Page 6 of Fallen from the Stars

Theo continued to stare at the creature, stunned.

“I am here to help,” it said as its tentacles slithered over the sand to drag itself a little closer. The creature’s movement prodded her out of her startlement.

“Stop right there,” Theo warned, tightening her fingers around her weapon and straightening her arm. “Don’t come any closer.”

The creature halted, raising its hands a little higher. “I do not mean you any harm, but you need to know that your knife will offer you little protection.”

“Are you threatening me?”

Its brow lowered. “No. I meantIam not threatened by your weapon.”

“I’m sure this knife can slit your throat as easily as it’d slice through mine, so stay the fuck back.”

“You would have to get it close enough to my throat first, and that will not—” the creature snapped its mouth shut and shook its head as Theo narrowed her eyes. “I am making it worse, am I not?”

“And I thoughtyouwere awkward in social interactions,”Kane said, his voice filled with humor.

“Shove it,” she replied.

“I did shove it,” the creature said, gesturing to the pod, “so it was above the high tide line.”

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

The creature regarded her in silence for a few moments, head tilted to one side. “From what I understand, speaking to oneself is often a sign of mental instability in humans. Are you sure your head was not wounded?”

Theodora gritted her teeth as Kane laughed in her mind. Of all the personality traits the AI could’ve developed, why did smugness have to be one?

“Kane, speak out loud,” she said.

The implant in her wrist glowed as Kane projected his voice outward. “You spoil all my fun, Theodora.”

Now it was the creature that backed away, brows falling low over suspicious eyes. “You are not wearing a suit.”

Theo glanced down at her jumpsuit then looked back at the creature with an arched brow.

“Adivingsuit,” the creature continued, gaze flicking from the light on her wrist back to her face. “You have a…aSaminside you.”

“What?”

“I believe he is insulting your sexual escapades. Wasn’t Samone of the—”

“Not now, Kane,” she bit out.

“The diving suits the humans use have computers inside them calledSam,” the creature said.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Theo said, frowning. “Are you—wait, you saidhumans. Are there other humans here?”

“Yes. They came from the stars hundreds of years ago, just as you did last night.”

“How is that possible? Kane, you said you didn’t know where we are. How could there be humans here but no satellites?”

“I don’t have an answer for you, Theo,” Kane replied. “Many worlds have been colonized by humans since they became capable of interstellar travel. The potential circumstances that brought humans here without any advanced communications equipment are too varied and numerous for me to speculate upon unless you want to spend the next several years going over them.”

“No.” Theo regarded the creature before her. “What are you?”

“A kraken.”

“Well, I think all our questions have been answered,” Kane said.

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