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Oh, right. Marcel. I’m sure that will all sort itself out. We can stick with Esthiss a bit longer. She just got adopted and has her new home to explore. We can’t miss that. Yes, I know next chapter is the art 2 finale. Sigh. Fiiine, we’ll advance the main plot too. There’ll be a cost, though. You’ll see. Cackles. You’ll all see. I mean, it’ll be right there on the page. Hard to miss.Thanks to Randox on the discord for Sarsa’s EdictSynopsis: Magic was once real and present but faded away in the distant past, becoming nothing but the myths and legends we know as the surviving beings fled to other planes, only to publicly return during the Sat Wars. How would it change first contact and beyond? Only one way to find out.I have a spot on the discord, swing on by! Thanks to SpacePaladin15 for the original universe; my alpha readers, Caro Morin and Jailed Cinder; my beta readers, Angustus_Jan on the discord and u/aroluci (go check out Children of Luna, it’s awesome); and all of you that read and especially comment. Anybody interested in playing around in the AU (be it a one-shot, an impromptu ficnap, a cameo, or something more), let me know and I’ll be more than happy to work with you on it. My current plan is to release a chapter a week, with the occasional bonus, as long as that isn’t too much for everybody helping me.Without further ado, enjoy!__________[First] [Prev] [Next]__________Memory Transcription Subject: Esthiss Monahan, Arxur AdopteeDate [standardize Terran Time]: August 28th, 2136__________I sniffle, nuzzling into my mother and letting out a small trill.“Feeling better, sweetie?” Mother asks before her pad buzzes, and she checks it. “Sweetie, I’m really sorry, but something critically important just came up. Don’t wait for me to eat. You can have my lunch if you want. Your room is upstairs, but we can move you down here until your legs heal if you’d like. Rucio will help you out while I’m gone. Just listen to what they say and follow the directions on the screens. If you get hungry, I’d prefer it if you had food delivered instead of going to the mess hall, but if you insist, I can make sure you’ll have a guard. There will be one outside the door, just in case. They aren’t keeping you in, just keeping you safe in case you leave. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Rucio, look after Esthiss. Make sure she eats her meat!” Mother says as she hurries out of the room, only stopping long enough to squeeze me in her arms.The ship’s AI responds. “Yes, ma’am. I will ensure the ship’s ward is taken care of.”I do my best to rush after mother, struggling to use the wheelchair’s controls quickly with my weak arm and the warm shock of the squeeze. I want more. I want to give her one. The problem is definitely this stupid chair, not my surprise. By the time I reach the door, she’s gone. I hiss keeningly. “What do I do now?”The AI responds, “Eating your lunch and familiarizing yourself with these quarters would be ideal.”I look around the entry. It’s… comfortable. Nice. Pictures of mother and other Terrans. A woman and a man holding his head like she can alongside… a younger version of mother in black pelts with a matching flat pelt on her head. A younger mother and another Terran with bark-like skin and flowers blooming from her green hair in less covering pelts on a sandy stretch of land. Mother and various Terrans of many different appearances, many wearing uniforms or armor. ‘Will there be pictures of me here?’I navigate back to the food, settling in to eat. “Watermelon!” I trill.I whine when I reach the rind, setting it aside to pick at the rest of the meal. There’s a thought that’s far more pressing than food. At least food other than watermelon. ‘Oh! Or citrus. Hmm… Maybe berries, too.’ I growl at myself for getting distracted. “Rucio? What’s going to happen to the guy who hurt me?”There’s a short pause. “I’m not sure we should discuss that.”“Why?” I try a forkful of a shredded meat in a brown sauce, letting out a small trill at the taste. “Since he angered the captain and tried to attack her, we’d probably execute him. After torturing him. Can’t be worse.”“That isn’t what the Terrans would typically do. Even with the other crimes he committed and threats he made. Typically, he would be tried and, given the weight of evidence, jailed in the hopes of rehabilitation.”I tilt my head. “If you can tell me that, then why can’t you tell me about him?”“Because his connections to a known hate group, suspected of connections to terrorism, made him a person of interest for the intelligence cells aboard. We hoped to find out how he slipped through the existing filters.”