The Hatched One

He nodded at them and headed off west. If the island turned out the way they thought it would, only the three of them would have rights to the land, and no others. They would have to pay extra, but it was worth it.

Dealing with multiple investors could make things complicated. They only had a certain amount of time to make their interest official, then their names would be added to the Catalog Records of Galactic Space. 

They wanted to reel the island in and anchor it somewhere to Zenonz before it gets so far away that it'll be a hassle to get there. They already chose the right crew for the job and they were pretty efficient at what they do. They were known for minimal to no damage to islands and for their speed and strength. Sealeo, Whala, and Rayo was a company that you could count on.

There was a pond nearby that bubbled. The iridescent bubbles shimmered metallic colors lit up by the stars. Sherrie wanted to taste the dark green water but it has to be tested first. Below the surface of the pond eyeballs floated in its shallow depths...

Meena looked at Sherrie and her eyes lit up. "Oh mer!" She said, "let's go find that tree! That beautiful egg up there looked ready to go in the picture! I just can't wait!"

Meena nodded determinedly, squinted, and they pulled out their copies of the island scan. From the pictures it looked like the tree was northeast from where they were. Meena looked up. Juu was already collecting mineral and bark samples on his end.

The island was pure space and no atmosphere. It wasn't a sea world like their home planet. They have to navigate differently since they are mermaids accustomed to swimming and no longer traveling through space. The island had tall trees with wide leaves, big round red and grey rocks, and bubbly ponds. Juu thought about actually adding an atmosphere to it. He didn't want to keep using equipment to get around. Then, it'll be more comfortable and hopefully have nice weather events. He was going to talk to Sherrie and Meena about it. 

The female mers took out their travel gear to cling to the trees that grew there. They latched onto the slightly moist ground, and whatever else as they moved around. They didn't want to be left behind and thrown off from a draft if they went above the top perimeter of the island. Some adventurers have told their stories of being swept off islands into space before. Juu could have brought more smart island suits if he would have known they were using the old fashioned method. You could tailor the suits to each individual island you go to and change such settings such as the weight, tracking preferences, and island speed. Either way worked.

Meena and Sherrie collected a few samples of food and flowers that grew there. They were only allowed so much since they were not official. They were already almost ready to lock in their answers.

Juu looked up when a tree had made a faint rustle. Something was thrown at him and he dodged it but another attack came and another one. They seemed weak but accurate. He didn't dodge the rest but went towards the attack. 

He could tell it was a hatchling. They learn to protect themselves when their parents are gone. When he got close it stopped, then he made his move. Captured in a gelatin bubble, he could now see his camouflaged attacker. It was staring back at him and he broke eye contact. He sent a signal to Sherrie and Meena, knowing they were interested.

"We gotta head there!" Said Meena, ready to go see the little one.

"Yeah and we need to make sure about the rest of them!" Exclaimed Sher. "Let's hurry!"