Page 82 of Music of the Ocean

“Oh my gods, you have people with military backgrounds and skills.”

“Yes, we do.”

“You really do have a fucking military.”

Saxby circled the scout ship, examining its hull. “This is the Meridian. It went missing during the Tarsus campaign.” He paused, then pointed to a larger vessel nearby. “And that’s the Horizon’s Edge. It’s a Federation ship that disappeared during a routine survey mission.”

Indigo nodded. “The planet has been collecting them for ages. Some are ancient, from before the Federation existed.”

Saxby swam to the next row of ships. “These ships change everything. But I don’t understand why you’re showing me this?”

Indigo moved closer, his tentacles curling and uncurling in the water. “Because you are my mate, and because the Federation will return on day.”

“The ships,” Saxby said slowly. “You’re thinking we might need them.”

“The planet is always ready for whatever may come.”

Saxby swam to one of the military cruisers, examining its weapon systems. “Is it fully operational?”

“Yes, and they all have a competent crew.”

“This… This is wild.”

“There is more.”

“More? More?”

“Follow me.” Indigo led Saxby deeper into the cavern, past rows of increasingly ancient vessels.

The water grew warmer here, heated by geothermal vents that lined the cavern walls. The light shifted from artificial to natural as they approached a massive opening in the cavern floor. Clusters of bioluminescent organisms clung to the rock walls. And there, partially embedded in the trench wall, sat a ship unlike any other.

Saxby stopped swimming, his body going rigid. “That’s... What is that? I’ve never seen anything that looks like that, and I’ve seen thousands of starships.”

The ship was enormous. Its hull was smooth and organic-looking, as if grown rather than built. Strange symbols covered its surface, glowing with a faint blue light.

“It has always been here and is believed to be from a time before the Federation, perhaps from before humans left Earth. It is ancient. I have never seen its like, either. Also, it is alive.”

“Fuck, alive? Like alive, alive?”

“Yes.”

“Can I get closer?”

“Of course. It is—”

“Safe. I know you wouldn’t take me somewhere unsafe. I only wanted to make sure.” Saxby swam closer, his movements cautious. “I can’t wrap my mind around this. It’s intact, too. The hull shows no signs of damage.”

“The planet has protected it,” Indigo said. “As it protects all things that fall into its depths. All the ships are alive, just like the planet is alive.”

“I can’t comprehend such a thing. No ship I know of is like these.” Saxby circled the ancient ship, his expression a mixture of awe and disbelief. “This could change everything we know about space travel, about the history of human expansion.”

Indigo watched Saxby’s exploration, noting the way his mate’s hands trembled slightly as they hovered near the alien hull. “There is something else you should know.”

Saxby turned to face him. “Oh gods, what?”

“The planet is not just hiding these ships,” Indigo said. “It is learning from them. Adapting their technology, incorporating it into the city’s systems.”

Saxby’s eyes widened. “The city’s technology. The organic systems. The bioluminescence—”