#slipper hecatezen

[whumpapalooza]

WHUMPTOBER 2022

No. 15 EMOTIONAL DAMAGE Lies | New Scars | Breathing through the Pain

(Space Interns Masterpost)

(Part 1)

“Guys, they came here! They’re armed! They’re –“

Glen’s voice cut off. His line went dead.

Blare opened her line. “Glen, are you there?” she demanded. No answer. “Glen, respond!”

They waited. Nothing but silence answered. Blare exchanged a look with Slipper; she heard a low growl in the physician’s throat.

“We need to get back over there,” Tabby said.

“How?” Brando countered. “Do you know anything about how this craft works?”

Then a voice came from their speaker. “Crew of Aegis, this is Seraph helmswoman Jede.”

Blare opened the line. “Where’s Glen?” she growled.

“Relax, Aegis, he’s fine,” said Jede.

“I don’t believe that for a second,” Tabby snarled from behind Blare. Brando nodded agreement.

Blare opened the line. “You’re lying,” she said.

“Maybe,” Jede said smugly. “What are you going to do about it?”

“What do you want?” Blare asked.

“We’ve already got it: an engineer.”

Blare frowned. “Why ours?” she asked. “Why not one of your own?”

Jede didn’t answer right away. “Check the brig,” she said eventually. “You’ll get all the answers you need there.”

From the sound of Tabby’s scoff, she didn’t like that answer. Blare opened the line and said, “We’re not going anywhere until we talk to Glen, first.”

"You’re aboard a UCD. I suggest you do what you’re told instead of pressing your luck.” Then the line went dead.

Blare opened the line. “Jede,” she said. There was no reply. She pursed her lips. She looked at Slipper, whose tail was flicking back and forth.

“What do we do?” Brando asked from behind them.

Blare had the same question. But she knew it was her job, as helmswoman, to answer it. She opened their line again. “Glen,” she said, “hang tight. We’re going to fix this.” Then she closed the line, turned to her crew, and said, “Let’s head for the brig.”

“You know where that is?” Tabby asked.

“Yes,” Blare said, leading the way. “This is a five-floor craft. It’s one floor above us.”

The others followed Blare out of the tractor beam bay, and they emerged into the dimly lit hall. The only lights were the red strips running along the baseboard. Blare walked to the rounded staircase at the windows and headed up.

As they ascended the staircase, Blare couldn’t help but cast a glance out the window. She could see Aegis. Her heart clenched.

On the next floor, she led them towards the center. The brig door was stuck open halfway.

“I smell blood,” Slipper said.

The hairs on the back of Blare’s neck raised. She swallowed. Then she stepped through the parted doors.

It was a round room with ten beds. Though there were no visible walls, the low hum of electricity told Blare that one of the forcefields was activated.

“Aegis…I’m guessing?”

They all jumped and turned sharply at the voice. Blare’s heart was pounding in her throat as she peered through the gloom. There was someone lying in bed in one of the cells.

He wore the same uniform boots and pants as they did, but he’d removed his shirt. His side was bandaged, but the bandages were soaked. Blood dropped from the bed onto a pool on the floor. He had a bruise over the half of his face that they could see.

Slipper’s frills spread. No doubt the physician’s instinct was to rush to the injured man’s side.

Blare held a hand out to bar Slipper from moving. It might be a trap. “Who are you?” she asked.

“Engo.” The man’s voice was hoarse.

“The blood’s his own,” Slipper whispered to Blare. “I can sense his vitals. He is no threat.”

Blare furrowed her brow. She lowered her hand and Slipper hurried to the forcefield. Blare, Tabby, and Brando followed closely. Blare saw that the panel was already unlocked and hit the key to shut off power. The humming electricity stopped, and Slipper rushed to Engo’s side.

Slipper muttered to himself as he started to peel back bandages. Then he raised his voice. “How did this happen?” he asked.

“Bit by a…star dog,” Engo rasped.

Slipper curled his lip. “You’re lying,” he said. “I smell burned flesh.”

Blare’s stomach rolled. She swallowed back her disgust and forced out an even voice. “You lie as easily as your helmswoman,” she said. Engo’s face relaxed, like the thought comforted him. “Jede said that we’d find our answers here. Well? What’s going on?”

Engo opened his glassy eyes and met Blare’s gaze. He spoke in slow exhales. “Half of our crew is dead.”

Blare heard Brando give a slight gasp. She felt like her blood had iced over.

“You can go ahead and…check the Med Bay,” Engo continued. He licked his dry lips. “Because they’re all there. What’s…what’s left of them, anyway.”

“You’re lying,” Blare said. It had to be another lie - but she didn’t like how sincerely Engo had spoken.

“Go ahead…check,” Engo suggested.

“Blare,” said Tabby. “I’ll go.”

“I’ll go with you,” Brando offered.

“No,” Tabby insisted. “Only one person needs to see it. I can do it.”

Blare closed her eyes. “Okay,” she said. “Stay on comm the whole time, though.”

Tabby tapped her chest and opened the comm line. “You’ve got it,” she said, her voice echoing both in the brig and in Blare’s head. “Where is it?”

“Next floor up,” Blare said. Tabby nodded and left the brig.

Engo rested his head back on his pillow. A tear rolled down his bruised face. Minutes passed. Slipper cleaned and dressed the wound in silence.

And finally, they heard Tabby’s voice in their heads.

“Blare, I’m at the Med Bay,” she said softly. “It’s not a lie.”

[whumpapalooza]

Ooh, can I submit another ask? I just noticed "The patient has left the building" on Bad Things Happen Bingo and that reeeallly caught my eye!

Am a big fan of patients escaping tropes!

PROMPT: the patient has left the building CHARACTER: Glen Ptahfi (Space Intern ocs)

Of course you can submit another ask!! This is not the only time you'll see this trope from me, my friend. I am also a big fan! Thanks so much for the submission!

And, as always, thanks to @badthingshappenbingo for the card!

(Space Interns Masterpost)

(Rudi’s Bad Things Happen Bingo Card)

After the mission was over and the medicine kicked in, Slipper kicked Blare out of Med Bay and instructed Glen to rest.

Glen leaned his head back on the soft Med Bay pillow. He closed his eyes. For nearly an hour, Glen was still, quiet, and peaceful – but he didn’t fall asleep. He took some deep breaths, but didn’t fall asleep. He counted backwards from 600, but he didn’t fall asleep.

Glen opened his eyes. He looked down at his hand and flexed his fingers.

The medicine that Slipper had given him was working. He felt no pain. His mind was a gooey slime pit. He couldn’t even remember why he’d been given the medicine in the first place, but he knew he was exhausted. So why couldn’t he sleep?

Glen turned on his side. He readjusted himself until he felt comfortable, and closed his eyes again. His face pressed against the pillow; Glen could hear his own heartbeat and feel his own breaths warm against his cheek. It’s kind of creepy, he thought.

Glen’s breathing should have been a natural lullaby. But for some reason, Glen heard his heart beat faster and faster with every inhale. A strange sensation trickled through his chest, and Glen felt tears prick the backs of his eyelids.

Glen’s eyes snapped open. What was that? He sat up. I feel…weird. His vision blurred with tears. His muscles were tense, and his mind was racing – but only one thought was powerful enough to make it past Slipper’s medicine.

I have to get out of here.

Glen swung his legs over the side of the bed. His bare feet touched the warm floors of Aegis, and he stood. He swayed, steadied himself, and made for the door.

On the other side, Slipper stood at his desk with his back to Glen. Blood roared in Glen’s ears.

But Slipper’s my friend, Glen thought. I’m safe.

Still, a defiant flare burned in Glen’s chest. I have to get out of here!

Glen sidled against the wall, his feet barely lifting from the floor, until he reached the hallway. He turned his back on Med Bay and started walking briskly down the hall. He passed Brando’s lab and walked a little faster. He passed Tabby’s lab, and then he broke into a run until he made it to the double doors that led to the tractor beam bay.

Glen wasn’t wearing his uniform, so the doors didn’t open automatically. He quickly tapped the code onto the keypad. The doors finally parted, and Glen rushed between them before they’d opened all the way. They closed behind him.

Glen looked around, his thoughts still slime-slow. He just kept thinking, I have to get out of here. I have to get out of here.

Glen’s eyes landed on the tractor beam console. His feet started to take him toward it. His fingers itched with coordinates that his mind wasn’t fast enough to recognize. I’m going to get out of here, he thought.

He tripped on the second stair up, but Glen made it up to the console and stared down at the desk. His hand hovered over the hand sensor in the center of the console when he heard a whir.

Glen lifted his head to see Slipper and Blare standing in the doorway.

