Bastion Science Fiction Magazine - Issue 4, July 2014 by Alex Hernandez George S. Walker Eleanor R. Wood Robert Quinlivan Peter Medeiros Hannah Goodwin R. Leigh Hennig Read Free Book Online

dive into the water like he used to back on Earth, but this wasn’t the mild Caribbean. Everything on this planet was more: more brilliant, more massive, more viscous, more corrosive, and it was all mere humans could do to not buckle under the onslaught of Papua.
    The doctor stopped them when they were waist deep in the foam. “The surrogate should be here shortly. She’s nervous, as you can imagine.”
    Despite the cold dribbling into his bones, his muscles and exoskeleton appreciated the added buoyancy the water provided. Water was the key: all-powerful, and infinitely mutable. They came to this world because their long-range telescopes promised them water. Now, to survive, humanity had to become like water. He took Ojore’s hand—his dark brown skin looked golden in the eerie light—and got a smile and a wink in return.
    “What is she like? What does she do for a living?” asked Ojore, scanning the wide horizon, trying to ignore the throng of protesters on rickety boats defiantly skirting the perimeter of the clinic.
    “She’s a lawyer, or their version of the profession, and has worked extensively with humans.”
    Ignacio chuckled at the flashing picket signs the boaters struggled with against the whipping wind: “We are an invasive species here!” one of them said in crimson letters. “Hybridization is desecration!” proclaimed another. Finally those two groups have found something they agree on . Then Ojore gasped and Ignacio caught sight of an impressive array of dorsal spines—each taller than he was—breaching the waves.
    “Ah, here she is.” Nakamura gestured toward the thing sawing through the sea.
    The behemoth arched over the water. Its banded body glinted with metallic blues and greens, its splayed pectoral fins cascaded over the water with the discipline of synchronized oarsmen. The vast liquescent meadow shattered in its presence and the protesters’ violently rocking boats puttered off to safer waters.
    The pit of Ignacio’s stomach lurched and it took him a few seconds to realize it wasn’t only the fear and awe that did it, but the unexpected swaying of his entire island.
    When humans first arrived on the watery Super-Earth, they assumed the Mokoani were no more intelligent than dolphins and whales—and probably less so since they looked more like fish than mammals. Then the nautical natives attacked the colonists using precise magnetic pulses to scramble computers. They displayed sabotage techniques that any guerilla fighter would be proud of. Their coordination and tactics were so extraordinary that astrobiologists started to pay close attention to these aggravating, gaudy giants.
    They soon discovered that the locals communicated using electromagnetic waves produced by a magnetite organ more intricate than the human ear—they spoke in radio! A rough translation program was rapidly developed and the banal monsters were exposed as every bit as complex as human beings. They lived rich lives, not only submerged in water, but immersed in an organic internet that spanned the planet. Negotiations where soon established and relations have been stable, but tense, ever since.
    Their comms crackled and a deep female voice said, “Hello, gentlemen, I am Wahgohi.”
    The name sounded familiar, but Ignacio couldn’t place it.
    “Hello, Wahgohi, this is Ojore and Ignacio Bahanti-Batista. I’ll give you all some privacy. If you need me, just call.” Dr. Nakamura gave them both a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “To speak to her, turn to channel nine, and remember: she’s evaluating you as much as you’re evaluating her. Good luck, boys.”
    “Hello, Wahgohi, I’m Ignacio and this is my husband, Ojore. We’re so glad you could meet with us.”
    The colossal thing hoisted itself up the ramp connecting the shallow man-made pool to the ineffable ocean that drowned the entire planet. The humans struggled to keep their heads above the surge.
    “We must look so small and insignificant to