Starsnatcher - Trapped In An Alien World [COMPLETE]

Chapter 5.7

There was no use in sugarcoating it. I summarized my conversation with Kira as well as possible, including the most important detail - her support for the Starsnatchers.

Rather than electrocuting me at the spot, Crick analyzed the situation with barely restrained anger. They concluded that Kira likely had allies here and that we should find them. Maybe they were easier to interrogate. Kira didn't know about the tracking chip we had implanted in her singularity stone, so, following her might have been a valid strategy to find her allies.

Incredibly far-fetched, if you asked me, but better than returning home with empty hands.

Crick drove us all across the mountainside, not transmitting a word to me during the trip.

Not that I cared. My thoughts were on Kira and Kira alone, as much as I tried to forget about her. In retrospect, I might have been too hard on her.

She didn't lie to us. She was brutally honest about whose side she was on. She could have lied to me, told me what I wanted to hear, or told me what was necessary to lure me into a trap.

How did I mess up our conversation so hard? Was it just my usual social awkwardness or was it more than that? Talking to her wasn't like talking to Crick and Helix.

I approached her with expectations. Unlike those Seizers, she understood me. She knew what I went through. I could have talked to her and she'd have understood.

She could be in this car with me. Yes, it's cramped, but I need as much protection from Crick as possible.

"We received news from home," Crick transmitted. "An enemy starship destroyed a space elevator. It is now whipping around uncontrollably, killing thousands."

They left the obvious unspoken. We could be winning right now, had you succeeded, Human.

Could be worse, I told myself. The Firefly Rover could be following us.

We drove near a lake. The waterhole rested near the mountain's foot where the grasslands and woods were within a walking distance.

Terrapods towered over the plains, giving the scenery Jurassic-Park-esque vibes. What was the treeline like before these huge plant-eaters came?

Between their massive bodies, trees disconnected from the forest dotted the landscape and provided shadow for the smaller animals. Their roots reached so deep that I wondered if they connected underground like the roots of fungi did.

Around the waterhole drank snake-like beings whose ribbon-shaped scales grew out of their torsos like leaves. For me, it was hard to determine if they were animals at all or just plants who had learned to creep. Those who didn't drink had their leaves erect and tanked sunlight.

Amidst those bizarre creatures stood the occasional bipedal herbivore with either horns or disks for a head.

Our vehicle slowed down.

"So, this is where this Kira is?" Helix asked.

"I did not say I was trying to track her down immediately," Crick transmitted.

The woods rustled. Grazing so close to the main forest never failed to be a gamble. Building-sized trees could even hide carnivores large enough to prey on Terrapods.

A predator stepped out, its size and general posture resembling a Tyrannosaurus rex - only that it had no forelimbs at all rather than tiny ones. Unlike with the Terrapods, its head and tail were clearly distinct, confirming my suspicions that this feature evolved as an anti-predation measure.

Ultimately, the predator failed to kill anyone in this alien dinosaur fight. Crick took notes during all of its movements. As interesting as all this was, what was the point of watching?