I send a shot at her feet, driving her toward the broken window. The only safe path is out the window, following her offspring's scent.
The keth'ra's head swings toward me, her shoulders hunching as if she is gathering strength. I send another shot before she can commit to a charge. She shrieks and bolts for the window, dark scales gleaming in the flare light.
Then she's gone, her rattling cry fading into the desert as she goes to find her offspring.
Silence falls over the hangar.
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding, my heart still hammering. The adrenaline is still singing through my system, making my hands shake slightly as I holster my weapon.
"Is everyone okay?" L'Tarne's voice breaks the silence.
L'Zaen is already at Ally's side, his hands running over her arms and shoulders as he checks her for wounds. She's pale but unharmed, waving off his concern even as she leans into him.
A few feet away, D'Rett and L'Tarne have converged on Chelsea, both of them fussing over her despite her protests.
"That was so cool!" Chelsea announces, her voice carrying through the terminal. "Did you see the size of that thing? And those scales? Absolutely incredible." She bats away L'Tarne's hands as he tries to examine a scrape on her elbow. "But I hope I never see one that close ever again. Once is plenty. Once is more than plenty."
Around us, people are holstering weapons and letting out shaky laughs. But I'm already moving toward A'Vanti.
"You okay?" I ask, scanning her for injuries. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine." She's still holding the flare, smoke curling from its tip. She crosses to the broken window and tosses it onto the sandoutside, where it continues to sputter and burn. "That should discourage her from coming back."
"Quick thinking with the flare," I say. "When did you even have time to grab that?"
"There was an emergency kit mounted on the pillar I ducked behind." She shrugs.
"Lucky for all of us – and the keth'ra – you keep your head in a crisis."
Her smile widens slightly, and heat sparks in me.
D'Rett approaches, his expression thoughtful. "Impressive coordination, both of you. That could have ended much worse."
"The keth'ra wasn't trying to hurt anyone," A'Vanti says. "I think she was only being protective of her young. Once we gave her an escape route that led toward her juvenile's scent trail, her instincts took over."
"Still." D'Rett claps a hand on my shoulder, his grip firm. "You put yourself between that thing and Chelsea." His voice is rough. "I owe you one, Goober."
I shrug, uncomfortable with the praise. "Just doing what needed to be done."
But when I glance at A'Vanti, she's watching me with an expression that brings heat to my ears.
L'Zaen clears his throat, pulling the group's collective attention his way. "Perhaps we should deploy the cleaning bots before any other wildlife decides to investigate. And maybe seal those broken windows as a temporary measure."
That breaks the spell. Everyone gets moving again, the crisis over and the work ahead calling.
L'Zaen pulls out his tablet, fingers moving across the screen. "Deploying cleaning bots," he announces, loud enough for the group to hear. "Stand clear of the cargo hold."
A moment later, a swarm of small maintenance bots emerges from the transport. They're not much to look at. They'rebasically simple spherical units with extending appendages, but they get to work immediately, spreading out through the terminal.
"Once they've finished here, I'll direct them to the barracks. Once we get the barracks usable, we can sleep there," L'Zaen says, watching the bots disperse. "However, until we have electricity and running water, we'll keep our quarters on the transport ship."
No one argues. The ship might be cramped, but at least it has working temperature control, electricity, and plumbing.
With that handled, L'Zaen calls everyone together for a quick briefing.
We gather in a rough circle near the main entrance, about thirty of us in total. We're a mix of Cerasteans and humans, scientists and engineers and support staff. The weight of what we're about to attempt hangs in the air between us. Rehabilitating an entire planet is no small task, even with all the help from robots.
"Our top priorities are power and water," L'Zaen begins, his voice carrying easily across the group. "Everything else depends on those two systems being operational. Once we have electricity and clean water flowing, the rest becomes manageable."
