Met from Space

There was a knock on the door. Garnet froze, her cup of Cerinian tea close to her mouth. Lady Emerald, sitting across from her, froze as well and raised an eyebrow. They both peered at the door.

"Garnet?" said a polite voice. Tanzanite's. Garnet smiled at her husband's shy tone. He always did dislike interrupting her teatime with friends. "May I come in?"

"Yes, Tanzy," said Garnet. "Please, do come in. What is the matter?"

Tanzanite opened the door and walked inside the room. His form—tall, strapping, and toned—was at odds with the more delicate décor of the room around him suitable for a teatime between two Ladies. Even after all these years though, Tanzanite still had the severity of an officer from his days in Cerinian Navy, which looked a little humorous in this situation.

But the urgency in Tanzanite's expression stoked Garnet's worry

"The ship just intercepted a distress signal," said Tanzanite. "An escape pod, it looks like, drifting not far from here."

Garnet set her cup down, and sat up from her chair.

"We need to pick it up," she said. "How close are we, dear?"

"Close enough to reach it in a few minutes," said Tanzanite. "I figured you would say yes, dear, but I wanted to ask."

"Is there anything about the pod's signal that can tell us where it came from?" said Lady Emerald. The stately vixen was the cautious type, but Garnet knew her kindness deep down, and understood she wasn't about to abandon the pod either.

"The signal is Cornerian," said Tanzanite.

"Then it's quite far from home," said Lady Emerald. "Something from a space liner, or freighter?"

"I'm thinking the latter," said Tanzanite. "Not much passenger liners come this far out into the Lylat Frontier, let alone to Cerinia, though they do exist. Freight, meanwhile, is common."

"Regardless, someone needs saving," said Garnet. "Tanzanite, do what you must."

Tanzanite nodded, and left the room.

"We should see to the youths," said Lady Emerald.

Garnet nodded. Her son, Ferrus, and her niece Krystal were somewhere aboard the ship, likely playing around and gazing out the viewports at the stars. It wouldn't be too hard to find them, considering the comfortable size of the pleasure-cruising liner. In fact, considering how attuned those children could be to exciting moods, they probably already knew that this little trip was about to become far more interesting.


They all gathered at the bridge—Garnet, Tanzanite, Lady Emerald, and Ferrus and Krystal—and could all clearly see the approaching space pod. It drifted through space, tossing and turning lazily. Garnet found the little craft sad; inside was a soul lost after something tragic enough to warrant an escape, and before this ship appeared they were likely wondering if they would ever be found. And what had put them in the pod in the first place? An abandon ship order? Or something far more nefarious?"

"Auntie?"

It was Krystal, standing beside her. The curious fifteen yead-old looked at her with wide blue-green eyes. "Auntie, who is inside the pod?"

"Mmm," Garnet hummed. She closed her eyes. She reached out her mind across the space between the pod and ship, to the pod itself, and to the soul huddled inside. It was a boy, a young man perhaps fourteen years-old, and he was fast asleep. Utterly exhausted, really.

"A boy," said Garnet. "He's alive, and asleep."

"A child?" said Tanzanite, looking at Garnet sharply. "Alone?"

"Yes," said Garnet, her unease growing.

"What could've…" said Lady Emerald, her voice drifting off.

"Do you think it was pirates, mom?" said Ferrus.

Garnet looked at her son, sixteen and already looking like he would be about as tall as his father when he was fully grown. To anyone but her, the blunt question might've been offensive or too dark, considering the circumstances, but Garnet knew her child. It was simply his way of speaking.

"I hope not, dear," said Garnet.

The retrieval process went off without a hitch. All craft large enough to haul a space pod aboard were required by Cerinian law—and above that, Lylatian interplanetary law—to have a means to retrieve an escape pod if a distress signal was detected and if sufficient means were available to safely find and retrieve the pod. In their private liner's case, its means was a powerful tow cable capable of reeling the pod in to one of the liner's pressure doors, where a docking could occur and the pod's occupant safely taken aboard. This is exactly what happened. Tanzanite handled the process with the practiced ease and efficiency becoming of his naval carrier. Once the pod was coupled to the pressure door and docking secured, everyone aboard moved to the door and stood aside as Tanzanite cranked it opened, revealing the pod's hatch, frosted from the cold of space. Putting on gloves, Tanzanite opened the hatch.

