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violetstormms · 16 hours ago

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Alien Fantasy-File 13: They all have their thorns.

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The morning settled on the Princess's thorny exterior as she awakened, her eyes adjusting to the sunlight that penetrated through the thick stalks surrounding her chambers. She shimmied her body, letting some of the excess thorns that had accumulated during her sleep scatter to the floor. She extended her limbs, the markings on her body still clearly visible. a sign of good health among her species. The Princess moved through her chambers, her retainers already waiting outside.

"Your Radiance." they whispered in unison. She proceeded to the morning meal, where various members of her court awaited her presence. The gathering hall, carved within the enormous stalk, was filled with activity. Servants scurried about, their bodies perfectly adapted to slip between the natural thorny protrusions that decorated the interior walls.

"The northern provinces report excellent growth this cycle, Your Radiance." one minister announced. The Princess nodded, though her mind wandered to her afternoon plans. The morning continued with various other royal duties.

The usual: reviewing agricultural reports of new stalk growths, mediating disputes between noble residences and attending to the countless ceremonies that filled a royal's day. She maintained her composure, but her limbs twitched with anticipation.

As the afternoon approached, the Princess made her move. She slipped away from the main chamber, her body flowing smoothly between the thorny barriers that would have impaled less adapted beings. Three of her retainers followed her. their bodies twisting and turning through gaps that seemed impossible to slip through without getting a stab wound. But their species' flexibility allowed them to compress and expand their forms as needed, making the forest of thorns barely and inconvenience to them.

Higher and higher they climbed, their limbs holding onto the smallest of protrusions. The massive stalks swayed gently in the wind, but their grip never faltered. Finally, she spotted it - the gleam of something unnatural among the organic spiky stalks of their kingdom. The Princess turned to her retainers.

"I shall continue alone from here." she announced.

"But Your Radiance, the Matriarch will be most displeased if harm befalls you." Protested one of her retainers.

"I am quite capable of defending myself." She flexed her limbs. They bowed and began their descent, though they didn't go far. royal protectors never truly abandoned their charge.

The Princess continued her ascent. She'd been watching the foreign object for several cycles now. The metal object hung wedged between the spikes of a few stalks. As she drew closer, she could make out more details. It was roughly the size of a commoner's living chamber, its surface smooth and unlike the thorny stalks they called their home. Various lights blinked across its surface and occasional sounds emerged that sounded like the reptiles she'd find in the plants below her home.

Her heart raced as she reached the object. Carefully, she maneuvered around its exterior until she found one of its transparent sections. Pressing close, her body trembled with anticipation as she peered inside.

There it was - the creature she'd been watching. Its form was utterly alien to her: no thorns, no proper number of limbs, and covered in some kind of artificial exterior rather than a proper exoskeleton. It sat before another transparent section, but this one showed images of their world. Moving pictures of the great stalk forest that stretched across her home.

Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, the Princess allowed her body to shimmy against the transparent barrier. The sound caused the creature to spin around. It propelled itself backward, knocking over several objects in its panic.

The Princess remained still, observing as the creature gradually calmed itself. After several moments, the creature approached the barrier again. She watched as it manipulated something, and suddenly, the barrier itself moved, creating an opening between them.

She once again found herself face to face with the unknown being. The wind from their height whistled through, making the stalks creak and sway, The creature looked anxious, but just resumed looking through it's transparent glowing sections again.

She leaned forward through the opening, her eyes fixed on the creature as she began sharing her day's events. She described the morning's court proceedings, the agricultural reports, and how she'd been eagerly anticipating this moment since their last encounter.

The creature sat there, clearly struggling to comprehend her language. Its face contorted in several ways foreign to her. The Princess found it endearing how it tried to mimic her sounds, though mostly unsuccessfully.

"HoW...Are YoU...DoInG tOdAy?" the creature attempted, its clumsy pronunciation making her vibrate with amusement. It had clearly picked up fragments of her language through their previous encounters, but its attempts at communication were more mimicry than understanding. The fact that it asked about her day after she'd just finished explaining it confirmed that. The Princess didn't mind though.

She watched as the creature moved away from where it was looking at. releasing a strange exhaling noise. Her attention was immediately drawn to an unusual sound. The creature was removing its outer layer, and the Princess watched as the artificial skin it wore peeled away. She'd seen this process before. Underneath was the creature's true form - hair on its head, delicate skin, completely vulnerable. No thorns, no protective plates, not even a proper exoskeleton. Just soft, smooth flesh that looked like it could tear at the slightest contact with their world.

She subconsciously reached out one of her limbs toward the creature, wanting to experience the texture of its bizarre exterior. The creature recoiled sharply, pressing itself against the far wall of its chamber. The Princess immediately withdrew, her thorns retracting in embarrassment. Of course. her natural defenses were precisely what made her dangerous to this fragile being.

