Page 23 of Ngozii's Plight

My bottom lip slips between my teeth as I grin back before slowly pulling back my tentacle and releasing him. Bending over, I use my kilt to clean us up before grabbing a new one from the stack in my cubby near the bed. Xenshay slips his shorts back on as Tavi rolls around in bed, groaning about something unintelligible.

“I’m getting hungry, and I’ll assume she will be, too, when she wakes, so I’ll go grab us all some food, okay?” Zen glances at me, his cheeks darkening again as if he’s embarrassed, and before he can reach the beaded curtain separating our cave from the hall, I place a hand to his chest, stopping him.

“Do not be ashamed, Zen. I’m not. Us being mated will only enhance our relationship and ability to care for Tavi. I wear your mark proudly, my mate. So should you.” Leaning close, I give him a tender kiss, letting my budding love for him sink down the new bond I feel.

When he pulls back, there’s a light in his eyes I have never seen before, and I’m proud to have put it there. He silently slips past me with a promise to return as quickly as possible, and disappears behind the curtain.

Turning to my lady love, I find her curled up with her back to me, a small smile on her lips. Sinking into the bed, I lean over and brush the hair from her face, kissing her temple as I whisper, “Our lives are going to be forever changed, my love.”

Chapter 15

Kosiiba

Riding in the vehicle is exhilarating. The wind in my face, whipping my hair about, traveling at speeds I never dreamed of, the openness of the meadows between us and the city. It’s really beautiful out here in a different kind of way. The stretch of road between the forest and the city has open rolling hills, our sister planet clearly visible in the sky above, alongside the sun.

There’s a part of me that wants to go running through the open hills, to feel the tall grass tickle my skin as I go along, to lie down and stare up at the open sky, simply watching the clouds roll by. My heart keeps pounding in my chest, a beat of both nerves and excitement as I travel to the city for the first time in my life.

I’m a bit surprised that Jeff and the others trust me with watching over Captain Kari and her crew in the city. I’ve never been, and distraction is a real concern for someone like me. Which makes me fear messing this up all the more. I can’t disappoint Terax or the others by letting Kari or Jeff get hurt. We need them now more than ever.

Terax has been speaking with us privately about some concerns. He’s heard some odd buzzing noises among the trees a time or two, and so has Cruzig, but neither have mentioned it to Jeff yet. He’s been very busy and worried about Kari, we thought it best to wait until things were more settled. Terax and the others think it may just be a new species of bug or animal moving into our forests in an attempt to evade the growing cities, but we can’t be sure as no one has seen it.

The growing unrest amongst my friends, their unsettled and concerned demeanors, make me worry for all of us. What will come of our quaint little village if the cities overrun us? Can Kari really bring our people back together in some sort of harmony after generations of hatred and separation? Is it even possible? I don’t want to doubt her, I never have before, but even I can admit that it seems an impossible task, even for someone as amazing as her.

As the city looms in the distance, the sun shining off all the metal and cement, I’m blinded and astounded. I stare, open mouthed, as I watch all around me, taking in the lights, sounds, and smells. Other vehicles zoom around us, horns honking, people yelling, laughing, and the smells of all kinds of cooking food assault me from every angle. How does anyone get anything done in a place so overwhelming like this? There’s so much to see and do, so many things to try, how can you focus on a single task with so many things screaming for your attention?

Vahru keeps on driving through, taking us straight out to the other side of the town, nearly leaving it as he parks along a beach, a small lab building waiting for us. It doesn’t look too impressive from the outside, a simple gray building that looks as long and wide as about six of our cabins put together. Few windows are set in the walls, and I wonder how they get light inside. We all slowly pile out of the car, and I stay near the back, keeping an eye out around us as Vahru unlocks the door to let us in. I make sure to lock the white door securely behind us before following them through the quiet, mostly bare - aside from a few scientific looking pictures - halls to his office, which we lock behind us as well.

I stand sentry inside the door as the three of them head for the console beneath the large screen taking up the entire wall across from me. The bed and dresser against the right wall with another door make it seem as if he lives here at times. The bookshelf on the left wall has me curious, eager to read through all the books overflowing the shelves. I’m nearly blinded when the large screen comes to life, Vahru pulling up a planet that’s nothing but reds and browns, a deserted land barren of life.