“Made? Not makes?”“Yes, Ward Monahan.” Another pause. “I have been granted permission to inform you that he had some sort of implanted device which bypassed our medical scans. We’ll know more after an autopsy, but we suspect either a cybernetic or bioware self-termination device. Both are highly illegal.”“Oh… Ok. Sorry, you can’t get more information.” I stare at my tray. “Hmm…” I pick up one of the pieces of meat with an oddly polygonal bone sticking out. I can’t help but trill as I bite through it all. “This has a nice crunch!”__________Advance 30 STD minutes__________I rumble happily, my tail swaying slowly, having eaten both lunches. “I’m soooo full.”“Do you require medical assistance?” Rucio asks. “While you are mostly past the concern of overfeeding, it’s best to be safe.”“No, I’m just happy and uncomfortable. Um… how can I clean up the trays?”“There’s no need, Ward Monahan. I will send drones to clear the mess. You may explore your new home.”“Can I see them!?!?!” I shout, my tail starting to wind about uncontrollably.A few moments later, a hatch opens in the wall and out scurry…I warble, tail winding. “They’re so cute! Are those mice and a beetle!?! They’re made of the same stuff as the ship!”There’s a pause, the mice scurrying up the table legs and squeaking at me as the beetle wanders the ground near where I’m sitting, before Rucio responds. “Yes, they’re Scurry Utility drones and a Scuttleshell Cleaner drone. Would you like to see the Velvetwing Interior drone that will be cleaning the table?”“Yes! Please?!? Oh! Are they the big moths?” I rattle excitedly. I gasp as another hatch opens and a huge moth flutters out on glittering wings and small thrusters. “It’s so fluffy! It’s a moth!”“Yes, they are. Given your reaction, I will be more open about the use of cleaning drones in your presence. Please inform me if the Thimbleant or Wallisk drones appearances bother you; none are currently available in this area of the ship for display. Feel free to explore your new home, Ward Monahan. Before you ask, no, you may not have a drone.”I trill and look around. This is clearly a place to make food in the Terran way. I’m not sure what most of it is, but maybe I could learn to cook sometime? I go to a large room, there are plush seats and a long chair… ‘What’s the English word? A… coach? Couch!’ I trill before ducking my head in embarrassment. “Um… Rucio, what is this room?” I ask as I look around, seeing more photos and small objects. There are a lot of photos with the Terran from the beach at different ages and the one I think is mother’s mother, a few having the largest Terran I’ve seen. The ages in the photos confuse me, the Terran from the beach looks to age quickly and stop, while mother’s mother may have gotten younger after a point. ‘Terrans age weird.’“The living room, a place to enjoy entertainment and to spend time with family and friends.” The crystal screen in the room shifts to show Rucio’s avatar. “This screen is meant to be used to watch media or play games, but,” Rucio disappears from the screen to appear in the middle of the room, “there is also a holoprojector. We have an extensive collection of media and a quantum link we can use to access media libraries in Sol. I could give suggestions based on your taste or have controllers fabricated for your claws. Do you need more information?”“No,” I trill. “Thank you, Rucio!” I keep moving and find another small room, shelves of objects and books and photos and a desk. It looks like a work area but… it’s nice. Calming. Maybe mother could tell me some of the stories behind the photos and objects? A few of them looked like bits of shrapnel or bullets, others were bits of metal on ribbons. A lot of metal on ribbons.I move over to the stairs and, with some help from Rucio, figure out how to move up them. “Stupid chair. Stupid stair mode being automatic…” I grumble. ‘Stupid Terrans making things too easy…’I move towards a door, and the AI speaks. “That’s the panic room. It’s designed to function as an auxiliary escape pod in the event that the ship is destroyed and the occupant cannot reach the true escape pods.”I trigger the door to open and see something similar to an escape pod, just… better. “Are there rations and supplies in there?”“Yes, miss. The captain updated the supplies to increase the amount of preserved meat in addition to adding stores of Arxur-specific rations, supplements, and medical supplies. She also had a store of enzyme pills added to the medical kit.”