《Bridgebuilder》


 In the Unknown

    ¡°No, mom. You put the emotion-clause on the front of the statement so they know how it¡¯s supposed to be interpreted.¡± Alex sat in the darkened bridge, illuminated by dozens of holographic displays. His mother¡¯s image was front and center, bleary-eyed from the early morning call.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± His mother may have ignored what he just told her. She may just have been half asleep. ¡°Be sure to let the Shipmaster know she¡¯s doing a great job.¡±


    He nodded at his mother on the screen, eyes darting over to check the countdown timer and a wall of instruments. ¡°She knows. We¡¯re about to drop back in, I need to go.¡±


    That was a white lie. The waveride was already in the deceleration phase but would take at least five minutes. The anomalous reading on the Sheridan-Reyes meter demanded his full attention for now, though, and he did not ever want to end a conversation with ¡®these readings are strange.¡¯ He packaged the data from the sensors and sent them along to the Shipmaster through his Amp.


    ¡°Ok Alex, you take care. I love you!¡± She smiled the same smile as always, both a little proud and sad that her son had managed to become a scoutship pilot. This trip out was two years and live communication was limited to FTL calls during a waveride, if there was time. There usually wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Love you too, mom.¡± He smiled and waved, then cut the line. Almost as soon as his mother vanished from the screen, Shipmaster Tshalen popped up in her place. Their heads appeared about the same size, despite the Shipmaster being shorter and proportionally smaller. Some people said Tsla¡¯o looked like dogs; Alex could see the similarity.


    The flattish head, dense blue-black fur and the nose at the end of a short muzzle spoke very highly of it. Her ears were folded down against her head, as were the pair of antenna that allegedly gave them a sort of contact telepathy. Not that any of them were inclined to contact a human.


    ¡°Pilot Sorenson. These readings are troubling. They were not present on the initial scan from the probe.¡± Her mouth moved out of time with her words as his Amp translated everything other than his name. It was easiest to let the respective computer interfaces translate. It must have made the negotiations to get this mission set up far less onerous.


    ¡°Shipmaster Tshalen. They are indeed.¡± He tarted up his speech patterns to make the translation smoother. ¡°The origin scan was decades ago. While the star was projected to be stable, there are many ways that could have changed.¡±


    ¡°It could also be FTL drives.¡±


    ¡°Possible but unlikely. The severity of the spike would indicate six, perhaps eight capital class ships with hot drives.¡± The entire point of a scoutship was to deep scan uninhabited systems, and they were well away from any known controlled territory. ¡°It¡¯s almost as sharp as jumping in to Sol.¡±


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    She regarded him for a long moment, then dipped her head in assent. That was the second time she¡¯d done that in the eight months he¡¯d been working with her. A banner day. ¡°I suggest as wide a course correction as is possible right now. In addition to this I will precharge the sublight engines to boost an emergency waveride.¡±


    As she said it, he dipped back into the navigation system, onboard AI linking deeply with his brain, and began to alter course. Better than an emergency shutdown and the week of inspections bringing the drives back on would require. They were cutting it close, it wouldn¡¯t be much of a change but it would put them further away from the anomaly. ¡°A wise plan. Course has been corrected. Entering realspace in fifty-five seconds.¡±


    ¡°Live well Pilot Sorenson.¡± She shut the connection down. The ship would almost be dead in space if she was using the sublight engines as capacitors for the wave drives, with nothing but a handful of docking thrusters to shove the ship around with, but they would be able to jump back out in just over ninety seconds.


    The Amp filled Alex¡¯s brain with the surrounding space as they slowed to sub-light speeds. It was far, far worse than he expected. ¡°Shipmaster. We need the Waveriders back up immediately.¡±


    ¡°It is seen.¡± Even through the translator, her words were terse.


    Spread out in the darkness of the local system were two massive clusters of ships, a pair of Eohm fleets. The backbone of each fleet was a kilometers long home ship surrounded by a swarm of spacecraft of every conceivable size. It wasn¡¯t unheard of them to make contact with each other, do a bit of trading.


    This wasn¡¯t Eohm territory. They weren¡¯t supposed to be this far out spinward.


    The hostile action warning started going off in the back of Alex¡¯s head as the computer superimposed a burning red dot on the nearest fleet. Another and another popped up, then a few dozen more as more Eohm ships became aware of of them and started to heat up their guns. To say the Eohm were violently xenophobic would be an understatement.


    The first dot flickered and became a line with a little cluster of data attached to it. Railgun, approximately fifty centimeter, radiological, 99% chance of impact in eleven seconds.


    Alex gave the ship a nudge with the docking thrusters and the line turned yellow, then blue. The chance of impact dropped to zero as a half dozen more lines speared outward from the fleet. He opened the comm to the Shipmaster. In the length of time it took the comm to open, that number doubled. ¡°We need to go now.¡±


    ¡°Thirty seconds.¡± She was aware of this fact.


    He glanced across the rapidly widening array of ordinance being thrown at them and shook his head, missile lock warnings blaring in his wetware. Docking thrusters wouldn¡¯t dodge those. ¡°I need my engines back.¡±


    ¡°There are-¡±


    ¡°We start eating missiles in ten seconds. I need them now.¡±


    ¡°Can you-¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t.¡± He cut her off again and pressed his credentials into the computer, overriding her control of the sublight engines. A distinct feeling of power flooded his body as he snapped out a roll and started to run, dumping flares and jamming pods behind them. ¡°Just tell me when the waveriders are up.¡±

 Puncture Wound

    ¡°When can we jump?¡± Normally Alex would have set up a countdown timer himself, without having to ask the Shipmaster. But that requires a purposeful, focused thought. He didn¡¯t dare take his attention away from navigating a still growing cloud of Eohm projectiles.


    ¡°Six. Minutes.¡± The words were, at best, venomous. They made it clear that usurping Shipmaster Tshalen''s authority over the engines and power plant had not done anything to improve her view of him.


    ¡°Super.¡± Alex rolled the ship out of the way of a particularly dense cluster of projectiles. Truth be told, they probably could have safely taken the damage from a missile, maybe two. It would have peeled off the shields, no doubt about that. Anything else after that would have been a different story entirely.


    He cleared his mind of second guessing for the time being. They just had to hang on for six minutes.


    Easy.


    Sensors shrieked in his mind and Alex flinched away from the noise, jerking the Kshlav¡¯o out of the path of a superluminal bolt. With the shipboard AI hooked so tightly into his brain, he felt it as it passed. The sensation of something searing hot skating over his skin, the bones beneath flexing - the feelings were all simulated to make it crystal clear this was not something he wanted to let make contact.


    If the Eohm were going to use near instant-strike weapons usually reserved for capital ships, running wasn¡¯t going to work for six minutes. The scoutship was mostly engine and armor, giving it an usual level of agility in sublight and extreme durability for a ship its size, but it wouldn¡¯t be able to shrug off a single hit like that.


    A conventional tack would not work, so he cobbled together what he knew about the Eohm and made something unconventional. Alex brought the long range scanners online and killed the main thrusters just long enough to flip the Kshlav''o over and begin a run at the twin Eohm fleets.


    The Shipmaster¡¯s channel opened a heartbeat later. Even with the faint digitization, the translator conveyed the alien¡¯s alarm and anger. ¡°Why have we reversed direction?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m buying time.¡± He was distant, eyes searching for a clear path and any kind of missile. The long range sensors moved with his gaze, the wide-band impulse blinding whatever it touched. It only took a few moments for the AI to understand what he was doing and take over. ¡°I¡¯ve got this.¡±


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    ¡°You have what?¡±


    In another situation it would have been nice to not hear exasperation when he was imprecise about something, even if she was still really pissed. ¡°I have a plan. I¡¯m going to the only defensible location around here.¡±


    The extra information cooled her temper, her words now just terse. ¡°You are going there through the Eohm?¡±


    Alex flinched again as a railgun projectile skipped off their shields, a hot knife dragged across his chest. ¡°I am going to the Eohm.¡±


    The translator passed along an angry burst of Tsla, whatever she had said not present in the dictionary. ¡°We will not go to our deaths. Change direction immediately, pilot.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t risk firing on each other.¡±


    She made a sort-of grunt sound that Alex understood as the Tsla¡¯o version of ¡®huh?¡¯


    ¡°Eohm view other life as dangerous, but their own is sacred. They won¡¯t take the chance.¡± He hoped they wouldn¡¯t, anyway. No one had ever had the opportunity to test that theory until now.


    ¡°By your sight I yield, pilot.¡± That wasn''t something he had heard her say before. There might have been a hint of approval in there, too. Somewhere.


    Even if it was new to him, Alex was still pretty sure he got her meaning. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    The incoming fire had died down as they approached - the Eohm stopped firing missiles entirely and larger class projectiles gave way to smaller guns that the shields could shrug off. Three minutes left as they slipped into the space between the two fleets, everything went silent.


    Alex opened the comm to the Shipmaster again, a smile creeping onto his face. ¡°Worked like a charm.¡±


    ¡°Hold your pride until we are underway again.¡±


    That was prudent advice. There was still an enormous amount of ordinance pointed at them. ¡°Very well.¡±


    He kept it in check as he jinked the ship around the safe zone. Two minutes. One minute. The Sheridan-Reyes sensor went off the charts and Alex cussed to himself as one of the fleets jumped out.


    He made a run for the remaining fleet as thousands of guns leveled at them went hot at once, his vision turned into a mass of red firing solution threads, with the Kshlav¡¯o sitting at their apex..


    Alex was a good pilot. Probably one of the best, in his estimation, but some odds were too long.

 Debtor

    Alex had been pretty sure that that ¡®life flashing before your eyes¡¯ thing when you died was just bunk. But, there it went. A stuttering slideshow of his life, snippets from childhood to just a few days ago flickered through his mind, all the things that had made him who he was. It was interspersed with the weirdest feelings, something like comfort and gratification but decidedly foreign. At least, it felt positive.


    Then all of it gave way to darkness.


    There were many things about darkness that Alex didn''t like. The big one was that the inability to tell where he was in relation to things set off intense claustrophobia and that lead to the inescapable feeling that he was about to be crushed by something. He had worked on this as he had grown, reducing an irrational fear to a mere dislike.


    He now awoke to find himself in absolute darkness and a quick test of his body revealed that he was trapped, entirely immobile. The panic Alex had banished so long ago began to creep back in around the edges.


    He steeled himself against it and started to work out how he had gotten here. The second Eohm fleet had jumped out and he couldn¡¯t get to cover in time. The ship had shrugged off a few projectiles but the volume of fire had been overwhelming and... Alex recalled the crash cage coming up around him in the bridge, the fiery sting as an array of injectors dumped chemicals and triage nanites into his body. That¡¯s about where it stopped.


    So, presumably, he was still ensconced safely in crash foam. He tried to wriggle his fingers and toes again, to no avail. There should have been just a little bit of movement, given him the barest of indication that his limbs were still there. There wasn¡¯t. He was becoming aware of the fact he couldn¡¯t feel his body at all.


    Still, he kept his fear in check. His Amp was off, so he¡¯d just restart it and it¡¯d link to the ship¡¯s communication system. Alex focused and gave it a mental nudge as he had done so many times before, then waited for the startup sound. The familiar guitar strum never came.


    Now, panicking seemed like the thing to do. Alex gritted his teeth and tried to keep his breathing steady and found that it already was. His heart beat slowly in his ears. The only thing he could hear was the even pace of his own body.


    It was so disconcerting it overtook the panic he felt about being trapped. This wasn¡¯t right at all. Alex tried to stop breathing to listen better, but his lungs kept on going. He strained and could hear... a quiet hum that didn¡¯t sound like anything he knew and maybe someone else breathing.


    ¡°Hello?¡± He timed it with an exhale, the word unexpectedly timid and a little bit slurred. The hum continued for a few seconds then stopped. A click-thunk followed and it started up again. Alex knew that sound, a medigel dispenser cartridge being changed.


    No one answered. He waited for the exhale and tried again, in Tsla this time. ¡°Kava? Lan Tshalen?¡±


    Nothing happened for a moment. Then the Shipmaster heaved a sigh Alex had heard dozens of times before, as though she was being put upon by a moron. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Where-¡± He caught himself and asked a much more pressing question. ¡°You speak English?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± The effect was deeply disturbing. It definitely sounded like the Shipmaster, and she was definitely speaking English. No one had told him she could do that. For a moment, he wanted to continue to grill her on this topic, but refocused himself to more important issues. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°You suffered severe burns and other physical trauma, Pilot Sorenson, most of your motor functions are obscured by the sta-¡± She paused, apparently to correct herself. ¡°mediboard.¡±


    ¡°That sounds bad.¡± The bits of information helped resolve the situation. If he was on the mediboard, it would try to keep him conscious so he could still be of use. ¡°Am I blind?


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    ¡°No.¡± She was silent for a moment and Alex could hear her breathing. ¡°Your eyes, optic nerve and visual cortex are mostly unharmed.¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t see.¡± He was sure he could feel himself blinking, though.


    ¡°I have shut off the light in this room.¡±


    ¡°Lights, ten percent.¡± Naturally, she had shut off the voice control as well. He hadn¡¯t read anything indicating Tsla¡¯o could see in total darkness. Their visual range shouldn¡¯t be too different from that of a Human. How in the hell was she doing anything? Did her encounter suit have sensors refined enough to act as night vision? ¡°Could you turn them on?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Her tone indicated that was the last thing she was going to say about it.


    Consciously, Alex was starting to panic again. His body still did not care, even though he felt the old fears start to claw at the edge of his psyche. ¡°Really, it won¡¯t hurt anything.¡±


    ¡°I am indecent.¡±


    He actually laughed out loud at that. Indecent? His mind shifted from fear to anger. She hadn¡¯t even turned her encounter suit¡¯s shielding off around him for the first month out in the black. What the hell? Had she forgotten her gloves?


    ¡°Come on, just a little bit.¡± Alex may have sounded more desperate than he wanted to.


    ¡°No.¡± A bit of venom this time. The Shipmaster punctuated that with another fresh medigel canister.


    The fear rushed back in, stronger than before. She was just going to let him lay here, pinned to the mediboard like a dead bug while he went insane. He felt his heart rate rise for a moment before the mediboard brought it back into line. He had reached his last option: honesty. The words spilled out with unintentional force, strained despite most of his body¡¯s refusal to play along. ¡°I¡¯m afraid of the dark.¡±


    She didn¡¯t say anything for an eternity, then sighed again. ¡°Very well.¡±


    The lights came up just a little.


    He found that one of his eyes wasn¡¯t working right - its unwavering gaze was fixed on the ceiling. The other one worked just fine, though, and after a moment of nausea he located the Shipmaster at the foot of the mediboard, gel gun in hand, a dozen empties floating in the air behind her. The locked eyes for a moment and he understood what she had meant by indecent.


    Aside from the black metal lump of her personal AI clinging to her shoulders, she appeared to be naked. Tsla¡¯o definitely fit the bill for mammals, all right. The same black fur on her head carried down the rest of her, save for unexpected light blue stripes starting on her neck and running down her back. There was blood, too, a shocking amount of it smeared over pretty much all of her that Alex could see. Even in the dim light it carried the bright red gleam of Human blood. And worse beyond that were blackened chunks of something stuck to her dark fur. She had said he had severe burns. That was his blood, bits of his body that had flaked off.


    Alex¡¯s good eye swiveled away and he immediately began to stammer out an apology.


    ¡°Stop. That is an embarrassment to us both.¡±


    ¡°Oh-kay.¡± His eye stayed focused on the far wall, vision doubled weirdly and threatening to make him sick again. This certainly was more awkward than he had expected it to be. Maybe a little small talk would help ease the situation. ¡°What happened to your encounter suit?¡±


    ¡°It caught fire.¡±


    Given how pissed she sounded, that had not been the right thing to ask about. ¡°How is the damage to the ship?¡±


    ¡°Severe. The third projectile past the armor damaged the waverider drives, but the damage is asymmetrical. One may be rebuilt from the two.¡± That was better. She sounded far less aggravated already.


    ¡°Shipmaster Tshalen, I must apologize for my behavior. It was uncalled for.¡±


    ¡°It is unnecessary, I was thinking of no one but myself.¡± She did not respond for a few long seconds. ¡°Call me Carbon, Alex.¡±


    For the first time in quite awhile, he was stunned silent. More than anything else that had transpired for just about as long as he could remember, this was a surprise he didn¡¯t know what to do with. ¡°That... That¡¯s an unusual name.¡±


    ¡°My parents enjoyed the way it sounded. My father traded mineral commodities, my mother was a teacher. I do not speak your language by accident.¡± She set the dispenser down into its holder, clicking it into place. Her jaw tensed for a moment and she gave him a sidelong glance. ¡°If we are to survive, formalities will not help us.¡±


    With that, she turned and pushed off from the mediboard, gliding silently out of the sickbay. He couldn¡¯t do anything but lay there and reflect on what had just transpired. According to the primer that the Civilian Pilot Program had given him about Tsla¡¯o culture, they did not address one another by first name alone, particularly not in a situation where they were crewmembers of equal rank. As far as he knew, it was usually reserved for family or trusted friends. Someone they would share a neural link with.


    It wasn¡¯t his life flashing before his eyes, it had been flashing before hers.

 Keystone

    With the Shipmaster - Carbon now, Alex supposed - gone, and nothing to do but sit in a dim room while pinned to the mediboard, listening to his body breathe without his input... Alex didn¡¯t find sleep quickly. Presumably whatever the crash protocols injected him with was still in his system, keeping him functional. Which if there were pirates or an actual crash, would be useful. Right now, it was keeping him staring at the ceiling for hours, only able to turn his eye far enough to see the clock on the wall. When he did finally find sleep, the dream came almost immediately.


    He pushed himself up out the the cockpit of the simulator, blinking in the bright lights of the sim bay as the shroud retracted from his pod. He had a stupid sort of grin on his face, an enthusiasm that permeated the whole of his being. ¡°If that¡¯s what the next generation of Waverider drives is going... I can¡¯t wait to get my hands on the real thing.¡±


    There was a little hiccup in his dream here. Something interjected a curious sense of superiority, maybe smug satisfaction. There was a word for it, he just couldn¡¯t remember. It wasn¡¯t his word.


    ¡°I think everybody is interested in that right now, Pilot Sorenson.¡± Ed Brzezinski reached down and helped him up out of the sim pod. A massive, bald man who was his trainer in the scoutship program, an old pro who¡¯d been out in the black a dozen times. Ed had never called him Pilot Sorenson.


    ¡°Are they going to have these ready for my ship?¡± He was eager to know when he would finally get his assignment. He had spent years getting ready for this assignment, even doing three months at a Navy boot camp for zero-g training. They should have put him on one by now. ¡°You know I¡¯ve been getting kind of... restless seeing other scouts deploy while I get held back again and again. But if the trade off was the new engines? I guess the wait will have been worth it.¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact, they will. Your charge will be ready in just about another month.¡± Ed looked... Alex wasn¡¯t sure. Sad, tense, hopeful and worried, all at the same time, boiling just below the surface. He had never seen Ed as anything less than confident, so quick with a smile he could have been an actor playing a role the entire time Alex had known him. There was more happening than he was letting on.


    Another hitch, a flicker of an emotion that wasn¡¯t his, this time pleased at his insight into someone else¡¯s emotions.


    ¡°That¡¯s great! Is it new? Will I get to name it?¡± First pilot always got to name a new ship. He felt like a kid in a candy store at the prospect, his mind running down the top three names he had prepped-


    Ed cleared his throat, bringing Alex out of his reverie. ¡°No, it¡¯s already named.¡±


    ¡°I guess that makes sense.¡± It wasn¡¯t unusual for ships with the first run of new technology to already be named, particularly when it came to engines. Everybody involved wanted their fingerprints on it. ¡°What¡¯s it called?¡±


    ¡°Kshlav¡¯o. Bridge builder.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t recognize that language.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Tsla¡¯o.¡± Ed paused, hesitated, glancing around before continuing with an unusual amount of caution in his voice. ¡°Your engineer is going to be one of theirs. A Lan, a Shipmaster.¡±


    ¡°Tsla¡¯o? They¡¯re putting me on a ship with a fucking dog?¡± His voice practically cracked, starting to make a scene in the quiet hum of the sim bay. He didn¡¯t have any particular problems with the Tsla¡¯o. Hadn¡¯t even met any. That didn¡¯t mean he wanted to have to deal with one of them, let alone get stuck with one in a scoutship.


    Raw, utterly visceral disappointment.


    ¡°Watch your mouth.¡± Ed¡¯s face twisted with anger for a moment before he caught himself and his voice dropped an octave, eyes gleaming with a hard edge as he leaned in to Alex. ¡°Come to my office. You need to see something.¡±


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    Alex hadn¡¯t thought he¡¯d said anything particularly bad. Nothing he didn¡¯t hear a dozen times a week out of other pilots, but given the way that people moved out of Ed¡¯s way, he had fucked up pretty impressively. Goodbye future opportunities. Ed slapped the control panel, closing the door behind Alex and dropped himself into his desk chair without saying a word. Alex sat silently across from him with the hope that he might be able to salvage his career as a pilot still just barely kindled in his heart.


    Ed just stared at his monitor, hands resting on the inputs and clicking through quite a bit while he looked for something. When he found it, he swiveled the screen around to Alex. Just a video, time lapse, of a blue and green planet spinning slowly. The original timestamps were in a flowing script he assumed to be Tsla, modern English numerals tacked on after the original recording just below it. It ticked forward three minutes every second, must have been taken from a geosynchronous satellite as the landmass below never changed.


    He missed it at first. A black speck a few hundred kilometers from the western coast. It expanded, a ragged spot and then a gray-black smudge spreading across the atmosphere. The playback sped up, each tick an hour forward. The continent dipped into night and then came back around to day, the streak had widened by about double. Alex¡¯s blood ran cold as he watched it envelop most of the planet, finally understanding what he was looking at. ¡°Was that a volcano?¡±


    There was a hitch again, longer this time. Sorrow so bad it hurt.


    ¡°Sort of. A caldera. Ejected more than nine thousand cubic kilometers of debris into the air. A ten on the Volcanic Explosivity Index, which is rare on inhabited planets.¡± Ed had calmed significantly, his normally cool demeanor sliding back into place. The old pilot continued, ¡°That was about two years ago, they came to us for help about a year later. Asked for discretion, so it¡¯s not a public knowledge thing despite how much material we¡¯ve sent their way. Scientists figure it¡¯ll take about a decade for the ash to come down and who knows how long to fix up the biosphere. In the meantime, most cities have functioning shielding, but they¡¯re still trying to offload the remaining one and a half billion refugees on planet.¡±


    Alex nodded, unable to look away as the video looped and the volcanic smear spun on the screen again, shrouding more and more of the Tsla¡¯o home planet in darkness. He understood the limitations of atmospheric craft and ash was one of the worst things to fly through. It would stick to everything, and it was abrasive. There were ways around that, but even small craft would require dozens of modifications to survive multiple trips without spending a long time in maintenance. Maybe some atmosphere capable warships with fully sealed systems... but good luck landing those in a city. ¡°It¡¯s dead, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Basically. We¡¯ve been helping with the offload, giving shelter where possible without making a scene,¡± he gave Alex a sharp look. ¡°Getting their shipbuilding capability back up has been a nightmare, I¡¯m told. A lot of their manufacturing was done on the ground on their homeworld, and a lot of their experienced engineers are dead.¡±


    Even if they weren¡¯t building new ships, they would still have to maintain the old ones. Alex didn¡¯t know the numbers of what the Tsla¡¯o fleet looked like, but if the main source of parts was gone, it would be dwindling by the day. ¡°Guessing there¡¯s not a lot of interoperable technology.¡±


    ¡°A lot of things are similar enough,¡± Ed shrugged. ¡°They love quickweld and we¡¯ve got the Lamarr refit dock in orbit, so they can replicate specific parts on site, at least.¡±


    ¡°Good. That¡¯s something at least.¡± The last few minutes had changed his perspective significantly. ¡°How are they doing?¡±


    Just a tiny glimmer of approval. A choice that hadn¡¯t been wrong.


    ¡°Everything they¡¯ve got is crammed full of refugees, they¡¯re constantly short of food, medical supplies and everything else. So, about as shitty as you¡¯d expect.¡± Ed swiveled his monitor around again and leaned back in his chair. ¡°That is why we embarked upon this little project. The Kshlav¡¯o uses a scoutship frame that was nearing completion with Tsla¡¯o engines refit into it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get-¡±


    Alex would have sat up bolt upright, startled from sleep by the door to the medical bay opening, but he was still fastened securely to the mediboard. His eye swiveled down to find Carbon returning, cleaned up and dressed in a plain black jumpsuit. She sort-of looked at him, eyes dull and sick as she scanned the room and then proceeded to the medical dispenser.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    Carbon didn¡¯t respond, save for her ears twitching. She switched it into Tsla and started dialing things in, each press on the screen slow and methodical. She shifted as she tapped out a few doses and Alex recognized one the handful of important Tsla symbols they had made him memorize on the screen.


    ¡°How much radiation did you take?¡±

 One Good Turn

    Carbon didn¡¯t respond to him immediately. She fished the first cannister of drugs from the dispenser tray and loaded it into an injector. She winced as she pressed it to her arm, holding it in place until it beeped empty. When she replied, her voice was ragged and tired, teeth tinged a dark red with blood already. ¡°Eight hundreds. One thousands. Between.¡±


    Alex didn¡¯t know what unit she was using. Definitely wasn¡¯t Gray, which would have rendered her dead a few times over. Roentgen? Could be. Probably some Tsla¡¯o measurement he¡¯d never heard of. ¡°That¡¯s a lot.¡±


    She nodded and repeated the process on her other arm, exhaling a long hiss. ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°How bad is it?¡±


    Carbon set the injector back into its cradle and curled up into a ball. ¡°It is... The knife¡¯s edge? Radiation will kill me, treatment might kill me.¡±


    Dread spiked in his gut. ¡°Might kill you?¡±


    ¡°The... medication is... Nh, lung restrictor?¡± She paused, breathing heavily. ¡°I do not know biological words. Physics, engineering.¡±


    ¡°It makes it so you can¡¯t breathe?


    She nodded already beginning to wheeze quietly. ¡°Interferes with discharge of carbon dioxide.¡±


    Alex wasn¡¯t previously aware of any sort of medication that gave it¡¯s user asthma and prevented them from exhaling the poisonous gasses that built up in their blood. ¡°That¡¯s fucked up.¡±


    Carbon gave him a watered down version of her usual glare when he said imprecise things, even as her breathing got worse. ¡°If equipment, not problem.¡±


    ¡°You need a dialysis machine?¡± Alex¡¯s eyes swiveled down towards the bright yellow medical kit mounted next to the door. ¡°Get the trauma surgeon. It can do that.¡±


    She shook her head as she started gasping for breath, managing to get out one word. ¡°Different.¡±


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    ¡°It will work with your physiology, like the mediboard. It won¡¯t be comfortable, but it will do the job.¡± Tsla¡¯o ran on the same basic chemistry as Humans. They could breathe the same atmosphere, eat the same food and drink the same liquids, for the most part. Things got less compatible when you started talking about synthetic drugs, so it produced only a limited number of things for Tsla¡¯o physiology... of which he distinctly recalled anesthetics not being on the list. ¡°Back wall, number three cabinet.¡±


    Carbon watched him as she struggled for breath, then reached out and gave herself a push towards the cabinet across the small room. She caught the handle and pulled it open, the shelves within folding out to offer their bounty of medical supplies. The Tsla¡¯o just hung there in front of it, gasping for air and twitching as her head scanned the packages in front of her over and over again.


    ¡°The big one at the bottom. Ah fuck. teten, uh, vats.¡± Working in space, one of the first things they had taught him was how to recognize the various hyper- and hypo- maladies that would become lethal problems, because pockets of gas could just float wherever they felt like it in zero-g. Confusion and tremors are pretty close to the ¡®dead¡¯ side of the symptom list for hypercapnia. Sure would be handy if he could get up right about now. ¡°Select Tsla¡¯o then press the base to your abdomen.¡±


    That, at least, worked. She got the shoe-box sized autonomous surgeon out of the kit, pressed the species option on the screen and hugged it to her body tightly, curling up around it.


    The translucent machine beeped and went to work. Aside from the occasional twitch or grunt of pain from Carbon, there was no real indication it was doing anything. She just floated by the door for some time, rotating slowly from a particularly violent jerk of her body away from the machine.


    Her breathing steadied and slowed, not normal by a long shot, but Carbon no longer gasped for breath. She steadied herself and came up beside the mediboard, where Alex could see her more easily. ¡°Thank you. I did not know- I did not even know this existed.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Alex would have shrugged if he had control of any sizable portion of his body. He couldn¡¯t think of anyone he wouldn¡¯t have at least tried to help out - it was the right thing to do. Tsla''o didn¡¯t think that way though, according to the primer. Given Carbon¡¯s actions since the attack, he wasn¡¯t sure how accurate that was any more. ¡°I¡¯m not going to watch someone suffer.¡±


    ¡°It is deeply appreciated.¡± She tipped her head in assent.


    ¡°There is one thing, though.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Her head tipped to the side, antennae raised slightly.


    ¡°Next time you have to do something like that, talk to me before you start gambling with your life.¡± Alex looked her straight in the eye. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly active right now but I still know a lot. By all means, put that to use.¡±


    Carbon dipped her head again, the motion deeper this time. There may have been a hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth. ¡°You have my promise.¡±

 Working Order

    After things settled down and Carbon had departed again, autosurgeon still latched on to her abdomen, Alex managed to get some sleep. There were no dreams this time, at least.


    Then he woke up hungry.


    His eyes swiveled over to the clock - both eyes this time! Proof the board was doing something - and with a jolt of surprise found that he¡¯d been asleep for nearly eight hours that time. It had probably been more than a day since he¡¯d eaten. Given the severity of his injuries, the mediboard should have extruded a feeding tube into him somehow and been squirting a food-like substance directly into his stomach. Not exactly a pleasant thing to consider, but it took care of the issue of starvation.


    All of this thinking about it was just making him more hungry. ¡°Comms, open channel to Shipmaster Tshalen.¡± He was hungry but he wasn¡¯t starving, yet, and she¡¯d still been in a bad way last he¡¯d seen her. ¡°Low priority.¡±


    The computer was silent. Not even a chirp of acknowledgement.


    ¡°Ah, really. Come on.¡± Carbon had been fiddling with the systems when she¡¯d brought him in here. Had she left them off, or was the damage to the ship worse than he thought? ¡°Computer.¡±


    A cheery little chirp.


    ¡°Comm systems check.¡±


    ¡°Processing.¡± It was a deadpan, incredibly bland, and generically feminine voice. True AI had been banned since the Luna incident, and anything that made them sound ¡®alive¡¯ went with that, ostensibly so it was easier to detect when they were starting to gain sentience. ¡°Primary routing disabled. Secondary routing disabled. Tertiary routing enabled.¡±


    ¡°Really.¡± Handheld comms and ship wide announcements were all that was available to Alex with the primary and secondary out, and he didn¡¯t have accessible hands at the moment. Just blasting his whining for food across the entire ship seemed a bit uncouth. For now.


    The door the the infirmary opened, and Carbon was floating there in the hallway, the trauma surgeon tucked under one arm, a series of holes in her jumpsuit where it had been attached ringed with dark, dried blood. She looked a lot brighter than the last time she¡¯d been here. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake this time.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean this time?¡±


    She launched herself slowly across the infirmary, catching the handle next to the cabinet where the trauma surgeon was stored and pushing the door open with a booted foot in a single motion, showing off significant experience in zero-g environments. Someone was feeling better. ¡°I needed more medicine. You were sleeping and I did not believe you needed to be woken up to hear that. You are severely injured.¡±


    ¡°Alright, fair.¡± He¡¯d have shrugged at that, normally. ¡°While you¡¯re here, can you see if this thing is feeding me? I am starving and I don¡¯t know if I actually am or not.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± The shipmaster slid the surgeon back into its slot and closed the cabinet, gliding over to the tablet latched into its cradle by the door. She popped it out and tapped away at the screen, her face contorting with confusion. ¡°Mm. No, this is not possible.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s not possible?¡± That was not a comforting statement.


    Carbon was at the base of the mediboard much faster than Alex had expected her to go, the sound of the access panels being stripped off the pedestal not making him feel any better at all.


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    ¡°What did they do here?¡± Carbon uttered a rapid burst of Tsla that Alex didn''t understand but felt like swearing, then trailed off and sighed.


    ¡°What did who do where?¡± Alex had his entire face back under his command and pulled his lips back into a grimace that only stuck around for a moment. Feeling things again, even that little bit, curled the corners of his mouth up in a smirk.


    ¡°The engineer who modified this did... I do not know what they did to the hardware.¡± She hissed through sharp clenched teeth and shut the access panel with no small amount of force. ¡°There are protocols to follow. You leave clear and thorough notation of all changes made. This was not done and now I do not dare try to fix it.¡±


    Alex had thought he¡¯d pissed her off a couple of times before, but he¡¯d never managed to get her this worked up. ¡°Any idea what they did?¡±


    ¡°Too much.¡± She waved the tablet she had been using as she floated back up into view, her face carved with an unprecedented level of annoyance. ¡°They removed the primary mediboard AI and nutrition pod as well as a few other parts. The AI is the most distressing alteration.¡±


    She was right, it was very distressing. ¡°Then how the hell is this thing working?¡± He found himself suddenly not wanting to be on the mediboard anymore, despite how bad his injuries were.


    ¡°It appears that the software aspect had been offloaded to the ship AI. The secondary shipboard AI is taking care of your repairs. It is a small unit, very simple. From what little documentation there is, I do not think feeding is included in its programming that¡¯s kept in the data store.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Alex puzzled over that for a moment. The primary AI was powerful enough to handle superluminal navigation, so running a mediboard shouldn¡¯t be a problem. The secondary doing it was a little bit like finding out the best robot vacuum money could buy was now his surgeon. ¡°Ship¡¯s AI was shut down safely, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The coolant system was partially vented in the dead-hand sequence, everything attached to it was successfully shut down before any thermal damage occurred.¡± The sharp tone in her voice dialed back as she started talking about something other than what angered her in the first place ¡°Offloading the mediboard¡¯s workload so it could handle both of our biologies was not a bad idea, though I believe it was not thoroughly executed.¡±


    ¡°Seems to be a mixed bag.¡± Alex wanted to slouch, heave a huge sigh and generally act dramatic. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was because he couldn¡¯t or if he actually was like that and hadn¡¯t realized it until now. He settled for a frown.


    ¡°Certainly.¡± The fire in her blue eyes died down as she rubbed them and slicked back her antennae. ¡°I could fabricate another nutrition pod for this unit, but I do not believe that it would work.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t those parts be like new?¡± That was his understanding of a fabrication matrix, anyway. They had two of the best humanity made in the engineering bay, those should be able to turn out just about any part they needed.


    ¡°While it should function normally, it would require code we do not seem to have to be spliced into its programming.¡± She nodded at him, eyes still closed and gesturing with her hands as she ticked off the problems she hadn¡¯t spoken out loud before. ¡°As well as a full system reboot. In your current state that would not be fatal, but it would likely be excruciating.¡± She paused and stared off into the distance for a heartbeat. ¡°As long as it worked as intended. I am sorry.¡±


    The apology stunned him. Just a little bit, but it kept him silent for several seconds. He hadn¡¯t expected to hear something like that from her, ever, but she had been unspecific for once. ¡°But it would be fatal if it didn¡¯t, right?¡±


    ¡°That is the likely outcome.¡± Carbon¡¯s antennae perked up a little bit as she continued, the act of problem solving almost instantly improving her mood. ¡°If that did occur, I could have the secondary AI restored to its original settings within an hour. Between the trauma surgeon and a few select amputations, I am almost certain you could survive that long.¡±


    ¡°No that¡¯s fine.¡± Alex blurted out the words as fast as they¡¯d go. ¡°I¡¯m willing to entertain pretty much any other ideas you¡¯ve got, though.¡±


    ¡°That is perhaps best left as a final option.¡± She deflated slightly, clicking her claws on the tablet as she thought. ¡°I believe the most simple answer may be the best, in this situation.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°I will take care of this myself.¡± She sighed, resigned, and slipped the tablet under her arm. ¡°What would you like to eat?¡±

 Dinner Conversation

    ¡°I cannot understand how so fractured a society managed to reach space.¡± Carbon shook her head and offered up the straw to the bag of food to him again.


    ¡°You know it¡¯s funny, I had a teacher who said that once.¡± He took a pull of passable chicken soup and swallowed. It had been covered in school, sort of. They - the Tsla¡¯o, Eohm, and tkt - all had apparently homogeneous cultures. The last two there were guesses, more than anything. The Eohm did not brook with any sort of cultural exchange that didn¡¯t involve one side being exterminated. The tkt were an entirely different ball of wax - hivemind bugs that just didn¡¯t care if you tried to interact with them. The Tsla¡¯o were the only ones who bothered with treaties, even if their only purpose had been to keep human borders away from theirs. ¡°Not that specifically, but something similar.¡±


    She left his bag floating in front of him and took a sip from her own, considering his comment an invitation to continue. ¡°Your dispenser has over a thousand kinds of soup available, even on local backup power. Scrolling through the list gave me the feeling of going mad. It seemed to never end and there were so many languages. I have never imagined I would have to do research about soup.¡±


    ¡°Really? I had never looked at the soup before.¡± In the few months he¡¯d known Carbon, this was the most she had said to him outside of ship business. The tone was conversational and it wasn¡¯t even directly critical of him! It was probably a good sign, assuming he was reading her correctly.


    ¡°I will not accept ¡®just pick something for me¡¯ as an answer from you for your future meals.¡± She shook her head again to reinforce that and took another pull from her bag. The markings on it indicated she was not giving Human cuisine a try tonight.


    Despite his best efforts, he smiled at that. The attempt to suppress it just kind of twisted it a bit and made him look very smug.


    She did mind that. Her expression darkened, her voice dropped away from the conversational tone she had just been using. ¡°Are you mocking me?¡±


    There went his progress. ¡°No. I was just...¡± Alex tried to figure out how to say what he meant through the cultural barrier with a bit of grace. He failed at that, instead choosing to simply barge through it with as detailed an explanation as possible. ¡°I thought the situation was humorous for its irony. I had not intended to cause you any trouble when you asked me what I wanted to eat, but offering what I perceived to be an easy option turned out to be the opposite.¡±


    Her expression softened, voice chastened. ¡°Irony. Yes.¡± Carbon sighed, set her food aside, and rubbed her eyes. He hadn¡¯t noticed how tired she looked until now. ¡°I am not being considerate of you, Alex. I confess that I very easily forget you are in this state. And that not everything is meant to be a slight.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I forget that I¡¯m stuck here every few minutes anyway.¡± He grinned. It was a little bit of an exaggeration, but every time he woke up there was a brief panic about why his body wasn¡¯t working. ¡°We¡¯ve mostly talked over comms anyway, just a little head on a screen.¡±


    ¡°It is so.¡± Miraculously, the corners of her mouth curled up just a bit as she held his packet of soup out to him again. ¡°The mediboard indicates you should have your upper body back sometime in the next week. Your legs will take longer yet.¡±


    He swallowed another sip of food. ¡°Good. At least I¡¯ll be able to do something.¡±


    ¡°I do not know that there will be much for you to do. The ship is in good shape with the exception of the bridge and engine room.¡±


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    ¡°I know you said the engines were fixable - how bad is the bridge?¡±


    ¡°I have not inspected it. The amount of radiation I took when I was recovering you indicates that it was struck with a radiological round, so I assume it is not going to be useful, though some things may be salvaged from it.¡± Humans and Tsla¡¯o have agreements to not use nuclear radiation based weapons against each other. It was pretty well known that the Confederation Navy carried radiological tipped railgun rounds for Eohm. They had a lot of biological systems integrated into their ships, making the effects of the contamination worse. No big surprise that the Eohm would use them as well.


    ¡°Are the Eohm still in system?¡± He already knew the answer. If they had left, everything could be turned back on. They were still running just automated systems: life support, shielding and the kinetic buffers. Those would run for months after a ship¡¯s crew was dead.


    ¡°Yes. They have moved away to one of the local planets, nearly the other side of the system. We are adrift and they have made no attempts to check the ship yet.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something.¡± The assumption that they were dead was likely enough for the Eohm. They wouldn¡¯t attempt to scavenge a ship that was defiled with filthy xeno life. So as long as they kept up the appearance of being dead, that would suffice.


    ¡°It is.¡± She fed him another sip of soup and looked away, what he assumed was a bit of guilt in her expression. Probably. ¡°I have been meaning to discuss something with you.¡±


    In his experience, good conversations did not start that way. ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°After the attack, I entered the bridge-¡± she stopped and her eyebrows knit together, some internal tug-of-war going on. ¡°When I got the crash foam off of you, there was so much blood.¡±


    ¡°My Amp wasn¡¯t reporting vitals, you had no idea if I was still alive. I can understand why you did what you did.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is exactly...¡± she trailed off, her eyes briefly meeting his and unusually wide. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°You performed a neural link with me while I was unconscious.¡± He had plenty of time to suss out possible explanations for why she had done it, and it probably wasn¡¯t because she had been bored.


    ¡°You should not be able to remember that.¡± She seemed genuinely confused about this turn of events.


    ¡°Well, I do. When the crash cage was activated I was injected with a lot of drugs to increase the likelihood of successful escape, that might have had something to do with it.¡± That was the idea, at least. He assumed whoever formulated what they got had never even considered that a Tsla¡¯o would be responding to the crash, let alone ransacking their mind. ¡°Or a brain is a brain.¡±


    ¡°No, that...¡± Carbon glanced away and her jaw tightened under the sleek black fur on her cheek. ¡°There should not have been any recollection while unconcious.¡±


    ¡°Well. I do recollect quite a bit. So, why did you do it?¡± Another question he knew the answer to. But it seemed like letting her talk would be beneficial, and he wouldn¡¯t mind knowing her actual reasoning.


    She hesitated, and looked like she was about to bolt from the room for a moment. Carbon exhaled, steeling herself. ¡°I had to know if you still lived.¡±


    The way she put emphasis on it was telling, according to the diplomatic primer. She had wanted to see if his collection of memories was intact. From learning to read to flying a scoutship, these were what made him alive, as far as the Tsla¡¯o saw things. With his memories gone he would have been a sort of ghoul to them. If the trauma had been bad enough to do that, he would have been useless on the ship anyway. ¡°You would have left me to die if I hadn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°It is likely.¡± She looked at the packet of food in her hands with deadly intensity that indicated she didn¡¯t particularly relish the idea of someone dying on her watch, no matter what they were.


