Free The Ancient Starship by Cerberus Jones

imagine them there, trying to figure out what this big sign from the skies meant, and then seeing me crawling out of the ground in front of them. And as I was, all shining in my blue and gold exoskeleton, I looked like a giant scarab beetle. They thought I was a god. One poor fellow fainted of fright on the spot, while the rest ran away.’
    Amelia touched her necklace – a gold scarab beetle hung in the centre between the blue stones. Perhaps for K’Torl it had brought back memories?
    â€˜I thought,’ he continued, ‘that they might have gone to fetch weapons, and honestly, I was so tired, I didn’t care. I just lay in the sand and rested. But the dear things – it turned out they had arranged a sacrifice in my honour, and they brought me all sorts of meat and honey cakes and wine. Far more than any of them could afford, of course, but I didn’t know that at the time. I just fell on it and ate the lot. I’ll always be profoundly grateful.
    â€˜Well, they were all around me, clapping and singing, and it was very kind and welcoming, but obviously it couldn’t go on. Fortunately, I managed to snip a little hair from one of them – I believe he took it as a special blessing – and after I had eaten and rested enough to return to full strength, I simply flew away to a more isolated place, and reconstituted myself into a human body.’
    â€˜But you were all alone,’ said Lady Naomi, her face full of pity. She glanced over at Tom. ‘No-one there for you, to help you survive.’
    K’Torl shrugged. ‘I am Munfeep,’ he said. ‘Being alone is how we survive.’
    â€˜But you’re not alone now!’ Q’Proll chided, and snuggled closer into his side.
    â€˜Ah.’ K’Torl turned to her. ‘But I’m not just surviving anymore, am I? Now we are together, finally I can begin to live .’
    Rolling his eyes and barely suppressing a gagging sound, Charlie dragged Amelia away.
    â€˜I wanted to hear what happened next!’ Amelia protested.
    â€˜I already know what happens next,’ said Charlie. ‘The same thing that’s been happening all night: they kiss and slobber all over each other for about an hour.’
    Looking back over her shoulder, Amelia saw that Charlie was right.
    â€˜But still,’ she said, ‘I wanted to know how he got here, to the hotel, at the exact moment that Q’Proll did.’
    â€˜Oh, I can tell you that.’ Charlie threw himself down into an armchair.
    â€˜You can?’ Amelia sat in the chair beside him.
    â€˜Yeah, he told Arxish he’d been hanging around the dig site since the archaeologists first found the ship. Like, a year ago or whatever. And then when Control’s advance team went in a couple of weeks back, K’Torl overheard them talking about the gateway.’
    Amelia snorted. ‘You mean it was Arxish’s own team that blabbed?’
    â€˜I know,’ Charlie grinned. ‘It’s classic. Anyway, I’ve been thinking …’
    Amelia raised an eyebrow.
    â€˜It’s about Q’Proll,’ he said. ‘She made herself human before she came through the gateway, right?’
    â€˜Yeah,’ Amelia said, not fully paying attention. ‘I asked her about that. I guess she felt safer getting it done before she left home.’
    â€˜But where did she get the human DNA she needed?’
    Now Amelia sat up straight. ‘You’re right – where did she?’
    â€˜I’ve got a theory. Actually, I’ve got three.’
    Amelia nodded.
    â€˜One,’ said Charlie. ‘Someone like Leaf Man who comes here all the time could easily get a bit of human DNA and sell it to whoever was interested.’
    Whoever was interested? Amelia thought. Who would be? Apart from the Munfeep, who were so rare they had been thought to be extinct, who would want human DNA? And what would they do with it? Were there alien