"Petra, can you take control of the Kalash-Quovo but make it look like you haven't?"

"I don't understand, Geh!kin."

"You make invaders... not see... you control Kalash-Quovo."

"Confirm, please: I will take control of Kalash-Quovo, and people of Kalash-Quovo will not see I control it."

"Yes."

"Making," Petra replied. "I stop. Kalash-Quovo not see me."

Geh!kin went very still. Was that a success or a failure?

"Making," Petra repeated. "I stop. Kalash-Quovo not see me."

Sounds like she's trying, failing, but her attempts are not being detected. Appropriate caution.

"Making...I stop. Kalash-Quovo not see me."

Is Petra getting stuck on the same note in a round? Repeating, unable to change? Geh!kin wondered whether there was something wrong in the instructions he had given. I wish I could talk to Nik!eh. His language skills are worse, but he has a lot more experience with the way the golem thinks and how to talk to it. What am I missing?

"Making...I stop. Kalash-Quovo not see me."

Geh!kin realized that there was another problem he needed to pay attention to. Soldiers were starting to gather in the landing bay, and they were getting into armor. He had a sudden insight. They're going back down, and they're going to grab Geh!aoa unless I do something.

"Petra, take control of the Kalash-Quovo. Try not to be seen, but take control regardless."

"Understood. Making...Kalash-Quovo see me. Crew do not see me.

"Part one complete. Making...part two complete.

"Making..."

The pause grew uncomfortably long. Is she stuck again? Geh!kin cursed, Kazz, I don't know the right questions to ask!

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Petra, can you send a fake message from the Captain to everyone in the landing bay?" The most urgent problems were Geh!aoa being kidnapped or the drop shuttle Hextaphla getting boarded and finding all of the surviving fuak!a inside.

"Yes."

"Can you block any replies from reaching the Captain or the bridge?"

"Yes."

"Which shuttle did the Captain tell the other officer to take down to the surface, Petra?"

"Lieutenant Razaan was ordered to take Drop Shuttle Pargolpha."

"Petra, message." Geh!kin tapped a control. "Landing Bay, this is the Captain. Get that...thing...back in the Hextalpha and keep it there until I send for it. Crew of Hextalpha are to remain aboard in isolation until Lieutenant Killish returns."

"Part three complete. I have control of the Kalash-Quovo," Petra announced.

Geh!kin let out a sigh of relief and sagged back against the bulkhead behind him. "Can I communicate with Nik!eh, Zaa!nu and Gofa!lu without the invaders knowing?"

"Yes."

"Send the fake message to the landing bay."

"Yes, Geh!kin."

"Now, open a call with Nik!eh, Zaa!nu and Gofa!lu.

"Everyone, we have control of the ship. We can talk freely. Well done." He could hear the quiet cheers from the others. "Gofa!lu, wave your gun and get Geh!aoa back on board this shuttle. Zaa!nu, are you safe where you are for the moment?"

"I think so."

"All right, wait there please. The invaders are about to send a fresh batch of troops down to the ground in a different shuttle. Nik!eh, you know more about this kind of ship than I do. Please help. What do I do now?"

There was a pause. "I think I understand," Nik!eh answered hesitantly. Nik!eh really needs to work on his Galactic or Kthufu, Geh!kin couldn't help but grumble mentally. "Can I talk to Petra?"

"Yes," Petra replied in Eengrizz.

Geh!kin listened in on a fairly torturous conversation between Nik!eh and the golem. Based on Petra's translations, Nik!eh clearly had ideas, but was getting them across very slowly. Meanwhile, Geh!kin had Petra open the shuttle hatch, and Gofa!lu and Geh!aoa got back aboard. They had to ignore some comments and questions from others in the bay, which worried Geh!kin, but nobody took any action that he could see.

Suited troops marched into a different shuttle, and others of the alien crew retreated. Very soon, the other shuttle left the Kalash-Quovo, a process that left Geh!kin with several questions for later.

"Geh!kin, shuttle did go?"

"Yes."

"Good. I make air on Kalash-Quovo make all invaders sleep. Then I can make no air, invaders die. Stay in shuttle. Xanadu, helmet stay on."

He's going to make the air bad? How?

"Some invaders get oxygen, fight. Petra close doors. We go, we kill invaders, one, two, three."

"The other shuttle?" Geh!kin asked.

"Petra will shoot it."

I'm glad we have Nik!eh. I never would have thought of making the air bad—it wouldn't have occurred to me that that was a possibility. Why would a ship have that capability...? Oh. To stop people like us. Heh.

"Everyone good? Xanadu?"

"My helmet is on."

"The others are in the shuttle," Geh!kin told him.

"Then I do now. Petra, give bad air all ship."

"Petra give sleep gas now," the golem reported.

"Ignore all instructions from bridge, refuse all actions from bridge."

"Understood."

"Now we wait," Nik!eh said.

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