“This is Tavionna’s planet, Gemyasiri Jangwa. It’s a desert planet on the surface, but the inside is a utopia with crystal lit caves.” Vahru explains as he zooms in, showing us the surface of the planet. It’s mostly dusty ground, a few patches of dead plants, what Jeff calls a cactus, and some rocks. As he spins around to the darkened side of the planet, he zooms in on a spot of light, but not much can be seen. “There is an entrance to a cave, but we can’t see inside. That is because they’re designed to be hidden. Very few people have gone there and come back. The Ngozii keep to themselves.”

“So how are we supposed to get information if no one has gone to get it?” Jeff huffs, turning to Vahru as he crosses his arms, his face scrunched in confusion.

“There are few things we know and can assume about the planet from here. Some people have visited the planet and written about it. We’ll do some more digging, see what we can find, but I wouldn’t plan on much. Since the Ngozii settled there, they don’t allow people into their caves or society. What we know has been from those who explored the planet before their settlement, so things could have changed.”

Jeff sinks into a chair, cracking his knuckles as he begins to type at the computer, focusing on his work. Vahru slides his chair over to Kari, smiling as she sits and blows him a kiss. Vahru opts to stand at his console, raising the platform to his height to make it more comfortable as they all dig into their work.

I watch quietly, keeping my ears open in the halls in case someone approaches. A stray footstep or two goes by, but no one ever stops or knocks in an attempt to enter. The screens in front of them flicker and scroll, occasionally changing to something else as they search endlessly for information. I listen and watch, soaking in all I can without getting in the way.

It’s an honor to get to guard the universe’s most important space captain, so I won’t complain or huff one bit about watching her work. Even if it’s ridiculously boring for me. They continue on for hours, scouring every site they can find for information, skimming through every article, and writing down every tiny detail they can get their hands on. Eventually, Jeff pushes away from the computer, ready to compare notes.

“So far, all I can tell about the plant and animal life is that there are a few small species of insects and fish living in the rivers in the caves, and a few flowers and vines, one of which looks like the Naked Lady flower from Earth. If they are similar, I hope they know not to ingest it,” Jeff comments, and I can’t help but snicker, causing all eyes to turn to me.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh, but you seriously named a plant Naked Lady?”

Jeff scoffs, a grin on his lips as he turns fully to face me. “I didn’t, but someone sure did. It’s rather poisonous if ingested. It can cause vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, and even lead to death. It’s no joke, but it’s beautiful. Definitely the worst kind of tease.” He pauses to chuckle as he looks down at the print off he made. “If the Ngozii aren’t careful and these plants are similar, this could be what’s making them sick. I have no way to know for sure without setting foot on her planet and taking samples for testing, though.”

“Isn’t that how it always is? The most beautiful things are the most deadly.” I shrug a shoulder, and he nods, turning back to his computer as Kari huffs, throwing her arms into the air.

“Every page I look at has the same information over and over again. There’s nothing new. Nothing that explains why she would want to move her entire population over here. They wanted to live there, moved in order to populate that world, correct?” She turns to Vahru, his body shifting to lean on the counter as he looks at her.

“That’s right.”

“So what would make them suddenly decide to leave? It has to be something pretty serious. Maybe that poisonous plant?” She turns to Jeff and raises a brow, waiting for him to respond.

He scratches his chin as he thinks. “Mmm, not likely. If they learned it was poisonous early on, they would know to leave it alone. After all this time living there, I doubt it’s something like that. It has to be a new issue. However, as I said before, I have no way to know for sure without samples and testing. If they are using this flower, that could definitely do it. All it normally takes is one person to get sick from ingesting something poisonous for the entire colony to learn, though, so it’s doubtful.”

“Kari.” Vahru speaks as he stands up straight, shutting down his computer and turning completely to her. “I know you think there’s some other explanation to all of this, that there has to be more to Tavionna than just her being vindictive over my father’s absence in her life, but maybe she’s not as complex as you want her to be. Maybe she is just that transparent, and it’s all about her getting revenge.”

---