Beyond Earth - The Harvest Ch. 02

Eryx

"Prince Eryx, are you feeling well?" Stablik asked.

"Yes." The prince waved his hand to dismiss him. Stablik lingered. The prince had succumbed to oxidization before Stablik had been able to retrieve his ship. Stablik had been the only Rinovan brave enough to enter the Prince's ship. The only reason Stablik had walked away unscathed was because he had caught the Theoin female off guard. Once she had been safely tranquilized he had been faced with a difficult choice.

Save the Theoin female, or save Prince Eryx.

Eryx had not been pleased with Stablik's choice to save him over the Theoin female. Rinovan's venerated women--to leave one, even a Theoin. This risk to her life had been far greater than his. The Theoin female had survived nitrogen narcosis only after being subjected to nano injection treatment, and two rounds of macrophage therapy. Treatments that he had wanted to avoid at all costs.

"You intend to enter the OERD?" Stablik asked. Eryx turned his head ever so slightly to eye Stablik behind him. Stablik was the leading expert on Theoins. None of this would have been remotely possible without him. Eryx trusted him with more power than most low borns could ever fathom having.

"They have been without nourishment for three cycles." Prince Eryx said.

"They can survive for thirty cycles without nourishment."

"We don't want them to survive, Stablik." Eryx said softly before turning his attention back to his monitor.

"We don't?" Stablik asked, stepping beside the prince with a concerned look on his face. Stablik would be the only person to challenge Prince Eryx and live to tell the tale. They would never hint at it publicly, but they were close companions. Eryx had been charmed by Stablik's stories. Of his time spent living on Theoin-5c and studying Theoins.

"If we are to prove to the UISA that Theoins are intelligent creatures worthy of intervention we need them to thrive." Eryx said. Stablik nodded, surprised at the prince's response. Stablik stepped back and bowed to the prince.

"Yes, your highness. I will prepare supplies for the Theoins. A fresh orcru would certainly draw their attention."

"Excellent." Eryx said.

Eryx ran diagnostics on the Organic Ecosystem Replication Device (OERD) for the fifth time since acquiring his new slaves. His researchers were capturing every movement of the Theoins inside their temporary home. Biometrics, surveillance, everything was being cataloged. Upon waking up beside one another the two Theoins bonded despite their inability to communicate with one another. Perhaps in spite of their language barrier, Stablik had watched with his own eyes as they formed a new language with their hands. Something that had never been observed before.

The OERD was a simple ecosystem replicator. Able to reproduce any environment from organic core samples. Eryx's team of researchers had chosen the perfect ecosystem to replicate. It had taken careful considerations, but they had found a tropical environment most suitable. Its temperature, humidity, and rich colors seemed to be the best suited for an optimal Theoin environment. While the OERD could replicate clean drinking water, simulate light from Theoin-5, and simulate some Theoin-5c atmospheric conditions, it could not provide them with food.

Eryx's research team were able to acquire exotic Theoin-5c creatures from markets across the UISA. While those had been captured and dispersed throughout the outer colonies long ago, no one had been successful in breeding Theoins. These creatures were stored in a separate OERD, bred and raised to supply proper nutrition that would be most familiar to the Theoins.

Inside the main OERD, the two Theoins were bonding. The male exhibited displays of possession, and aggression as he moved them through the tropical environment. The female Theoin was reaching levels of exhaustion that were putting a strain on her internal organs. The male had already fashioned crude weapons. They had begun to inspect the interior wall of the OERD. Not find food, or water. Theoins were attempting an escape.

Every single advisor warned Prince Eryx not to enter the OERD. The oxygen alone was poisonous to him. Viruses, disease, and parasites were not a threat as the Theoins had already been cleared before being put into the OERD. The danger was with the male. His report consisted of an entire fifty page section dedicated to his military career. It was why they had captured him.

It was entirely chance that they were able to acquire the female. Something that Eryx was reminded of every time he asked Stablik for an update on her report. It was still pending. From what little they knew, she was a researcher of some sort. Stablik had already observed the female studying their new habitat, searching for any clues that might help them escape.