They all stared, as Garnet drew in a breath.

Indeed, a boy. A vulpine, orange-brown, dressed in the clothes of an apprentice ship's mechanic; a shirt dirtied with grease, and overall's. She came closer, and gasped at the sight of a wound on his shoulder. It was covered in medical foam, but the burns around the wound could only have come from a blaster bolt.

Gently, Garnet unhooked him from the straps and cradled him in her arms. Cornerians were so small compared to Cerinians, she thought. She easily held him in her arms.

"Oh, you poor thing," she whispered.

"A blaster wound," said Tanzanite. "The foam is doing its job, but the wound itself indicates foul play…"

"Pirates," said Ferrus.

Tanzanite nodded. Corsairs still plundered out there in space.

"He's in a deep sleep," said Lady Emerald, stroking the boy's face. "All that adrenaline wearing off."

"We gotta help him, Auntie," said Krystal.

"Of course, dear," said Garnet. She placed a paw on the boy's forehead and whispered a small prayer to Mother Maira, the Cerinian goddess of motherhood. "We need to take him to the infirmary first, and then my quarters."


A thorough checkup at the infirmary revealed that the medical foam was indeed doing its job. Besides the wound, there was nothing wrong with the boy, thank goodness, which meant Garnet could carry him promptly to her room, and tuck him into bed. She still had the sofa in the corner, but Garnet wasn't about to sleep at all until the boy awoke. And so her vigil began for the rest of the day. She would trade places with Emerald or Tanzanite every so often, but Garnet took the bulk of the duty. If there was one thing she absolutely refused to shirk, even to the point of being unreasonable, it was the care of children.

He really did look so small in bed. It was no wonder why Garnet heard stories of Cerinian woman finding most Cornerians adorable. If it weren't for the boy's state, she would've pinched the boy's cheeks by now.

Night cycle came. She dimmed the lights inside her room and took to reading a book at bedside. The dim light shined on her reading glasses. She listened to the boy's rhythmic breathing as she read, comforted by its regularity. She smiled softy, and petted his cheek.

She just finished a chapter when she heard him sigh. His brow wrinkled. Garnet put the book down. Was he waking?

"Hmm…" he hummed. His eyes began to flutter open.

Garnet leaned forward. The rusting of her evening robe made the boy's ear's twitch. His eyes found hers, and Garnet smiled kindly. "Hello, dear," she said.

Confusion bloomed on his face. He began to sit up slowly, and he winced in pain. Garnet put a paw on his chest and made him lay down again.

"Shh," she said. "Your shoulder is still tender, it seems." She gave him a warm smile. "It's okay. You're safe now."

"Where…am I?" he whispered.

"You're on my family's private space craft." She put a paw to his cheek.

He looked around the room. His amazement was adorable.

"Everything is okay," she cooed. "Go back to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

The boy looked at her for a long moment, and then his eyes fluttered.

"…you promise?" said the boy.

The hope in his voice made her heart go out to him. She moved her paw to his forehead.

"Absolutely, dear," she said.

"Okay," he murmured. He closed his eyes.

Garnet stroked his brow. A promise was a promise.


When Garnet opened her eyes next, she looked to the grandfather clock in her room and saw that morning cycle just arrived. She stretched her arms, feeling that stiffness in her neck and shoulders from sleeping upright in a chair. Not that she minded. She gazed down again at the sleeping boy, comforted by the fact that she kept her promise thus far.

Then Garnet saw his brow wrinkle. His eyes began to flutter open, and then they opened wide as he sat straight up, blinking away sleep and looking around. Then he winced, and put a paw to his shoulder.

Garnet had her paws on him the next second. "Goodness! Dear, please, lay back down. You're still sore."

The boy looked at her, blinking in surprise.

"It wasn't a dream…" he said.

Now it was Garnet's turn to blink in surprise. Did the poor thing…? Oh, goodness.

