Kreeli Comet. Star date: 3702, Standard Polaris time.
Bitter winds howled through the mine shaft. Ice and sleet built up on the mining equipment, froze fingers, and nipped at ears. For the Lombaxes who made a living hacking Trillium from the freezing rocks, it was a harsh, desperate existance. Damon Exos rubbed the spot where his ear had been ruefully as he hefted his pickaxe. Frostbite had taken it long ago, and even now, it still pained him. Especially in weather like this. Sighing, he turned back to the face of rock in front of him. He tapped it, and turned to his co-worker, Lyezza, a muscular female with a robotic arm, the original having been lost in a rock fall.
"Whaddaya reckon? Tapped out?"
Lyezza nodded.
"Not much in there, I'd say. Probably a little left, but not really enough to be worth it."
Damon scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"I dunno...I'd like to have another go at it. Maybe there's a vein in there we missed..."
Lyezza shrugged her scarred shoulders.
"Whatever. I gotta go de-ice the Trillium harvester. See ya 'round."
She turned and left. Damon spat on his hands, gripped his pick axe tighter, and swung with all his might. The pick struck. And sank.
Damon gasped in shock. The rock here was tough, and hard to break, but the pick axe had sunk in deep, almost as if...the wall was hollow. He pulled it out carefully...and something in the hole gleamed.
Carefully, his mind almost as frozen as the rocks he worked with, he enlarged the hole, chipping away carefully at the edges, until it was large enough to fit his hand. Slowly, he reached in...and drew out a large egg, ice-rimed and freezing to the shell was semi-transparent, a soft lilac colour, marked with crimson blotches. Inside, a dark shape hung suspended in the frozen albumin.
As Damon gazed at his find in wonder, another miner scurried past and stopped as he saw what he had.
"Hey, what you got there? Is that an egg? Guys! Come see what Damon found!"
In moments, the seven miners that worked this shaft had hurried over, staring at the strange egg.
"Whoa..."
"Never seen anything like that before!"
"What do you think's inside it?"
"What are you gonna do with it, Damon?"
Damon tapped it thoughtfully.
"We don't know what's inside it." He said. "It could be dangerous. I'm going to take this to the Praetorian Guard. Let them handle it."
The others nodded in agreement.
"I'll handle your shift." Lyezza said. "You go get rid of that thing."
Damon tucked the egg firmly under one arm and set off towards his ship.
And warmed by the heat of his body, something in the egg began to stir...
Praetorian Guard. Hall of elders. Fastoon city.
"I call this meeting of the Lombax Council to order. Are we all present?" Councillor Jaran looked around at the others sitting at the rough wooden table in the hall of elders. Thirteen hands rose in the air.
"Aye." The elders called in unision. Councillor Jaran nodded in satisfaction.
"Excellent. Let us begin our discussion of the Galactic situation. According to the other Praetorian Guard outposts, the situation grows more serious each day. We seem to be getting more and more bandits lately. A number of civilians are getting caught up in our struggle with them. Casualties are rising."
There was concerned murmuring from the Councillors. One leaned forwards. He was young, remarkably so, in his late twenties at most, yet Ryan Neutrino was no ordinary Lombax. He was the Keeper of the Dimensionator, a vital role that granted him an automatic seat in the council. Despite his youth, he was sensible and level headed, a rock of good sense.
"How many Guardsmen can we spare to protect the borders of the at risk sectors. It seems to me defending ourselves when the bandits are already there is like repairing a fence once the Grunthor has escaped. Ultimately pointless. Prevention is better than cure, don't you think?"
Councillor Jaran nodded curtly.
"A good idea, but the Praetorian Guard are stretched as it is. The Agorians step up their attacks daily. We hold them back, but it's a close run-"
"Excuse me?" A small secretary bot poked its head through the door.
"We have someone here who wishes to see the council. A miner. Apparently he found something in Kreeli comet and he thinks it's better off in your hands."
"Send him in if you must." grumbled Councillor Jaran. "Lets see what he had to say..."
A moment later, Damon was being ushered into the Hall of Elders, egg still under his arm. He looked around in interest. He had imagined it would be lush and opulent in the Hall of Elders, and was surprised at how bare and spartan it was. A wooden table, a few assorted items, some battered cupboards, and plain wooden panelling on the walls. That was it. It seemed Praetorian Guards didn't go in for fancy living.
"What is it you wanted, lad?" The voice startled him out of his thoughts. It wasn't an unkind voice, but it had a tone that said quite clearly that they had things to do, and while they were certain it was important, they would prefer him to say it quickly.
"Well, sir," he said, holding up his find. "I found this frozen inside the mine shaft. I think it's an egg or something. I don't know what it is, or if it's dangerous. I thought it might be better if I gave it to you." He placed the egg on the table. "If that's OK with you, sir?"
