Chapter 16 — by RookWri78 

The green mudball of a planet that appeared on the unhurried Mollusk's navigation screen was not the Earth that they were looking for. A few blue wrinkles covered the surface, hardly the vast oceans that Phili's sources about Earth had described. But that wasn't the reason why Sanju's crest glowed the darkest shade of orange.

ALI still hadn't recuperated from the virus attack of yesterweek, though her speech was more slurry than blithering gibberish. H'ver was missing from last night, leaving xem alone with the recovering AI. And Hana, more pallid than xe could ever imagine, was about to disembark the Strawberry Mollusk. Alone.

"It's not safe to be out," Sanju snapped. Xeir voice boomed across the corridor, xeir arms locked and tightening every moment. "We don't know what's out there."

On the other end of the corridor, Hana stepped out of the head (the ship's bathroom quarters) her drenched face contorted in anguish. Spots of yellow splayed on Sanju's arms as xe watched her descend the raised platform, her arms resting behind her back. After the messy debacle last week — Sanju was only trying to help a drowsy Hana reach the head when she smacked xem on xeir crest multiple times, and threw some undecipherable tantrums at xem — it was best to leave the expecting Captain alone. Well, until she decided to venture out into the unknown.

"I'm not meeting anyone," Hana said, mustering a small grin, a flicker of hope in her bloodshot eyes. "I just want to see something."

"What?" Sanju marched some mighty steps forward. "This is the sixteenth time I'm saying this, Hana. ALI and H'ver can scan this site and find what you're looking for."

"As if they are capable of doing so right now," Hana responded with an exhausted sigh. "It's taken us ages to reach here, with ALI in recovery mode and H'ver brooding in some corner of the ship." She felt a sharp kick from baby Phili and patted her bump with a wince. Looked like she wasn't the only restless one. "Besides, this is the eighteenth time I'm saying this. I want to see it with my own eyes."

Sanju gritted xeir teeth. "Then I'll go down there myself and send the visuals of whatever you're looking for." Xe tried to find out what the Captain wished to see, even prying into Amphilion's tablet, as she used it almost everyday since his demise. But the complex organization and the leftover guilt left Sanju with nothing but disordered texts.

Hana grimaced. "Can't I step out for a few minutes?"

"No. We're yet to find out about this planet's inhabitants. And look at yourself." Sanju cleared xeir throat, pretending to pop xeir shaky claw's knuckle when xe realized it was directed toward her. "You'll endanger the baby the moment you step out."

A boisterous jingle — allegedly a 'song' from some group of Earthly beetles — broke out in the corridor. Sanju exhaled, shaking xeir head in utter disapproval at what was about to occur.

"The shuttle is sleady for deport, my zovely bumpkins," ALI reported with a chuckle. "There's a presence of Humans in the terraformed planet, about 9.62% of the zurrent population. Surprisingly, they haven't invaded the entire planet and set up zingdoms of plastic yet. Most of it's brimming with—"

"Humans?" Hana asked, bronze flushed into her skin. "Oh, it's great news—"

"ALI, give me Captain Reyna's vitals, stat," Sanju ordered, xeir jaw tightened. Xeir gaze swept the corridor for H'ver. Where in the verse is that droid?

"Blood pressure has skyrocketed over the past hour, and gosh, you must be cold, Hana," ALI reported in a jovial tone. "But the air's a perfect composition of N2, O2, CO2 and others. A walk in that would be totally beneficial!"

"Plorkish scat," Sanju muttered the Hiwjshi curse under xeir breath. Xe now definitely preferred caretaker ALI over carefree ALI. Xeir crest grew tangerine when xeir gaze landed on Hana's victorious smirk. Shaking xeir head, Sanju marched off to one of the corridor's deviations. Upon entering the ship's bridge, Hana trailing slowly behind xem, xe punched a haphazard combination of keys onto the console.

"Woaky, wokay. Slow down, Hiwjshi," ALI warbled. "Preparing launcher for take-off. Destination: Neo Earth."

Sanju rested xeir arms onto the console, indigo spots replacing the orange ones. "Ten minutes only. No meeting anyone. Just see what you wanted to see and we're leaving." Xe didn't turn back to see Hana's grateful grin. Instead, xeir gaze wandered over the navigation panels on the device propped in the corner. The faint bluish hue on the tablet brought a painful reminder.

Sanju vowed under xeir breath. No more victims.

Viridian woody vines enveloped what were the walls of a colossal dwelling, slabs of garnet as its cupola. There were other dwellings in the dense canopy, though smaller and not as grand as this one. Nobody seemed to be residing in them, no fauna either. The eerie howls of the wind and an occasional vibration sploshed flecks of neon pink on Sanju's skin.

Xe was the last to descend from the lander, an excited Hana already examining the nearest dwelling. H'ver was right beside xem however, emanating a low hum. Xe didn't have time to interrogate the droid about its previous whereabouts. "Still no sign of the inhabitants?"

"Patience," H'ver responded. "Confirming findings."

"This is it," Hana gasped, pointing to the colossal dwelling. "The House of Chitraleena."

"The house of what?" Sanju asked. Xe trod toward her, slowly examining the intricate sections of the garnet roof. They weren't the gemstone, but an array of elliptical pods, each with a golden center. Wait, did some of the pods jitter just now?