“Glen, what are you doing?” Blare asked.

Glen’s mind felt less like slime now. Instead, it felt like something gelatinous being jostled back and forth. His mind was racing, but nothing made sense – except that one thought.

“I have to get out of here,” Glen said in a pleading tone.

“Yes, and back to Medical Bay,” Slipper replied.

“What he means,” Blare said, stepping forward, “is that you really shouldn’t be going anywhere right now.”

“I have to get out of here,” Glen repeated, softer.

“We’ll get you out of here, okay?” Blare soothed. “Wherever you need to go, we’ll go. Just…come with us so we can make sure you’re okay, first.”

Glen looked between the pair. They’re my friends. I can trust them.

But…I have to get out of here. I have to. I’m not going to – I’m not going to –

“I’m not going to die here!” Glen shouted.

His words were followed by nothing but his own heavy breathing; Blare and Slipper were stunned. Finally, Blare said, somewhat confused, “You’re safe, Glen.”

Glen shook his head. “No.” He looked back down at the desk and initiated the console. He heard Blare faintly telling him to stop. “No, I have to get out of here.”

I just have to get out of here, and then…

Glen’s hand hovered over the coordinate pad.

And then…

His fingers were trembling too hard for him to tap any one key.

…Then what?

Glen blinked.

He looked up. His eyes met with Slipper’s, then Blare’s. His thoughts felt fluid, quick. He felt like himself. “Blare?” he said quietly.

Blare’s eyes lit up. She and Slipper both rushed up to the console while Glen looked down at his hand and realized what he was doing. He withdrew his hand and took a step back, but his knee was too weak to support him.

Slipper gripped Glen’s arm and pulled him up before he could hit the floor. Glen looked up at him in alarm. “What’s…” He trailed off, suddenly too tired to finish the question.

Blare lifted Glen by the other arm. “C’mon,” she said to Slipper. “The bench.”

Together, the two hoisted Glen up and onto the console’s bench. Blare sat beside him while Slipper started examining him.

“State your name.”

He did.

“What year were you born?”

He answered.

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

Glen’s memories felt like pictures drawn in sand. “I don’t know why I’m here,” he admitted. “I just felt like – overwhelming panic. I couldn’t think straight. I was…so scared.”

Slipper and Blare exchanged a glance. Slipper’s nostrils flared as he looked back at Glen. “Your serotonin levels have dropped precipitously,” he remarked.

“You don’t seem surprised,” Blare said. “Is this normal?”

Slipper turned his head to meet Blare’s eye. “Remember, Remorial hasn’t been tested,” he said. “All non-tested drugs have non-recorded side effects.”

Glen furrowed his brow. What was Slipper saying?

“So, how long before it’s all out of his system?” Blare asked. “That’s when the side effects will stop, right?”

“Sometimes side effects linger,” Slipper said, “but the Remorial barely functioned for the time it did. I doubt its side effects will last longer than a day, maybe two.”

“Until then, we can take turns keeping him company,” Blare suggested.

Slipper dipped his head. “That would be wise.”

“What are you talking about?” Glen asked.

Slipper’s voice was patient, but Glen had the strangest feeling that he was repeating himself. “You’re having a reaction to your exposure to the drug Remorial,” Slipper said.

Glen tilted his head. “Remorial…?”

Blare tilted her head. “You don’t remember?” she asked. “You –“

“We can explain everything to you,” Slipper said, “but first we’re returning you to Medical Bay.”

Glen let the pair pull him to his feet. They threw their arms over his shoulders and started to shuffle him across the floor.

And when Glen was finally settled back in his bed in Med Bay, he wasn’t alone; Blare took the first shift at his bedside.

[whumpapalooza]

Slipper! :) Only thing I couldn't add was the mohawk-like frills atop his lil' head

Rainheal's Monster Maker

[whumpapalooza]

FEBUWHUMP DAY 3: Blood Loss

Context who? Let's make Glen bleed. @febuwhump

(Space Interns Masterpost)

Blood, blood everywhere.

Glen could hear nothing but the roar of it in his ears. He could smell nothing but its tang in the air. He could feel nothing but the sensation of it seeping from his body.

Glen’s hand hovered over the oozing wound. He wanted – needed – to apply pressure, but he knew doing so would hurt. And he was terrified of more pain. It might break him – send him spiraling into white agony that could pull him under.

Slipper, however, must not have shared Glen’s fears. His objective was simple: keep Glen alive. So he pressed down on the wound.

Glen yowled wordless anguish until his vision softened. He gasped, moaning on every exhale.

“Glen – Glen, c’mon, buddy, stay awake…” Brando’s voice was high with alarm.

Slipper kept a calm tone. “Glen, if you are still aware, then I ask you to look at me.”

Glen tried to focus his eyes on the golden blur kneeling beside him, but the fuzz didn’t clear.

“You are losing blood quicky,” Slipper said.

No kidding? Glen thought, but his too-light head kept him from offering the wry reply.

“We may need to cauterize the wound to prevent you from bleeding out.”

Glen several shaky breaths through his nose. With tears in his eyes, he nodded.

“What do you need?” Brando asked.

“I must prepare my instrument,” said Slipper. “I need you to keep him awake.”

A hand took Glen’s. “Got it.” Another hand touched Glen’s shoulder. “Did I ever tell you about…”

Glen let the familiar cadence of Brando’s voice ground him as Slipper prepared his tool. He squinted in attempts to focus his vision, but instead the world began to darken. He stretched his eyes wide, but his eyelids began to droop.

There was a hand on his face. “Glen. Glen?” An intake of breath. “Slipper, we’re losing him!”

“I am ready.”

Glen heard a soft hiss. Not a Hecatean hiss from Slipper, but a hot hiss from his sizzling instrument.

“You will hold him.” Slipper’s voice sounded very faint.

If Brando replied, Glen didn’t hear it. He felt Brando’s grip on his shoulder and hand tighten.

Then there was a pressure against his side.

The sensation was…underwhelming. It was…not hot, actually. It was a little chilly. It was cold – freezing –

No.

No.

It was burning.

Dear Taurus, it was bu

[whumpapalooza]

FEBUWHUMP DAY 11: Chronic Pain

(Space Interns Masterpost)

They all learned about it in the span of six months. Slipper was the first to notice, in the very first week of the internship.

“Ptahfi,” he said, “you’re limping.”

“I’m alright,” Glen promised. “Just hurts a bit.”

But Slipper, being a good physician, dragged him down back to Med Bay anyway.

It was Blare who noticed, next – in the third month. The pair had been taking the stairs to the dining area when Glen stopped to rub his calf.

“You okay?” Blare asked.

“Yeah – yeah, just sore,” he assured her.

Then, in the fourth month, Brando noticed. “You good, buddy?” he asked.

Glen looked up from stretching his leg. “Huh? Oh – oh, yeah. Fine.”

Finally, mid-mission in the sixth month, Tabby rounded on him. “What’s wrong?” she demanded.

Glen recoiled. “What?”

“You’re favoring one side,” Tabby remarked tartly. “What happened?”

“N-Nothing.”

“Chuck…”

Glen held up his hands. “Nothing, I promise,” he said. “It just hurts sometimes.”

“What does, your leg?” Tabby asked. Glen nodded. “Hurts how?”

“Tabby, I’m okay.”

“Hurts how?”

Glen’s shoulders raised. “Um…it aches?”

Tabby narrowed her eyes. “Does Slipper know?”

“Yes!”

Thankfully, Tabby let it go – they had a mission to complete, after all.

But after the mission, she cornered him outside their cabins. “Were you ever going to mention it?” she asked. “To any of us?”

Glen fiddled with his jacket zipper. “Probably not,” he admitted. “It’s just…y’know, part of my life.”

“So are we.” Tabby stared him down until he met her eyes. “You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I know.”

Tabby leaned against the wall. “So, how long has that been going on?” she asked.

“Since I was a teenager,” Glen said. “It was like, one day out of nowhere it just…ached. It comes and goes. But it…” He looked embarrassed suddenly. “It’s always there.”

Tabby’s brow furrowed. “And Slipper doesn’t think it’s…like, anything pressing?”

“No,” Glen confirmed.

Tabby nodded. “Well, thanks be for that, at least.”

“So…” Glen cast a glance Tabby’s way. “Are we good?”

Tabby grinned. “You never have to worry about that, Chuck.” She stood on her toes and ruffled Glen’s hair.

[whumpapalooza]

FEBUWHUMP DAY 8, ALT PROMPT 6: Natural Disaster

The whole team goes on a mission. :) @febuwhump

(Space Interns Masterpost)

“Ah, fuck it’s hot.”

“There’s three suns. What’d you expect?”