Councillor Jaran picked it up and studied it.
"More than fine, dear boy. This could prove very interesting indeed! Thank you. You may leave us."
Damon nodded and stepped out of the room, and out of the pages of history.
The Councillors turned their attention to the egg.
"What manner of beast lays an egg like that?" one asked. There was a snort from the far end of the table, and a Lombax who had dozed off shortly after the meeting started raised his head. Unlike the other Councillors, who wore either Praetorian Guard armour or the dark robes of office, this one wore a stained and slightly singed lab coat over blue over alls. He was elderly, nearly all his fur silver, and his fur and wispy beard stuck out in all directions.
"Someone, mmm, mention an egg?" he said, blinking slightly. "Is it lunchtime already?"
"No, Councillor Solomon. Someone brought in an egg for us. You're a scientist, can you identify it?"
Solomon picked up the egg, and suddenly it was as if he was a different Lombax. The slightly confused blue eyes cleared and sharpened, the droopy ears perked up. Solomon was always rather out of it, until his intellect was needed.
"Hmmm...Large oval egg, around 15 centimetres long. Lilac shell with large red patches. Shell is transuculent, which allows me to examine the developing fetus. From what I can see, this is a six legged creature, but it's still in the early stages of development, so it is rather hard to tell. Where was this found?"
"It was frozen on Kreeli comet, apparently." Ryan said.
"Hmm...I can see a heartbeat, so it obviously hasn't suffered much from that...Putting together my observations, I can come to only one conclusion. This is a Cragmite egg."
There was uproar. Jaran had to fight to make himself heard, and finally had to resort to slamming his wrench on the table.
"Silence! Cease this squabbling! Are we Elder Councillors or cubs? This requires careful discussion, not fighting! Now, let us calmly and rationally decide what to do with it."
They settled down. There was still tension in the atmosphere, however.
"We must ask ourselves this before we go on." he continued. "What danger does it present to us right now?"
"Danger?" a councillor exploded. "It's a Cragmite! You know what they did in the Great war!"
"So?" a female Councillor snapped back. "That was centuries ago! I think it's time we moved on, don't you? All that is in the past! 'sides, one Cragmites hardly a threat, right? Part of their danger was the sheer numbers they came in. I think we can handle this one!"
Another Councillor snarled and banged the table. "It's a monster! It may only be a little one, but it's a monster none the less! It must be destroyed!"
"It's a child!" another growled. "If we kill a child simply for what it's parents were, we're no better that the Cragmites in the first place!"
The debate raged on, rebuttal swiftly followed by counter rebuttal. Only Jaran noticed that Ryan hand't said anything. He simply sat and stared at the egg, face unreadable. Finally, Jaran raised his hand and called a halt.
"Having listened to both sides of the argument, it is clear to me we must take a vote. All those in favour of killing it, raise your hands."
Six hands shot into the air at once.
"All those opposed?"
Another six hands. Jaran counted heads.
"There's one vote missing. Ryan? What do you say?"
Slowly, as if he hadn't heard him, Ryan reached forwards and picked up the egg, gazing at the growing child within. Jaran remembered with a pang of pity that Ryan's mate had recently had their first cub, but complications with the birth had meant the boy would be their only child. He remembered Ryan discussing their desire for a large family with him before the birth, and knew the news had been a blow to them. Ryan turned the egg over in his hands, and when he spoke, it was quiet and soft, yet somehow all the more forceful for it.
"Has anyone ever wondered why the Cragmites were like they were? If maybe it was how they were raised, rather than how they were born. If this child was raised with love, and kindness, who knows what it could grow up to be? Would you deny this child a chance to become more than what it would have been among the Cragmites? Would you deny this child a future? We won the Great War. We should be merciful in victory. We must show this child mercy. It is innocent of the crimes of its parents. No blood stains its hands." He raised his hand. "I vote for its life, Councillor."
There was silence. Those who had voted for it's death looked down at the table, shamed and guilty.
Councillor Jaran nodded.
"Motion carried. Let the records show we were merciful. Now, a new problem arises. The childs home. Where will it live?" There was a pregnant pause.
"With me."
Heads whipped around like a weathercock in a hurricane, and Ryan found himself the focus of a room full of shocked stares.
"The child needs a home. I can give it one. I don't want to send it to an orphanage. Kids can be cruel. It needs the love and guidance that only a parent can provide. And besides, if it's with me, you can keep an eye on it. Just in case..." There was almost a pleading look in his eyes. "I know me and Nina can take care of him..."
Jaran nodded.
"If your bond mate agrees, he can stay with you."