“Which room is mine?” I ask as I turn away. A panel by a door lights up. “Thank you!” I chirp before wheeling over. I hesitate, but I open the door eventually. I’m not sure what I expected. It wasn’t this. A plush bed, covered in fuzzy plush things… stuffed animals. A storage crate of some sort. A large screen, in addition to the ones showing the view out of the ship. A desk and a case on top of it. I wheel over and see a note, handwritten in Araxi.The crew thought you might like some gifts. Stuffed animals, toys, learning kits for magical engineering and drone building, and a toolkit put together by the entire engineering department. The chief will be by after dinner to go over the kit with you. Just remember, you’re a civilian on the ship and not a member of the crew. The tools aren’t to be used to repair things around the ship.I trill happily and move to the chest to look at what it holds.__________Advance time 2 STD hours__________I’ve fully explored mother’s quarters, except her bedroom. It’s an incredible amount of space, especially on a spaceship, but from my research, Terrans seem to build for comfort. That doesn’t stop their ships from being devastating in combat, though, as my old claw learned on the second-best day of my life, after today. I’m sitting in the living room again to wait for mom to return, watching the holoscreen and examining some of these toys, when an alert pops up. Some urgent news from the Republic network. Maybe this would explain what mother was busy doing, especially since it would be translated for me.On the screen is a broadcast featuring the Venlil governor. My fr- study partner’s mother. I watch as… “No… Please, no…”__________Memory Transcription Subject: Stynek, Worried Friend.__________I sit by one of the windows, I know they’re actually screens, but they work like windows, so they’re windows, and watch the Terran fleet, wondering how they’ve been taking the news. People here are scared and angry, but they seem to be calming down. Uncle Bran had left in the Odyssey, Miss Sara took Miss Mari out on the city to help make her less worried. Something about dancing that was an adult thing too. Terrans have entire cities on their space stations, and this is a small one! Mom is busy doing work because of the mean Gojid captain, and I got Noah to take me out again to explore while we wait for mom to finish answering questions after the announcement and meet us, but we had to leave Cor in the suite of rooms we were assigned. I had wanted to message my friend to make sure they’re ok, but…__________Memory Transcription Subject: Esthiss Monahan, Anxious Arxur__________>>HappyHorse: They’re gonna kill them all!>>ExcitedIguana: What are you talking about? The Arxur that people on the station are talking about?>>HappyHorse: The Terrans! One of them got captured! The Federation is going to attack and kill them!‘I don’t want my mom to die!’>>ExcitedIguana: The Federation doesn’t know. My mom said that the ship can’t send messages and can’t make it to Union space. I asked the Terrans she knows and they said she was telling the truth. Everybody is safe.>>HappyHorse: They can’t kill them! They can’t!>>ExcitedIguana: No, they can’t. The Federation doesn’t know the Terrans are alive and they won’t find out. They can’t find out. There’s no way for them to learn.>>HappyHorse: How do you know anything?‘I just got a mother! I can’t lose her! What does this prey think she knows?’>>ExcitedIguana: Because the grown-ups don’t know that I listen to them talk. My mom is the Governor. I hear a lot. They’re worried but only about the people that the mean captain took! Earth is fine. They’re watching the entire border. Ours and theirs. The Terrans are going to be fine. Why is this making you stampede?>>HappyHorse: Because I don’t want the Terrans getting hurt! They’ve only helped people! They haven’t hurt anybody! They’re making things better!‘They helped me. They saved me. They saved me from what we were. What the Federation made us.’>>ExcitedIguana: They have and nobody’s going to hurt them. Even if anybody tried we’d protect them. Mom said so! They probably don’t even need it.>>HappyHorse: All of this was like a dream but this is more like my nightmares now. Things were so good but now it’s all rotting away. Rotting, stinking, grisch.>>ExcitedIguana: There’s nothing to be afraid of. Everything will be fine. You’re awake. I can teach you a Terran trick to check. Just poke yourself, hard enough to hurt a little but not to leave a mark. They pinch themselves but that’s hard with claws.I pull off the collar and nip at my cheek; it hurts, and I taste some blood. I’d have poked myself or lashed myself with my tail, but both… ‘I’m an idiot.’