Humans Are Encountered

Self-Healing

Zork'ak was in the dining hall when the humans returned from their cliff diving. Several of them were emitting a loud noise again, a sound called laughter Zork'ak discovered upon researching the documents provided by the galactic council, but xe noticed four of those who entered were touching their heads or their noses. Zork'ak stood to meet them, xer eyes focused on the hurt members of the group.

"Was your excursion successful?"

Adam's mouth shifted upward at the edges in the way that the humans performed frequently. "Yeah, yeah really fun."

"Yeah, my broken nose was definitely really fun." Wren was covering her face with thin material catching red fluid.

"I will escort you to the medical wing." Zork'ak moved towards Wren.

Wren stepped back. "It'll stop and heal itself."

"Your body just regenerates broken extremities?" Zork'ak was more unsure of this species' presence every time xe interacted with them.

"Not regenerate, per se," Carrie answered to Zork'ak's right. "It'll just heal broken bones and cartilage. Once I got into a wicked fight, ended up with two or three broken ribs. Hurt like a bitch."

"Do these bones also heal themselves?"

"Oh, yeah. All of our bones heal themselves. You just have to make sure you get it set right. Usually ribs and noses we can't do anything about."

Zork'ak was uncertain of how to answer when xe noticed Jessica standing behind Carrie with her head directed down and her upper extremities supporting it. "Is Jessica well?"

Jessica looked up then with her eyes mostly closed when she looked towards the illumination on the ceiling. "Concussion," she said.

"What is a 'concussion?'" Xe considered that perhaps the Klyls knew very little about the species now inhabiting their base.

"It's when you hit your head real hard and it hurts pretty bad. It can make things disorienting." Carrie was looking at Jessica. "It can cause some brain damage, but it doesn't usually."

"Our medical staff can assess the damage from Jessica's brain injury." Zork'ak was aware that the humans were all scientists, but six of them had extensive medical training. Xe was not informed which ones.

Carrie turned her head laterally. "I checked her out before we walked back. We gave her some pain reliever, and I'm taking her to her room. She just needs it to be dark and to rest." Carrie took Jessica down the corridor, and Zork'ak returned to xer seat. The humans sat around xem at xer empty table.

"Hurts like hell, man. Not cool." Steve's voice was quiet, not well directed to provide the information.

"Oh, he was being nice. I would've hit you real hard." Reese laughed.

"Is there a problem? Will it cause a physical altercation?" Zork'ak assessed the situation, concluding that if the humans were to fight, there was little xe could do. These humans could inflict extreme damage.

"Oh, no." Adam appeared to have received pleasantness from Zork'ak's question based on the way that his lips turned up at the ends. "Steve got a sunburn, and I hit him on the back. It was pretty funny."

"You're an asshole," Steve said as he took a bite of his meal.

"A 'sunburn?'" Zork'ak would discuss with the Commander a remeeting with the galactic council for more detailed information. Xe had to clarify nearly everything the humans said.

"Yeah. We have to put on a layer of sunscreen, like a protective ointment, or it'll burn our skin and kill the top layer."

Zork'ak was had not heard of this phenomenon for any species. "Our sun rays harm your skin?"

"Well, it's not as strong as our sun, but yes. We can still get burned."

"I will take you to the medical wing. We cannot allow you all to go outside if the sun is killing your skin layers." Zork'ak started to rise from the bench.

Steve did not move. "Give it a few days. It goes way. The body replaces those cells with new ones."

Xe sank back onto xer seat. "Is there anything your body cannot heal?"

"Oh, yeah. Some infections and diseases, heart problems, cancer. Things like that."

"But normal, everyday things," Adam said. "We heal ourselves."

Zork'ak wondered how the scorching of one's skin or the breaking of a bone was a constant occurrence, but xe was unsure of the information xe had learned before these humans arrived. It appeared to be containing quite large omissions.