The Foundling

Chapter 12: Explanations

All eyes turned to He-ne. She swallowed. Ta-lei's wailing was still faintly audible through the thin walls.

"What the devils was that?" demanded Bavmen, "Where did that thing come from?"

He-ne decided to answer the second question first.

"We don't know exactly where he comes from; I've certainly never seen anything like him before." She paused, "Actually, I was hoping you might know something, you know, because of your position..." She trailed off.

Aside from Ta-lei, there was an uneasy silence. Bavmen scratched his horns. He-ne hoped Mavrek would get him to quiet soon before the neighbours complained.

"Is he hurt?" asked Hibei timidly. The question took He-ne by surprise.

"No, I don't think so," she said finally, "he can't talk, or do much of anything really, so that's how he tells us something's wrong."

"So is he, or rather it, sentient?" asked Bavmen.

"Yes, but Mavrek thinks he's a youngling," responded He-ne vaguely.

"But if it were intelligent, surely it would be able to talk, youngling or not," challenged Bavmen. "You'll need to register it as a non-standard companion animal if it's not."

"You're not planning on keeping it are you?" interjected Meki aghast.

He-ne swallowed. "No, of course not."

She noticed that the crying had stopped. Thank the gods for Mavrek!

A few moments later, he entered carrying the thermos and Ta-lei, who was sucking on a dripping handkerchief.

"Little gremlin was hungry again," he explained, a little too cheerfully.

Bavmen opened his mouth as if to say something but, he was cut off by a soft yelp from Meki. She lept up and rushed over to the hotslate where the soup was beginning to burn. She hefted it off the stove and instructed Hibei to get the table cleared off.

"Go on, sit," invited Meki, "there's no reason we can't continue the conversation over dinner." She began pulling dishes off high shelves. Gratefully, Mavrek sat, and Bavmen followed shortly after, grumbling.

Even from his perch on Mavrek's right fore-leg, Ta-lei's face was barely visible over the edge of the table. He pulled himself up for a better view and stared hungrily at the assortment of steaming dishes that Meki had made. Mavrek was pretty sure he wouldn't eat any of them, except for maybe the soup. To He-ne's dismay, the Mak-na juice-soaked handkerchief slipped out of Ta-lei's hands and onto Mavrek's dark blue outer robes, staining them a deep pink. Annoyingly, Mavrek didn't seem to notice.

Bavmen considered the little xeno on Mavrek's lap on the other side of the table. Suddenly Ta-lei's gaze shifted from the food in front of him to meet Bavmen's eye. He shuddered.

"So," he said finally, "where exactly did you find that thing?"

Mavrek debated how much to tell him, casting a sidelong glance towards He-ne. She only raised her brow. Clearly, she wanted him to deal with Bavmen's questions. Great. Mavrek sighed and began the story in full. He didn't see much point in hiding the truth. Knowing Bavmen, he'd probably figure it out sooner or later anyway.

Bavmen, Meki and Hibei remained silent the whole time Mavrek was speaking. In the far corner, Ba-nei shifted in her hammock; but no one was paying her any mind now.

Bavmen was the first to break the silence. "If it's related to the attack two days ago, you really do need to turn it over to the city authorities."

Mavrek shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Why you haven't already done so is beyond me," he continued.

"Ta-lei hasn't done anything wrong," Mavrek pointed out.

He-ne sighed, "We didn't have the time to turn him over anyway, you of all people know how slow bureaucracy is."

"It could be dangerous. What if it's venomous or carries diseases?" countered Bavmen ignoring He-ne's point.

Mavrek had to suppress a snort. "Aren't medical exams required for interplanetary travel?"

Bavmen squinted at Mavrek suspiciously. "You're not seriously considering keeping it are you?"

Mavrek returned Bavmen's steely gaze. "And what will happen to Ta-lei if we give him up?" He held Ta-lei a little closer, then continued icily, "Do you trust the city to take good care of him?"

"Mavrek," said He-ne gently, "Don't you think, maybe we should--" she paused, "What I mean is we don't know how to take care of him either." Her brother nodded in agreement.

"Look here Mavrek, you simply can't keep it." reiterated Bavmen passionately. "This creature could be vital to uncovering the truth of the attack! In fact, not turning it over could almost be called treason!" He slapped a hand down on the table to punctuate his point.

"Are you going to denounce me as an enemy of the state?" he replied coldly.

"I just might!" declared Bavmen emphatically, leaning forward. From across the table, He-ne cast her brother a dirty look.

Meki slammed an empty cup against the table, successfully getting everyone's attention and startling Hibei into spilling her soup.

"That's more than enough of that!" she announced, "There's no need to be so antagonistic," she said with a pointed glare at Bavmen.

"Besides, nothing can be done about it until tomorrow morning at the earliest." said Meki, handing Hibei a towel and spooning more soup into the youngling's dish. Reluctantly, Bavmen let the subject drop. There was a prolonged silence at the table after that.