Page 39 of Music of the Ocean

“Gods, Indigo.”

“The planet wiped out everything that was not organic to itself. The humans assumed a natural disaster was responsible and eventually left.”

Saxby stared at the projection. “You killed them?”

“No. I did not. The planet did.” Indigo turned away from the screen. “I do not kill unless I must. The planet is less patient. All who touch the water are claimed. That is how it is. The survivors are here, beneath the ocean.”

“And the Federation left the planet alone until now,” Saxby mused. “Interesting.”

Indigo turned to Saxby. “I suppose your Federation’s return was inevitable. But the ocean does not forget. It does not forgive. We are not interested in negotiating.” He closed the display with a flick of his tentacle. “If they come for you, they will perish. The planet does not want to claim such people.”

“So, you’re saying it can choose?”

“What is dead cannot be claimed,” Indigo pointed out.

Saxby shivered as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. He stared at Indigo, then at the dark display. Water eddied around his ankles, swirling with faint blue motes of light.

Indigo approached, stopping less than an arm’s length away. “You understand the history now. You understand what will happen if they persist.”

Saxby said nothing. He stood with his back to the wall, jaw set, fingers curled into tight fists at his sides. “You don’t get it.”

“What do I not get?”

“The Federation knew something was going on back then.”

“Most likely.”

“They had to have studied those who got infected but hadn’t returned to the water. Just like Vance studied me. And medical personnel had to see the changes, just like Vance did.”

“It has always been that way,” Indigo said.

“Right. Exactly. It’s a natural process after someone touches that damned water. A natural process of DNA mutating,” Saxby repeated. “Or, depending on the power-hungry asshole studying the mission brief, its evolution. Which, oddly enough, we talked about earlier. Shit. Fuck. Dear gods, Indigo.”

“I am not sure what you have suddenly understood.”

“Certain people in the government are always on the lookout to make our army stronger. Faster. Better. More powerful. Just more.”

Indigo nodded. “Which is not unusual.”

“True. But did you know that the one thing humans from Earth cannot do is breathe under water? We haven’t been able to figure out how to do that. And guess what? This planet can mutate DNA to make it happen. Do you know what a damned advantage that would be? I’m sure they’d want to know what else this planet can mutate.”

“But once changed, no one can leave here,” Indigo said. “They would die.”

Saxby looked at Indigo. “Except you.”

“Not exactly.”

“But you told me you’ve retrieved others.”

“I did, yes. The planet will allow me to leave, but I must return, or I will die as well. I have a little more freedom, but even I must obey the planet.”

“Shit. Because the planet keeps what it claims.”

“Yes.”

“I believe you, but they won’t,” Saxby said. “They’ll experiment on you and anyone else they can get their hands on. And do you think they’ll care if their test subjects die? They won’t. And you know why? Because of greed and the never-ending quest for power.”

“The people in power would be okay with that?”