>>HappyHorse: What’s that supposed to do?>>ExcitedIguana: You can’t feel pain in a dream. Miss Mari says she has really bad nightmares and that’s one of the tricks she uses. I can ask her about others. Do you think you could ask a Terran? They have doctors that help you with your thoughts! Noah wants me to talk to one but there are others that need them more so I don’t know. I don’t want to take time they could use helping people that need it more.>>HappyHorse: I can try… Thank you.“Um… Rucio…” I mumble, wrapping my tail around my chair. The Terran AIs are so much like a person at times that it’s hard not to be nervous to show weakness like this. Even with everything I know and have shared… it feels like walking into an active airlock without a suit. I’d have been lucky to only be punished with that before the Terrans for this.“Yes, Ward Monahan?” The AI asks. It used to be sourceless most of the time, but now it uses one of the screens in the quarters to depict what it called an avatar and said was based on a Terran animal called a donkey. I like it.“I have… bad dreams… a lot… is there anything that…”“You’re looking for help to resolve your nightmares? I could schedule sessions with one of the ship’s counselors [err. prey disease assessor] or see if one more specialized for your age and life experience in Sol could be cleared for telesessions.” Rucio resumes speaking after a long moment. Unusual for the Terran AIs I’ve encountered, not that I have much experience. “The practice seems not to exist in both the Federation and Dominion, but they are like a doctor for your mind. They can give methods to help, including both mental and physical exercises, medication, artifice, and more. It’s an ongoing process and not something to be ashamed of or scared of.”“Would mother… be upset?” I question.“No, Captain Monahan intended to discuss this with you and asked me to broach the subject if it seemed appropriate. I would deem this time to be appropriate. Your mom will likely be very proud of you for taking the initiative in seeking help when you need it.”I wince as my tail wags a little, having moved it too much with how weak it is. “Could you please schedule something? And… let mom know?”“Of course, miss. I will inquire now.”__________Memory Transcription Subject: Stynek, Clever Girl__________‘Grisch… grisch… I think I know a new swear! Arxur swears are fun!’“Noah?” I ask, widening my eyes.Noah smiles, instantly focusing on me. “Yeah, Stynek? You need something.”“Would it be ok if my friend came to stay if the people watching her need her to? They work on a ship. The people watching her, not my friend. She’s my age!”“Oh… I’m not sure. That’s really not my call to make,” Noah says apologetically. “You really should be asking your mom.”“Could you help me convince her? Pleeeeeeeeease? Please? Please? Please? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?” I ask, making my eyes as big and watery as I can. My tail wags as I see mom approaching from behind Noah.“Awwwww. I can try, Stynek. I’m not sure I’ll be able to, but I can at least ask your mom.”“Ask me what, Noah?” Tarva asks, making the human jump in surprise, and both of us whistle with laughter.“Gah! Tarva! Please don’t sneak up on me like that! You scared me!” Noah says, putting a hand over his heart.“Oh? Little old me scared the big predator?” Mom teases, her tail wagging.Noah pouts and I speak up. “I made a friend! She’s my age! She might need to stay somewhere if the people taking care of her get busy. They work on a ship! Oh! And my friend got hurt the day the Arxur attacked the station! She broke an arm, both legs, and a tail!”Mom gasps. “Oh no! I’m sure her herd can-”I shear her short. “I’m her herd! That and the people taking care of her! She doesn’t have anybody else! Please, mom?”“But what about the Ter-”“She knows about them! She’s even tried Terran fruits and suggested some to me! She likes Terrans! She’s probably on a Terran ship! I met her through my school stuff, so she’s taking Terran classes too! She’s really smart with math and science, and I help her with other things!” I gush, “She’s soooo nice! Please?”“It shouldn’t be too hard to watch another kid,” Noah suggests. “Plus, I can’t really say no to her. Probably a spacer kid on a family-run freighter.”Mom sighs. “We’ll try. No promises.”__________Memory Transcription Subject: Shila, Snapped Line__________“Useless… I’m useless… Nothing but a pouch weight.” I grumble as I strike the bag.“Whoa, whoa. Shila, what’s up?” Jordan asks as he holds the bag.The Terrans in the room, my squadmates, the people who would be out there helping if not for me, look to me.