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you. In the same situation I can¡¯t say I would not have done the same thing.¡± It might have been a lie. He also did not have the ability to go picking through someone¡¯s brain, but he knew it was the diplomatic thing to say. It let her save face.


    She nodded, still looking guilty but more relaxed. ¡°Thank you.¡±

 Groundwork

    ¡°All right, all right. This is how I see it. If you asked me six months ago what I¡¯d be doing now, I¡¯d have exactly one thing right.¡± Over the past few days, the routine had fallen into Carbon feeding him and then disappearing for long periods of time. She was giving him regular updates on what she was doing in regards to the engines - some he understood, most of it was technical details outside his area of expertise that sailed right over his head. The Tsla¡¯o looked weary most of the time, so Alex was sure that she wasn¡¯t bullshitting him about what she was up to.


    ¡°And what is that?¡± Carbon held his bag of pea soup out to him, letting him take a long pull from it before he continued.


    ¡°I would be in space. That¡¯s the thing I¡¯d be spot on about. But I¡¯d be doing stuff. You know, important stuff. Dipping into a system, finding habitable planets, maybe getting to see some cool astronomical phenomena. Out there, helping Humanity towards its future and all that manifest destiny bullshit they put in the movies.¡± He took another sip as the little rant he hadn¡¯t expected wound down.


    That¡¯s one of the ways they continued selling the Scoutship and Civilian Pilot Programs to the general populace. Just saying you¡¯re finding new planets is nice, but there in remains the fact that most planets are not habitable right off the bat. Even high grade matches usually require a little bit of geoengineering, if not right out terraforming. Plus there¡¯s the matter of actually looping a planet into the currently existing trade and supply lines. That¡¯s more crews, more ships, more maintenance, and more bases to supply all of those. A greater distance to stretch the currently available Navy coverage. It would take years, at best, before a single grade-1 planet could even be flagged for anything but research.


    Finding all of this out had tempered Alex¡¯s enthusiasm quite a bit, but he had already been in training when it all clicked for him. Now, considering the fact that the Tsla¡¯o were looking at a brutally slow extinction and this was the help the Confed offered, it was making his views of the Program somewhat bitter. ¡°I¡¯d be doing something other than sitting here eyeball-deep in medigel.¡±


    ¡°You are recuperating from remarkably severe injuries.¡± She said it like hearing it out loud would make him feel better. It might have. A little bit.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t even have injuries. I should have flown better.¡± Alex clenched his jaw and exhaled through his teeth. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have screwed up.¡±


    Carbon sighed and closed her eyes, leaving their food floating there as she massaged her temples. This might have come up a few times before. ¡°There was nothing you could have done better. That is not an empty statement to make you feel better, it is the truth of what happened. By your own admission, you cannot conceive of specific things you could have done differently to improve the outcome. See that, and see that you will be fully repaired in a matter of weeks.¡±


    Ugh. She was right, and using his own words against him. UGH. ¡°But I can¡¯t do anything now.¡±


    ¡°Would you feel better if I shut the mediboard off?¡± Carbon studied him as she sipped her lunch bag, clearly annoyed, her antennae and eyebrows pulled low. ¡°Then you can assist me in engineering by bleeding on everything.¡±


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    ¡°No.¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°That would be stupid.¡±


    ¡°That is the alternative in this situation.¡± She gave him a pointed look as she finished whatever she had been eating. ¡°Do not be so prideful that you deny yourself time to heal, particularly after such an unusual encounter.¡±


    She, again, had a point once he actually slowed down to consider the events of the last week. They had faced down two full Eohm fleets at once, and come away with just one casualty. Nothing short of exceptional for a ship as small as the Kshlav¡¯o. ¡°Still. I want to be able to do something and I can¡¯t. All I can do is lay here.¡±


    ¡°Healing is something.¡± Carbon had told him that at least once per day for the last few days. She¡¯d done a fantastic job at not sounding annoyed despite how often that was.


    ¡°Yeah. It is.¡± He pursed his lips and sighed. He¡¯d been sitting on this question for a day and a half now, though the first inkling of it arose when he was staring at the ceiling waiting for anything to happen. ¡°Do you think you could make this thing put me under- I mean, like a medical coma, for a week or two? Just until I¡¯ve got more of my body back? Don¡¯t get me wrong, I-¡±


    ¡°I do not think that would be a good idea.¡± Carbon recoiled at his question, setting herself spinning away gently until she steadied herself with the wall.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± He gave her a sideways look, the only kind he could manage at the time. He¡¯d have still done it even if he had his entire body back at his disposal, though. The Shipmaster had never cut him off when speaking before, even when she was thoroughly annoyed by whatever he was saying. The level of control she normally exerted over herself when speaking was nothing short of herculean in his experience. Better to tread carefully. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°You would starve.¡± She spat the answer out quickly, like someone who was hiding her actual motivation and had considered that question might come up.


    He was quite sure they had a feeding tube somewhere, or Carbon could fabricate one. It was just a tube, after all. Alex also wasn¡¯t stupid, and while he didn¡¯t understand why she didn¡¯t like it, he would let it go. He laughed and smiled. ¡°You know, I hadn¡¯t thought of that.¡±


    Carbon¡¯s mouth twitched up into an uneasy sort of smile with a brief flash of small, sharp teeth. It was gone just as quickly, tamped down with the composure she normally wore. ¡°Given all that has happened, it is understandable.¡±


    Silence filled the small medical bay, the constant hum of the life support system the only thing to fill it. A heartbeat slipped by, then a moment, and a minute after that.


    Carbon cleared her throat and held up his packet of soup. ¡°Do you want any more of this? I should return to my work.¡±


    ¡°Eh, nah. The ham is...¡± Alex stopped mid sentence. She wouldn¡¯t have any point of reference for how the ham was supposed to be, no point in going down that road. ¡°It¡¯s not good. No, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Very well. I will return for dinner.¡± Carbon thumbed the door controls, the pair of heavy door shutters sliding into the wall behind her.


    ¡°Wait a second.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± She turned around and gave him a curious look. She actually wanted to hear what he had to say?


    ¡°Uh...¡± Alex really did want to know what problem she had with putting him under actually was. If the circumstances were different - say, if he wasn¡¯t wholly reliant on her - he¡¯d be more comfortable asking directly. If she took offense to that, well he was sure she wouldn¡¯t let him starve. Mostly. This felt like a bad idea now. ¡°I was going to ask you something but it just slipped my mind. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± The curious look stayed put as she turned back towards the hall. ¡°Perhaps you will remember it later.¡±

 Tour Guide

    ¡°It still says that your right arm should be complete this afternoon. Your left two days after that.¡± Carbon thumbed her way through his readout on a tablet, sipping from a bottle of water as she scanned the text scrolling by.


    Alex had been asking about his progress every day since his head and neck were released more than a day ahead of schedule. ¡°That¡¯ll be a relief. It¡¯ll be great to feed myself again. Not that I don¡¯t appreciate the help.¡±


    ¡°You are welcome.¡± She returned the tablet to its cradle on the wall, stuffing the empty containers from lunch into the recycler. ¡°It estimates that you will be halfway to full recovery when it releases your other arm. In perhaps two more weeks you will be able to do your stuff.¡±


    If Alex didn¡¯t know any better he would have thought that Carbon was teasing him. There wasn¡¯t any hint of it in her voice that he could detect. She knew he was eager to be up and able to be productive again, but had a nebulous idea of what he¡¯d be doing. With his neural interface destroyed and the ship¡¯s reactor still cold, he¡¯d fallen back to wanting to do ¡®work¡¯ or ¡®things¡¯ frequently, and ¡®stuff¡¯ most often.


    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Carbon floated over to the side of the mediboard, a curious look in her eyes.


    ¡°Oh, no. I was just thinking.¡± He had screwed his face up as he had been working through that, brow furrowed deeply in concentration. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Apologies. While they often seem familiar, I do not know if I am interpreting your expressions correctly.¡±


    Alex considered that and nodded with approval. ¡°You¡¯ve been spot on, as far as I can tell.¡±


    ¡°Have I?¡± She eased back to where she normally placed herself, a hint of a smile on her face. ¡°Good. You will tell me if I appear to interpret them incorrectly, yes?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± If he noticed, anyway. He¡¯d never really thought about his expressions unless he was trying to get out of trouble. ¡°Hey, since we¡¯re kind of on the subject, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you.¡±


    ¡°You know you do not need to wait until a subject has been broached to do that?¡± Her eyebrows quirked down and she tilted her head nearly imperceptibly, apparently perplexed by his statement.


    ¡°Yeah. Of course.¡± Alex wasn¡¯t sure if he did, now. There was something about the way she said it that made him think there were people who did not enjoy that luxury.


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    ¡°Good. Please, ask your question.¡±


    ¡°Since we are talking about interpreting things, and not being sure that we were getting it right, I was wondering if you could tell me more about your culture. You know. Because culture often holds the key to properly interpreting actions.¡± He winced as that spilled out of him in a semi-organized mess of thoughts.


    Carbon drew back, her antennae pulled low and lips pressed together tight. ¡°I could, yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d really appreciate it. I¡¯ve read the primer that our diplomats use, and while it was helpful...¡± The diplomatic primer was a scant twenty pages, and that was the sum of human knowledge of the inner workings of the Tsla¡¯o. It wasn¡¯t bad - so far it hadn¡¯t steered him wrong - but it was obviously short on details. Given that they had signed their first peace accord more than sixty years ago, it had to be intentional.


    ¡°It is not good.¡± She sucked on her cheek for a moment and looked away. ¡°I have been told that when our species first made contact, there was a concerted effort to... conceal ourselves.¡±


    Of course she had read it. ¡°So it¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Not a majority of it. Those that worked with humans knowingly kept much of our traditions and culture hidden, and what they did not was simplified.¡±


    At least his hunch was correct. ¡°Given that, have I done anything particularly stupid?¡±


    ¡°No. You have carried yourself well despite the lack of knowledge.¡±


    He relaxed a fair bit, surprised at how glad he felt that he hadn¡¯t been a jerk by accident. ¡°Good. I would still like to know more, though. I¡¯d prefer a whole view, but I will settle for something more complete. Or even just less simple.¡±


    Carbon worked over that for a few minutes, whatever internal conflict she was having clearly etched on her face. ¡°We are allies, now more than we have ever been before. It is past time for the Tsla¡¯o to stop hiding from you.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s a yes?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± She closed her eyes and tipped her head forward, eliminating any doubt. Carbon blanched and looked back up at him with intense blue eyes. ¡°I do not know where to begin. I have never given thought to how I would explain... Tsla¡¯o to an outsider before.¡±


    Alex gave an easy laugh, the smile that came to him honest. ¡°Why not start with dinner?¡±


    Her eyebrows went up as she looked over at him. ¡°Have you ever sampled our food?¡±


    ¡°No. I am willing to try it, though.¡± He had heard the requisite horror stories about alien food, but they were always so over the top he couldn¡¯t really believe any of them.


    Her hand brushed over the door controls and she rotated out of the room. ¡°Good,¡± she sounded pleased, ¡°I will see you at dinner.¡±


    He might have caught a flash of an actual smile as the door closed behind her.

 Cultural Exchange Night

    Mercifically, Alex¡¯s arm had been released by the mediboard before Carbon returned for dinner. It even sat him up at an incline without any sort of prompting, which was nice as well. While he appreciated that watching the ceiling for nearly a week was the alternative to being dead, it was not a particularly interesting pastime..


    The arm - his arm, he had to keep reminding himself which was an unsettling activity in its own right - was strange to him now. The muscle felt weak, which wasn¡¯t a surprise, nor was the unusual sensitivity of the regenerated skin... That same skin unnaturally pale up past his elbow.


    Just how bad had the burns been?


    His eyes kept returning to the line where his real skin met the freshly grown, almost translucent replacement. Veins and muscles were a little too well defined under it, everything too thin and pulled too tight. Which is why he was staring at his forearm, carefully testing the flexors that ran his fingers one after the other, watching them push and pull as he went down the line, when Carbon came back. The door opened and she floated there in the hallway with one of the chairs from the mess in her hand, looking at him like he was doing something really weird.


    ¡°Oh hey. Arm¡¯s back!¡± he showed it off, as though she hadn¡¯t seen it just now. ¡°Works great.¡±


    ¡°I am glad.¡± The way she said it made him think that she wasn¡¯t too sure about that statement. She pulled herself into the sickbay and pressed the chair to the floor, magnets clicking it to the deck plate. Carbon pulled the tablet from its charger and poked around on it for a moment, the mediboard extending a table across his lap in response. ¡°That will make things substantially easier.¡±


    ¡°No kidding.¡±


    ¡°I am not.¡± She retrieved a covered tray and a squeeze tube with a deep golden brown liquid from the hall and set them down in front of Alex, tiny magnets clicking them both to the table. She had excused herself to get her meal as she pushed off and glided into the hall, humming some tune he did not recognize. It was disconcerting to see her happy. That worried him a little. Shouldn''t he be glad to see her happy? Maybe he just wasn¡¯t used to it.


    Gravity was still off, and wouldn¡¯t be coming back on until they were nowhere near the Eohm, so the tray was a necessity. It kept the food from floating away. In this case, it kept a brick red sauce with unidentifiable white disks in place. It looked like someone had roughed it up a bit, too. Some green stuff that looked like it might have had lentils in it - he knew enough to not assume they were - and a yellow-orange cake-like thing rounded it out. It didn¡¯t smell bad, just different. The squeeze tube was a mystery, though.


    He turned it over, the markings on the bottom in the flowing Tslao script and a tiny magnetic node. Couldn¡¯t tell it apart from what his beverage dispenser would have turned out. The cold liquid inside sloshed in the translucent plastic. Alex twisted the top and smelled it. A little lemongrass, maybe a hint of cinnamon.


    His right shoulder lifted in a shrug that stopped half-way across his chest and he sampled it. The scent carried over into the flavor. Earthy, a little bit spicy and gritty, maybe the consistency of an aqua fresca. It wasn¡¯t bad. He sucked some more out of the tube.


    Carbon stopped in the doorway, tray in one hand, two more beverage tubes in the other. Several emotions played over her face and he distinctly made out confusion and a flicker of revulsion before she settled on something that seemed to ask, what the hell are you doing?


    He stopped drinking, twisted the cap closed and set it down where it had been. She glided over to the chair next to the board and floated him a second tube, this one with a gentle concave twist and filled with a faintly pink clear liquid. She pointed to the tube with the lemongrass-cinnamon stuff.


    ¡°That is a condiment. It goes on the green one.¡± She said it slowly, each word carefully pronounced and very amused.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Ah. I see.¡± Good job on drinking the ketchup. ¡°So what is this?¡±


    ¡°Try it first. I checked into what had been served to human diplomats, and was pleased to see one of my favorite dishes was common. That would be the red one.¡±


    Alex didn¡¯t argue with that, applying some of the condiment to the green stuff before offering the tube to Carbon. She just shook her head.


    That was fine. More for him. He closed it and set it back down.


    He started eating before he gave himself a chance to think about it. The flavors largely didn¡¯t make sense to him. The red sauce was chalky and savory at the same time, all at once kind of good and kind of bad. The white things may have been noodles... They didn¡¯t have much flavor.


    Alex looked at her food and cocked his head to the side. Her noodles were larger and cylindrical, about the size of the first joint on a finger. They might have been crunchy as well. ¡°Did you cut my food up for me? I can eat perfectly well, I don¡¯t need that.¡±


    ¡°I did. Not for that reason.¡± She continued to pick her way through the main dish.


    ¡°Why would you do that, then?¡± He actually felt a little perturbed but kept eating as well. He hadn¡¯t been a child in a long time, and it felt rather denigrating to have his food cut up for him. The irony of that, having just been fed lunch because he couldn¡¯t operate any of his limbs, did not escape him and tempered his reaction.


    ¡°Do you really wish to know?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. I wouldn¡¯t ask if I didn¡¯t.¡±


    Her shoulders raised in concession and she fished one of the white things out of her tray with her chopsticks and held it up for him to see. Golden compound eyes shined out of the deep red sauce, surprisingly vicious looking mouth parts beneath them. She popped it into her mouth and he figured out where that faint crunching noise had been coming from.


    The primer had said they eat a lot of insects.


    ¡°They are better fresh, but are not safe to cultivate on a ship.¡± So very amused. ¡°The dispenser took all afternoon to produce them, and did make a fair replication.¡±


    He gritted his teeth briefly and kept eating, formulating various reasons he should not feel weird eating bugs. Lots of societies on Earth eat insects. They¡¯ll eat you if given the chance. Higher energy density. It worked, if only just enough for him to power through it. The green stuff was spicy and sweet, reminding him of Thai food. The cake and drink were both sweet with flavors he couldn¡¯t quite place.


    ¡°So. What do you think?¡± She took his tray and slid it into the recycler, the slot just large enough to accept the chunk of synthetic.


    ¡°It¡¯s different, but I didn¡¯t mind it. I¡¯m not used to the flavors, I guess I have no idea if it was good or not.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your honesty. I am glad you did not dislike it outright.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± He relaxed as much as he could as she finished clearing his table. Carbon was only gone a few moments before she returned and settled into the chair next to the mediboard again.


    ¡°Is there anything else you would like to know about us?¡±


    ¡°There is, but I still don¡¯t know where to start.¡± He stopped and gesticulated, spinning a finger in the air as he tried to figure out something to ask her. The idea that one could just ask a couple of questions to unlock understanding of a culture was plainly foolish. It didn''t help that nearly everything he had thought to ask almost instantly lead him to other, better questions. ¡°No, actually, I do have one question that I keep coming back to.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°What does szhaan mean? It wasn¡¯t in the primer, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard it before. You left it behind when, you know, you poked around in there.¡± He gestured to his head as he spoke. Alex had managed to recall several words from when she had verified if he was still properly alive. That one was the most insistent. "Something about it has been bothering me. All of the other things I remember were related to what you''d seen, this was just like an intense feeling of dread."


    ¡°It is-¡± Carbon just stopped, wide-eyed and utterly unprepared for that question. She glanced away and coughed, what little skin he could see in her ears darkened as she studied the door. ¡°The- the translation is imprecise. It is something like using someone else to fulfill your own needs.¡±

 Used

    ¡°And?¡± Alex was thoroughly confused as to why she seemed upset at this. Szhaan had just been another word she¡¯d left behind, as far as he knew. There didn¡¯t seem to be anything else going on in his head.


    Carbon stiffened and looked at her hands, fingers knitted together in her lap. ¡°I am sorry. I was not entirely honest about what happened when I linked with your mind.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Alex had thought this was going to be a pretty straightforward question to answer, just define a word - which did happen. He was now one Tsla word smarter. It still felt like he¡¯d come no closer to an actual answer, though. ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°There are... Tsla¡¯o need - to feel at ease - we need to have a certain amount of emotional contact with others.¡± Carbon edged away from him in her seat, voice getting softer and softer as she spoke. She looked like she expected him to reach out and hit her. That did fit his understanding of the Tsla¡¯o view of humans. Brutish and quick tempered. ¡°Other Tsla¡¯o.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m following what you¡¯re saying here, but I still don¡¯t understand where you¡¯re going.¡±


    She exhaled, a plaintive sigh the only sound in the sickbay. ¡°While I did inspect your mind to see if you still lived, I also lost control of myself and used it to experience that emotional connection without your permission.¡±


    He nodded slowly. ¡°Okay. I can tell this is a big deal to you, but I¡¯m not picking it up. Accidents happen sometimes. You¡¯re good.¡±


    She looked up at him wide-eyed, shaking her head. ¡°No, I am not good. This is not just an accident. Even if it were, it is not one that can be dismissed so casually!¡±


    He found himself exasperated at this but still tried to hide it, closing his eyes and exhaling to calm himself down. This was what Alex had asked for, after all: a greater understanding of Tsla¡¯o culture. He sounded positively understanding when he spoke. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t feel like anything untoward happened. You expect me to feel violated by this. If you want me to feel that way, you¡¯re going to have to explain it so I can understand it.¡±


    It seemed to settle her down a little, crystal blue eyes searching for a place to start. ¡°What do you know of my role as Lan?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an engineer.¡± That¡¯s what he¡¯d been told. Shipmaster was just an overly fancy way of saying it. Which is why she¡¯d been installed as on the ship, presumably she had the credentials for it. ¡°Chief engineer specifically.¡±


    ¡°That is the function I serve here.¡± Her lips pulled tight for a moment and she tapped her claws together in a gesture she¡¯d never done in front of Alex before, clicking them quietly. ¡°A Lan oversees a ship. Normally one much larger than this.¡±


    Alex nodded. ¡°I¡¯m following so far.¡±


    ¡°We stand as a component of the command staff. The captain is still the captain. The head of engineering is still just that. A Lan can step into any of the command roles temporarily. While I am drawn to engineering as a specialization, the training is more about building and maintaining the interpersonal connections of all the crew, with a focus on the command. Though I often assisted in monitoring the mental and emotional well-being of the rest of the crew as well.¡±


    The edges of the puzzle were starting to come together, even if he wasn¡¯t sure what the picture was yet. ¡°That is a lot more complex than I¡¯d been led to believe.¡±


    ¡°It was a difficult path to take. I had thought that difficulty had prepared me for this, but I did not understand how arduous it would be. I knew the maintenance would be unending, that is the nature of a running ship. The isolation was crushing. I did not know how alone I could feel even with another person present.¡± She paused and exhaled, ¡°I do admit that I did nothing to help the situation. I ignored my training and suffered for it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame just yourself for that. We were both pretty standoffish for... Since we met, really.¡±


    She smiled a little and continued, ¡°I overestimated my own abilities while ignoring why you acted the way you did. As Lan I always had the captain''s ear, but you receive your orders from Earth and follow them without even mentioning them to me. This is appropriate for you, even if it unsettles me. All these little stresses built up, and I didn¡¯t even have a companion to share that with.¡±


    ¡°Companion?¡±


    ¡°Yes, for emotional bonding and monitoring the crew¡¯s health. It¡¯s important that a non-family crew be close for optimal ship performance.¡±


    Alex¡¯s brow furrowed. If that meant what he thought it meant, mixed crews were going to be pretty rare. ¡°When you say close, do you mean like...¡± he made half an obscene gesture with his functioning hand, ¡°companions?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no.¡± She shook her head and then reconsidered, ¡±Well, yes, it is not unheard of. But the power imbalance of having a partner like that from my station would be unconscionable. It would undo all I have worked for.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... Good.¡±


    Carbon nodded in agreement. ¡°I was unprepared for this mission and while I had just intended to just be sure you were still alive, I did let our thoughts mingle while I was in your head. I did not just see your memories, I experienced them.¡± She sighed and ran her fingers down her antenna. ¡°It was like finding water during a drought, I could not stop myself. I believe that is why you remember that link.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I suppose you did what you had to do. Do you feel better?¡± His response surprised him a little bit. He actually wanted to know if she felt better.


    ¡°That is not the point, I should not have crossed that boundary.¡±


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Was there any harm done?¡± If there had been, he was completely unaware of it. ¡°Like, you didn¡¯t delete my mom. I don¡¯t even remember you rooting around in anything particularly sensitive.¡±


    She bristled at something he¡¯d said, suddenly much sharper. ¡°You cannot delete a memory, and while I may have briefly lost my way I did not seek out anything - I only experienced what rose to the surface of your mind.¡±


    ¡°Hey, easy. This is all new to me.¡± He collected his thoughts and prepared his rebuttal. ¡°So, the short of it is that this was an accident brought on by an unusual situation. One you could not have foreseen, one that has never occurred before? Am I reading this right?¡±


    Her jaw worked for a moment. ¡°That is an accurate assessment. However-¡±


    ¡°You said it yourself,¡± he interjected with an index finger held up, intentionally cutting her off. ¡°You saw what was on my mind, you didn¡¯t go looking for something sensitive or salacious. There was no malicious intent, you didn¡¯t seek power over me, or to do harm. Right?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± She clearly hadn¡¯t appreciated his attempt at preventing her from invalidating everything that she had said before that ¡®however¡¯ but was still putting up with his line of questions so far.


    ¡°So explain how I have been harmed by this accident.¡±


    Carbon sat there for a long time, silently stopping and starting several times. ¡°I do not know that you have been harmed.¡±


    ¡°Right. This is about a social transgression that really only exists to the Tsla¡¯o. I¡¯m not going to act like I don¡¯t feel a little weird about it as an invasion of privacy, but given what you¡¯ve said - I am relying on your honesty here - it¡¯s a bit like if I kept a journal and left it open and you skimmed those pages.¡± It seemed prudent to leave out the part of the analogy where she would have broken into his room to read that open journal. ¡°Somebody once said: if we are to survive, formalities will not help us. I suppose I am taking that to heart.¡±


    He head tilted and she pulled her lips thin with a grimace as he quoted her back to herself. ¡°Very well. You have managed to convince me that you do not perceive it as seriously as I do.¡±


    ¡°Good. I honestly don¡¯t. And I am curious, did it work?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it did. Even unconscious, you have a wonderfully vivid mind." She paused here, as though she were unsure to continue. "It was striking, I wish it had been under different circumstances.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± It was almost a question. ¡°If you need to do that again, please just ask. I don¡¯t want someone to suffer when I can relieve it with a thought.¡±


    Carbon gave him a curious glance, confusion marked with something else he couldn¡¯t pin down. ¡°You will have full control over what is experienced when conscious.¡±


    ¡°I guess I won¡¯t mind at all, then.¡±


    She relaxed noticeably and sighed with relief. ¡°I am glad this did not end how I initially envisioned it.¡±


    Alex laughed, ¡°I figured. You looked pretty worried, but it¡¯s not like I could have done anything in my current state.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She smiled in earnest again, ¡®I did not think we would ever be on good terms, I am glad they let me pick you over the others.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The administration had told Alex he¡¯d been chosen because he was an exceptional pilot and this was an important task. Both those things were still true, as far as he knew, but no one had told him Carbon had gotten to pick.


    ¡°I thought your background in anthropology would be useful in understanding each other. They did not tell you?¡±


    ¡°No. When did they have you do that?¡±


    ¡°Shortly after the project was started, just over a year ago. I had been offered several pilots to choose from.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s-¡± Alex stared at the wall, realization dawning slowly. ¡°That¡¯s when they brought me back to the program.¡±


    ¡°The documents said you were already a pilot.¡±


    ¡°I had my atmospherics license at the time, and was in the program for a year before one of my aptitude scores came in just below the threshold to progress. Literally a percentage point outside their desired range. I was devastated for a few months, then decided to go back to college. Did that for two years, then they came to me and offered to bring me back into the program. I ended my classes in anthropology for this. It¡¯s what I¡¯d always wanted.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Since I was a kid, I had wanted to be a pilot.¡±


    ¡°Not that... You were still in college?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯d almost finished my undergraduate work. I was thinking about going for a doctorate.¡±


    ¡°I had been told you had a, ah... Master''s degree? A high level of proof of skill, correct?¡±


    He laughed a little, ¡°No. I had an aerospace science bachelors but that was in preparation for joining the Civilian Pilot Program. I had gone back to get a masters, though I changed my major pretty significantly.¡±


    Carbon had started to look a little upset at all of this, starting to talk several times without success before she finally spoke. ¡°How old are you?¡±


    ¡°Twenty six.¡±


    Her body relaxed, conforming to the shape of the chair she was buckled to as shock spread across her face. ¡°How could- If you did not have the abilities they claimed, this could have been more disastrous. We could both be dead.¡±


    ¡°Having met a lot of other pilots, I think it is because I was studying social anthropology. I am interested in other cultures, while... Eh, Some of them still don¡¯t like having women on board their ships. Having an alien on their crew would be a slap in the face, they just wouldn''t have gone along with it.¡±


    Carbon¡¯s face was resting in her hands, fingers massaging her temples and she rocked slowly. ¡°I am sorry, this is a shock. Do not take me wrong, I am pleased you are as capable as you are.¡±


    ¡°I am, too.¡± He laughed to himself. ¡°You¡¯re going to hate this.¡±


    ¡°Is there further deception I am unaware of?¡± Those azure eyes looked over at him through her fingers, dreading that possibility.


    ¡°No.¡± Alex paused. ¡°Probably, but that¡¯s not what I mean. You know how you thought I was getting orders from Earth?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So. During my final briefing before departure, they gave me a segment of the star chart that¡¯s basically twice the Human-Tsla¡¯o border and told me to come home in two years.¡±


    Carbon sat up again, ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the gist of it. Lots of little details, but they never told me where to go. Every single system we¡¯ve visited has been one I picked because it might have grade-1 planets. If I had known you¡¯d wanted to have input on where we went, to have the captain¡¯s ear, I would have worked with you on that.¡±


    ¡°I think I would have appreciated that. Though, I likely would have left the decisions to you as it is part of your command.¡± She stopped and clicked her teeth, a hushed word in Tsla¡¯o that once again felt like a curse as realization struck her. ¡°Pilot is your title, not the role you fulfill.¡±

 Back to Work

    Alex had found himself with a lot of free time since the attack. Worse, there was nothing he could do with it until after the mediboard had released his arm. That first morning after Carbon had left to work on the drives, he had made the mistake of finding out what injuries he¡¯d actually sustained. The list was significant. Burns on all his limbs, of course, he¡¯d known about that. He hadn¡¯t known that the burn classification extended all the way to sixth degree until now, or perhaps he¡¯d put it out of his mind instead of living with the horror of that knowledge. Severe radiation poisoning was a surprise, though it shouldn¡¯t have been. He avoided symptoms because the board started triage on it immediately.


    Entirely unbeknownst to him so far was the blast damage. The railgun round that had penetrated the bridge had given him a concussion and cracked his skull even through the armored seat and thick layer of crash foam. His Amp - a halo of electronics that had been implanted in his skull allowing deep machine interfacing - had been filled with bone fragments and flexed in a direction its manufacturer had never intended. This prevented it from turning on, locking him out of a direct connection to the ship¡¯s systems. On the up side, it had kept his brain from being filled with bone fragments. He¡¯d take that trade.


    There was more, plenty more to look at according to how small the scrollbar had gotten as it loaded the list of wounds. He hadn¡¯t even gotten down to the internal thoracic injuries before he backed out of it and never returned.


    Doing anything with the tablet was cumbersome, at best, anyway. Everything had been designed to be used by someone with a direct interface, or at least two hands. Maybe if the gravity had been on, it would have been better. He tried working, but the tablet only had a single magnet in a very wobbly kickstand and the act of pinching the screen to zoom in on some passive sensor information sent it sliding off the table, out of reach. It bounced slowly around the sickbay, taunting him as he decided he¡¯d wait until his other arm was available to try again.


    Filling the many hours until then was a remarkably guilty experience. Carbon would show up a few times a day with food, looking progressively more burnt out as days passed. He would be dead without her, he knew, and the first time the door had slid open and he¡¯d been watching some aggressively boring comedy show that had been packaged into the data stores his chest had constricted with panic. He had thumbed it off immediately, set the tablet screen down a little too hard and tried to look not guilty.


    It hadn¡¯t worked, he could see it in her face. That was interesting. He could see it in her face. Nuances he¡¯d never consciously paid attention to didn¡¯t spring out at him, but they were there. Her expression had changed, only for a second. Eyebrows leveling out, eyes squinting almost imperceptibly, ears compressing down further as her antenna lowered. A little sigh, resigned, and her face relaxed again. She knew there was nothing else for him to do yet.


    Finally the day came. Both arms, and even his torso, were released back to his conscious control. A bit awkward at first, as he was now naked from the waist up and it was cold in there. Carbon had immediately suggested that she retrieve a shirt for him from his cabin, departing for it before he''d given her the passcode. He knew it should have been soft, he¡¯d worn it all the time, though now it was now rough and abrasive against freshly regrown skin. A small price to pay now that he had his entire upper body back. His lower half was still covered in opaque nanite gel and a privacy shroud, but it was a small victory.


    The light gray shirt bore the one of the Civilian Pilot Program logos, a scoutship over a starburst ringed with the program name. It had carried a bit more pride in the past, before he had realized he¡¯d been chosen because someone had lied about his skill set and even that only came about because billions had died on Schon, the Tsla''o homeworld.


    That also had given him some pause. He knew the two were not connected at all, but some deep, dark part of him wanted to blame the disaster on his desire to become a pilot. Entirely irrational, but it gnawed at him when awake and hunted him in his dreams.


    At least now he could immerse himself in work without having to hope the feeble kickstand on his tablet wouldn¡¯t collapse.


    As a scoutship pilot, Alex was trained to do two things better than just about anyone. Flying at superluminal velocities was the flashy one. Everybody wanted to go fast and scoutships went god damned fast.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    The second was that he interpreted sensor data, which was actually a huge part of flying with FTL drives for humans. It was considered bad form to slam your ship into a celestial body at several times c and knowing what your sensors were telling you was paramount to not doing that. Word had it they would even revoke your license posthumously, if they managed to figure out it was pilot error.


    But right now, instead of having terabytes of data streaming into his Amp and spread out before him like the universe itself was in his optic nerves, Alex was spending hours dutifully poring over enhanced pictures of the local system pulled from the passive sensors. Unlike his improving relationship with Carbon, this was more bad than good.


    ¡°So, I was looking at the sensor logs for the past few weeks.¡± Alex shoveled a fork full of Phad Thai into his mouth, his selection for the food exchange tonight. With the doors to the sickbay and mess both open, the built-in wireless on the tablet was strong enough to link to the dispenser, allowing him to set up a meal without having to actually physically be there. Another win in his desire to feel useful again.


    ¡°You do not sound pleased.¡± Carbon either liked it or had much better control over her facial expressions while eating than he did.


    ¡°I¡¯m not. The Eohm are moving away, but they¡¯re just going to the other side of the system. They appear to be mining a planet over there, they were probably doing a material trade when we arrived.¡±


    The Eohm only talked to each other. There had been plenty of spying and attempts at retrieving data after combat. All that had been confirmed was that they did not appear to attempt communication with anyone who was not Eohm and the only documents that had ever been intercepted were related to mining and trading with other home fleets. Their intense xenophobia seemed to even extend to these endevors, so much so they wouldn¡¯t mine a planet with anything beyond microbial life, simply skipping over it in favor of other, untainted worlds.


    Carbon nodded at that. ¡°I was afraid they would not move off. This somehow seems worse.¡±


    ¡°They will likely remain here for years, and never be more than a few minutes away.¡± This severely limited their options. If they wanted to do anything akin to leaving, they¡¯d need to turn on several systems and that would tip the Eohm off to their continued life almost immediately.


    Carbon stared into her tray and twirled her fork in the wide noodles idly. ¡°I can manually prime the remaining engine and run diagnostics on it without turning the main reactor on. Once that is done you should be able to jump out well before they realize what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± He tapped the back of his head, ¡°my Amp is shot. No Amp, no quick jumps. We¡¯ll have to fire up the AI to run a safe route based on the navigation maps and that will take at least an hour.¡±


    ¡°Where are they in relation to the local star?¡±


    ¡°Thought of that, too. The star will provide us with cover in about six years, which is five years after we starve to death in the dark.¡±


    Carbon blanched, picked at her food like she did when she was thinking. ¡°Could we shut down several compartments and use the power saved to operate the AI at a fraction of its normal speed so the reactor isn¡¯t necessary?¡±


    He nodded, lost in thought for a moment. ¡°That might work. I¡¯m not sure about the heat dissipation, it will probably want to have the cooling system on no matter what we do, but I will look into it.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± She went back to eating, clearly pleased at a possible solution. ¡°How are your legs doing?¡±


    ¡°Better. The damage to the bone is completely repaired and it¡¯s started to regrow the muscle and skin. Should be up and about next week.¡± Alex poked at the dessert item, a baked pudding he couldn¡¯t pronounce without seeing the name. ¡°As up as zero g allows, anyway.¡±


    ¡°That is good as well. I will need help resealing the drive plate soon. Speaking of that, I have my doubts about how long the single repaired drive will be able to safely propel us.¡±


    ¡°Is it at least twenty four light years?¡±


    She glanced up at him, talking around a mouthful of food. ¡°I was going to suggest under a hundred, just to be safe. That seems like it is very specific.¡±


    ¡°It is. I found a Thackeray¡¯s Globule just a bit over twenty three and a half light years from here. Real dusty, and SAPRAM readings in it fluctuate wildly. It would be impossible for a pursuer to tell where we went in it, and that¡¯s even assuming the Eohm would try to follow once we leave the system. They have been known to track for quite some distance, but even if they do it won¡¯t be any significant number of ships - they won¡¯t leave a mining operation undefended.¡±


    She smiled, perhaps with a touch of pride. ¡°Very nice, Alex. That sounds like it will be perfect.¡±

 Release

    The mediboard was truly one of those things that defined the promise of technology. Fast healing from even the most grave injuries, with almost no lingering effects afterwards. Physical effects, at least. Alex was now living proof of this, as of two a.m. ship time, the nanite gel that had enveloped his lower body for nearly a month began to slowly retract, as the board considered him fully healed.


    There were supposed to be protocols about how this happened. A bit of bedside manners for the machine. Someone was supposed to look into the well being of the patient before release. Ensure there was appropriate ongoing pain management available, and that all wounds actually had been fully accounted for. The mediboard that Alex was, for the moment, still attached to had nearly all of that excised when the main dedicated AI unit had been removed in pursuit of increased utility.


    He was done, and he was promptly released from the mediboard with no fanfare.


    The mediboard had been providing Alex with significant amounts of pain management through nerve disruption. And just like that, it wasn¡¯t. The recently regrown nerves felt raw and they lit up like a christmas tree all at once. It was the most thorough wake up call he had ever experienced as he sat up at the waist like Frankenstein''s monster, yelling in pain in the dark.


    Everything hurt. New nerves were sensitive to even the lightest touch and his legs bouncing around in the privacy shroud was just short of agonizing. He shoved the shutter back down and righted himself, floating there over the mediboard half naked and holding on to the rail to keep from flying into a wall.


    ¡°You¡¯d think there¡¯d be a warning.¡± Alex mumbled to himself, shook his head and sighed, pushing off towards the soft glow of the door controls. His hand slid over the glassy panel, door to the passageway sliding open silently. Poking his head out into the dim red light, he looked back towards the engine room. Carbon¡¯s cabin was back that direction, as was what passed for a mess and the aft airlock. He checked the other way, his own cabin door just a few meters up towards the bridge and across the passageway.


    They both knew he should be done today, there was no need to wake Carbon up to tell her it had happened. Getting a message from what was left of the ship¡¯s comm system was a jarring experience even when awake, and Alex could count on one hand the number of people he thought might want him to show up at their door wearing just a t-shirt. She¡¯s smart, she¡¯ll figure it out. He¡¯d just get some rest and finally be able to get some work done around the ship.


    He paused to consider actually getting into bed in zero gravity. The beds on board were a little more complex than a sleeping bag glued to a folding table, but that was always what it reminded Alex of. The thought of cramming his legs down into that snug tube of cloth was entirely unappealing. He pushed himself back into the infirmary towards the medicine pack. The screen lit up and he approached and he dialed in an analgesic with sleep aid. A few moments later a tube with two pills inside clicked into the tray.


    Crushed between his teeth, the liquid in the pills was warm and flavorless. They dialed the doses in low on the ship, he¡¯d get six hours of sleep at most. It would do well enough to keep him on ship time.


    The empty tube found its way into the recycler slot and Alex shoved his way down the passageway to his cabin, swiped the door open and pulled himself in. The lights came on, still on automatic and it was exactly as he remembered. Just a big light gray box with an allegedly mood-enhacing blue stripe running around the wall. It wasn¡¯t even that big. A three meter square, with all the things you¡¯d need in a room built into the walls. Bed on one side, several pieces of exercise equipment slotted into the floor, a desk and drawers on the other side and panels of emergency equipment filling out the far wall. The ceiling was devoted to lighting and life support. Allegedly, each room had enough for three months of sustainment built in, although that included a lot of urine recycling and near starvation rations. He didn¡¯t want to test that.


    He flipped the bed down and latched it into place. Just as disheveled as he had left it, he fluffed the pillow as much as possible and gave the top of the sleeping bag a shake to get the wrinkles out and let the insulation breathe a little. Alex tossed his shirt into the laundry canister, turned the light off, slipped into bed and zipped it up. It was as uncomfortable as he had imagined, but the drugs were starting to take the edge off already.


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    Alex couldn¡¯t have been asleep for more than a few seconds when he heard someone say his name. They sounded really far away. Maybe they were underwater. Maybe he was underwater? No, that was crazy, he was in space. They were underwater. That¡¯s really unfortunate. They kept saying his name, so they couldn¡¯t be too bad off. He would do something about that when he got up.


    The voice got louder, and resolved into Carbon¡¯s voice. Whatever she was on about, it sounded urgent. Despite his better judgment, he started to focus on what she was saying. He caught his name again and she said something quietly in the sibilant tones of her own language. He recognized the sounds, even many of the individual syllables, but not what they meant. He should probably see what¡¯s going on.


    Alex clawed his way out of the stupor of sleep. His eyes creaked open and there she was, shaking him, eyes wide and the cabin lit from the morning glow of the passageway. It was day out there already? His brain slowly kicked up a gear before he managed to form something like a word. ¡°Yeh?¡±


    Carbon¡¯s face softened, eyes relaxed back down to their normal size. ¡°You did not tell me the mediboard had released you.¡±


    ¡°Yeh, jus now.¡± He thought to look at the clock. Just after seven AM ship time. The sleep aid was working better than he had expected and he struggled against it. ¡°While ago. Took stuff to sleep.¡±


    ¡°I was wor- surprised when I did not find you in the medical bay.¡± She let go of his shoulder and drifted away with a ragged sigh.


    ¡°Sorry. Was the middle of the night.¡±


    ¡°It is not something that should come up again. I will be in the engine room, when you rise I could use your assistance.¡± She patted his shoulder and pushed off the deck towards the door, closing it behind her. Darkness filled the room again.


    Alex lay there for a few minutes, working through the fog of the drugs. Something about what she had said bothered him. Not the words, he still couldn''t understand Tsla, but the tone. Carbon''s voice had the unmistakable tension of panic in it, and Alex was having a hard time wrapping his head around that coming out of her. He unzipped his bed, leaned across the small cabin and plucked his tablet out of its charger. Even through the haze, his fingers were light across the slick surface, digging up the Lexicon and setting it up for a translation.


    He scrolled through hundreds of phrases, in their natural written form listed next to their phonetic pronunciation. The translations themselves did not appear because people had a tendency to pick what they wanted or expected to hear. A finger stabbed at the screen and flicked one of the base phrases up to the translation pane.


    Syntax came next. Then modifiers, for who was speaking, who they were speaking to and how polite they were being. locations and modifiers for locations. All tossed over to the translation pane.


