The Princess and the Human

Shortly before the ceremony

Githaiy sighed as she closed the door behind her and watched the rest of the team retreat to their respective rooms. Another working period was over. Another period with frustratingly little progress.

After their return from Eroas, the doctor had taken all the bodies they had gathered with her to the Royal Research Institute in Viyrminar, the planet’s capital. A team had quickly been assembled - all experts in medicine and xenobiology - along with an entire section of the institute dedicated to the examination. Once everything was ready, including living quarters for the team the section had been quarantined and sealed off. On paper, it wasn’t necessary as the Human illness, no matter how mutated, shouldn’t be able to infect anything on their planet aside from Kykla and Nadine - though the latter claimed that she should now be immune to it for a while.

However, protocols were protocols, and considering the fact that they were dealing with an unprecedented epidemic, no one complained.

The team basically had two goals: one, analyze the “cold medicine” and find a way to recreate it, ideally adjusted for Tystrie usage; and two, find any possible piece of information about the illness that could shine some light on the matter. For this, the team had split into two groups, and as the only one with knowledge of Human biology, Githaiy was part of the second group. The first group had apparently made steady progress, although the awaited breakthrough had not yet come. That they could only work with very small samples due to their very limited supply probably didn’t help.

Still, it was more progress than Githaiy’s group had made. The doctor felt like they were running in circles, but she refused to give up. There had to be something that they had overlooked so far.

She took her portion of the meal from the daily supply box and retreated into her quarters. There was no point in losing her mind over it; once she had rested, she would continue.

As she ate, her datapad suddenly received an incoming call. Surprised, she put her food aside and saw that it was Nadine. She quickly accepted.

“Good morning, Doc! Well, not morning for you I guess, huh?”, the small alien greeted.

“Good to hear from you, Nadine. To be honest, I couldn’t even tell without the chronometer. The quarantine zone has no windows so the days just bleed into each other,” the doctor confessed. “Your call is a very welcome distraction. Is the expedition already done preparing?”

“Um, they’ve already left. A couple of days ago.”

“Oh.”

First Ones, I had hoped at least the medicine would be done by this point.

“We prepared them with all we could, all we can do now is wait. What about you? How are things going over there?”

“Slowly, I’m afraid. I’ll soon send my next report, you can read it in detail there. Oh, speaking of, how much has your reading improved by now?”

“So-so. I still need to look up many words, but I’m getting better. But I originally wanted to ask you something else: can Vanaery eat tikro?”

“You’re aware that no one on this planet shares your strange obsession with that tuber, right?” Githaiy asked with a chuckle. Nadine constantly came up with new ideas on how to make tikro edible to her, but nothing seemed to work. Still, the small alien refused to give up.

“That’s not why I’m asking. Doc, I figured it out!”

“You did?”

“Yeah, I looked at it the completely wrong way! The solution makes it even better than I thought!”

Well, she certainly was excited about it, understandable considering how many tries it had taken.

“That’s great. You can show me once I’m back. But why did you ask whether we could eat them?”

“Well, later today is the ceremony and I thought maybe afterward, since Sil did so much-”

“Please tell me you aren’t planning to give cattle feed to Her Highness.”

“...by that logic, you also shouldn’t be drinking water.”

Githaiy opened her mouth, but she had no response. Nadine’s immediate answer had blindsided her.

“Look, obviously it’s gonna be processed. I just want to know if there’s anything in there that’s bad for you.”

“Not the sense that it will harm us. But we can’t digest it fully, and the remains would need to be regurgitated.”

“Wait, what?! Why would… oh, right, you guys don’t… erm, yeah, I remember.”

“Good. Though I admit I’m still somewhat curious about what you did to make it edible.”

“I’ll show you when you’re back! I’ll-”

She interrupted herself and looked to the side.

“Sorry, gotta go, we still need to prepare some stuff. I’ll call again!”

The call ended and after a pause, Githaiy returned to her meal.

Well, that’s as good a motivator as any to make progress.

Present day

“You certainly left an impression,” Silgvani commented as she entered Nadine’s new estate. She also used the chance to get another look at the large, three-dimensional statue of the alien’s crest in the middle of the entrance hall. It had really turned out nicely if she dared say so herself.

“That wasn’t what I was trying to do!” The person in question insisted as they made their way to the back of the house, where a few servants already waited for them. “It’s just a silly old tradition, that’s all!”

“I gladly believe that it’s like that from your perspective. You still demonstrated that you could kill each of them with any small object without needing to get close.”

Nadine winced at the comment. Silgvani could still see the crowd standing in silence. Everyone staring as the remains of the drinking container fell to the ground, its contents slowly dripping off the ship's hull. Silgvani had of course known about the alien’s strength, but the scene still had been off-putting to her. She could imagine how much more of an impact it had on all the guests.

I really wish she would tell me these things in advance.