“What do you think is up?” I growl as I kick the bag. Hard.Jordan isn’t ready for it, and the bag hits him just as hard, winding him.“Those ash-tongued, soul-scattering, sunless, root-shaking, dung-sniffing monsters took one of your people, and we were left here because I’m too much clawless tail-drag to learn to control my magic!” I scream.Jordan wheezes but gets enough air to speak. “Wouldn’t send us anyway.”“What?” I growl.“No suit.” Jordan gasps and finally gets his breath back. “And you haven’t had enough training to be integrated. And we don’t have permission to deploy you. Unless it’s an attack on the station, we’re not getting deployed anywhere for at least a month or two. Do you have any idea how valuable command considers you?”I stare at Jordan in shock.“You’re living proof of how easily your people could be integrated with ours and of how tactically important your people are if we want to keep our edge over the Federation in the event things kick off. Far as I know, command had been looking for a reason to rush contact with Leirn to stop what the Federation are doing, the cultural genocide. You gave them an excuse. This shit with Sovlin just moved the timeline up more.” Jordan looks around the room. “Dunno how much. Won’t have your suit finished any sooner.”Wil glances between Jordan and the others before talking. “After ye joined, we were all tasked with helpin' ye settle in with the team and lookin' after ye. Ye're more important than the speep general, right up there with the governor.”I growl. “So what? I’m too valuable to put in danger? A soldier who just needs to sit on their paws again, but this time because I’m too precious instead of a primitive!?!?”“You don’t have armor,” Jordan says firmly, defusing the tension in the room as my ears fall. “You don’t have the basic level of protection we need for anybody to be sent into combat if we can help it. You can’t even legally stand guard unless it was in Sol or inside a secure base in safe allied territory, and that’s ignoring that legally, you’re awaiting transfer to the Leirnian military with a temporary rank and transfer to ours in the interim. That makes deploying you a clusterfuck, at least if you get hurt. We already have an assignment the moment you get your armor and approval from your people. Get Sol incontrovertible data that you can keep up with our best.”“I… I just want to help… I signed on to protect people and… and I’m just waiting, safe, while others go into danger.”Rach sighs. “It’s just till we reach out to your people. That’ll likely go down before we get your final armor. I’m bettin’ you’ll be out there with the prototype, though. We gotta grab some data on it, ya know? The only way they’d send us out in the next few months is if a planet was gonna get torched or somethin’. Ain’t gonna happen, we’re just gonna be sittin’ pretty here.”The room erupts in shouts, and I laugh, tail thumping. “Why’d you go and invoke Sarsa’s Edict like that!?!” I squeak out between bouts of laughter.“And what, pray tell, is Sarsa’s Edict?” Gunny asks between refined chuckles.I cock my head. “It’s why you always tighten the fastenings yourself. If you don’t ensure against catastrophe, it will happen, and if you say the wrong thing, you invite her to judge you. Don’t you guys have anything like that?”“You mean Murphy’s Law? Anything that can go wrong will.” Jordan offers.I laugh. “I guess there’s a reason we get along.” I look to Jordan. “So, when can I expect my armor?”Jordan shrugs. “Dunno, maybe in a few weeks. I’ve been getting updates when I can through my contacts. They said the date changed three times yesterday alone. The prototype should be field-ready sometime next month.”__________Memory Transcription Subject: Srithziss, PrisonerDate [Standard Terran Time]: August 29th, 2136__________These Terrans dragged us off the ship we were on and transferred us to another. I cannot be certain that they did not transfer me, Kroshrak, and the handful they allowed me to believe were loyal to Betterment and no others. I was barely even allowed to see those few when we were transferred to a shuttle, shackled and under armed guard, before being blindfolded! After a short time on a ship, we were transferred again. I cannot be certain when we entered this system, only that it wasn’t where we were before. There were no habitable worlds, much less ones with structures such as this in the previous system.The heat is sweltering, the air humid, the light blinding. I hiss and, as best I can with even my snout muzzled, I speak. “Where are we?”“Florida,” a Terran guard responds gruffly. “I’m sure you crocs will like it fine. Hot, wet, sunny, plenty of water.”