By Patrick M. Fitzgerald
Glistening golden slime mold enshrouded the city and surrounding valley. Yellow strands crept up the sides of the surrounding mountains. Blinking lights radiated across the expanse in shades of amber and lemon, twinkling like the stars above.
“It’s a variant of Fuligo septica.” Zach scanned the area. “The spores got through after a sloppy decontamination of a lumber shipment from Demeter.”
Kay peered over the mountain ledge. “It must like the planet Hermes better.”
“Apparently.” Zach handed the binoculars to his sister. “The spaceport was overrun before anyone knew what was happening. The city was gone overnight.”
Kay frowned. “Any casualties?”
“Nope.” He gave a jaunty grin. “I orchestrated the evacuation brilliantly.”
“Of course you did.” Kay surveyed the expanse. “It has an interesting pattern of bioluminescence.”
Zach focused on the twinkling lights, noting the order amidst the chaos. “Those flashes aren’t completely random.”
“You’re right… I think it may be a form of communication. Good thing you brought the galaxy’s foremost xenolinguist.” Kay bowed with a deep flourish.
“The residents want it incinerated before it can envelop the planet.” He sighed heavily. “Lethal measures should only be a last resort. Hopefully, it won’t come to that.”
Kay gazed across to the metal spires on the horizon. “This is kind of a small planet. The next city isn’t that far away.”
“Right.” Zach punched in calculations on his wrist computer. “And at the rate this is spreading…”
“I get it, Z.” She placed her hand over his. “We don’t have much time.”
Inside the Pegasus, Zach tapped a glass dome on the console. A small, yellow blob wriggled and twinkled in response. “I found this little guy during the evacuation.”
“He’s kind of cute.” Kay rubbed the bell jar. “What’s his name?”
“He… uh…” Zach grimaced. “I didn’t give him one.”
The blob gave a series of twinkles.
“Amber, amber, gold, lemon, amber.” Kay said. “Aagla.”
“It’s a colony organism, Kay,” Zach muttered. “I don’t think they have discrete identities.”
“Well, Aagla does.” Kay raised her chin smugly. “And he likes me.” She drummed her fingers on the glass and Aagla squirmed up next to her hand, flashing lights to match her rhythm. “Aww, he’s singing to me!”
Zach rolled his eyes. “Can you translate it? We’re in a hurry, remember?”
“On it.” Kay connected her wrist computer to the ship’s mainframe.
Zach rummaged through his wardrobe and held up a glittering albedo suit. “This has variable wavelength diffraction, to protect against a spectrum of laser weapons.” He tapped the collar, and the material glowed in response. “With some alterations, it can be my voice.”
As the day passed with frantic work and little sleep, the yellow mold crept over the mountains and shrouded the surrounding plains. Each minute brought the nearby cities closer to destruction.
Zach tugged on the tight-fitting albedo suit as he looked in the mirror. “I am a banana.” The suit echoed with a series of lights.
Kay winced at the displayed translation: “This is bananas.”
“Close enough.” Zach smirked.
“No, it’s not.” Kay blinked at him. “For a colony organism, plurals are tricky, as is a sense of self.”
Zach studied the ship’s viewscreen. The mass had climbed over the mountains and was rapidly approaching the nearby city. “We need to hurry.”
Kay adjusted the photoreceptor plates on the bell jar. “Let’s try this again. Who are you, and who are your people?”
“I am Aagla.” The computer translated him with a gentle chirping voice. “They are the colony Forest Travelers. They left me behind. We were they. Now, I am me. I am alone.”
Kay placed her palm on Aagla’s dome. “You aren’t alone, dear. You’re with friends now. Human friends.”
Aagla’s tendrils stretched out to her fingers. “I am with human friends.”
With hope in sight, Zach tingled with excitement as he made the final adjustments to the translation database. “I am a banana.” The translation read: “I am a banana.”
Aagla turned a pseudopod towards Zach. “One human and one banana. Hahaha.”
Kay grinned. “We’re ready.”
The Pegasus hovered over the saffron-cloaked city. Zach stood at the open hatch, banana suit aglow. He glanced at his sister, who nodded encouragingly.
“Forest Travelers, I am Zach Karr, Peacekeeper of…” They’ve obviously never heard of the Planetary Coalition. “Peacekeeper of Humanity.”
Kay snickered, making Zach wince at his phrasing.
The yellow expanse flickered. “Why are you on our world, Peacekeeper?” The computer’s translation was deep and intimidating.
“There are humans who live here. We share your world.” Zach gripped the hatch as the wind whipped through his hair.
“Humans are not part of us.” Bright flashes of gold radiated from the fungus. “They are not our concern.”
Zach looked at his sister, who held the bell jar close. He gestured at the jar, and she passed it to him. He gently opened the jar and slid Aagla into his hands. “This is my friend. I saved him after you left him behind.”
“It is sterile. It will never be a colony.”
“I miss being part of our colony.” Aagla flashed a series of lights. Zach bit his lip, hoping the colony still trusted the little one. “But I am no longer alone. I am part of the humans’ community.”
Gentle cascades of amber slid across the expanse. “Explain this… community.”
“We’re individuals, each unique. We grow alongside each other and help each other.” Zach paused. “You can have this with the humans who live here, if you give them space.” Zach pointed to the nearest city. “Let them keep their settlements. There’s plenty of land for all of you.”
The yellow colony contracted, shrinking away from the human establishments. “They can have their land. We did not know they could be our community.”
Kay squeezed her brother’s shoulder. “They know now, thanks to the Peacekeeper of Humanity,” she said with a smirk.
Zach held their little golden friend out to her with a warm smile. “Thanks to the three of us.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aagla is so cute.
Thank you, Rae!
He’s definitely one of my favorite supporting characters. I’m glad you like him!
Such a sweet story—I loved the depiction of different approaches to community. And I agree with Rae—Aagla is adorable.
I’m really glad you liked it, Beka!
It’s interesting to explore how a colony organism would react to the separation, as they would have a unique sense of community.
Looks like Aagla’s going to have a lot of fans. ;)
Nice story.
Thanks! I’m glad you liked it!
I enjoy your Z Karr stories. Kay is a great character and balance to Zach. And Aagla could give baby Yoda a run for its money.
Thanks, Lisa! I’m glad you enjoy them. I’m sure there will be plenty more in the future.
Kay is awesome. They’re both great characters in their own ways, and it’s fun to have them together.
I’m so touched to have Aagla compared to baby Yoda! That means a lot to me!
I enjoyed reading this story. Aagla came in handy, and it was a good thing that Kay came along to help interpret the language.
I am looking forward to more of your interesting stories.
Thank you so much!
It was definitely one where Zach had to rely on the strengths of his own community, of his sister and newfound friend.
I’m sure Aagla will come in handy in the future, too. He’s definitely a unique character.
I’ll have plenty more stories for you to enjoy in the future! Thanks for reading!
Little Aalga was a great addition to the story.
Keep up the good work.
I love the name Aagla! Maybe I’ll name my next child after it. Very creative story.