Admiral Jaraicocer’s dour face appeared in the screen, his mouth tentacles writhing in agitation.
I jerked my focus to the background. Anything to avoid looking at the living mustache of moving tendrils on an otherwise hairless head. The weird Terrans were much easier to look at, even though they were too tall and tailless and relatively hairless. I hadn’t thought the lack of tail would make so much difference to me, but it did. How did these creatures manage to build so much without a tail? And their teeth were far too small and dull to be useful.
The Admiral cleared his throat and my attention centered on him. I had to get my brain under control. Couldn’t anger the brass, or I might lose my cushy assignment. Although the look in the Admiral’s solid blue eyes made me wonder if I’d already lost my funding?
No. There was no way I could be replaced on my grant. At least I didn’t think so. I was the only researcher on my grant, other than my University. And my Dean was happy to have me on another planet. He’d done an extended dance of joy when he learned of my award on the far away Terra.
It wasn’t my fault the mangy weasel had believed he could get away with tooth caps. He didn’t have to accept the choice morsel of apple I brought him at the department party. And he most definitely didn’t have to wait to take a gnaw until he was on camera. That was completely on him. But it did get me approved for this beautiful gig, so all was well.
Oh, crap, I forgot about the Admiral again. Focus, Gothar!
“Admiarl Jaraicocer, how are you? How’s the family?”
His skin slowly flushed a dark blue as my mouth continued to spew words. I couldn’t make my tongue stop.
“Enough, Gothar!” His loud voice cut through my frantic babbling and I shuddered, finally able to be silent.
“We have a situation that you are uniquely suited for. My aide, Gwengi, has assured me that you are up for the task.”
My whiskers quivered with joy. I had the beautiful female’s name, and I didn’t have to be sneaky about finding it out. She would look so lovely beside me at the department Winter Holiday gala. All the other Osanu on staff would be so very jealous.
The Admiral harrumped again and I fluffed out my fur, slightly embarrassed to be caught with my wandering attention again. I was never so flighty.
“What is the problem, Admiral? And why do you think I would be of help? Surely the embassy in Folly Springs would be a better resource in the war.”
He waved a hand to shut me off. His mustache tentacles waved like leaves caught in a strong wind, making me glad I had not yet broken my morning fast. My stomach was strong, but not waggling tentacles on the face strong.
“This is not an Alliance matter,” he said. He took a quick look around his office before staring at me once again. “This needs to stay between us. Bloody Ambassador Johfrit insists this situation is not a problem and won’t lift a finger to help.”
I swallowed hard. Everyone knew Johfrit, the head of the Alliance Diplomatic corps. He was the son of the Alliance leader, for leaf’s sake, and the de-facto leader of the war, even though Akhil was the true leader of the military and security for the Alliance.
The war against the Falgaran Empire was a strange thing. It was very hard to tell who won a single skirmish. Or even which side was ahead. I was very grateful that my home, Volponine 10 was on the far side of Alliance space from the Empire. I wished I was far away from the border. I thought I was. Terra was supposed to be nowhere near the front lines, and Johfrit wouldn’t care about anything other than Falgarans. So why would the Admiral bring him up? What was he trying to get me involved in?
“What is the problem, Admiral, sir?” My voice cracked and my tail hit the ground with a loud slap.
The Admiral’s gaze sharpened on me, and his tentacles stilled. “Nothing for you to be stressed about, Lt. There’s no danger to you.”
My tail delivered another slap before I could get it under control. I was glad I had too much fur to allow my skin to change color as I was embarrassed. The stupid slapping tail was too big a tell as it was.
My brother refused to partner with me when we played card games because I sucked at keeping secrets.
“Oh, forest, you don’t need me to keep secrets, do you?” I couldn’t halt the question that burst out of me. “Because there’s no way I can keep a secret. I try, but it’s just not possible.”
“No secrets, Lt.” The Admiral held up a hand to stop the flood of words bursting from my throat. “I just need you to find a home for a few birds, and make sure they stay safe. Nothing dangerous.”
I blinked in confusion. “There are a metric ton of birds on this planet, Admiral. Why do you need me to keep an eye on some of them.”
“It’s the Guurn.”
My tongue stuck to the top of my mouth. The Guurn were fierce avian predators with no known enemies. They weren’t quite sentient, but not too far away from it. They’d even been known to eat Osanu young. I gulped again. I didn’t want to deal with creatures who looked at me as dinner. I was a civilized Osanu, not a barbarian beaver from a backwater planet, no matter what disguise I wore.
The Admiral continued to speak as I slowly gathered my scattered thoughts. I had a blaster. I didn’t have to worry about a stupid bird. I could modify the energy shields around my home to be sure that no alien or feathered creatures invaded. Not that a Guurn would attack me before feasting on roadkill, or one of the many rodents that inhabited burrows nearby. In fact, the Guurn feasting on the prairie dogs could benefit the primary species of this planet since those rodents spread a disease. Maybe the Guurn would attack a prairie dog colony, get the plague and die, killing two Llantas with one projectile.
“The Guurn have decided that the Brantas are an obstacle, so they are intent on wiping out the entire species. I want to bring as many of them to Terra as I can. I need you to find them appropriate habitat and protect them from any Terran predators until they are well established. It’s the only way to keep the species alive.”
I nodded, like I really had a choice. “But Sir, there are avians on this planet that look much like the Guurn and could be a problem for the Brantas.”
“Then you had better find some helpers. I’m counting on you, Lt. Don’t let me down.”
The screen started to fade, but I caught a glimpse of the lovely Gwengi in the background, batting her tiny eyes at me.
My spine stiffened. I could do this. Maybe. Definitely. Piece of soft aquatic plant. Crap, I was in so much trouble I couldn’t even imagine reaching the surface of my lake of problems.