Although to be fair, it wasn’t all negative. Afterward, the noble clans had approached Nadine rather carefully, each only greeting her, introducing their heir to her, and exchanging some common talking points. No one made a fuss when they were asked to make space for the next clan heads, not even the dukes. The princess was genuinely surprised at how orderly everything had been.

“Please tell me there is a genealogy or something like that, there is no way I can remember all those people. Some of the kids I got introduced to looked younger than Kiyrtin!”

“We have, including portraits. If I may ask though, what is the point of this? A traditional test of the ship’s armor? Granted, if it couldn’t withstand something like this it also wouldn’t be suitable for space, but it still seems strange.”

“No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just a way to baptize the ship, don’t ask me how it came to be. I just know that the bottle must break, otherwise it spells bad luck for the ship. The one I used was custom-made to be brittle by the way, the metal ones you usually use wouldn’t have worked.”

“I see.”

“I’m boring you, aren’t I.”

Silgvani stopped walking and looked at her.

“What? Why would you think that?”

“Well, I’ve just been rambling down all this stuff and-”

“Nadine, foreign diplomacy is literally my job. How much time do you think I’ve spent learning about the other species in the alliance? In the last couple of days, I’ve learned more about your culture than I have in the months since we found you, how could something like that bore me now?”

“Um… fair point. Sorry, forget I asked,” Nadine apologized

“Well, back on topic. That name you picked for the ship… how do you pronounce it again?”

“Argo.”

“Mh. And how come that neither this nor the colony ship got translated?”

“Um, because I don’t know the meaning of these names. The Argo was a ship from an old story back home. In it, it talks about how the ship needed to be fast and agile so the crew could get past terrible sea monsters. Skíðblaðnir was also from a story, said to be able to hold an entire country’s population. It felt like a fitting name for a colony ship. I’m of course summarizing heavily here.”

“I assumed as much. Still, it is interesting to hear. For the record, when you say “story”, I doubt you mean historical events, right?”

“No, made-up tales and myths.”

The two of them stopped as they reached their destination, a door with a large danger sign. Two servants were also here: one of Nadine’s new attendants and Liyzo, the former mechanic at the Star Palace that Nadine for some reason had insisted to re-hire.

The final person waiting for them Iyngari of clan Iyngotas, the fourth child of the current clan head and a respected engineer.

“Your Highness, Lady Nadine. We are ready for the final test,” he greeted them as they approached. He then pointed at a control panel.

“The room can be controlled from both inside and outside, in case anything goes wrong. This one is the emergency off-switch. The field is calibrated to only be within the room’s borders but should it expand for whatever reason, there is another one over there”, he explained, pointing at the opposite wall. “If you use either of them, I ask you to not just turn it on again. Call me, and I will look after everything. Now then, with your permission, I shall begin the test run.”

“Go ahead.”

The engineer bowed and went to the control panel. Several lights going on indicated the machine was coming to life.

“Now, as I stated, the bubble doesn’t encase the entire room. But I still advise against entering whenever it is turned on. Since mass-produced gravity cores are built with Hohmiy’s gravity in mind, we needed to tinker a bit to get a different setting. We don’t yet know how that affects the machine in the long run. Or the effects of extended use within Hohmiy’s lower gravity.”

Done with his explanation he stepped aside and Nadine opened the door. If Silgvani didn’t know better, the room would’ve looked rather unspectacular, empty aside from two large circles drawn on the floor and another control panel. But she knew better, even without the large warning sign at the door. She would not survive entering.

“Alright, here goes nothing.”

Reaching the outer of the two circles, Nadine slowly extended her hand.

“Wow. That feels SO weird.”

“The outer circle marks the point where the gravity bubble starts while the inner circle shows where it’s at full strength.”

Nadine nodded. The buffer zone between the two circles was rather slim, an the small alien decided to skip it. With one big - for her size - step, she walked into the inner circle. Immediately, she stumbled and fell forward.

“Nadine!”

“I’m fine!” she called, quickly catching herself with a short lunge. “Ho boy, I almost forgot how heavy I used to feel. This’ll take time to get used to again.”

“But it is as it is supposed to be?” the princess inquired to make sure.

“Yes,” Nadine confirmed and turned around. “This will be invaluable to my body. You did great work, Lord Iyngari.”

“Thank you for your kind words, Lady Nadine. I have instructed your mechanic on how to operate everything. If anything else comes up, do not hesitate to contact me.”

He then left, and Nadine dismissed the servants as well so it was only her and Silgvani. The small alien went down on her belly, trying to push her body up with one hand.

“Hnnnnngh! Uff, yeah, not happening. Need both again.”

“So… this is how it’s normally for you? This is… how your home feels?”

“Yup, “feels” in the most literal sense. Sucks that it would kill you. But, Sil, there was something else I wanted to ask.”

Nadine sat up.