    He poked them around into the appropriate order and hit the translate button. The icon spun as it worked out the best choice, Alex hunched expectantly over the glowing screen in the dark of his cabin.


    Alex didn¡¯t do anything for a few moments after it popped up, just sat and stared at the translation. He backed the translation pane up a step, rechecked his work and translated it again. Same as before.


    (pleading, mercy) Please, please do not leave me alone out here.


    He closed the program, returned the tablet to its charger and sat in the darkness, lips pressed together tightly as he fought a tightness in his throat. He dressed in the standard issue jumpsuit and departed his cabin, pushing down the passageway towards the engineering section.


    Main engineering was huge, a cathedral compared to the rest of the ship, most of the space taken up by the twin monoliths of the waverider drives. It was a mess, too. The slug that hit had passed almost directly between them. The two massive access plates that faced each other were charred by heat and warped. Everything seemed to be covered in beads of material that had been sprayed into the room when it was struck. Carbon must have been in one of the store rooms or the machine shop, there¡¯s no way she would have survived in here.


    The hole in the ceiling had been filled with quickweld and many larger pieces of debris had been attached to any out of the way spot with that as well. The hole in the floor was still open, the rail slug stopped by the second layer of armor protecting the reactor, less than a meter from ending both of them.


    Carbon was back around the outside of the starboard engine, the one that was being used for parts, hammering on something. She had braced herself between the wall and the upper drive mount and was beating the hell out of a long pry bar jammed into the guts of the drive. Alex stopped himself and pushed up off the deck towards her.


    ¡°You are up sooner than I expe-¡± She stopped mid-word as Alex slipped his arms around her and squeezed gently.


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

 Iced

    There in the wreckage of main engineering aboard the Kshlav''o, Alex tried to comfort someone who he was pretty sure he considered a friend, arms cast around her shoulders in what was supposed to be a pleasant though very much platonic hug. This is how a human would have interpreted it, but he wasn¡¯t hugging a human right now, was he? The idea that the person who hadn¡¯t turned the shields of her encounter suit off in his presence for the first month she¡¯d known him might not be OK with this sort of physical contact hadn¡¯t really occurred to him until the silence had gone on long enough to be considered awkward.


    ¡°I think it would be better if you worked in a different part of the ship today, Pilot.¡± Carbon¡¯s voice was clipped, each word carefully chosen and precise, ¡°you could see about getting a waveride set up.¡±


    With that she slipped hand up between them and shoved him away, eyes cold and lips pressed tight.


    ¡°Very well.¡± He didn¡¯t argue, despite a strong urge to explain his actions, to get her to understand what he did was in earnest. Alex had been in enough situations where he¡¯d tried something like that and knew it was a bad call when the situation was still hot. Fingers grazed the wall, propelling him back towards the airlock to the passageway. The doors closed behind him, and he floated there for a few moments before shrugging it off and heading for the shower.


    Wedged between two walls in a hot mist he pondered turning the AI on to do a jump calculation. Even with most of its logic processors shut off or underclocked - or both - the cooling system would still come on for the control processors alone. Safety procedures. The matter forges they had onboard were top of the line, but they couldn¡¯t fabricate a primary AI core if they wrecked it, so it was programmed to run with cooling only.


    All of this nicely structured thinking did not stop Carbon¡¯s rebuff from gnawing fervently on the edges of his mind.


    He found himself sitting in the mess while idly stirring a bowl of oatmeal, staring into a tablet researching the systems that were tied into the cooling system. Mentally flipping between what he¡¯d done wrong and how to keep the cooling system from starting up a bunch of other systems it considered important, like the main reactor. The plasma blow off from that would give them away in a heartbeat, and it was all hard wired. Technically they could physically cut the connections, but then they¡¯d have to feed the appropriate signal and power back into the parts they wanted on to spoof it into believing that everything was running properly.


    This also required an EVA maneuver and removing the main sensor array to access those cables. Could they do it? If they were in drydock, yes, absolutely.


    Out here in the black, with two people? If there was no damage to the structure around the sensors, Alex considered that to be a very tentative maybe. At least there was another potential answer he hadn¡¯t yet explored.


    The agency had stocked the ships with tertiary and even quaternary layers for many systems, and that did include an emergency plan for loss of the AI... This did count as an emergency. Maybe actually physically doing something would free his mind up for a while, as well. He tossed the uneaten bowl into the recycler and floated up to the forward airlock. He wasn¡¯t going outside, but he¡¯d need the radiation protection the EVA suit afforded.


    Alex grabbed the bar over the open back of the ceramic-white suit and eased himself into it, legs sliding down until his feet slipped into the boots, then ducked to fit his head in the helmet. The ship¡¯s code to activate it from inside was two taps of index finger to thumb, then one of the middle and ring fingers each, the action easy until you try to do it with an unpowered glove. The back panel closed and pressurized as the suit cinched itself down, fitting to the user. For the first time since he¡¯d woken up in the medical bay, a machine accessed his mind. Built into the helmet, it was practically a toy compared to his Amp, but all it covered was a simple HUD and the suit¡¯s handful of onboard systems.


    All this just so he could go back to the bridge. The Eohm had been so kind as to use a radiological round, leaving the bridge covered in enriched radioactive materials. This kind of thing was usually used against larger ships, to deny areas to your enemy and step up casualties. It was doing a fair job of denying him access. Almost killed Carbon, too.


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    The boots clicked to the floor, allowing him to walk up to the door to the bridge. Not having artificial gravity on was a side effect of running waverider drives - too close to the drive propulsion array and the two would fight, and the one meant to sling hundreds of tons of ship around faster than light would win. In front of the drives, this just meant the gravity plates would burn out and there¡¯d probably be a fire. In every part of the heavily confined ship.


    The cadence they¡¯d run the Kshlav''o at meant they had spent very little time with the gravity on for the last six months, and Alex found being attached to the floor again to be strange. He¡¯d spent his entire life walking around and only now was it unusual. The clack of the boots on the deck plate were loud, artificially enhanced so there would be no guessing if the magnets had caught or not, and he clomped his way to the entry to the bridge.


    It was an airlock, just like the other end of the passageway, another layer of redundancy to keep crews alive and functioning in the most dire of situations. Radiation levels picked up as he stepped into the space between the two doors and spiked to dangerous levels as the inner door opened.


    The lights beyond were out, a flicker of his mind turned the suit¡¯s lights on. If the engine room had been a mess, this was a disaster. Every surface was blackened, all of the kinetic buffers were blown out. A large hole in the ceiling had filled with foam in the wake of the slug, the deck below it warped and torn up. The physical navigation console was shattered, the main display rent in two, all the electronics exposed clearly burnt. Another layer of redundancy stripped away.


    The pit Alex had sat in, literally a divot in the floor surrounded by the electronics needed to feed his Amp at full capacity, was now a lump of burnt crash foam with a roughly Alex shaped hole where Carbon had torn him out of it. Most of him out, anyway. He peeked down into it, the bright light from his helmet illuminating it like the noonday sun. There were some bits left down in the bottom where his feet had been, little bones and burnt flesh peeking out at him as he made his way to the front of the bridge. Lots of dried blood, now that he was close to it. He wasn¡¯t sure where it had all come from. There couldn¡¯t have been that much blood in him.


    The deck plate he was looking for was easy enough to find and mercifully undamaged save for now being radioactive. A gloved finger pushed into the recessed latch and popped it up, pulling the plate out and setting it aside. The little computer core beneath slid up out of its socket, tiny blue and green LED¡¯s blinking in the glare of the suit lights. Not particularly powerful compared to the primary AI, but it had a sealed power supply and no cooling requirements.


    Alex yanked it up, half the lights on the box winked out and the few systems in the bridge that still worked shut off. He clomped to the door, sealed the radiation back in and ditched the suit in the forward airlock.


    He retrieved the same units from his cabin and the med bay, stacked them up on the little table in the mess and wired them together into a cluster. Some engineer had actually made this easy, the necessary cables tucked into a little slot in the back. More of the little lights came on as they found each other and linked to the data store via wireless.


    Tucked away in the recesses of the data store, there was a tiny program that would divide the duties of calculating a safe waveride up between the computer cores. It wasn¡¯t meant for long jumps, mostly to get you out of any gravity wells and send a distress call on the FTL comm. Light-seconds would be plenty if that was all you needed. But that wasn¡¯t what he was about to ask of it.


    Alex was feeling pretty good about getting things done and not thinking about Carbon, which made him think about Carbon. He sighed and rubbed his face, second guessing himself again before forcing his mind back to work. The program didn¡¯t even have an icon, the default system gears and wrench spinning slowly on his tablet as it crunched a test run.


    He watched the clock as it worked. Minutes ticked over, each one slower than the last eating up the better part of an hour as the display crept towards noon. It bipped, and a short waveride uploaded to the data stores. It was just a fraction of a light year, not nearly enough to get them out of the system and away from the Eohm, but he wanted proof it could do the job before he worked up an actual flight path to the Thackery¡¯s Globule they intended to hide in and spent a ridiculous amount of time crunching that only to find out it didn¡¯t actually work.


    He could do his job. Plot a path to safety and call for help. What he had wanted to do for the last month. Getting to do his stuff was not supposed to have tasted so bitter.

 Burnout

    When he was hooked into the primary AI, a twenty four light year waveride would have taken two minutes or so for Alex to plot. That was including the time he wasted gawking at anything remotely interesting nearby. He had gone through a lot of very intensive training to make sure he could work with the machine, allowing them to work in concert better. Ultimately, the AI was a tool that co-opted his practiced skills and knowledge and cranked the speed he could use them at up a thousand times.


    His Amp was long gone, he¡¯d need another intracranial surgery to get that replaced.


    If he had a Navigation console, the work would have also been largely automated. Yes, he would not spend much time checking out the local stellar neighborhood, but it also meant that the meat coprocessor wasn¡¯t available. With a Nav console, pretty much anyone could do it. Not as refined or as fast as someone with a trained eye and a multi-terabit machine connection, but it would get them from point A to point B. Eventually.


    Right now his Navigation console was shattered and covered in a fine layer of enriched uranium.


    With all his good tools for doing this sort of work gone, Alex was left with the most distasteful option: an array of tablets spread out on the mess hall¡¯s dining table. He took another pull of caramel mocha from a squeeze bottle, the flavor of the original coffee all but hidden in the single most caffeine and sugar heavy beverage the dispenser would produce. He¡¯d been avoiding both of those for most of the mission so far and it felt like a hummingbird had replaced his heart after just half the serving.


    He rested his head in his hands and went back to calculating the gravimetric flex-delay span of a slingshot maneuver around the local star with old charts and passive videos. Using only his brain and an astrogation calculator app. Real classical skills, but they were the skills all pilots started their training with, the foundation that allowed them to excel at FTL navigation with faster systems. Alex had faith in his abilities.


    It was mostly just a matter of determining how close he could get to the star. Running under less than optimal conditions complicated it significantly. Hit the sweet spot and you could double the speed without any further energy expenditure. Bring it in too much and the safeties would kick over and prevent you from running it at all. A little further out and the ride would be fine. It would just take longer because you didn¡¯t pick up as much velocity. If you went out far enough, you were just making a turn.


    Alex grimaced down at what looked suspiciously like a slide rule as he tapped the screen, adjusting the angle of exit. The door to the mess slid open behind him and he turned around on the bench, knowing perfectly well who it would be. Not a lot of options on the ship. At least he had some potentially good news to share.


    He was immediately struck by how intense she looked. Eyes bloodshot around bright blue irises, and when she spoke the words came out strained. ¡°Did you mean it?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    She covered the distance between them as she spoke, her voice rising in strength as she closed on him until they were face to face. ¡°In the engine room this morning. Did you mean it? You are not being insincere, this is not a deceit?¡±


    Alex leaned back against the table, suddenly boxed in between it and Carbon. ¡°I translated what you said when you woke me up. I absolutely mean it, I¡¯m not going to abandon you. You won''t be left alone out here.¡±


    She placed her hands on his shoulders, almost nose-to-nose now, focused so intently on him she was practically vibrating. ¡°You do not say these things to ingratiate yourself?¡±


    This entire line of questioning was really fucking weird, almost as weird as her sudden disinterest in personal space. The thing that stuck out the most was finding she smelled faintly of cinnamon - or something like it. ¡°No, of course not. I meant what I said. Despite the rough start, we¡¯re a team.¡± That¡¯s the whole thing on a scoutship. Two people in a can out in the black required teamwork. ¡°Maybe not in the way you¡¯re used to, or the way I¡¯m used to. But I won¡¯t desert my engineer. I won¡¯t leave you out here.¡±


    Carbon searched his eyes for a few seconds, lips pulled tight and quivering a moment before she wrapped her arms around his ribcage and hid her face in his chest, sobbing silently. Her arms had always looked thin, but the death grip on his torso demonstrated she was far stronger than Alex had expected her to be.


    ¡°Uh.¡± He patted her on the back, delicately, avoiding the antenna resting low on her shoulders. ¡°You want to talk about it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± A ragged breath drawn in as she calmed herself down. ¡°But I must. I did not expect that being shown compassion would be so distressing. This is not a reasonable response, I cannot let it go without considering why.¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m going out on a limb here and guessing you¡¯re not used to that?¡±


    ¡°No. Not without duty attached to it.¡± Carbon sniffed, not looking up or even relaxing her grip on his chest. ¡°There is... little room for it as a Lan. I was appreciated, respected because I could carry the weight of others. That will strengthen walls for some time. It will not reduce the load upon them.¡±


    That felt like a metaphor, and he mostly got it. Without thinking he asked, ¡°Well, what about your family?¡± Just casually, like a third of her race hadn¡¯t been wiped out two years ago.


    Carbon inhaled again, a short choked sob following before a bout of silence. ¡°Most of them are dead.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°I have not spoken to anyone about it. You could not have known.¡± She let out a rough sigh and relaxed her grip on him, a guilty glance up at as she slipped around him and sat at the other side of the table. ¡°I have not spoken too much, for too long.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I caused you so much distress.¡± He swiveled around on the seat and stacked his array of tablets to the side. ¡°It really wasn¡¯t my intent.¡±


    ¡°I believe you. I am starting to think you do not conceal your intent like a Tsla¡¯o would.¡± She sighed and rubbed her eyes. ¡°This should not surprise me but it does.¡±


    Alex shrugged. ¡°I try to keep things straightforward.¡±


    ¡°That is good. I appreciate it.¡± She looked down at her hands and worried her fingers together, taking a deep breath before continuing. ¡°May I speak to you about something in confidence, Alex?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± He was a little bit startled by that question, never really considering himself a secrets kind of guy. People had told him things that were secret before, sure, but that was just little stuff like having a crush on someone, or cheating leg day. Her demeanor said it was far more serious than that. ¡°Is this a take it to the grave kind of thing?¡±


    She thought about it, fingertips pressed together. ¡°No, no crime has been committed, no state secrets given away. It is just personal, and I would prefer you not discuss it with anyone. If you forgot it, I would not blame you. I just- I cannot keep this in me anymore, and speaking it to no one does not help.¡±


    He tipped his head to her, what he¡¯d begun to interpret as an affirmative in Tsla¡¯o body language. ¡°I can do that.¡±


    ¡°I have not grieved my dead. My father and my aunt and they are the only family I have left alive now. I still love them, as family, though they make it difficult. So often disingenuous, self centered... I have not liked them for some time.¡± Carbon rested her head in her hands and let out a plaintive sigh. ¡°I only pursued becoming a Lan because I believed that it would give me the ability to outrun them. The level of prestige it would offer would give me control beyond their grasp.¡±


    ¡°Did it work?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°Perhaps. Though it did not offer me the freedom I expected, and now I find myself ready to give it up. I do not believe I want to be a Lan anymore. Once we return, I do not know if I will be willing to take up the mantle again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty heavy, I can see why you¡¯d bottle it up rather than talk about it. Lan takes awhile to achieve, right? Not a lot of people walking away from it?¡±


    ¡°A decade, and we are in constant demand. I suspect it would not be so bad if I had more experience before the disaster to fall back on, or mentors that still lived. But there is none, and I fear I am slipping into habits that are...¡± She studied him from across the table, searching for the right word. ¡°Harmful. For myself and the crew I must oversee.¡±


    They had previously had one conversation about the duties of a Lan and Alex was still unsure as to how it all worked, but there seemed to be a strong mental health component. ¡°Burning yourself up so others can live unaffected?¡±


    She nodded and sighed. ¡°Yes, if I take your meaning correctly. It is what I did on my first charge. What else could I do? Normally a tragedy might affect a few people at once, and you can distribute this hurt out through the crew with no effect on morale, on an individual''s well being. But who has not been touched by the disaster on Schon?¡±


    His suspicions about how deep that trauma went all but confirmed, Alex blanched at his bottle of coffee before taking another drink. Billions had died, billions more still left trapped on the planet. The Tsla¡¯o were, as a race, gravely wounded. ¡°So you reversed the polarity? Ate everyone¡¯s pain instead of trying to work out how to distribute it?¡±


    ¡°That is what I did. I do not regret giving my crew that relief, even if it has nearly brought me to ruin. It was easy to do at first, the urge to ensure my ship and crew were safe and functional was strong and I could ignore my own needs quite easily.¡± Carbon folded her arms on the table and rested her chin on them, staring through Alex¡¯s chest. ¡°I did it until they transferred me to this project. It was strange, being alone. Easier at first. We have seen how it has ended.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve said this before, but it¡¯s an unprecedented situation you''ve found yourself in.¡±


    ¡°It is. Which is why I was chosen. They thought I was strong, but all I have been doing is running. Making myself unavailable under any circumstances. Initially just to avoid them, yes, but it rapidly became an unwillingness to allow anyone in.¡± Carbon trailed off and sighed, her eyes closed and her shoulders slack. ¡°Thank you for saying what you have, and allowing me to speak in return. I have not felt so unburdened in years.¡±

 Partners

    ¡°I do not know that it will help, but yes, I will take the afternoon off.¡± Carbon gave him a dry look as she returned from the Tsla¡¯o-made dispenser that had been welded into the corner of the mess, a drink tube of tea in her hand. ¡°But only this afternoon. There is still much to be done with the engines.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine. We will go to work on them tomorrow.¡± He folded his arms on the table, his own half-finished beverage floating exactly where he¡¯d left it over the stack of tablets he¡¯d commandeered to plot the waveride that would get them out of system. He¡¯d finish that tonight. The slingshot around the local star was the hard part, and he was sure it was almost dialed in. The rest of the ride was a straight shot and all he had to do was draw a line for that.


    Carbon had made tea, and sitting across from Alex at the table in the mess she sipped it and studied him. ¡°You look like you have questions. Am I interpreting your expression correctly?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right again.¡± Alex took a pull from his tube of coffee flavored caffeine and sugar, long since cold. ¡°I feel like they¡¯d be invasive, though.¡±


    ¡°I will tell you if they are too invasive.¡± She shrugged.


    Had she always shrugged? Did Tsla¡¯o shrug, or had she picked it up from him? He shuffled those questions to the bottom of the pile. ¡°All right, so according to the primer - and I understand it might not be accurate - you guys have to grieve your dead, right? It says it¡¯s basically a requirement.¡±


    ¡°It is... Not as simple?¡± She paused, sipping on her tea as she compiled her thoughts. ¡°That may have been slipped in when one of the Imperials died. I believe three have expired since our races met, and there would be a required state holiday for that. A full shutdown for the day would be expected. On an individual level, it is probably wise to do so, but not some sort of requirement.¡±


    ¡°And you said you hadn¡¯t done that.¡±


    Carbon took a minute this time, staring into the dark amber liquid in her drink tube. ¡°Correct. I would like to. I suspect I do not have the time necessary to do so.¡±


    His eyebrows went up. ¡°How much time do you need?¡±


    She rotated the bottle in her hand, a single claw flexed out of the dark fur of her fingertip scoring a line in the thin plastic. ¡°I have lost many, and I have suppressed those feelings for years now. Even just speaking about it makes me feel my grip on them is tenuous. I do not know how long releasing that hold will affect me.¡±


    He held up a finger, putting it all together. ¡°Ah, and now would not be the best time to find out it puts you off your game for a week or two. Or longer.¡±


    ¡°Precisely.¡± She went back to her tea, staring through the wall as she took a drink. ¡°I would appreciate it if we set that topic aside for now. Anything else on your mind?¡±


    ¡°Say no more.¡± He had other questions, lightweight stuff that he should have lead with, not skipping directly to the darkest thing he could probably ask. Change of plan. ¡°Is there anything you¡¯d like to talk about? Anything you want to ask me? I feel like I¡¯ve just been prying and I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s putting us on weird footing for you.¡±


    ¡°You have, and it does. It is very Human of you.¡± She laughed, a wry smile on her muzzle as she leaned back from the table, foot hooked into the bar under the bench to keep from floating away. ¡°Tell me about yourself. I question everything I¡¯ve been told about you now, and I would very much prefer not to do that.¡±


    ¡°Fair. All right, so I was born and raised in the Berkley Arcology, Deck 5. My parents still live there, but my brother did move to San Francisco South after he got married.¡± Alex petered off as he noticed her staring at him, utterly confused. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    The gears spun behind electric blue eyes, as she picked out what thing she wanted clarification on first. ¡°Arcology?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a portmanteau of architecture and ecology. A big building to reduce ecological impact?¡± Certainly the Tsla¡¯o had those. He knew they had space stations. ¡°Fun fact, my brother actually works with a company that designs them.¡±


    ¡°Ah, a ladan. Portmanteau - which one of your languages is that?¡±


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    ¡°French, originally.¡±


    ¡°Interesting. By the way, your file said you were an only child. Please, continue.¡±


    ¡°Everyone is going to be so glad to know that Pete has been removed from history.¡± Alex rolled his eyes, ¡°Went to school in the Deck 5 district, got my provisional atmospherics license when I was 14-¡±


    ¡°Is that young?¡± She asked, leaning in and resting her elbows on the table.


    ¡°Yeah, pretty young for that. Most people don¡¯t even get an atmospheric license, just use the trains or aircabs. Mom said that I picked spaceships as my favorite thing when I was about five, and never grew out of it - you have to get an atmospheric license before you can get a sub-light license, and you need that to get an interstellar license. At least in Sol. I understand some of the outlying colonies have less rigorous demands.¡±


    ¡°I hope they do not. The destruction a ship at superluminal speeds could cause would be horrific.¡± She bristled at the intimation that Humans would let someone untrained just use a waverider drive when and wherever they felt like, the large triangular ears she kept folded down against her head lifting slightly.


    ¡°Easy. All colonies are on the Superlight beacon network, so jumps would be handed off to an automated astrogation system overseen by traffic control. Most commercial ships are not equipped for rides like a military ship or the Kshlav¡¯o is.¡± He paused, finishing off the dregs of his drink, surprised to find that the dispenser printed that bitter silt that he always found in the bottom of a cup of espresso. ¡°Ships with ¡®free¡¯ drives are very tightly controlled.¡±


    ¡°That is very similar to the system we use.¡±


    Alex tossed the empty into the recycler, ¡°it¡¯s a good idea, nobody wants a surprise at that speed. Anyway, went to college on Mars, joined the Civilian Pilot Program after I graduated, got bounced from the Civilian Pilot Program because my screens weren¡¯t perfect, bummed around Europe for a month, went back to college, then got called up for this gig.¡± He held a hand out towards her, ¡°and you were here for the rest of it.¡±


    ¡°Why did they ¡®bounce¡¯ you the first time? You said an aptitude score was too low? Your skills as a pilot have been nothing short of extraordinary.¡± She seemed legitimately confused by this. ¡°Even as a shipmate, you have conducted yourself with tact that I did not expect.¡±


    Alex leaned back and let out a long sigh through his teeth. Carbon could have asked about anything else in his personal history and he¡¯d have preferred to talk about it in as grave a detail as she would like, instead of this one incident. But. She had just poured her heart out to him, and this felt insignificant compared to her problems. ¡°One of my screens was a single percentage point out of their preferred range and that prevented me from progressing to the next stage of training.¡±


    ¡°What were they testing you for?¡± She asked, quite earnestly.


    ¡°They found that I am just slightly - again, by their own words, a single percentage point - too likely to take risks.¡± He had learned very quickly after being rejected by the program to not just blurt out that he had failed a psychological evaluation. Nobody kept listening after that. ¡°Not that it stopped them from bringing me back.¡±


    Carbon sat silent for a moment and continued twisting the beverage tube in her hand, restarting the line she had already scored in the surface. ¡°I appreciate the risks you have taken.¡±


    He gave a nervous little laugh and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re welcome.¡±


    ¡°Except the one that almost got you killed, I did not care for that one.¡± She looked up at him with a soft laugh and a smile that even made it to her eyes.


    ¡°Yeah well, I¡¯m hard to get rid of apparently.¡±


    ¡°Alex, would you-¡± she stopped and her eyes fell to his hands resting on the little table. ¡°No, nevermind.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    She pushed herself up onto her elbows and rubbed her fingertips together nervously before taking a deep breath, apparently steeling herself for rejection. ¡°Would you be my partner - would you link with me?¡±


    She had mentioned this in passing when he was still stuck on the mediboard. Something to do with the emotional well being, which they both could use right now. ¡°After all you¡¯ve done for me? Yeah, of course.¡±


    Carbon started to speak, stopped and snapped her mouth closed. Her head cocked to the side, ¡°really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I just told you I got fired because I¡¯m too likely to take a risk, this shouldn¡¯t be a surprise.¡± He held up a finger, ¡°hang on. Is there something you¡¯re not telling me about this I should be concerned about?¡±


    ¡°No, I had just thought...¡± She looked at the table, introspective for a moment. ¡°I did not think clearly.¡±


    ¡°That happens to everybody.¡± Alex waved a hand dismissively, pleasantly surprised at this turn of events. Part of it may have been his natural urge to learn about others, but there was some other happy feeling hiding in there he couldn¡¯t identify yet. ¡°Nothing to worry about.¡±


    She smiled, reached across the table and clasped his hands in hers delicately. The skin of her palms and fingers hot against his. ¡°I feel like all I have done lately is thank you, Alex.¡±

 Accidental Overdose

    ¡°There are a few rules that are taught to Tsla¡¯o children to ensure that a link is comfortable and as easy as possible for both parties. The first is to keep your eyes closed. Another will be borrowing the audio and visual centers of your brain, so it is important to avoid conflicting inputs.¡± Carbon was running Alex through the basics of how to do a neural link while conscious while they switched the mess from dining room to lounge. ¡°The effects are unpleasant: vertigo, headache, vomiting. Best to avoid them.¡±


    Alex finished feeding their empty beverage tubes into the recycler and folded the table and benches up into the wall, clearing room for the couch on the other side of the room. ¡°Oh yeah. It¡¯s not the same but I think I know exactly what you mean. When I was a kid, me and some friends cobbled together a couple of broken dive-style VR rigs. Having several games running over each other doesn¡¯t work.¡± In his experience, it would give him vertigo, a headache, and make him vomit all at the same time, almost instantly.


    ¡°If that means what I think it does, the effect would be very similar. Which brings me to the second item. Do not think about what you are seeing. It is not like a game. It is not your memory, you cannot change what was being looked at, what was being listened to. Relax and let it be shown to you.¡± She folded the couch down, one armrest partially cut off to make room for the Tsla¡¯o food dispenser that had been welded into the corner. ¡°If you are familiar with the practice of meditation, I believe it would be of use in this situation.¡±


    ¡°That was actually something we did a lot of in the CPP training. You can¡¯t argue with the machine when it¡¯s using your brain, and that goes a long way to keeping things peaceful in there while it¡¯s happening.¡± Alex double checked the latch on ¡®his¡¯ side of the couch and settled in, threading an arm over the back to keep from floating off.


    ¡°That is... good.¡± She visibly shuddered at the thought of a machine accessing her mind, slipping a boot into one of the handhold loops and sitting on her knees, basically eye-to-eye with Alex for once. ¡°The third thing is to breathe through your nose.¡±


    ¡°That seems deceptively simple.¡± It also wasn¡¯t how he¡¯d practiced breathing during meditation, but he¡¯d cross that bridge when he needed to. If he needed to.


    ¡°Some things just are simple.¡± She said, with what looked like a smirk on her muzzle as she pulled the AI interface off her shoulders, setting it aside before she shook her antenna out. ¡°One cannot always count on having good breath.¡±


    He laughed at that. ¡°Fair. Anything else I should know?¡±


    Carbon tilted her head forward, antenna flipping over to the front, dangling there in the air in front of her face. The shafts were finger-thick at the base and tapered rapidly, sheathed in keratin the same blue-black color as her fur. The tips were, for lack of a better term, little fluffy balls in a light shade of blue that matched the stripes on her back. ¡°Normally, there are formalities and etiquette that would be considered. Perhaps if you find the experience worth returning to, we will speak of them. Until then, all you must do is follow my instructions.¡±


    ¡°Easy enough.¡±


    She leaned in and clasped the sides of his head with her antenna, and closed her eyes.


    Alex was somewhere between amused at how comical it looked, her face framed by fluffy deely bobbers, and trying not to have to stifle a laugh just before engaging in a deeply personal and socially important experience. The stirring of someone else''s presence in his brain was enough to instantly cast both of those thoughts out.


    ¡°Eyes, please.¡±


    He did as she asked, closing his eyes and clearing his mind as he slowly exhaled through his nose. The prodding resolved into an inquisitive feeling, maybe about his preparedness.


    ¡°Yes?¡± He said it out loud.


    Amusement co-existed in his mind and a message filtered into it. Just think what you mean to say.


    Easy for you. He struggled with that little sentence, and the feedback he got was confused.


    Garbled, but good for a first try. We will work on it more later.


    Alex started to nod in agreement, catching himself before he actually did so. What now?


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    Clear your mind, I will show you a memory.


    Despite his familiarity with meditation, the situation was utterly alien. Instincts did not care for another presence in his mind, part of him simply wanting to flee the unknown he was facing down. He forced himself to slow his breathing, painfully aware of Carbon in his mind watching this process with no small amount of curiosity. He tamped down the urge to run, the need to look around. Carbon¡¯s presence pulsed with a mixture of pride and relief and it reached down and slipped fully into his mind.


    There was no warning of what would happen next and it was probably for the best. Alex was dumbstruck for a moment, pressed down into one of Carbon¡¯s older memories.


    For the first time in his life, he experienced the world through the eyes of a young Tsla''o girl. Laughing and playing with her father - flying kites, actually. Happy as could be on the sandy shore, purple-red grasses bent and waving in the cold wind on the dunes behind them. Everything was a little out of focus, memories faded with time but something singular, almost mythical permeated the experience. It was something she remembered often, but rarely shared.


    As quickly as it came, the memory left. Carbon was still there, enmeshed in what had been his mind, now belonging to neither of them entirely. Show me one of yours. An older one and happy. The thoughts were excited, almost elated that it had worked.


    He considered it for a moment, and had just the thing. He remembered the day he had gotten his atmospherics license like it was yesterday, crystal clear. Anybody could get a ground vehicle endorsement for their ID with a simple test, but he had put the time in to study outside of school and prove himself capable of handling an aircraft. It had been his hard work that had paid for the training and test. Not the youngest person to get their license, but still only 14.


    He remembered sitting at the kitchen table, lit from the bright spring afternoon, and ripping the letter - an actual physical letter, signed and stamped - open, the cold synthetic of the license between his fingers, something that he had earned. A grin that wouldn¡¯t go away for another day crept across his face, a rush of pride like he¡¯d never felt before, the first step on his journey to become a scoutship Pilot.


    Carbon made a little noise, a quiet exclamation of surprise and the link severed with an electrical pop and twinge in his head. She sank forward against him, arms slipping around his torso and pushing him down as she stretched out, feet braced against the arm of the couch.


    Alex blinked in the light, voice louder and more alarmed than he intended. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    She nodded, her face blissful as she nestled herself down against him. Tsla¡¯o were definitely mammals. ¡°Excellent. Please be quiet while I enjoy this.¡±


    Carbon seemed... not in any sort of distress, so he let it go and waited for her to get talkative. It didn¡¯t take more than a few moments before her eyes fluttered open, squinting in the light. ¡°So what was that?¡±


    ¡°It is...¡± she trailed off, her voice unusually soft. ¡°Ah, emotion-narcotic? There is no specific translation. I did not expect such a fresh memory or one of such intensity and I left my defenses down.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh. Narcotic? So is this addictive?¡±


    ¡°Not like a chemical dependency. Give me just a few more minutes and I will be better, I am still disoriented.¡± She smiled and closed her eyes again, a sly little laugh escaping her as she continued, ¡°I should have been more specific about how old it should have been, but you chose the feelings well.¡±


    ¡°You did say happy. That¡¯s pretty self explanatory.¡±


    ¡°I should have explained in greater detail. I made an assumption that you not having antenna would have limited the va- ah... intensity? But that is not so. This is why we start with good memories. Waiting for this to pass is pleasant.¡±


    That was an interesting way to explain that. ¡°And if I had not followed instructions?¡±


    ¡°Positive emotions provoke positive feelings and the effect is pleasant. Negative emotions can be terrifying.¡±


    ¡°The trip depends on the baggage, then?¡±


    She didn¡¯t say anything for a moment and then giggled into his neck. ¡°That is very clever and an apt description. You know, this is how we used to deal with criminals.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t see this being an effective deterrent.¡±


    She shook her head, ¡°the criminal would be beaten or starved until they could not defend themselves and the victim or their family would be allowed to do what they felt was appropriate.¡±


    That was easily the most shocking thing Alex had heard in awhile. The Tsla''o always seemed so peaceful. ¡°That sounds horrific.¡±


    ¡°It was.¡± Carbon nodded again. ¡°Once we really started to understand how the mind worked, that practice fell out of use. It has been centuries.¡± She pushed herself up and rubbed her eyes, slicked her antenna back and still managed to look disoriented.


    ¡°Are you going to be ok?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be fine shortly.¡± Her voice was almost back to normal and she smoothed her jumpsuit out. The skin of her ears darkened with a blush. ¡°I did not intend for that to happen, I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t intend to do that to you. I¡¯d say we¡¯re even.¡±


    ¡°Very well, we are even.¡± She smiled and laid a hand on his knee. ¡°We will have to work on your control during a link, but I feel much better than I have in some time.¡±

 Beneath the Surface

    Alex slept better than he had in some time that night, despite the fact that there was nothing working in his cabin. The computer core he had re-purposed to crunch a waveride had run all the systems in it, from lights to the life support module. Everything could be bypassed to operate, but that was work and all he was doing in there was sleeping. So, he left the door open and slept just fine in the gentle red glow of the corridor. Each individual cabin and the corridor produced enough fresh air for two people even if nothing else was running, so there was no concern there. It was even planned for, fans pointing everywhere to keep the atmosphere stirred up during zero-g operations, which was what they were doing for the time being. Carbon had seemed a little unsure about the safety of this arrangement, but had relented before Alex got the ship¡¯s manual out.


    Feeling surprisingly well rested, he glided down the hall to the head, towel and clean clothes crammed under his arm. The door controls on the head said that it was unoccupied. He knocked anyway. It was a superstition in the Civil Pilot Program, going back to the first scoutship - the Kon-Tiki - which had lost the door controls on the head three days into a year-long trip. They decided to simply knock instead of return to base, and every crew since had knocked to keep the head working properly since. He got no response and set about his morning routine. Shower and shave, vacuum himself mostly dry, finish with the towel, dress. The standard issue clothing for him included two pairs of navy cargo shorts which he''d never taken out of the drawer before today. He had opted for a pair of those knowing that he was going to be doing manual labor on a cold engine - that is to say, one that was fully powered down and discharged. It would probably be actually cold as well.


    He pulled a gray CPP t-shirt on over that and what were effectively running shoes, and crammed his pockets full of the station gear he was supposed to always have on hand while off planet. There was work to be done and he was going to be doing it like he¡¯d been trained. The right pocket got the emergency decompression gear, left was a medkit that was mostly just multishot nanite injector, but there were wound dressings in there too. Electronics might fail, but compression would always stop a bleed.


    He''d never seen Carbon wearing anything other than her encounter suit or jumpsuit, but she apparently hadn''t been issued the same vacuum-packed brick of clothing designed for humans that he had. That made sense. Their upper body was basically the same, but they had those weird, thin digitigrade legs.


    She was already in the mess. She stuck a spoon loaded with pink-orange breakfast mash into her mouth, glanced up at him and choked on it, eyes wide with surprise as her antenna whipped up over the top of her head, ears unfolded to their unexpectedly large full size. It did a good job at making her appear taller, if only for a moment before she got that under control and they returned to their normal, relaxed position.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Alex paused there in the doorway, heart racing and actually startled at her reaction. Everyone¡¯s instincts were in working order this morning.


    ¡°Yes.¡± She coughed, face squeezed tight as she cleared her throat a few times, trying to get food that she¡¯d inhaled out.


    ¡°Okay. That¡¯s good.¡± He gave her a little extra space as he moved to the dispenser and dialed in his usual morning oatmeal.


    ¡°I have determined-¡± Carbon¡¯s voice tightened as she spoke before cutting herself off to cough again and sneeze. Her eyes rolled and she got an exasperated look about her before she continued, ¡°I have determined the task I need you to work on first.¡±


    The dispenser dinged, he retrieved his oatmeal and sat, bowl clicking down against the table. ¡°Sounds good, what do I do?¡±


    ¡°Do you know what a plasma lock is?¡±


    Alex paused before starting to eat, ¡°locks up the plasma, right?¡±


    ¡°That is... you do not know, correct?¡± She gestured at him with her spoon, ¡°it is a joke?¡±


    ¡°Yes, correct. I don¡¯t actually know.¡±


    ¡°It is an assembly of control valves for shaping plasma flow to the converters.¡± She paused and fought another sneeze. ¡°It is designed to operate at high temperatures and pressures, so the connections are extremely tight. Your height should give you better leverage on it.¡±


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    He shrugged and nodded, almost done with his oatmeal. It was as bland as always, mildly sweetened and fibrous. They were both done in a few minutes, Carbon leading the way to the engine they were scavenging for parts, up near the top where she had been working the previous day.


    ¡°This part, with the tubes?¡± She leaned into the engine and tapped a very solid looking box about the size of a pillow with a dozen stout tubes leading out of it. There were ten of the boxes in a neat row running down the mounting plate. ¡°It is a plasma lock. I need you to pry the c-clips off the fittings and unhook the tubing, which will allow me to take the service lid off. I will need access to all of them.¡±


    ¡°Sounds easy enough. Anything else I need to know?¡±


    ¡°They require some force, you will need this. The power tool designed for it was destroyed, so we are back to the most basic tools.¡± She pulled a pry bar about as long as she was tall out of the mess of engine parts and pressed it into his hands. With that, she pushed up and disappeared over the top of the engine. It was easy enough to get the pry bar into place, the c-clips were notched to take it, and they did require a large amount of force. Alex found quickly that if you let off the pressure at all, the clip would slip back down and any work would be gone in an instant.


    The first one came off after almost half an hour of pushing, re-setting the bar to better angles and generally flailing around. It came off with some force, ejected from the engine and ricocheting off the wall and back into the engine. Alex lost where it went, but it didn¡¯t matter. The next clip only took a couple of minutes now that he had a grasp on what to do. The one after that was about as fast, the work quickly became mindless though physically difficult as he had to rotate the bar more than 90 degrees,


    He had plenty of time to think and found his mind wandering to the memory Carbon had shown him. Part of it was that her father seemed unimaginably tall, which did not mesh with his knowledge that Tsla¡¯o were fairly short. It did make sense considering she had been a child at the time. It still threw him off. The bigger part was the little details, things he was starting to notice now that he wasn¡¯t experiencing the memory for the first time. They - Carbon and her father - had the same coloration, the deep blue-black with pale blue striping at the shoulders. Alex had inadvertently seen Carbon''s coloration and patterns when he had regained consciousness after the Eohm attack. The stripes continued down her back and sides, over her hips and legs. Alex assumed it to be a leftover from their evolution, when camouflage would have been useful.


    The thing that had bothered him the most had been the vehicles parked on the rise behind them. A glossy black sedan, the wheels stretched out in front of and behind the cabin in a configuration that was common enough on human vehicles that it looked familiar. The sides bulged out, the creases in the body work glowed. He knew that sort of pattern, ships and ground vehicles alike shared that design when they were armored and shielded. The second one was more of the same, just larger. There was a dome atop it, and a slender barrel mounted behind that tracked the sky slowly in the few seconds she had looked at it. Anti-air laser, he was sure of that. Whoever her father was, he was probably a lot more important than just the mineral commodity trader she had claimed.


    By the time he was down to the last few clips they were popping off after just a few minutes of work, Alex had developed a knack for it, now able to finesse them a bit to get the bar into a better position. The final clip was almost easy, despite having to jam the pry bar to his shoulder and push off the wall, effectively standing up from a deep squat and then pushing it further from there. He wasn¡¯t even sure Carbon would have been able to get this much extension without something else to stand on. His shoulders hurt from the bar, and his legs ached like he had been skipping leg day.


    He had, he supposed, not actually done any exercising since his legs had been regenerated. At least he was finished with this now. Alex was about to go looking for Carbon before he realized she was already there. Sort of. She was down at the forward end of the engine by the floor, partially hidden and watching him work. The look in her eyes surprised him as they made contact, hungry in a way that made him uncomfortable before they flickered over to something more composed. ¡°It¡¯s done, just need to get the tubes off.¡±


    ¡°So it is.¡± Carbon pushed off the floor towards him, stopping herself with a hand on his shoulder before reaching into the engine and wriggling the tubing free of their fittings on the last lock. She produced a screw driver from one of the many pockets on her jumpsuit, quickly popping the lid off the plasma lock, flipping it over and unscrewing a tiny panel on the back and extracting a glittery chip no bigger than his thumbnail from it. She held it up in the light and smiled, ¡°perfect.¡±


    Alex''s brow furrowed. All that, for a sliver of material. "So what is it?"


    "High temperature resistant programmable control chip. My reserve of these was destroyed and they are too complex to print." She said it like he should have know.


    "Of course. What next?"


    She looked at him with a faint touch of mischief in her eye as she tilted her head at the good engine. "I will collect the rest of these and set them with updated programming. You will find there are four locks in there that have been marked, I need them opened so the chips can be replaced.¡±


    He sighed. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s get to it.¡±

 Downtime

    ¡°You know, they did not include training for a situation like this.¡± Alex ached pretty much everywhere, muscles weak from the exertion of taking the massive waverider engine apart while Carbon did the easy parts - albeit ones that required a functional knowledge of the engine, which Alex did not have. He¡¯d let that slide for now. ¡°Are you sure the dust is safe?¡±


    ¡°There is no evidence linking it to diseases that would not occur from any other sort of dust.¡± She was shoulder deep in the good engine as he rested on top of the ruined one they were scavenging. ¡°One must simply not make a habit of inhaling any sort of dust.¡±


    ¡°Oh well, that¡¯s easy enough.¡±


    ¡°I have found it so.¡± She ducked her head into the frame and grunted as she closed up whatever bit she¡¯d been working on with a sharp metallic clack. ¡°I feel this is a good amount of work for the day. Unless you would like to continue?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He said it a little harder than he¡¯d have liked, but he really did not want to exert his recently repaired body to the point of failure. One trip to the mediboard was more than enough.


