Chapter Three (2/2)
”Captain Delminta, of the Swift Grass Clan, of the Singing Spires Forest, of Hamaroosa,” Delminta said.
”Wow, that sound neat. Hey, anyway, is this yours?” The voice asked. The tentacles pointed at the gas planet. ”Um, it's a planetoid.”
”Yeah, well, I'm kinda hungry. I mean, do you like live there of something? My nerves can't detect any like, structures or life forms in there, and it is made up of helium, hydrogen, delicious delicious methane and a lot of H20. I mean, do you mind?” The voice had gone from somewhat mature to childish wheedling.
”You want to... eat... the gas planet?” Delminta asked.
”Psst, let her. It's a gas planet. Nobody cares,” several of her aunts whispered at her over the communicator.
”I'm hungry. It was a long trip. Nobody told me how hard it was to swim through hyperspace when I bought the hyperglands, the pumpsacs, and the squirter,” the feminine voice said. ”I'm just on my way to the Tri-Quasar Cluster. A bunch of us are getting together and gonna make the electron clouds around the quasars sing.”
”Sure. Um... go ahead,” Delminta said.
”Thanks, Spanky, you're the best. Mmm, helium...” the tentacles dropped down and the voice went silent.
”Is it going to eat us?” Beeta asked through the crack at the door.
”No. She, I think it's a she, is just eating from the gas giant,” Delminta said.
”Ask where it's from so we can avoid it,” Her right hand brood mother said.
”Um, San-Dee?” Delminta said.
”Yeah?” The feminine voice came back.
”Where are you from?” Delminta asked.
”Oh. Yeah. How rude. You told me. Well, I guess, I'm from the City of Chicago, Sol System,” Sandy answered. ”Oooh, hydrocarbon pocket! Delicious delicious hydrocarbons. Umm, I'm a Solarian.”
”Oh,” Delminta said, looking at the huge jellyfish. It's color was brightening.
”Well, Delminta of the Sunny Spires Ponderosa, it was nice to meet you, but I'm kinda late,” Sandy suddenly said. Delminta noticed the voice was refreshed and the tentacles were retracting into the bottom of the bell.
”Wait!” Delminta cried out. She flinched as the bell tilted toward her little ship.
”Yeah?” The voice definitely sounded like a little girl's and Delminta wondered how much of it was the ship's computer trying to make it so the massive creature wasn't so panic inducing.
”Um, out of politeness, we show each other how we look,” Delminta said.
”Oh, is that why you let me see you. You're so cute. Kind of like a sugar glider and a kitty and squirrel all mixed together! My friends are going to love hearing about you,” The jellyfish said.
”And you?” Delminta asked.
”Oh, this is me. It's custom. Daddy bought it for me. I'm a registered bio-synth now, but that's OK,” the voice said. ”Welp, okay, bye!”
There was a weird eye watering flash and Delminta thought for a second that it looked like the giant jellyfish suddenly inverted.
As soon as the jellyfish vanished her family rushed in, kicking, biting, pinching, all fighting to get at their controls and try to get instrumentation on the creature that had just vanished.
Personally, Delminta was wondering if maybe she could sell the data to the Unified Exploratory Council and come out even. ------------------- The Unified Exploratory Council purchased Delminta's logs, the recordings causing furious debate among the Council. Normally nobody would believe a crew as flighty as a crew of Hamaroosans that they'd encountered a sentient jellyfish that fed off of gas planets.
But this was the third, maybe even the fourth, Sol sentient species that had been discovered.
Leading the Exploratory Council one question...
...what exactly was ”Sol” ----------------- DADDDDDDDY!
Look at these squirrels! I want to be one of those when I come home! Pleasepleasepleaseplease! I'll be back in five years. I wanna be a squirrel! I'll take really good care of this body so it gets a good tradein! I never get to be anything cute! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEEEEEEEASE!
I love you, daddy!
Sandy