She made a series of apologetic gestures. The last thing she wanted was to harm this fascinating creature again. To make amends, she reached behind her and pulled out a carefully wrapped package of leaves. Inside were several pieces of fruit from the upper stalks - sweet, tender morsels that were considered a delicacy among her people.

The creature's eyes widened at the offering, and after a moment's hesitation, it accepted the gift. The Princess watched as it consumed the fruit, noting how its consumption process differed from her species'. While they absorbed nutrients through specialized feeding thorns, this creature used a cavity in its face filled with small, white protrusions to break down the food.

Her gaze drifted to the white wrapping around one of the creature's upper limbs. Stained with dried red liquid, darker now than previously. The sight brought back memories of their first encounter, when her instinctive defensive reaction had caused one of her thorns to pierce the creature's soft flesh. The incident had haunted her, leading to her current pattern of careful visits and peace offerings.

She'd been returning to this spot regularly since then, bringing various fruits and watching as the creature gradually became less fearful of her presence. Still, she couldn't help but worry about the creature's safety. If one of her retractable thorns could cause such damage, what would happen if the creature ventured out into their world? The forest of spiky stalks, designed by evolution to protect and defend. For a being with no natural armor, it would get itself killed.

The Princess observed as the creature finished the fruit, carefully setting aside the leaves she'd used as wrapping. Despite their inability to properly, they'd developed a sort of routine during these meetings. She would bring food, and the creature for the most part would let her roam around it's quarters. provided she didn't damage anything.

She eyed the creature, a limb subconsciously raising in contemplation. She considered the strange turns her life had taken over the past few cycles.

It had started with what the court astronomers called "a falling star" - though she now knew better. The object had torn through the upper paths, leaving a trail of broken stalks and scattered thorns in its wake. The impact had shaken the entire royal residence, sending waves of vibration through the interconnected stalk network that served as their kingdom's nervous system.

She remembered the initial panic, the Royal Guards frenzy, the fierce debates in court about whether to investigate or destroy the foreign object. But something held them back. perhaps curiosity, perhaps destiny. The Princess had felt drawn to it from the beginning, though she couldn't explain why.

Her first glimpse of the creature had been through this same transparent barrier. She'd been fascinated by its appearance - so different from anything in their world. Where her people were adorned with protective thorns and plates, this being was soft and vulnerable. Where they moved with fluid grace through their thorny environment, it remained confined to its artificial shell, clearly unsuited for their world.

The Princess's thorns rippled as she recalled their first direct interaction. The creature had been attempting to repair something near the open barrier. its vessel, protected only by an additional layer of artificial skin. She'd approached too quickly, startling it, and her defensive thorns had responded automatically. The creature's pained cry still echoed in her memory, along with the sight of its red life-fluid seeping from the wound.

She shifted her gaze to the glowing sections. One of them was displaying the Whispering Stalks. These ancient growths, reaching heights that dwarfed even the royal residence, were said to contain the collected wisdom of their species. For generations, they had served as oracles and sages, their rustling leaves carrying prophecies and predictions to those who knew how to listen.

Three cycles ago, during the Season of Shedding, she had made the traditional royal trip to consult the Whispering Stalks about her future. The predictions had been... unusual, to say the least. First, they had spoken of a mate unlike any other in their history - one who would come from "beyond the thorny barriers." The Princess had initially assumed this meant someone from outside the kingdom, perhaps even from the legendary settlements beneath the lowest stalks. But now, watching the creature adjust its bandages, she wondered if the prophecy had been more literal than anyone could have imagined. The Whispering Stalks had also foretold that she would "bridge two worlds". though what that meant remained unclear.

Looking at the creature now, she couldn't help but wonder. If the prophecies were true, if this strange being was indeed meant to play a role in her destiny, how could they ever bridge the literal physical barrier between them? Every interaction had to be carefully managed to prevent injury. Even the simplest gesture of affection - a touch, a caress - could result in serious harm.

The creature was currently examining some sort of device, making marks on it with a thin tool. The Princess had observed this behavior before - some form of record-keeping, she assumed. Despite its physical fragility, the being possessed intelligence and some form adaptability.

*ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* She turned around and saw some weird small metallic creatures flying into the object. Zooming through with surprising agility. They disappeared into various small hatches scattered around the vessel's interior.

Her attention shifted to the glowing displays that the creature had been monitoring earlier. Each one showed different angles of the object they were in. The screens suddenly went dark, coinciding with the closing of the hatches where the metal creatures had entered. The realization dawned on her - these beings served as the creature's eyes, allowing it to observe their world while remaining safely contained within its protective shell.

A sharp, jarring noise pierced the air, causing her defensive thorns to instinctively extend. The sound emanated from a small device near the creature, who quickly grabbed it and held it close to its face. The Princess watched intently as it began to communicate with the device.

