"We can talk about when to move the ship later. We have plenty to do in the next days before we think about traveling to another star," Geh!kin declared, amazed to hear himself say those words. "How is our food supply?"

"We still need to check compatibility. We don't know whether we can eat Go-azkian food," Foh!una replied, stumbling a bit over the pronunciation.

"You probably can," the alien doctor opined.

"Why?" Geh!aoa asked, surprised.

The doctor puffed air for a moment and looked at the ceiling, clearly trying to figure out how to convey the concept. Finally she said, "We all have same parent parent parent..."

The fuak!as were confused; Nik!eh looked shocked. "Someone did this?!"

"We are not sure. Some say, natural spread of very simple life through (something). Some say, old, big aliens did it...did choose to do it."

"Still, maybe we can't eat the same food. Probably is not yes," Foh!una pointed out.

The doctor gave a half-shrug. "If yes, then there is food for two hundred people for...150 days or so. So for thirty of us, that is a thousand days. That is a guess. You may eat more than Goldaskians do."

"Do you have food makers on board?" Geh!kin asked.

"I don't understand," Doctor Vik!ah answered. "We have foods we can cook into more foods."

"Can you make food from elements?" Nik!eh clarified.

"From elements? Not very well." After the doctor admitted this, the fuak!a all started talking rapidly.

"We can make more makers of food, then."

"We'll still need the rods to feed it."

"We can stock up on those on the ground."

"All right, we'll definitely need to continue mining on the ground then."

"How do Go-azkians get more food?" someone asked Vik!ah.

"We go to a place ships go, and buy more food," the Goldaskian medic told them.

"A 'port'," Geh!kin supplied. "Are there many ports?"

Doctor Vik!ah blinked. "Thousands."

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"Do they all talk to each other?"

"Most do, yes."

"So if we go to a port, your people will learn of it?"

"Usually."

"Quickly?"

"Immediately."

"You have radios that reach that far?!" Geh!aoa exclaimed.

"Yes."

"So..." Nik!eh gave one of his long pauses. "Can we change our (something?) (Something) it?"

The Doctor gave a nod. "Possibly."

"I'm sorry, Nik!eh, the doctor seems to have understood but we do not."

"Show wrong colors on ship. Lie. Say we are not Goldaskian."

"Ah. Fly a false flag. Like a pirate. We understand," Geh!kin told him. Nik!eh nodded, seeming happy to be helpful.

"Oh!" Geh!aoa spoke up. "Before I forget again, what kind of fuel does this ship burn, and how much do we have of it? Likewise the shuttles."

"The ship..." Doctor Vik!ah spoke a long sentence, none of which translated. A glance at Nik!eh showed him equally puzzled. The hoonan spoke up next.

"Doctor, I do not think we will understand that soon. Instead, I ask this: how far can the ship go with the fuel it has?"

There was a pause as the doctor contacted the Engine Room, and spoke for a zeg or two with one of the machine workers of her race there. She thanked the other Goldaskian and turned her attention back to the meeting. "Twelve years, if we do nothing but travel. If we use weapons, less. A month less for a day we fight."

"And the shuttles?" Geh!aoa pressed.

"Ten trips down to the planet and back, then they must get more fuel here."

"We have that fuel?"

"Yes. It is the same as fuels the Kalash-Quovo. The amount for a shuttle is very small."

"So, we can make many, many shuttle flights, to find people?"

"Yes."

"Good."

"We can also send out automata to search for survivors," the doctor suggested. "We have a fair number of them, but the pilot would know more about how to use them."

Geh!kin straightened up. "Thank you, Doctor."

Vik!ah smiled, showing sharp teeth. "I like the idea of helping and rescuing people a lot more than killing them. A problem of my work." She leaned back in her chair. "What do you plan to do with the survivors? Bring them all aboard? Or build them a better shelter down on the planet?"

Geh!kin looked around the table. "It would depend on how many survivors we find, and what kind of shelters they already have."

"Let's get started," Foh!una urged. "Our people are dying down on the ground while we sit here talking."

"Agreed," Geh!kin declared. "Geh!aoa, can you take charge of learning about the searching automata and getting them deployed?"

"Gladly."

"I will confer with Nik!eh and the doctor here about food production. And Foh!una?"

"Yes?"

"Everyone needs to learn how this ship works. Can you talk to the Go-azkians who have joined us about lessons?"

The fuak!a medic nodded. "I can do that."

"Start with safety lessons," the doctor urged. Foh!una snorted.

"Trust me, doctor, most of us find this ship terrifying. We are all very interested in learning how to be safe here."

"Is there anything urgent I am forgetting? This ship isn't about to sink or crash or anything, right?" Geh!kin checked.

"No. Do you know what a (something) is?" the doctor asked.

"Not the word, but if you mean 'orbit', then we are familiar with the concept. Moving like the moon does, circling the world, is that what you mean?"

"Yes. Good. We are in orbit, and there is nothing in our path. Your air is very clear."

Geh!kin frowned. "What was that last?"

"Ah...there are no other ships up here and no automata of yours. There is nothing for us to hit," Nik!eh explained.

"I see. Thank you, Nik!eh. Well, I suggest we meet again after the next mealtime and share what we have learned and done. Any objections?" No one spoke. Geh!kin smiled. "Very well then, let's get started."

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