Wearing a protective face mask with a large Nitrogen bottle, Eryx entered the OERD. Unbeknownst to the Theoins. That is until the orcru began squealing. The other Theoins that had been captured by other Harvesters were thrown in stasis pods, suspending their metabolism until they could be sold elsewhere. Captive Theoins were incredibly rare, none still living from the previous permit issue.

Drawn towards the noise, the male Theoin led the female across the OERD and down towards the freshwater lake. Eryx waited patiently, the orcru writhing in his arm, grunting and squealing. Eryx needed to build trust and quickly if he didn't want them to starve. The Theoins had ignored all of the food caches that had been left out.

The male approached Eryx alone, spear in hand. Careful to keep his distance. Eryx set down the supply cache and the male lowered the spear. Every move was calculated. Eryx had spent his younger years fascinated by the broadcasts from Theoin-5c. To some degree, Prince Eryx understood more about Theoins than most others ever would.

The prince kneeled down and raised his hand, spreading his four fingers as a sign for the male to stop. Eryx opened the cache, still clutching the orcru. The male Theoin remained guarded, glancing back towards the female he had left in hiding. Eryx held up a translation unit and the male began to retreat.

Not wanting the male to retreat he decided on a different approach. He dropped the translator and retrieved a blade. Holding it by the sharp end, Eryx gently tossed it over to the male, and then lowered himself back into a crouch with his hand raised. The male glanced down at the blade in the dirt. It took him a moment before he finally snatched it up.

Eryx raised the translator giving him the Theoin gesture of invitation before patting the supply cache and the orcru. The male, most unsurprisingly, retreated. Eryx considered releasing the orcru into the OERD but Stablik had voiced concern that it would throw off the stasis settings. An environment that was good for an orcru was not necessarily good for a Theoin.

The male reemerged, catching Eryx by surprise, but he did not attack. Not only had the male Theoin returned with the female, but he had given her the blade. The female lingered back, low to the ground, concealing herself in the tall grass, while the male came closer. She was studying him.

Katherine. She had attempted to kill him with her impact rifle. Shattered his visor on his helmet. Further tortured him by cutting open his suit and exposing him to oxygen. None of that mattered. She had patched his visor, albeit crudely. Had tried to heal his wounds. Then, in some twisted chance of fate, she had figured out the controls and enabled auto-pilot.

The only reason Eryx was here was because of her. Well, that and the state of the art Oxidation Intervention Unit that Stablik had thrown him into.

Eryx held out the orcru, keeping himself in a low crouch. As the male approached, Eryx lowered his gaze so as not to challenge the male. The male snatched the orcru and sprinted back to Katherine waiting. Eryx was fascinated. Not only did the male risk his life for Katherine, and give her the best weapon, but he gifted her the orcru as well. Removing the two translators from the supply cache, Eryx slid the cache in front of him.

Again, the male approached with his spear in hand. Slowly, carefully. Eryx could have made back his money on harvesting them for parts. The male and female's skin alone would have covered the cost of the permit and supplies. The female's red fur was long enough to be woven, or even worn as ornamental decoration. When he had examined her sedated body in the lab, he had found exquisite markings on her pale skin. Some sort of roan patterning across her face, in large clusters on her arms and legs. Pigmentation that was meant to block the harmful effects of ultraviolet light on her pale skin.

Eryx held the gaze of the male, captivated by the green coloring in his eyes. The male grabbed the food cache and dragged it back before stopping. Eryx dropped his gaze, cursing himself for challenging the male. A plasma generator plopped down in the sand in front of him and Eryx looked up to see the male tossing out the contents of the cache.

Eryx picked up the plasma generator and the male snarled, raising the spear to strike. Eryx turned his head, spreading his fingers to signal the male to stop. The male growled. He did not retreat, but he did not attack. Eryx slowly raised the plasma generator to show the male that this was a vital tool, and a dangerous one if used improperly. Eryx pressed down on the button and a small arc of plasma crackled between the two nodes.

Slowly, Eryx plucked a blade of grass from beside him and held it to the arc to demonstrate to the male. The male watched as it burned through the blade of grass and bobbed his head. The prince offered the plasma generator to the male and he took it.