“I expected a little sympathy, but apparently that’s too much to ask.”

“We’re all baking in it – why should you get more sympathy?”

“Aires above, would both of you knock it off?” Blare interrupted them with a sharp rebuke.

“He started it,” Tabby grumbled.

“Objectively did not,” Brando said.

They were on a routine mission on a Stage 1 planet. They had only been off their craft for twenty minutes, and they had come during nighttime, but it was still swelteringly hot in the ravine where they were collecting samples.

Blare whirled around to glower at the bickering pair. “Brando, get the samples. Tabby, shut up.”

Both Brando and Tabby rolled their eyes, but neither argued. Brando knelt on the ground to clip a leaf from a plant.

“Warmbloods,” Slipper grunted, half to himself. “Always complaining.”

Glen chuckled. “It’s what we do best,” he said.

“I’m just saying what we’re all thinking,” Tabby said over her shoulder. “It’s ridiculously hot.”

“Shut up,” Blare said.

“Don’t tell me you disagree, you liar.”

“No, seriously, shut up,” Blare said. “I think I hear…” She frowned. “Is that thunder?”

The crew fell peered up at the sky and listened.

“It does sound like thunder,” Brando murmured, getting to his feet.

“But there’s no clouds,” Glen pointed out.

The pebbles on the floor of the ravine began to rattle. Slipper’s frills spread. “That’s because there is no thunder,” he said suddenly. He tilted his head upwards and pointed. “Rockfall!”

Blare’s head snapped up. “Run!” she ordered.

The next few moments were loud. More and more rocks overhead came dislodged and tumbled down into the ravine as the crew sprinted through.

Blare heard her crew’s shouts underneath the cacophony of the rockfall. Brando’s bellow, Tabby’s shriek, Glen’s warning to Slipper to look out –

And then something large and heavy landed behind Blare. The force of the wind knocked her off her feet and onto the ground.

Blare covered her head and prayed to whatever deity might be listening. She felt debris catch in her hair.

And then, the rumbling stopped.

As the last of the rocks rolled down, their clatter echoing off the ravine walls, Blare propped herself up on her forearms. She saw Glen and Slipper lying in the space in front of her. She rolled over and, to her horror, only saw rubble.

Tabby and Brando were trapped on the other side.

Or worse, they were...

“Tabby!” Blare yowled. “Brando!”

There was no response. Blare’s heart leapt into her throat.

No – no, no. She scrambled to her feet and rushed over to the debris. “Brando! Tabby!” she shouted again.

“Blare!”

Blare tilted her head back and sighed. “Tabby, are you alright?” she asked.

“We’re both fine! You?”

Blare turned around, the word fine nearly on her lips. Then she saw Slipper kneeling beside Glen.

Glen didn’t get up.

“Oh, fuck,” Blare breathed.

“What’s going on?” Brando shouted.

“Glen’s -” Blare broke off. “I’ve – I’ve got to go see –“

“We’re okay! Go!”

Blare stepped away from the debris and rushed to Glen’s side. She dropped to her knees beside Slipper. “Is he okay?” she demanded.

Slipper took Glen’s chin in his hand and tilted Glen’s head to the side. Blare blanched at the sight of blood staining his sandy hair.

“Glen, can you hear me?” Slipper asked. He leaned in close and tilted his head so that he could hear Glen’s breathing. When he withdrew, he lifted Glen’s eyelid. Then the other. “He is likely concussed,” he reported to Blare. “His pupils are dilated, but equal.”

“That’s…a good sign, right?” she asked. Slipper nodded. “Still…we need to get him back to –“ Blare broke off. “Oh. Oh!”

“Glen is our engineer,” Slipper reminded her. “Without his codes, we cannot tractor to Aegis remotely.”

“So we’re stuck here until he wakes up,” Blare realized. She pressed a hand to her cheek. “How – how long could that be?”

“It is difficult to say,” Slipper answered, pressing an absorbent fabric to Glen’s hair. “He is deeply unconscious. I doubt our calls will rouse him.”

“Yeah.” Blare sat back. She sighed and pulled herself to her feet. “I’ll…I’ll go tell the others.”

“I will attempt to stop the bleeding.”

Blare brushed the dust from her arms as she made her way back over toward the debris.

“You guys still there?” she called.

“Still here!” Tabby replied. Then, at the same time, she and Brando asked, "How is he?"

“Out cold,” Blare said. “Slipper says he’s probably concussed.”

“But he’ll be okay, right?”Tabby asked.

“Slipper didn’t say otherwise,” Blare said. “But as long as he’s out, we can’t get back to Aegis.”

“Well, that’s a problem.”

Blare nodded. Then, remembering that they couldn’t see her, she said, “It is.”

“How long do we have before the suns rise?” Tabby asked.

Biting back a swear, Blare lowered her head. She had forgotten about the triplet suns. If just two were to rise over the horizon, the heat would unquestionably kill all the human members of the crew.

Blare glanced down at her wrist and tapped it twice. “Sunrise time for current location,” she said. After a few moments of calculations, the light number hovered over her wrist. “We’ve got three and a half hours,” she said.

“I mean…you don’t think he’ll be out that long, do you?” Brando asked anxiously.

Blare cast a glance back at Slipper, who was pressing a fresh absorbent fabric to Glen’s head. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

[whumpapalooza]

aa bthb! i gotta go with bloody nose for Brando 👀 -thatsgonnaleaveamark

@thatsgonnaleaveamark This was fun!! Thanks so much for the submission, friend!

And thanks again to @badthingshappenbingo for the bingo card!

(Space Interns Masterpost)

(Rudi's Bad Things Happen Bingo Card)

The lake was frozen over. The ice was nearly a foot thick, but Brando could see right through it and into the clear water beneath. Schools of fish Brando didn’t recognize drifted through patches of gently waving lakeweed.

“Okay – I’m ready,” Glen said.

Brando turned over his shoulder to see his crewmate lifting a large bag over his shoulder. The bag’s strap almost didn’t fit over the puffy coat Glen was wearing.

“How long do you think this will take?” Brando asked.

“In theory, this is a simple job,” Glen said, turning his back to Brando. He started walking inland. “All I have to do is detach the core, replace the battery, and then re-attach the core.”

“Okay,” Brando said. He stuffed his gloved hands into the pockets of his own puffy coat and followed Glen up the rocky slope. “So, that’s in theory. What about in practice?”

“Oh,” Glen said. “Who knows? I’ve stopped trying to predict these missions.”

The pair were on the planet Belisama, a planet home to three different species of sentient aquatic beings. The planet was known for its many lakes, and especially the lighthouses that were built to illuminate those lakes.

The lighthouses were unlike any Brando had ever encountered. They had been nicknamed “inverted lighthouses,” and the name was apt. Instead of standing tall over the lake to shine light over its surface, the lighthouses were built underwater, and had the beacons shine directly through crystalline depths.

The beacons of these lighthouses were powered by electricity, which was a source of power that the peoples of Belisama could not harness without coming to harm. As such, the lighthouses were maintained by extraterrestrial engineers – like Glen.

Glen had been assigned to maintain a lighthouse beacon after its light had gone dim in a polar front. Brando had followed him to the planet’s surface to assist him.

They entered the lighthouse on a small, rocky cliff. After climbing down a frozen metal ladder, they stood on a circular lift at the center of the tower, and that took them down to the lantern room.

They reached the bottom floor of the lighthouse, and then the doors to the lantern room opened.

Freezing water trickled in from cracks in the walls and was slowly filling the room. The water was yet to reach the height of the lift, but it was enough to consider the room flooded.

Glen sighed. “Of course,” he muttered. He swung his bag off his shoulder and onto the floor of the lift. “It looks ankle-deep,” he said, “so the core should be dry. I should still be able to take care of it. I’m going to head over and detach the core. Can you get the battery out of the case?”

“Yeah – sure,” Brando said. Then Glen took a step into the water, and Brando felt a chill crawl up his spine. “Wait!” He grabbed Glen’s arm and pulled him back onto the lift.

Glen’s voice rose. “What – what?”

“There’s something in there,” Brando said. He pointed, and Glen followed his finger to see cloudy blobs floating in the pooled water.

“What the nethers is that?” Glen’s voice was disgusted.

“Looks…” Brando knelt down. “Looks like a jellyfish.”

“What’s a jellyfish?”

“You don’t have jellyfish on Ptah?” Brando asked. Then he waved his hand. “Never mind. I’m going to call Tabby. She’ll have an idea of what these are.” He tapped his chest four times. Glen followed suit.

“DiHonos and Ptahfi to Nic’hel,” Brando said. A few moments passed, wherein Brando and Glen listened to water slap against the sides of the lighthouse. Brando heard a chirp in his head and repeated himself. “DiHonos and Ptahfi to Nic’hel.”

