The trooper at gate security barely looked up from his slate as Rex walked through. He had a slight limp, and some medical gauze and tape, mostly hidden under his fur. The drop pod was safely deposited back in the storage unit just outside Brisbane. An alien shuttle was on the landing field, and he saw Ripley talking with the crew.
Drake’s quad was parked by their barracks, so he was back from harassing the shark biscuits. The base was just as dead as it had been after the end of the war. He even spotted Shadow working on the roof for the new cafeteria. He’d been gone for days; dad must be pissed. As he walked, he raised a hand to wave at his brother. For a moment, he thought Shadow was waving back. Then Shadow slipped sideways and plummeted toward the ground.
* * *
Ripley ran a hand along the wing of the shuttle, admiring its rakish design, and the way it was mated to the fuselage. A nod to visual appeal linked with utility of purpose. It was clear the wings were variably swept, too, and there were hard points under the wings for mounting weapons or fuel tanks.
She’d been too busy admiring the shuttle to notice the pilot climbing down from the cockpit via a ladder until she spoke.
“Kobo Ask’sha!”
Ripley blinked as she turned. The translator hadn’t rendered it into English. What strange race must it be? Her ears pricked forward, quivering at attention—the pilot was Zuul!
She was dressed in a sort of vest with shorts. A slate was attached to one thigh, and she had a partial helmet that allowed her muzzle to protrude, while still providing a snap down visor to protect her eyes when flying into the sun. When she took off her helmet, her ears were back, and Ripley immediately felt the other’s anger.
“You are a rude one,” the pilot said, and this time it was translated. “Who is your Kal’shin?”
“I…I don’t know,” Ripley replied. What’s a bloody Kal’shin?
The pilot took a step back and cocked her head, ears and tail coming up in alert posture. “You speak the local language?”
Ripley froze. Her parents had coached all the pups to be careful around aliens, lest they become too curious about their origin. They were the only aliens to have Australian citizenship, and that wasn’t public knowledge. If she’d known the pilot was also a Zuul, Ripley would have avoided her. She tried to think of some furphy the pilot might believe.
“Were you born here?”
“No,” Ripley answered quickly. Then slumped her shoulders in dejection. This wouldn’t go well, no matter how she handled it. “We’re orphans,” she said.
“We?” the pilot asked. “How many are you?”
“Five,” Ripley explained.
The pilot looked at her closely, then came even closer and sniffed at Ripley’s neck. Ripley backed away quickly. Sniffing another in such a way was something she’d only done with her siblings and parents. It was instinctive with them; they’d done it since they were pups. Alan and Dana had copied the action to make the pups feel more comfortable and loved.
The pilot backed away, her eyes narrowed and tail high and still behind her. She shook her head. “I don’t recognize your clan scent,” she said. “A lot of merc units were lost in the last century.” She opened her eyes and looked at Ripley. “Are you happy here?”
“Yeah,” Ripley said, nodding. “It’s our home.”
“Okay,” the pilot said. “My name is Chuuz.” She took out a computer chip, slid it into the slate on her thigh, and removed it. “My contact information is on this chip. I’ll see if I can find out who your clan was. Would you like that?”
“Sure,” Ripley said, feeling conflicted. She pulled out one of the contact chips for Silent Night and gave it to Chuuz. She would have done it anyway after the ship was serviced. The other nodded and took it. “What do you need for your shuttle?”
Ripley went about directing the ground crew providing Chuuz’s shuttle with the required fuel and power. Every time she glanced at the Zuul pilot, Chuuz was also watching Ripley. To say it made her nervous was an understatement. This went on until her mother came running out of the nearby hangar.
“Ripley!”
She turned as Dana ran toward here. “Mother?”
It was clear Dana wanted to yell something and only just managed to restrain herself. “What are you doing?”
Ripley wasn’t sure how to respond. After all, it was Dana who’d assigned her to the incoming shuttles. “I’m doing what you told me to, Mother.” She tried to keep the annoyance out of her voice, but knew she’d failed.
Dana leaned in closer. “Why didn’t you tell me the pilot was a Zuul?”
“You didn’t tell me what to do if we ever met another Zuul, only to be careful talking around aliens.”
“Ayden,” she said, turning her head.
“Ma’am?” the ground crew supervisor replied.
“Take charge.” Dana ordered. “Ripley, come with me, please.” Dana glanced toward the shuttle and saw Chuuz watching curiously. The two locked eyes for a long moment.
Ripley felt a surge of fear. What did I do wrong? She was about to complain when her ears swiveled toward a sudden chorus of yells. She turned to look and first noted Rex nearby. He was frozen in place, looking in the mid distance. Ripley followed his gaze, movement drawing her attention. Shadow’s gray form was plummeting from the roof of the incomplete cafeteria. Dana screamed.
* * *
Sonya whipped around, slate