--

Unable to traverse through slipspace with the OERD running, the return trip home would take time. At first he had not been looking forward to the prospect, and had even made arrangements to travel separate from his Heavy Cruiser. That had been the plan, but many things had changed.

Eryx continued bringing them food. The first couple exchanges were... near perilous. The male Theoin had attacked him during their second interaction when Eryx had foolishly gotten too close to Katherine. The wound had immediately begun to oxidize and Eryx had been forced to retreat.

Now on his twentieth interaction, Eryx's goal was singular. Delivering food was not the objective, it was getting the Theoins to integrate the translators. Each time Eryx had attempted to show the male how to integrate the translator the male had refused, taking supplies and retreating.

Eryx waited patiently at the lake, following the same cycle that he had previously established. Again, the male Theoin made the approach, with the female still wielding the blade and lying low in waiting. Noticing that Eryx had no supplies with him, the male kept his distance. The prince watched as the male and female communicated. If Eryx could just get them to integrate with the translators all of this theatrics would be grossly unnecessary.

Holding up the translator, Eryx pulled down his mask. The male seemed alarmed as Eryx gasped in the poisonous oxygen rich air. Eryx brought the translator behind his head and then spoke, gesturing between him and the male. Then he offered the translator. Eryx coughed, his body's attempt to expel the oxygen and he wiggled the translator. Alarms began chirping on Eryx's suit and he quickly silenced them before crawling forward with the translator still raised.

The male snatched the translator from Eryx and retreated to the female. Another cough, Eryx expelled the toxic gas and returned the mask to his face. Once the seal formed, it purged his lungs of oxygen. Fighting through the discomfort, Eryx reached behind his head and removed his translator to show the male.

Katherine spoke softly to the male, making gestures to the back of her head, and to her mouth. The two spent a long moment exchanging heated words before Katherine exchanged the translator for the knife. It was Katherine who came down the hill slowly, kneeling down before Eryx. If the male were to attack now, Eryx would be in a weakened state. It would not be his death, though the thought of being sent back through the Oxidation Intervention Unit was not pleasant.

Katherine exchanged gestures with Eryx. His irritation was growing as he attempted to relay complex instructions through simple gestures. Until finally, Katherine came closer, offering the translator to Eryx and turning her back towards him. The level of trust that the Theoin male was giving the prince was not lost on him. Carefully, he raised Katherine's hair from the back of her neck and activated the translator unit. A red line scanned across the back of her neck as it calculated the best point of integration. The line narrowed to a red dot, and Eryx pressed the device to the mark.

Katherine snarled, bolting off into the grass. Screeching as she writhed in agony, clutching the back of her neck. Too focused on Katherine's pain levels, Eryx never noticed the male hurtling towards him. By the time Eryx had raised his spread fingers in an attempt to calm him, he was too close. Blade raised, he snarled. Crashing into Eryx and slamming him backwards into the sand.

"Katherine!" Eryx pleaded. It was the only word he knew that she would understand. He had practiced its pronunciation more times than he would ever admit.

The male came to an abrupt stop on top of Eryx, the blade hovering just above his face. He growled, lowering the blade to press against the prince's skin. Katherine whispered in the grass, panting to catch her breath. Eryx could not understand what she was saying, but her words were the only thing stopping the male from killing Eryx.

"Katherine, tell him it is a translator. So that we can understand each other." Eryx grunted as the male sank the tip of the blade into his face. The wound began to vent, and bubble. His skin offered some resistance and protection against the oxygen, but exposed flesh would quickly oxidize. Eryx could easily over power the male but he was trying to build trust. At the end of a blade. Katherine crawled towards them in the grass with an arm raised, trying to calm her mate down. He was not so easily swayed as he ripped off Prince Eryx's mask.

Eryx held his breath for as long as he could as the Theoin male shook with rage on top of him. A moment longer and the male was struggling to keep his eyes open. Stablik had issued a sedative to the male theoin. Katherine pulled the blade free and tossed it aside, before shoving her mate off of Eryx. Rising up above him Katherine studied his face once more. The same curiosity in her eyes the last time she had watched him dying.

Katherine pressed her finger against the small bubbling wound and Eryx gasped. The female turned Eryx's head from side to side, studying his appearance. Just as she had done before. Looking for any points of weakness. It would be familiar to her in many ways, though perhaps his bone structure would be larger, and slightly sharper than most human males.

