“Zariah.” Elix hustles up to me, no helmet or face covering, just a parka keeping the snow off of his head. “Nice job.”
“It probably just wanted food.”
“Yeah,” he says. “They are hungry. So are we. This is how survival works, Sha’opqui.”
21: Zariah
He grabs the omenotau by a foot and drags it with all his findings back toward the ship. I’m sure the sled helps, but I’m still in awe of his strength.
“What does that mean?” I ask.
“Sha’opqui? It means female warrior of Lazario. You killed an omenotau without a gun. They are called omenotau for a reason. My people believe they show us who the leaders are.”
“Have you killed one?”
He grins back at me. “Yes. I amSho’opqui many times over. But I tend to let them overshoot me and get in scuffles with themselves. Then I don’t have to keep doing it.”
“How many times have you been back?”
“A few. Do you want me to skin it?”
“What?”
“It is important to not waste life, even a deadly one.” He lugs the beast up to the ramp that MONA lowers for us. Elix sets the parts inside. “Go warm up. I’ll take care of everything.”
He extends a hand toward the iceblade. “While I would never have asked that of you, I am glad you came to help. That was an exceptionally large pack. Their population grows because mine has died off.”
I hand him the sword and watch as he lays the animal back and guts it. I’m curious how he survived a place as harsh as this. So as much as it is a struggle to watch him work, I respect that he’s doing it.
He works fast, but still, the pelt and the slabs of meat he cuts free are frozen in minutes. He has me carry the fur inside, whilehe lugs the meat in, seals it in a vacuum bag, and slings it in a cold cabinet.
“Can I help with repairs or anything?” I ask.
He motions to a cabinet. “Grab the blue bottle. Soak the inside of the fur and then lay it out in the drying room.”
I tap the cabinet, and it opens for me. I take the bottle and cart the skin to the drying room. After soaking the skin, I spread it around with my gloves and then switch on the dryer.
After the bottle is back in the cabinet, I find Elix outside, salvaging organs and other parts. He brings everything inside, sets it on a table in the medical bay, and closes the ramp.
“You want to know why we heal so fast?” He lines out the organs from the heart to the liver and tendons. “We adapted to our environment, to our predators like omenotau, but it’s also because of the nutrients in the algae in the ice.
“Is that why everything is such a dark green?” I ask.
“Yeah. And any time I get these parts, I always save them for emergency medical solutions like the one I used to save you.”
“You made that?”
“Someone has to engineer these things. My people were advanced in technology, specifically medical. Then we were forced to focus on militaristic advancements when everyone started invading to steal what we had when we didn’t want to give away what was precious. We didn’t want to just help those who could afford it. We wanted to help those who needed it most. As I am on my own, I have to do all of the things. Like you.
“You don’t resent your kind for what they did to you?” I finally ask.
Elix’s breath fogs the air as he works. “My love for my people is stronger than my frustration with the actions of the tribal leaders. Yes, they made me feel unwanted by my kind, but that doesn’t change what I am or am capable of.”
“Zariah,” MONA says to me. “Your suit will run out of life support in thirty minutes. I recommend returning to the cockpit and saving that thirty minutes in case you need it later.”
Elix motions me to the front of the ship. “I’ll finish everything and join you in a few hours. Get some rest while you can.”
I don’t like the idea of him doing everything on his own. “This isn’t fair to you.”
