Page 14 of Larz

Jana leaned in closer, her eyes alight with scientific curiosity. “Like bioacoustics? Some sort of vibrational language?”

“Maybe,” I said, nodding slowly as I replayed the scene in my mind’s eye. “It was like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

Caleb squatted beside me, his voice low and steady. “And what does this mean for us?”

I looked up at him, considering the gravity behind his question. “It means there’s so much more to learn here—to understand about Zorv and its inhabitants.”

Sergei pushed off from where he stood against a makeshift workbench and began pacing, his movements deliberate. “If they have this level of connection with their environment... it could complicate our mission here.”

Jana frowned slightly at Sergei’s back. “Or it could be an opportunity,” she countered optimistically.

Caleb rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “If we can learn from them—maybe communicate...”

“Exactly.” I stood up now, feeling a newfound resolve building within me. “We have to bridge this gap between us and the Zorvians.”

Jana nodded enthusiastically while Sergei remained contemplative.

“But we need to be cautious,” Sergei finally said after a pause that stretched between us like taut wire. “We don’t fully understand their customs or their capabilities.”

“I know,” I replied softly but firmly. “But Larz didn’t harm me; he didn’t even seem hostile when he could have been.”

Caleb clapped a hand on my shoulder—a gesture of solidarity that bolstered my spirits.

“We’re all in this together,” he said, looking around at each one of us.

Jana beamed at me. “So, what’s the next step?”

I chewed on my lip, thinking about Larz’s parting words—the subtle openness he’d left hanging between us.

“We keep exploring,” I stated with conviction. “We document everything we can and we stay respectful of their world.”

“And if Larz or any other Zorvian comes back?” Caleb asked.

“We talk,” I said simply, but with determination coloring each syllable. “We show them we’re not here to invade or conquer but to coexist and learn.”

Sergei finally stopped pacing and faced me directly, his expression unreadable for a moment before softening just slightly.

“If anyone can make them see our intentions, Hailee, it might be you,” he conceded.

The night drew in around us as we huddled together under alien stars—four humans tethered by shared purpose in an unfathomable world.

Caleb stood up abruptly, as if struck by sudden inspiration.

“Let’s do more than survive here,” he suggested boldly. “Let’s thrive.”

Jana clapped her hands together in agreement while Sergei merely nodded once—a silent affirmation of our collective resolve.

As they began discussing logistics and plans for further exploration, my thoughts drifted back to Larz—the silver gaze that seemed to pierce through layers of uncertainty and fear; the quiet strength that radiated from him; and the gentle command he held over creatures born from this strange soil.

My hand absentmindedly traced patterns in the dirt beside my boot—a poor imitation of the intricate designs on Larz’s scales—and something akin to anticipation fluttered within me at the thought of seeing him again.

Caleb’s voice broke through my reverie as he called out to me.

“Hailee! You in for this?”

I looked up from the ground and into the faces of my crew—my friends—and saw reflected in their eyes the same flicker of hope that was growing inside me.

“Yeah,” I replied with newfound vigor, echoing through each word. “I’m in.”

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