said. “What would prevent them from glomming right back on again?”

Lita’s voice crept higher. “You think we should kill them?”

“We don’t even know if they’re alive,” Gap said. “We have no idea what these things are.”

“I agree,” Lita said. “That’s why I’m not in favor of just automatically destroying them. We don’t know that they mean us harm, do we?”

“We don’t know that they don’t, either,” Gap said. “But there’s another possibility, too.”

“Which is?”

“I go out in one of the Spiders, grab one, and bring it back for us to study.”

Channy let out a groan. “You want to bring one of those things into the ship? Are you kidding me?”

Gap looked at Lita and then Triana. “I think we have some sort of … I don’t know, a container, or something, that we could put it in. Don’t we?”

Lita’s expression brightened. “That’s right, we do. It’s perfect, because it can actually simulate the conditions of space.” She turned to Triana. “Okay, if we’re talking about capturing one, I think that’s a great idea. Think of the knowledge we could gain from this.”

Channy cut in. “Think of the danger.”

“Of course there’s a risk,” Lita said. “But there’s also a risk if we just leave them out there and don’t learn anything about them.”

“I’m with Roc,” Channy said. “They’re gross, and we shouldn’t bring them inside.”

“I used the word ‘icky,’” the computer said, “but I vote for bagging one. As long as I don’t have to touch it.”

Lita said, “Tree, this is an amazing learning opportunity for us. We might actually get to study an alien life form.”

“What if it’s not life?” Channy said. “What if it’s just a killing machine?”

“That’s a little dramatic, isn’t it?”

“How do we know?”

“If I had a head, I’d have a headache by now,” Roc said. “Can someone turn a hose on these two?”

“Wait a minute,” Triana said. “Everyone take a breath.” She waited until she had the Council’s attention, then leaned back in her chair. “Here’s what we know: these parasites, or vultures, or whatever, can outmaneuver us, and can outrace us. They are either programmed to attach to us, or have some form of intelligence—if they’re alive—that has them curious about us, and they have chosen to hitch a ride. They have been clamped aboard the ship for…” She looked at the clock on one of the room’s vidscreens. “For about sixteen hours. And in that time they haven’t moved, they haven’t eaten their way into the ship; they haven’t done anything that we can tell.

“Here’s what we don’t know: whether they’re sentient beings, whether they’re simple life forms, or whether they’re programmed machines.” Here she paused and looked at the faces staring back at her. “And, we don’t know what they want. So, I think picking one up would at least allow us to find out what they are, and might help us figure out that last part: what they want.”

There was silence for a full minute. Triana bit her lip and, for no reason she could think of, looked down the table at Bon. He was staring back at her. For a moment he seemed completely unreadable, as if unwilling to offer any feedback whatsoever. Then, barely perceptible, he gave a slight nod.

“Our mission is not necessarily one of exploration,” she said. “Our assignment is to safely carry our knowledge and our history to a new world, to start over. To save our species, really.

“And yet, we’re human; we are creatures of discovery. Through the years our path has been a difficult one because we chose to make it that way. We have never taken the easy route, and when we’ve been confronted by the unknown, it quickly becomes our task to make it known.”

She paused a moment, then, tapping her finger on the table, said, “Now we’re confronted with a new mystery. These things, whatever they are, made the first move. I believe the next move is ours.”

A grin spread across Gap’s face. “That’s great. When do I go?”

“I would think as soon as possible,” Triana said. “We don’t know what they’re doing out there, and I really don’t like playing defensively.”

“Someone should probably go with him,” Lita said. “I’ll go.”

Triana shook her head. “No, I won’t have two Council members out there at the same time. But I think someone from the Medical Department might be a good idea.”

Lita looked thoughtful. “Either Alexa or Mira. Mira’s a bit of a go-getter.”

“And I think Alexa has had enough excitement for a while,” Triana said. “Please talk with Mira and get her up to speed.” She turned back to Gap. “Work with Roc on setting up your plan, and let’s shoot for tomorrow morning.”