Pip's Ophidian Book 1: Beatlebug & The Provider

Chapter 12: Bananas

"Captain's log: stardate 2398, 0101. The Prophet is dead."

Ma's voice made him jump, and Pip paused the video, heart hammering. She glitched, frozen on the screen, a malnourished sharpness in her cheeks but a bright toughness to her steely eyes, which had in the years since he'd been born grown blank and cold. For a long time, he looked. Then, cautiously, he thumbed the play button and she continued.

"Heaven has now claimed Him, rejoined Him with His twin. He named me Captain before He died. A miracle, though: on the same day of His death, we finally detected the promised planet habitable to human life. This could not come at a better time. It has become difficult to keep the peace, without the Prophet. Supplies are dwindling. Other spacecrafts are few and far between, and seem, if anything, worse off than us. A blight has torn through the gardens, and food is scarce. It seems obvious our beloved Prophet surrendered to death Himself so that He may guide our way towards our own Heaven."

She looked up, and away. Then spoke softly, "Personal log: I am with child. That has been discovered in the days since the death of our beloved Prophet. This planet could be our salvation. My child's salvation. It is a week's ride away. We have less than a week left of food. There is no other choice. This must work. It must."

The video cut off. Pip almost dropped the tablet he moved so quickly to start the next, dragging his finger down all of them, selecting "play all" and sitting back against the pillow, heart hammering.

"Captain's log: Stardate 2398, 0112. We have reached Heven. Named by our chief biologist, Kanak."

Da...

"We touched down on an isolated island. There we have found a rich and fertile land, lush with growth. Beyond that, other humans. It appears there were other ships that escaped our dying homeworld and settled here. They are not like us, however. They are not children of the Prophet, and I worry for the local population, which appears to be peaceful.

"Ophidians, my husba- Chief biologist Kanak calls them. Great, reptilian-like aliens that appear to live simply in small family groups of 8 or 9. They have no central government, no language that we have been able to interpret, yet they appear to be communicating with one another. They have also been–I believe–blessed with holy powers. Upon landing our lead Dagger on the ground in an area we thought deserted, four seemed to... blip, almost, into existence before us. Inside the ship. Great, tall ones, red-crested, held primitive weapons in their hands, yet did not attack. Instead, one smaller one with an orange crest stepped forward, and presented us with a woven basket, filled to the brim with food. The yellow-crested one, which seemed to lead them, flicked its crest and watched. It held in its claws a stone with an eye carved into it, wings on either side. I did not get a good look. The orange one was very insistent about the basket with the food.

"Chief biologist Kanak," she snapped, for the first time sounding like his testy Ma, "did not heed my warnings and instead stepped forward and accepted the basket, bowing his head and taking a bite of... whatever it was. He appears to be fine, and in fact declared it was 'delicious.' Still, I have brought the basket to our lab to test the contents, and have him under careful watch by Doc Iri."

Doc Iri. Father?

"The 'Ophidians,' meanwhile, have set up camp near us. They have erected what appear to be yurt-like tents, and blip in and out of our ship at will. We have tried every method of protecting ourselves, though it seems unlikely at this point they will attack.

"We have also made contact with a human settlement, which appears to exist in harmony with the Ophidians. They have even claimed there is a language, just not spoken with tongue and mouth. This, shocked as I am myself to believe it, appears to be true. There is too much organization in their movements for there not to be communication. Chief biologist Kanak has insisted he can hear them 'in his mind.'"