    ¡°Very well. Your assistance has made this progress much faster, although I believe I am starting to understand where one of the stereotypes of Humans has come from.¡± She sounded rather amused by that as she picked her array of tools out of the air where she¡¯d left them, gliding over to the toolbox that she had welded to the wall and storing them properly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me hanging, which one?¡± This should be good.


    ¡°I am unsure how delicate I should be when I say this.¡±


    ¡°A little bit would be nice, but we¡¯re talking stereotypes so I¡¯m preparing myself for the worst.¡±


    She turned and set an arm on the toolbox, lips pursed as she sussed out her words. ¡°It is a common statement that humans... do not have a good smell. I have not had that experience so far. You - humanity, not you specifically - do not produce an unusual amount of scent, nor a particularly offensive one. Or you have been exceptionally fastidious to the last.¡±


    It was strange to be talking about the whole of humanity. At least it was trending good. ¡°There¡¯s a ¡®but¡¯ here, right?¡±


    Carbon nodded. Of course there was. ¡°During prolonged physical exertion, it is much more significant.¡±


    ¡°Well yeah. That¡¯s pretty normal, sweating will do that.¡± He shrugged and stretched, pulling himself down off the top of the engine, ¡°honestly not that much of a stereotype. Some of us do smell bad. Hopefully I¡¯m not getting too offensive here?¡±


    ¡°No, it is not. I have worked with a few Tsla¡¯o who produce worse. It is just significant and quite foreign.¡± She pushed off the wall towards the airlock back to the rest of the ship, gliding slowly past him.


    ¡°All right, well, guess I¡¯ll be stopping at the head before dinner.¡± Alex followed her with more space than usual, letting her load into the airlock first. He felt filthy anyway, no sense in trying to enjoy a meal while caked in dried sweat and engine grime if he wasn¡¯t going to be going right back to work afterwards.


    The Engineer¡¯s quarters were just beyond the rear airlock, close to the engine room, and he caught Carbon disappearing into them as he cycled through. Alex propelled himself down the hall to his own quarters and ducked into his still dark room, rifling through his drawers for clean clothes in the light coming from the hallway.


    He found himself back in the head with a fresh jumpsuit tucked under one arm, staring at the water tank readout. The fresh and gray water tanks were both half full, the filtration systems intended to circulate enough for two showers per day. He decided he¡¯d probably want to use it more in the morning than he did right now, opting for an anti-bacterial body wipe instead. It wasn¡¯t perfect, but it was refreshing in a shockingly cold sort of way.


    He shoved himself across the passageway and back into the mess. Carbon had been so kind as to prepare dinner, two trays stuck to the table already as she waited for something at her dispenser. She looked at him sideways with a wave, a little disappointment in her eyes. Alex waved back, slipped onto the bench and clipped himself in.


    ¡°Hey, pizza. It¡¯s been a long time since I had pizza.¡± He had been ignoring his hunger, but the prospect of eating changed things significantly. He had just about managed to get the round, cheesy disk into his mouth when he could tell that it smelled wrong. A little too sharp and tart, but he was committed to taking a bite, teeth already sinking into the not-pizza.


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    Carbon¡¯s head perked up, clearly confused. ¡°Pizza?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that is not pizza at all.¡± Alex spoke around the mouthful of hot... not-pizza.


    ¡°Certainly not.¡± She tossed him a beverage tube and sat down across from him.


    ¡°That¡¯s... Not bad. Tangy.¡± The crust was springy and moist, what he thought was cheese was some sort of spicy, creamy sauce that had been browned.


    ¡°Good.¡± She nibbled away at her disk of food, ¡°What is pizza?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like this...¡± He set it down and gestured at it. ¡°But different. There¡¯s cheese, tomato sauce and toppings on bread. Well, it¡¯s almost nothing like this. But it is round. Usually.¡±


    ¡°I do not know these, what cheese and tomato sauce are.¡± She spoke the unfamiliar words carefully, imitating his pronunciation as she turned the words over in her mouth. "They are specific to Humans, or is there a more generic term I may have heard before?"


    ¡°Specific to Humans, I guess. Tomato is a proper name, and cheese is...¡± What the hell was cheese? ¡°It¡¯s a solid dairy... product. Made from milk.¡±


    Her eyes narrowed in thought before she sat up straight. ¡°Oh! I have heard of the cheese. The milk proteins are clotted and then processed into solids.¡±


    ¡°It- It tastes better than that description makes it sound.¡± If someone had described cheese to him like that before he¡¯d eaten it, he wouldn¡¯t have. ¡°Admittedly a bit of an odd thing. But, when you don¡¯t have refrigeration or stasis fields, you do what you have to to make fresh foods last.¡±


    Carbon chewed on a bite of the not-pizza, thinking over what he¡¯d said. ¡°It is understandable. The Tsla¡¯o have practiced fermentation of foods for millenia now, and it has been some time since it was required to survive a winter.¡±


    ¡°If you like fermented food, I can think of a couple of things you might want to try.¡±


    ¡°Humans ferment food, not just alcohol?¡± She asked, an eyebrow arched in surprise, the antenna on the same side rising as well.


    ¡°Yeah, of course. Again, preservation. Just adds something to the taste, too.¡± Despite no one else in his family enjoying it, Alex always had a soft spot for sauerkraut.


    ¡°I did not know that.¡±


    His face scrunched in a little, eyebrows and voice pitching up in disbelief. ¡°Really?


    ¡°Yes, really. I would not lie about such things.¡± Carbon was a little perturbed by that, her tone sharpening for a moment.


    He continued to work his way through dinner as he spoke, a little confused. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just got used to you knowing a lot, kind of having a knowledge disparity with you.¡±


    ¡°I have become very familiar with the technology used in the ship and a few of your customs, but that is almost the full extent of my knowledge. The original manuals were in English and they were very technical.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t translate them?¡±


    ¡°The translations into written Tsla were... bad. The technical aspects in particular had issues with measurements either being extremely precise or rounded so far as to make them wrong. ¡± She paused to take a pull off her beverage. ¡°I already knew a small amount of English, learning more of it proved to be only somewhat difficult.¡±


    Alex nodded at that, it made sense. Despite the plethora of other languages still in use, English was still what pilots and traffic controllers spoke to avoid running everything through translators, and that made its usage very common among engineers as well. ¡°It has come in quite handy.¡±


    She smiled, ¡°yes, it has.¡±


    ¡°So you haven¡¯t experienced any of our culture? Movies, books, theater?¡±


    ¡°I have screened two human movies that were in illicit data stores that were confiscated on the Khav, but that was just to determine if there was anything of concern in them like viri or seditious materials.¡± Presumably the ship she worked on before the Kshlav¡¯o.


    ¡°Oh, what were they?¡± Alex was legitimately curious about this. What had managed to cross the rather significant divide between the two, both in cultural differences and the more logistical issue of simply not having a lot of points of contact between their respective stellar communications networks.


    She hesitated, suddenly straightening up and looking rather uncomfortable. ¡°They... were not complete, just a few scenes. I do not think I can identify them with my current knowledge of Human media.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Alex deftly steered the conversation away from whatever was going on there. ¡°We should watch a movie or something. They packed a few terabytes of entertainment into the store, lots of classics.¡±


    ¡°You would like to watch something with me?¡± She contained her excitement poorly, leaning forward with a wide grin. All those pointy little teeth on display for the first time.


    ¡°Sure.¡± He finished off his not-pizza, ¡°they have the series that really got me into wanting to work out here. In space, I mean. The circumstances are way different, but it still set me down this path.¡±


    She leaned back, appraising him. ¡°I am very interested in seeing what helped turn you into what you have become, Alex.¡±

 Movie Night

    ¡°There is something I do not understand.¡± Carbon¡¯s brow creased in concentration, dark blue lips pulled back in a thin line. They had watched three movies on the rather large display that unrolled from the ceiling, locked in place on the wall across from the fold-out couch. Alex had turned the lights down while the screen was on, the room now dimly lit with it turned off.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°You said he was supposed to be a badass, but clearly he was not.¡± She turned the phrase carefully. It had taken Alex five or ten minutes to successfully explain ¡®badass¡¯ to her as he thought of it. There was no direct translation into Tsla, apparently.


    ¡°What... How can-¡± Alex sputtered, unable to believe the shot she just took at one of his childhood heroes. He looked down at her, still leaning against his side. Personal space had gone out the window for her at some point. She had settled down shoulder to shoulder with him at first, leaning ever harder into his upper arm. He had scooted as far over as he could, then finally just tossed his arm over the back of the couch. She looked a little smug for a few minutes after that. ¡°But he¡¯s- he¡¯s the best character in the series!¡±


    ¡°He was defeated by a blinded man waving a stick indiscriminately.¡± Carbon sat up and stretched her arms, looking over her shoulder at him. ¡°That is the antithesis of your explanation.¡±


    ¡°That was an accident, the jetpack malfunctioned.¡± He got defensive for a moment but caught himself before he dug in, and then grinned at the absurdity of the conversation.


    ¡°A properly designed jetpack will not malfunction when struck with a stick. It will not malfunction from any sort of mild damage if you are going to expect a professional soldier to be able to deploy it during action. It apparently lacked basic safety features, the overall design must have been deeply flawed.¡± She pushed off the couch and eased past him to dial up a beverage from the dispenser.


    Alex made a dismissive sound, waving his hand to go with it. ¡°What do you know about jetpacks, anyway?¡±


    Carbon stared at him, mouth agape. ¡°What do I know about jetpacks? The current combat issue jetpack has three hardware refinements I submitted as an apprentice Lan. I could still rebuild one in the dark if it were required of me.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. OK. That¡¯s a pretty good background,¡± he admitted. How are you supposed to argue with something like that? He decided on a different tack. ¡°The supplemental television shows and books really give a better view of him as a character than this movie...¡±


    She stopped him with a narrow look.


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    ¡°So, I mean, what did you think of the movies?¡±


    ¡°They were entertaining.¡± Carbon took a pull off her drink and rolled the bottle in a dark furred hand, pondering her reply. ¡°Simplistic, but constructed well enough. I found myself engrossed in the story. I can understand how this would have caught your attention at a young age.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± He smiled, glad that she actually did like them. ¡°I keep expecting that the next time I watch them I¡¯ll realize just how terrible my taste in movies was when I was six, but it hasn¡¯t happened yet.¡±


    ¡°It does appear you chose well. Most of the entertainment from my childhood would not be something I would return to as an adult.¡± She returned to the couch, sitting down at the far end, leaning on the armrest in an unusually casual pose for her. ¡°Much of it was not for children, I was just expected to appreciate it as an adult would. It has given me an aversion to certain types of music and theater.¡±


    ¡°Damn. I¡¯m sorry, that sucks.¡± Everbody should be able to be a child, particularly when they¡¯re actually a child. ¡°If you want, there¡¯s like a dozen more movies and I think a hundred seasons of TV shows?¡±


    ¡°A hundred?¡± Her eyebrows went up and she turned to look at him slowly. ¡°There is not enough material presented there for that much exposition.¡±


    ¡°They expanded the scope of the thing, out over a few thousand years.¡± Alex covered his mouth as he yawned and unclipped himself from the couch. It was after midnight ship time, the latest he had intentionally stayed up since coming on board. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯m going to bed. See you in the morning.¡±


    Carbon worked her jaw silently for a moment before managing a weak protest. ¡°I am still not sure that is safe.¡±


    ¡°What, the life support? It¡¯s fine, the cabin has had all day to air out and there¡¯s a vent blowing right in the door.¡± He had slept without issue the previous night, which was proof enough for him that it was safe.


    ¡°I just- I do not think it wise considering the sensors in the room also do not work. You were just released from the medi-board a few days ago, if something was not repaired properly...¡±


    He considered that one, at first only because she hadn¡¯t brought it up last night when they had almost this same discussion and then because it really creeped him out. The medi-board was supposed to be fool proof as far as fixing injuries was concerned. But that was when it was running with a proper AI. The one on board was not. This got him playing a game of what-if with the various horrible things he knew could go wrong with the human body. What would a blood clot traveling from his femoral artery into his brain feel like?


    He actually shivered at that thought. ¡°Yeah, ugh. That¡¯s a good idea. I¡¯ll grab a scanner and give myself a once over.¡±


    ¡°But- That is not-¡± she started and stopped repeatedly as he unlatched the screen and rolled it back into the ceiling. ¡°It- it is not sufficiently safe.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s only a couple of hours, nothing will go wrong. Besides, where would I sleep? On the couch in here?¡± Alex laughed and tapped the door control, the soft red ¡®night¡¯ light from the passageway lighting him in silhouette.


    Her reply was so soft he almost wasn¡¯t sure she had spoken. ¡°You can stay with me?¡±

 Sandcastle

    Alex had locked up for a moment as he processed that, looking at her sitting there on the couch, hands folded in her lap. So hopeful and expectant, and terribly vulnerable all at once. Things he had never seen in her before, and did not know how to reconcile with the Carbon he¡¯d worked with for the last eight months - aloof, a little abrasive, but resolute. Even as they had bonded and by his estimation, become friends, she had retained that rigidity he expected from a Tsla¡¯o. Until now.


    He laughed uneasily. ¡°Thats... It¡¯s- I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Without another word he exited the mess and pushed himself down the corridor. She was probably just tired. It had been a long day, she¡¯d have a dig at his reaction in the morning, once they had gotten some rest. He hadn¡¯t forgotten what she¡¯d said, though, and stopped to grab a medical scanner from the sickbay.


    Everything was normal, physically. He told himself that a few times as he set the scanner aside and slipped into his bed, sleeping until the lights in the corridor shifted to their bright daylight mode. It had felt instantaneous, as though they had come on just a second after he¡¯d closed his eyes, but a quick glance at the clock embedded in the wall indicated he¡¯d been out for nearly seven hours.


    He grabbed his clothes and returned to the head, knocked on the door to fulfill the superstition they¡¯d drilled into him at the academy, and let himself into the empty room. Took care of the usual morning business and was back at the mess in ten minutes.


    That was empty too, which did strike him as a little strange. The couch had been put up, and the table was back into the usable position. He glanced over at the recycler and noted the working light was blinking. Everything from dinner had been processed before they had finished Empire last night, so Carbon must have eaten already. Alex skipped breakfast for now, opting to locate her instead - it was a small ship and there weren¡¯t a lot of potential places for her to be so he¡¯d start at the most logical place: engineering.


    And there she was, crammed partway into the top of the good engine, already diligently working. ¡°Morning, what¡¯s on the task list for today?¡± Alex asked pleasantly as he pushed off for the ceiling.


    ¡°I need conduits from the plasma locks you worked on yesterday. Get all of them, I¡¯m not sure how many will need to be replaced.¡± Her reply came, quiet and lifeless.


    ¡°Uh.¡± That wasn¡¯t the usual Carbon by a kilometer. ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Her voice was devoid of any tone, and she didn¡¯t look up from whatever she was doing in there. ¡°The pry bar should be where you left it last evening.¡±


    He went to work. More of those awful c-clips, but he had a knack for it now. They worked in silence, a stack of high-pressure plasma conduit piling up in the bottom of the parts engine as the day went on, separated into ones that looked intact and units that were obviously damaged. She hadn¡¯t asked, but it only took him a second to sort each part. Alex caught a glimpse of her when she came for a stack of them, it looked like she¡¯d started to deteriorate overnight.


    That worn-down look he hadn¡¯t seen in a month had returned and even in that seconds long glance, he saw hurt. Alex tried talking to her as they worked through the afternoon, but that didn¡¯t seem to do anything. Very distant, sometimes thin and frail. That worried him. He may have only known her for a few months, but the idea that she¡¯d ever sound like that was entirely foreign.


    By the end of the workday, he¡¯d managed to get one sad sidelong glance out of her. They still ended up taking dinner together, sitting on their usual sides of the small table. The usual amicable conversation that had come to be part of the meal was nowhere to be found, replaced with the low hum of the life support systems and soft click of synthetic cutlery. Alex pushed a piece of chicken around his tray for a few minutes before he managed to screw up the courage to do something.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    She stared down at her tray, not even the slightest hint of movement from her normally expressive ears or antenna. ¡°There is nothing for you to be sorry for.¡± There was no animosity, anger, or sadness. Not even a sigh. There was nothing in Carbon¡¯s voice, just slow, carefully enunciated words without a hint of accent.


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    ¡°Yes, there is. I should have reacted... better. I should have asked you what was going on. I should have known something.¡± Alex found himself barely managing to keep his frustration in check.


    Her shoulders rose almost imperceptibly. ¡°Even if that is so, there is nothing for you to be sorry for.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    She looked up and bright blue eyes stared through him, idly stirring her food for a long moment before she spoke ¡°I deluded myself. Engaged in fantasy. I made myself believe you liked me when you did not.¡±


    ¡°I do like you.¡±


    Carbon made a dismissive sound.


    If Alex was being honest with himself, that kind of pissed him off. ¡°Is that what you really think?¡±


    She went back to looking at her food, picking it apart into separate piles of ingredients. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t like you, why would I have tried to understand you better?¡±


    ¡°You were recuperating, you had to fill your time with something.¡±


    Alex leaned back on his bench and straightened up, a finger leveled at her. ¡°Oh, that is bullshit and you know it.¡±


    Carbon¡¯s head snapped up, eyes wide with shock. He wasn¡¯t sure if she was familiar with swearing in English, but at least she got his tone. Her gaze darted away from his and her reply was obstinate but weak. ¡°It is not.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. If I didn¡¯t care we wouldn¡¯t be having this conversation. We wouldn¡¯t be eating together.¡± Alex was starting to fail at keeping himself calm.


    ¡°Sharing a meal is an intimate act...¡± She sighed, at least sounding resigned. ¡°I am sorry, Alex. I rationally knew you could not have known our ways, but I still convinced myself that they applied to your behavior.¡±


    ¡°Ok, that¡¯s a first step. Apology accepted, even though I¡¯m the one who apologized first.¡± His curiosity quickly got the better of him, ¡±what did I do?¡±


    She blanched and closed her eyes, ¡°you bared your legs in my presence.¡±


    This vapor locked Alex¡¯s brain. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what.¡± He couldn¡¯t even manage to turn it into a question.


    ¡°A few days ago, you wore the short pants?¡± Her eyebrows went up as she tried to jog his memory.


    ¡°Wh- Yeah, I remember, I just- That¡¯s what caused all this?¡± His voice went up a register as he spoke, unable to believe that was it. ¡°You¡¯re not making this up, right?¡±


    ¡°As I said, I knew you could not have known what that means to a Tsla¡¯o.¡± She looked away and continued softly, ¡°what that meant to me.¡±


    ¡°When I wore shorts? Yeah, you¡¯re right. I couldn¡¯t have known. That doesn¡¯t even make sense to me. But you could have told me what that meant, I would have been happy to listen.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She took in a rough breath before she continued, ¡°I was not willing to admit that you did not know.¡±


    ¡°Alright, fine. Explain it to me.¡±


    ¡°What good would it do?¡±


    He closed his eyes for a moment, tamping down his frustration. ¡°I am a little surprised to say that I have come to like you, Carbon. I enjoy working with you and spending time with you. But there is clearly a lot I don¡¯t know about you, your people, and your ways. If you just want to have your fantasy, fine, you can have it. But if you want anything more, I¡¯m going to need some help.¡±


    She was confused for a moment, but that quickly gave way to surprise. ¡°What exactly do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Show me what I need to know,¡± he tapped his temple and smiled. ¡°At the very least, I won¡¯t mislead you again.¡±


    ¡°That is- I do not know if it is safe.¡± Worry crossed her face, but she still looked like she wanted to jump at the chance to mind link with him again.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°I have a lot of baggage, as you put it. I do not know what the effects on you would be.¡±


    ¡°Will it kill me?¡±


    ¡°No, but I do not know how-¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± He leaned over his mostly un-eaten dinner, a confident smirk curling the corner of his mouth. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±

 Laid Bare

    Moving from the state where they were still separate entities to the shared place, where Alex and Carbon became a combination of each other was much smoother the second time around. He sort of slipped down into a different frame of mind this time, not the sharp jolt of their first mind link.


    Carbon¡¯s part of their shared space crackled with nerves, unsure of where to start or if she even could. Alex smoothed himself out and tried to present a calming front for her. Trepidation that he was able to hide face-to-face showed through here, though he remained resolute in his desire to make things right. It seemed to help her a little, almost frantic energy dying down as she started to order the things she was to show him.


    The first thing that she brought up was a collection of memories, snippets of school and conversations she had with her parents. It wasn¡¯t as personal as a single memory, whispered echoes of knowledge that filtered from one mind to another, but it carried much more information and gave him the background to understand concepts and events as she did. Baring your legs just wasn¡¯t something you did in casual company, and was often an invitation for a more intimate relationship. It didn¡¯t help that stout ankles and knees were attractive features to them. Alex, about a head taller than Carbon, had deliriously durable looking leg joints.


    His assumption that the unnaturally pale skin of his freshly rebuilt legs and the rather abrupt way they just transitioned back into the original had been the thing that surprised her. It wouldn¡¯t be hard to avoid that in the future, but might make selling tropical vacations a bit hard.


    The Carbon part flushed with embarrassment and fled that topic, bringing up another memory of a time with her father. Alex fell into her place again, far younger than the previous memory. In a large, cool room with a few other Tsla¡¯o, Carbon waited with her father to meet an alien - a Human. She clutched her father¡¯s leg, face pressed into the fabric of his pants, partially hidden and afraid. She could feel the dense bone and sinew in his knee and knew he was strong. He¡¯d protect her, she was sure of that. It didn¡¯t make her feel any less afraid, but it made her less nervous knowing he was there for her.


    The alien they were there to meet came into the room. It was unimaginably tall, strangely colored, had weird rounded ears and only the top of its head had fur. The thing crouched and smiled and gave her a little wave and she squeezed her father¡¯s knee harder. It still felt strong and made her feel a little safer. Her father patted her shoulder and urged her to greet it as well. She managed a little wave back before she lost her nerves and fled the room, her father and the alien laughing politely behind her. She peeked around the doorway as they sat down at opposite sides of a table, both looking very amused.


    The memory ended and he realized it had been tainted with later introspection. She had been four at the time and her father had brought her along to spend more time with her... but he also wanted to use her as a prop for the human representative. A precocious child running about, making the alien seem less alien. He¡¯d kept her along for dealings with other Tsla''o as well, ever the family man. Alex got the impression he was actually some sort of bureaucrat.


    They skipped forward. By the time she was ten she was still going along with her father on these business trips, but interactions were much more orchestrated. In a dark, ornately decorated side room, her aunt regarded her with cold eyes and coached her on what to say nothing and what to do sit still and look pleasant and interested in what is going on before ushering her out to some function. The memory ended abruptly, much more so than he was used to her memories ending. There was no trailing off here, just a jarring move to another thought. Whatever the function was, she didn''t want him to see it.


    Another meeting about trade deals a few years later, a long table with several Tsla''o and Humans at either end. She was bored with politics and Humans. She barely saw them as different now, just unusual. She still loved spending time with her father, but the political theater wasn¡¯t something she liked. It felt like too much dishonesty and backroom dealing, too much saying one thing while thinking another. Both her father and her aunt assured her she¡¯d learn the ways of politics and fit in perfectly when she was older. That prospect frightened her.


    Carbon rolled them forward again. Tightly controlled snippets of her life showed him the experiences leading up to her becoming Lan. She enrolled when she was fourteen, the youngest one could start training. She had spent a few years pushing herself to be an acceptable candidate at that age, ignoring most other aspects of her life. She hadn¡¯t done it out of personal interest - though it did interest her, the whole thing was tinged with spite. It was prestigious, Lan was one of the highest titles you could earn, and no one would stop her. No one would make her be part of something she didn¡¯t want.


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    It had been a rigorous process, burning through eight years of her life between school and several long apprenticeships. She did it easily. Driven to excel so she could have some control over her life. But that wasn¡¯t what she got.


    Her first assignment had been a huge step, the Kshanev class dreadnought. The memory was rife with nerves and excitement. It did keep Carbon away from her father¡¯s politics but the duties swallowed her whole. It was a powerful ship and needed constant maintenance. The crew saw a lot of combat. She had a large pool of engineers and medical personnel but she still had to check everything. Paperwork was endless. On a slow shift, she¡¯d put in a half-day on the decks and then spend a few more hours reviewing logs.


    Her life never slowed down until she came aboard the Kshlav¡¯o. She switched between doing maintenance on the waveriders and the sublight engines, occasionally some other system while ignoring Alex as best as she could. He initially had struck her as annoying and a little offensive. He awkwardly tried to talk to her off duty and worse, passed messages from his still-living mother to her. She hadn¡¯t meant to take it out on him but the strange, cramped conditions on the ship and years of untended stress showed through. The Carbon part radiated regret, knowing well that her training should have prevented that.


    The Eohm attack changed everything. Almost nothing needed to be done after it, aside from fixing the waverider engine and tending to Alex while he healed. Her daily reports dwindled from pages to paragraphs, and then to paragraph. For the first time in 16 years, despite the situation they had found themselves in, she had free time.


    Carbon had time to think. She had time to enjoy things again. She had taken long showers while he had been stuck to the mediboard, able to use both shares of water without guilt. The Alex portion laughed at that, or did something as close to laughter as he could.


    She continued on, determination now firming up her presence. Carbon had started to develop an unexpected affection for him. She didn¡¯t find him annoying as she had before, once they began to speak as equals, allowing her to know him better. Unable to communicate with the outside world, shielded from all but her most basic duties in a ship that pretended to be dead, she found that there was room in her life for something other than running that she had disguised as work. The short pants had been an incredible turning point. She knew better, of course, he wasn¡¯t Tsla¡¯o. Despite that, she wanted to believe that someone trusted her so deeply, wasn¡¯t put off by her station, and perhaps wanted more in their relationship.


    Carbon pressed ahead, awkward as she felt but wanting him to know how she felt wasn¡¯t his fault. She¡¯d never tried to court anyone before, nor had anyone expressed that kind of interest in her. She pressed another memory into him, this one not even a week old, both crisp and fuzzy at the same time. She was returning to her cabin from a long day, brimming with excitement. It was a Tsla¡¯o ship, the deep reddish-purple arched hallways and doors were familiar to her, but not a specific ship... It was just in her imagination. She keyed the door controls and walked in, and there Alex was, reclining on her bunk in his short pants and reading a tablet. He looked up and smiled, said something in flawless Tsla and she warmed with happiness before crawling up onto the bunk and relaxing in his arms, perfectly content and secure in the knowledge that they belonged to each other. Carbon stopped the memory there, veins of guilt running through her presence.


    "When I asked you to stay with me, and you turned me down, I realized that the politics I had sought to leave behind were deeply entrenched. I like you, Alex. Perhaps I love you, but I cannot say for certain. I have treated you like my father treated me, wanting nothing more than to turn you into set dressing for my life, with no regard for what you want from yours. It is unfair and harmful."


    "You didn¡¯t do it on purpose."


    The Carbon part cracked like too-thin ice on top of a river. "The engine will be ready in a week. If it works, we will be back in known space in a month, or less if Search and Rescue is quick. If they do not, we are both dead. I have destroyed our relationship and I do not think that I will ever have the chance to try again."


    Before he could respond, the isolation Carbon had imposed on herself for so much of her life broke free of the controls she exerted over it and came back as a terrible, uncontrollable rush of loneliness, crushing them both beneath its weight.

 Impaired Judgement

    Alex had been lonely before, but there had been at least some fleeting reason behind it. He could understood why and could usually see a path through it. This was different. The narcotic effect Carbon had worried about had taken root in his brain, Carbon¡¯s decades of self-enforced isolation writ large in his mind now, irrational and inescapable. He felt depressed and perfectly alone, despite Carbon sitting a few feet away curled up with her legs hugged to her chest.


    She had pushed him away too late with a whispered apology, just as the connection broke the effect set in. The source of the pained look she wore was clear to Alex, a burst of panic had ripped through the Carbon part of their mind link just before she had severed it. She knew what was going to happen but she didn''t want it to happen to him. Now they sat on opposite sides of the couch, temporarily destroyed.


    "It''s too bad that..." Alex tried to make a joke but just ran out of steam between getting the idea and actually saying it. There really wasn¡¯t a point anymore. "I''m going to get something to sleep this off with. Is that safe?"


    She looked at him with grief in her eyes, voice feeble. "It should be, but... Please do not. This should not take more than an hour to pass and I do not want to be alone right now.¡±


    ¡°Well. Yeah, sure.¡± Alex was pretty sure an hour would feel like an eternity like this, but he was willing to put up with it for her sake. He really didn¡¯t want to be alone either, as the very concept of loneliness clawed at his mind. ¡°Is there anything we can do to speed this up?¡±


    ¡°Not specifically.¡± Her eyes narrowed in thought for a moment. She unbuckled the strap she¡¯d looped around her leg to keep herself on the couch and scooted over to him, undid his belt before taking his hand and tugging him up off the couch with her. ¡°There is one thing I have been told... I do not know if it is a true remedy, but it can not hurt to try.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Bringing you along. It is improper to drink by yourself.¡±


    ¡°How is that... How is that different than taking a sleep aid?¡± Carbon pulled him into the passageway without any trouble. Alex was sure he would have waited on the couch until he had rotted away, and found himself indifferent to being moved around as she towed him behind her towards the aft end of the ship. He could be stuck in this hole anywhere, it didn¡¯t matter. ¡°How did you get alcohol on board, anyway? The CPP runs dry ships, didn''t they check your gear?¡±


    ¡°It is different because it is not being done alone.¡± She toggled the door controls to her cabin with a shrug. ¡°I moved onto the ship before it left dry dock for the first time. No one checked anything I brought on board with me.¡±


    Any other time, Alex would have been surprised at what he saw in Carbon''s cabin. In place of the light gray walls and allegedly mood-enhancing blue stripe, it had been covered in a detailed mural. The cabin became a clearing in a strangely colored alien forest, red-purple trees reaching up to the night sky above on the ceiling. He''d have thought it beautiful in its own way, but right now it was just an oddity as she deposited him on her bunk before rummaging through the dresser embedded in the wall.


    ¡°They checked mine. Why is your bunk so big? Is this down?¡± Alex held on to the comforter stretched over the top, squishing it under his fingers with the distinct crunch of feathers. Her bunk was significantly wider than his, though it was welded to the floor, unable to be folded back up into the wall. Even after just ten minutes of space between the onset of the effect, he realized he could feel it start to ease off, the intensity of it reduced though the magnitude was still astronomical. He was starting to understand her reaction to the too-strong memory he¡¯d shown her during their first link. Regaining composure didn¡¯t take long, but he¡¯d sure as hell prefer to be stuck with an absurd sense of pride for an hour.


    Carbon came back up with a hexagonal bottle, about the size Alex would expect for a liter. Thick clear glass held a pale green liquid and she dug a claw into the wax sealing the cork. The action needed to drink from a rigid bottle in zero gravity was ridiculous, a little more than rotating the bottle to make the liquid flow to the opening and hoping for the best while you brought it to your mouth. She took several long drinks from it, maybe a third of the bottle and made a horrible face before pressing the cork back in and gently floating it over to him. ¡°It is the standard bed for a Tsla''o ship and it is down.¡±


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    ¡°That¡¯s nice. Nicer than what I got.¡± A drink couldn¡¯t hurt. Alex twisted the cork out of the bottle and he went through the awkward motion himself, sucking down a sample before continuing with two mouthfuls. The pleasant, almost pear-like flavor lasted for several seconds before being overwhelmed by the burn of alcohol. He shuddered and corked the bottle, ¡°what is that? Hundred proof?¡±


    She settled down on the bed next to him, leaning against his arm, and shook her head as she took possession of the bottle again. ¡°No, that would taste horrible. It is only seventy percent alcohol.¡±


    Alex shook his head as she took another drink. ¡°That¡¯d make it one-hundred and forty proof and we¡¯ve drank half the bottle already.¡±


    Carbon set the bottle down in her lap again and they sat in silence for a long while, listening to each other breathe. Her hands wrapped around the neck of the bottle that now rested in her lap, twisting it slowly until the tiny label faced up. She glanced up at him, eyebrows and antenna lifting with curiosity. ¡°Is that bad?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s...¡± He sat there pondering the question, running the numbers on consumption. Even without the specific measurements, it was a lot of booze. "Uh, well, that can be a lot to drink all at once on an empty stomach.¡±


    ¡°I ate-¡± she stopped and thought about it for a moment, realization dawning on her face. ¡°I did not eat that much.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t either. That¡¯s smooth, though. Fooled me with the first sip.¡± He was starting to feel a little flush and maybe just a little bit better than he had a few minutes ago. The loneliness only seemed overwhelming now. ¡°Need to be careful with hard alcohol.¡±


    ¡°I did not have that much.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you did. I only had a few swallows of it and that is half empty.¡± He reached over and tapped the noticeably depleted bottle.


    She stared at the pale green glass in her lap for a long time, brow furrowed. Her head jerked up and she looked at Alex, eyes wide and startled. ¡°Is that amount dangerous?¡±


    ¡°You should be fine. I¡¯m just guessing, but that¡¯s like, pfft...¡± He looked up at the ceiling, briefly entranced by the pattern of stars. ¡°I dunno, by human measures that¡¯s eight shots - eight servings. That¡¯s a night''s worth of drinking, for some people. I¡¯d stop at five, myself. Definitely not something you should have all at once unless you¡¯re just looking to get wasted.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± She sounded surprised and looked back down at the bottle, bewildered.


    ¡°Oh? I don¡¯t like how that sounds.¡±


    ¡°I have had, ehm... deep wines.¡± It took her a moment to determine the right words. She looked up at him, eyes focusing slowly and looking decidedly lost. Her head tilted to the side as she spoke. ¡°I have... never drink this before?¡±


    His mouth twisted into a frown, ¡°you¡¯ve never had this specifically or you¡¯ve never had hard liquor?¡± Not that it mattered, he hadn¡¯t seen her drink before. It¡¯d been a year since he¡¯d drank. Neither of them had any resistance built up.


    ¡°Liquor... I like this, what is it mean?¡± Her eyes squinted as she sussed the word out with a little laugh.


    ¡°Great. This is a good place to stop, then.¡± Alex reached over and plucked the bottle out of her hands. Carbon grabbed for it, eyes wide as she made a little distressed noise and looked absolutely shocked that he would take something from her. He set it down on the bed behind him and shook his head. ¡°We¡¯re done with this for now.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Carbon shifted away from him, crossed her arms over her chest and pouted like he¡¯d just taken a toy from her.


    Alex smiled, she was kind of cute like that. ¡°Look, just wait a little bit and we¡¯ll see how you¡¯re feeling. We¡¯ll see how I¡¯m feeling. Pacing is important.¡±


    ¡°Thsen she. Avara?¡± She talked over her shoulder at him, too rapid for him to understand what she was saying, if he even knew the words.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t catch that.¡± He had been drinking on an empty stomach. He felt too warm and everything was lagging in that annoying way that it did.


    Her eyebrows went up like he should have gotten it. ¡°Avarah?¡±


    He shook his head, not sure if it was actually a different word or if she was starting to slur her speech already. He opted for the latter, his smile turning into a grin and an easy laugh. ¡°No, you¡¯re speaking Tsla. I can¡¯t understand what you are saying.¡±


    ¡°Do you feel better too?¡± Her face scrunched up in concentration as she held up a finger, enunciating the words slowly, punctuating each one with a poke at the air. It sounded like she actually wanted to know but it was taking everything she had to get the words out.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Alex nodded in agreement then leaned over and kissed her without a second thought.

 No Rest

    Alex had been taught a few words in Tsla, enough to get by until someone could find a translator. The usual stuff: yes, no, help, please, food, water. It was all in the primer, which was really just a guide on how not to create a diplomatic incident when you have to deal with the aliens.


    The primer didn¡¯t mention sort-of-drunken fooling around, or any other type of fooling around for that matter, which was one of those things that could definitely cause a diplomatic incident, so you would think they¡¯d have covered it a little bit.


    He assumed he had been doing pretty well so far. Despite his slow pace Carbon seemed to be enjoying it. Alex was reasonably sure he was enjoying it too, though he felt oddly pressured by the fact he had no idea what she would like or expect in this situation, not being human and all.


    There would be certain similarities, of course. External body structures were overwhelmingly similar, and that seemed to be working well for him so far. He assumed there were specific things Carbon liked that she wasn¡¯t telling him about... She was talking a little bit, but it wasn¡¯t in English.


    She¡¯d been giving him nothing but positive feedback, via tone and action. That was potentially dangerous, yes, but climbing onto his lap definitely seemed like strong approval. Carbon clutched the front of his jumpsuit, fists balled up over his collarbone and thumped her forehead against his chest with an odd, unwell noise. Without further warning she threw up on him. It was as unbecoming as it was sudden.


    Some day, they would look back on this and laugh.


    Carbon gave him an apologetic and somewhat drunk look as she pushed him away and mumbled something. He understood ¡®go¡¯ and ¡®bathroom¡¯ and could figure the rest out from there. The room had already started to stink like alcohol and stomach acid as she departed.


    Alex sighed, unzipped his jumpsuit and peeled himself out of it, balling it up and using it to soak up the few droplets that hadn¡¯t stuck to him immediately. Fortunately, there were no chunks. He tossed it into her cleaner - his was currently unpowered and not actually cleaning - and left her cabin wearing just the standard issue compression briefs.


    Carbon had left the door to the bathroom open and was cleaning her face with one of the antibacterial wipes, which seemed like a pretty good idea right now. He leaned in and snagged the package, pulling a few free before setting it back next to her. She looked him over with doleful eyes, ¡°sorry. Not you.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± He smiled and continued on, noting for the first time just how cold it was on the ship. He wiped residue off his chest and went digging through his dresser, grabbing a t-shirt emblazoned with the CPP logo to go with it and then shaking out the other pair of shorts included in the clothing package. If he was in for a penny...


    Once again dry, clothed, and clean enough, he found Carbon sitting at the table in the mess looking miserable. He skirted past her and dialed in four bottles of water from the dispenser. Production on something as simple as that was quick, the machine dinging off one every 30 seconds or so. His eyes flickered over to the tablet clipped to the wall between the two dispensers, a red exclamation point flashing in one corner.


    Alex pulled it from its cradle and tucked it under his arm, collected the bottles from the dispenser and went to take his usual seat across from Carbon. She still looked forlorn. He set the bottles on the table and slid them over to her. ¡°Water. Drink up.¡±


    She looked surprised and overwhelmed. ¡°I cannot, is so much.¡±


    ¡°Oh, fine.¡± He grinned and took half of them back, ¡°Still, it¡¯s good for you. Dehydration and all.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She smiled faintly and started drinking but still looked forlorn.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry about it. Happens to everybody.¡± Well. Maybe not throwing up on people. Definitely having an evening not go how you expected, that was pretty common.


    Alex got out the tablet and thumbed the exclamation point. He¡¯d left the sensor¡¯s computer with two instructions. If something very important happened, like another ship coming within a hundred thousand kilometers of the Kshlav¡¯o, turn the shipboard alarm on and let him know immediately. If it noticed something natural close or a ship significantly further away, it would just send an emergency notice, wait six hours and then turn the alarm on.


    Passive sensors had detected something depart from the cluster of Eohm ships and set a course that would take it near them in about a week. The resolution from the passives were terrible at nearly a billion kilometers, but it was an object roughly the size of their ship. Might have superluminal engines. Might not. You never could tell with the Eohm.


    ¡°Did not expect sickness...¡± She sounded better, though still just as sad as she looked, and the lack of her usual refined use of English told him she was still feeling the alcohol she hadn¡¯t... purged. Carbon twisting the bottle in her dark furred hand, claws gently scoring the plastic. She mumbled something that sounded like it was in English.


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    He eyed her over the top of the tablet, ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t catch that last bit.¡±


    She sighed quietly and closed her eyes, ¡°First time.¡±


    ¡°The f- Oh.¡± Alex felt his eyes widen as he glanced down and scrambled to come up with something to say to that. ¡°Y-you mean with a Human?¡±


    Carbon glared at him so hard it should have been fatal. Apparently not. She grumbled and as she crossed her arms on the table and set her head down on them, eyes closed. Alex tapped the command console for the sensors and had it track the object, ship alarm if it does anything different. A week away, no need to bother her with it tonight. It¡¯d been rough enough as it was.


    He slipped out of his seat and took her hand with a grin, ¡°Does your offer still stand?¡±


    ¡°Wh- What offer?¡± She asked, legitimately confused as she unhooked her foot from the bench and slipped off it, towed slowly behind him as he pulled her into the corridor.


    ¡°Can I stay with you? Power is out in my bunk, you know.¡± He laughed softly, a sly smile on his lips as he glanced over his shoulder at her. Alex was pretty sure her bed was actually vastly superior to his as well, but that was just a bonus.


    ¡°Yes.¡± She¡¯d never said anything so seriously in her life, obviously trying to keep her shit together as they replayed what she had been hoping would happen the night before. ¡°Yes you can.¡±


    ¡°It was really nice of you to offer, looking out for my well being and all.¡± He pulled her up to the access panel, a hand on her hip as he let her enter the code. Either of them could override in an emergency, but it seemed unreasonable given they were both right here. Would have been a real dick move.


    The second time around, without the crushing loneliness of the Tsla¡¯o narcotic effect weighing him down, and somehow only slightly buzzed, Alex really did marvel at the mural of a forest on the walls of her room as she pulled him inside. It looked painted, actually really painted! He was distantly aware of the sound of the bed being unzipped as he gawked at the ceiling, recessed lights dim, leaving the alien starscape looking surprisingly real. He didn¡¯t recognize any of the constellations, and assumed they were an accurate representation of the night sky from-


    Carbon derailed his train of thought with a warm hand under his shirt as she gently cleared her throat to get his attention. It worked quite well.


    ¡°This is incred-¡± He blinked once and was surprised to find that Tsla¡¯o wore what he¡¯d describe as underwear as well. Probably shouldn¡¯t have been, but it simply hadn¡¯t occurred to him until he found Carbon mostly disrobed and sitting on the bed clad in simple dark blue briefs and something akin to a sports bra that just covered her small breasts, in the same color. They struck him as a bit utilitarian and modest, which given the nature of their original mission, made sense. This sort of thing wasn¡¯t part of the plan. He found his gaze lingering a bit longer than he had let it previously, taking in the shape of her. Athletic and lean, with a bit of muscular definition barely showing through blue-black fur.