("?ereht llits uoy erA .rerolpxE")

(".ereh noitautis a evah eW")

(".esruoc ffo llits si noissim eucser ruoY")

("?sutats ruoy si tahW")

(".won thgir elttab a ni kcuts er'eW")

(revo dna tuo ...gnidloh llits m'I")

("?won thgir pu su kcip ot elba uoy erA")

(yawa sraey thgil wef a er'ew ,yrros m'I ,oN")

The Princess observed the creature's reactions as it conversed with the unseen entity. Though she couldn't understand the words, the creature's body language suggested frustration and resignation. She had heard these voices before during her visits, always accompanied by similar displays of emotion from the creature. She wondered if perhaps these were spirits or maybe even a higher court that governed the creature's kind.

She emerged from the vessel and positioned herself on a nearby thorny outcropping. From this vantage point, she had a clear view of her own stalk-quarters below. Members of her court moved about their daily activities. Several of her retainers stood in a cluster, their limbs gesturing toward the vessel while talking.

She could almost hear their speculations from here. Since the vessel's arrival, countless theories had circulated through the court. The philosophers debated the implications of life beyond their thorny world, while the religious devotees sought meaning in the Whispering Stalks' rustling leaves. Some saw the arrival as an omen of change, others as a threat to their way of life.

The Princess recalled the chaos following her first encounter with the creature. After the unfortunate incident with her defensive thorns, she had been forced to assert her royal authority, demanding that all others maintain their distance. She understood their curiosity, but the risk of further injury was too great.

She cast one final glance at her chambers below, then returned her attention to the metallic vessel. The afternoon light was fading. Her court would be expecting her soon for the evening ceremonies.

Standing at the vessel's entrance, she gazed longingly at the creature within. her thorns arranging themselves in the traditional pattern of affection used by her species during temporary partings.

The creature, predictably, didn't understand the significance. It simply raised one of its upper appendages and moved it back and forth - a gesture she'd seen before. If she recalled correctly from their previous encounters, this was their way of saying farewell.

As she began her descent, her mind wandered to future meetings. Perhaps next time she could bring some of the rare luminescent fruits that grew in the royal gardens. Or maybe she could convince the creature to show her more of those fascinating moving images on its glowing panels.

================================================

Inside the vessel, Charlie sat down before their recording equipment, their fingers hovering over the input device:

Log Entry - Day 20

It's been almost three weeks since my emergency landing on this thorn world. The ship's systems are still operational, but the damage to the propulsion system means I'm not going anywhere soon. The small drones are helping with repairs, but progress is slow without proper replacement parts.

Food situation is stable, surprisingly. Between our remaining rations and the local fruit the thorny lady (that's what I've started calling her in my head) keeps bringing, I'm managing. The xenobiology team back at HQ would have a field day analyzing these plants. The fruit is not just edible but actually nutritious. Small mercies, I suppose.

The wound from our first encounter is healing, though it still throbs occasionally. Lucky it wasn't poisonous - though the medkit's starting to run low. What I wouldn't give for a proper medical officer right about now instead of these basic first aid supplies.

They rubbed their bandaged arm, glancing through the view port at the drop below. The thorns stalks stretched as far as the eye could see, even the sky was covered with them it seemed. How the ship made it through all that was still amazing to them. The thought of attempting to climb down made their stomach churn. No, better to stay put and wait for rescue. Getting impaled on alien thorns wasn't exactly how they planned to end their career.

Slumping back in their chair, they sighed heavily. The isolation was starting to wear on them. Even with their unusual visitor providing some companionship, being confined to the small space of the vessel was becoming increasingly claustrophobic.

"At least the view is interesting." they thought.

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violetstormms · 1 day ago

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Battle Gods

First Medical officer of the Galactic Union Revka Jihar looked on in awe as the human zipped from one console to other.

Sliding her chair from one side of the room to the other only to go back she displayed a true mastery of her job. Coordinating rank upon rank of human shock trooper forces into position, confirming approval of Human Medium Force Allowed, checking and double checking the health status of hundreds of humans, receiving reports from multiple divisions of engineers and mechanics about the status of one drop group or another…it was overwhelming to the Kalarian to watch.

“Shock Troopers stand by to stand by for final approval on drop, med squads confirm ready stations for injured, eng corps get those fucking launch tubes in the green before I come down there and fire you out one by one until I am satisfied my boys won’t hit atmo looking like strawberry jam, Hell Jumpers get to your pods and strap in we have yellow light on drop and I am not waiting for any Late Lucys should we get green.”

The rapid-fire communication of the humans had never ceased to amaze Revka, how they could say so much with so few words using only inflection, context, tone, body language and a myriad of other factors that they themselves seemed un-aware of.

Keys rattled like gunfire beneath First Rank Orbital Shock Drop Coordinator Amelia Hargrove’s nimble fingers, screens bloomed in thin air only to be replaced by others as they were dismissed. Within barely a handful of human minutes Frist Rank Hargrove sat back limply in her chair with her arms hanging down the sides as she breathed deeply in seeming exhaustion, Revka knew better though, he had seen this human go cycles without rest or nutrition.

