terminally enabled

Dek was making a racket in one of the carriers, they were scavenging whatever remained of supplies in the decimated Weyland-Yutani base and Thia recalibrated her receptors for any missed operational drone units.

Dek exited the carrier and grunted, head cocked to one side.

Cataloguing his body language had come quickly to Thia from the moment they’d met; the Yautja wore their emotions on their proverbial sleeve and Thia was a research synth after all, but even without all that, the gesture was such a universal expression of curiosity.

“What.” Thia said.

“What.” Dek replied, blinking.

“You’re staring. Is something wrong?”

“Why do you hold her?” Dek said.

Thia brightened. “Carrying a baby is an important social and psychological parenting behavior used by many species to strengthen the bond between parent and child. It’s also used for transporting the baby and-”

“She is not a baby.”

Thia looked down on Bud’s big eyed face and scritched her under her chitinous chin.

“She might be! Her mother was enormous, and Bud is a tiny juvenile. We don’t know how old she is exactly, but the rate at which she is growing suggests that-”

“You are not her parent either.”

“I won’t tell her if you don’t,” she said, smiling widely at the Yautja monochromatic world view, “Wait. Don’t Yautja parents carry their young?”

“She rolls faster than we can run. She does not need transport,” Dek said.

Thia sighed at his evasion. “Yeah, I know,” she said. “But look at her. She likes it.”

Dek looked down, expression turning thoughtful, and Thia hugged Bud even tighter to her chest, making the little Kalisk gurgle in pleasure.

Dek went into the transporter and stowed the ammo he’d collected from the decommissioned droids. When he came out again, he gave one decisive nod.

“Yes. She likes it.”

“Would you like a turn at holding her?” Thia said, then laughed at his retreating back.

“Oh well,” she said, looking into Bud’s enormous eyes, smoothing her hand over her bumpy little head. “Maybe next time.”

x