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Authors: Dietmar Wehr
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machines to produce the required parts, and they will also be
able to instruct your people on how to construct and operate the device. After
we transmit that information, our mission here is complete, and we will return
to our planet."
"Valkyrie, are you ready to receive that data?"
asked Shiloh.
"I'm ready, CAG," said Valkyrie.
Before Shiloh could say anything to the alien, it turned its
head to the side and nodded to someone he couldn't see. "The transmission
has begun. It will take approximately eight point nine of your minutes. Is
there something else you wish to discuss before we leave?"
Shiloh chuckled. He could think of a few more questions.
"Will we be in contact with your people again?"
"Very likely, but at this point we have no definitive
information on where and when."
"How can we contact you if we need to?"
"We will pass on that information to your A.I. as
well."
"What can you tell me about the insect race that will
help me understand them better?"
The alien hesitated. When it spoke again, its expression was
once again both friendly and sad. "As you have already seen, they are what
you term carnivorous. By observation of alternative timelines, we have learned
that they have a unique biology. Their ship can be considered to be the
equivalent of a mobile nest. There is a single female who lays many thousands
of eggs. Those eggs require insertion into a living host. This allows the
embryonic insect to emerge from the egg shell and begin consuming its host from
the inside out. Do you wish me to continue?"
Shiloh wanted to say no. What he had heard so far was
horrifying enough. He strongly suspected that the adult wolf people taken back
to the VLO would end up as 'hosts' to more insect eggs. He didn't really need
to know the details, however the situation was so serious that he couldn't
allow himself to be squeamish. Who knew when or how the additional information
might be useful.
"Yes."
"When the insect ship comes across a new race of
beings, the female begins to lay eggs. Since that takes time, captured beings
have to be kept alive until they can be used as hosts. The captured males are
killed and used as food for the females until eggs have been inserted into
their bodies. The egg maturation process is short enough that female captives
who have been implanted need only water to keep them alive long enough."
Shiloh closed his eyes and concentrated on keeping his
stomach from heaving. He was still having nightmares about these damn Bugs and
this wasn't going to help. He really didn't want to ask the next obvious
question but forced himself to anyway.
"Why are they implanting the eggs exclusively in
captured females?"
"This insect race apparently understands the biology of
what you call mammals very well. The eggs are implanted inside the reproductive
sac where females carry their own embryonic young. We have conjectured that
implanting eggs into captive males either does not work at all or is less
efficient."
"Son of a bitch," said Shiloh under his breath.
Just when he thought it couldn't get worse, it had. It was time to talk about
something other than biology.
"How did this species acquire this level of
technology?"
"Unknown. In order to peer into their past, we would
have to know what star system they came from."
"You said earlier that you weren't able to contact them
and therefore concluded that they use instinct rather than intelligence, but
how do they communicate among themselves?"
The alien didn't reply for a few seconds. "We are not
certain if they communicate with each other at all or if so how. The theory
that has the largest number of supporters among us says that the drones, which
you saw on the planet, receive instructions by a combination of touch and
chemical signals."
The answer meant nothing to Shiloh, although he couldn't see
how any species could function without any kind of communication at all.
able to instruct your people on how to construct and operate the device. After
we transmit that information, our mission here is complete, and we will return
to our planet."
"Valkyrie, are you ready to receive that data?"
asked Shiloh.
"I'm ready, CAG," said Valkyrie.
Before Shiloh could say anything to the alien, it turned its
head to the side and nodded to someone he couldn't see. "The transmission
has begun. It will take approximately eight point nine of your minutes. Is
there something else you wish to discuss before we leave?"
Shiloh chuckled. He could think of a few more questions.
"Will we be in contact with your people again?"
"Very likely, but at this point we have no definitive
information on where and when."
"How can we contact you if we need to?"
"We will pass on that information to your A.I. as
well."
"What can you tell me about the insect race that will
help me understand them better?"
The alien hesitated. When it spoke again, its expression was
once again both friendly and sad. "As you have already seen, they are what
you term carnivorous. By observation of alternative timelines, we have learned
that they have a unique biology. Their ship can be considered to be the
equivalent of a mobile nest. There is a single female who lays many thousands
of eggs. Those eggs require insertion into a living host. This allows the
embryonic insect to emerge from the egg shell and begin consuming its host from
the inside out. Do you wish me to continue?"
Shiloh wanted to say no. What he had heard so far was
horrifying enough. He strongly suspected that the adult wolf people taken back
to the VLO would end up as 'hosts' to more insect eggs. He didn't really need
to know the details, however the situation was so serious that he couldn't
allow himself to be squeamish. Who knew when or how the additional information
might be useful.
"Yes."
"When the insect ship comes across a new race of
beings, the female begins to lay eggs. Since that takes time, captured beings
have to be kept alive until they can be used as hosts. The captured males are
killed and used as food for the females until eggs have been inserted into
their bodies. The egg maturation process is short enough that female captives
who have been implanted need only water to keep them alive long enough."
Shiloh closed his eyes and concentrated on keeping his
stomach from heaving. He was still having nightmares about these damn Bugs and
this wasn't going to help. He really didn't want to ask the next obvious
question but forced himself to anyway.
"Why are they implanting the eggs exclusively in
captured females?"
"This insect race apparently understands the biology of
what you call mammals very well. The eggs are implanted inside the reproductive
sac where females carry their own embryonic young. We have conjectured that
implanting eggs into captive males either does not work at all or is less
efficient."
"Son of a bitch," said Shiloh under his breath.
Just when he thought it couldn't get worse, it had. It was time to talk about
something other than biology.
"How did this species acquire this level of
technology?"
"Unknown. In order to peer into their past, we would
have to know what star system they came from."
"You said earlier that you weren't able to contact them
and therefore concluded that they use instinct rather than intelligence, but
how do they communicate among themselves?"
The alien didn't reply for a few seconds. "We are not
certain if they communicate with each other at all or if so how. The theory
that has the largest number of supporters among us says that the drones, which
you saw on the planet, receive instructions by a combination of touch and
chemical signals."
The answer meant nothing to Shiloh, although he couldn't see
how any species could function without any kind of communication at all.
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