Gert/Sarsuk's Head 2 (Patreon)

I guess it wasn't a one-off after all!

Gert/Sarsuk's Head

———

Gert walked in bravely, but his ears hung low and large tears were forming in the corners of his eyes. Apart from the patch over the left eye, he barely recognized the geroo in the bed before him.

“Gert?” croaked Admiral Ateri. “Is that really you?”

Gert managed only a whisper. “Yes, sir.”

“Oh, speak up, son,” Ateri said, letting his grey head flop back against the pillow. He drew two hard breaths from the plastic tubing that forked into his nostrils before trying again. “You still look how I remember you. Just a cub, really.”

“Well,” Gert said, intentionally raising his voice louder than felt appropriate for such a somber setting, “I spent a lot of time in hibernation during my travels. Feels like I’ve only been gone ten years.” He grabbed a chair and pulled it alongside the bed.

“You look good—like you could take on the galaxy,” said the older geroo with a cough, his ears wide in a genuine smile. “It makes me so proud to see what you’ve become.”

“Really?” Gert squeaked. He cursed himself silently but only for a moment. “I figured you’ve been disappointed in me. I know you wanted me to take over for you, and I basically ran away. I’m … a coward.”

“No.” Ateri slowly shook his head, then rested his eyes for a moment. “I was the one pushing you to be something you didn’t want to be. It took incredible bravery to actually become your own person. A weaker geroo would have let me mold you into what I wanted.”

That made Gert smile. He’d tried not to think about Ateri in the intervening years. Doing so just made him feel guilty. “Thank you, sir.”

Gert sniffled. He’d missed so much, and now Ateri was dying, leaving little chance to make up for lost time. His heart ached at the thought.

“Oh, don’t cry,” said the older male. “Nothing to be sad about. I’ve had at least two full lives already, more success, more happiness than anyone deserves. I’ve been surrounded by family. I’ve done everything I’ve ever wanted to do. Honestly? I’m excited to start over and have a new go at it. I can’t wait to see what the next life will bring.”

Gert threw his arms around his former captain but tried not to hug too hard. “There, there, son. Don’t cry.”

“Oh, please don’t call me that,” sobbed the big geroo. He sat back in his seat and wiped his eyes. “You know how awful Dad was. I always kinda wished … that you…”

“Yeah, we need to talk about that,” sighed Ateri. “It just never seemed like the time, but Danash wasn’t really your father.”

Gert blinked. “What?”

“Oof. This is going to be hard to accept,” Ateri said, “but Jakari and I were in love … with Sur’an.”

“You slept with my mother?” gasped Gert, his ears up in shock.

“It wasn’t like that,” sighed the Admiral. “The three of us were in love. I didn’t even know three people could fall in love, but we were. We spent every moment together. We hid it, of course, because the crew would never understand. They didn’t care if anyone else had … an unusual love life, but they’d never accept it from their captain. They’d think I was abusing my position to … get more.”

Gert sat back in his seat and stared at the grey male for the longest while. Was any of this true? “But my dad—”

“Sur’an hadn’t been in love with Danash for the longest time,” Ateri explained. “But she stayed with him so she could get a birth token. I realize this was wrong and manipulative, but your mother wanted to have a cub so badly, and with our lives being too busy for a traditional family, it seemed like the only chance we’d ever get.”

“Really?” Gert squeaked.

“Yeah, really, son. We’ve always been so proud of you,” said Ateri. “Truthfully? That may have been why I pushed you so hard to become an officer, so we’d always be a part of your life. We tried to stay close, but not ever let on.”

Gert shook his head, stunned.

Ateri turned away and ran his paw gently over the smooth covers on the other side of the bed. “I’m so sorry, Gert. You just missed Jakari. She passed a few days ago,” he sighed. “But I know she loved you dearly also. We talked about you all the time.”