“Wriss is mostly arid, and we’re active at night,” one of the hunters grumbles back.“Then, good thing you lot will be locked inside most of the time.” The guard says back, baring their teeth.“What about the Riverlands?” Another hunter questions.I try to smack them with my tail, the chain stopping it short and painfully tugging the shackles on my legs with a rattle. “What is a ‘flah-ree-duh’?” I mutter.“A state. Now march.” The Terran orders, shoving one of the lesser hunters.We’re marched through a gate and into a large, walled compound that has strange things flying around, which almost look artificial. Wide spaces with vegetation, paved areas that have loungers both under shade and in the sun, an oddly square artificial lake with a disposal chute coming out of a raised grotto and into the water. We’re forced along, into a large building, one of a few buildings. Wide spaces, padded seating, more that I barely get to glance at as we’re forced into a lift that takes us down to another brig, different from the one on the ship. On the ship, the cells, or at least mine, were about two tails [eight feet] by two and a half tails [ten feet] with a sleeping platform and had a sanitation unit which could come out of and return into the walls. This cell seemed to be two and a half tails a side until I found a door to a more spacious sanitation area, roughly a tail and a half a side. To my shock, a section of the wall shifts, displaying a screen.On the screen is a stern-looking Terran with dark lenses covering their eyes. “Welcome to your new home for the foreseeable future. If you’re in one of these cells, that means that you’ve been deemed… uncooperative. That means that you’ll be getting one of our smaller cells, three meals aimed only at nutrition and not enjoyment, medical care, an hour of yard time a day in a simulator, and limited media access with both the integrated media center and tablets that are currently in your rooms. It’s possible that you can earn your way to better treatment. Better food, better amenities, more yard time in something better than the bare minimum, the ability to interact with others. It can get better than even that; you likely saw some of it as you came in. It can also get worse than you have it now. You do not want it to get worse.”With that, the screen shuts off, and I’m left staring at it in silence.__________Interpolate feeds from the security/staff room in “The Terrarium”__________“So, our max sec just got the Jones message?” One of the guards asks, taking a bite from an apple.“Yup, pool’s still open on when they’re gonna figure out any of the ‘hacks’ in the security system. I’ve got twenty on them getting text by the end of the day, voice in a week.” Another guard says, watching the screens.“Nah, not much for gambling. Always get it wrong. Oh, we ever decide on names for the sections? I still say Gator Glades Rehabilitation Center for the defectors.”The guard laughs. “That was yours? Grats, you won. Sign was a nice touch. Think the mid sec is being called Muzzle Beach and max sec is Lockjaw Lodge.”“Ha! Three for three! Cheated on the min sec. It’s what this place used to be called back when it helped people with social issues, worked here ten years. Took the sign before the UN started remodeling. There was also a vote to rename this stretch of shoreline Muzzle Beach when they were opening the place. That was decades ago though, I was a kid and didn’t get how NIMBYs were still a thing. Place had a good run but needed too much TLC. Owners were a bit stingy, wasn’t safe.” The guard sighs. “Glad it’s helping people again. Just wish we could do more, this should be a refugee camp, not a prison.” He puts up a hand. “I know, I know. Lead ‘em to water, can’t make them drink.”__________Memory Transcription Subject: Rumi, Gojid RebelDate [Standardized Terran Time]: September 5th, 2136__________Every shift starts the same way. Checking on the status of the recordings of Sovlin torturing the human we captured. Thankfully, Sovlin seems to be late today. Probably visiting Zarn, again. I can do my checks without hearing the screams. Nobody seems to have noticed or accidentally turned off the recording or the backup routine, so all that’s left is ensuring that there’s still enough space in all of the drives. It’s become a grim routine that I can-“Wait… that’s new…” I mutter.“What’s new, Rumi?” Captain Recel asks, exhausted in every way.My console flickers as I access the backup locations. There’s a message blocking access and a text entry field. ‘Ugh, why did they have to write like that?’Y R U DOING THIS>:_I pause before my ears turn to Recel. “The truth, Captain?”