An alert from the single remaining screen in front of the human grabbed her attention and her head snapped up from its slumped over position, the gleam of anticipation and sudden movement reminding Revka of the humans’ predatory lineage. Jumping to her feet with enough force to send her division command chair sliding back on tracks laid into the floor to the edge of the large room they occupied Amelia commed the captain of the ship.

“Captain Shelsa, Shock Trooper Command…I have green on all drop requirements, personnel and approval…Awaiting Final Command.”

Amelia Stood disturbingly still and focused as she awaited the order from her captain to release the humans upon the world beneath them. Revka stood in the back of the room next to the abandoned chair, furiously making notes upon his digital clipboard without even looking down at it.

Being the first species other than human to witness the deployment of Shock Troopers into an active battle field Revka was not about to miss a single documentable moment of what he was witnessing. The tension in the air radiating from the human in the middle of the large room was almost enough to choke him, the human had not moved in the slightest since her last communication, her muscles seemed to bunch beneath her skin tight command suit as the micro-cycles slid by, until…

“Shock Command, Captain Shelsa…you are green for trooper drop, repeat you are green for drop…Amelia!” First Rank Hargrove’s head snapped up at the sound of desperation and pain in the captain’s voice.

“Yes Captain? I am here.”

“…Amelia, these, monsters attacked earth…they struck down schools and hospitals…these invaders took my baby girl from me without warning or reason given…invoke the Battle Gods….”

First Rank Amelia went dead silent and painfully rigid from this last command. It was well known humans had music for all occasions and that they would perform different tasks with more or less efficiency depending on if music was being played to them and depending on the task or musical selection.

Revka felt his feathers bleach of all color at the last command…it was not a command given with hopes of leaving survivors, the Battle God Queen was something of a legend among different species due to the effect said music had on humans…but these last words were spoken with such cold venom Revka had to grip the deck plates with his talons to keep himself from bolting in fear. Revka watched as the Orbital Shock Drop Coordinator calmly answered in the affirmative, slipped an Augmented Reality Visor over her eyes and seemed to deflate as tension left her body.

Walking to the middle of the room First Rank Amelia began to glow softly as synaptic relays lit up across her suit, lines of light racing from her toes to her visor and everywhere in between, muscles slid with liquid grace beneath her suit as she stalked forward.

It started gently…hands lifting to flow through screens only she could now see through her visor…hands and arms moving like the conductor of a symphony Revka had seen on earth. With each movement a new small screen came to life around Coordinator Amelia, each screen containing a new face…the faces of her boys…the faces of humanities most feared ground-based battle troops…the Orbital Shock Troopers known only as the Hell Jumpers.

No words were spoken at first, Amelia simply stood there under the gaze of over five hundred trained, battle hardened, soldiers. Soldiers that were about to be dropped from orbit onto a planet light years away from home into a raging warzone with nothing but a small pod made to break away on impact to protect them from the heat and violence of atmospheric entry. None looked scared, no tears were shed in fear or pain, this was simply another good day to die for these individuals Revka realized.

“Kikiki! Kakaka!” The suddenness of Coordinator Amelia’s cry and movement nearly had Revka molting a full tails worth of feathers. Amelia slammed one foot down to her side so that she was bent at the knees.

“Kauana kei waniwania taku tara” Hands slapped into her thighs and stomach muscles in time to her chant.

“kei tarawahia, kei te rua i te kerokero!” Feet stomped and hands slapped as she continued her chant, voice raising to echo throughout the room.

“He pounga rahui te uira” Amelia’s voice rang with a clarion call to battle, it vibrated with the rage of an entire race that had been wronged as she raised a fist and slapped her arms.

“ka rarapa ketekete kau ana” Revka felt sorry for himself as he watched the display before him as he had not thought to make arrangements for his newly born clutch of whelps should he perish on this mission.

“To peru kairiri mau au e koro e!” Looking at the many images of the Shock Troopers arrayed before and around the still stamping and chanting Coordinator Revka could see that each one was focused upon her with a burning intensity.

” Hi! Ha! - Ka wehi au ka matakana,” Eyes narrowed, teeth were bared in rictus smiles, pulses throbbed in necks, nostrils flared in anticipation as the chanting grew somehow louder and more fervent.

“ko wai te tangata kia rere ure tirohanga” First Rank Amelia stamped and pounded her feet into the ground as if to defy fate to move her, as if she was seeing the future and challenging it to be anything other than what she demanded it to be.

“ngā rua rerarera” Hands slapped and struck with force that would shatter the bones of Revka’s species like she was trying to beat reality into submission and bend it to her will.

“ngā rua kuri kakanui i raro! Aha ha!” With one final strike First Rank Orbital Shock Drop Coordinator Amelia Hargrove let loose a sound that would haunt Revka’s rest cycles for the rest of his life.

The sound that echoed throughout the room seemed to contain all the suffering that had been felt at the hands of the enemy, all the pain of loss and the rage of those who could not do anything to seek retribution for those wronged. Screens lit up as each trooper dropped from the belly of the ship into the planet’s gravity well, each and every face pulled into a mask of rage and determination beneath face shields snapping into position.