"No, love, it wasn't," she said. "You're still here in my room. You're still safe."

The relief was so evident on his face, it was precious. Stress melted off his shoulders, and he took a deep breath. Garnet couldn't help but gently gather the boy in a hug, pulling him close to her bosom and rubbing his hair.

"There, there," she said.

He leaned into her hug, and Garnet cooed gently. Oh yes, certainly a darling boy. After holding him for a time she let go, and used the next moment to look him over now that he was fully awake. He was a well-built, earnest looking fellow with warm orange fur and emerald eyes, eyes that communicated both curiosity and simple goodness.

There was the urge again to pinch his cheek…

"What's your name, darling?" said Garnet.

He blushed a little. "Fox," he said. "Fox McCloud. Apprentice engineer onboard the…wait-"

He tried to sit up, and Garnet gently held him down.

"Dear-"

"The ship!" he said. "The…the pirates, and…"

He shuddered.

Oh, goodness, her son was right. A survivor of a pirate attack. She drew him into another hug.

"They can't hurt you here," she said. "You're safe, it's okay."

When she drew back, Fox looked down at his paws.

"…there should've been enough pods for the entire crew." He said. 'I hope…and, oh, jeez, mom and dad are probably going to almost die of worry when they hear! I gotta tell them-"

"We have means of getting a message out," said Garnet. She smiled. "I will do everything I can to let your parents know their son is safe."

Fox looked at her, blushing again. "Really?"

Was he really looking so self-consciously at somehow willing to help him so? Garnet fought an urge to hug him again. "Of course. None of that shyness, love," she said, gently tapping his nose. "You are our guest, and I will make sure you are helped."

Fox blushed deeper. "You said this was your craft," he said, looking around. "You said this was Cerinian?"

"Yes," said Garnet.

"Jeez, I really drifted far," he said. She could see him making calculations in his head. "Then again, this job was a far off one. I thought it would be an adventure, and…well…"

"You're very lucky," said Garnet. She placed a paw on his shoulder. "Ah! Where are my manners? My name is Garnet, dear."

Fox nodded. "Nice to meet you, Miss Garnet."

Oh, goodness, his manners. Again, she fought the urge to hug him again. "Just Garnet, love, is fine."

Before Fox could speak again, the bedroom door opened. There was Krystal, peering in, and when she saw that their new guest was awake she gave a gasp of surprise and ran to the side of the bed.

"Oh, wow!" she said. "You're awake! I was wondering when you would wake up."

Fox blinked, completely unprepared for the blue whirl of excitement at his bedside. Garnet caught a bush on his cheeks, and despite herself she leaned back in her chair and smiled.

"And this excitable vixen would be Krystal, my niece," said Garnet. "Krystal, this is Fox. And calm down, child, he just woke up. No need to give him any unnecessary excitement."

"Oh! Sorry Auntie," said Krystal. She flashed the boy a winning smile. "Nice to meet you, Fox! You are from Corneria, right?"

"I am," said Fox, a little smile on his face. "Nice to meet you too, Krystal."

"Whoa. I've never been to Corneria yet. Tell me about it!" she leaned forward.

"Dear, he just woke up," Garnet reminded her gently.

"But I'm curious," said Krystal.

"I don't mind too much," said Fox. It was completely precious; Krystal being in the room seemed to make him much cheerier…

"And you need your rest," said Garnet, placing a paw to Fox's forehead.

"But-" said the both of them.

"No buts," said Garnet. Garnet-knows-best mode was in full swing. "Krystal, let Tanzy know our guest is awake. And then-"

"I will!" said Krystal. "Then I'll be right back. You need to tell me about your home, Fox."

Before Garnet could speak, the vixen was out the door and down the hall.

"…I have a very excitable niece, as you can see," said Garnet. She shook her head both in exasperation and in fondness. That girl had every bit the bubbly good mood of her mother, Lapis, and the good nature of her father, Azu.

"Yeah…" said Fox, watching the door.

Garnet watched the boy, and could sense he was quite dazzled by Krystal. Discreetly, she put a paw to her lips to hide a smile.

So adorable.