“The truth.” Recel reaffirms. “If they haven’t stopped the recording, then I suspect they feel as we do. I hope that’s why.”>: So his crimes will be known, and we can make peace with the humans. Sovlin must pay for what he’s done. We need to set this right. Even if it costs our lives.I submit the answer, and my console locks itself out with a single message.PLS W8“Well… I guess we wait.” Recel says simply.__________Advance 10 STD minutes__________My console beeps and I hurry to it. “Sir, they’ve responded!”“What do they say, Rumi?” Recel asks, sipping from a mug of tea.GUDTHXWE HAVE IT ON THE BLACK BOX 2HAVE 2 HIDE FROM REST OF ENGTYP FST, CPS LCK BRKNT GT NTCEDMST ENL W/ UCHF N OFC WITH CAPSM ENLBT HLF N HLF OF ENG CRW‘Ok, that makes it reasonable, barely.’ I sigh and speak to the captain, the entire bridge focused on me. “It looks like half of engineering is with us. Enlisted only. Backing up everything to the ship’s black box and hiding their activity.” I report.I type a correction to the engineer.>: Recel is the captain now. Primary bridge crew has it playing all shift. We’re a backup if the recordings fail.>: We’re planning to take over soon.WE CAN HELPGV US A SIGTRY 2 LCK THNGS DWN“Find out if we have to worry about triggering the self-destruct accidentally with the raid alarm.” Recel orders.“Yes, sir! They’re going to want a signal to help lock things down.”>: Is the raid alarm connected to the self-destruct?NOSOV ORDRDWE FAKED ITSLF-DSTRCT IS OFFI let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding in. “Sovlin ordered them to connect it, but they completely deactivated the self-destruct system.”>: That’s good. That’s very good. Are any of the engineering crew armed?WE HV TOOLSNO GNS>: Would the raid alarm work as a signal?NOALRT CRW THN BLKHDSND 2 LCK BLKHDS FRST“They say they need to lock the bulkheads before any alarm, sir,” I say.Recel clicks his tongue. “We should have thought of that. What if we try to trigger a subspace jump?”>: Would going to warp work?YSWE’LL DSCNCT TEH DRVFKD PRT OF BRKDWNNT AS BD AS IT SMS“It’ll work! They faked part of the breakdown, too!” I shout.“They what?” The rest of the bridge shouts back.1LY/SONCE 4 A MNTMR IF TWDSHD STY IN WRP THN“They can get us a one-minute jump at about quarter speed. If we can get a human ship to tow us, then we’ll be able to stay in. I’ll ask about comms.” I say, preempting the captain’s next question.>: What about long-range comms?GNSLGD N SPCDONLY THNG WE HD IS WRP DRVND 2 DCK 2 FXLCL WRKBRLY“Long-range comms can’t be fixed without a drydock, sir. It looks like all they’ve done is save us the last bit of warp that we have left.” I say, defeated.“It’s enough. It has to be enough.” Recel is quiet and turns to Jemic. “What do you advise, first officer?”“Keep to the plan. We can’t speed things up more without risk. We need at least a day, and I don’t think the human has more than two. I doubt Sovlin will delay the vivisection. Zarn is too bloodthirsty after… after the sample Sovlin gave him the first day…” Jemic responds.The entire bridge winces as from the main screen comes a devastating wail, muffled by a gag. A new addition two days ago, after the human tried to bite off his own tongue…__________Date [Standardized Terran Time]: September 6th, 2136__________“Why!?! Just a bit more time!” Jemic shouts, slamming her paw on the arm of the captain’s chair. “We’re not ready yet, Ki-yu take him!”“I’m sure Zarn will be disappointed, but Hania is right. Your taint simply can’t be allowed to remain on the ship. He can do a quick dissection before we burn what’s left.” Sovlin, on the view screen, scoffs. “To think that Venlil is so tainted that it called you its friend. Saying you only eat plants. Ha! Yes, Hania, it’s not even a person anymore. Zarn can make do by seeing how you corrupted it. Once you’ve been dealt with and stop tainting my ship, then we can finish our repairs and return to the Union to warn everybody.” Sovlin giggles. “We’ll bomb your vile nests like we should have centuries ago!” Sovlin’s claws lash out, drawing a muffled scream from the human. “I’ll just have to make sure you feel all the pain you’ve inflicted over your miserable life!”Jemic growls. “Of all the times for Recel to leave the bridge…”I can’t watch, I… I can’t… Wait… on the sensors… What’s that? [One hundred meters] off starboard. That’s not just the ion storm, it’s too smooth. There’s something… it’s gone? What? “Jemic, there might be something out there!”“I want to be broadcasting! Now!” Jemic shouts__________[First] [Prev] [Next]__________
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