Author's Note: Many apologies for not writing last week! It was Holy Week and everything was so busy around Easter. But I'm back at it! A couple addendums, I've been spelling Teleya's name wrong (as Talaya) but likely won't go back to change those, also the Krill language is called Krillain, which I've only recently become privy too. Anyhow, here are some more chapters! Thanks for reading <3
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JOHN
"I seriously owe you big time, buddy," Gordon said.
"Yes, you do," John replied. Gordon had been ignoring him for weeks, but was now calling him buddy simply because John was helping him out. John couldn't deny it hurt a bit, though, truth be told, he didn't really mind being dragged into this risky undertaking. His days in engineering were becoming mundane and repetitive. So much so that he'd been feeling a bit depressed, despite his life being perfectly fine. Sure, he didn't have a girlfriend, but he never felt the need to have one to be happy. He had no trouble getting girls, when he was looking. His friendships mattered more, which was why he was here, putting his job and life on the line for one of his close friends.
John adjusted the thrusters again to keep the shuttle on course. The Krill shuttle was unnecessarily complicated. It could have been simplified and made a lot more user friendly, from an engineering standpoint. Not to mention, it was inefficient. Gordon was a master pilot, taking command of the ship's movements with ease despite the poor steering response. But he wouldn't have been able to fly this thing without a co-pilot, no matter how good he was.
John went down after work to look over the Orville shuttles and realized that if Gordon took an Orville shuttle, he'd be shot out of the sky the moment he came into view from the planet. His only hope was to take the Krill shuttle. Now they were here, flying a Krill shuttle to the planet.
The flight was eerily silent. One thing the shuttle did have going for it was that it was very well isolated for sound. Barely a hum from the engine could be heard. The Orvile always had that hum, even more so in engineering where John worked all day. But here he felt like he'd gone deaf, except for the ringing in his ears.
"Smooth ride," he said, wanting to break the anticlimactic tension of their descent onto Krill.
"I could sure use some good ol' CCR road trip music right now," Gordon replied.
John reached into his back pocket to pull out his hand-held, so he could play some music off the tiny speakers, only to realize it wasn't there.
The seriousness of what they were doing hit him then. They were about to land on Krill in a stolen Krill shuttle, without their comm systems, which they left behind so that they wouldn't be traced, and now had no way to contact the Orville once they landed.
"So you know where this temple is?" John asked.
Gordon didn't reply as they entered the atmosphere. His hands were shaking and John's stomach clenched. He held his breath, waiting for the ship's comm system to come online and ask them something in Krillain, which they wouldn't understand or be able to answer. The holographic devices they'd stolen from security, with Talla's help, would change their appearance but had no translator installed. Their translators were in the wrist comms and hand-helds, which they'd left behind.
Gordon guided them to a dark area of the planet, darker than the other dark areas, where there seemed to be no civilization, judging by the lack of any lights from buildings down below.
John glanced over at the scan readings. It looked like they read about a couple dozen bio signs and the outline of a large building.
"Is that the temple?" he asked.
"I think so. It's the largest and highest building on Krill. So I just kind of guessed."
"So it could be a transmission tower, or a military base?"
"I never thought of that."
"You never thought of that...?"
Neither of them commented on the fact that they'd gotten through the atmosphere without any military interference. John didn't want to jinx it. The Krill shuttle had just left the planet not that long ago and was now returning again. Perhaps they were expecting its return and didn't think to clear it verbally over the comm system.
Gordon set some coordinates for their landing and John adjusted his settings as well.
"There are two other shuttles docked there," Gordon said. "So hopefully it's a safe bet for a landing."
"Yeah, don't forget to turn your holographic Krill disguise on."
Gordon didn't reply and John turned to look at him. He jumped in surprised, causing the ship to lose its balance when he accidentally hit a thruster button. He quickly adjusted for it.
"Give me some warning before you turn into a Krill!" John said.
"You told me to!"
They landed the shuttle with practiced teamwork, making John nostalgic for their time as a team flying the Orville.
Neither of them spoke as the ship powered down.
"So, I guess we just get out?" Gordon finally said.
"What were you expecting, a welcome party?"
"Military guys with guns."
John turned on his holographic disguise and Gordon visibly startled.
"See," John said. "It's creepy."
"You weren't kidding."
"You sure you want to do this?"
"Yes."
"It won't be the Laura you know now—"
"I know that."
John wanted to say more, but they were here, and sometimes people needed to learn from their own mistakes. "Don't forget the money."
"Hey, John?"
"Yeah?"
"If we die, I just want to say thanks for... everything."
"We better not die, now come on."
—--
John wasn't sure what he had been expecting but it definitely wasn't this. The temple looked empty. It was unguarded and a scent of sweet smoke filled the high ceilinged building.
"There's no one here," he whispered.
A dim light illuminated a large book sitting on the altar at the very front of the Temple. It was all quite serene and John's shoulders relaxed.
"Why aren't they guarding the place?" Gordon asked.
"Maybe because they're not expecting any Krill to desecrate the place?"
"The chapel was guarded when we were on board that Krill ship."
"It is kind of weird."
They made their way to the front, their footsteps echoing in the hollow space of the large building. Long pews sat dark and empty on either side of the aisle that they walked down. The silence was thick, like being underwater. It pushed on John's ears, unless that was from the pressure of their descent.
"So what are we looking for?" John asked.
"I don't know, some kind of an entrance to the underground."
"And no one knows where the entrance is?"
"Apparently."
"The high priest would know."
"What?"
"Someone would know, other than the cloning people."
"Divide and conquer?"
A clank from somewhere in the distance echoed through the building and Gordon ducked. John hurried over to a pew and ducked behind it, pulling Gordon with him.
"Isn't it more suspicious if we're found hiding?" Gordon whispered.
"Shhhh."
They waited.
A Krill priest with a tall hat walked down the aisle, his robes swishing behind him as he hurried along, not looking down nor seeing Gordon and John. He walked behind the altar and opened the large Anhkana sitting on it. He opened to a specific page and then seemed to press something in the book. Suddenly, the altar lowered, taking the high priest down with it into the ground below. A moment later the altar reappeared without the priest.
Gordon turned to look at John and startled again when he saw his Krill appearance.
"It doesn't get any easier to look at you."
John sighed. "Well now we know how to get down there."
Gordon got up, hefting the bag of money under his arm.
"Wait," John said. "Why don't we just go down as human?"
"What?"
"We're buying clones, right? It's people from other planets who are buying clones, not other Krill... I think."
"You're right. Then I wouldn't have to know how to speak Krill, because I'm not from here. How about I go as human and you stay Krill, like you're escorting me down and I didn't break in."
"Why me?" John asked. "If they ask me something in Krillain, I won't know how to respond."
"But wouldn't it be more suspicious if I can barely speak Krillain and I'm Krill?"
"Let's both go as Krill, or some other species. It's best if they don't see the real us and it be reported back to the Orville."
"You're right. What species do the Krill not hate?" Gordon asked.
"They hate them all." John turned his hologram to Moclan. "But they especially hate humans."
Gordon adjusted his holographic image to Moclan as well. "Okay, it's now or never."
They walked up to the altar. The Anhkana was closed again.
Gordon shrugged. "Just a few thousand pages to flip through."
But when he opened the large book, he could see the hard page at the center, amidst the actual paper-like pages. He flipped to it and saw the buttons on the hard page.
"Did you learn to read Krillain too?" John asked.
Gordon looked worried, or as worried as a Moclan could look.
"Don't worry, I got this." John looked down at the small control board. As an engineer he could work his way around a small console. "I'm pretty sure it would be this one."