The next few hours were a blur of activity. Maati and Aari’s parents thought-spoke with the other Linyaari while everyone worked, telling a little bit of their adventures while stranded on this planet. Their survival here was a testament to both their courage and cleverness. But Maati had so much to say to her mother and father that she chattered away like a magpie, using her newfound telepathic abilities. So, consequently, most of the conversation centered on Maati’s recent escapades, rather than on her parents doings since they left their homeworld in search of their children. And, despite the need to reconnect with the -wanderers, there was too much to accomplish to truly do justice to the occasion. All the Linyaari, as well as the remaining crew of the Comfor, bent their backs to the tasks at hand. They wanted to load both the crashed Khieevi shuttle and the remains of the Nilkaavri aboard the Condor, as well as any other cargo they could reach or Mac could -wade out to retrieve. The main Khieevi ship was simply shattered, most of the resulting fragments of debris too small to be of interest even to Becker, though they salvaged what they could.
(Why are we bothering with this trash right now?) Kaarlye, Maati and Aari’s father, asked Maati. (Don’t we need to get in contact with our people? The Khieevi were here.) The parents, without time to sleep-learn standard Galatic from the LAANYE, could make no sense of Becker’s or Mac’s thought patterns, though RK-as always-managed to make himself understood.
(I will see what I can find out,) Maati told him.
“Captain,” Maati said in Linyaari, following Becker down the beach until -when he turned back to pick up another piece of salvage he nearly stepped on her. “If the Khieevi are scouting this area and the swarm is near, shouldn’t we leave this stuff until later and return to narhiiVhiliinyar to warn the people ~ “
Becker tried to answer, first in Standard, then in the broken Linyaari he had picked up from Aari. Before Kaarlye’s confusion became total, Acorna hurriedly translated Becker’s answers as physically transmitted by Maati.
“Well,” Becker said, “except for finding you and Thariinye here, we haven’t had any communication from your planet since we sent the pilyi data, honey. We told ‘em to get back to us with a translation, remember? I don’t think they’re listening to us, and I’m sure they’re not talking to us. I don’t imagine that’s going to change now, even though -we’ve got things to tell them. I hate to say it, but for all we know, the Khieevi could be there already, maybe even been there and left.
“That monster we -were able to question only knew the position of the fleet as of the last transmission he’d received, which was days ago. If it helps, as far as the prisoner knew, the Khieevi -weren’t on your -world yet at that time. But -we dont know what’s going on at your home, nor can we give them any solid information other than the warning about the iMueevi maybe being in the neighborhood that we already sent-you know, the one that made you and Thariinye go hur”ing into space? We gave your people that warning when we fansnutted the piiyi contents-though from what you’ve told us about that horse-faced vilsmar of yours, it might not have °Re any good. All we can really add to our first broadcast is at we’ve found your parents here. Whatever’s happening back your planet, our help’s too far away and will arrive too late to change anything. That’s why I’m not in any hurry to talk to your planet.
“Right now, I’m more worried about us. That bug we talked to told the rest of the bugs exactly where this planet is, and how rich it is in Khieevi food. The swarm could be on their way here, for all we know. We could have a lot of time, or -we could have very little, before they arrive. My scanners don’t show anything, but that’s not conclusive. So that’s why I -want all the salvage we can manage to get aboard the Condor before we take off. If the com system in the Khieevi shuttle is undamaged-it looks pretty good to me-and if we can turn it on and get it working, there’s a chance it could still be getting signals from the fleet, which would tell us where they are, and maybe even where they’re going.”