Gert forced himself to smile. He’d already spoken with Ateri’s nurse, Keji, who was waiting downstairs. She was a robust gal—spunky, middle-aged, and not the sort who would take no for an answer—precisely the kind of professional who would make Ateri take medicine when he didn’t want to. She’d already warned Gert that Jakari had passed away—but last spring, not a few days ago. Ateri’s mind was still strong, but the palliative care was muddying his memory. The drugs that kept him from feeling pain were also making him lose track of time.

“So, I guess I have half-brothers and sisters now? I heard that the two of you had a huge family eventually.” When the grey geroo heard that, he could only grin. Gert admitted, “That kinda surprised me, considering that Jakari was almost sixty when I left.”

Male bodies, of course, produced sperm throughout their lifetimes, so even the oldest guy could—in theory—father healthy cubs. Females, however, were born with all the eggs they’d ever have, and eggs didn’t keep forever. The older they got, the more likely they’d produce deformed offspring. Generally speaking, the geroo considered forty a stopping point for breeding, a female geroo’s last chance to safely have a cub. After that, the risk was just too high for birth defects.

“Ovarian cancer,” said Ateri. “Jakari had cancer.”

“What?” gasped Gert. “Oh, I’m so, so sorry!”

Ateri waved a paw to dismiss the thought. “This was ages ago. She wasn’t even going to tell me about it. Figured she’d have her Going Away before the cancer could get her.”

“Oh, wow…”

“But when we realized that no one was ever taking another big orange pill, the doctors focused their efforts and cured it.” He shook his head. “But instead of just cutting it out, they cloned a replacement—with young, healthy eggs. Next thing you know, the two of us were a cub-making factory.”

Gert boomed a laugh and slapped both his thighs. “In your sixties? Talk about life-changing!”

“You don’t know the half of it,” admitted Ateri. “You remember what Jakari was like back on the ship, right?”

Gert nodded. Of course, he did. Everyone loved Jakari. She acted like everyone’s mother. But in private, she was every bit as ruthless as Ateri. Without a moment’s hesitation, she’d make dire sacrifices to protect her crew.

“Well, when we had our first,” Ateri said, “...she changed.”

Gert covered his mouth with both paws. He couldn’t imagine either of them ever changing.

Ateri wheezed a laugh and sucked hard at his oxygen. “All that fierceness turned into an explosion of mommy instinct. She left all the commanding behind and mothered every last cub she could get her arms around.” He grinned contentedly. “Every day I’d come home, and the apartment would be overrun with cubs. Ours, cousins, friends and neighbors, complete strangers with busy parents… I wouldn’t recognize half of them. But it was the happiest I’d ever been.”

“Sounds like pure chaos,” said Gert.

“Oh, it was,” the older geroo agreed. “Don’t think I could have handled it when I was young, but at that point in my life, I no longer minded so much. I had survived so many things that should have killed me and lived so much longer than I had any right to… Go ahead and draw on the table, eat off the deck, whatever, I was just along for the ride.”

Gert laid his paw atop of Ateri’s. “I had some as well.”

The admiral blinked and stared at Gert’s face. “You did?” he asked. “Well, bring them in here! Let me meet the little rascals!”

Gert shrugged. “I didn’t get to keep them.”

“No?”

“Well…” Gert fidgeted uncomfortably. “There was a bunch of gals, and their guys were having fertility issues. So … I helped out the best I could.” He shrugged again, his ears blushing hard.

Ateri just grinned. “Right. So, you really went to Krakuntec? You went to that breeding colony you told me about?”

“I did! It was … life changing—really eye opening.” Then, he snapped his fingers and wiggled excitedly like a cub himself. “I almost forgot! I brought you a present from Krakuntec.”

Ateri shook his head. “Krakuntec has nothing for me.”

“Just you wait a moment, sir. Wait until you see this.” He slipped a small yellowed roll of actual paper from his strand holder and spread it flat in his paws.

Ateri squinted at it but quickly gave up. “Read it to me.”

“This is a copy of Commissioner Sarsuk’s actual death decry from the day of his execution,” said Gert.

