Move 2.6 Recap

In the galley: Fluffy and the hatchlings, joined by Alaric, Gerae, Ione, Sasha, Sulen, and Virmad

Sasha turns on the galley lights, revealing Fluffy, who is ferrying snacks to her nest. Sasha mixes almond butter with fruit preserves, then whistles. Two hatchlings, one a light grayish blue and one a darker blue shade, emerge from the nest. Sasha offers them the mixture, which they devour. She asks the grid whether Ione, Alaric, or Sulen is awake, then continues to feed the hatchlings, alternately humming and murmuring to them in Kirrish. Sulen arrives, carrying a glass of water, which they set down. They ask how they can help. Sasha asks them to make a tuna and banana smoothie: "Their food should be a paste and I doubt you want to chew it yourself." Even more disheveled than usual, Alaric arrives, asking, "Was that the decompression alert? Or the we're-being-chased-by-angry-Kel siren? We should probably have one of--" Recognizing the hatchlings, he suggests finding squeeze bottles. Sasha assents enthusiastically: "Could you print at least six? There are quite a few babies still in the nest, and pseudo-dragons aren't meant to be single parents." Meanwhile, two more hatchlings emerge from the nest, one a striking purple and magenta combination, which Sulen admires. They make the requested smoothie, pondering their to-do list and what Mafyyil is up to in an effort to distract themselves from the glop. They offer some of the result to the magenta hatchling, who is delighted.

Sasha tells the dark blue hatchling, "Baby frog, I'm going to have to set you down for a moment. Don't let your sibs take all the sweet potassium." Alaric delivers the squeeze bottles, asking if they are appropriate: "Some species' mouth need to suckle or bite on something with the right consistency. And what about emzymes or stomach acid, is the food adults feed them just chewed or partially digested? Does gut bacteria get exchanged?" Sasha thanks him, explaining, "The regurgitation is mostly to transport nutrient-dense food, while hatchlings are too young to hunt bugs or avoid predators. A lot of birds use the same strategy. Our hatchlings do need some of Fluffy's bacteria to help digest cellulose, but as long as we make sure she has plenty of nuts and seeds to share with them, they'll be all right."