Tech Scavengers [Humorous, Action-Packed Space Opera]

Negasi didn't think this would work. Most of Jeridan's plans didn't. They usually just got them into more trouble than they already faced.

And as usual with Jeridan's plans, Negasi ended up doing most of the work.

He accessed the Standard Encyclopedia of Known Sentient Species, which had samples of every known language. There weren't many samples of the S'ouzz language, no big surprise, but there was a dictionary and grammar guide. Enough for MIRI to construct a communique. Then she used an analysis of their astronavigator's own speech to create a different S'ouzz, slightly altering the intonation and pitch to make it sound like a different individual.

MIRI informed them that the model for this imaginary individual's speech came from one of the recorded examples in the encyclopedia. Good enough. Their astronavigator wouldn't recognize that voice. It wasn't like the S'ouzz was looking up its own language.

Now they had to formulate the message. Negasi remembered their astronavigator mentioned that it had used comm probes in the past in the search for members of its species. That would explain how other S'ouzz would get in touch, but what could they say that would bring their shipmate out of its mental crisis?

The comm probe couldn't just say, "we're here and we're waiting for you" because that possibility was what got it mentally paralyzed in the first place. The message had to be something reassuring that would also keep the S'ouzz's mind on the mission.

Negasi thought he had an idea. He got to work.

An hour later, after detailed consultations with MIRI and a lot of creativity on his own part, he had it done.

Jeridan looked it over.

"Looks good," he said. "Let's hope to hell it works."

Now came the tricky part. They had to wake up their astronavigator and keep it calm long enough for it to hear the message. Then the message had to work. If not, they'd still be dead in the water with the Syndicate on their tail, only now with an even more traumatized astronavigator.

Negasi and Jeridan went up to astronavigation. The robot dog met them at the entrance and tripped them all the way up.

After stumbling, cursing, bumping into each other and nearly dropping the hypo twice, they got to the S'ouzz and avoided any further trouble with the dog by sitting on the edge of the console. The metallic mutt stopped inches below their dangling feet, waiting.

"At least it isn't a real dog," Negasi said. "The damn thing would be barking its head off."

"Come on. Give the S'ouzz the injection."

Negasi studied the immobile bulk. The medical computer had shown the best spots for the injection but it still worried him. He'd never given a shot to an alien species before.

"Go on," Jeridan urged. "What are you waiting for?"

A noise behind them made them turn. Mason had entered the room.

"Watch out for the dog," Negasi said.

The dog didn't move.

"Why?" Mason asked, walking up to them.

"Um, never mind. Is this Mason we're talking to?"

The boy nodded. "Dad hasn't come out for a while."

"We asked him not to so you could have a break." Actually, we forced him. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard about G'rahzz'kk'l getting scared. I want to help it."

"That's what we're going to do. I'm going to give it a shot and then play a message from the S'ouzz home world."

Mason's eyes widened. "G'rahzz'kk'l's home world contacted us?"

"Well, not exactly. You see, our friend froze up because it wanted to go on with the mission but being so close to home made it want to leave the ship. The stress of wanting two things at once put it in this coma. It happens with S'ouzz sometimes. So we're going to wake it up with this medicine and play a recording that will reassure it."

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"But the recording isn't from G'rahzz'kk'l's home world?"

"Um, no. We made it up."

Mason blinked. "Isn't that a lie?"

"Um, well, kind of. You see, it's very important that we get the ship going again because you know those nasty bug aliens are after us. So we're just going to make up a little story to make our friend feel better."

"Won't it feel worse if it finds out it's a lie?"

"It's a grownup. It might be a little mad but it will see that we did it in its best interest, and the interest of the ship."

"To open the jump gates," Mason said, rolling his eyes just like, and probably in imitation of, his big sister. "That's what mom always talks about."

Negasi winced at being compared to that she-demon.

"Sometimes we have to do little bad things to do big good things."

Another eye roll.

"If you wake G'rahzz'kk'l up, it's going to get scared seeing you two here without asking first."

But not you.

"The stimulant has a delayed effect. We'll be out of here by then."

"OK."

Mason sat in a chair at the edge of the room where he usually sat when spending time with the S'ouzz.

"You'll need to leave too," Jeridan said.

"G'rahzz'kk'l won't mind me."

"You sure?" Negasi asked.

Mason nodded.

Maybe this kid should be a xenoanthropologist after we get that ghost out of his head.