“You’ve got her. What’s happening?”

“Yeah, hey,” Brando said. “So, the lantern room’s flooded.”

Tabby laughed. “That sucks. Need a tractor beam?”

“No, we’re still staying to replace the battery,” Glen said.

“Yeah, I’m just calling to ask about these things in the water,” Brando said. “There’s this – like, jellyfish thing.”

“Jellyfish?”

“Am I the only one whose home planet had jellyfish?” Brando huffed. “They’re like – gelatinous blobs with tentacles.”

“Oh!” Tabby sounded excited for a moment. “Yeah, we had those on Hel. Called them something different, though.” Then she paused. “But, yeah, okay, I think I know what you’re talking about. Belisama does have a species similar to – what’d you call them?”

“Jellyfish.”

“Right. Well, I wouldn’t worry too much. The Belisaman jellyfish species is pretty docile unless provoked, so you should be fine…”

Brando grinned; he recognized Tabby’s habit of trailing off when she wanted to ask something. “What is it?” Brando asked.

“I’m just wondering…the jellyfish – it has orange nerves, right?”

Glen peered into the water. “Yep.”

“Okay. So…the thing is, this specific species you’re dealing with – it’s a physio-telepathic species,” Tabby said.

“What do you mean, physio-telepathic?”

“I mean, unlike fully telepathic species, the jellyfish has to be physically connected in order to bond with someone’s mind.” Tabby paused. “And physio-telepathy is…well. Like I said – don’t provoke it, and you should be fine. Just be careful, okay?”

“Got it. Thanks, Tabby.”

Chirp.

Brando clapped Glen on the back. “Okay. Sorry for the wait,” he said.

Glen nodded. “Can you unpack the battery?” He pulled his omnigadget from his belt. “I’m going to detach the core.”

“Got it.” Brando reached into the bag Glen had packed and pulled out a large, heavy case.

The job went simply, like Glen theorized. He stepped into the water, detached the core, and brought it over to the lift. There, he swapped the damaged battery with the new one.

When Glen stepped back into the water, he held the new core up high and shuffled around the jellyfish. His teeth began to chatter as he slid the core back into place and began to re-attach it. When Glen was finished, a low tone began to hum from the core.

“S-sounds like it’s working,” Glen said. “Now to start it…” He reached for the switch and flipped it.

At once, bright light filled the room and spilled into the lake’s depths.

Brando shielded his eyes, but he was beaming. “Nicely done,” he said.

Glen smiled. “Thanks. But – like I said…simple job.”

“When you know what you’re doing, yeah,” Brando joked. “I’d have gotten frustrated just –“ Brando broke off, his eyes widening.

The jellyfish was no longer floating aimlessly in the shallows. Its nerves were twitching, and it was speeding toward Glen’s feet.

Without thinking, Brando leapt off the lift and landed with a splash in the water. He surged forward, wrapped his arms around Glen, and pulled him off the ground.

“H-Hey!” Glen gasped. “What are you -"

“I don’t think the jellyfish likes the light!” Brando hissed. He looked down at the jellyfish, which was curling a tentacle around his ankle. He swore. “Okay…um. We may have a problem.”

“What?” Glen twisted to get a view of the water. His face fell at the sight of Brando’s ankle. “Oh." Then he looked back up at Brando’s face, and his eyes widened. “Oh. Brando, your nose – it’s bleeding.“

“My…” Brando felt something warm roll from his nostril. “Oh. Yep. Sure is.” He swallowed. “…Glen, I’m going to put you down,” he said, “and I need you to get to the lift without disturbing the jellyfish.”

“Well – what about you?” Glen demanded.

“We’ll call Aegis and figure it out,” Brando answered. “Now, are you ready?”

Glen looked like he wanted to argue, but he nodded. Brando slowly lowered him back into the water. Glen shuffled away without sloshing too much.

Brando watched Glen take the step onto the lift, and then he let out the breath he’d been holding. “O…kay,” he said calmly. “Now all we have to do is call Aegis.” He rapped his knuckles against his sternum. “DiHonos and Ptahfi to Ae – ah!” Brando’s head tilted upward, and a hand shot up to his temple. His eyes shot open wide.

“Brando!” Glen cried. He rapped on his chest four times. “Ptahfi to Aegis! Ptahfi to Aegis! Someone, answer me!”

Brando felt like his brain was a rapidly pulsing with every beat of his heart. The throbbing felt unreal, unnatural.

Chrip.

“Ptahfi to Aegis – we need help!” Glen shouted.

“What’s going on?” Blare sounded bewildered.

Tabby was on the comm, too. “Did you piss off the jellyfish?”

Brando could hear Glen explaining what was happening – but when Brando tried to raise his voice, to say something, his voice wouldn’t cooperate.

Flashes of light burst in Brando’s vision, and with them came sharp pricks of pain behind his eyes. He cried out, his knees bending but not buckling.

Brando felt another bead drip down onto his lip. The pain behind his eyes grew hotter. Brando’s knees bent again as he moaned.

“Oh, fuck,” Glen gasped. “Guys, his nose is really bleeding.”

“Okay, that’s bad,” Blare said. “If this jellyfish thing is doing something telepathic, and Brando’s nose is bleeding, then that means his brain is rejecting the bond.”

“What can I do?” Glen asked.

“It doesn't like the light - can you turn off the beacon without putting yourself in danger?” Tabby suggested.

“No – I can’t reach it.”

“Brando needs to sever the connection,” Blare said. “Either he breaks himself out of it, or…”

Brando felt a warm stream of blood roll down his chin, dripping off into the water. Nausea rose in him at the sight of his own blood, tainting the clean shallows pink.

A surge of pain blasted through Brando’s head, and he let his knees fold. He dropped with a splash onto the flooded floor, gripping his head with both hands.

“I have to do something!” Glen shouted.

“Blare, can’t we sever the connection some…other way?”Tabby said.

“You mean –“

Brando’s howl drowned out whatever Blare said next. Blood from his nose dripped into his mouth, and he leaned all the way over to touch his forehead to the water.

Glen’s boots came into view as he approached the edge of the lift. “Brando!” he shouted.

Instinctively, Brando’s head shot up – just in time to see Glen swing down.

Everything went silent and dark.

When Brando's senses came back to him, he groaned. His forehead felt bruised. He blinked up at Glen languidly.

“Are you okay?” Glen asked. Brando nodded once. “Can you say something?”

“…M’ head,” Brando rasped.

Glen grimaced. “Yeah, I’ll bet it hurts,” he said. “Um…sorry.”

Brando furrowed his brow. “What…?” He felt too tired to ask what happened, but Glen seemed to understand.

“Uh…” Glen looked over his shoulder at the case that had held the beacon’s battery. “I severed the connection the jellyfish had with you.”

Brando blinked. He knocked me out?

“Your nose was gushing blood,” Glen said defensively, reading Brando’s expression. “Blare says you weren’t going to last much longer.”

Brando hummed, closing his eyes.

“Can…can you move?” Glen asked. Brando bit back a groan, but he nodded. “Come on. Let’s get you to Slipper.” Glen leaned forward and threw Brando’s arm around his shoulder. “Ready? One, two…” And with a grunt, he helped lift Brando to his feet.

Brando stumbled against Glen. “S’rry,” he murmured.

“You don’t have to talk,” Glen said. He gave Brando’s wrist a comforting squeeze. “Just stay with me.”

[whumpapalooza]

PROMPT - serum injection CHARACTER - Slipper Hecatezen (Space Intern ocs)

So, tumblr ate your ask, @randomlifeunit - that's fun! I'm sorry this took so long, and thank you for the submission, friend!

And, thanks as always to @badthingshappenbingo for the card!

After a devastating world war, the planet Perses had been reclassified to Class 0 – a certified “failure” of a planet. It was practically uninhabitable, with pockets of continents oozing with radioactivity. The Perseans that survived the war had been evacuated and relocated across the galaxy.

Slipper didn’t think a mission on Perses – even in a designated safe zone – sounded like a good idea.

He was right.

Slipper led the way through the streets, Brando and Tabby close behind.

“Okay. This is…great. I love it. I love this.”

“Brando, shut up.”

“No, it’s fine! It’s awesome. I love being in a ghost city on a planet that has two hours of sunlight a day.” There had been light while they were briefed, but night had fallen since they’d entered the city.

Yowling echoed through a nearby alley. Brando jumped.

Tabby rolled her eyes. “It’s just a roz fight,” she said. “Calm yourself.”

“Not all of us know every single creature in the universe by the sounds they make,” Brando grumbled.