Revka thought that perhaps the spectacle was over now that the humans had been sent planet side…until Coordinator Amelia’s arm snapped out and with a few deft movements brought up a simple non-standard screen.

The media screen floated barely a hairs breadth from the end of Amelia’s finger tips as she scrolled down a list of songs. With little more than a thought a song was selected and broadcasted to every shock trooper, soldier and crewman.

Drums beat and strings were plucked with a sense of anger lurking behind the sounds, after only a few seconds of this First Rank Amelia began to sing in a tone of voice unlike anything Revka had heard from the normally bubbly and flirty Coordinator, like gravel grinding in honey and rising into an angry cry tinged with desperation.

I feel the pressure is building in me

My stomach's sick, it's getting harder to breathe

I hear the screaming, I feel the disease

It's burning me up and there is nothing to breathe

Will you crawl with me

Will you stand with me

Would you follow me

Would you believe with me

Tell me you'll breathe with me,

tell me you'll die with me

Come on, get on, let me hear your war cry!

Yell it out, do or die

Let me hear your war cry!

The battle that followed after the start of this terrifying song was less a battle and more a chaotic slaughter of the enemy. Humans that had been forged of star matter and tempered over eons of living on a death world and driven by madness channeled from a world in pain through musical Battle Gods dark and ancient tore across the land. They fell from the skies in gouts of flame like avenging angles come to strike down the very gates of Hell, no enemy was spared, no mercy given nor asked.

The battle had been long and hard, the final count of the dead had come out to one hundred and seven troopers lost out of over five hundred…a small number but one that was felt like a hammer blow among those that knew them.

Revka had stayed and watched the entire time as Coordinator Amelia somehow split her attention between directing troop movements and battle plans all while continuing to dance and sing to various songs of battle and victory. When the final call of victory came over the open channels the music was allowed to stop and First Rank Amelia fell still. Her arms hung limp at her sides…screens showing haggard and haunted faces of her soldiers, her troopers, her boys signing off one by one as they went to seek medical aid or further orders, synaptic relays dimming from a fiery blaze to a pale glow until they too fell silent and dark.

Revka walked slowly from his position in the back of the room towards the silent and still figure of the human known among the crew as Battle Siren…the one human who was expected to endure the responsibility of coordinating hundreds of war machines, who was given authority to make decisions in battle and who had to carry the weight of those decisions. As he got closer Revka noticed a new taste on the air, sharp and salty…not sweat, he didn’t have sweat glands and the skin suit Amelia was wearing prevented her body from needing to sweat…tears? Yes, Revka could taste the salt of tears on the air.

Slowly coming around to face the Battle Siren Revka was somewhat surprised to find a river of tears slowly falling from under the AR visor. With a deep breath as if she was emerging from deep waters Amelia lifted the visor from her tear-soaked eyes and seemed to stare through the bulkheads and deep into the void, then in a soft whisper she said a single sentence that would be taken to the Galactic Council and repeated again and again among those who thought to strike out against the humans.

“They sowed the wind with their strike against our young and injured…so too did they reap the hurricane of our vengeance.”

With that single sentence spoken a new sound began to emanate from the Coordinator, a long drawn out note not unlike the tune of a bell. Revka backed away and made his way out of the room, the Battle Siren had begun to sing a new song but not one of war and conquest, rather a song of pain and history filled with conflict but also about seasons changing and hope prevailing. The humans may have had a great pantheon of voices to channel inspiration from when going into battle, but so too did it seem that they had ones for peace and healing.

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violetstormms · 1 day ago

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Medical Emergency

‘Medical Emergency, Navigation 4, Medical Emergency, Navigation 4.’

The message repeated over and over across the PA system of the Leviathan Class exploratory ship. A massive space fairing vessel dedicated to finding the edge of creation and everything in between the Galactic Edge was a marvel of multi-species engineering.

Fifteen different habitats built to within micro-specifications for the species they were meant to hold, seven multi species common areas built to accommodate every race on board. Enough FTL drives to be able to be fired in succession so when one batch went down another could be brought online so they didn’t even have to stop for a cool down period between jumps. Recycling processes efficient within .0001% allowing near as possible full self-sustainability for an indefinite amount of time.

The main drawback of such a marvel of galactic traversal being of course…the FUCKING size…larger than some moons, a population numbering more than some planets (or at least it felt that way) and yet somehow never enough personnel in the right places at the right times.

‘Of course the emergency is right inside the border of my territory, because why wouldn’t it be? And of course, it had to be JUST as I was about to go off shift.’ Thought MD1 Joseph Jarl, JJ to anyone who wanted to continue a comfortable existence, after all no one knew how best to take someone apart than the ones who had to put others back together.

Running at full human speed JJ flew down the various passages dodging, spinning, ducking and jumping around the many obstacles in his way with all the predatory grace humans were gifted with.

