Project: Zeolara

The knock was fast and uneven. Varnsh dragged himself to consciousness. The banging on the portal cranked up a notch. Grouchy and groggy, he slid open the pod hatch, his rear trell-flaps twitching.

Kr-ev was vibrating. His eyes shone. "We've got one!"

Varnsh blinked, his limbs pulsing pink with pleasant surprise. "Really??"

Kr-ev danced from side to side, hardly able to contain himself. "It's better than that! We think we've actually got two!"

Varnsh froze to the spot in shock, and his third heart kicked out of rhythm. "Two?! Are you sure?"

"Yes! One of each, a Zeoflok'ka, and a Zeoflok'li. They're travelling together, but they're alone. They're nearly at the right spot. This is our chance!"

"One of each? Are they are breeding pair?"

"Not sure," Kr-ev said, "I think they might be."

The pair hurried to the glark screen. Varnsh stared. "Kr-ev... this is... this is amazing! I hoped, but-"

"I know! But get this, it gets even better-" Kr-ev made some adjustments to the glark so they could get a closer look. "See?"

"They’re exhausted,” Varnsh said. "Long transit, no rest."

"Exactly," said Kr-ev. "It'll be easy to make them forget. Or misremember. Or dream."

Juulo was already prepping the containment field. "They’re the right distance from the communications tower. We’ll have cover."

The descent was smooth. The planet Zeolara [Lit: "Pearl of the Celestial Realms"] looked different close to. The misty cloak that seemed to wrap it so snugly was reduced to scattered pale blobs far above them. It was wetter, and scratchier than they expected.

The subjects were intercepted. It was all too easy. They had already stopped their travelling pod, and were standing outside it, looking up. They were docile enough, and didn't resist much when Varnsh and Kr-ev led them away into the nearby trees, where the craft waited. Varnsh picked up some anxiety from them, something like muted panic, and he exerted a little more Control until they were both safely inside the vessel.

Kr-ev, Varnsh, and Juulo had agreed: they couldn't tranquilise the subjects. They didn't know what might be toxic, or at what dose. It had to be telepathic, and they were defenceless autflok in that regard. [Lit: babies, infants.]

The trio did their scans, and took samples. A neural imprint. The outer layer was quite fragile, so they only took small scrapings. Julo accidentally projected his last symposium into the k'ka's cortex. It would later surface as a dream: spinning lights, strange music, floating.

After a while (on Zeolara, hours) they returned the pair to their vehicle. Lifted off. The tower blinked. Zeolara stayed quiet.

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Postscript: Academic Review Board, Cycle 7-Delta

Scrawled across the assignment in dry ink:

You risked kaveth. You risked exposure. It was a varkon thing to do, completely varkon, and a miracle you weren't caught! Or injured. Perhaps, even now, some Zeolaran germ is living on you or inside you that could be the end of you, or the ened of us all.

But there is this: your samples have been acquisitioned by Research Board as items of unique interest. Your methodology was sound; there was minimal contanimation. Our understanding of this Zeolaran species will be advanced, not that this will be of interest to many outside of some rather niche areas of eccentric study.

Events on Zeolara have been monitored, and you may be pleased or relieved to know that your subjects have been ignored or dismissed. There will be opportunity to further this knowledge even more in specific cultural pockets. Tel ah viz’nz saturation helps to discredit abductees.

B+

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