“You shouldn’t waste your energy with focus on fear,” Slipper said.

“Easier said than done,” Brando said.

“Especially for a braveless like Brando,” Tabby teased.

Click.

Slipper stopped in his tracks. He looked down at his foot.

“What’s wrong?” Tabby asked.

“I appear to have tripped a trap,” Slipper answered. At the same time, there was a loud whistling sound as something hurtled through the air.

Slipper felt something strike his neck.

Tabby and Brando gasped. “Fuck!” Tabby cried. “Slipper, you –“

Slipper raised a hand to touch the foreign object. It appeared to be a syringe. He tugged, but the needle wouldn’t come loose.

“Holy shit – hang on,” Brando said, rushing forward. He reached up and touched the syringe. “Oh, okay – that’s a good sign,” he said in a voice too high to be genuine. “It’s, uh – it’s stuck between your scales. Tilt your head.”

Slipper tilted his head away from Brando, ignoring the prick of pain that followed.

Brando gripped the syringe with one hand and placed his other palm against Slipper’s neck. “I should be able to…” Slipper felt a pinch. “There we go. Got it.”

Brando stepped away, syringe in hand. Tabby stepped closer.

“Let me see that,” she demanded. Brando handed over the syringe. Tabby inspected it with a hum. “Um...Slipper, a bunch of this went into you.”

“I’m aware,” Slipper said, and collapsed.

“Slipper – Slipper!” Hands grabbed his arms as his knees buckled. A face entered his line of sight. “Hey, can you hear me?”

Slipper gritted his teeth and hissed. “What was in that syringe?” he demanded.

“I don’t know,” Tabby said. “Talk to me – what’s happening, and what can we do?”

Brando shushed them suddenly. He cupped his ear. Slipper raised his head to listen, but there was ringing in his eardrum. After a few moments, Brando threw Slipper’s arm over his shoulder and started to lift him. “I hear voices,” he whispered.

“No one should be anywhere on this continent,” Tabby said. “What do you mean, you hear–“

A bright light washed over them all.

Slipper could hear an engine revving somewhere within the headlight’s too-bright beam. He curled his lip and shut his eyes.

“Oh, Dioscuri,” Tabby swore. “That guy’s got a plasma burner.”

Brando nodded. “We’ve got to fucking move!”

Tabby threw Slipper’s arm over her shoulder, rose, and then all three fell in step to hobble onward. Slipper tried to walk faster, but his left foot had gone numb. He shuffled along with Brando and Tabby to support him.

An ear-splitting tseew pierced the air as a bolt of electric energy crackled past them. Brando gasped and tightened his grip on Slipper’s wrist. “I see an alley – past the library!” he said.

Tabby nodded. “Let’s hope there’s a back door.”

Another bolt of electricity shot past them.

As they entered the alley, Tabby slid out of the support chain. She rushed ahead and tested the door. At first, it wouldn’t budge. But she quickly picked the lock and the door slid open. “In!” she shouted.

Brando bore the brunt of Slipper’s weight as they entered the building. Tabby slammed her elbow down on the keypad, shattering the screen, and then followed. She shut the door the moment she was through and set the lock from inside.

“That should hold them, right?” Brando asked as he helped Slipper sit down on the floor.

Tabby nodded. “Yeah. Slipper, you still with us?”

Slipper’s nostrils flared. He spat something in a Hecatean hiss. Then he said, “My vision is compromised, and I have numbness.”

“What do you need?”

Slipper barely had a moment to process what she had said before it suddenly felt as if a solid mass were striking straight through his head. He folded over, grasping his temples with his claws.

“Fuck,” Tabby spat. “I’m getting in touch with Aegis. Brando, get ready to move him. We need to get to the roof and get off this planet.” She tapped her chest four times. “Nic’hel to Aegis,” she said. She waited. “Nic’hel to Aegis,” she said again. She tapped her chest another four times.

“Don’t tell me,” Brando said dryly.

“Yep. Scrambled signal.”

“Okay,” Brando sighed. “So we’re sieged by unknown predators on a planet that’s supposed to be uninhabited. We can’t reach Aegis. Slipper’s –“

“Brando, the recap is not helping.” Tabby reached into her sash and pulled out her glasses, hooked them over her ears, and tapped the frames. “Hm.” She forward to reach into the darkness and pulled something off a shelf. She held it out for Brando to see.

“Vitamins?” Brando said. “Are we in a drugstore?”

Slipper’s breath rattled, but he managed to croak, “Look for triptans.”

“Triptans?” Tabby echoed.

“Or anti-inflammatory tablets,” Slipper said. “Triptans are…preferable.”

“Do you know what the serum was?” Brando asked.

“I do not,” Slipper said, “but I know what it is doing." He hissed. “It has triggered a severe migraine.”

“Triptans or anti-inflammatories. On it,” Tabby said, slipping into the gloom. She moved stealthily through the racks, her eyes skimming the labels. Fortunately, they were written in Standard; before its reclassification, Perses had been a Gal-U affiliate.

It didn’t take long for Tabby to find a bottle of triptan tablets. She snatched it from the rack and returned to her crewmates. She announced her arrival, but kept her voice low, for Slipper’s sake. “I found some triptans.”

Slipper didn’t even crack open an eye. His nostrils flared, and he asked, “Water?”

“Yeah, I’ve got my flask,” Brando said, reaching into his sash.

Tabby poured three tablets into her palm. “Here,” she said, kneeling in front of Slipper. She took his hand and uncurled his clenched claws before dropping the tablets into his hand.

Slipper held out his other hand. Brando handed him his unscrewed flask. Slipper sipped at the flask, then popped the tablets into his mouth.

“How long will it take for these to help?” Tabby asked.

Slipper swallowed. “I have not eaten since the midwake meal,” he murmured, “so they will likely take effect within the hour.”

“And we were supposed to check in with Aegis at around the same time,” Brando recalled. “When we don’t, they’ll realize something’s wrong.”

“So, what? All we can do is wait?” Tabby asked.

Slipper closed his eyes and burrowed his face into his arms. “All we can do is wait.”

[whumpapalooza]

For the one word prompts-- Ember with Tabby!

Thanks so much for the submission! :) I went a little overboard - four pages on Word - but I had so much fun thinking this one up that I don't care lol. Please enjoy!

(One Word Prompts 3)

(Space Interns Masterpost)

“Fossilized egg of chóvolisaurus regina, extinct species from planet Brigid.”

The exhibit’s label was perfectly clear, but it was wrong. Tabby knew the difference between a fossil and a live egg – and the egg sitting in case in the museum was live.

So she stole it.

Tabby hurried back to Aegis and hid in her cabin.

It’s about two feet long, Tabby mused, and it’s got octagonal ridges. She pulled several bestiary tablets from her shelves and started swiping through pages of eggs. The shell is black, with silver and gold lines… Tabby ran her finger over the egg. Ridges are sharp to the touch, but not uniform…

When the rest of the crew returned from the museum, someone knocked on Tabby’s door.

“Don’t come in – I’m sick,” Tabby lied.

“Oh.” Glen’s voice was muffled on the other side. “You want me to get Slipper?”

“No – I just need some sleep,” Tabby insisted. Glen seemed satisfied with this answer and left, and Tabby returned to her research.

Maybe I need to stop going by species, and start narrowing it down by galaxy… Tabby went to her shelves and picked up several more tablets.

Several hours later, there was urgent knocking on her door.

“Ugh – what now?” Tabby demanded.

“Tabby, open up. It’s me.” Blare’s voice was low.

Tabby rolled her eyes and didn’t look up from her tablet. “I’m sick.”

“I know about the egg.”

Tabby froze. “What?”

“I know about the fucking egg – now will you let me in?”

Tabby got to her feet and crossed the room to unlock the door. It slid open to reveal stern-faced Blare on the other side.

Blare entered without invitation. “Where is it?” she demanded.

Tabby slid the door closed and locked it. “How did you –“

“The museum just went on lockdown over it.” Blare’s eyes fell on the egg, wrapped in plush blankets beside a pile of tablets. She stepped closer and knelt beside it. “How in Aries’s name did you do it?”

Tabby folded her arms. “I have my ways.”

Blare pressed her fingers to her forehead. “And I’m assuming you had a good reason?”

“It’s a live egg,” Tabby explained, “not a fossil.”

Blare sighed. She hung her head.

“It belongs in its natural habitat,” Tabby continued. “I’m taking it home.”

“Which is…where, exactly?”

Tabby uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on her hips. “I’ve narrowed it down to four galaxies, thank you,” she said crossly.

Blare spun around. “Quit being so defensive!”

“Then back off!”

“I’m trying to help you!” Blare snapped.