    ¡°What do... How do you sleep?¡± She inquired, head tilted to the side as she patted the empty bed next to her. It was perhaps a little snug for two, but acreage compared to the standard human bunk.


    That question spun through his mind for way too long, but he figured it out and peeled the shirt he¡¯d just put on back off. There was an urge to crack a joke but this was one of the worst times he could think of to do that. ¡°Usually underwear. If that¡¯s OK with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, fine.¡± Big blue eyes wandered Alex¡¯s upper body with an unusual intensity, ¡°perfect.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear it.¡± He said with a smile as he moved on to taking off his shorts. He didn¡¯t mind the gawking, given that they were... involved now, and the last time they had seen each other in a state of undress he had most of his limbs burned off, and she was covered in his blood. Not exactly a time to check out the goods, even if he was somewhat proud of his physique. Alex was no gym rat, but he kept himself in good shape, and the Navy portion of the CPP training had accentuated that a bit. Probably not used to seeing that much skin anyway, given Tsla¡¯o had a layer of fur smoothing things out.


    Carbon slid out of the way, shimmying under the covers and leaving a very nearly Human sized space available to him, which he took, and she zippered the bed closed. ¡°Lights, off.¡±


    In the darkness, Alex decided to let her set the tone this time. He had absolute faith that he was way ahead of her in the ¡®sleeping with people¡¯ department and didn¡¯t want to blow past her comfort zone by accident. ¡°Snug in here, isn¡¯t it?¡± He tried to sound casual, but he could hear the hint of nerves in there. He was privy to the fountain of ethical conundrums his brain was spewing, and it was not helping things at all.


    ¡°Yes. Difficult no gravity.¡± At least she sounded as nervous as he felt. She nestled up against him, chin resting on his shoulder, and exhaled a worried sigh. ¡°Would it... Bother if we did not?¡±


    ¡°Did not... Continue what we were doing earlier?¡± He asked, resting a hand on her hip again now that she¡¯d selected a place to rest.


    ¡°Liked, but-¡± She paused, silent for a heartbeat and set a hand on his chest. ¡°Two thoughts too close. No mix.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s fine.¡± He didn¡¯t understand what she meant by that, but this actually felt like a weight off his shoulders, the pressure of being the guy who has sex with an alien - and worse, probably the first one - gone for the time being. She was probably a bit too drunk still to make a decision about that anyway. If he was being honest with himself, he was probably a bit too deep for that as well. ¡°I think I may have moved a bit too fast there, anyway. This is uncharted waters for both of us and I just guessed. I very easily could have guessed wrong.¡±


    ¡°Guess was good.¡± A little snort of a laugh came from the dark beside his head and Alex could hear a smile in her voice. ¡°You got fired.¡±


    He returned the laugh and nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Growing on me.¡± She tilted her head and kissed his cheek, then curled herself up under the covers. ¡°Goodnight, Alex.¡±

 Introspection

    Sometime in the middle of the night - she hoped it was the middle of the night, at least - Carbon awoke to the unpleasantly familiar feeling of being about to throw up. She groaned, the sound itself being a mistake as that just seemed to encourage the disgusting rise of vomit in her throat. Silently, she willed it to just stop, to return to where it came from, and to just not do this right now.


    It took her a moment to recall the events of earlier in the evening, though some were a bit hazy through the throbbing pain in her head. The Tsla¡¯o sighed and immediately regretted it, chewing back the surge of bile trying to escape. She would not be throwing up on Alex twice in one night. This was entirely out of the question. It would not occur.


    It took longer than she cared to think about to get things settled. Maybe it was just the headache. She couldn¡¯t see the clock without moving and that seemed like a stupid thing to try doing right now. Staying curled up in a ball with her head pressed against Alex¡¯s chest was fine, it was the thing to do. It was dark and comfortable in the bed and she was once again glad that Humans appeared to be just as fastidious as Tsla¡¯o were.


    Her body started to make its displeasure about the situation clear, muscle aches and a general sense of unwellness from everywhere. By the hells, she promised herself she¡¯d never drink lacan again, ever, as long as she lived.


    Carbon¡¯s mind wandered, slowly, lest it upset the body more, and her hands did as well. It was a strange thing, all this skin that Alex had. Yes, there was a vanishingly small amount of fur... no, hair. They distinguished between the two. What a strange twist of evolution, leaving them so exposed, as though humans had never had to worry about the climate on Earth. Would the Tsla¡¯o be so different if Schoen was a warmer planet? Perhaps, though it did not take much of a breeze to cut through her fur.


    She withdrew her hands from him upon realizing she had just spent several minutes idly groping his chest. There were a lot of similarities in the musculature there, yes, but that had not been for a clinical inspection at all. Just keep your hands to yourself, there will be more appropriate times for further... observations.


    That was an odd way to put it. Why did she automatically try to separate herself from this interaction? It is what she had wanted, after all. A thing he had very much encouraged even after being shown her absurd little fantasy and gotten a taste of the way she¡¯d isolated herself from everything since - when had it started? It had been decades now, she couldn¡¯t pinpoint the first time she had withdrawn anymore.


    Right, this sense of freedom was an unusual exception to her life until this point, and she would probably be going back to that in a week or two. Or they would be... She declined to think about the alternative to their shot at escaping from this system working out. Not much to do about it if things went wrong.


    But there was going to be so much to do if it went right. If she was being honest with herself, and she did not want to be right now, there was no way they could get another ship like this one. They had eighteen weeks worth of scans, with several good options for habitable planets. They would be going their separate ways and that was just how it would be. Back to their respective species. It would be fine.


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    Part of her scrambled for options anyway. There would be no way to get herself out of returning to her duties on a different ship as a Lan, not with the way things were now in the Empire. She would not end up back on the Kshanev, she was pretty sure. A battleship would not even bring on civilian crew, let alone a Human civilian. But perhaps if she could pull a few strings, use the connections she¡¯d built so far in life that her father had always said would be so important, she could get herself lined up for one of the ships they would send to explore the viability of the planets they had found.


    And of course bring along the Human that had helped find them. Look at all this first-hand experience, who would say no? Caught up in the moment, she allowed herself to smirk, feeling entirely self-satisfied about this plan.


    It probably wouldn¡¯t work, of course. There were moving parts she wasn¡¯t privy to right now and that had a tendency to oversimplify things, a problem she had run up against with Alex mere days ago. He was much more accommodating than the maze of bureaucracy she would have to navigate to pull something like that off, which had good and bad sides. Certainly she was enjoying this dalliance, but she knew that having just kept it broken off would have been simpler. Easier to deal with, if not more painful.


    There would be ramifications she could not predict. Social, political. Carbon knew she was respected, well liked among her peers and subordinates. That was no small thing. But coming back from this mission, involved like this with a Human. The perception of that against the backdrop of the ongoing disaster on Schoen, nearly all of their species trapped in the ashfall. She inhaled slowly and sighed. It would not look good. It already felt a little bit like betrayal. They were nowhere near a genetic chokepoint, but there were already growing expectations about everyone ¡®doing their part¡¯ to ensure it stayed a distant problem.


    Her father would hate this. The irony, having worked with humans on peace treaties and the occasional trade deal for nearly all his career and now his daughter is caught by one. He would be furious that even this faint entry into a relationship with a Human occurred. Perhaps not before the disaster, but the loss of her mother had been particularly unkind to him. He boiled constantly now.


    The only one who would react worse would be Eleya. She gritted her teeth, the mere idea of her aunt setting off her fight or flight instinct, and crammed that thought right down into the deepest, darkest hole she kept her worst feelings in just as soon as it crossed her mind. There would be no thinking about her unless she had to, and certainly not when she was somewhere she wanted to remember fondly.


    She missed Neya, though. Poor, sweet Neya, always earnest and honest to her core. What would she make of this? She had lost everyone in the disaster, save for Carbon. None of her family or friends on the planet had been in a shielded city at the time, though most had been in the caldera so at least it would have been a quick end, as cold as that comfort was for the living. Could she even tell Neya about this relationship? She would find out eventually, and hiding something this significant from her would only be hurtful. Yes, she would have to.


    Carbon dared to stretch her legs, the motion triggering a yawn and an autonomous response as she stretched everything else from her neck all the way down to her toes, all her muscles complaining the entire time. She felt better afterwards, though very much far from feeling well. Her brain still felt like it had a spike driven into it, even as she pressed her forehead to Alex¡¯s somewhat cooler chest again. Even through this headache she couldn¡¯t stop thinking about all the things that could go wrong, all the ways she would hurt the few remaining people she cared about.


    She sighed once more into the dark and wished her mind could stop as she waited for sleep to come again.

 Communication Error

    In the moments between being asleep and awake, the most basic part of Alex¡¯s brain determined everything was right enough to not worry. He was somewhere dark, comfortable and warm. Didn¡¯t even need to open his eyes to double check.


    Something soft moved in his arms and panic shot through him. This wasn¡¯t his bed. His body twitched as the rest of his brain came to life and demanded all the information it could get, leaving him disoriented in the darkness before he remembered where he was and that it was Carbon who had her face pressed against his chest.


    Everything else came flooding back. Honestly, the night had ended pretty well for one of them getting drunk enough to throw up almost at the start of it. Alex didn¡¯t even feel like he¡¯d been drinking, which was a pleasant surprise.


    She stirred now and made a low rumble as her head poked out of the comforter. He could just barely make out the gloss of her eyes as she inspected the clock over his shoulder. Carbon sounded like she wanted to be annoyed but was too tired for it. ¡°Alarm is not go off for hour. Why awake?¡±


    He gave her a squeeze and shrugged, not actually knowing why. ¡°Just did. Go back to sleep.¡±


    She made an affirmative noise and rubbed his ankle with her own, a gesture he now understood as slightly more than affectionate. The glint from her eyes disappeared and she curled up under the comforter again, wheezing softly.


    Alex wasn¡¯t going to go back to sleep so easily, the surprise he¡¯d received waking up had flooded him with adrenaline. Maybe he could just get a shower and start breakfast before she got up. Alex reached out and felt around for a zipper pull on the comforter. There wasn¡¯t one on the wall side of the bunk, which he was facing.


    The prospect of having to extricate himself from Carbon in the very limited amount of space he had and then roll over to get to the zipper wasn¡¯t very appealing. There were many worse ways to spend an hour, and he believed that for at least fifteen minutes. As it turns out, when you are wide awake letting someone sleep in your arms isn¡¯t that exciting. It sounds like something that should be adorable, but in almost perfect pitch darkness it really doesn¡¯t translate. Carbon had also somehow managed to press her shoulder into his arm in just the right way to pinch the nerve, rendering his right arm numb from the elbow down.


    The alarm clock going off was the sweetest sound he had heard in a month. Carbon seemed to disagree, squeezing herself into a ball for a moment before grumbling as she poked her head out of the bunk, ¡±alarm off. Lights, ten.¡±


    Pins and needles flooded his hand and forearm as the alarm shut off and the lights came on at ten percent brightness. She unzipped the cover, crawled over him and sat on the edge of the bunk, eyes bleary and more bedraggled than he¡¯d ever seen her before. ¡°Sleep okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I have... Nh, hangover? Overhang? The appropriate one.¡± Carbon rubbed her eyes and slicked back her antennas, smoothing out the fluffy tips.


    Alex rolled over and sat up next to her, suppressing a laugh. ¡°Had it right the first time.¡±


    Carbon nodded, then latched onto his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. ¡°Thank you for last night.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s...¡± He wanted to say it was nothing, but he knew that was wrong. It had clearly meant quite a bit to her, even if she¡¯d only really gotten around to literally sleeping with him. It might have meant something to him, as well. ¡°It was my pleasure.¡±


    She smiled and squeezed his arm before getting up to dig through her dresser. ¡°I am just sorry that there are not enough females on board for you.¡±


    Carbon said that with such a matter-of-fact tone that for a moment, Alex thought he was out of the loop with his own species. He turned the statement over in his head a few times, but it never made any more sense. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Your... mating requires two females.¡± She picked the word carefully, apparently for a very deliberate statement of fact. She didn¡¯t look like she was putting him on as she plucked an article of clothing from the open drawer and tucked it under her arm.


    His eyebrow went up, wondering where she¡¯d gotten that idea from. ¡°Uh, no. We usually only have one partner at a time. Most Human relationships are monogamous, when you get into the romantic ones anyway. That¡¯s how it''s worked for me.¡±


    ¡°You do? That was not what I saw-¡± Her eyes visibly dilated as her face twisted from surprised and earnest to a sort of abject horror before it smoothed out into an unconvincing fa?ade of composure. ¡°I require to shower.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± He watched as she shot across the cabin, and let her go. That reaction did not bode well. It was clearly a misunderstanding... though, apparently one that weighed more heavily on her than was necessary. If anything, it was a little funny. Two women. Sure, he¡¯d been a teenage boy once. Thinking about it now just felt like it would be a lot of effort to keep it equitable.


    Alex shrugged to himself and retrieved the clothes he¡¯d worn for maybe twenty minutes last night, and got dressed to face the day. But first, coffee. Down the corridor he could hear the shower faintly, so that was good. He stopped in at the mess, dialed in a medium roast with two cream for himself and poked through the menus on the Tsla¡¯o dispenser until he hit the beverages and pressed the one that she almost always got. Based on how fast she left, he assumed Carbon would prefer a bit of space between whatever she thought she¡¯d done and when he started bothering her about it, and who couldn¡¯t use a hot beverage in the morning?


    He checked on the ship was maybe-sorta-probably headed their way. The general alarm on the Kshlav¡¯o hadn¡¯t gone off so nothing significant could have happened to it. Sure enough, it was still on the same course, just about eight hours closer. Not great, but not unexpected. His dispenser dinged and deposited a piping hot tube of coffee for him, and the Tsla¡¯o dispenser followed suit a moment later, the dark amber tea Carbon seemed to prefer threatening to scald his hand through an entirely too-thin layer of plastic.


    For the first time ever, Alex knocked on the door to the head to announce his entrance. She hadn¡¯t hard locked the keypad, so presumably she would be expecting him to just come on in. But probably not with beverages. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s me.¡±


    The sound of the shower continued, the sliding door to stall very much opaque. The occasional bump of an elbow or knee seemed to indicate something was going on other than hiding.


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    ¡°I got you a tea, it¡¯s... uh, out here when you¡¯re done.¡± If the gravity had been on, he might have poked his head in there, or at least cracked the door to talk through, which probably would have flown with any girlfriend he¡¯d had in the past, but that was not this situation. No gravity precluded that entirely. Everything was proofed against all sorts of intrusion, but inviting damage by spraying water droplets everywhere was stupid.


    And this more romantic aspect of their relationship wasn¡¯t even a day old. Would intruding on bathing like that have run up against some Tsla¡¯o taboo nobody had even thought to mention? Probably. He rolled his eyes and rested his back against the wall and pressed a foot against the base of the shower to wedge himself there, taking a sip off his coffee. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s up, but from my end of that conversation, there¡¯s been no transgression. Just an odd statement.¡±


    He was pretty sure he heard a grumble over the sound of the high efficiency showerhead. The water shut off and the vacuum came on. Can¡¯t have any water getting lose in this environment. Dried you off pretty well, too.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that big a deal.¡± Alex continued talking at the door of the shower while Carbon vacuumed herself dry inside.


    ¡°It is.¡± A reply finally came, very emphatic, and he could hear her gesturing with the vacuum nozzle.


    ¡°It was a simple misunderstanding. Nothing to be embarrassed about.¡± Still wasn¡¯t going to say that he thought it was funny. Definitely not at that point in their relationship yet.


    ¡°I should have known better.¡±


    Alex wasn¡¯t sure why the mix up about humans and the minimum number of partners they required to have sex bothered her so much. He reviewed the incident, still very fresh in his mind. He hadn¡¯t laughed at her, so at least that was out. Pretty sure he hadn¡¯t gotten a tone or anything, either. ¡°How could you have known better?¡±


    She was quiet for a heartbeat, the mildly obscene sucking noise of the vacuum filling the head. ¡°I should have.¡±


    Alex huffed, exasperated. ¡°Sure. You thought you had solid information, so logically you would ask around about how humans prefer to bang each other just to be on the safe side. Right?¡±


    A long silence this time. ¡°No, that would have been absurd.¡±


    ¡°So is the assertion that you just should have known better.¡±


    She sighed, sounding resigned through the shower door. ¡°I should have known better because I had seen humans interacting in a manner I perceived as romantic while the Kshalv¡¯o was being built and none of them had third partners. I had assumed that she would just be acquired from a pool of them at a temple or something similar.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s, uh... I can see-¡± He really couldn¡¯t see where she¡¯d gotten that idea from, but maybe that was just some Tsla''o thing he didn¡¯t get. What did they distribute at their temples? Did they have temples? He was sure nothing like that came up in the primer. ¡°Well, you know what they say about assuming.¡±


    ¡°I do not.¡±


    ¡°Never assume, because it makes an ass out of you and me.¡± He chopped the word up with his hands as he explained the old saying. He assumed it did not translate properly into Tsla, the irony of that thought not escaping him as he smirked at it.


    The longest bout of silence yet. At least he could hear her vacuuming the walls dry now. The soft whir of the vacuum¡¯s pump shut off, ¡°that is a terrible saying. Some assumptions are perfectly safe.¡±


    ¡°That is true, but it¡¯s the premise of the thing.¡±


    Carbon finally came out of the shower, an oversized towel long enough to be a dress wrapped around her torso. She hung there in space, eye to eye with him and a little bit peeved. ¡°It may be, but it is a terrible saying. Inaccurate.¡±


    ¡°Fine, it¡¯s bad. That doesn¡¯t change the fact that you just made a small mistake.¡±


    ¡°It is not that I made a mistake.¡± She hissed, poking a finger into his chest. ¡°It is that I made a fool of myself in front of you.¡±


    ¡°There,¡± Alex closed his eyes and nodded. ¡°Now we¡¯re getting somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Delightful.¡± She sneered the word as she turned and pulled a cabinet open, rifling through the contents for a dental spray.


    ¡°In a way, yes. At least I understand why you¡¯re upset now.¡±


    She glared at him in the mirror as she jammed the bite plate into her mouth and depressed the trigger, cheeks puffing up momentarily. Carbon closed her eyes and her shoulders slumped. ¡°Yes, you do. I was foolish for thinking that pornography was a reasonable window into your culture. To my knowledge, ours is very pragmatic and I allowed myself to believe yours would be as well.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no. Ours is not pragmatic, at all.¡± In all honesty he wasn¡¯t sure how that would even be defined. It seemed... Somewhat antithetical to the purpose of the thing.


    ¡°I see that now.¡± She turned, a wry smile on her lips. ¡°I am actually quite relieved.¡±


    Alex was relieved as well, laughing as her mood turned around. ¡°Good. Come on, there¡¯s ship business to attend to.¡±


    ¡°In a moment.¡± Carbon wrapped her warm, damp arms around his neck, eyes closed as she pressed her mouth to his, lips parting tentatively as she explored their boundaries. It caught Alex off guard but he didn''t mind her taking a more active role. Her tongue was warm and silky, but much more minty during this brief kiss. Her eyes fluttered open with a twinkle and she looked very pleased with herself. ¡°I will clothe myself, then we can get to ship business.¡±


    ¡°Was that my dental spray?¡±


    She nodded, the smile back. ¡°It was the first one I saw.¡±


    ¡°Thought it tasted familiar. I¡¯ll meet you in the mess.¡±


    She grabbed the previously untouched tea and departed with a wave. Alex went back to the mess, dialed in an oatmeal and waited on Carbon, who returned in a fresh jumpsuit and still slightly damp fur faster than he expected. He picked the tablet off the table before she sat down, tapping through the menus for the information from the sensors from the previous night. ¡°So, we have a little problem.¡±


    Carbon¡¯s eyes had widened a little as she slipped into her usual seat. ¡°You mean with ship business. Yes?¡± She emphasized the last word heavily.


    ¡°Yes. Sensors picked this up last night. It¡¯s still like eight hundred and sixty million kilometers away and headed in our direction. Not a collision course, but it¡¯ll come within half a million klicks of us.¡± He handed Carbon the tablet and picked his oatmeal out of the dispenser, settling down across from her.


    She squinted at the display, ¡°it is very pixelated.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, resolution is bad without the active sensors.¡± They both knew turning the actives on would tip the Eohm off to them still being alive, which would assure their death without the FTL drive operational.


    Carbon grimaced and nodded her head. ¡°Why did you not tell me about this last night?¡±


    ¡°You were kind of drunk and you looked so damn miserable. If it was a fast mover or closer, I¡¯d have told you. The sensors would have triggered the ship alarm if it was a more present danger... and then we¡¯d either be fine or dead anyway.¡±


    She looked over the tablet again, pursed her lips and handed it back to him. ¡°I did feel quite miserable and that is a reasonable assessment. We should be able to have the drive ready and tested well before it comes within weapons range.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking.¡±


    Carbon smiled sadly and shook her head, slipping out of her seat and dialing in a meal on her dispenser. ¡°Bring up the schematics for the ventral plasma fracture array. It appears we will be very busy for the next few days, it would be best if we plan ahead.¡±

 One Step Closer

    A modern waverider drive was actually composed of three parts: the reactor, the engine and the drive array. This was usually lost on people who did not work with them, who were safely ensconced in the assumption that they were wildly complex pieces of technology that made ships go quite fast.


    The reactor provided huge amounts of raw, high energy plasma. The engine took that plasma and tweaked it to the precise specifications required by each part of the drive array. The array was where the action really took place. The refined plasma was converted to energy on site, allowing the array to make gravity go all funny, propelling the ship at faster than light speeds.


    Alex was ¡®front of the ship¡¯ pretty much exclusively, concerned more with driving the thing and sensor analysis. There was a focus on ¡®overlap training¡¯ in the Civilian Pilot Program, so the Pilot wouldn¡¯t be completely stranded if something happened to the Engineer and vice versa. He understood the parts and general idea behind how all the stuff in engineering worked, and he could safely swap parts and effect minor repairs, but he couldn¡¯t explain the physics of how it worked. He had been trained on Human drives, of course.


    The waverider drives in the Kshalv¡¯o were state of the art Tsla¡¯o technology, probably a generation or two more advanced than their Human counterparts. Before the attack, the engine casings were monolithic slabs of oily blue alloy with a hand-hammered finish and extensive decorative engraving. Despite the enormous cost of fitting engines for a scoutship - around a billion dCred total for a set of Human waverider drives - they lacked the caring details applied to the Tsla¡¯o drives.


    Now they were shadows of their former selves, one burnt and gutted for repairs, the other in a thousand pieces waiting to be made whole again.


    ¡°This is simple. Open up the access port, reach into the fracture array and find these filament cartridges.¡± They floated next to the parts engine and Carbon handed him a powered impact wrench and a bright red composite brick. The filament cartridge was roughly fist-sized with slick sides, two opposing faces covered in a fine mesh. ¡±They should be solid red, no cracks of any size. Microfractures will show up as discoloration.¡±


    Alex turned it over in his hands, ¡°solid red, got it.¡± Bold Tsla text was printed across the sides and a stylized arrow showed flow direction.


    ¡°If it is intact, you vacuum the dust out of it and put it into the good pile.¡± She pointed out a small stack of unused cartridges tucked away in the fixable engine, a shop vac quickwelded to the floor next to them. ¡°They are quite durable, you should not be able to damage them with your hands alone.¡±


    He nodded along as she spoke. ¡°That¡¯s not bad. How many do we need?¡±


    ¡°We require seventy more of them. There are several hundred in the array, it should be quite easy.¡±


    ¡°Is that all? Better get to work then...¡±


    ¡°Yes. I suspect it will take some time, we should break in three hours.¡± She gave him a warm smile and disappeared around the other side of the good engine.


    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Alex peeked into the engine, glad that this part didn¡¯t use those awful damn c-clips. The access panels were held down by things that were obviously bolts, and the impact wrench made short work of them even in the cramped environment. He crammed his hand into the array, fishing around in the dark hole for a cartridge to pull.


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    Easy was, as it had a tendency to be, a relative term. Alex found one quickly enough, fingers unable to get any purchase on it. He dug his fingernails into the sliver of slippery composite that sat outside of the socket to try to pull them free to no avail. After he had burned maybe ten minutes and was just about to go looking for that enormous prybar, he scraped a knuckle open on the latch on top of one of the other sockets. Things moved much more quickly after that.


    Alex learned two things that morning. One was that the fracture array produced the black dust that Carbon had told him wasn¡¯t dangerous and it produced it in copious amounts. The second being that Carbon measured time using the Tsla¡¯o system.


    The Tsla¡¯o used base ten for almost everything. Their day was twenty hours long, split into ten hours of night and day... though their home planet rotates once every twenty seven hours and sixteen minutes by Human measure.


    Carbon¡¯s three hours was closer to four hours to him. It made the prospect of the twelve hour work day she suggested much more daunting. Not that they had much choice right now. At least the filament cartridges were coming out at a reasonable pace and were mostly salvageable.


    It was difficult work, for reasons he hadn¡¯t expected. He was always at the wrong angle, arm craned around the wrong direction to get to a latch. His hand would get caught on something he couldn¡¯t see and he would wrench his wrist, or just have bad leverage to wriggle a cartridge free. Little things piled up into a litany of injuries running up his arms, muscles sore from his fingers into his back.


    Putting the cartridges back in was much harder though very systematic. Go to one access port, ensure every socket has a cartridge, double check the latches and then seal up the port. Carbon gave him a dead blow hammer to seat them and a weird torque wrench to get the ports closed. Each port sealed back up felt like progress.


    Then that was done and they hadn¡¯t even taken their first break. The list of things to finish was still several pages worth of scrolling. Carbon split it up into tasks only she had the background for, things she could explain quickly, and stuff Alex could do with just a tablet to reference. The last part was basically just plugging things in.


    By the end of their 12 Tsla¡¯o hour shift - about 16 Human hours - Alex was reasonably sure his arms would fall off sometime in the night and he was going to develop a disease from the dust. For the moment, that didn¡¯t matter. They had finished it. The diagnostics suite was testing every aspect of the engine, though that was several hours away from completion. If it came back clear, all they had to do was bolt the access panels down and it would be ready to use.


    Alex sprawled out over the couch as best he could in zero g, trying to decide if he wanted to eat or just go to sleep when Carbon came into the mess. She didn¡¯t look nearly as tired as he felt as she planted herself next to him, ankle hooked under the couch. She produced an antibacterial wipe and started to clean the dust from his face.


    He waved her off, the motion feeble. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that.¡±


    ¡°I do not have to, but I would like to.¡± She smiled and her cerulean eyes met his with a touch of mischief as she wiped his neck clean.


    Alex rolled his eyes with a grin as she started to clean his hands. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t stop you. I don¡¯t think I could right now, anyway.¡±


    She made an affirmative noise and she had a little smirk on her muzzle that looked like she was getting away with something. Alex wasn¡¯t sure if there was some cultural meaning here or if she was just being nice... and he wasn¡¯t going to complain. After the long day, it felt good to be tended to. ¡°You look tired, Alex. Do you want to go to bed?¡±


    ¡°After today? There is nothing I¡¯d like more.¡±

 Killing Time

    ¡°You- your shirt is in the cleaner.¡± She stood beside the cleaner embedded in the wall of her room, the lid open, a curious sort of shock in her voice that carried over to wide eyes that glared at Alex sitting on the bed..


    ¡°Yeah, my jumpsuit is in there too.¡± He didn¡¯t look up from reviewing the handful of fixes the diagnostics recommended for the drive, and honestly he hadn¡¯t thought much of it... They were sleeping together, after all. Mixing clothes in the cleaner hadn¡¯t seemed like that big a jump. Plus his cleaner was inoperative as its function was tied to the computer core he¡¯d pulled from his room to calculate their impending waveride.


    Her jaw worked, still a bit bewildered. ¡°It is inappropriate!¡±


    ¡°It is?¡± He looked up from his tablet, startled by the severity of the look she was shooting his direction before realization dawned upon him, ¡°oh. This is a Tsla¡¯o thing, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    That was, perhaps, not the best way to put it. Her eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips, large fuzzy ears and antenna pulled down tight against her head. ¡°Yes, it is our way. Males and females do not mix their clothing when it is being washed.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Alex scooted over and looked into the cleaner, a sliver of grey showing among the black cloth before he reached in and plucked the shirt out. His jumpsuit came next, set over his shoulder. ¡°Didn¡¯t know. I just... every girlfriend I¡¯ve had was wearing my clothes around by the time we were sharing a living space. Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    Carbon considered that for a long second, leaning in with wide eyes studying him as he folded the shirt. She waved a hand dismissively. ¡°It is fine, I may have overreacted.¡±


    ¡°You sure? I think I¡¯ve got enough to get... by with.¡± His words petered out as he noticed the intensely expectant look on her face, the social trespass of the cleaner set aside for the time being.


    ¡°Do you really think of me like that?¡±


    Alex reviewed what he¡¯d just been saying. Girlfriend? Did that even cover aliens? Probably. He was sure the dictionary definition didn¡¯t have any restrictions for other sapient species. ¡°Oh. Yeah, I guess I do.¡±


    ¡°Could you say it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re my girlfriend?¡±


    Carbon nodded slowly, not quite satisfied. ¡°As a statement?¡±


    He grinned at the request, ¡°you¡¯re my girlfriend.¡±


    Carbon¡¯s face melted into a sublime smile, eyes sparkling happily in the cabin''s lights. She didn¡¯t say anything as she got up and hugged him with a gentle kiss on his cheek before resting her head on his neck with a content sigh.


    This should have tipped him off, but he was still surprised when she came to breakfast later that morning wearing one of his Civilian Pilot Program t-shirts, a jumpsuit with the sleeves tied around her waist, and cuffs rolled up to her ankles even though she was still wearing boots. It probably would have worked better with gravity, she was practically swimming in the large shirt. She had that look like she was getting away with something again, too.


    He suspected that she was, in some way. She had a brief window to elude her duties as Lan - a vacation because there was nothing else she could do just yet. From what Carbon had shown him, she had spent her life earning it.


    So, he indulged it as well. ¡°Hang on, that¡¯s not going to work like that.¡± He said, gesturing for her to come closer as he got up from the table.


    Carbon started to protest, even as she approached. ¡°I am just-¡±


    Alex took hold of the t-shirt and pulled it tight around her waist, eliciting a surprised peep from her as she stiffened, not expecting this. He folded all the spare fabric up, very studiously not mentioning he learned how to do this from his last girlfriend, and tucked it into the waist of her jumpsuit-turned-pants. ¡°No loose clothes while working in the shop or performing maintenance on the ship.¡± He added with a cheerful smile as he tightened the arms of the jumpsuit down and added a second knot to keep them snug while they were acting as a belt, and hiding the excess sleeves under it.


    If that had been a social transgression for Tsla¡¯o sensibilities, Carbon didn¡¯t mention it.


    They ate, did the repairs the engine needed - mostly minor adjustments to improve the efficiency of the original repairs. It would get them to FTL speeds again, in the best of all possible scenarios. There were parts in the engines they couldn¡¯t fix, durable enough but likely at the end of their lifespan after almost taking a railgun round. Once those failed, that was it. That one shot was all they needed to get far enough away from the Eohm that they wouldn¡¯t pursue them further.


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    Carbon started the diagnostics running once more, and that was all they had to do for the rest of the day.


    Things got casual, fast. They spent the afternoon sitting on the couch, doing nothing constructive while trading off picking music on the speakers in the mess. Carbon had a few gigabytes of Tsla¡¯o media she had brought, supplementing the heavily curated selection of human music in the ship¡¯s datastore. Right now they were listening to some kind of Tsla¡¯o choral symphony, Alex couldn¡¯t understand a word of sung Tsla, but the music was all right.


    ¡°This feels suspiciously similar to my chosen field of study. But I cannot stop.¡± She squished another brightly colored plastic brick on top of a cluster of them, squeaking it into place. A line of technicolor ships hung over them, all Tsla¡¯o designs except for a scoutship.


    ¡°They are a lot of fun.¡± Alex¡¯s older brother had given him the set just before he had left, ostensibly because they both played with them as kids and had spent hundreds of hours building spaceships and oh look, you worked on a spaceship now. It was just happenstance that his nephew would be old enough to play with them when he was supposed to come back, of course, and what kid wouldn¡¯t want a toy that had actually been to uncharted space and back. Or more realistically, his brother really wanted it.


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Carbon poked through the box for the appropriate size brick. She stopped and leaned back against him. ¡°Rub my head some more.¡±


    Alex had been told quite explicitly that you should never touch the antenna of a Tsla¡¯o. They weren¡¯t particularly sensitive, though they were fragile. But they were still a sensory organ and it was rude, a violation of personal space. You wouldn¡¯t like it if someone just up and tried to pet your eyeball, after all.


    Their budding relationship allowed quite a bit of leeway in regards to personal space. In a flight of serendipity, Carbon had discovered that his fingers were very well sized for massaging the intricate group of muscles that sat at the base of her antenna. It had quickly become her favorite thing.


    He rolled his eyes and adjusted the fluffy tips of her antenna on his shoulder before kneading into the delicate clusters, sinewy under his fingertips. ¡°Question.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± She went back to work on the Hammerhead carrier she had been working on after nestling down in his lap, digging through the parts again.


    ¡°I called you my girlfriend earlier... Is that something Tsla¡¯o have?¡± Alex was aware that he had no idea how this sort of thing would work with them. She seemed pretty happy about it, yes, but he wasn¡¯t going to assume that they had an exact translation. ¡°It¡¯s not an abstract concept to you that you¡¯re putting up with?¡±


    Carbon laughed quietly at that. ¡°The word is different, atalya. The concept is similar - the female side of a new relationship, usually with romantic intentions, and usually indicating youth. It does not feel abstract at all. Do you find the comparison sensible, atalna?¡±


    Given the same root and different suffix, Alex assumed that was Tsla for boyfriend. ¡°Yes, I do. It is just that... We¡¯re adults.¡±


    She paused her rummaging and pondered what he¡¯d said. ¡°We are, yes. We would not be here otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Wait. You¡¯re not picking up what I¡¯m putting down.¡± Alex regretted saying that just as soon as it came out of his mouth, another expression he¡¯d have to explain. He continued extremely quickly, not leaving time for Carbon¡¯s inquisitive nature to ask about it, ¡°the words feel diminutive. We¡¯re not children, why are we using words that indicate we are.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± She left it at that as she finished another ship, staring down into the box of parts before plucking out a long plate. ¡°I- Nnh. You have seen my childhood. I do not mind savoring the sweetness of a scrap of the youth I wasn¡¯t allowed, even if it is in the words of another species.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that.¡± Alex slipped an arm around her shoulders, squeezing her in an awkward hug as he craned his neck to kiss the top of her head, that faint scent of cinnamon filling his nose. ¡°You deserved better. You deserve to be happy.¡±


    She tensed up under his arm. ¡°No one-¡± The rest of the sentence was strangled as a soft angry sound caught in her throat.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± He didn¡¯t move, yet, not sure where that noise had been directed.


    ¡°No one has ever said that to me.¡± She fiddled with the piece of plastic between her fingers, worrying it as she let out a ragged sigh, her head thumping back against his chest as she went slack in his embrace. ¡°They were all very pleased that I just went along for everything, and... what they wanted of me was what I got.¡±


    ¡°You said you¡¯ve never really opened up to anyone before. Nobody¡¯s had the chance.¡±


    Carbon let go of the brick and wrapped a dainty hand around his, her palm warm against his skin, and squeezed it hard. When she did speak, it was just one plaintive question. ¡°Why didn¡¯t my parents ever tell me I deserved to be happy?¡±


    ¡°Dunno. People get caught up in their own business.¡± Why didn¡¯t they? Come the fuck on, a parent should at least do that occasionally. ¡°My statement stands. My girlfriend deserves to be happy.¡±


    Her ears perked up and she let out a sad little laugh, squeezing his hand again. ¡°If you insist, I will be.¡±


    ¡°I do insist, actually.¡± He leaned down to kiss her head again.


    Carbon returned to her bricks, running dark furred fingers through the brightly colored plastic. Facing away from him, Alex couldn¡¯t see the smile on her slender muzzle, but he heard it clearly. ¡°Good.¡±


    His eyes caught a bit of motion and darted up to the ceiling where the computer cores were still stuck. One of the lights had flipped from red to green, its segment of the waveride calculations complete.


    It was almost time to go.

 Countdown

    ¡°Hey, guess what?¡± Alex elbowed Carbon, who was just leaning against him reading in bed, and held his tablet up for her to look at, the ship headed their way finally close enough for the passive sensors to get a good picture. ¡°They think we¡¯re trash.¡±


    She¡¯d gone back to her usual method of dress after her experiment with his t-shirt the other day, sticking to jumpsuits as they¡¯d done deep sweeps of engineering to clean up the area after all the repairs were finished. Loose objects and high speed did not go well together. She blinked at his tablet, head tilted slightly. ¡°That is the Eohm ship?¡±


    Right, she didn¡¯t have the ship recognition training he did. ¡°It is, and it¡¯s a garbage scow. The massive keel with gravity plates to catch crap is a dead giveaway. No chance it¡¯ll have FTL, and probably only defense weapons for debris. As far as threats go, it¡¯s as benign as possible.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see. This is good. What is the estimated time of arrival?¡±


    He backed out of the still image and checked the data that had been skimmed from a few minutes of video. ¡°Looks like about six hours.¡±


    ¡°And when will the waveride finish being computed?¡±


    Alex tapped through a few apps and blanched. ¡°About six hours.¡±


    They both sat there processing this information. Carbon was the first to speak up, ¡°I believe we should continue with our plan as it is. A calculated waveride has a fairly large entry to account for drift, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Given our situation, I made sure to keep the uptake phase very loosely defined. Should be a 150 kilometer window in any direction, based on our trajectory when it was initially planned. Worst case, the sublight engines are mostly undamaged and we can come back around if we get pushed.¡±


    ¡°Which way do you think they intend to send us?¡± Carbon drummed her fingers on her tablet, the screen covered in flowing Tsla text.


    ¡°I want it to be out of system, but the fact they¡¯re not coming directly at us makes me think they will overshoot, then come around and push us into the star.¡±


    She shook her head, ¡°I do not like that.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯m a fan either. I agree with your assessment, we will stick to the plan. It¡¯ll be cutting it close, but they aren¡¯t leaving us a lot of options.¡± Alex checked the time and thought about trying to grab a nap for about a second before giving up on the idea. There¡¯s no way he¡¯d be able to sleep right now. ¡°I¡¯m going to double check the control console in engineering, you want to hang out?¡±


    ¡°If you do not need me, I will remain here.¡± She held up the book she was working on. ¡°But do get me if you desire company.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± He smiled and waved as he departed her room, stopping in the mess for a coffee and to break the unfinished computer core off the wall so he could keep an eye on it. It didn¡¯t need to be anywhere near him for that, but he wanted it around so he could glance at the blinking red light instead of watching the progress bar on a tablet.


    Coffee in hand and computer tucked under his arm, Alex headed back to engineering. Through the airlock and past the one good engine - now put back together as best they could get it, one side panel too warped to bolt back into place - estimated to be working at 70% capacity. A joke compared to what the ship had been capable of, but enough to get them underway.


    His destination was the workshop between main engineering and the starboard engine, an area that also had a spare control console - it was primarily used when in dock, so the maintenance teams could move the ship without needing someone who had a brain implant. He set the computer core and bottle of coffee to the side and undid the fist-sized latches holding the console to the wall, unfolding it and latching it to the floor in its open configuration.


    It was little more than an acceleration chair with a pair of control sticks rising out of the armrest and a stack of holographic projectors for instruments and a forward looking screen. Knowing that it could be pushed into use to actually control the ship in an emergency, the whole thing was lined with kinetic buffers and there was a neural wreath tucked away as well. It didn¡¯t allow a proper interface like his now-defunct Amp would, but some Pilots preferred neuro instrumentation.


    Alex slipped into the chair and hit the power switch for the console, the holo projectors warming up as the thick gel padding in the chair conformed to his body and offered customized support from his head to his knees. The instruments showed their current speed and angle of the ship in relation to the local ecliptic plane, and that was about it. With the active sensors off, it didn¡¯t have much to process. He was a little surprised to see the little lights on the display that indicated his near field comm arrays were connected to the console. They were mounted in his back, which hadn¡¯t seen nearly as much damage as the rest of him. Useless without the brain-side connection, but it was nice to know he wouldn¡¯t need them replaced.


    Everything seemed to be in order as he ran down the scant portion of the pre-flight checklist that he could at this point, leaving the console powered up as he moved on to double-check the workshop for anything that seemed loose or unsecure, bringing the computer core and his coffee with as he moved on to main engineering.


    Yes, he and Carbon had already done this several times in the last day. There was nothing left to find and store or quickweld to the wall. No portion of the engine that hadn¡¯t been triple checked. Even the encrypted SOS was still prepped and waiting in the buffer, queued to automatically send as soon as the drive was spun up. They were as ready to go as they were getting, save for the waveride computation.


    Which is how Alex found himself back in Carbon¡¯s room, sitting on the bed having a staring contest with the computer core¡¯s little blinking red light. It was the watched pot that would not boil.


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    ¡°This is not healthy. Come along.¡± She said as she pulled him off the bed and dragged him into the mess.


    Alex knew she was right, he¡¯d probably been doing that for a few hours now, switching between that and rechecking the progress bar on his tablet, which is why he didn¡¯t even protest. It was working, there was nothing he could do to speed it up, and staring at it sure wasn¡¯t helping.


    ¡°It is not long now. We should be prepared to move as soon as it is possible.¡± She pressed a water bottle into his hand and gave him some straightforward orders with a thin, sad smile. ¡°Hydrate yourself, use the bathroom, then meet me in the workshop.¡±


    Alex thought that was actually pretty sound advice as he watched her depart, headed back to engineering. If things went to plan, they¡¯d be in the Thackery¡¯s Globule in less than an hour. He stretched his neck, chugged the water and hit the head.


    It was finally time to get things done.


    There was another plain acceleration couch in the aft wall of the workshop, set up exactly in line with the spare control console, an imitation of the old style two seat cockpits. It was fully installed, intended for the engineer to use whenever they might be experiencing some G¡¯s and that might be about to happen. So it was no surprise that he found Carbon was already sunk down into it, the couch looking like a throne around her slender frame.


    She gave him a little wave, that sad little smile still there. Things were about to change. They both knew it. Alex tried to smile back like he always did, and he might have. It didn¡¯t quite feel like he made it.


