Chapter 2

The battle raged for several hours until the Cogians were forced off by the Consortium ship, forced to flee and regroup. Even after the emergencies stopped coming in, Xander remained on his feet, helping those who needed it. He could feel exhaustion tugging at him, but he was resolved to try and help as many as he could. He placed a Sedative Mask over a woman's face and it slowly misted the air she breathed with a mild sedative to keep her asleep. As he straightened up, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw the doctor he usually worked with, a small and vibrant woman who lived to help others.

"You should get some sleep, Xander. You've done all you can here."

She held up a hand to stop the argument she knew was coming.

"Go check on your family. The Infirmary won't stop working without you here."

She smiled and pushed him toward the door. He chuckled a little and nodded to her, then turned and headed home.

Back in their room, he pulled his bloodied shirt off and tossed it down the laundry chute. The twins hated to see him with a patient's blood on his clothes, so he hung back in the bathroom to rinse himself off. As he did, he listened to the first true contact his people were making in the Andromeda Galaxy. The Gyirks were grateful for the help and had invited everyone on the ship to a celebration, a welcome as much as a victory celebration.

Xander smiled. Perfect. The twins needed some fun. What better way than to be some of the first from the Milky Way to meet a new species from Andromeda? He changed his clothes and headed out, only to be nearly thrown back into the bathroom by two low flying streaks running into him and hugging his legs. He laughed a little and knelt, hugging the twins.

"I'm ok you two."

They looked up at him, smiling in relief. Jade spoke first.

"We were scared, daddy. We don't like it when you go into the hospital like that."

Xander kissed her forehead.

"You know I have to help, Jade, Cain," He looked to the little boy, "It's what I've chosen to do. Do you understand that?"

The twins nodded silently, then smiled a bit happier and hugged him. Xander hugged them back and looked up as he heard Aaron approach. He nodded a little to tell him he was ok, then pulled back from the twins and smiled.

"How would you two like to go to a party tonight?"

The twins' eyes brightened eagerly and they jumped up and down, yelling 'yeah! yeah!' Xander laughed and turned them loose to go get dressed. He walked over to Aaron, his smile fading.

"How many were lost?"

"Too many."

Much later that night, the shuttle crafts departed the ship, loaded with nearly everyone on board. Only a few stayed behind to maintain certain systems, but they would be switched in and out in shifts all night. Xander smiled as he held Jade in his arms, the little girl grinning widely as they walked off the shuttle and they looked around. The Gyirk planet was large and beautiful. Much like what people would expect a living Mars to look like. The sky was a bright red, filled with Maroon clouds and strange blue birds that flew gracefully through the air, flying in mesmerizing designs and shapes like dust motes dancing in disturbed air. Xander pointed up to them and smiled as the twins gazed up in wonder.

The streets were lined with tall, round buildings, shaped like cones or spikes that stretched up into the air. Most of them seemed to only be one story high, but they were as tall as any two or three story buildings on Earth. Any taller buildings were the size of skyscrapers. The City Hall was the most ornate building in the city, standing four Gyirk stories tall with a large, twisting spire that stretched towards the sky. The stone used to build it was covered in bright blue gilding that seemed to be a precious mineral to the Gyirks.

The Gyirks themselves were even more amazing. They were large creatures, the smallest of the adults typically reaching seven feet. Their torsos were mainly as large as the average male human's, and their skin was scarlet. Their arms and hands were mostly humanoid, though their fingers were long and slender, looking much more delicate than they were. They had birdlike heads with pointed beaks, wide-set eyes, and long, pointed ears, much like the ears on the cat he had seen that night, Xander thought. Tall feathered crests adorned their heads, coming in a variety of colors. Each individual Gyirk had their own unique pattern of colors, leading to a dazzling display when they were grouped together.

Their hips didn't shift into two legs, but instead they grew large and curved back into a large dinosaur-like body with four powerful legs that ended in bird-like feet and claws meant less for battle and more for traction. They had feathered tails, the longest growing to three feet. The tail colors matched their crests, giving them the ability to put on a dazzling display if they so desired. The rest of their bodies were covered in soft feathers that seemed their primary way of regulating temperature.

The Gyirks were more than excited to welcome travelers from the Milky Way to their home planet. The celebration began with a speech by the Gyirk Chieftain, welcoming the Consortium and praising their assistance in one of few victories against the galaxy's nemesis, the Cogians. Large and colorful fire burst into the air, forming patterns in the sky. It was similar to fireworks, but with one large difference. These were true flames that shifted and changed color as they remained in the air, twisting and changing hypnotically into newer and more amazing patterns. Jade and Cain watched the fire in amazement before Xander and Aaron set them down. They weren't afraid to let the twins roam since tracking chips in their translation buds would inform the parents of where the children were and vice versa, as well as informing all others wearing the buds as to whether or not someone wearing a bud was in danger.

Xander looked over at Aaron and smiled, holding his hand as they started into the crowd, goblets of some sort of wine in their hands. As they explored the area, a small female Gyirk approached them, a curious look on her face.

"The two of you are males of your species yes?"

They looked at each other, then looked up at the Gyirk and nodded as Aaron spoke.

"Yes we are. You're a female?"

The female nodded and smiled, making a small salute with her hand that the Gyirks had explained was a common greeting. Xander and Aaron awkwardly returned it.

"I am. I am Emiaj. If you two are males, why do you hold each others' hands? That is a sign of affection isn't it?"