Tabby recoiled. “You’re what?”

“Yes!” Blare said. “I’m trying to help you. What are the four galaxies?”

“Um…” Tabby rattled off the names. “But – hold on. What do you mean, you’re trying to help?”

“Believe it or not, Tabby, I trust your judgment,” Blare said. She turned back to the egg. “You wouldn’t do something like this without a good reason. I’ll help you see it through.” She folded her legs and picked up a tablet. “How have you been determining its origin?”

Tabby took a few moments in silence, then she joined Blare on the floor beside the egg. “Well, this is what I’ve been doing…” She leaned over and swiped the screen on the tablet in Blare’s hands, explaining her reasoning. Blare nodded as Tabby spoke, interjecting only occasionally. Once Tabby finished her explanation, Blare got to work.

An hour passed. Blare and Tabby leaned against Tabby’s bed, swiping through tablets and comparing notes in easy silence.

“Oh, what about Horus?” Blare asked eventually.

“Huh?”

“Horus – it’s a planet of avian people.”

Tabby hummed. “Good thought. But no, it’s definitely a reptilian egg – so it’s got to be from a planet that…” She trailed off, lowering her tablet.

“What?” Blare asked.

“…What if it’s…not from a planet?” Tabby asked. “What if it’s from –“

“A moon? Or an asteroid?” Blare suggested eagerly.

An hour of research later, they reached a conclusion. Blare departed to the bridge to set a course, and soon Aegis arrived at the center of an asteroid belt. Brando, Slipper, and Glen looked bewildered. “What are we doing here?” Brando asked.

“Don’t worry about it,” Blare and Tabby answered at the same time. Then Blare pointed to Glen and said, “You can tractor us onto an asteroid, right?”

He could. Glen sent Tabby and Blare onto the surface of the nearest asteroid – an oddly-shaped clump sporting deep cracks.

The moment Tabby’s feet touched down on the asteroid, triumph made her grin.

“This is it,” she said. “We’re definitely in the right place.” She tucked the egg under her arm and started walking.

“Where are you going?” Blare asked.

Over her shoulder, Tabby said, “I’m finding a nest.”

Blare hurried to catch up as Tabby started to climb a slope. “How do you know we’re in the right place?”

Tabby nodded to a nearby crevice. “Look at the indents: octagonal.” She patted the egg. “Our little friend has octagonal ridges. This is definitely a nesting asteroid.”

At the top of the hill, they found a wide crater.

“Could this be a nest?” Blare suggested.

“Maybe. Do you see scorch marks?”

“Scorch marks?” Blare echoed. She slid down into it and held a hand out to support Tabby.

“Yeah,” Tabby said, taking Blare’s hand. “If I’m right about this, then this species incubates its young by breathing fire on them.” She stepped down into the crater. “Come on, let’s look for cinders.”

They ventured forward. After half a minute, Blare noticed the first scorch mark. It was faint, but when Blare knelt to examine it, she determined it was ash.

They saw more singed stone as they carried on. As they approached the center, they also noticed fragments of eggshells.

“They match yours,” Blare remarked.

At the center of the crater, they found a raised bed of stacked rocks. The entire pile was brushed with black soot.

“That’s got to be a nest,” Blare said. Tabby nodded. “So, the egg will be safe here?”

“Yep,” Tabby said. “This is a communal species, so any nesting adult will likely take it.” She stepped forward and held the egg up to her face. “All right, little one. Glad you’re home.” She knelt beside the nest of cindery stone. She laid the egg down carefully, turning it slightly so that it didn’t wobble.

A staggered bellow echoed through the crater. Tabby and Blare spun around to see something magnificent standing at the top of the crater’s ridge.

“No way,” Tabby said. “It’s a dragon. It’s actually a dragon!”

The dragon leapt down, unfolding its wings. Iridescent black scales shimmered in the starlight as the creature glided toward them. Its scythe-like tail steered it in a gentle curve, and its wings tilted to bring it to a halt.

It touched down on the surface of the asteroid and trotted forward a few steps, towering over Tabby and Blare.

Tabby saw the scales on its throat start to glow gold. “Oh, fuck,” she said, scrambling to her feet. She rushed over to Blare and pulled her away from the nest.

The dragon’s jaws parted, and a jet of blue flames burst from its mouth. Blare couldn’t help but gasp as the fire engulfed the egg on the nest.

Tabby and Blare watched, mystified, as the egg withstood the heat. Tabby could feel sweat beading on her nose and forehead.

After about twenty seconds, the dragon snapped its mouth shut and drew its head back as the last of the blue flames licked at the egg.

The egg twitched. Its ridges began glowing gold.

“Is it hatching?” Blare asked eagerly.

A scraping sound came from the inside of the egg. The adult dragon sat and curled its tail over its claws, a satisfied purr rumbling in its throat.

“I think so,” Tabby said. She dropped to one knee to get a better look.

There was a pecking sound, and the top of the egg snapped off. A tiny head poked out, parting its jaws to reveal rows of serrated fangs. The hatching dragon croaked, then coughed – and a spray of embers burst from its mouth.

Tabby’s eyes gleamed. “Look at you!” she breathed. “Oh, you’re beautiful.”

The adult dragon leaned forward and nuzzled the hatchling.

Blare placed a hand on Tabby’s shoulder. “We should probably go,” she said.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Tabby got to her feet, stepping back without taking her eyes from the dragons.

The adult turned its gaze on Tabby. It bowed its head and blinked slowly.

“Oh, you’re welcome,” Tabby said, blinking in return. Then she looked at the hatchling. “You live a good life, okay?” she said. Then she tore her eyes from them, turned her back, and she and Blare walked away.

~SPACE DRAGONS ARE CANON, YAY~

[whumpapalooza]

For the word prompts: 18. Whistle with Slipper?

Thank you so much for the submission, anon!! :)

(One Word Prompts 3)

(Space Interns Masterpost)

Click.

Slipper stopped in his tracks. He looked down at his foot.

“What’s wrong?” Tabby asked.

“I appear to have tripped a trap,” Slipper answered. At the same time, there was a loud whistling sound as something hurtled through the air.

Slipper felt something strike his neck.

Tabby and Brando gasped. “Fuck!” Tabby cried. “Slipper, you –“

Slipper raised a hand to touch the foreign object. It appeared to be a syringe. He tugged, but the needle wouldn’t come loose.

“Holy shit – hang on,” Brando said, rushing forward. He reached up and touched the syringe. “Oh, okay – that’s a good sign,” he said in a voice too high to be genuine. “It’s, uh – it’s stuck between your scales. Tilt your head.”

Slipper tilted his head away from Brando, ignoring the prick of pain that followed.

Brando gripped the syringe with one hand and placed his other palm against Slipper’s neck. “I should be able to…” Slipper felt a pinch. “There we go. Got it.”

Brando stepped away, syringe in hand. Tabby stepped closer.

“Let me see that,” she demanded. Brando handed over the syringe. Tabby inspected it with a hum. “Um...Slipper, a bunch of this went into you.”

“I’m aware,” Slipper said, and collapsed.

[whumpapalooza]

May I present:

Them :)

[whumpapalooza]

escape and arrow with slipper??

Thanks so much for the submission, anon! :) I was stuck for a little while, but I think I combined the two okay...!

(One Word Prompts 3)

(Space Interns Masterpost)

Slipper’s senses came back to him slowly. First, he felt the ground beneath his chin. He could tell that he was worldside, because he could smell dirt and forest must. But he could not recall the name of the world.

Then Slipper heard voices. He recognized Glen’s first; the engineer had a distinctive vocal range. It was almost musical, the way he managed to shift octaves in single sentences. Blare’s breathy timbre responded to Glen. The pair seemed to be arguing.

Slipper became aware of a foreign weight on his right shoulder blade. He tested his claws first, flexing them to make sure they would respond. Then he lifted the arm – and sharp, hot pain splintered on its way through his upper body.

A guttural hiss tore from Slipper’s throat. He gritted his teeth until his jaw hurt.

Knees planted on the ground in front of Slipper’s face. “Hey – don’t move,” Glen said.

“What is in my shoulder?” Slipper demanded.

“It’s an arrow.” Blare knelt beside Glen. “We don’t know what to do.”

An arrow… Slipper’s nostrils flared. “I don’t believe it has impacted bone,” he said, “but we should test it.” Blare and Glen exchanged glances. “Whoever has…steadier hands should grip the arrow gently – gently,” he repeated, “and then twist.”

“That won’t, like...make things worse?” Glen asked.

“If the arrow has impacted bone, then yes.”