    Carbon had her personal AI clipped to her shoulders for the first time in weeks, in preparation for keeping an eye on the various systems that were under her purview, nearly all of which had been cold for months now. This was her domain and Alex was allowed to use the toys she maintained.


    He got back into the console and pulled the harness down tight around his hips and shoulders, crammed into the gel padding, and pulling the neural wreath down over his head, the holo emitters shutting down in favor of the hud coming to life directly in the visual processing center of his brain. A few taps on the tablet got the waveride processing bar added to it, the tablet then crammed down between his hip and the arm of the couch.


    The garbage scow finally showed up on the radar display at the base of his vision, a yellow triangle pointing up to denote where it was in relation to them and the local star, yellow for potential threat. Alex switched to a visual of the ship and sucked in a breath. ¡°Fuck, they put real guns on those things.¡±


    A quarter million kilometers closer and it was clear the Eohm had sent an older ship - the portions of organic matter visible between armor plates were grey, possibly sick. The perfect thing to send to deal with filthy xeno trash.


    ¡°What are they?¡± Carbon inquired from her seat across the workshop.


    ¡°I dunno for sure, but they¡¯re configured like pulse lasers, medium wattage based on the size.¡± If the Kshlav¡¯o was in perfect shape, it wouldn¡¯t be an issue. He had danced around a vastly more dangerous threat from the Eohm and almost made it. But with just control sticks, two holes patched primarily with ablative foam, and a shield network that would just barely cover said holes, things were looking a lot more dicey.


    ¡°I trust your skills, Pilot.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t going to lie to himself and pretend she didn¡¯t sound nervous. ¡°And I trust yours, Lan.¡±


    The last segment of the waveride finished, a quiet ding in his head through the wreath. The program began to stitch the three segments together as the Eohm ship slid past them in the darkness of space and began a deceleration burn. Slowing nearly to a stop before using maneuvering thrusters to come around to give them a push into the star. The fact it was old and likely dying was the only saving grace here. It simply couldn¡¯t tolerate a hard turn.


    The program dinged in his head again, the waveride compiled. He slid a finger across the console to feed it into the navigation subsystem so it would be ready to launch the moment everything else came on.


    A great big red warning light came up in his field of vision.


    Alex pulled his tablet out and drilled down into the navigation system with a staccato series of taps that were much harder than necessary. He read the machine¡¯s statement, at first uncomprehending and then simply enraged.


    <blockquote>


    Error: Waveride path is outside safety parameters for single drive operation.


    </blockquote>


    <blockquote>


    Recalculate path with wider margin around local star or override and execute manually.


    </blockquote>


    If he could have, Alex would have snapped the tablet in half. Tablets were more durable than he was, so he opted for a long and creative string of expletives instead.


    ¡°What is wrong?¡± Carbon didn¡¯t sound worried yet, but there was a definite ring of concern in her voice.


    ¡°Waveride¡¯s bad. We-¡± Alarms started going off in his head, passive sensors showing the Eohm ship in red now. Alex ripped the wreath off and his fingers danced across the console, silencing the alarm. Had he screwed up? He would have been able to make that waveride with his Amp, he knew that. Knowing that he didn''t have it, he had specifically loosened the tolerances so that even a quarter of the normal power one engine provides would have been enough. ¡°We were going to go too close to the star. Can¡¯t force the ride without my Amp.¡±


    ¡°There is a way to bypass...¡± She trailed off, lost in thought for a moment before making a quiet, helpless noise.


    It pained him to hear that, but Alex knew what she meant by it. There were ways that the AI could be fooled into thinking someone with an Amp was making the decision, but it would be hours of work with the primary AI on at full power. No time for that now, the Eohm ship had overshot them as it accelerated towards them, lining up to give them a shove towards the cleansing fire of the local star.


    No, Alex corrected himself. It wasn¡¯t the Amp that mattered. That was just the physical bridge between the meat and the machine. It was the index module that let the computer understand how to work with a specific individual''s brain and acted as a sort of unforgeable key. Carbon didn¡¯t have one because she didn¡¯t have an Amp.


    But she did have a neural interface.


    ¡°Your personal AI? Does it have a physical port we could connect to the ship AI?¡± Alex unbuckled himself and turned to look at her. She hadn¡¯t been using the slick, shoulder mounted device much lately, but she was right now.


    ¡°Yes. I have installed a Human standard R33, why?¡± The ship rocked gently, the kinetic buffers flaring to life and arresting most of the sudden change of direction onboard.


    Alex leveled his gaze on her antenna, currently plastered down against her head with worry. ¡°What do you suppose the throughput on those are?¡±

 Leaving Town

    ¡°It is, perhaps-¡± Carbon stopped talking and shifted uncomfortably in her acceleration couch. She likely understood where Alex was going with his question about the data throughput of her antennae. ¡°There is no way to truly measure the speed of a biological system.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh. Let me rephrase that. What¡¯s the throughput on your personal AI¡¯s interface?¡± Alex double checked their new heading. They¡¯d be crisping in the local star''s corona in less than two days at their current speed, which was still increasing. He discarded the tablet as he left the console, pushing himself over to the storage lockers.


    ¡°It is...¡± she hesitated, and her voice wavered as she continued. ¡°A-about two terabit, per side.¡±


    ¡°Full duplex?¡± He continued down the row of lockers, grunting unhappily as he closed each door.


    Just one word, quiet and plaintive, ¡°yes.¡±


    ¡°Super.¡± Four terabit was a little bit lower than he¡¯d have liked, but given the situation it would do. He was sure it would be fast enough for what he had in mind. Sure enough to give it a try, anyway. Alex lifted a loop of thick cable out of the locker with a sense of grim determination, just the thing he was looking for.


    He turned back to find Carbon watching him with no small amount of horror. Her eyes were wide and her antenna curled over the tops of her shoulders, hands grasping the fluffy tips protectively. She knew exactly what he wanted to do now, her voice still faint but very insistent. ¡°I cannot.¡±


    He knew what the problem was. Tslao didn¡¯t like machines poking around inside of their brains. The brain and its contents were sacred to them, so they preferred to poke their minds around in the AI. Humans did things a little differently. Alex let the ship¡¯s AI co-opt large portions of his brain through the Amp during waverides. It was easily as accurate as a dedicated navigation AI as well as being significantly faster and cheaper.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to but we don¡¯t have options right now. All you¡¯ll have to do is get indexed, interface with the system and hit the triggers. It¡¯s really easy, there is nothing to worry about.¡± He smiled - more sadly than he had intended as he lied through his teeth, holding out one end of the data cable.


    Carbon pursed her lips and nodded in assent, her eyes trusting him as she took the cable from his hand. It made his deceit all the worse. He might not have been explicitly lying - all she would have to do is sit there and there was no actual threat of damage, but indexing was still an unpleasant experience.


    Every now and again Alex would have nightmares about his indexing. It had all been in his head, but he¡¯d never forget the cold blade buried between his shoulders. How it unzipped his spine and carved away his body, piece by piece. Once the module started writing you had to finish it in one shot. Incomplete indexes were blanked and recycled. You could reuse the same one until you got a successful completion.


    He pushed away, feeding the cable as he went and plugged it into the jack hidden in the door control panel, pressing the connector in and twisting the collar until it locked into place. Out from the workshop compartment, through main engineering and into the central passageway that ran the length of the ship. Alex stopped in the middle, unlatched a floor panel and flipped it open, a glossy black sarcophagus waiting, buried partway into the ship. He pressed his palm on the veripad beside it and the armored capsule hissed as the inert gasses inside escaped, the cover sliding out of the way and folding up like origami. The modules - his module and a bypass for Carbon - sat in their cradle, surrounded by blinking lights demonstrating their continued functionality.


    Alex unlatched both of them, pulled his module and gave it a once over. It was about as large as his forearm, the tiny window into the memory gel glowing red. He wrapped his hand around the bottom of the cylinder, fingers finding the scuff where he¡¯d dropped it before, and twisted the cap off. It slid apart on smooth oiled rails and he flushed the data with the flick of a switch and press of a button.


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    It went back together easily, the memory gel lit with a much more inviting blue now. Free of data and eager for brain information. He swapped the blank with Carbon¡¯s bypass and set a trio of switches to allow for writing. Everything lit up just like it should, waiting for a fresh imprint.


    He pressed the button to reseal the unit and shot back down the passageway to find Carbon sitting in her chair, AI clipped to her shoulders and the cable snaking out from her back. She looked a little pale, what little skin he could see was actually a shade lighter than normal, and she gripped the padded armrest tightly. Alex snatched the tablet out of the air and settled next to her.


    ¡°Ready?¡±


    Her voice was still uneasy, ¡°as much as I will be.¡±


    ¡°Good. Look, uhm, there¡¯s something I might have glossed over earlier.¡±


    The look of horror started to creep back in. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no danger, the process is entirely safe! But it is... very unpleasant. The computer will attempt to make a full scan of your brain and this can manifest itself in a variety of ways. It may be painful and your body will stop responding. These are all temporary.¡±


    She whimpered, sinking back into the chair. ¡°If it must be done, it will be.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s a lot like a link, just stay calm and don¡¯t try to fight it. I¡¯ll stay with you, for what that¡¯s worth.¡± He covered her hand with his and smiled warmly. No one had even offered to stay with him.


    She let go of the armrest and gripped his hand, nodding. ¡°Please, start the process.¡±


    Alex steadied the tablet between his thigh and the chair, dialing down to the indexing routine. It was deceptively simple looking. He hit the big ¡®begin¡¯ button and watched the progress bar light up. ¡°Started. Should take three minutes.¡±


    ¡°I do not feel anything.¡± She sounded just a little hopeful.


    ¡°Give it time. Don¡¯t try to fight it...¡±


    Carbon exhaled and closed her eyes. She looked placid as the progress bar moved steadily, only the occasional twitch betraying that anything occurring. She jerked upright, sucking in a startled breath. Her hand tightened around his as she looked down, ¡°I cannot feel my legs!¡±


    ¡°Just part of the process. Keep breathing. Abdomen comes next, then torso.¡±


    Her breathing became ragged, each further disappearance marked with a twitch of what portion of her body she retained control of and a sharp gasp. Her voice was set on edge now. ¡°How much longer?¡±


    ¡°A minute. Arms next, then head.¡±


    She just grunted through gritted teeth, and her hand went slack around his. Carbon¡¯s eyes rolled back for a moment before returning, staring at nothing. This was about where he had started to come unraveled. Alex reached up to touch her cheek, the last thing she¡¯d feel for about forty five seconds. Carbon just sat there with blank eyes staring forward, breathing slowly and evenly.


    The tablet beeped and she twitched again, the life back in her body. She muttered something in Tsla and started shivering.


    ¡°Again, I¡¯m sorry. I wish you didn¡¯t have to do that.¡± He crammed the tablet into a nook behind Carbon¡¯s acceleration chair, hopefully about to not need it. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Tell it you want to turn the drives and navigation systems on.¡±


    Carbon closed her eyes and moments later the ship thrummed to life again. ¡°Done.¡±


    ¡°Now... uh, sink into the navigation system. The data from the emergency waveride should be there waiting for you. Don¡¯t worry about bringing us in line with the uptake cone, just focus on merging our vector into the path that¡¯s shown.¡±


    She didn¡¯t say anything for a moment. ¡°Oh. It is incredible.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± He knew what she was seeing, and it was pretty incredible. But he was feeling a little bit pressured to get going before the Ehom scow started shooting or called in backup. ¡°Just reach out and grab the path and pull us along it.¡±


    She did.

 The Getaway

    Carbon was sure she was dying. It was irrational, Alex had explained how the indexing process went and had been almost exactly right about it so far. The lack of anything outside of the most fundamental portion of her existence - her mind - was deeply unsettling and left her scrabbling for something to orient herself. Even the presence of the machine seemed to be gone, the scratchy geometric harshness muted in the same way every input from her body had been.


    Alex had touched her cheek, some time ago. Seconds? Days? However long it had been was up in the air without the presence of something aside from thoughts to consider. He had said there was a minute left, and she¡¯d had the existence of time for at least ten of those. Maybe fifteen. That just left forty-five seconds, which should have expired a long time ago. It should have.


    It must have.


    No, something was wrong. The index didn¡¯t work right, it cut off access to her antenna and she was locked in her mind now, unable to do anything but wait as the Eohm pushed them into the nearby star, killing them both.


    As unpleasant an idea as that was, her mind was glad to provide her with worse. Clearly what had happened was the AI had taken control of her body and resided in it now. Her understanding of Human designed AI was tenuous at best, so this was a thing that they might be able to do. It had overridden Alex¡¯s control of his arms when the crash cage activated, forcing them into a protective position over his head. Why not the whole body?


    She was considering that if it could do that. That it might actually be able to pilot the Kshlav¡¯o to safety, and then wear her body for the rest of her natural life, with her thoughts locked away forever when the indexing program finished and she was unceremoniously dumped back into control of her body, a happy little tune that just felt affirmative playing in her head.


    Carbon blinked as her panicked mind joined back up with her completely relaxed body, everything coming together as she quietly cursed the existence of computers. Adrenaline dumped into her bloodstream as her limbic system finally managed to notify her body that it was time to panic, limbs shaking even as the near-mad rambling was quashed by the existence of nothing having changed in the workshop. It hadn¡¯t been more than seconds.


    ¡°Again, I¡¯m sorry. I wish you didn¡¯t have to do that.¡± Alex sounded defeated, despite her apparent success. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± The presence of the machine in her mind did feel different now. The scratchy nature was gone, though it was all hard edges and carried the distant scream of communication protocols. The fact she knew exactly what the sharp sounds were, without actually having ever learned what they were, did not escape her notice.


    ¡°Tell it you want to turn the drives and navigation systems on.¡± Soft and warm, and still so sad.


    Carbon closed her eyes and addressed the thing. In her mind it looked like a three dimensional fractal, slowly growing at the same rate it consumed itself, waiting. Bring all dormant systems online. Prioritize the reactor, main AI, all drives, and the Navigation systems.


    It complied, and curiously, she felt it all happen. The reactor hummed to life in the back of her head, the idea that it was running at full capacity suddenly present. The violent flush of a few tons of impure plasma out the ventral exhaust as it boiled into the void, like exhaling a deep breath of smoke. The presence of the AI shifted, slightly, more capable now.


    The exhilarating power of the sublight drives and the waning, sick presence of the remaining waverider. The expansive existence of the Nav system, unfurled like sails.


    Seconds had passed. ¡°Done.¡±


    ¡°Now... uh, sink into the navigation system. The data from the emergency waveride should be there waiting for you. Don¡¯t worry about bringing us in line with the uptake cone, just focus on merging our vector into the path that¡¯s shown.¡±


    The action was familiar, not unlike sharing a memory. It did explain how Alex took to links so quickly. The body stopped existing, local space spread out before her as though she were the ship itself, all of this knowledge just present inside of her mind now. She knew where everything was. ¡°Oh. It is incredible.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± A hint of pride, and amusement. He continued quickly, ¡°just reach out and grab the path and pull us along it.¡±


    That was easier said than done. The glowing yellow line of the pre-calculated waveride was quite some distance away now, and the Eohm scow had broken off after the Kshlav¡¯o came back online. Actually motivating the ship to move was also a new experience, the docking thrusters orienting before the sublight drives spun up, a massive waste of time that she didn¡¯t know how to avoid. But they were underway, the sickly waverider drive warming up on her back as though it rested over her shoulder blades, as though it understood her intention to use it.


    The waveride overlapped with their current heading, and she did as she had been instructed, grasping the data with an unseen hand and integrating it into their flightpath with a sharp tug. The AI notified her that it couldn¡¯t use the drive in proximity to another ship. She glanced backwards, her perspective shifting as she focused on the scow. Scanners were actively searching for targeting solutions as the communication array screamed into the darkness, the old ship rolling as it approached to bring all of its guns to bear.


    As Carbon knew what the AI knew, it also borrowed from her. She¡¯d served on a warship, knew the ins and outs of space combat, and she knew what it looked like when someone was coming around, guns hot, for a strafing run. The AI knew that now, too.


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    The ship behind them was an enemy, actively trying to do them harm. The safeties switched off and plasma poured through the engine, running the lone waverider drive array up the safe maximum.


    Behind them, spacetime flexed and the Eohm scow managed to loose a single round before its decks pancaked on each other. The resultant wedge of metal and biological components creased and folded, reactor contents boiling away in space.


    The idea that going from the relative crawl of sublight speeds to one c could feel slow was strange, but that was how the machine presented the acceleration right now. Leisurely, like it was taking a stroll through a garden. Gravity from the star soon tugged at the ship, at her, and the speed increased to something that felt tolerable, though they were still billions of kilometers away from the edge of the system, and before the slingshot around the sun they were bearing down on the Eohm fleet in what must seem like a suicidal attack.


    As though to validate that thought, several heavier capital ships peeled off and turned their way, even as the Kshlav¡¯o hit two c. Gravity pulled at her harder now, the planned waveride arcing further down into the gravity well. Four times the speed of light. Finally, it felt like they were moving at a pace that was reasonable. Eight times. The SOS they had set to transmit sent, Earth now informed of their exact location and that they were alive. Twenty times. Fifty times. A hundred and fifty, as the ship slipped further and further into the gravity well.


    The hit the apex of the slingshot at nearly a thousand times the speed of light. They slipped past the Eohm home fleet before the capital ships could finish changing their vector as they climbed out of the star¡¯s gravity well, still accelerating with the one engine pushed as far as it would go.


    A minute later they exited the system. She might have heard a sigh, and the sound of Alex laying down nearby. A more pressing problem was that what had been screaming fast suddenly felt lethargic as the yawning gulf of 24 lightyears of empty space opened up before her.


    The engine held for now, and there was no gravity to speak of. She kept the throttle all the way up, but glanced back at the system they¡¯d just escaped. Nothing on the SAPRAM. No waverider drives being put into use. No sense in trying to kill what was running away when all you wanted was to be left alone. ¡°The Eohm are not attempting to follow us.¡±


    She was reasonably sure she said that out loud.


    ¡°Oh, thank god.¡± [Pilot Sorenson] sounded relieved from wherever he was. [Pilot Sorenson] was in the [starboard workshop].


    ¡°Alex?¡± It came out breathless, and a little confused. Why did she know where he was? She could see him laying on the floor beside [Engineer Tshalen] [seated] in the [starboard workshop] [acceleration couch], from the aspect of the door control panel. ¡°Are you there?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here. You¡¯re doing fine, don¡¯t try to look around. It gets weird the first few times¡± His hand landed on her knee, patting her reassuringly.


    ¡°I am aware. I can see so much.¡± She heard [Engineer Tshalen] speaking from several different vantage points.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little overwhelming at first.¡±


    ¡°Yes. We should arrive soon.¡± Another thing she didn¡¯t know but knew without even checking their speed or distance to their destination.


    ¡°About that...¡± [Pilot Sorenson] sat up and looked at her through the door control panel¡¯s camera. ¡°The engine sounds a little bit off.¡±


    ¡°Does it?¡± She looked at the engine room through [Main Engineering Camera 1] and yes, [Waverider Drive 2] was making a sort of shrieking howl that was not normal. It was glowing on the IR spectrum, too. Generally a bad thing. ¡°Oh. It does. It is not going to last much longer.¡±


    ¡°Should we slow down?¡±


    ¡°No. The failure will occur at any speed, we will make the best time we can till then.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t kill us, right?¡±


    ¡°It will not.¡±


    ¡°Good, that¡¯d be a waste.¡± He said it with a grin and an easy laugh as he looked back at [Engineer Tshalen].


    I will not allow the crew to come to harm She didn¡¯t say it, but it didn¡¯t need to be said. Of course she wouldn¡¯t.


    The ship¡¯s alarm went off after a few minutes of the crew sitting in silence, the engine giving up with a hollow whump as plasma flooded main engineering, the ship¡¯s speed decreasing to sublight quickly afterwards. The adjoining areas increased in temperature, life support adjusting to maintain an optimal range as emergency ventilation purged main engineering, artificial gravity returning to the ship. They were hundreds of thousands of kilometers short of the Thackery¡¯s Globule, so she set the autopilot to finish the trip along the waveride path with sublight only.


    The task she¡¯d set out to do complete, she surfaced, detaching from the navigation systems at an achingly slow pace. ¡°We didn¡¯t make it all the way, but the autopilot should be able to handle the rest of the trip quickly.¡± Carbon slipped all the way out of the system, the fractal fading from her mind as she unbuckled the harness on her acceleration chair, blinking in the overhead lights.


    Her stomach twisted as the hideous realization of what had happened while interfaced with the AI hit her all at once. It wasn¡¯t like sharing a mental space with a person, where sometimes things slip across the boundaries, no, she had merged with the ship - or it had merged with her - and she had become a thing.


    It didn¡¯t matter which way it had occurred. She¡¯d stopped being a person. Not Tsla¡¯o. Not Carbon. An unliving monster, the scary story you told children, made real.


    She - Carbon! Carbon Tshalen! That is who she is! She stood up from the couch too fast, the artificial gravity that had been absent for so long making her head swim as she pulled the personal AI off her shoulders and threw it aside. Her legs wobbled despite the implants that were supposed to keep things in good working order while in zero-g. Carbon took a step away from the acceleration couch and passed out.


    Alex loomed over her, blocking the lights from the ceiling. ¡°Hey, hey. You¡¯re all right, I caught you. What¡¯s going on?¡± He was trying to stay calm, but the panic in his eyes, in his voice, mirrored her own.


    Carbon sat up and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him as hard as she could. Real. He feels real, the real Alex, not the one on the camera. Not in the machine anymore. She looked up into those dark brown eyes and pleaded for an answer. ¡°Am I still me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He gave her a pat on the back, his arms trapped by her embrace, and thoroughly confused. ¡°You¡¯re still you.¡±


    Carbon sighed and rested her head against his neck, shoulders slumping. ¡°Do not make me do that again. Ever.¡±

 Restoration

    Alex had been sitting on the floor for a good five minutes, keeping Carbon¡¯s legs elevated in his lap as he monitored her vitals on the medkit¡¯s scanner. Having her pass out once was unusual, but not entirely out of the question after having been in zero-g for so long. Bodies get used to it and then you stand up and things go wrong. A lot of folks in the Civilian Pilot Program had done it during training after just a few days exposure, let alone months.


    Having her ask if she was still her, briefly chastising him, and then almost immediately passing out again, well, that was cause for concern. He had grabbed the medkit and started triage - there were no injuries the scanner could pick up, but her heart rate and blood pressure were elevated well past what was safe, the Tsla¡¯o equivalent of adrenaline and cortisol both spiked like her body had wrung out the glands that produced them. It formulated a shot of a drug he couldn¡¯t pronounce and recommended what was pretty much standard care for someone who had passed out.


    Everything had reduced to safe levels, if not still elevated, when Carbon returned to consciousness with a startled yell. She sat up immediately, flinging the vitals monitor that had been resting on her chest at Alex and setting the scanner off as it perceived that as her flatlining.


    ¡°Easy. You¡¯re safe. We¡¯re safe now.¡± He thumbed the alarm off and tried to tamp down the surprise at this sudden change, leaning back as she scooted herself into his lap and hugged him around his ribs again, pulling him tight against her.


    ¡°Am I me?¡± She asked, plaintive and urgent.


    He set his arms down and patted Carbon¡¯s back while she remained stiff in his embrace. While she¡¯d operated the navigation system fine - they were making excellent time towards their destination at sublight speed after the waverider drive failed - her reaction after having come out of it was... not in line with his experiences. The first few runs in real ships had left him with splitting headaches, yes, just like his initial experiences in simulators. But he¡¯d never had such a strong emotional response to the experience. ¡°You are.¡±


    She didn¡¯t respond. If she wasn¡¯t breathing steadily, he would have been inclined to haul her to the sickbay immediately, which would have been much easier with the gravity off depending on how agreeable she was at trying standing up again. He wasn¡¯t too far off from doing that anyway.


    ¡°Hey.¡± He took her by the shoulders and pushed her back so he could look her in the eye. The bright blue iris¡¯ made it easy to see that her eyes were dilated a little bit, and focused off somewhere through his stomach at the moment. She did look up at him, eventually. Carbon¡¯s eyes took a rather circuitous path to his, not really focusing on anything until she was looking right at him. ¡°You¡¯re OK. You¡¯re not in the system any more.¡±


    Carbon nodded and swallowed hard. ¡°I am not.¡± She did not sound entirely convinced of this fact.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± The scans indicated everything was physically fine with her brain, but a brief test of her memory wasn¡¯t going to hurt.


    ¡°Carbon Tshalen.¡±


    ¡°Good. Where are you?¡±


    ¡°On board the Kshlav¡¯o, in the engineering section.¡± There was a bit more resolve in her voice this time.


    ¡°What month is it?¡±


    ¡°Tsla¡¯o do not use months. It is week 18.¡±


    Well, fair enough. He wasn¡¯t sure what week it actually was, but he¡¯d check later. ¡°And who am I?¡±


    She exhaled slowly and gave him a faint smile, ¡°atalna¡±


    ¡°I was looking for a name, but I suppose that will do...¡± He returned the smile and pulled her in for a hug. ¡°I¡¯m guessing this is why Tsla¡¯o don¡¯t use the same sort of AI interface as Humans.¡±


    ¡°I have seen that research into this style of use exists, but...¡± Carbon leaned against him, stroking his back slowly like someone might pet a dog for their anxiety. ¡°It is an affront to life.¡±


    ¡°Ok, so the experience is extremely different, good to know.¡± What the hell had she experienced? ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but not while we are sitting on the floor.¡± Carbon said, shifting herself around to stand up, taking it slowly this time. Her legs still wobbled a little, but she stayed upright as she stretched her shoulders out. ¡°It is nice to stand again.¡±


    Alex followed suit and was startled at how short she was. The top of her head came up to just about his chin, though the ears gave her a little extra height beyond that in their usual folded down position. With the gravity off, they¡¯d just kind of been at face level the entire time. They had originally met on McFadden station just before launching, and remembered that he¡¯d thought that she was short then, too.


    She gave him a curious look as she caught him gawking at her. Carbon didn¡¯t say anything about it as she prepared to leave the workshop, and she was stopped in her tracks by a blast of dry, desert-like heat that radiated into the room as the door to main engineering opened. The temperatures weren¡¯t high enough to lock the door for safety, but the room beyond was still oppressively hot from plasma flooding after the drive failed, and it reeked of burnt metal.


    They both hurried through, cramming into the airlock to the central corridor.


    Back in the cool air in the rest of the ship, the fact their lives were no longer in grave danger hit him square in the chest. It was a strange feeling, the weight of being unable to control a situation was lifted from his shoulders, his heart suddenly that much lighter.


    He collapsed onto the couch in the mess, sprawled out across it with a stupid grin on his face. They had made it. They were alive and the Eohm were not going to come kill them, and he could hardly be happier. The stress he¡¯d been stuffing away for the past few months came spilling out in a brief, half-sane fit of giggling.


    Carbon had been dialing up something to drink, but glanced over her shoulder at the unusual sound that Alex was making. Her eyebrows and antennae went up with curiosity as he tried to stifle it, only to end up laughing at himself in a much more healthy sounding manner. At the very least, he looked like he was having a good time.


    Finished with programming the dispenser, she looked Alex over before crawling on top of him, eliciting a surprised grunt. Carbon nestled down with her face buried in his neck. She sounded happy when she spoke, ¡°Yes, I have missed gravity.¡±


    Alex nodded in agreement. How could someone so small weigh so much? ¡°You know, you¡¯re a lot more hea-uh... Dense. Physically dense. Much more physically dense than I expected. I didn¡¯t expect-¡±


    ¡°You may stop any time you please.¡± At the very least she was still amused.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m going to do that.¡±


    Carbon slid her arms under his, squeezing them together. ¡°Would you mind if we linked, Alex? I do not know if I can say what happened, and I know this is not something I should keep in.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Anything to help.¡±


    Carbon flipped her antennae over her head and rested the soft tips on his temples. He sank down into the shared space easily this time, the action almost natural now. Alex¡¯s view of their mental area was much more refined this time, he had taken to this much more quickly than he had expected to.


    The Carbon part was placid but crackled around the edges, composed and disturbed all at once. She seemed embarrassed by this. "I have never allowed a machine to use me like that before."


    "You did well." Alex had never had any problems with letting AI¡¯s use his brain, but the way Carbon put it did make it sound... invasive. Regret radiated from the Alex part, "I¡¯m sorry that you had to."


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    Carbon smoothed out a little and warmed, drawing closer to Alex carefully. "When you are in the machine... You do not lose your sense of self?"


    He turned that question over in his mind carefully. He¡¯d never really thought about what the experience was like, but he thought he retained full control over himself. "No. There¡¯s a sense that there is a lot going on, and sometimes I do see flashes of things around the ship when my mind wanders... But I¡¯ve had dozens of conversations with you while hooked into the navigation system. They were usually short, but you never seemed to indicate anything was amiss."


    "You had? How-" equal parts curiosity and revulsion radiated from her as she drifted, distracted while reviewing some of their earlier conversations, back before the Eohm. "No, this is impossible."


    "I used voice synthesis if it was audio only." She had kept the video off for most of their communications during the first month out. "Otherwise I just told it to back off and it ran in the background while I discussed whatever we needed to."


    The Carbon-part was still, utterly shocked. "May I show you what happened?"


    "Would you? Something isn¡¯t lining up right." His curiosity was piqued - Scoutship Pilots were recognized for their mastery of the interface, this was his area of expertise for all intents and purposes. If anyone other than one of the engineers who developed the system was going to be able to figure it out, it was him.


    "Yes. We will be careful, this is a very fresh memory." Carbon collected it, and herself, before easing it down into his mind.


    She watched them both from the door camera, the memory filed sharp, abrasive against his mind. They watched as Carbon''s own body stared blindly ahead and asked a question. ¡°Alex?¡± It came out breathless, and a little confused. Why did she know where he was? She could see him laying on the floor beside [Engineer Tshalen] [seated] in the [starboard workshop] [acceleration couch], from the aspect of the door control panel. ¡°Are you there?¡±


    The memory was crawling with raw terror at the later realization that Carbon hadn¡¯t seen Alex or herself as themselves, that aspect of her overridden by how the primary AI only recognized them as the crew.


    She delicately extracted him from the memory. "This is not what you experience?"


    "No. It¡¯s... At worst, it¡¯s just a presence in the back of my mind. Otherwise I barely notice it" He hadn¡¯t even heard rumors about something like that happening. "Headaches and mild hallucinations were the worst I saw in training. Never someone¡¯s personality being pushed aside by the machine. The only thing I can think of is that your antenna allows access that is very different from an Amp. I think you got deep into the machine, not the other way around."


    Carbon responded with a silent strain of disbelief.


    "Hang on." He intimated that he had more to explain, in lieu of holding a hand up to request she wait for more information. "The system isn¡¯t set up to feed everything into the user''s head unbidden. That would make it unmanageable instantly. It makes things available as the user focuses on it."


    "I did not focus on the things it showed me." She was very particular about that.


    "You did, you just didn¡¯t realize it. We were talking, the natural instinct is to want to look at who you are speaking with. Even here, I can tell when you¡¯re focused on me or on something else. You wanted to look, and it facilitated that. That doesn¡¯t change the fact the experience was clearly traumatic to you, it just lets us understand the how and the why of it."


    "I extend my mind into Tsla¡¯o-style AI frequently. Even when I use it to supplement my senses, it does not feel like that." Carbon was engaged with the problem now, the unease she felt earlier at least set aside while she worked on it.


    Alex¡¯s understanding of the wearable AI Tsla¡¯o used was that they are not particularly powerful, about that of a human tablet, but with specialized hardware to allow for their neural interface to operate it. "How does your personal AI handle switching tasks?"


    "Mine is set to operate one task at primary focus, and four in the background. Other processes will be saved in their last state, ready to resume."


    "Ah, shit. There¡¯s the problem."


    That statement was met with intense curiosity.


    "Your wearable considered the passthrough to be a single task, right?"


    There was an annoyed sort of agreement. "Yes, it was just a horrible open portal."


    "The Amp handles a lot of cleanup for the human user, it would treat each subsystem as a single task. Focus changes, my insight into the process goes away until I want to see it again." All of this was starting to fall into place for Alex. "Ok, refining my theory. You wanted information, and it gave you whatever you thought about - but you didn¡¯t know you had to manually tell it to stop sending you information, and it quickly became a torrent of data that no one could have kept up with. You only caught what was newest, and didn¡¯t have time to do anything but view what you were shown."


    She ruminated on that for a long while. The Carbon-presence doing what Alex could only describe as pacing as she went over her experiences with the machine, giving his theory a strenuous testing. She stopped, pulsing with sudden comprehension, "I did not notice it because my background with this kind of link caused me to reflexively ignore anything I considered background information."


    "All right, there we go. You never stopped being yourself, you tried to drink from a firehose." Alex laughed and relaxed, unaware that he had been tensing up during this conversation. "What do you mean by background information?"


    "Sometimes the mind wanders, you end up seeing or hearing things that the other might not have shared intentionally. There are times when this is something to pay attention to, but most times it is rude." Carbon had relaxed as well, the frayed edges of herself almost gone now. "Or it is possible you go looking for things, such as when you are trying to determine if someone still exists."


    He got that she was referring to when she¡¯d taken a tour of his memories after the Eohm attack, having just dug his burnt body out of a pile of crash foam. Checking to see if his mind was still there, or if she was about to haul a ghoul, by Tsla¡¯o reckoning, into the sickbay. "I¡¯m guessing I¡¯m pretty bad at that?"


    "No, you have a very tight focus, like this." She turned her attention back to him, far more intensely than normal. She wasn¡¯t simply paying attention, the entirety of her mind was set on experiencing him. "If you were Tsla¡¯o, at your age, I would think it suspicious. Or perhaps a bit forward."


    "I¡¯m- That¡¯s a bit much. I¡¯m like that all the time?" This was news, but it couldn¡¯t have been too bad given she¡¯d never mentioned it. He was new at this, too. "You can try and coach me into something a little more casual."


    "It was appropriate for someone who is new." She sounded a little bit sly as she continued, "and as our relationship stands, I do find that intensity enjoyable. It is... desirable to feel your undivided attention."


    "Oh, so... I¡¯ll just keep that up then."


    Her part of the shared space rippled with an amused ease, the crackled edges gone. For the first time in the Alex-Carbon space, she touched him. A smokey, velvety caress that wrapped him up and held him delicately. It was, in its own way, exhilarating. She seemed to be particularly pleased by that reaction.


    She let him go but stayed close, a wash of disappointment hastily hidden though quite obvious on her. "What¡¯s wrong?"


    "It is nothing"


    Alex let the feeling of skepticism speak for him.


    Carbon relented after a moment of deliberation. "I had expected you to reciprocate..."


    "I can do that." He was very emphatic about this. "I¡¯d like to do that."


    She withdrew, flattered and frustrated. "No, you cannot."


    "Why not?" Alex pressed forward, following the Carbon part closely.


    "I can do it because I have antenna. You cannot because you do not." Carbon eased away from him. "I should not have done that."


    Alex¡¯s reply was hasty but honest. "It was wonderful."


    She burned with conflicted emotions for a moment, not attempting to hide the strange mix of disappointment in herself, a flash of regret, and the warmth of validation. It all collapsed, leaving Carbon worn down but bemused. "I do not know how you can do that."


    "Do what?"


    Something that felt a lot like a smirk crossed her presence. "Be like that all the time."


    "Oh, It was hard at first. I got used to it after awhi-" His thought was cut short as the shipboard alarm went off. It was loud, just under what would cause instant hearing damage. As long as it worked in any one room, it should have been audible anywhere on the ship, at least distantly. The one in the mess was in perfect working order.


    Carbon¡¯s antennae snapped up in surprise, breaking the connection with a sharp metallic pang through both of their heads. She had shifted about and situated herself straddling Alex¡¯s lap, her arms propped up on the thin padding of the armrest. It was convenient enough for the link.


    Alex¡¯s first reaction was to sit up, smashing his face into hers and sliding her onto the couch . They sat there dazed, alarm blaring about something bad happening, clutching their faces in pain.


    This is not what freedom was supposed to be like.

 Contact

    Carbon leaned in over Alex¡¯s shoulder, her cheek almost resting against his as they stared at the screen on the auxiliary control console, currently displaying the starboard view in visible spectrum. She was the first to break the silence. ¡°What is that?¡±


    At any other time Alex would have enjoyed the warmth radiating from her, maybe leaned over for a little bit of contact. Now, he was preoccupied by the object that had appeared about five hundred kilometers off their starboard side, minutes after the Kshlav¡¯o entered the globule. His lips pulled into a thin line and he grumbled quietly. ¡°I was hoping you¡¯d recognize it.¡±


    She shook her head as annoyance crept into her voice. "I know it is shaped like a ring and that you are the one operating the sensors."


    ¡°Well I¡¯m not getting anything useful back from them.¡± He pointed at the display, getting short from the lack of data he could suss from the object. More than a billion dCred worth of sensor equipment and it was just short of useless. The primary arrays couldn¡¯t pull any chemical composition. Radar was blank, the ring didn¡¯t even exist as far as it was concerned. LIDAR barely had it, but was mostly just showing dust and echoes.


    They didn¡¯t find any shielding or fluctuations to indicate a power source. Polyphase bombardment returned static. The secondary arrays came back with all the same problems, so it wasn¡¯t a hardware issue. At least it showed up on the external cameras.


    This wasn¡¯t how the sensor suite was supposed to react with real, solid objects, even in the globule. There may have been some interference, but nothing that would have caused malfunctions this bad. It¡¯s not like it was even unusual to be unable to scan inside of an object; radiation in space was not your friend and most hulls were resistant to it. The inability to pull something as basic as surface chemical composition was unsettling, though.


    So far, all Alex knew was that it is a huge ring of unidentified material, putty gray in color and a little over a kilometer across - but only a meter thick and barely three deep. Despite appearing insubstantial, it was incredibly dense. Around ninety million tons, according to its gravitational pull. The crisp edges and smooth surface further pointed towards manufacture rather than natural formation.


    The thing that really bothered Alex, and likely Carbon as well, was that it wasn¡¯t there when they entered the Thackery¡¯s Globule. It appears to have materialized out of nowhere. Perhaps using some sort of FTL they were yet unfamiliar with, or a cloaking device that had also hidden its entire gravitational signature. Neither were particularly settling. At the very least, it didn¡¯t seem to be aggressive towards them.


    For that matter, it didn¡¯t seem to be doing anything other than hanging out and rotating slowly.


    Carbon stood up and stretched behind him, resting her hands on the back of his chair. She just sounded tense now, which was a step up as far as Alex was concerned. ¡°We should move off from it. I do not like it being so close.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t either.¡± There was ample room in the globule, a few extra hundred thousand kilometers in any direction wouldn¡¯t matter as long as they were roughly where the distress call had said they¡¯d be. He took hold of the joysticks and goosed the throttle before snapping out an Immelmann, a holdover from his aircraft background, accelerating away from the object with the sublight engines.


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    In the back of his mind, he was allowing himself to be a little excited. As unsettling as it was, they had likely found an alien object. That was pretty cool, particularly if it didn¡¯t vaporize them or something. It didn¡¯t hurt that finding objects came with a big bonus, even more so if it was usable somehow. Alternately, being shot and gravely injured by the Eohm also merited double pay for his entire tour. He was going to get paid well when they got back to Earth.


    As he pushed the throttle up, he started thinking. Things would be really different once they were off the ship. He did love Carbon, he was pretty sure, but where would their lives take them? If they just got another scoutship and went back to work, that would be great. That was pretty far out of the realm of possibility though. They¡¯d be in decompress and debrief for at least a month, and ships cycled in and out at a fairly slow pace.


    How would he explain his relationship to his parents? What would his brother say?


    ¡°It does not seem to be moving.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Alex¡¯s eyes snapped up to the viewer, focusing on the scope. The little marker that represented the ring was closer now than it had just been. His looked over to the speed indicator, sitting at a rather startling 0 km/s despite the sublight engines being at quarter throttle. That ought to be good enough for at least a kilometer per second by now. He tipped the throttle all the way up, theoretically accelerating much more rapidly. By the time he looked back to the scope, the marker had drawn two kilometers closer. That probably wasn¡¯t good.


    ¡°That is not working.¡± A hint of fear had crept into her voice.


    ¡°I know.¡± His lips pressed into a thin line again and he flipped the onscreen view back to the ring. It wasn¡¯t rotating anymore. It had stopped, facing them like some giant eye and drawing them in despite the engines pushed to their limiters. There wasn¡¯t a single visible, recognizable structure to be found on it, but apparently had some sort of tractor beam. Delightful.


    The chair rocked back gently as she gripped it, leaning in over Alex¡¯s head. ¡°We should go faster.¡±


    He gritted his teeth and swallowed a snide comment about their current lack of waverider drives. ¡°I know. The engines are already spun as far as they¡¯ll go.¡±


    She didn¡¯t have anything to say to that and just leaned in further, pressing her chest to the back of his head. That was distracting. He wanted to be able to enjoy it, and in some way he did - a few months ago she wouldn¡¯t have come in contact with him at all. It was nice to know she trusted him, despite the current situation.


    The engines went dead. They didn¡¯t spool down like they should have, the output just shut off. Alex hit the engine restart and fiddled with the controls, to no avail. Maneuvering didn¡¯t work, either. Navigation shut off next. ¡°Aw, shit.¡±


    ¡°What? What has happened?¡± Carbon¡¯s voice pitched up as her hands moved to his shoulders and gripped them, claws grazing his skin through his jumpsuit.


    ¡°Everything¡¯s just turning off.¡± His access to the systems was gone, anyway, which may as well have been off. The ring disappeared off the screen as the ship rotated, the nose pitching down as the belly of the Kshlav¡¯o was brought to face the ring. It could have been whatever was intruding in the systems used the docking thrusters to do it, or the thing had a tractor beam capable of manipulating whatever was caught in it.


    The distance on the range finder dropped rapidly, scant seconds before the ring reached them. Carbon¡¯s arms curling around his neck and her cheek pressed against his was the last thing Alex felt before the counter hit zero.

 Open House

    Alex squeezed his eyes shut, knees locked and hips jammed against the backrest. He gripped the control sticks so hard his knuckles were white and adrenaline shot through him in preparation for an impact.


    Nothing happened. There was no catastrophic impact. The ring was a kilometer across, and the Kshlav¡¯o only a hundred meters long. There was ample space for it to pass harmlessly around the ship. It apparently hadn¡¯t tried to kill them, either. There might have been a little jolt, but he wasn¡¯t sure. That could have just been from Carbon¡¯s arms around his neck tightening from firm embrace to death grip.