Eryx coughed, a wicked wet sound. The female pulled her finger free from the wound only to find that it had since healed. The chirrup of his suit warning him of his dangerous oxygen levels startled the female and she quickly grabbed the mask to return it to Eryx's face.

"I'm surprised you're alive." Katherine said. It wasn't what she had actually said, but it was what his translator had managed to roughly translate of the emotion she was conveying.

"I am alive."

"What's your name?"

"Eryx."

"Take me home, Eryx." Katherine whispered, holding the prince's face. "Please."

"I cannot do that, Katherine."

"I saved you." Katherine said, tears welling in her eyes. She was calling upon his debt to her. What she was asking he could not repay to her.

"If I take you back, I cannot save Earth."

"Save Earth?" Katherine asked, wiping the mist from her eyes. She glanced at the male slumped over in the grass.

"The only reason I was able to save you and your mate is because Earth is set for destruction." Eryx said. Katherine leaned back from him and shook her head. She could not fathom what she was hearing. Dismissing what the prince said as some sort of misunderstanding.

"No, take me home." Katherine whispered.

"If I take you home the UISA will euthanize you. You know too much."

"Tell them it's okay!" Katherine yelled. "Tell them I will not say anything."

"Katherine, I need your help. The only way the UISA will ever let that happen is if they can be swayed that humans are not pests."

"Take me to them, I will talk to them. I will tell them whatever they need to hear." Katherine said. Eryx sat up in the grass and watched as Katherine struggled to cope. "I have a family."

"You are a class one slave now, Katherine. You're my property." Eryx explained. Katherine took his words as an insult, and promptly slapped him across his face. Hard enough to knock his respirator loose. Eryx kept his gaze down as he adjusted his mask. While the slap hadn't physically hurt, it did upset him that she was angry with him.

"I am not your slave."

"Yes, you are." Eryx said, rolling onto his knees. Katherine wrung her hands and scooted back from him, raising a hand to press her fingers against his chest. "On Earth, you were a pest. Had you been harvested by any other you would be a class four slave. I am a prince, Katherine. Your status as my property awards you rights that none of the others have. I do not abuse you, lock you in chains, or throw you in a filthy cage like the others. I can't save Earth unless you help me."

Katherine's finger's gripped the front of his suit. She refused to look at him. Despite her anger, she came closer to him. Slowly she pressed her face against his chest, and then her arms wrapped around his waist. Eryx closed his eyes, intense joy flooding his body. She was challenging him to show her restraint. Eryx leaned down and wrapped his arms around her. Rather than crush her with his strength, he was showing her that he had restraint. Eryx's restraint would be unmatched by the male Theoin. He was showing her that his strength would never be used to harm her.

"You said there were others." Katherine said softly. Eryx released her from his hold and sat back on his feet to be able to look into her eyes. Prince Eryx had been dealing strictly with her mate. Now he was finally getting a chance to make progress. The longer he studied her, the more she reminded him of a royal Rinovan female.

"Yes, there are others that were harvested from Theoin-5c, Earth." Eryx said.

"You said that they are being abused, chained, and thrown in cages."

"Yes, not all of the Harvesters are able to afford such luxuries as this Organic Ecosystem Replication Device that has created this habitat for you and your mate. This is yet another luxury that I provide for you."

"Quentin is not my mate."

"Yes, apologies. You are still courting. He is your 'suitor.'" Eryx corrected. Katherine seemed upset at the suggestion that Quentin was her suitor. Perhaps her translation unit is failing to properly translate his meaning.

"He's aggressive."

"Yes, very protective of you." Eryx agreed. "My team of researchers have been documenting your courtship rituals."

"What do you want from us? You want to study us?" Katherine asked.

"My hope is that we are able to study you and your mate. The more we can learn about you the more proof we can provide to the UISA that you are sentient creatures who should be brought into the fold of Protected Star Systems. If we can show them the complexity and details in your mating rituals--."

"Mating rituals? No. I am not mating with him." Katherine said and pointed at the male. Prince Eryx turned to study the male. Perhaps he was not satisfactory for her standards of a mate.