Glen and Blare compared their hands. Blare’s fingers were steadier than Glen’s, so she took her place over Slipper’s shoulder. She laid her hands on the arrow, sending a spark of pain through Slipper. He tensed.

“Sorry,” Blare said. “Am I hurting you?”

Slipper shook his head. “Pain is a part of the healing process. Now, t-twist the arrow. Gently,” he reminded her.

Slipper took a deep breath and recalled his training. He forced his muscles to relax.

Blare twisted.

Slipper’s eyes shot open. His jaws parted to release a strangled hiss.

“Sorry, sorry!” Blare said, pulling her hands away. “Is it – is it in the bone?”

Slipper rested his chin against the ground. “No,” he rasped. “It just hurts.”

“That’s a good thing, right? That it’s not in the bone?” Blare asked. Slipper nodded. “Okay – so what now? Do we take it out?”

“I don’t think we have time,” Glen said. Slipper turned his eyes on Glen’s apologetic face. “We’re being hunted,” he explained. “We’ve got to get out of here. Can you stand?”

“Glen, he just woke up!” Blare cried.

Slipper swallowed. “I will need help,” he said, “but yes, I can stand.”

“Slipper!” Blare chastised.

Glen leaned forward and pulled Slipper’s left arm over his shoulder. “Blare, help me,” he said. Blare hesitated, but she leaned forward and prepared to lift Slipper on the other side. She kept her hands away from his shoulder.

“One, two…”

“Three.”

Slipper’s exhale became a long, rattling hiss. He got to his feet. He swayed once he was standing, his tail quivering too hard to provide balance. His knees felt weak.

“We’ve got to move,” Glen said.

Slipper nodded. “I can make it,” he assured.

“Aegis is docked at the edge of the forest,” Blare said. “We’re probably half an hour out.”

Slipper lifted his head. “I can make it,” he said again. “Let’s go.”

[whumpapalooza]

Arete, part 5

FEBUWHUMP DAY 26: "please don't do this"

Glen's going through it lmao @febuwhump

(Space Interns Masterpost)

(First) (Prev) (Next)

Glen’s eyes were still closed, but he had begun to twitch.

Brando stood quietly. “Slipper?” he inquired. "Is he -"

“He appears to be waking,” Slipper replied. He approached the bed and called Glen’s name.

At Slipper’s rasp, Glen stiffened. His brow furrowed. Then, he croaked, “Slipper?”

Slipper’s frills relaxed. He turned to see the crew exchanging relieved glances. “That’s correct,” Slipper said. He turned back to Glen. “You’re in Aegis Medical Bay.”

Glen murmured something. When Slipper didn’t reply, Glen lifted his voice and repeated, “What happened?”

“It is a theory that you poisoned yourself to save my life.”

Glen’s eyes blinked open. “Huh?”

“Shortly before you fell ill, you consumed a drink made for me,” Slipper explained. “Further investigation has proven that the drink was laced with donna cortese.”

Glen’s expression shifted. “Oh. How – how bad is it?”

“Not good, Chuck,” Tabby said.

Glen blinked, just realizing the others were there. “Oh.”

“You’ve been in and out of consciousness,” Slipper reported, “but this is the first time you’ve been lucid all night.”

Glen swallowed, his face scrunching with pain.

“You should drink some water,” Slipper said. He poured a cup and held it to Glen’s lips.

“We found the antidote,” Blare explained as Glen sipped. “Slipper says you’re responding well to treatment."

“That’s correct,” Slipper said. “As long as your fever breaks tonight, you should recover.”

Blare patted Glen’s hand. “We’ll let you rest,” she said.

Blare, Tabby, and Brando each bade Glen and Slipper farewell, then left Med Bay.

Slipper searched Glen’s face, then dipped his head. “Rest,” he encouraged. “You’ll need your strength for what comes next.”

Glen nodded. “Is it… How bad is it going to be?” he asked, closing his eyes. “Because it sucks already.”

“It’s going to get worse before it gets better,” Slipper answered. He sat in the chair beside Glen’s bed.

Slipper waited until Glen shuddered asleep before he leaned back in his chair. He closed his eyes and sensed Glen’s heartbeat.

Humans had a tendency to refer to their hearts when describing their emotions. Slipper wondered, not for the first time, how overwhelming it must be to live in a human body.

Slipper had heard the rumors that humans were guided by their instinct to pack bond. When he’d first left his home planet, he thought the concept seemed primitive. But he had witnessed it for himself and learned its strength.

Slipper wondered if this special brand of human loyalty was the reason Glen had intercepted the poisoned glass.

As Slipper pondered this, he started to sense Glen’s body temperature rising. Slipper opened his eyes and saw sweat beading on Glen’s neck. Within minutes, Glen was fidgeting in discomfort.

The discomfort became pain, the fidgeting became writhing. Glen started to wheeze. He murmured incoherently.

Slipper felt like he was watching an icicle thaw, gathering water at its spike until the bead was too heavy and had to drop. Every water droplet brought the icicle closer and closer to melting completely. Slipper knew, without any doubt, that his own body would never have withstood the assault that raged against Glen’s.

Three hours later, Glen fell still.

Slipper raised his head. He watched Glen’s chest. It was barely rising.

“Glen,” Slipper said sharply.

Glen didn’t stir.

“Glen,” Slipper said again, standing.

No response.

Slipper's claws curled into fists.

There were limits to a physician’s capabilities, even in the year 627. Slipper was familiar with the feeling of powerlessness that came with healing. He had lost patients before; he had made peace with death.

But as death’s grip tightened on Glen, Slipper felt defiance flare in his chest.

“Don’t stop fighting,” he hissed. “Please, don’t do this.”

[whumpapalooza]

Titans, part 5

FEBUWHUMP DAY 21: "help them"

Slipper to the rescue, ba-by! @febuwhump

(Space Interns Masterpost)

(First) (Prev) (Next)

The coordinates were loaded. Tractor beam was primed. All Glen had to do was give the order for the chamber to activate.

"You have the cell passcode, and you have the directions to the tractor bay. You get them out of the cell, get them there, and input that code." Glen handed Slipper a metal rod. "And...this is a scream wand,” he explained. “It’s a sonic self-defense –“

“I am familiar with this weapon,” Slipper replied.

Glen blinked. “I’m going to pretend I’m not curious about that,” he said, looking away. “But, anyway, uh…I guess that’s it.” He gestured over Slipper’s shoulder. “You can go ahead in. I’ll prepare the tractor beam.”

Slipper turned to face a large chamber. Blare was leaned against it, arms crossed. She bowed her head to him. “Good luck,” she said.

Slipper stepped into the chamber. He heard Glen start entering codes.

He turned to face Glen and Blare just as the chamber hummed to life.

“B’zave,” Glen said.

“And you,” Slipper replied.

And in a flash, he was flying.

It was hardly two blinks – one rising, one falling – and then Slipper’s feet were gently touching down on rubber.

At once, Tabby’s gasp bounced off the walls. “You’re fucking joking.”

Slipper looked up. He had made it to the pirate craft. “Tabby,” he greeted.

Tabby sat in the middle of her cell floor with Brando’s head in her lap. His face was utterly slackened. Tabby’s fingers curled around his shoulders. “Please tell me this is real,” she demanded.

Slipper nodded. “It is.”

“Prove it.”

Slipper thought a moment. Then, he said, “Chuck sent me.”

Tabby’s shoulders relaxed. “Thanks be,” she breathed, looking down and Brando. “Thank – thanks be that you’re here. Slipper, you’ve – he’s – he’s barely breathing. Please – help him.”

As Tabby spoke, Slipper stepped forward and typed a memorized code into the keypad. The electric forcefield fizzled out, and Slipper hurried to the center of the cell.

Slipper got on his knees. “Brando,” he said flatly. “Brando, can you hear me?” Brando didn’t respond. “What happened to him?”

“I don’t know,” Tabby said. “Last time it was oxygen deprivation, but the time before that was stunning, and – and he didn’t get a chance to tell me what it was this time.”

“His pulse is weak,” Slipper murmured. “And rapid.” He reached out and pressed a claw to Brando’s face. “He’s cool and clammy. He’s in shock,” Slipper declared. “Hypovolemia. We need to replenish his fluids.”

“Okay. Do we have a plan to get back to Aegis?” Tabby asked.

Slipper pulled the scream wand from his sash.

Tabby blinked. “Fighting our way out, got it. I’m on board. Did you bring two?”

[whumpapalooza]

Titans, part 3

FEBUWHUMP DAY 18: forced to watch

Welcome back to this storyline! TLDR; Tabby and Brando are captives of curious space pirates @febuwhump

(Space Interns Masterpost)

(First) (Prev) (Next)

“Guys? I have something.”