Ateri sighed. “He was a true bastard. I can’t believe I outlived him somehow. Still, I’m not sure it’s right to celebrate—”

“Wait, wait. I haven’t gotten to the best part,” Gert said, waving a finger. “This is all written in Krakun… Sentenced to die for treason, go figure… The date… Signature of the executioner, just some guy… Signature of the first witness, same name as the executioner…”

“Hrm,” said Ateri, “that sounds unusual.”

“But the second witness signature is the really interesting bit,” said Gert. “It’s written in itty bitty Geroo runes instead of Krakun glyphs.”

“The witness signed his name in Geroo?” An ear stood tall.

“The signature says, ‘Kanti’. Oh, and there’s a little smiley face drawn in next to it.”

Ateri’s ears drooped. “Who’s Kanti?”

Gert grinned. “Remember the guy that Sarsuk chased around the recycler bay? He stuck his arm into the recycler, trying to nab him?”

Ateri’s eye, ears, and mouth opened wide. “Right, he nearly got us all killed! And he survived the recycler somehow and ducked into the access tunnels!”

“Yeah, that was him!” laughed Gert. “And then you got rid of him by sending him down to Krakuntec—”

“To work on Sarsuk’s cleaning crew!” Ateri finished for him. “That’s right! I wonder how he could have ended up as the witness to Sarsuk’s execution.”

“I have no idea,” said Gert, shaking his head. He set the paper on the nightstand. “I really should have asked him.”

Ateri blinked. The old geroo looked stunned. “Wait, you spoke with Kanti?”

“No,” laughed Gert. He placed his palm gently on his father’s chest. “Far weirder than that. After I left Krakuntec, I wandered around for a bit and ended up on Liotec, outside of a secret research facility.”

Ateri stared at him, unblinking. “Okay?”

“Anyhow, I was chatting up this gorgeous lio gal, telling her how I used to live on a krakun slave ship,” said Gert, “and she mentions that they have Sarsuk’s head in the basement.”

“Ew,” said Ateri. “Why?”

“I’m not real sure,” said Gert. “But they hooked it up to a room full of machines to keep it alive.”

Ateri stared at him. “Okay, that’s really strange.”

“So, anyhow, she took a nap, and I snuck in to go talk with Sarsuk.”

Ateri stared at him. “That’s my son!” he wheezed proudly. “Fearless.”

Gert blushed. “Well, after sneaking aboard the survey ship and into a breeding colony, I guess a research facility felt more like a curiosity than actually dangerous.”

“And so, you actually did? You actually talked to that nasty old lizard?”

“Well, his head, yeah.” Gert smiled. “He’s a lot less scary when it looks like he’s got his head stuck in a hole.”

Ateri patted Gert’s paw. “That must have been therapeutic, finally confronting the bastard that murdered your mother.”

The younger geroo just shrugged, avoiding his father’s eyes. “We didn’t really talk about that,” he admitted. “I just told him the good stuff, like us beating the pirates and getting a world of our own.”

Ateri blinked and remained silent a moment. “Well, I’m proud that you grew up to be better than I ever was,” he said. He put out his arms and Gert eased himself into the offered hug. “I think it’s wonderful that you could have done so much and still be motivated by wonder rather than hatred. I envy you.”

Gert sat back and wiped his face. “Thanks,” he said quietly.

“Will you stay a little longer on New Gerootec?” asked Ateri with a yawn. “The drugs make it hard to stay awake, but I want to hear more.”

“Yeah, I’m not leaving yet.”

“Good,” said Ateri, closing his eyes. “I don’t have much time left, but I’d appreciate you sticking around long enough to do me one last favor. I’d like you to help me take my final journey when I’m done.”

“Of course,” Gert whispered while he kissed his father’s cheek. “It would be an honor…”

He had nearly walked out the door before he turned and finished his thought, “...Dad.”

———

Reviewer's link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10Qq1VLiZdOMX2RXfAt06GrUOYavmccHT3DVhcTtaVBo/edit?usp=sharing

Thoughts?