‘Ha! and mom always said it was a waste for a doctor to learn parkour.’

Sliding on one hip beneath the centaur like body of a Gravelin engineer and popping back up to a full run JJ jumped and thrust one foot out to run alongside a bulkhead when he came to a T-section of corridor, narrowly missing the heads of a group of Ranki environmental scientists as he fell from the wall and rolled to maintain momentum.

Slamming a hand to the Medical Bypass Badge on his chest, signaling the door immediately in front of him to open JJ slid to a stop inside Nav.Bay 4 eyes flicking around the space looking for the emergency.

Sharp ocean blue eyes registered three different species, one of which still tensed when in direct line of sight of his forward-facing predatory gaze. Attention landing on a group of navigators clustered in a small huddle JJ slung the med-pack off his back and approached the group.

Head held high, shoulders wide and a purpose in his stride JJ projected every ounce of authority he could dredge up from his years as a medical professional he could when he ordered the group to back up and give him some space to work with. Approaching the center of the group JJ noticed the Elental on the floor, curled into a ball and rocking back and forth while making small pathetic whining sounds while very obviously having a hard time breathing.

Dropping to one knee in front of the one species on board that most closely resembled a human JJ slowly reached out and rested a hand on the Elental’s shoulder. Being a species that stood on average around 6.5-7 feet tall he barely had to reach to grasp the rocking figure’s shoulder.

Elental were a bipedal race with nearly translucent skin in direct light, long sharply pointed ears, eyes that stretched from the bridge of a dual slit nose to where the temple would be on a human with three pupils each, mostly human proportioned faces and a universally slender build.

It was a very little-known fact but the first time the human council met an Elental the lead diplomat was in fact recorded on official record as having muttered the phrase ‘Fuck me we found Space Elves’… though the actual audio recording of this moment was very deeply buried beneath as much galactic red tape as was possible. Noticing there was no response to his touch JJ turned to the closest navigator and asked for any details on the medical emergency.

“We don’t really know Human JJ, he was trying to determine some FTL jump coordinates and the timing required to make them when he started shaking and his speech became rapid and somewhat slurred, he began shaking and clutching his, well it would be the stomach on you, but his main pulmonary area and his respiration began to rapidly increase. When he tried to walk away from his station he collapsed and that was when we called the emergency, is he sick?” The Fenra asked nervously after the quick report on what happened.

JJ would never admit it but seeing a three-foot alien that looked like were-shitzu nervous and scared was absolutely adorable.

“I don’t think so no…hold on,” Quickly determining that there was no external injuries JJ tried raising the Elental’s head to look into his face but his patient seemed to be in a stubborn mood.

Taking a chance JJ reached into his pocket and pulled out a simple twentieth century zippo, an antique passed down in his family that he kept in working condition and never went anywhere without.

Flicking it open with a sharp, practiced snap JJ kept the grin off his face when the Elental’s gaze snapped up at the sudden sound. With a flick of his thumb JJ lit the lighter and held it directly between his eyes. The Elental’s six pupils swiveled and in a rather disconcerting motion…fused into a single large pupil for each eye the size of an Old Earth quarter, totally focused on the flame a mere six inches away.

“What is your name?” JJ asked slowly, in a deep and calm voice that witnesses would later report had a strange resonance to it.

“E-e-ekariel” The Elental responded with a slight stutter, eyes locked on the tiny flame as JJ slowly began to move it back and forth.

“Listen to my voice Ekariel, listen to nothing but my voice, focus on the sound of my words and know nothing but my words…What do you feel Ekariel, what is beneath you right now?” This question spoken in the same deep resonating voice.

“Tell me what is in the now, what is beneath you at this very moment.”

“Deck plates.” The answer came out in a somewhat hurried response.

“Describe the deck plates Ekariel, what are they made of?” The flame moved slowly from left to right and back again, never going further than the outer reaches of the human’s own eyes…left eye, right eye back to left and repeat.

“Cold, metal, textured in small waves, rigid.” Ekariels voice came slightly stronger, less breathless and wheezing.

“What do you see Ekariel, describe what your eyes are telling you.”

“Fire, small flame, glittering eyes, blue stars and black holes.”

“What do you smell Ekariel, describe what you smell in the immediate area around you?” JJ asked as he pitched his voice slightly lower and slowed the waving of the lighter marginally.

“Four species…Musk, fur, water…Otorian species fresh from the hydrosphere…Dust, heat, insects…Lidarians recently from the arid habitats…mold, plant decay, rain…Jaguras from the forest dome…pheromones, sweat, spice, disinfectant…human recently in the medical bay.” Ekariels breathing slowed and stabilized as he spoke, voice gaining slightly more strength.

“What do you hear Ekariel, tell me what sounds you hear in this moment.” The flame now slowly traversed from one pupil to the other, no faster than before but slowly closing in on the middle of the human’s face.