The men smiled a little. They’d heard that some other cultures didn’t practice same sex relations, but hadn’t encountered one themselves. Xander nodded.

"It is. We’re married. I don't know what your word for it would be, but in simple terms, we're mates. It's common on our native planet. We have even brought two orphaned children in as our own so we can have a family."

Emiaj listened in fascination as Xander explained what they were. She smiled as he mentioned the twins and nodded a little.

"I have a child of my own. He isn't very old, but he's very bright. My brother is watching him for tonight. Neither of them like celebrations much."

Xander nodded. He could appreciate that sometimes.

"What about your mate? Is he here too?"

Xander immediately knew he had said something wrong as Emiaj's face fell sadly, her ears and crest laying flat to her head. She swallowed before speaking.

"My mate was one of the first to fall to the Cogians. He died protecting us."

Aaron closed his eyes as Xander bowed his head. Aaron opened his eyes, and gazed at Emiaj remorsefully.

"I'm sorry, Emiaj. That must have been hard for you."

She shook her head and wiped a crimson tear away.

"No, I'm alright. I just don't think about him very much. There isn't much time to think in the midst of a war like this."

She clasped her hands in front of her as she regained her composure. She smiled at the two men.

"May I ask another question of you?"

Xander nodded as the three of them began to stroll, walking easily through the crowd.

"How is it that we are able to communicate? I know you are not speaking my language, the sounds don't fit the way your mouths are moving."

She looked down at them, intensely curious. Aaron smiled and reached up, pulling out his ear bud. Xander proceeded to explain.

"These earbuds translate everything we hear so we can understand other species. They record unfamiliar languages and start processing so it can learn what's being said. And these," He pulled his shirt collar down slightly to reveal a choke necklace with a small speaker set over his vocal chords, "Send those recorded words out as we speak, translating what we say. It only works when it doesn't sense a bud on the other creature. We don't wear them often. Mainly we wear them when making first contact."

Emiaj nodded, watching in interest as they explained their communications systems. She smiled and nodded.

"They are fascinating. How long did that take to develop?"

Xander pursed his lips in thought.

"The first were developed in the late 24th century . . .  The new translation system was developed around 2650. So about 300 Earth years."

He looked up at her.

"I don't know what kind of time frame that translates into for your kind. But that is very long for our people. I suppose I could say… approximately ten generations."

Aaron returned the bud to his ear and Emiaj watched as it fit perfectly and didn't budge. She was silent a moment, thinking, then she perked up a little as she thought of something the two humans may like.

"Would you two like to see my orchard?"

They smiled and nodded, speaking at the same time.

"Yes."

All three chuckled as they followed Emiaj away from the major hub of the celebration and into a small enclosed orchard where sparkling blue trees, softly glowing golden colored bushes, and shining purple vines grew. The two stared around in awe as they moved silently through the plants.

"This is where we acquired most of the fruits and berries for our wine. The blue ones are Liren, a soft juicy fruit with a bit of a tangy taste."

She reached up and picked two for the men, handing the small triangle shaped fruits to them.

"Try them, just bite in."

The men obliged and each took a bite of their fruit. Their taste buds lit up with the tanginess of the fruit. It was like a mix of so many different citrus fruits from Earth along with so many new sensations that their eyes closed as they sighed. It was like nothing they had ever tasted before. So sweet, yet so tangy and sour at the same time, they balanced each other out perfectly into a taste neither had ever heard of being described or even thought of. They weren’t even sure there was a name for it. Emiaj smiled approvingly at their dreamy smiles, satisfied that they approved.

"These are the two ripest left. The rest still have a few rotations till they're ready. The golden bushes hold smaller berries called Ronir that are a bit bitter and not very good on their own. The only purpose for growing them is to use them in wine. The purple berries are Julne and they're the sweet part of the wine."

She picked one berry for each and handed them to the men. They each carefully ate the berries and closed their eyes as their buds were once again assaulted with taste, though this was so sweet that it was just on the verge of being sickly. Xander rolled the juice over his tongue to savor the taste. He doubted he would forget the taste of this berry any time soon. They smiled as they ate and nodded to Emiaj. Xander swallowed and spoke.

"They're wonderful. You have a talent, Emiaj."

Emiaj seemed to glow at the compliment. Her feathers fluffed a little, and she bowed her head meekly as she spoke in a soft voice.

"You can't truly mean that. You have only sampled my orchard."

Aaron smiled and responded.

"We couldn't really imagine anything else being better. These tastes are amazing, so much more different from anything we've ever had back in our galaxy."

"The wine is yours just as much as these berries are." Xander added, "It's all delicious."

They both raised their glasses in a toast and smiled as Emiaj’s crest and ears perked up.

"Thank you. You are both very kind."

She walked over to them and placed her hands on their shoulders.

"Come, let's rejoin the celebration."

The three of them walked out to the main hub and started mingling back into the crowd. As the night wore on, the captain of the ship stood up beside the Chieftain. He announced that the leaders of the Consortium had come to a decision. They were going to empty the ship of all but the necessary crew and their families, and send the vessel back home with a request for aid. Their hopes were that the ship would not only return, but bring fleets of ships with it.

He vowed that the occupants at the celebration would not rest until the Andromeda galaxy was safe from the Cogian menace. A roar of agreement rose from those attending the party and the Gyirks followed suit after a few moments, their cheers sounding like birdsong. Xander turned to Emiaj with a smile and saw her glowing with happiness again, though this time it was a glow to outshine many stars. The Gyirks had made a true ally.