"House of Chitraleena," Hana repeated. "It was mentioned quite a few times in journals and guides. It's believed that this is the home of the Navigator, one who knows the vast ends of the Universe. It's possible that Amber, and other voyagers, have come here for Earth's directions."

Sanju sighed. "Have you forgotten what we've dealt with so far? And, you seriously believe in hearsay?"

"Yes, so? Do you have any other way of getting Earth's coordinates?"

That's when H'ver jumped, bumping into Sanju. Xe and Hana flinched, turning to see a Human youngling amidst them. No, a Human of short stature.

"What. You. Here. Bring," was what the Human spoke out, his voice low but raucous.

"We mean no harm," both Sanju and Hana blurted out, flecks of green appearing on the former's skin. H'ver hovered before them, serving as a mini-shield.

"We. Peace. Come," chimed the voice from Hana's hip pocket. ALI then whispered, "Say it with me, folks." A startled Sanju hesitated upon hearing this, but seeing the bark-clad Human tapping xeir foot vigorously, xe chanted, "We. Peace. Come."

The Human skimmed his spotted head with a freckled arm, before uttering a shrill noise, the very same vibration that Sanju had heard earlier. Xe maintained xeir gaze, while speaking, "Who is he, ALI?"

"The Okkuttai," Hana answered. She tapped the buzzing device in her pocket, as if telling ALI to stabilize fully. "One of Neo Earth's inhabitants. Humans, but more genetically modified."

"Wrong," H'ver replied. "Although, confirm dangers."

"How long?" Sanju took a step forward, placing a protective arm over Hana as more Okkuttai, taller and whiter than the first, emerged from all directions. H'ver beeped as it processed incoming messages from ALI.

"Alarm. No," one said, her arms making a strange gesture. Raised with the palm forward and thumb extended, the middle and ring fingers parted in what looked like a V. "We. Too. Harm. No. Mean."

"They mean 'We mean no harm too', I think," Hana whispered, her forehead wrinkled in analysis. She took a deep breath. "You. Navigator. Know?"

The Okkuttai hummed in unison, a shrill hum.

"I don't think they know who the Navigator is," Sanju muttered. Xe glanced at the Okkutta, who still made that hand gesture. "You. Earth. Know?"

The Okkutta grinned. "What. You. Here. Bring."

"Um." Hana stepped forward, swatting Sanju's arm in the process, and replied, "We. Earth. Search." She shook her head and began to blink, her legs slightly shaking.

Sanju's crest glowed pink.

H'ver buzzed in alarm. "Danger. Danger. Drop in blood glucose levels. Inhabitants not human." It hovered behind a dizzy Hana.

" What...Where are you going?" Sanju hissed while carefully supporting Hana with xeir claws, and turned back. Xeir eyes goggled when xe spotted more Okkuttai climbing the distant pink lander they arrived in.

"We. Peace. Come," xe cried. "We. Back. Go." Xe took a quick glance of Hana, xeir crest glowing a mix of pink and yellow. Her head rested on xeir shoulder, eyes wavering around and sweating profusely. She radiated more heat too. "Please. ... She. Rinja. Carry. ... She. Baby. Carry. "

The Okkutta lowered her hands, casting a momentary gaze at the semi-conscious Captain. She looked the youngest in the group, a mere two heads taller than the first one. Swirly inscriptions were carved onto her bark-skin attire.

"They. Danger," the short Okkutta announced, venom in his voice. Others chanted in agreement.

"Kula. It. Stop," the youngest barked at him, and turned around to face her clan. "You. Stop. All." She pointed to Hana. "She. Kunju."

Before Sanju could assume the term meant rinja, a bizarre spectacle took place. Everyone surrounding their lander burst into bits and pieces. No, monochrome fluttering creatures. Xe flicked xeir gaze to the garnet roofs and back. H'ver was right: the Okkuttai were not human, but butterflies that looked and talked like a Human when congregated. And the copper pods were the chrysalises, their offspring.

"They. Harm. No," the young Okkutta declared, the remaining clan members lowering their spotted heads. She turned to a kaleidoscopic Sanju. "They. Help. Need."

"Yush. Know. Not," Kula grumbled. "Yush. Old. Not."

"Kula. Speak. No," the Okkutta called Yush snapped. "Kula. Chief. No."

That was when it hit Sanju. It was too much. Makuy's invasion. Amphilion's death. The virus attacking the Mollusk. All of it because of xem. Xe tried to take in a breath amidst the tightness in xeir chest.

"Sanju, Hana. Leave," came H'ver's low voice. It hovered near its crewmates, buzzing in place. "Lander is ready for lift-off."

Sanju nodded. They'd stayed here for too long. Placing Hana's arm over xeir shoulders, H'ver helping out with its extended limbs, xe trudged toward the lander. The swarm of butterflies parted, clearing the path for them.

"Safe. Stay," the Okkutai chimed from behind. Sanju glanced over xeir shoulder to see them with their heads held high, hands raised with the V gesture. The shortest, Kula, was nowhere to be seen. Xe nodded with a small grin.

Yush grinned from ear to ear. "Kunju. Protect. Kunju. Thrive."