“Typing, I can hear digits impacting sensor boards to the right…scratching, someone is writing equations long hand for accuracy checks near the forward portion of the bay…breathing, so many breathing patterns.” The Elental’s eyes never wavered from the flame, slowly tracking it back and forth, voice becoming stronger, limbs no longer shaking as bad though still quivering slightly.

“Focus on the breathing Ekariel.”

Now the flame only traversed from the inner corner of JJ’s eyes, never moving faster or slower, JJ’s voice becoming slightly deeper, seeming to hum and resonate more from his chest than his throat or mouth.

“Listen to the breaths around you, feel the air move as it is taken in and expelled…smell the breaths of those around you, those who would look after you…now slowly block them out…block out all the breaths but your own…tell me about your breaths Ekariel.” The lighter now barely moved past the outer edges of JJ’s nose.

“Three respiratory voids…expanding and filtering contaminants from the air…nutrients being stripped from the atmosphere into the blood stream…collapsing and expelling by-products of respiration…oxygen, nitrogen, helium being removed from the system via respiration…” Ekariel’s voice now had an almost sleeping dream like quality to it, low and slow.

“Tell me about the heartbeats Ekariel…how many do you feel?” The flame was still now, directly between JJ’s eyes, the focused and unblinking eyes of a predator staring directly into Ekariel’s own dilated pupils.

“I can only feel one heart beat…I can only feel my own heart.”

“Come back to us Ekariel…focus on my voice and with every beat of your heart come back to us…with every beat, shed the fear that imprisoned you and follow my voice.” JJ slowly began to back away from Ekariel as spoke, incrementally rolling onto his haunches as the Elental followed the flame.

Slowly JJ closed the lid to his antique lighter snuffing the flame. As if waking from a deep sleep Ekariel blinked and shook his head, pupils splitting back into two sets of three and eyes widening.

“Easy, easy, Ekariel… focus on the now, sight, smell, touch, hearing focus on those. Come on lad breath in…out…in…out, there you go, no don’t get up…lay down and focus, gather your thoughts.” JJ slowly eased the Elantel down fully onto the deck plates and raised his reverse jointed knees as best he could.

“Ekariel I need you to listen to me, listen to my voice…are you listening?” Ekariel nodded his head, looking up a JJ with a slightly dazed look on his face.

“You had a panic attack E.K. logs show you haven’t had a sufficient rest period for three cycles and in that time your nutritional intake has sharply declined. You are suffering from lack of rest and negligence of sustenance. As such I am removing you from the duty roster for the next four cycles and requiring you to report to the Galley Watch for every normal meal time where you will eat AT A MINIMUM a full standard meal of no less than one and a half again the daily nutritional requirement for at least two cycles. You are barred from any areas or activities relating to the navigation or piloting of this vessel…basically you are going to take the next four cycles to eat food, sleep, relax and either work on or find a hobby.” JJ finished with a small smile at the oddly shell-shocked look on Ekariel’s face.

================================================

After having received JJ’s report on the medical emergency and that Ekariel would be fine with a few cycles of rest and full meals the captain instigated a mandatory rotation of extended rest periods lasting at least three cycles unless otherwise noted by a Corpsman.

On paper the decision was to help the training and cross training of individuals by exposing them to a variety of new positions for longer periods of time and to potentially familiarize more of the crew with the inner workings of other departments and areas of the ship. In reality it was so the entire crew could have a chance to catch their breath and actually enjoy it before being thrown back into high stress situations, they were going to be on this ship for quite a long time after all, no need to have them burn themselves out so early in the voyage.

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violetstormms · 2 days ago

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Katie was having a panic attack in the walls of a foreign space ship. She was screwed.

She had been looking for a new vessel, yes. Her mentors, the older humans who had taken her in to show her what it was really like living the roaming lifestyle of a Ship rat, or Gremlin, or Brownie, or whatever nickname was popping up now, had been amazing. but now that she knew the ropes- or cables, she supposed, to managing alien ships and crews, she had been dropped off in a galactic station to find her own place. It had been going great! she got supplies, did some odd jobs for the local human village under the pet shop, and had been scoping out the ships coming and going from port. She was solo, right now, though she had hoped to befriend a few other's in the pubs of the village and put together her own crew. Still, it wouldn't be many, so she was looking for a small ship.

Then the sirens went off, beeping the signal for "EVACUATE" with soul-shattering volume. Chaos erupted immediately. That siren only ever went off if there was a catastrophic meltdown being threatened, or something of equally devastating affect.

Now, most of the humans who lived in the village full time had evac strategies. Most families were friends with shopkeeps and had deals to hitch a ride in case of evacuation. Those who were passing through had ships to return to or ships already scouted to hop onto. So the evacuation was chaotic, but everyone was going to their main destinations. Except Katie.