Ryan smiled and nodded. Around him, the Elder Councillors moved on to other buisiness, but he barely noticed, staring down at the egg in his hands. He saw the gentle pulsing of the childs heart and smiled softly, cradling the egg against his chest.
I'll take care of you, he vowed silently. I promise...
"Ryan, I don't know..." Nina bit her lip, looking at the egg resting on the kitchen table. "I know it was a long time ago but still, a cragmite..."
"Who else is going to take care of it? None of the other councillors were exactly volunteering!"
Nina idly stroked her sons fuzzy cheek, lost in thought. She frowned as a thought struck her.
"What if it's dangerous? What if Cragmites really are born evil? I won't risk our son!"
"I'll keep an eye on it. Nina, please...it needs a home..."
She looked into her bond mates eyes and saw the longing expression. Both of them loved children, and only being able to have one was a cruel torture. She gave up.
"How the hell do you hatch a Cragmite egg anyway-eep!"
Ryan swept her up in a hug without warning, pressing his lips softly against hers. It seemed an age before he let go. Nina giggled, still slightly out of breath.
"A thank you would have worked just as well..."
Ryan grinned.
"Yeah, probably..." He turned back to the business at hand, opening the book he had borrowed from the Guard archives, an ancient tome written during the days of the Great war, and containing a number of notes on Cragmites.
"Says here they don't need much incubating. Somewhere vaguely warm is all they need."
"There's a good spot in front of the fire place." Nina suggested.
"Great idea! I'll get a basket for it!" Ryan hurried off. Nina glanced at the egg, still slightly unsure. Who knew what would hatch out? A child? Or a monster?
Two months passed. The egg never moved. Ryan began to grow concerned. His son was already attempting to crawl, yet despite the fact that the developing fetus had grown to fill the entire egg, there was not so much as a twitch to indicate hatching. It was warm and safe, wrapped in blaankets in front of the fire, yet still nothing happened. Had it's time in the ice weakened it? Was it even still alive? The nagging fear was beginning to grow in him that the child had died in the egg-shell. He prayed it was OK...
Another month passed. Ryan sat at the desk in his study, twiddling with a pencil. His mind, as usual, was on the egg. He had almost given up hope that it would hatch. He sighed. He would have to get used to only one child...
"Ryan!" The door of his study burst open.
"Nina?"
"It's gone!"
"What's gone?"
"The Cragmite! There's egg shell everywhere but I can't see where the baby went!"
Ryan shot to his feet so fast he knocked his chair over, bolting into the living room. The basket was scattered with fragments of lilac egg shell, yet there was no sign of the Cragmite.
"The door's shut." he said. "it can't have gotten far. I...wait...what was that?"
They fell silent. A moment later...
"Reet-reet-reet...reet-reet-reet..."
"It's coming from behind the sofa!"
Carefully, Ryan moved it aside. And a pair of huge yellow eyes stared back at him. Hands trembling slightly, Ryan reached down and picked up the squeaking bundle, bringing it out into the light.
It was tiny, fitting easily in his two hands. It was eight legged, with six legs on it's abdomen and one pair of arms. Red fins jutted from its almost reptilian looking head. It looked up at Ryan and reached out with its three fingered hands.
"Reet?"
In a daze, Nina gently stroked its head, and it gurgled with delight.
"It's...actually kind of cute! Is it a male or a female?"
"A male. The head fins are smaller, apparently."
Ryan carefully placed him on the ground. He staggered for a while, still unsteady on his six legs, before catching on and scuttling around the floor, examining things curiously. Ryan was amazed at how quickly he was walking. Lombax cubs were helpless when born, blind and deaf for the first few weeks of life, but this little fellow had practically hit the ground running.
"What are we going to name him?" Ryan said.
"I like...Percival."
"Why Percival?"
"My favorite uncle when I was a child was called Percival. He was an explorer. By the looks of it, so's this little guy!" The baby Cragmite was now attempting to climb inside a pot plant. Ryan picked him up, and he squeaked and wriggled deeper into his arms.
"Percival...Kinda works, actually."
There was a cry from their sons bedroom.
"Perfect timing!" said Nina, grinning. "He's up from his nap. I'll go get him. I hope they like each other..."
She hurried off, returning a moment later with her son. Percival caught sight of the Lombax cub and began to wriggle and squeak excitedly. They carefully placed the two children on the floor and stepped back. The cub crawled shakily forwards, green eyes gazing in curiosity at the strange grey bug moving towards him. For a time, the two were still, staring at each other. Then the cub chuckled as Percival snuggled up to him, squeaking happily.
Nina smiled.
"Kaden, meet your new brother..."
Yeah. I went there.
This is my personal head canon on Percivals past. I may add another chapter on this. I may not. Constructive criticism is encouraged and appreciated!