Playing Koi (9) (Patreon)

Jemma fiddled with the seaweed harvester, her brow furrowed in concentration. The machine was a patchwork of scavenged parts, held together by ingenuity and sheer determination. It stayed in the water thanks to firm bristles wedging against both sides of the tank, at the end of poles that were as much prayer as they were metal.

Jemma selected a wrench from her toolbelt, shifting with the weight. It was getting harder and harder to wear comfortably—it would get worse before it got better. Today might be her last chance for a win.

A crowd of farmers and other fish gathered in the water all around, watching with a mix of curiosity and apprehension. The seaweed field stretched out before them, reaching all the way to the thin layer of air atop their tank. 

In the last few months, Jemma had started picking up their names. Torren and his three brothers in the front row, then that octopus with the missing eye was Yaki. Brady and Nicole were both right up front, and their cheers of enthusiasm were the loudest. Jemma couldn't let them down, not again.

She poked her head under the hood, making a final adjustment to the bracket holding the air-line in place. 

Had Jemma made different choices before her life in the aquarium, she might know enough to use magic as her power source, as Kisten did in Thetria. She couldn't go back and yell at her old self to study—but she could use the tools the aquarium offered.

Elaborate air-powered decorations gave her raw materials, and the thin clear tube was its own bottomless power supply. Even now the bubbles overflowed from the hood, steady relief to keep the pressure from growing too high. Even underwater, pneumatics were a dangerous game. She had technically built a bomb.

Liam swam out from the crowd, his face a mix of excitement and nervousness. He caught her in both arms, spinning in a slow spiral above the tractor. He squeezed for only a second, matching the delicate kiss on her cheek. "How's it look?"

She tilted her head to one side. "Ready and waiting. Do we have the go-ahead or not?"

"Mayor Coral approved," he muttered, glancing out at the waiting crowd. His voice dropped to a whisper, directly into her ear. "If this doesn't work, we're both going down with it. Algaegard can't afford to waste food right now."

Jemma broke away from him, settling her wrench back into her belt. She didn't whisper, but spoke confidently for every fish to hear. "It will work," she said. "I'm sure of it this time."

Liam brushed past her with his tail, before turning back to the machine. "Alright. Time to make history."

Jemma slipped into the driver's seat, lowering her tail into the waiting net. The controls were unlike anything on the surface—a row of five plastic air valves, each one for a different system. In time, she would make the machine require only one of these, and give it a simple throttle for forward and back. But this harvester wasn't to that point yet. 

She had to prove it could work, first.

The valves hissed as Jemma cranked them open, one by one. Air bubbles belched from the harvester's exhaust pipes, swirling up in frantic streams. The machine shuddered, its skeletal frame rocking back and forth in place as its lines pressurized one by one. Jemma tensed, afraid it might shake itself apart like the last one.

Then the blades engaged, spinning in a wide arc towards the field. The chopping blades sliced through the first row of seaweed in a flurry of motion. She exhaled, letting out the breath she'd been holding. She twisted open the throttle valve, and the harvester began its slow advance into the field.

All around her, the crowd watched in hushed silence. She ignored them, focusing on the complex interaction between valves, pressure, and air.

Row after row fell before the blades. With each one, the seaweed was gathered into the cargo basket at the rear, wrapped in a mesh sack for transport. Jemma's eyes flickered between the various gauges, making constant minor adjustments to keep the harvester running smoothly.

A hose came loose, spraying her with a jet of bubbles. She clamped it back into place with her tail, not daring to take her hands off the controls. The harvester lurched, but she smacked the hood again with her tail, and that kept it moving.

Finally she emerged past the field, beyond the last wispy strand of seaweed. Her arms ached from the strain of operating the valves, but she pushed through. It was almost over.

Jemma threw the harvester into reverse, guiding it back towards the starting point. 

Liam swam along just behind it, well away from the now-stationary blades. "That's good, right there!"

She cut the power, and the machine ground to a halt. Silence descended over the gathered crowd. Nicole screamed, her little voice shrill and energetic. Many others joined her, cheers so loud the whole tank shook.

Jemma sagged in her seat, falling limp. She'd done it. A week's harvest for a whole team of fish, complete in minutes.

She squirmed free of the seat, lifting into the water. A single fish approached, though not from the crowd. She swam purposefully towards them from the connecting tunnel, and the town of Algaegard beyond. Mayor Coral.