    Alex choked out a noise as his eyes rolled towards her. With her cheek firmly pressed to his head, all he could see was the dark tip of her nose, so close that it wouldn¡¯t come into focus. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, rapid and constricted. Carbon didn¡¯t seem to be inclined to let go of him just yet and she was still really damn strong.


    He tried again, this strangled sound a little more panicked as his fingers refused to heed his command to release the controls. It seemed to take forever, arms starting to shake from the adrenaline before his fingers finally unwound and he tugged on the limbs encircling his neck. Carbon gave a start and quickly let go, standing back up behind him.


    Her hands smoothed his hair, worry in her voice. ¡°I am sorry, did I do you harm?¡±


    Alex sucked in a breath of sweet air and shook his head with a weak laugh and a glance over his shoulder. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. Just surp-¡± His eyes darted back to the screen. ¡±Whoa. We are not in Kansas anymore.¡±


    The ship was inside. Alex flipped the view to the dorsal camera and they saw the ring - or one very much like it - was embedded at the apex of a massive dome, slowly receding as the ship was lowered. For a moment they could still clearly see the Thackeray¡¯s Globule they had been in through the ring. Their view of the globule seemed to frost over and then disappeared like someone had just turned it off, leaving nothing but the apex of the dome just beyond the ring.


    ¡°Is that-¡± Carbon leaned against him in that distracting manner again. ¡°Were we teleported?¡±


    He leaned back against her and enjoyed the closeness. ¡°Maybe, never been teleported before. Shoulda been more sparkles, I think. Wormhole?¡±


    ¡°No one has successfully stabilized a wormhole that large. Not for that long, either.¡±


    ¡°You remember that time anyone created teleportation technology before?¡±


    He felt her nod. ¡°You have a point.¡±


    The scanners had the same problems detecting this ring as the one in the globule, once again ruling out interference. The dome itself, on the other hand, was conventional enough to work. It was a dense ceramic material infused with a variety of metals, just about twenty kilometers in diameter and less than half as high. This was ribbed with long ribbons of light stretching out from the center, leaving the entire floor well lit.


    A half dozen walkways radiated from the center, one side stepped and the other smooth, running all the way to the edge of the dome. Channels carved out between them got progressively deeper as they widened. The Kshlav''o was heading towards one of the depressions, nice and slow. They were about to land.


    Carbon started to pet him again, hands shaking gently. ¡°I do not recognize this style of building.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, same here. Just to come out and say it, this isn¡¯t a Human design.¡± Not by any modern design work he''d ever seen. Things tended towards simplicity right now, but it just didn''t feel right.


    ¡°It does not bear any of the hallmarks of Tsla''o structures.¡± She agreed quickly.


    ¡°The presence of straight lines precludes the tkt.¡± The tkt were a hivemind, to an extent, though it appeared the highest levels of their hives had at some point nuked each other into oblivion, leaving the lower castes working on autopilot. Their ships were few and far between, and generally looked like noticeably large asteroids. ¡°They¡¯d never build something with this much empty space, either.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± She¡¯d stopped petting Alex, though kept a hand resting on his head in a gesture that felt oddly protective. ¡°It also lacks any evidence of the biotech the Eohm favor.¡±


    The ship rocked gently as it touched down, something it hadn¡¯t been explicitly designed to do. The armor was specced high enough to safely support the weight and then some, but this did not make Alex feel any better about having an unknown force land his ship anywhere.


    Alex checked the scanners again and his brow furrowed. ¡°Local gravity is .97 gees. Atmosphere is 77 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen and the usual trace elements. No biological, chemical agents, or radiation. Pressure is at 103 kilopascal and it is a chilly 10 Celsius. Looks like someone was expecting us.¡±


    Carbon slipped her arms around his shoulders, chin tapping his head as she nodded. ¡°It appears so. Can we leave?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still locked out of navigation. Might be able to get a workaround in place...¡± His jaw worked as he thought about their options. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Do we even have the gear to do that?¡±


    ¡°Operating the primary thrusters manually will not be an issue. The maneuvering thrusters and gravity plates will be far more difficult to control.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. Even if we could get up there, we don¡¯t know how to turn that thing back on. There¡¯s always this.¡± Alex brought up a live feed from the forward camera. A hundred meters away there was a single small building sitting in the center of the floor. Arches covered it, each pointing down one of the radial paths towards the outer wall of the dome. The one facing them was lit from within by a faint blue-green glow.


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    ¡°The light feels familiar. I do not like that.¡±


    ¡°That is kind of creeping me out, too. It¡¯s the only thing in here that might house some sort of... anything. The walls are smooth, the lights don¡¯t even appear to have any sort of seam or gap.¡±


    ¡°I do not like any of this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not loving this either, but I think we should check it out. Not like we¡¯re going anywhere else right now.¡±


    Carbon straightened up behind him and grumbled. ¡°No. We will- We will begin work circumventing the navigation system. I am reasonably sure we can use the primary thrusters to cut our way out, with modifications.¡±


    Alex twisted around in the seat, eyebrows raised. ¡°Are you serious? We don¡¯t know how thick the walls are or what¡¯s on the other side of them. We don¡¯t even know where we are.¡±


    She leveled a glare at him, eyes narrow and ears low. ¡°Do you have a better idea?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go take a look at the structure. There is not a single other damn thing out there. It¡¯d be foolish to go through all that trouble if we could just go flip a switch.¡±


    She started to reply, finger poised to make a point, and stopped, lips pursed. Then she started again, finger jutting forward a little more aggressively this time before she stopped once more. Carbon considered it for a few more seconds before she replied. ¡°We will inspect the structure, nothing more. Then we will return to the ship. We should still wear protective equipment.¡±


    ¡°Sounds fine. I¡¯d get cold anyway.¡± Alex slipped out of the chair and stretched before heading for the door.


    She followed him out, stopping at her bunk as Alex continued up the passageway. She heaved a dramatic sigh. ¡°I will meet you at the forward airlock shortly.¡±


    He gave her a wave and what may have been a confidant smile. ¡°See you there.¡±


    Alex got a cool response, which didn¡¯t surprise him considering the circumstances. That was fine. They would just go check out the light, hopefully find something that would help them out and then leave. Be back where they¡¯re supposed to be in time for the pickup.


    Once in the airlock, he stepped out of his deck shoes and began the process of slipping into a space suit. It was extremely good with hostile environments, but it still felt like overkill. It was the standard retina-searing white and trimmed with flexible armor patches covering the joints and various other soft spots you didn¡¯t want holes in. The neural wreath embedded in the helmet came on and lit his vision up with a simple HUD, fully charged and green across the board.


    He didn¡¯t have to wait long. Carbon popped in and hit the inner door lock, at first glance wearing an encounter suit like she had when they¡¯d first started working on board. Alex realized quickly that it wasn¡¯t the same at all.


    Carbon¡¯s antenna were slicked back into interface sockets and the base layer was similar - a black, form fitting bodysuit, though this appeared to be a thicker material. The thin, flexible armor was likewise replaced by heavier rigid armor plates that were the same black as the base layer. The breastplate was ornately carved, the silver flowers and vines design flowing onto the pauldrons and repeated on the armor of her boots.


    It looked like combat armor, really. The gentle bulges above each major joint indicated a strength booster. Layers of shield emitters pulsed gently around the armor, providing further protection, the innermost was airtight and covering just her head in lieu of a helmet.


    The pistol and sword at her hip were really what sealed it. There were ways to render every sort of man-portable weapon useless, from plasma burners to good old fashioned bullets. A good quality sword would ruin just about anyone¡¯s day and there wasn¡¯t much they could do to stop it, short of adding more armor. There was also a bit of an intimidation factor.


    Alex was most surprised at how feminine a shape she managed to retain. The comm light went yellow and green a moment later as the connection formed. At this range, the audio was crystal clear. ¡°Where did you get that?¡±


    ¡°It was a gift for the journey.¡± Like that was supposed to sufficiently explain why she had combat armor. She looked him over and shuddered when her gaze lingered on his helmet. ¡°I do not understand your willingness to put your head in a container.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well. My going away gift was a box of plastic bricks.¡± He shrugged at the jab about his helmet. ¡°It works. You¡¯re on point.¡±


    She stepped past him and keyed the outer door. It opened almost immediately, the walkway a tall step down. Carbon went out, Alex following a moment later. He glanced at the Kshlav¡¯o, the gleaming silver of the outer armor mostly intact from this angle, only broken up by sensor equipment and the occasional blister for debris lasers.


    The dome felt larger and even more empty in person. The walkway, now more clearly a pier of sorts, was light gray, edged with a dull gold color, every surface Alex could see textured with tiny whorls and vortices. They walked to the building in silence, apprehension and curiosity building in him with each step.


    Carbon stopped at the edge of the arch, taking cover from whatever was within, and waved at him to fall in behind her.


    ¡°It¡¯s clear.¡± He shrugged, the movement muted through his suit, and stood before the archway, close enough now to clearly make out the source of the light - a second arch within, lit up like day. ¡°There was like a hundred meters where we had no cover at all.¡±


    Carbon gave him an exasperated sigh as they stepped into the building, a large antechamber for the inner arch. Alex¡¯s eyes adjusted to the dark interior despite the brightness of the inner archway. The scene on the other side was obscured by what appeared to be frosted glass, it looked like tall green grass and blue sky lay just beyond.


    Alex walked up to the arch and touched the frosted surface, slick beneath his gloves before Carbon pulled his arm back with a very negative sound. A series of glyphs pulsed to life around the edges, four matching symbols on each side and a strange pattern of hash marks below them, one set blue and the other red. They all dimmed with the exception of a single blue glyph. It was bright, sharp, and felt violent.


    ¡°Hey, let me see the sword?¡±


    Carbon had reached the same conclusion, the blade halfway out of its scabbard by the time he¡¯d finished asking. The moment the handle rested in his glove, the same sharp glyph lit up on the red side. When he handed it back, it went away.


    ¡°No weapons?¡±


    ¡°That is what I¡¯m thinking. This looks like the first... er, portal we went through. The way it¡¯s frosted over.¡±


    ¡°The Kshlav¡¯o has no weapons.¡±


    ¡°But one of us does.¡±


    Carbon¡¯s curiosity was piqued by this. She unclipped the sword and pistol, laying them on the ground at her feet. The glyph faded from ¡®her¡¯ side and the frost melted, leaving the archway clear.


    The other side may well have been a park. Long grass waved in the bright noonday sun below a cloudless pale blue sky. Alex reached out and his fingers passed through where the frost used to be. He looked over his shoulder at Carbon with a grin. ¡°What do you think? Should we check it out?¡±

 Vacancy

    An intricate dance had started behind the scenes at the scoutship program when the Tsla¡¯o asked for help. The program - and the rest of the Confederation - would love to get a look at Tsla¡¯o waveride technology. Therein came the problem of actually getting access to those drives. So when presented with a request for help finding suitable planets for the Tsla¡¯o Empire¡¯s sudden and massive humanitarian crisis, they struck a deal.


    The Tsla¡¯o would provide the waveriders and part of the build cost, they get whatever that ship finds. The program would provide a pilot since the Tsla¡¯o pilots would not interface with the AIs. They wouldn¡¯t give up one of their good, proven pilots, though. There was a long list of rejected applicants who were capable enough.


    Alex Sorenson was one of these pilots. The problem they had with him was almost insignificant. So small that the whole of the rest of his scores almost overwhelmed it. Unfortunately, it was still very important to the people who set up the criteria for acceptance into the program.


    It was projected that if he were given the right motivation, he would act impulsively. This was not ideal for someone who was going to be piloting a ship worth something in the neighborhood of three billion dCred into space that hadn¡¯t been fully charted.


    But the Tsla¡¯o had picked up more than half of the cost of building the Kshlavo. Once the program had gotten their peek at the drives, two or three generations more advanced than what Humanity currently had, what they wanted was done. They had no problem handing it over to someone who would, as an example, step through an alien portal because it felt like the right thing to do at that moment.


    By the time his boots hit the hard floor on the other side of the portal, Alex was reasonably sure that was not the best of his ideas. Pain stabbed through his chest, knocking the wind out of him. He staggered and fought for air, as though his lungs were unwilling to work for entirely too long.


    That gave him time to really notice the nuances of the pain. It burned and rather felt like something was attempting to pry his ribcage apart from the inside. He fell to his knees and scraped at the chest plate of his suit with a gloved hand, his lungs finally pulling in cool air. He started asking for help in a not so polite manner before he noticed the audio connection to Carbon was off. Perfect.


    Alex turned and looked, still clutching at his sternum. Carbon stood there on the other side looking stunned. Not what either of them had expected, apparently. That was something. She snapped out of it and stepped through, one hand already reaching for him as the pain faded down to something manageable.


    Now it was Carbon¡¯s turn. He caught the trailing end of a wheeze as their audio reconnected, then a grunt as she wrapped an arm around her chest and set her hand on his helmet to support herself.


    ¡°Give it a second. Goes away.¡± Alex waved a hand, still panting.


    Carbon hissed something in Tsla, staring through him as her eyes dilated.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± He patted her hand and waited for her to even out.


    It was a few moments before she straightened up, still rubbing at her chest plate. ¡°The... What was that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know. Not yet, anyway.¡± Alex slid a handheld scanner out of its cradle on his thigh, the screen lighting up as he flipped it open. He picked through the menu for medical scanning and turned it on himself, waving it over his chest. ¡°Oh, well. That¡¯s normal, right?¡±


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    He held the scanner up for Carbon to see, a green holographic snapshot of his ribcage with a red sliver sitting on top of his sternum.


    ¡°That is not normal. Is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never had a little chunk of metal embedded in my chest, no. Can¡¯t say I like it.¡± He cleared the scanner and waved it at Carbon, getting nothing through several layers of shields and armor. ¡°You have medical in that thing?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She tilted her head and frowned, ¡°I have received one as well.¡±


    ¡°Perfect.¡± He stood and stretched, thumbing through the scanner¡¯s menu again. ¡°Same atmosphere in here as out there. Same everything, but with more biological material. Dust, pollen, mold, bacteria...¡±


    ¡°That is unsurprising.¡± She turned and looked at the portal, another snippet of Tsla escaping her in low tones. It had frosted over again, leaving them stuck there. The arch was different on this side. No symbols, just two rings of pale blue dots surrounding a bar turning at a lazy pace.


    ¡°Looks like a clock.¡± The outer ring had thirty dots, the inner another twelve. As they stood there watching it, one of the inner dots disappeared.


    ¡°It appears to be a timer.¡± She said, sounding thoroughly annoyed.


    ¡°So it does.¡± The scanner in his hand chirped, and he checked it. ¡°Uh. Ran detailed scans on the bacteria, you know, Humans have a pretty rough history with bacteria. Bacillus and Agromyces are present.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Bacteria are always-¡± She stopped herself as she realized what he¡¯d actually said, ¡°your scanner recognizes the bacteria in the air?¡±


    ¡°Looks like there¡¯s a form of yeast, too. I wish I had better equipment for this.¡±


    Carbon produced a startled grunt. ¡°There are several types of bacteria present from Schon, as well.¡±


    ¡°Beneficial?¡±


    ¡°I believe so, nothing is flagged as dangerous in my systems.¡±


    ¡°Great, same here.¡± Alex hit the switch that unlatched his faceplate and it flipped up, his helmet retracting and stowing itself away over his shoulder blades. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, a beatific smile on his face. ¡°Ahh, grass. Been a long time since I smelled that.¡±


    Carbon sputtered, arms flailing. ¡°Do not do that! There is- We do not know what is here!¡±


    Alex shrugged and wandered out into the knee-high grass, waving the scanner over his shoulder. ¡°Both yours and mine says it¡¯s clean out here. Besides, this is some nice air.¡±


    She growled and followed him out, squinting in the sun. She shouted at him over the comm using her authoritative voice. ¡°I did not authorize you to do that! Put your helmet back on now.¡±


    ¡°Authorize me? I¡¯m not one of your underlings.¡± Alex grinned, amused and just a little annoyed at her tone as he scanned the horizon.


    Carbon didn¡¯t slow down. ¡°It is dangerous, there are too many unknowns yet. We do not even know who created this gateway.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, about that. Do you see any other signs of life here? I mean, a city or something? A tether, aircraft, smoke from a fire?¡± He twisted and took a harder look around them, shaking his head as worry crossed his face. There should have been something other than a little hut in the middle of a field.


    ¡°I- Hn.¡± She ran out of steam when she saw his expression, her eyes focusing on the horizon as well. ¡°There is something wrong...¡±


    Alex nodded in agreement, the worry turning to confusion and then shock. He sat down in the grass hard, disbelieving what he was seeing. The horizon curved upwards, away from them in all directions. ¡°Oh my god. We¡¯re inside.¡±

 Directions

    ¡°I just need a minute.¡± Alex sat in the tall grass, legs splayed out in front of him and just looking off into the distance with a thousand yard stare. Every time he looked away, his eyes were almost immediately drawn back to the way the horizon curved wrong.


    That was the first reply Carbon had gotten out of him in five minutes.


    ¡°Very well. I will inspect the area.¡± She turned and walked off with an annoyed huff.


    They were inside. Specifically, inside what appeared to be a constructed object. He suspected it was a Dyson shell, a megastructure built around a star to harness all of its energy. From what Alex could see, this one had large parts of its interior surface covered in habitable land. He continued to stare into the distance, shaking his head slowly.


    ¡°Structures like this can¡¯t exist. They just can¡¯t. There would be too much pressure, it would just collapse.¡± He was talking to himself but Carbon could hear him clearly on the open audio link.


    ¡°One hour ago I would have told you that these portals are impossible. We seem to have used two in that time.¡± Carbon came around the small building, blades of grass bending under foot as she walked back to him.


    ¡°That¡¯s not even the same.¡± His voice was distant, still unbelieving.


    ¡°It is very much the same.¡±


    Alex laid back in the grass and rubbed his eyes. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. It is.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Are you done?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡± He picked himself up and brushed the grass off his suit. ¡°Did you find anything?¡±


    ¡°Nothing of obvious significance. The building here is no more than an alcove. There is a large lake downhill from our current position, a grove uphill. The grassland appears to stretch several kilometers in every direction.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± He hadn¡¯t noticed the slight grade to the area before now, and hadn¡¯t given the lake a thought after he noticed the horizon bending the wrong way. Deep blue water shined with small waves and stretched off into the distance. The stand of trees was wide and looked deciduous, blue-green leaves waving in the breeze. Both appeared to be about a kilometer away.


    ¡°The count down timer - if that is what it is - seems to be set to run out in approximately 20 hours. By Human measure.¡±


    ¡°Well, looks like we have some time.¡± He looked down at the lake again and broke into a grin. ¡°Want to go for a swim?¡±


    Carbon leveled a particularly unamused glare at him.


    Alex held up his hands. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to keep things light.¡±


    This did not alleviate the look she was giving him in the least. ¡°I do not believe now is a good time for humor.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Should we go explore? There¡¯s nothing here.¡± He gestured to their immediate surroundings, nothing but a squat alcove and the plains grass that seemed to stretch out


    ¡°I believe we should.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± That actually caught him off guard. ¡°Well, okay. Lake or trees?¡±


    ¡°Trees.¡± She started towards the grove without him, ¡°I do not trust the lake.¡±


    Alex jogged to catch up with her. ¡°Looks cold anyway.¡±


    ¡°It looks deep. Many things can hide in deep water.¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, that too.¡± He hadn¡¯t considered that there might be any sort of creature here other than them. Alex couldn¡¯t really make out the other side of the lake, meaning it might well have space for some very large creatures. Or some smaller creatures that were incredibly territorial, or just venomous. ¡°You were paying more attention than I was for a while there, did you see any animals?¡±


    ¡°No, there was no sign of life beyond plants in the immediate area. Nothing in the air large enough to ping back on my aerials, as well.¡± Her head stayed on a swivel anyway, constantly searching their surroundings.


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    ¡°All right. Hey, do you guys have-¡± He couldn¡¯t stop his dumb ass from asking about animal life of Schon fast enough. The eruption of the megacaldera and the resulting two years of ashfall likely meant that no, they didn¡¯t have anything like hippos anymore. They likely didn¡¯t have much of anything, anymore. She probably didn¡¯t even know what a hippopotamus was.


    Carbon glanced at him over her shoulder, a flash of blue as she made eye contact for a moment before looking away. They walked in silence the rest of the way. The stand of trees was short and sparse, plenty of space between each tree. They struck Alex as unusual, reddish bark beneath wide bluish-green leaves and currently bearing oblong, crimson fruit.


    He¡¯d seen the trees before, painted on the walls of her cabin.


    ¡°These are thun. I have not seen these since... Before I left Schon.¡± She reached up and plucked one of the fruit off the branch, looking it over sadly.


    ¡°You alright?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She turned the fruit over in her hands, face twisting with regret. ¡°We had a small orchard of these at home. I spent much time with my mother in it as a child. It has brought up unexpected memories.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. If there¡¯s anything I can do...¡±


    Carbon knelt and set the fruit on the ground and gave him a faint smile. She still looked like she was about to cry. ¡°Later. We need to secure this area first.¡±


    ¡°How do we do that?¡±


    She straightened, her expression hardening again. ¡°We will check the perimeter and then sweep through the interior.¡±


    They stayed in a group. Carbon could, in a worst case scenario, punch many things to death because of her strength boosted armor. The exterior was just trees, as expected. They weren''t ten meters into the grove before Alex spotted something.


    ¡°What... is that a birdbath?¡± There was a wide pedestal in a clearing in the center of the grove. The sides were carved and the top had a shallow depression. As was his way, Alex started straight for it.


    Carbon grabbed him before he stepped into the clearing. ¡°No. We will scan the area first.¡±


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s do that.¡± He reached down to grab the scanner out of its cradle and she waved his hand away.


    ¡°I have finished, it is clear.¡±


    ¡°Really? Must be nice having built-ins.¡± He stepped out into the clearing, again heading straight for the pedestal.


    ¡°It can be. They have limited range because of the shields.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡± He crouched down next to it, inspecting the carvings on the side. ¡°Well, I am freaked out now.¡±


    ¡°What is- Oh.¡±


    The carving was an anatomical drawing of what was clearly a human male. It was surrounded by intricate swirls and curlicues, a female human not far away. ¡°Reminds me of the Pioneer plaque, but... Shit, a million times creepier.¡±


    Carbon stepped back and walked around the pedestal slowly. ¡°There is the Tsla''o equivalent on this side.¡±


    ¡°How the hell did this even get here?¡± He reached out and put his hand on the pedestal to pull himself up. It thrummed deeply, the sound spiking and fading down to just barely audible in the span of a second. Carbon jumped away and Alex froze halfway up to standing. Holographic liquid pooled in the gentle curve of the basin, swirling slowly and leaving it about half empty, red like the markings on the archway.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Her voice was low, even with his helmet off Alex could only hear it over the audio channel.


    ¡°I put my hand on it.¡± He whispered back.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    He gritted his teeth, exasperated. ¡°I was distracted and you said it was clear!¡±


    She grumbled at that and Alex saw her shields pulse to full power out of the corner of his eye. ¡°Very well. Remove your hand slowly.¡±


    Alex took a deep breath and pulled his hand away. The hologram and faint hum remained as he stood and then reached out and touched it again. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°How have you come to this conclusion?¡±


    He gestured into the basin. ¡°Same shade of red as on the small portal. I think everything so far has required both of our species to be present to operate and this is evidence supporting that. It¡¯s pretty clear that whoever built this knows a whole hell of a lot about us already. In addition, nothing bad has happened so far. We¡¯ve been inconvenienced, sure, but it seems like an awful lot of work just to kill two people.¡±


    ¡°In truth, I have been considering a similar hypothesis.¡± She stepped up to the pedestal, hand hovering over it. ¡°If we are wrong?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry in advance.¡±


    Carbon smiled at that and set her hand down. The hum spiked again, blue liquid flowing into the basin, filling it before both of the holograms faded away. A large globe flickered to life above it and started rotating, translucent colors showing a detailed map. At the equator a tiny purple triangle pointed at a grass-green field next to a large lake.


    ¡°There is no need to apologize.¡±


    ¡°I guess not.¡±


    They stared at the map for a long while, taking in the oceans and landmasses. From deep rift valleys to mountain ranges that were probably thousands of kilometers long, it appeared that most every environment was present.


    Carbon was the first to notice a larger second triangle, emerald green and pulsing slowly at the top of the globe. She leveled a finger at it, ¡°what do you think that is?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. We should go there and find out.¡±

 The Question

    With map in hand - or, more accurately floating there nearby - and a potential location to get to, Alex and Carbon set out to determine just how far away it was. Working off the assumption the globe they were using was scaled properly, and basing their calculations on the distance from the grove to the alcove with the portal in it, they determined that whatever the green triangle at the top of the world was pointing at was about thirty million kilometers away.


    ¡°If this is correct...¡± Carbon paused, staring at the small tablet in Alex¡¯s hands as she did some quick math. ¡°It¡¯s tiny.¡±


    Alex glanced at her sideways and didn¡¯t make a comment for a long second. ¡°From the point of view of astronomical distances, yes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, obviously. If this is a Kehane shell, and it appears to be, it is not nearly as large as it should be to withstand the output of a star and retain this sort of livable interior. Even a cool one, and certainly not one that is visibly comparable to either of our home stars.¡±


    ¡°Interior diameter is probably, what, thirty-eight million kilometers? I think that¡¯s inside the orbit of Mercury.¡± He understood she probably wasn¡¯t as well versed on the solar system as he was, but he was mostly talking himself through this. ¡°If it was the size of Sol we¡¯d be eighteen million kilometers away from the chromosphere, which is... uh, that¡¯s way too fucking close for something Earth-like.¡±


    ¡°So it is not a star?¡±


    He resisted the urge to just look up into the sun-like glowing thing in the sky, if it could reasonably be called that. It was still really bright. ¡°No, couldn¡¯t be. Just a big lightbulb.¡±


    Carbon closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. ¡°I do not like that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not actually a lightbulb.¡±


    ¡°I understand you were joking, I just...¡± She looked up at him with a narrow gaze that didn¡¯t seem aimed at him specifically, ¡°this is too much. This structure is theoretical, the portal technology we have used is not even that. Now there is some sort of not-star directly above our heads that I do not know where to begin to find some sort of comprehension. I hate this.¡±


    Alex eased back as he clicked his tablet back into the cradle on his suit¡¯s thigh, nodding slowly at the vehement tone she grew into as she talked. ¡°Ok, I can understand that.¡± Only barely, though. He found himself unconcerned with the functional possibility of the technology that surrounded them - he was used to feeling that way about pretty much every advanced piece of technology. This was just a step beyond waverider drives or the matter compiler in a dispenser for him.


    She sighed again, stretched her shoulders and shook her hands out. ¡°I am going to take a walk. I need this feeling out of my mind.¡±


    ¡°Do you want company?¡± He asked even as she turned to leave the clearing, striding off into the trees with purpose.


    ¡°No. I will return shortly.¡± She was already far enough away to be on comms only.


    ¡°All right, let me know if you need anything.¡± Might as well see if there was anything of use on the globe while she took care of that. Alex returned to the pedestal and watched it turn, leaning in to get a closer look. The level of detail was astounding, whatever resolution it used able to produce very realistic looking approximations of the terrain, including the flora.


    He reached out and touched the globe, expecting his fingers to dip through the projection, but hopefully allow him to direct it so he could take a closer look without having to wait for something to come back around again. They caught on a particularly interesting mountain range, and the whole thing drew to a stop, firm under the tips of his suit¡¯s glove.


    Alex jerked his hand away from the hologram and it began a slow rotation again. He reached out and pushed a finger into a desert plain. The surface resisted and then gave way, a small hexagonal section of the globe sinking in and popping back out. It flexed to reflect the actual curve of the interior wall, growing to the size of a dinner plate as the empty spot refilled behind it.


    It worked rather like the tablets he was used to. He could grip the edges and felt resistance and the screen responded to various pokes and prods in a way that was instantly familiar. He double checked that the comm channel was still open, ¡°Hey, come check this out when you¡¯re done. The globe does stuff.¡±


    ¡°I will be there in a moment.¡± He heard footsteps coming back through the trees, the cadence matching Carbon¡¯s pace as she pulled up next to him, panting softly and sweating despite wearing a climate controlled suit.


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    He looked over at her, eyebrows raised. He didn¡¯t even know Tsla¡¯o could sweat. Were they supposed to? ¡°You alright?¡±


    Carbon waved a hand. ¡°I feel much more in control of myself, yes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sweating and out of breath.¡± He felt like he was pointing out the obvious, but she wasn¡¯t catching his actual concern.


    ¡°Ah, the power assist was making walking too easy so I turned it off. The intensity of the effort to continue operating the suit without it was sufficient in getting my mind out of that loop.¡±


    Oh of course, like you do. His suit weighed about twenty-five kilos, but it lacked the armor and strength boosts hers had. Probably doubling that weight, easily. ¡°Normal reaction?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I would say so.¡± She nodded, then shut her shields off with a soft pop, drawing in a tentative breath of unrecycled air. ¡°Oh, I have missed that.¡±


    He was a little surprised at her changing her tune, but she¡¯d been wound up pretty tight since they first spotted the ring. A bit of physical exertion seemed to have helped her quite a bit. ¡°It is good, isn¡¯t it? Now take a look at this, these are solid holograms.¡±


    She stepped closer, arm to arm with him and studying the glowing hexagon of map in his hands ¡°Interesting. I have seen static implementations of similar technology, but nothing this detailed or useful.¡±


    ¡°Really? I¡¯ve never seen it before...¡± Alex looked at her as he tilted the map piece, scrolling over towards the grassy field they were in. Maybe there would be some other building they couldn¡¯t see nearby or some other hint as to what they were supposed to do.


    ¡°It was a technical demonstration.¡± She waved a hand and squinted up at the sun-analog, the light it was putting out starting to turn amber as though it were late afternoon. ¡°Inefficient in too many ways.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think efficiency is a big concern here.¡± The big lake appeared on the display, the tiny gray alcove and then the copse of trees they were in. The zoomed-in map was dynamic, grasses waving and the globe lit up, a bright light surrounded by an almost perfect ring of trees. Alex flexed the display down towards the artificial glow of the globe.


    ¡°Is that...¡± She trailed off and looked up again. The black shape next to the pedestal shifted and for a moment Carbon was staring up at Alex through the display. She looked back down just in time to see him squint up into the sun. ¡°It is a live display.¡±


    ¡°You know what? Not that surprised anymore. Really unsettled, though.¡± He zoomed out and rolled the view slowly over the surrounding area. Acres upon acres of grassy plain, but nothing of note yet.


    ¡°Mm. Have you seen anything useful before now?¡±


    He shook his head and pulled the segment in his hands to widen the field of view, then zoomed it out further. Foothills started maybe fifteen kilometers away, and there was a river that ran down to the lake beyond that. ¡°I¡¯ve seen lots of untouched land, but no other structures.¡±


    ¡°If you find anything, let me know. I am going to gather some fruit.¡± She sounded happy and had that getting-away-with-something smile again.


    He could probably listen to her sound happy all damn day. ¡°You¡¯ll be the first to know.¡±


    After two more hours of investigating the shell through the map, night had fallen and Alex still hadn¡¯t found anything aside from a massive building at the north pole. It was far from an exhaustive search, but the fact that nothing else had turned up felt like it answered the question of if there was anything useful for them out there, at least.


    ¡°You must come see.¡± She slipped her arm into his and literally pulled him away from the pedestal without further warning.


    ¡°Alright, just let- okay.¡± He flailed his free arm at the display for a moment, intent lost as he stumbled to keep up with her through the dark of the trees, only now realizing that it was night inside the sphere, where the sun could never actually set. She guided him through this artificial darkness, a light on her shoulder illuminating the trees as his eyes adjusted from the brightness of the hologram globe.


    Carbon sat down in the grass, legs folded neatly as she pulled him down next to her. She watched him expectantly, a wry smile on her lips. ¡°Do you see it?¡±


    His eyes darted around for a moment and he felt panic rising. What was he supposed to see? The grass was the same as it had been. There was a little pile of fruit, and she looked the same as she had before. An amber chemstick light marked the location and gave the scene a rustic feel despite both of them wearing space suits. He hesitated before giving up. ¡°No?¡±


    A little mischief worked its way into her eyes and she gave him a shove, laying him out in the grass. Then it made sense. In the darkness a quarter moon shined down, what looked like the milky way spilled out across the sky. Something you wouldn¡¯t see on Earth unless you had sought out a dark sky sanctuary. He relaxed and took it in. ¡°Surprised again. How does that work?¡±


    Carbon laid down next to him, head next to his. ¡°I have a few ideas, but I do not know.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± She slipped her hand into his and gave it a squeeze. They laid there for some time, gazing up into the false sky. Alex disentangled his hand from hers and shut his recording equipment off. He held his wrist monitor up for her to see what he had done and gestured for her to do the same. Carbon looked off for a moment before giving him a nod.


    ¡°A while back, you said you didn¡¯t like your job, that you wanted to stop but you felt that you couldn¡¯t. Or wouldn¡¯t be allowed to.¡± He took a deep breath and ordered his thoughts. ¡°When the timer runs out, if we can leave... Would you like to stay?¡±

 Pack It Up

    ¡°Yes.¡± Carbon didn¡¯t hesitate, didn¡¯t appear to think about it. She knew what she wanted. A moment later came a sigh and she shook her head. ¡°But that is not realistic. No. My people need me, I cannot just disappear. Not with this discovery. Not even with just the few planets we had found.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡± Alex slipped his gloved hand into hers again, fingers tightly intertwined.


    ¡°I am. I would like to stay with you, but I have many commitments that are more important than my happiness.¡± She shifted over and rolled onto her side, resting her head on his shoulder.


    He mulled that over. ¡°More important than us?¡±


    She grimaced in the dim light and draped an arm across his chest. ¡°I did not mean- I like the idea of being with you but this place unsettles me, I do not know if that will ever change.¡±


    There was no small amount of relief in his voice. He wouldn¡¯t admit that he had not spent a lot of time thinking that through, at least not with the sphere as part of the plan. ¡°I get your meaning. Really, I¡¯m kind of glad you said no. There are lots of things that I¡¯d still like to do that aren¡¯t here.¡±


    The corners of her mouth turned up and she stretched out, planting a kiss on his cheek. ¡°I have noticed that you are sometimes impulsive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always been like that. My mom still wonders how I didn¡¯t get injured more as a child.¡± Alex laughed and reached up to massage the base of her antennae. ¡°Don¡¯t think it¡¯ll change, given how long I¡¯ve been like this.¡±


    ¡°You wear it well.¡± Carbon nestled awkwardly against him in her armor, eyes closing as she laughed with him. ¡°This is not as satisfying as I had hoped.¡±


    ¡°Take it off. Not like there¡¯s anything here.¡±


    Her eyes stayed closed as she shook her head. ¡°It is still here and this armor requires an external frame for ingress and egress. Trying to wriggle out of this without it would be troublesome as well.¡±


    Alex grinned. ¡°Oh? I¡¯d be happy to watch.¡±


    She slapped his arm and laughed softly. ¡°I am sure you would. Despite that, I will not be getting out at this time.¡±


    He waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Sounds like a lot of trouble anyway. We¡¯ve only got, what, 10 hours till the portal opens?¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Carbon squeezed him gently, face pressed into his shoulder.


    Alex looked down and watched her breathe - slow, steady and very asleep. He got smug about that. Despite being somewhere that made her uncomfortable, she still trusted him enough to fall asleep. It felt good.


    He checked his wrist monitor, a little under 10 hours left, actually. He dialed in an alarm for two hours ahead of the timer running down. No sense in being late, particularly if the portal actually took them back to the Kshlav¡¯o and let them leave the parking garage. They still had eight days before the Search and Rescue ship could even arrive. It was still better to be safe when it came to getting a pickup with no FTL drives.


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    Which was problematic in that they no longer had any FTL communications, with the exception of the emergency beacon. Which might be jammed in its tube, given its proximity to the hole in the dorsal side of the ship. Sublight communications still took time and the globule was not optimal for those, though since the Eohm had not pursued them they could leave it and just remain nearby. Not like there was anything he could do about it here, no point in getting worked up.


    His eyes turned skyward again, to the artificial stars and moon. Earth didn¡¯t have nights like this in many places anymore. He¡¯d never seen stars so densely packed and vibrant, even against the half moon. It was nice here. Peaceful despite the weirdness, silent save for the wind in the grass.


    Alex blinked for a very long time, suddenly waking to his forearm being twisted about, a quiet beeping alarm coming from the speaker on his wrist monitor. In the dim morning light he could see Carbon curled around it, bleary eyed and poking at the screen. The alarm cut out and she let go, stretching out beside him again.


    Then she remembered where they were. She pushed herself back up, surprise cutting through the haze of slumber. ¡°Sch- Why did let sleep?¡±


    ¡°It had been a long day, I didn¡¯t see any harm in it. Not like there¡¯s anything else to do around here.¡± He pushed himself up to sitting and stretched in turn, yawning as he checked his suit¡¯s functions, still green across the board.


    She shook her head, eyes clearing up as she stood and brushed grass off her armor. ¡°That is not a good reason. Things could have happened. Have we missed the portal?¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯ve got two hours yet.¡±


    Carbon relaxed visibly at that. ¡°Good. We should head back, I do not want to take chances on how long it will remain open.¡±


    ¡°Soon enough.¡± Alex had the scanner out again, drawing the sensors over the fruit she had gathered the previous day. ¡°Clean enough to be safe. Have some breakfast.¡±


    ¡°I am not hungry right now.¡±


    ¡°More for me, then.¡± He snapped the scanner closed and gave her a dubious look as he bit into one. The texture and flavor were both familiar, pear-like with a hint of cinnamon. It tasted kind of like what Carbon smelled like. ¡°S¡¯good. Real, too. When was the last time you had food that didn¡¯t come out of a printer?¡±


    Carbon avoided his eyes for a moment, then sat down across from him and picked one up. She stared into it, turning it over in her hand before she spoke softly. ¡°Two years, fourteen weeks...¡± She trailed off like she knew how many days it had been as well.


    He almost choked on his fruit. ¡°Why so long?¡±


    She didn¡¯t reply, instead sinking her teeth into the ruddy skin and tearing away the white flesh beneath. She savored the hell out of it, closing her eyes while she chewed. It took her a minute to finish, finally swallowing with a smile. ¡°I was Lan on the Kshanevo when the disaster hit Schoen. It became clear that our fresh food resupplies would be drastically reduced as that is where most of them came from. I stopped eating them so the crew could have more. Most of the command staff lowered their intake, only myself and the captain abstained fully.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± He didn¡¯t have anything to say to that, now eating to keep his mouth busy so he wouldn¡¯t have to talk. Dispenser food was perfectly reasonable, but you could tell it wasn¡¯t real. It seemed to get more pronounced the longer you ate it, as well. ¡°That¡¯s... That really seems like something you would do.¡±


    ¡°It is a time of sacrifice, it was not a difficult choice.¡±


    ¡°I suppose not.¡± He nodded, not sure if he would have gone off fully or just reduced his intake, had he been in that situation. They continued to eat in silence till they had turned the little pile of fruit into a stack of cores. Alex pushed himself off the ground and offered Carbon a hand. She likely did not need it, but this did not stop her from taking it. ¡°Hour and a half left. Better get a move on.¡±


    She smiled, her gloved hand staying in his. ¡°We should. It may take us several minutes to walk back.¡±


    Alex chuckled, then grew quiet. ¡°Hey, when we get back to the ship...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Her head tilted, inquisitive.


    ¡°I call first dibs on the bathroom.¡±

 And Go Home

    The walk back to the alcove was as short as Carbon had indicated, and a quick check of the timer revealed that their estimation on the time left on the countdown had been accurate. The bar in the middle of the timer was still turning, a handful of dots on the inner ring remained now. The rest, and the entire outer ring, had faded out leaving faint blue ghosts against the flat gray material. Still the better part of an hour and a half left.


    "Would you look at that, just in time." Alex turned his suit''s recorder back on and swept the video camera mounted on his shoulder over the arch and timer. The portal was still frosted over but he could make out the Kshlav¡¯o gleaming in the distance, right where they had left it. He exhaled slowly, seeing the shine of the ship waiting for them flooding him with relief, a concrete thing he knew and understood.


    Carbon appeared to be doing the same thing, standing nearby and slowly twisting her torso from left to right. Another dot flashed and then seemed to evaporate, turning translucent like the rest. She looked over at Alex. ¡°We did not cut it that close.¡±


    ¡°No. I guess I¡¯m just ready to get out of here for now.¡± He blew out his breath, ragged and uneasy as he played what-if in his head. What if it wasn¡¯t counting down to open, but rather to go to a different portal? What if it was shutting down? What if it just didn¡¯t open? They were going to have a hell of a time surviving any significant length of time on a single crop of seasonal fruit.


    Staring at things while he waited was bad for him, he had fresh experience with that. Hardly two days had passed since he¡¯d obsessed over the waveride computations finishing on the Kshlav¡¯o and now the idea of watching a timer made his brain itch. He set an alarm on his suit¡¯s computer and stalked back out into the grass, sitting where he¡¯d fallen the day before. The lake sparkled in the false morning light, tiny whitecaps sprinkled across the dark water. He hadn¡¯t measured it specifically when he¡¯d been scouting the area on the globe, but just going off the cuff, it was about the size of lake Huron back on Earth.


    Carbon sat down beside him, silent for some time as they both watched the water. Eventually she reached over to bump his forearm with her hand. ¡°What is bothering you?¡±


    ¡°Am I that transparent?¡± He said, glancing over at her with another sigh, lips pulled tight in a grimace.


    ¡°You are not. Your demeanor changed sharply, but I cannot determine the source of that change.¡± She shrugged and took his hand. ¡°You wear your heart on your sleeve - that is the saying, yes?¡±


    That got a quiet, sullen laugh out of him. ¡°It is. I¡¯m not exactly sure what my problem is.¡± He picked at the grass with his free hand, ordering his thoughts and trying to suss out exactly what was up. ¡°On the surface, I think I¡¯m catching up with you on being worried about this place. I¡¯m hoping we can leave but I can¡¯t shake this feeling of doubt that we won¡¯t be able to.¡±


    She watched him as he spoke, nodding along. There were people Alex would assume were just doing that to look like they were paying attention, but he knew that¡¯s not something Carbon would do. ¡°It is understandable. Despite the mask of familiarity this place has, everything below that is... It is alien. Possibly so alien it is incomprehensible to us.¡±


    On one hand it was nice to be validated by someone he respected, on the other he hadn¡¯t actually put any thoughts into who built this or why and it presented him with a fresh batch of scenarios surging forward, ranging from sad to unsettling. ¡°That¡¯s- Uh, thank you.¡±


    Carbon made a noncommittal sound, glancing over at him before her gaze turned to the lake. ¡°That did not help, did it?¡±


    He shrugged, most of the motion absorbed by the suit. ¡°Not really.¡±


    They sat in silence for awhile, nothing but the wind rustling the grass making a sound until Carbon abruptly started speaking again.