Jeridan nudged Negasi. "Come on, already. Give it the shot."

"G'rahzz'kk'l," Mason said. "You should learn to say its name."

"I don't want to spit all over the console," Negasi said. "I might short circuit something."

"Go on. Give it the shot," Jeridan said.

"I can give it the shot if you want," Mason offered.

"I'll do it," Negasi grumbled.

While Mason was an obviously bright kid, a ten-year-old shouldn't be given a tricky task like this.

The medical computer said that he should hit a spot just below and a bit to the side of its facial cilia. Negasi leaned over the console. Jeridan held him by his waist.

"I'm not going to fall," Negasi said.

"I wouldn't put it past you."

Mason giggled. "You two are funny."

"I'm humorous," Negasi said. "He's just funny looking."

"Still stuck in the middle of outer space," Jeridan reminded him. "Still in mortal danger."

"Oh, fine."

Negasi touched the spot where he was supposed to inject the stimulant. The flesh felt warm but dry, almost papery. For some reason he thought it would feel wet. Maybe because of all those moving cilia.

He hit the hypo and it injected the stimulant with a soft hiss.

"All right, we should have about five minutes before—"

The S'ouzz's eyes snapped open. They fixed right on Negasi leaning over the console and touching him. Its cilia flailed in all directions.

"uuuGGGGHHHHH!"

Jeridan jumped off the console but the dog must have tripped him up because he fell to the floor with a loud bang. Since he was still holding onto Negasi, that made him topple over backwards and land on his friend.

"uuuGGGGHHHHHAAAAA!"

Jeridan and Negasi scrambled down the stairs and out of astronavigation, the screams of the S'ouzz chasing them.

They closed the door behind them.

"Wait, the kid is still there!" Jeridan said.

"Hold on. He might help."

"We can't risk it."

"Wait."

Negasi pulled Jeridan to a screen in the corridor. Jeridan got the idea and said,

"MIRI, captain's override to turn on the video on the console in astronavigation."

The screen lit up and they saw the S'ouzz still in its chair, cilia flailing wildly, still screaming. Mason stayed on the far end of the room, coughing and screeching.

"We got to get him out of there!" Jeridan said.

"Wait, MIRI, translate what Mason is saying."

"He's repeating 'It's all right. It's going to be all right' in the S'ouzz language."

"When the hell did he learn to speak S'ouzz?" Jeridan said.

"Well, he has been spending a lot of time in astronavigation."

The S'ouzz kept flailing around and screeching. Negasi's stomach clenched. They were torturing the poor alien!

"Damn it, Jeridan, this was a cack idea."

The S'ouzz turned to a flashing light on the console, which indicated an urgent incoming message.

It took the astronavigator a moment to calm itself down enough to push the button.

It jerked back, cilia freezing when a message in the S'ouzz language came out of the speaker.

"To anyone listening who has passed through the miniature jump gate on the planet we designate as K'gr'lgh. This is a comm probe from the S'ouzz home world, activated by detecting activity in the dome that houses the jump gate.

"We are aware of the alien invasion coming from the outer rim of the Orion Arm and we have already mobilized all available forces. We are not strong enough to defend ourselves against such an advanced fleet. Thus our planetary government and all outer S'ouzz settlements have united and come to the historic decision to make a mutual defense treaty with any and all worlds that are preparing to fight the intruders.

"We suspect that there might be a small number of S'ouzz still surviving in the portion of space that the jump gate leads to. If so, please inform them that they have found a way home, but they face an enormous task. They must do all they can to fight the invaders. If the civilized worlds fall, the invaders will eventually find their way here, and the S'ouzz, like all other species, will face extinction.

"Send a comm probe with your plans for defense. The S'ouzz will do everything we can to assist."

Negasi watched the S'ouzz. It stared at the console as the message played out, unmoving except for a slight trembling of its cilia. It was odd to see it so focused after its hysterical reaction a minute before.

Mason was staring at it too. The kid didn't know enough S'ouzz to understand the fake message, did he?

Even if he did, he seemed more concerned about his friend than anything the fake comm probe had to say. Mason leaned forward in his seat. The astronavigator stayed put, its cilia trembling.

Then the cilia stopped moving.

"G'rahzz'kk'l?" Mason whispered. Then louder. "G'rahzz'kk'l?"

The S'ouzz didn't move.

"G'rahzz'kk'l!"