Mayor Coral was vibrant yellow and black, distinct even from a distance. As she approached, her lips curved into a smile. "Well, would you look at that? Your harvester didn't blow up this time."

She forced a smile, hoping it didn't look as nervous as she felt. "I fixed the pressure system. It still needs a skilled operator, but even that should be temporary. Any fish should be able to drive the next one."

Mayor Coral nodded thoughtfully, then reached into the basket at the back of the harvester. She pulled out a piece of seaweed and inspected it briefly before taking a bite. After a moment, she nodded her approval and clapped Jemma on the shoulder.

"Listen up!" Coral's voice carried over the crowd like a wave. "This is what happens when we have faith in our brightest minds. Thanks to Jemma and Liam here, we'll eat well this year. We've always been resourceful, but today opens a whole new tank to explore." 

Jemma glanced sidelong at Liam.

The blue fish reached over to take her hand in his, squeezing tight. His voice wasn't audible over the cheers that followed. But it didn't have to be—Jemma got the idea. They'd done it.

It took a few hours for the party to finally settle. 

Jemma and Liam swam home through the warm water of Algaegard, then all the way to the crags. They still lived at the bottom, though the scope of their work meant they had a private tunnel going all the way down. More importantly, building hardware for the city meant an external structure atop the tunnel for the workshop, clearing away the narrow caves below for personal use.

Inside, Jemma had transformed the utilitarian space into something that felt more like home. She had carved out a cozy sitting area near the top, with soft cushions made from woven kelp and a low table made of coral.

Below was their bedroom, separated from the former workshop with walls of woven seaweed and wood. Plush moss covered the bed, soft enough for whatever purpose she might want. Few native fish saw any reason to build furniture like this—but Jemma didn't care. If she was going to be stuck in a fish tank, she would at least make her prison comfortable.

From below, she heard the gentle thrum of Liam's tail against the stone, and the steady grinding of excavation. She swam down to find him in the nursery they had been building. tucked away at the bottom of the former workshop.

Liam had a basket on the ground before him, filled with little colored tiles and a blob of waterproof cement.

"You can take a break," she said, lingering in the doorway. "Don't you think we've done enough today?"

He looked up, then grinned. "Hey." He swam over to her, his tail coiling around hers as he pulled her into a long, tender kiss.

Jemma wrapped her arms around him, her fingers tracing the sleek lines of his face. Their bodies moved together effortlessly, shedding pesky things like the smock he wore to work or the wrap around her breasts. There was no one to see them down here. In all the months since Jemma's arrival in the aquarium, not even one night had passed outside. The lights were still dark, the mall empty. At this rate, it would stay that way for years.

They parted some time later, stretching out together on the nursery floor. Her breath came halting when she spoke. "You don't… have to be down here all the time. We don't need the nursery yet."

Liam reached out to stroke her belly with a gentle hand. "It won't be long, Jemma. Another month, then… maybe six until they hatch."

Jemma's breath caught, and the heat faded from her cheeks. She had seen too much of the aquarium's cruelty, too much loss and heartache. She pulled away from him, floating near the doorway. "I... I don't think I'm ready for this."

Liam swam closer, gently taking her hands in his. "Hey, it's okay. Scary as it is, you aren't up against it alone. You've got me."

He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her. She leaned into his embrace, and her heartbeat began to steady. She didn't want to talk now—words felt flimsy. 

Liam just waited. Minutes, hours—time didn't mean anything to her anymore. Eventually she couldn't abide the silence any longer. "Never thought I'd be a mom."

Liam tilted his head. "Really?"

Jemma shrugged, a helpless gesture. "Kisten, my girlfriend... she always wanted kids. But we were both girls, so…" She shrugged. "I would've given her a hundred if I could. I thought we had both accepted we wouldn't. Instead, we're…." She looked down, resting one hand on her belly. "That's why I ran away from Thetria. When I found out she…"

Liam squeezed her hand. "I've never met this girlfriend you used to have. Way I see it, she doesn't know what she's missing. She let you get away—lucky for Algaegard. Lucky for me."

Jemma winced. "I don't think I'll ever be ready for this. I was never supposed to be a mom, or a fish. Now I'm both."

Liam pulled back. "Jemma, you are going to be amazing. You're the smartest, most resourceful fish in this whole aquarium. You can handle anything."