Katie had leapt into action, doing her best to help the evacuation. that was the life of a brownie, be helpful to a fault. She ran against the crowd to the village and began helping carry luggage for the elderly, ensure families stayed together, and did her best to keep an eye out for anything incoming. The ground shook as massive aliens pounded overhead, running and not watching their steps at all. if any humans ventured out of the walls or the space between the flooring and the hull they would be dead in seconds. Boarding the ships was going to be a nightmare. But Katie didn't worry about that until she was escorting the last group to their ship. This required dashing up from the floor to the ships landing gear, which would be climbed access panels would be used to enter the ship. Katie was standing guard, watching for the vessel's captain- the leader of this group had sent her arm monitor the description and she had been flicking through the list of crewmembers. There were only two crewmates not confirmed to be onboard, one of them being the Captain.

She was pulled from her thoughts as someone shouted behind her. Katie whirled around and saw that the last person was climbing up and beckoning her. She started to dash forwards when the world lurched. Katie screamed as she was flung through the air.

Something had hit the space station. Something had HIT the space station! Aliens had fallen to the ground with the feeling of the impact, untethered containers slid across the floor, and Katie was flying through the air. She would be smashed to the ground in seconds, and then probably trampled or squashed. That is, if she hit the ground.

Twisting sharply in the air, Katie pointed her arm at something that was hovering off the ground, and completely stable. She fired a grapple and it latched on. She nearly threw up as her trajectory quickly changed for the second time in less than a minute and she was yanked towards the hovering object. She slammed into it ungracefully and hung there for a moment, completely winded.

When she got her bearings she realized what the object she was attached to was. It was a hoverchair of sorts, and she managed to climb down onto the anti-grav platform that was under the main seat. she see legs hanging down, but wasn't sure what species they belonged to yet. The chair was moving towards a ship, at least. Katie crouched and waited. Good brownies aren't seen until they want to be.

Once onboard the new spacecraft, Katie waited for the hoverchair to go close enough to the floor for her to jump or repel down. sadly, her chauffer was a fidgety fellow, and didn't seem fond of parking in place for long. She was able to launch the drone from it's port on her shoulder to get a better view of him, however. Human drones were about the size of Earth birds. which meant that they were usually less noticeable than flies, and pretty safe ways to survey the world. Turns out the owner of the chair was a Vax'allif with a couple deformities. He was missing his third leg; and both of his wings seemed mangled, Thus the awesome hoverchair. He quickly joined the ranks of a bunch of others, a Avatroxi, a Triglocerin, a Fremba, Katie had never seen such a diverse crew before. there didn't seem to be more than two or three of the same species aboard, which she frankly didn't realize could happen.

Eventually she got the opportunity to repel down and drop into a drainage grate into the subflooring, and from there into the walls of the ship. She maneuvered expertly through the wiring and got to know the layout, noting the water systems and places she would be able to tap for fresh water or attach a waste disposal unit. Basic housekeeping.

when she found a bunch of damaged wiring her heart sank. The ship was infested by VoidWasps. the damn things were twice her size and would feed off any energy source they could access. they also had pincers that could bite a newfoundland in half and their colonies took either alien exterminators or an experienced team of Brownies to take down. She'd helped with a Voidwasp extermination before, of course, but right now she was Alone. Probably. there was no sign of humans anywhere on this ship so far, but the more she explored the more she realized how truly massive this ship was. It seemed to be a deep space research vessel, which meant that if it had fully fueled up then it might not stop at another station for half a cycle at least. These things were meant for deep space exploration, and housed their own communities. Usually including at least one human village. Katie pushed that thought aside.

Hours passed and eventually Katie mapped out a few nest locations, a way into the kitchen stores, and places to get personal supplies. she also had repaired a ton of wiring and sprayed everything she touched liberally with Human-Grade Insect repellent. The repellent was built into human adhesives as well, and pretty much anything that had to do with wiring or engineering had a few bug-proofing precautions. She had also come face to face with about four wasps, which she had managed to shoot so full of plasma that they fried inside their carapaces. She really did not like bugs. Voidwasps especially. the damn things were invasive!

She had also finally pinged the ship, scanning human stations for any signal. She scanned again. and again. There was nothing. She was the only human aboard. Katie had been going through well rehearsed motions until now, but this was a problem. To tackle a vessel this size you would usually want like. thirty humans at minimum. and she was alone. A research vessel like this usually attracted thrill-seekers. Humans loved to adventure through space, research vessels were basically gremlin bait. This ship wasn't new, she could tell by the wiring. some of these parts had years of rust built up, and from the damage she was seeing the voidwasp infestation was massive, the colony probably numbering in the thousands. That stuff doesn't happen overnight. This ship was perfect Gremlin bait, yet no human had stepped aboard. That meant she was probably missing something. Usually she would've staked out the ship for a while before getting on. maybe there was some kind of red flag about it that would stop any humans from boarding? Maybe the wasps were worse than she thought and no human would go near such a large nest, even with numbers on their side?

Katie was having a panic attack in a foreign ship. She almost didn't hear the buzzing clicks behind her as a wasp closed in.

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