Glen’s voice wasn’t confident, but it was more than he’d spoken in hours.

It had been three days since Tabby and Brando had been snatched from a moon’s surface and held aboard a pirate craft. The rest of Aegis’s crew had heard nothing – no call for a ransom, no threats, no surrender. They had been working nonstop to pursue and contact the pirates, and at last it sounded as if Glen had a breakthrough.

On Glen’s monitor was a video feed featuring the pirate craft’s prison bay. There were two familiar figures in the corner of the leftmost cell, sitting side-by-side with their backs to the wall.

“Is this live?” Blare asked. Glen nodded.

Slipper leaned in for a better look. “Can you zoom in?” he demanded. “I need to assess their conditions.”

“I’m sorry – this is as close as I could get it,” Glen said.

“You did great,” Blare reassured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Slipper, can you tell anything from here?”

Slipper’s tail-tip twitched. “I cannot be certain, but I believe Brando is injured.” He inclined his head. “He sits stiffly, whereas Tabby is more relaxed.”

“Glen, do we have a location?” Blare asked.

“I…” Glen met Blare’s eyes. “I think so. But...” Blare nodded for him to continue. “Every time we’ve gotten even a little close to catching up, the craft changes course. Maybe…while I’ve got the location at this distance, I could…” He trailed off. “I might be able to tractor someone onto the pirate craft, and then we could use that tractor bay to get Tabby and Brando back.”

Slipper narrowed his eyes. “Is that possible?”

“I…don’t know. But it’s all I’ve got.”

Blare pointed to the monitor. “Hold that thought,” she said. “Look.”

Shapes had appeared at the bottom of the screen. In response, Tabby and Brando had gone rigid.

“It’s the pirates,” Blare said.

One stepped close to the cell. A few moments later, the sparks between the floor and ceiling vanished, and two more pirates stormed inside. Tabby and Brando rose as one, hands clasped between them.

In one swift motion, one of the pirates raised its arm and then swung down. In a heartbeat, Brando’s knees buckled.

Glen and Blare gasped. Slipper’s hiss rattled through the bridge.

Tabby went to kneel by Brando’s side – but another pirate grabbed her arm and pulled her to the back of the cell. Tabby fought the grip, her gestures animated and desperate.

The pirate pulling her unsheathed its claws and held them to her throat.

“Oh, Aries, please, no,” Blare whispered. Glen was too nauseated to speak.

Tabby stopped resisting. Her jaw set. But her eyes never left Brando.

The pirate who had dealt the first blow leaned down and lifted Brando by the arm. Brando didn’t stir as the pirate hoisted him over its shoulder and stalked out of the cell. After shoving Tabby against the wall, the other pirate followed.

The forcefield went back up.

Tabby stared at something offscreen – the door, maybe – for eight long seconds. Then she stumbled against the wall and slid to the ground, burying her face in her hands.

For a moment, Blare was stunned into silence. Then she swallowed the lump in her throat. “We can’t reach her comm, can we?” she asked.

“No.”

“But we can tractor?”

Glen flinched. He bowed his head in confirmation.

Blare lifted her chin and announced, “I’ll go.”

“No,” Slipper said, tail-tip twitching. “I will.” Blare started to argue, but Slipper met her eyes and spoke firmly. “We cannot risk sending both of us, elsewise we lose discretion. And Brando will need medical attention. I will go.”

Glen wouldn’t meet Blare’s eyes. “He’s right.”

Blare clenched her fists. “Fine,” she said. “Slipper will go.”

“I’ll go prepare the coordinates,” Glen said. He took his tablet and got to his feet, then turned to Slipper. He patted the physician’s arm. Then he looked to Blare. “We’re bringing them home – today.”

[whumpapalooza]

FEBUWHUMP DAY 6: Hypothermia

This is a few hours late because I fell asleep, I'm sorry, please have mercy on me, @febuwhump

(Space Interns Masterpost)

Chirp. “DiHonos to Aegis.”

Upon hearing Brando’s voice, Glen frowned at the comm. Brando and Tabby had left Aegis less than an hour ago. They couldn’t be finished the mission, surely?

Glen connected to Brando. “This is Aegis,” he said. “What’s up? You okay?”

“Uh…I don’t know.”

Glen blinked. He started attempting to locate Brando’s tracker. “Talk to me.”

“I – I’m fucking freezing, Glen.”

“Well, you – you are on a planet in a glacial age.” Glen frowned at his screen. “Where are you?” he demanded. “I can’t pull you.”

“I don’t – I’m on a river.”

Glen’s eyes raised above his monitor. “Brando?” he asked. “You weren’t in the river, were you?”

“I woke up in the water,” Brando admitted.

Glen swore. “Okay, um…where’s – where’s Tabby?”

“I don’t know…”

Glen dialed Tabby’s comm. She answered after just a moment.

“Aegis to Nic’hel,” Glen said.

“You’ve got her,” Tabby replied. “Good timing, too – I was just about to call. Brando’s vanished.”

“Yeah, he’s –“

“Tabby, where are you?” Brando demanded.

“Castor and Pollux, there you are! I turned around and you were gone. Where the nethers are you?”

“He fell in the river,” Glen explained. He heard Tabby spit a swear into the snow. “I can’t get a pull on his location, either.”

“Okay,” Tabby sighed. “So, all we’ve got to do is figure out where you are and get you warm.”

“K-Kind of hard on – on a glacial planet.”

“The pessimism isn’t helping, dumbass.”

“Guys…” Glen cut in.

“Right.”

“S-Sorry.”

“Tabby, maybe you can retrace your steps and figure out where Brando fell,” Glen suggested. “And – and meanwhile, I’ll call Slipper and Blare. They should be here.”

“Copy.”

“And Brando – uh, just…hang tight, okay?”

“Y-Yup.”

Glen dialed both Blare and Slipper, who came to the tractor chambers immediately. Once they arrived, Slipper took the comm.

“Brando,” Slipper said, “describe your condition.”

Brando’s chattering teeth answered for a moment. “I c-can’t stop shivering,” he admitted faintly.

“The shivering is a good sign,” Slipper said. “Your body is still fighting.”

“Are there any landmarks around?” Blare demanded. “Anything that Tabby can use to find you?”

“Um…” Brando trailed off. The crew waited for a few moments, but Brando never finished the thought.

“Brando?” Tabby demanded roughly.

“…Mhm?”

“Okay, that doesn’t sound like ‘hanging tight,’”Tabby remarked. “Are you falling asleep?”

“Trying not to.”

“Well, try harder.” Tabby’s voice betrayed her and wavered.

“Brando. Landmarks?” Blare asked.

“Oh, right… Um, there’s…” He described his location.

“You got that, Tabby?” Blare said.

“Got it. I’m on the cliffs, and I think I see – fuck!” Crunching snow echoed through the comm.

“Tabby?” Brando asked, sounding wide awake.

Glen peered at his screen. “She’s still in the same location,” he reported.

“Tabby, are you alright?” Blare demanded.

Tabby brushed her comm. “I’m good – I’m good,” she said. “But I think I found where Brando fell. The snow here piled up near the cliffs ��� and it falls away when you step on it. The river’s down below.”

“Do you see Brando?” Slipper asked.

“Hang on…” Tabby said. “There’s no bank down there. He must have been swept further downstream. Brando, what side are you on? The forest or the rocks?”

Brando’s words slurred together. “’s the, uh…th’ rocks…”

“Brando, are your eyes open?” Slipper asked.

“…Mostly.”

“Tabby, are you on the same side as he is?” Blare said.

“Yeah. I’m – oh, okay, I think I see him!” Tabby’s voice lifted with triumph. “Awesome – there’s a kind of trail that leads down to him.”

“You have to keep talking, Brando,” Slipper urged.

“Mm…”

“Those ain’t words, DiHonos,” Tabby said.

Glen focused his attention on the radar. Tabby’s signal began to weaken as she took the path toward the riverbank. Glen leaned forward and started to follow her signal manually.

“Brando, we need you to keep talking,” Blare pressed. “Are your eyes open?”

“Yeah…”

“Hey Brando,” Tabby said lightly, “if you don’t start talking in the next few seconds, I’m going to start telling that story about your first time using ood.”

“C’mon, Tabby…” Brando whined.

“Okay, you guys ready for this one? So, Brando’s thirteen, right? And –“

“Alright...just…just shut up…”

The radar had lost Tabby’s signal, but Glen hadn’t. He tracked her down the rocky slope and onto the riverbank.

“You fucking liar,” Tabby said suddenly. “Your eyes are not open.”

And at that moment, Glen got a second signal. “Got you!” he crowed, leaping to his feet. “Stay still, okay? I’m bringing you home.”