“You see, there’s another human tradition called a housewarming party. Basically, it’s a small celebration when moving into a new home. Normally just close friends and family, but… well… don’t really have much of either here so I thought, maybe we could… I don’t know, stay here a bit longer, eat something together?”

The princess chuckled.

“Honestly, that sounds like a good way to calm down. I had planned for the ceremony to last longer so believe it or not, I actually have time in my schedule. Should I call over Falpiyne and Reiykin as well?”

Nadine’s eyes lit up.

“Yes, great idea! I’ll prepare everything!”

Nadine stood up and rushed off, stumbling again as she left the gravity bubble. Silgvani made a mental note to remind her to always deactivate the room, though for now she simply called for the mechanic.

It didn’t take long for the two kids to arrive via shuttle. Servants led them in, Reiykin as always holding onto his stepsister. The princess met them in the entrance hall and guided them through the mansion while explaining the concept of the “housewarming party”.

“As I understand it, a casual atmosphere is desired to make sure it feels like a home, so try and ease up a bit.”

The meal wasn’t much different from what they would’ve eaten in the Star Palace, and expectedly so. After all, Silgvani had decided to lend Kabbut to Nadine until her new chef was trained to cook for a Human. Said Human’s tray, however, contained a few things she hadn’t seen before. Nadine noticed the princess’s gaze and grinned. She picked up a light-brown, disc-looking object and held it up.

“I finally figured out the tikro,” she explained. “My misconception was to treat them like a vegetable. They aren’t! They are closer to grain! To think I could actually make bread with those! Well, flatbread, but maybe I can figure out yeast… there has to be a way, maybe…”

Her voice got quieter as she switched for explaining to mumbling. Silgvani had no idea why she was so exited over this, but as long as she was happy it was fine.

“Um, by the way, Your Highness?” Falpiyne chimed in. “Ah, is that too formal? Am I violating the tradition? But I couldn’t possibly-”

“It’s fine, just speak.”

“Right, my apologies. We’re supposed to tell you that a messenger from the Krsnelv came through the Hyperlane earlier today. They are scheduled to arrive tomorrow, apparently, it’s urgent.”

The next day, Krndl sat on her chair, her beak clammed shut in a desperate attempt to prevent it from nervously clicking. After landing, an escort had already been waiting for them. Shuttles had brought them to a huge palace. It had been an impressive sight, both outside and inside, with various pieces of art lining the corridors. Krndl even recognized some of them to be of Krsnelv origin.

They were brought into a spacious, heavily decorated room. Krndl herself got seated at the table while Doctor Mnakr, as well as two of her soldiers doubling as attendants for appearance's sake, stood behind her. This was it, then. She was about to meet foreign royalty. Just what had she done wrong to land herself in this position?!

She was not given time to mull over it much more as the door opened. A Vanaery, taller than all the others she had seen so far and wearing a green cape, with two arms in a cast, entered. And behind her…

Krndl stiffened. It didn’t look exactly the same. The skin was notably lighter, more pinkish than brown, and it lacked the blue hue, but she had to agree with the elder’s assessment. This alien undoubtedly belonged to the same species as the corpse. Except it was alive. A living member of a species that could fight and kill ten Kiroscha with its bare hands.

“I-I greet her Highness,” Krdnl hastily said and stood up, not completely able to suppress a fumble. This time she had checked multiple times to make sure she was wearing her translator. “Captain of the Hunter and leader of Hsvegplia’s 16th flotilla, Krndl. I am honored to be in your presence.”

“My greetings as well. I am Silgvani of clan Kiyron, first princess of Hohmiy.”

Her gaze then turned to the unknown alien who was quiet for a moment, then stepped forward.

“Oh, right, ahem… I am Nadine Valentina Esmeralda Anastasia von Klot of House Heydenfeldt, representing humankind on Hohmiy. You may call me Nadine.”

“That’s… ah, very well,” Krndl quickly said to play down her confusion. “Then, regarding the message I bring: Nadine, you wouldn’t happen to recognize this individual?”

She showed them the picture on her datapad.

The alien’s eyes widened. She then stumbled backward, her legs giving out as she fell on her back, much to Krndl’s confusion.

“Nadine!” the princess called out as the alien’s chest began to quickly rise and fall. Krndl looked between the two, unsure how to react. The princess’s head then turned, eyes fixating on the captain.

“YOU IMBECIIIIILE!” she screamed, something strange happening with her voice as she did. “WHAT WEEEERE YOU THINKING, SHOOOOWING SOMETHING LIKE THAAAAAT WITHOUT WARNING?!”

Krndl flinched as her heart sank, but the princess ignored her, turning back to alien on the ground and kneeling down next to her.

“Nadine! Nadine, can you hear me? Breathe, try to calm down. First Ones, why can’t Githaiy be here?! Nadine, try and focus on my voice!”

Slowly, the alien’s rapid chest movements calmed down. She sat up but her body was still shaking.

“That… that’s…” she panted. “That’s… Claire.”