    ¡°Whatever happens, I am glad I have met you. That you have allowed me into your heart and in turn sought out mine. It has been an experience I could not have predicted, and one I would not trade for anything. I love you. ¡± Her eyes stayed fixed on the horizon as she spoke, ¡°For some time now I have felt I would never say that to someone... with a romantic overtone. Thank you.¡±


    Alex felt his cheeks warm with a blush that couldn¡¯t be explained by the cool breeze coming up off the lake, an odd feeling swirling in his stomach. ¡°Oh, uh- you¡¯re welcome.¡±


    ¡°And if the portal does not open up and let us go back to the ship I am going to be furious. The only reason I am not yet is because I feel that way about you.¡± She didn¡¯t look away from the lake as she said it. It didn¡¯t even sound like it was directed at him, even though he was the one who had gotten them stuck here.


    Alex looked over at her, just in time to see her glance over surreptitiously, a little smirk curling the corner of her mouth. ¡°Ah, yeah... I¡¯m- I¡¯m actually sorry about that.¡± Even if she was amused by something, it was his impulsiveness that led him to stepping through the portal in the first place.


    She patted his knee, ¡°I think you were right to do it. This place does not seem hostile, it seems restricted. There is something being said here, we do not know what yet. I believe I can see a few potential meanings.¡±


    That made sense to him, particularly in light of her earlier comment about whoever built this being incomprehensibly alien. ¡°This structure must have taken an age to build, and it appeared to be abandoned or never used, yet set up to be habitable for both Humans and Tsla¡¯o. It required both of us to be present to gain access and activate the globe.¡± Alex picked up a few blades of grass he¡¯d torn out of the ground, weaving them together as he pondered this.


    ¡°If it only took them a century, certainly they would still live. Perhaps not if it took them a millennium, automated systems finishing it after they died out. There should be more evidence of a race this advanced.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re not from our spiral arm, or even our galaxy. We¡¯ve got no point of reference with how far the big portal took us... and really, no point of reference on how far the small one did, either.¡± The thick gloves of his suit made working on the grass difficult, forcing him to slow down and be conscious of what he was doing with each blade. ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t build a parking lot that far away from the place it goes to.¡±


    Carbon grunted, presumably in agreement. ¡°It is so. I believe too many things here are intentional for this to be abandoned. The builders knew we existed and prepared this for us. Their portals can move without detection, presumably their ships can as well - if they even use ships anymore. The thun trees are not the kind my family had, but I recognize them as a heritage variety. Which means I can identify that they were sampled sometime in the last three hundred years.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a long time for us.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps not a long time for them.¡±


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°You think if they were still around, they would just come out if we asked?¡± He paused his work on the braided grass in his hands and looked around. Alex cleared his throat and spoke louder, nearly yelling into the distance, ¡°Hey, we can¡¯t guess who you are, can we get a hint? Please? Maybe a hello?¡±


    Carbon rolled her eyes, but waited a few seconds anyway. ¡°I think if they intended to speak to us, they would have by now.¡±


    ¡°We hadn¡¯t tried asking nicely.¡± He said, resuming his busywork before putting forth the first question that popped into his head. ¡°Do you think they built one of these for the Eohm too?¡±


    That gave her pause. ¡°Hn. Considering this experience has required cooperation between species, I would think not... But that also ascribes my own thought processes to the situation.¡±


    Alex chuckled softly, ¡°Why do we have to share one when the Eohm get their own. I¡¯m gonna tell mom.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps this is just our entrance. There are several million planets worth of land here, it would be trivial to simply not come in contact with them if there were to be settlements. If they even wanted to be in here.¡± She gesticulated as she spoke, pointing off into the distance, landmasses millions of kilometers away that they couldn¡¯t see with the naked eye.


    Eohm were not known for settling down on planets, an inverted one would probably not be changing their mind. ¡°And one for the tkt.¡±


    She shivered and shook her head. ¡°No, perhaps not them.¡±


    He had seen pictures of tkt before, odd little bug-like aliens. Hive minded, the most common worker caste were shorter than Tsla¡¯o. They were probably sentient, though lacked any interest in interacting with anyone that wasn¡¯t tkt. ¡°Maybe they¡¯d have to cooperate with the Eohm.


    ¡°That will be impossible.¡±


    ¡°You never know.¡± Alex couldn¡¯t actually see one species of violently xenophobic aliens and another that didn¡¯t seem to give a damn about anything but their hives working together, but the thought was amusing. ¡°Stranger things have happened.¡±


    Carbon turned slowly to look at him, eyebrows raised, her gaze laden with skepticism. ¡°Do tell me one.¡±


    He grinned and held a bracelet of woven grass out to her. ¡°I¡¯m dating an alien.¡±


    Confusion crossed her face for a moment, the expectation of a more serious answer stopped dead in its tracks. She looked down at the bracelet as she took it from his hand, a warm smile on her short muzzle as she turned it over, inspecting the gift with a soft laugh. ¡°That does not count.¡±


    Alex¡¯s alarm went off, a few minutes left to go. He silenced it and stood, Carbon already back on her feet by the time he was. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± He asked, turning back towards the alcove.


    She grabbed his suit by the collar, his helmet still retracted, and pulled him back. Her eyes were alive with mischief as she stretched up to kiss him. ¡°I am dating one as well. It is not that strange.¡±


    He laughed and held his hands out, ¡°you got me there. Who is it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve met him.¡± She released his suit, patting his chest before turning to the alcove herself. ¡°A little odd looking, very short face. But he is kind and earnest, and that makes up for a lot.¡±


    Alex smiled as he glanced over at her. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll introduce me someday.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡±


    It was just a few steps, and jokes faded as soon as they were back on the hard floor before the portal, the moment of truth upon them. They waited in silence as the timer spun down. Alex shifted nervously from foot to foot as Carbon just stood, face placid but otherwise unreadable. He knew her well enough to know she was covering something up - that was one of the two expressions he had seen her use during the first few months on the ship.


    The bar stopped suddenly, sitting vertically as the final dot faded like the others. Nothing seemed to happen at first, then the frost-like haze covering the portal thawed and disappeared, leaving it clear. Alex heaved a sigh of relief, looking over just in time to see Carbon relax and break into a grin. She reached out and took hold of his arm, ¡°let us go now, before this closes again.¡±


    He didn¡¯t need to be told twice and they stepped through the portal together. No surprises going this way, no searing pain. One foot after the other and they were done, back in the landing area with the ship. It didn¡¯t frost over again, but it only took one shared look to know they didn¡¯t intend to go back through just yet.


    Carbon retrieved her weapons from the outer arch and set about reattaching them while Alex looked around. Nothing had changed, which wasn¡¯t surprising. They hadn¡¯t even been gone for a day. That wasn¡¯t even long enough for dust to settle.


    But that was the problem: nothing had changed. He looked up at the portal ring embedded at the top of the dome, as empty as it had been when they left. He balled up his fists and glared at it up there, growling out a single quiet word under his breath.


    Carbon¡¯s head snapped up from re-affixing the holster to her armor, startled by his tone. She stepped out of the arch and stood next to him, not yet seeing the problem. ¡°What is- Oh, no.¡±


    He seethed in silence, unable to form a cohesive thought that wasn¡¯t just profanity. Finally, words returned to him. ¡°What the hell does this thing want? Do we have to go all the way up to that building at the top of the shell? There¡¯s no way for us to do that!¡±


    Carbon started to speak, picking her words carefully. ¡°Perhaps... this has a timer as well? It could open at a preset interval.¡±


    Alex gritted his teeth and tamped down on his temper. ¡°Why would they do that? They could turn the thing on whenever they wanted when they brought us here.¡±


    ¡°I do not know. I am just offering it as a possibility.¡± Carbon paused as she attached the sword to its hardpoint on her armor as well. ¡°I think we could also create a powered sled of sorts from parts of the ship to make overland travel faster, if need be.¡±


    ¡°Are you insane? That would take centuries.¡± Alex spun on a heel to face her, finger leveled at her nose and anger in his voice again. She looked back at him, somber blue eyes filled with worry that shut him down before he could get any further. His arms dropped and shoulders slumped, the fire in him dead. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just... I¡¯m fine waiting in the globule, if we could get back to it. I don¡¯t want us to be stuck here. I want to go back to Earth. I want to show you around, sit on a patio, and do nothing for an afternoon.¡± He hadn¡¯t expected that to slip out, an unambitious fantasy he¡¯d been harboring for a week or so now.


    ¡°I would like that, but be-¡± Carbon stopped abruptly as the floor started to vibrate, as though the entire dome had been rung like a bell. It grew to an audible drone and rose to a roar, ending with a massive clap of thunder as the portal above them activated.


    It wasn¡¯t the dusty mess of the globule they had taken refuge in this time. Space as black as ink with a few twinkling spots lay on the other side of the portal now. As they stared up at it, Carbon was the first to speak. ¡°Where do you think it goes?¡±


    ¡°It couldn¡¯t... Come on.¡± Alex turned and started running to the ship as fast as he could manage in the suit.


    ¡°What is it?¡± She was only a few steps behind him, keeping up easily in her powered suit.


    He didn¡¯t respond at all, possessed by what had taken root in his mind and audibly panting from exertion as he stumbled through the airlock. Alex was sprinting down the main passageway on the Kshlav¡¯o before Carbon had cleared the airlock herself


    ¡°What is going on?¡± Her voice came in over the com link, anxiety in it clear as if she were standing next to him.


    ¡°Just need to see something.¡± Alex finally replied as he plowed through engineering, slipping through the airlock doors as soon as the gap was wide enough to fit the suit.


    She followed him through the ship to find him sitting at the backup console, fingers tapping a rapid beat across the control surface. ¡°Alex, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Nav system¡¯s back on, everything is back on. And this...¡± He brought up a live scan on the display and slumped back into the chair, gesturing at a little yellow speck. His chest still heaved as he looked up at Carbon, brow gleaming with sweat. Surprise still managed to creep out around his exhaustion. ¡°This is Sol.¡±

 Lukewarm Welcome

    ¡°Good morning, Mr. Sorenson.¡± Shawn, the technician who monitored Alex during the mornings, stretched out the ¡®good¡¯ for a solid three seconds like he was a radio DJ, which did sort of fit the twangy northern martian drawl he had. After five days of waking up to that, it was starting to grate on him.


    Alex squinted into the overhead lights as they warmed up and rolled onto his side, looking at the clock through the thick observation wall. Six AM, just like yesterday and the day before that. Just like every day since they had taken the portal back to the Solar System. ¡°You got half of that right.¡±


    ¡°Sunny as always, I see. Please proceed to the scanner.¡± Shawn¡¯s voice was coming from somewhere in the ceiling, likely working from a different part of the station. Alex hadn¡¯t been able to locate the speaker. Aside from the lights, all he could see was the single air vent, a scanner array and a half-dozen burner nozzles. Not being there in person probably made it easier to fry the room if need be.


    ¡°Bathroom first.¡± He swung his legs out from what passed for a bed, standing with a stretch. The quarantine room was a strange place. With the exception of the ceiling and observation wall - 250 millimeter thick impact resistant glass with an airlock - it was nothing but white, curved surfaces with varying levels of resistance. The bed itself was little more than a soft plateau rising up from the hard floor with a pillow-like lump at one end.


    Shawn didn¡¯t reply, but the lights on the camera nodes went off. He didn¡¯t know if they actually shut the cameras off, but there were laws that allowed basic levels of privacy, even in quarantine. There were a host of other ways they could monitor him without violating those laws. Heat scanners, sonar, lidar... that big observation window. While the hallway it was open to was currently empty, it was the most difficult thing to get used to when he was taking care of his business.


    Coming home had not been triumphant. Not that it wasn¡¯t great at first, when he gently accelerated the Kshlav¡¯o out through the ring. That first minute had been tremendously exciting. He had been on top of the world.


    As it turned out, having an object of unknown origin appear out of nowhere in your home system set off all of the alarms. Having it spit out a ship that had been listed as an emergency recovery, supposedly dead in the water several thousand light years away, exacerbated the response.


    There had been a lot of very authoritative yelling on the comm.


    A boarding craft had come for them, soldiers in full boosted armor escorting them off the Kshlav¡¯o at gunpoint. It was hard to tell if someone was sympathetic or not with the faceplate they put on those suits. The flight to the medical station had been very, very quiet.


    That had turned right around just as soon as Alex had been sequestered into his quarantine suite. Several branches of the military had come around to take statements on what happened in the dyson shell. Most of it, anyway. He may have omitted the part about taking a nap with his girlfriend.


    They had been particularly unhappy that he had shut off his recording equipment. None of them seemed to like the answer that he had just wanted some privacy while he went to relieve himself and had forgotten to turn it back on.


    Once they had gotten enough information, they disappeared. Alex hadn¡¯t spoken to anyone but Shawn in the morning and then Lorin in the evenings since then. They both seemed like good people. He hoped they were, anyway. They had access to the button that would burn the room, after all.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    He washed his hands and dried them on the mint green scrubs they had furnished him with. ¡°Done.¡±


    The camera lights came back on. ¡°Good. Now proceed to the scanner.¡±


    It was only three steps away. Another platform rising up from the floor, narrow and directly under the medical scanning array. He climbed onto it, head resting on a squishy lump at one end. There were three scans per day in quarantine. Alex closed his eyes, expecting to pick up some more sleep. Not like they needed him to do anything other than lie there.


    The scanner hummed to life above him. ¡°You want your five day evaluation?¡±


    Alex shrugged, eyes still closed. ¡°Sure, why not?¡±


    ¡°Everything looks good so far. Even taking into account the repairs made by the mediboard, you returned in slightly worse shape than you left. That is consistent with how the body reacts to long periods of elevated stress.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t recommend getting shot up by the Eohm.¡±


    That got a chuckle out of Shawn. ¡°In addition, your scans have been clear of any sign of infections, viruses or foreign bodies - with the exception of that thing fused to your sternum. That¡¯s giving the boys in the lab a fit.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah?¡±


    Shawn hummed an affirmative noise. ¡°It doesn¡¯t scan well, or appear to do anything. It just seems to get them all riled up. They think your account of how you got it is impossible, but there it is.¡±


    He found that was particularly annoying. It had been incredibly painful, something he didn¡¯t expect he would ever forget. ¡°Shame they weren¡¯t there, could have experienced it firsthand for themselves.¡±


    Shawn sounded particularly entertained by that idea. ¡°I don¡¯t reckon they¡¯d like that very much.¡±


    ¡°They have any thoughts on what it is?¡± Alex knew they probably wouldn¡¯t talk about that, but he asked anyway.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a few things being floated around.¡± He hesitated, the speaker going dead for a moment as Shawn took a moment to consider his next statement. ¡°They all seem to come back to your first assertion.¡±


    He had assumed it was there as a sort of ID chip, possibly for tracking or just a pass of sorts to use the portals or other systems on the shell, if they ever found any other systems. ¡°Good to hear, but it feels like cold comfort right now.¡±


    ¡°I can understand that.¡± A keyboard clattered furiously in the background of the audio stream, for a moment. ¡°Your morning scan is done, by the way. As long as nothing changes, you¡¯ll be out of there in another two days.¡±


    Exposure to unknown alien environments had a one week quarantine. The scans were to make sure they weren¡¯t missing anything that could have adverse effects on him, or be otherwise transmitted to the general populace. That''s how you get alien zombies, after all. Better cautious than getting your brain eaten. ¡°So soon? How¡¯s Shipmaster Tshalen doing? Is that something you guys can tell me?¡±


    ¡°Hang on.¡± There was a significant pause this time, long enough for a nurse to drop off clean scrubs and his morning nutragel in the smaller airlock embedded in the airlock, and leave the observation hall before he came back. The speaker popped back on and Shawn¡¯s chair was the first thing through it, squeaking loudly as he sat back down. ¡°Yeah, hey, are you still there?¡±


    ¡°No, I checked out. The other quarantine station has a jacuzzi.¡± Alex replied through a mouthful of faintly flavored though highly nutritious gelatin based food substance. ¡°Five stars for service but the amenities here are lacking.¡±


    ¡°Supposed I walked into that one.¡± He cleared his throat before continuing. ¡°They say she seems annoyed about everything but professional, and was pleased to hear you wanted to check up on her and inquired about your well being. We have to get approval from you before releasing anything, of course.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that sounds like her.¡± Alex smiled and laughed, ¡°by all means, you have my permission.¡±

 Poorly Hidden

    There were very few things to do in quarantine.


    Alex had spent his last two days sleeping as much as he could. There were six movies available to watch and nothing else. His techs steadfastly refused to tell him anything about the outside world, which was standard procedure. Nothing that would get him riled up, as Shawn put it. That sort of riled him up.


    Aside from sleeping, the only thing that broke the monotony was meal time. First he would get scanned and then one of the nurses would drop off clean scrubs and a steaming hot bowl of nutragel in the small airlock. In the morning it tasted sort of like a cinnamon roll. The lunch nutragel bore some resemblance to chicken soup and the dinner nutragel was similar to but distinct from beef stew.


    Nutragel was easily more dissatisfying to eat than anything else a dispenser produced. It provided everything he needed to live and made things easier on the scanner, but lacked any other redeemable features. Freedom could not come soon enough.


    So he thought.


    Being released was nearly as strange as being brought in. Shawn gave him his marching orders - There¡¯d be a representative from the Civilian Pilot Program waiting for Carbon and him once he was out of the secure portion of the station, and said his goodbye before turning the airlock on. It cycled automatically around him and he walked from the quarantine room down the hall to the patient elevator. Even before the doors opened, he could smell the cleaning chemicals. A minute later his eyes were stinging and his scrubs smelled like something that would denature a prion, but it did deposit him in front of the first human he¡¯d seen since the day he arrived.


    The nurse behind the counter was not operating under the same conditions, and seemed pretty bored by his arrival. He pushed a bag with Alex¡¯s name on it across the stainless countertop, and pointed out where the changing rooms were before turning back to his terminal.


    There was technically a shower in the quarantine room. One of those dry ones that used ultrasonic waves and a vacuum. It allegedly did the job. The changing room had a real shower, towels, and the most generic little bottles of soap and shampoo Alex had ever seen. Even if everything was a little threadbare, this still felt like luxury. It had been longer than he cared to think about since he¡¯d gotten the chance to take an actual water shower, and he was not going to skip the opportunity to wash the stink of chemicals off his body.


    Once again clean, though looking a bit scruffy from nine days of stubble growth, he donned the same clothing that he had been brought in with, now so thoroughly decontaminated it appeared a shade lighter than it had started, and immediately sat down in the waiting room.


    Carbon arrived about fifteen minutes later, slightly damp and visibly exhausted. While she did perk up when she spotted him, a brief flash of a smile tamped down as she glanced over at the attendant operating the elevator to the rest of the station. Alex followed suit, keeping it professional as he requested access to leave quarantine.


    Once alone in the elevator, a brief look of longing may have been exchanged.


    ¡°Oh. It¡¯s real.¡± Alex murmured to himself as the doors opened to the main deck of the small station, the smell of cooked food wafting through the air as they stepped out. They had arrived just in time for breakfast. He inhaled deeply. ¡°I think they have bacon. And pancakes? You¡¯ll like both of those, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Pilot Alex Sorenson? Shipmaster Tshalen?¡± An older man wearing a button down shirt and nice slacks stepped forward before Alex could determine which way to go to get to the food. He smiled affably, extending his hand. ¡°Dae Yeong, I¡¯m with the CPP.¡±


    Alex barely kept his shit together and shook his hand. ¡°Oh yes. We were told you¡¯d be here.¡± He didn¡¯t manage to keep the disappointment out of his voice, though.


    Dae gave Carbon a short bow, which she returned, and he handed them both new CPP access badges. They were clearly labeled PILOT and ENGINEER respectively, with photos. Alex grinning like he¡¯d won the lotto, Carbon straight-faced and looking a bit like she was getting a mugshot taken. It wasn¡¯t necessary on the quarantine station, but they¡¯d be needing them for access in secure areas elsewhere. ¡°If you both don¡¯t mind, we should be departing for McFadden station immediately. Traffic is already bad and there¡¯s a lot to do.¡±


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    Alex did mind, but he kept it to himself. It was a short walk to the hanger, and they quickly found themselves wedged into the back of a four seat transport. It was an inexpensive but serviceable civilian model with CPP branding all over the outside. Mr. Yeong kept his hands on the controls even though the short jaunt to McFadden station was likely to be entirely autopilot.


    ¡°I still cannot believe it is so large.¡± Carbon leaned over as far as her seat¡¯s safety harness would allow, whispering to him as the station grew on the main screen, already lined up with one of the bays on the docking arc. Parking lot speeds were strictly enforced this close to a structure, they were still 30 minutes from actually coming aboard.


    ¡°Third largest in system, twelfth in all of human space.¡± Alex suppressed the urge to make that joke, keeping his voice down too. It was probably pointless, Mr. Yeong was just over an arms length away in the pilot¡¯s seat and could easily hear them. It still felt sort of conspiratorial, almost fun.


    ¡°I am aware of that, but I do not know why.¡± She shifted back into her seat properly, ears twitching as they pressed into the headrest. Carbon had curled her antenna over her shoulder, preferring that to crushing them between her back and the seat that had not been made with that particular biological difference in mind.


    He shrugged. ¡°They had to make room for all the old spacecraft in the Exploration museum.¡±


    Carbon straightened up and looked at him, perplexed. ¡°A museum?¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡±


    ¡°You put a museum in space? In a station that some of your most advanced spacecraft are based from?¡± Carbon was starting to get that tone that said she may be offended by the very idea being discussed.


    ¡°Not me personally, no. But it does seem like a reasonable place for it.¡±


    ¡°I did not mean you specifically, Alex. I meant as a species. Space is not a reasonable place for a museum, no matter the subject.¡± She was adamant about that, a finger


    ¡°Space is the perfect place for a museum about space exploration. That was the jingle they used during construction.¡± He cleared his throat and sang, off key. ¡°Space... is the per-fect place.¡±


    Mr. Yeong chuckled quietly.


    Carbon¡¯s jaw set and she huffed with frustration. ¡°Your species is so cavalier about so many things. Space is dangerous, it is no place to leave a collection of historical knowledge.¡±


    Alex looked out of his window with a snort, watching a row of single-container cargo drones waiting for access queuing up as he dismissed her argument with a wave of his hand. ¡°Oh yeah, nothing of value has ever been destroyed on a planet before, right?¡±


    The back seat got very quiet.


    When he looked back, Carbon was staring down at balled fists with deadly intensity, normally blue lips pressed so tight they were pale.


    He figured out where he had fucked up a moment later. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean- Not like, I... Hell.¡±


    Her words came slowly, precise. ¡°I know you did not mean it that way.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°You have nothing to apologize for. The statement is true, disaster or not. A planet can still oversee untold destruction.¡± She closed her eyes and exhaled, her body relaxing. ¡±It has been a difficult week.¡±


    He had forgotten that isolation is hard on the Tsla¡¯o. It had been annoying for him, but being nearly completely cut off from interaction in what was ultimately an alien prison cell must have weighed heavily on her. ¡°Is it alright if I feel bad?¡±


    Carbon took a deep breath and exhaled slowly again, watching her hands uncurl and fingers stretch as she recentered herself. She straightened back up, ears unfolding from being pressed tight against her head before she glanced over at him with a brief nod. A thin, wry smile slowly working across her short muzzle. ¡°That is acceptable as long as you are done by the time we arrive.¡±


    Alex laughed just as Mr. Yeong looked back at them over his shoulder. The older man gave them a bemused smile. ¡°Has anyone told you two that you sound like a married couple?¡±


    That shut both of them up for the rest of the trip.

 Keeping Secrets

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep this brief, as you both have quite a bit of paperwork to get to.¡± Dae Yeong sat on the other side of a conference room table from Alex and Carbon, leaning over it as he slid them each two stacks of paperwork. Archaic, certainly, but still the most official. ¡°Do not speak to anyone about anything you experienced in any fashion for the duration of your mission, without a signed order.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, that shouldn¡¯t be too hard. ¡®So how was it?¡¯ No comment.¡± Alex crammed another mini muffin into his mouth and washed it down with passable coffee. The program at least had the good sense to have food waiting in the conference room. He pulled the mountain of paperwork over to himself and shuffled through it. At least a dozen manila folders, all legal size and many of them finger thick, were stacked on top of a pile of pale blue paper with Tsla text peeking out at him. He¡¯d see about getting a translator when he got down to those.


    ¡°I would recommend more tact, many people will never fully understand these circumstances and answers like that may put them off. But you are essentially correct.¡± He leaned back in his chair and looked between them. ¡°If either of you have any questions, I will be available to you until you are done.¡±


    Carbon shook her head and Alex shrugged as they started in on the forms.


    It was basically what Dae indicated, but full of lawyer words that Alex had a tenuous grasp of. His eyes darted over to Carbon with a touch of envy. Her stack was shorter and the CPP had a personal AI waiting for her when they arrived, giving her near-instant access to any sort of reference material she needed. He got to ask questions.


    The sheer volume of the forms was unsettling, but each covered a unique aspect of the mission and the many, many things that went wrong. There was the original mission non-disclosure agreement and the new extended non-disclosure agreement. Then there was the encounter with the Eohm, which included special agreements for being in control of a government vehicle when it sustains damage, being attacked by hostile nonhuman entities, using emergency equipment, and using a government vehicle outside of normal operational parameters, to start.


    That didn¡¯t even eat up half of the pile. The rest covered seeing, touching and boarding an unknown object, using unidentified technology and having an alien foreign object implanted. It was a strange mix of documents that hadn¡¯t been altered in decades and a few that had been finished just days ago. It was only the second time in 60 years humanity had found abandoned technology, which had only been an old tkt settlement. There wasn¡¯t a lot of precedence.


    Alex took his time reading everything that had been put before him, even if it was slow going. It at least appeared that Carbon was doing the same. They took a break after an aide had delivered lunch, several hours into the day. By the time they had pushed through to the Tslao paperwork, they had been there for just over eight hours.


    Dae locked the signed forms up into two different briefcases and handed them off to another aide, securing the door as she left. ¡°Thank you for your patience with this. Many returning crews chafe at having to go over paperwork and there is usually much less to do.¡±


    ¡°I kind of expected it. Had a lot going on, you know?¡± Alex stood, stretched and leaned back against the table.


    Dae shook his head. ¡°Officially, I do not. So that you understand, Alex, that alone is almost too much information for you to give out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. This is going to take some getting used to.¡± He rubbed his eyes, which reminded him of how much his wrist hurt from all the writing.


    Carbon pushed her chair away from the table and stood apart from both of them. ¡°Thank you for your time, Mr. Yeong. If it is not troublesome, may I be shown to my room? It has been a very long week.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Shipmaster. Both of you have been given diplomatic quarters for the time being. It breaks with the decompression routine, but there is enhanced security and privacy up there.¡±


    ¡°That will do fine, thank you.¡± Carbon smiled faintly and gave him a shallow bow, little more than an incline of her head, some sort of formality. She¡¯d done the same thing to Alex when they had first met, without the smile.


    ¡°I could stand to get some rest, myself.¡±


    Dae nodded and led them out to the elevators, waving his badge over the call pad for an express that bypassed the rest of the hotel that occupied this portion of the upper tower in the station. It was very well appointed, with wood accents and a thick carpet and not a hint of the blue-gray paint that seemed to cover most everything else on the station.


    The floor they stopped at was more of the same, Dae showed them down a side corridor and dropped Alex off at his quarters before leading Carbon further down the hall.


    The room felt strange. It was nicer than anywhere Alex had stayed before, just short of being what he would consider opulent. Lots of real wood, granite counters in the bathroom and a king sized bed. At least the package of clothing they had left for him on the dresser was just standard CPP issue station gear. He picked it up and headed for the bathroom.


    Quarantine had bothered him a little, but that was still a very compact area. This was just... enormous. The bathroom alone was larger than his cabin on the Kshlav¡¯o had been. There was elbow room when he changed his clothes.


    Maybe it was better in the dark. He crawled into bed and tried to get comfortable. ¡°Lights, off.¡±


    He waited for several minutes. It didn¡¯t get better. He still did not like the dark. The room still felt empty and now he couldn¡¯t tell where anything was. Maybe he could sleep in the closet. Fold up the comforter and make a little bed...


    A knock at the door interrupted his descent. Alex wasn¡¯t sure he had heard it until it happened again. Someone was actually knocking on the door, not using the call button on the lock.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    He shuffled over towards the door controls in the dark and thumbed the button to activate the viewer. Only the top half of a head was visible, clearly Carbon. Probably no one else on the station had blue-black fur and antennae, anyway. He hit the panel, squinting into the light of the hallway. ¡°Hi.¡±


    Carbon pushed him back into the room and closed the door behind her, resting her head against his chest and slipping her arms around his waist. ¡°I have missed you, Alex.¡±


    ¡°I missed you too.¡±


    Carbon dragged him back to bed, not that he resisted. In the darkness the room still felt wrong, but Alex found it much more tolerable with Carbon¡¯s back against him. She draped his arm over her waist and shifted her head around on the pillow. Her antenna landed on top of his head with a muted thump and they shifted down into the shared existence.


    ¡±This is nice.¡± Carbon¡¯s mind felt smooth and hard, still prepared to deal with stresses beyond her control. There were little chips and cracks, though they seemed to be dissipating.


    ¡±It is. We should do this more often.¡± The Alex part warmed with mirth and cozied up to her.


    Carbon began to shift, still smooth but less rigid as she relaxed. ¡±I would find that desirable. I have been thinking about our relationship, Alex.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t sure what to make of that. He assumed it wasn¡¯t bad, it didn¡¯t feel bad when she had said it. He lacked the skill to successfully hide the burst of anxiety that it caused. ¡±Go on.¡±


    ¡±I wish to continue with this, but I fear you will be ostracized by your species if we do.¡± Carbon tried to ease his fears and radiated a calm presence.


    It actually worked very well, settling Alex down as he thought about his reply. ¡±I don¡¯t know if ostracized is the right word. It¡¯s new territory, I¡¯ve never heard of anyone else having a relationship like ours. There have been a few instances in human history where parallels could be drawn.¡±


    A hopeful sort of curiosity. ¡±How did those turn out?¡±


    ¡±In the long run or short term?¡±


    Followed immediately by disappointment. ¡±Ah. I had hoped that your race would be more accepting, you seem to deal with change well.¡±


    ¡±Really? Us? It takes decades before you see any social norms change...¡± He pondered that for a moment, ¡±Two generations, probably.¡±


    Carbon was quiet, ruminating and growing discouraged. ¡±I had hoped that there might be some refuge for us with one of our races.¡±


    ¡±The Tslao will not be accepting of this either, I take?¡± He couldn¡¯t avoid the worry lacing through his thoughts, an uneasy sense of loss already seeping in.


    She gave a sort of short, sharp laugh, sarcastic and pained. ¡±No. We are very insular, Alex. We do not like change, I fear the reaction would likely be worse from my people.¡±


    ¡±You don¡¯t seem to mind change.¡± At least, she didn¡¯t mind him.


    Carbon shifted, softer but still pessimistic. ¡±I am an individual with an unusual upbringing. When I was a child, we were taught that humans were dangerous and unpredictable, like wild animals among the stars. Had I not seen them, interacted with them myself... I would have believed it.¡±


    ¡±That does explain why we¡¯ve always had cool political relations.¡±


    A pulse of agreement. ¡±Before the disaster, the number of my people who have met humans did not even number into the hundreds. Many were terrified at how quickly you expanded your borders.¡±


    ¡±Wow. Okay... I probably keep a closer eye on things like this than most people, but that¡¯s not how the Tsla¡¯o were portrayed in history classes. I guess that concealing yourselves thing worked a treat.¡± Alex unfocused, silent and contemplative. ¡±I don¡¯t think we will be entirely alone here. My mother already likes you quite a bit.¡±


    Carbon rippled with a burst of shock and surprise at that. ¡±She does? I thought I had been rude the first time you passed a message from her to me?¡±


    ¡±Oh yeah, you snapped at me good for that and I, uh... I just started making up replies for you.¡± It had seemed like a civil thing to do at the time, but saying it now was just embarrassing. ¡°Nothing crazy, just polite responses that didn¡¯t really amount to anything. I didn''t want her to think you were mean.¡±


    Embarrassment and a curious type of admiration marbled her presence. ¡±Thank you for protecting my honor when I had done nothing to deserve it.¡±


    ¡±I figured you were having a hard time. You looked like you were. I just wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt.¡± Alex warmed, unaware that he had been doing her a favor at the time. He¡¯d mostly been doing it for his mom, who¡¯d been more interested in aliens than he ever had. ¡±What about your father? Would he accept us?¡±


    ¡±I do not think he would react well.¡±


    Her answer had come so quickly he was sure she had already been thinking about it. There was no hesitation, no more consideration to be done. She¡¯d had a week to do nothing but dwell on things. ¡±Oh. Your aunt?¡±


    Fear spiked in mind, cold and crisp. "No! No. She would never."


    That her reaction was strong enough to make him afraid as well, an echo of the ¡®narcotic effect¡¯ he had learned about before, was surprising and unsettling. ¡±Okay. Well... At least we have my family.¡±


    ¡±Is that enough?¡±


    ¡±It¡¯s a start.¡±


    Carbon thought on that awhile, bemused. ¡±It will have to do. I think we should do our best to keep our relationship hidden, until we have better gauged reactions to it.¡±


    ¡±I agree. Are you going to keep coming over?¡±


    The answer was coy and practically dripping with anticipation. ¡±No.¡±


    ¡±Liar.¡±


    A memory of a smile and a laugh. ¡±You are not the only one with a room, Alex.¡±


    He gave her that. ¡±I don¡¯t know where yours is.¡±


    ¡±It is the next one down the hall. How do you think I got here so quickly?¡±


    ¡±So should we trade off nightly?¡±


    ¡±We will decide what to do when the time comes.¡±


    Alex did the closest thing he could do to grinning. ¡±So every other night?¡±


    ¡±That sounds fine.¡± The Carbon part was amused by that, but quieted and became serious a moment later. ¡±Will you do something for me, Alex?¡±


    ¡±Sure, name it.¡±


    ¡±It has been a long week, will you show me a memory? An exciting one?¡±

 New Job

    Alex woke up to several changes. The room was dimly lit, but a squint at the bathroom made it clear that the light was on in there and the door left partially open, casting a sliver of warm light across the floor. He was quite sure that the shower was running as well. The most notable change was that Carbon was missing, the covers tossed back from where she had been. Lastly, there was a chime going off, quiet and pleasant.


    The first few fit together neatly. Alex had no idea what the chime was. He looked over at the clock: just after six AM station time. The noise wasn¡¯t coming from there, at least. He sat up and scanned the room. The lights on the door controls were flashing slowly, in time with the chime. Someone was waiting outside.


    A little panic shot through him as he jumped out of bed. He retrieved his clothes from the floor and hastily dressed himself as he stumbled over to close the bathroom door before tapping on the lights and returning his attention to the front door.


    They had decided to keep things under wraps and he would be damned if they would blow it on the first morning after making that decision. Having Dae show up at his quarters while she was taking a shower there was not his idea of feeling people out. He prepped a hasty and incredibly unconvincing lie - her shower was not functioning properly so she had to use his - as he toggled the viewer.


    It was a younger guy, maybe twenty or a little past that, wearing a shirt with the hotel logo on it standing next to a room service cart. Alex toggled the lock, stepping aside as he rolled the cart in and caught a glimpse of his name tag. Charles had a friendly sort of look about him, though he would disappear into a crowd with ease. He scanned the room and got a sly sort of a grin as he handed Alex a tablet with the bill. ¡°Continental breakfast... for two. The extra towels you requested are on the lower shelf.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah. Thank you.¡± It was just breakfast for one, with a fruit bowl on the side. Alex scribbled his name across the line and tapped a few extra dC onto the bill for a tip, handing it back just as the shower shut off.


    As Charles double checked the bill, the shower door opened and shut. Painfully slow, the young man nodded to himself and clasped the tablet in his hands behind his back and smiled broadly. ¡°Oh, no sir, thank yo-¡±


    Alex cut him off, eyes narrowing as he leaned in towards the young man. ¡°Leave.¡±


    That didn¡¯t wipe the smile off his face, but he was surprised. Charles backed up a step before he turned and walked briskly out into the hallway. Alex hadn¡¯t intended to be a jerk, but having things get out via a bellhop seemed to be the worst option.


    He toggled the lock after the door closed, turning on his heel to the bathroom. His voice was sharper than he had intended, incredulous as he opened the bathroom. ¡°You ordered breakfast?¡±


    Carbon was already swathed in his robe, towel draped over her head as she patted her antennae dry. ¡°Yes, there is an automated system. I also requested extra towels, to be delivered at 6:30.¡±


    His eyes darted to the clock embedded in the bathroom mirror, only 6:11. ¡°Huh. Well, they delivered early.¡±


    Her head snapped up, eyes glinting under the edge of the towel. ¡°Did they suspect anything?¡±


    ¡°I kicked him out when I heard the shower turn off. I¡¯m sure he suspects something that I¡¯d like to keep private is going on, but that could be any number of things...¡±


    ¡°Good. That is good.¡± She relaxed and went back to patting herself dry. ¡°I had expected to be done well before it arrived, or I would have woken you up.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°Just do that next time.¡±


    Carbon pressed the towel into her face and worked her hands backwards, coming away much dryer. She smiled warmly at him, ¡°I will.¡±


    Alex smiled back and stepped out of the bathroom, leaving her to finish her grooming. There was food and it had been a day since he¡¯d eaten. He poured himself a cup of coffee and perused the cart, pleased to see things he recognized. A croissant and fruit spread, boiled egg and... He picked up a slice of salami and smelled it. Floral and musty. Semi-exotic import from Lyuten, those flower notes had become their trademark. Fancy, befitting the high end room, not something he would have sought out on his own.


    He ate it anyway, washing it down with a long drink of coffee when the door started to chime again. He grimaced, more from the coffee being instant than another visitor so soon. A few moments worth of work erased Carbon¡¯s presence from the room and she gave him a dry smile as she closed the bathroom door.


    Alex had expected Dae with more paperwork, or Charles coming back for a tip that would make him much more discreet. What he got was someone he didn¡¯t recognize, but definitely a Navy officer going by the service khakis. He couldn¡¯t make out the rank insignia on the little viewer screen, but he was older, graying around the temples. Probably something higher up. This was a surprise.


    He straightened up and hit the controls. ¡°Hello there.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Sorenson. Captain Gladwell.¡± The Captain stuck his hand out and flashed a smile that came off as amicable though very well practiced. ¡°Good to see I didn¡¯t miss you this morning.¡±


    Alex had trouble believing someone from the military would have trouble finding his whereabouts while on station, but he didn¡¯t mention that as he shook Gladwell¡¯s hand. ¡°No, you didn¡¯t... Come on in.¡±


    He stepped inside and waited for the door to close before continuing. ¡°Thank you. I won¡¯t trouble you for long, son, seeing as you¡¯re in the middle of breakfast. Just need to drop your transfer papers off and say that I am very impressed with the artifact.¡±


    ¡°Transfer papers?¡± He bypassed the compliment entirely, taking the packet of documents that Gladwell offered him.


    ¡°You¡¯re being transferred from the CPP to the Office of Naval Intelligence.¡±


    ¡°But... I don¡¯t want to be transferred. I like being a pilot.¡± Alex stared at the paperwork, which seemed to validate what the Captain had just said.


    ¡°I understand that, son. But as you are aware, the Navy operates the CPP and your civilian consultant contract allows us to change your assignment. Right now, everything being as it is, we need you in Section 7.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me son.¡± He had a perfectly good father already. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±


    Captain Gladwell smiled again, much less amicable this time. ¡°As you wish, Mr. Sorenson. To be frank, we need intel on the Tsla¡¯o. You may have noticed the primer is threadbare and sometimes inaccurate.¡±


    Alex continued to not like where this was going. ¡°I had.¡±


    ¡°That is despite our best attempts at acquiring more information about them. Evidence suggests they have intentionally hidden their social structures from us in the past and the level of security awareness they possess at a civilian level is just short of remarkable. This all in addition to their distinct lack of trust in outsiders. This puts us at a disadvantage.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°According to the internal sensor logs on the Kshlav''o, we believe you are the first human to be... accepted by any Tsla¡¯o.¡± He paused and sized Alex up before continuing. ¡°Any information you could acquire would be of immense help, not only to the Navy, but the entire Confederation.¡±


    Alex spoke slowly, giving himself a few extra moments to parse what Gladwell was inferring. ¡°I don¡¯t think I want to be involved with this... I just want to be a pilot.¡±


    Gladwell looked less than impressed with that, all the geniality gone now. ¡°I¡¯m sure you do. You may terminate your contract at any time, Mr. Sorenson, and you will be transferred back to Earth immediately. I would strongly recommend coming down to our office and speaking with Rear Admiral Argueta before making a decision like that. She can lay the situation out much clearer than I can. Good day, sir.¡±

 Semantics

    Carbon was just shy of apoplectic after Gladwell left. They had discussed what to make of this, what options there were. What Alex¡¯s personal contact information was aside from his Navy email, should a meeting with Rear Admiral Argueta that afternoon go poorly. Carbon returned to her quarters just before Dae came to collect them to finish up the paperwork that had not arrived in time for them to finish the day before. Dae dressed like he was a manager, wearing slacks and a tie, in sharp contrast to the more casual attire both he and Carbon had opted for. A weird dichotomy that got them a lot of looks on the way back to the conference room.


    Alex didn¡¯t even consider that it might have been the alien in the trio that was getting the attention.


    When they arrived, Carbon had to initial a couple of places and sign once. Alex had another stack of folders waiting for him. While this one was not as prodigious as the last, this morning quickly turned into Carbon and Mr. Yeong chatting amiably over tea while he worked through yet more files about the details of the very bad things he¡¯d done with that extremely expensive government property, some of which was on loan.


    He¡¯d finished it up just in time for lunch, and after that, they had been allowed to return to the Kshlav¡¯o to retrieve their personal effects. Under escort, of course. Yeong pulled the first of several caution tape barriers down at the end of the gangplank and let them in the front airlock. Despite the damage, or perhaps because of it, there were no crews working on it today. The dorsal armor had been pulled off and left hanging from a bridge crane. The thick metal warped, and punctured in two places. How close the Eohm had gotten to killing them had never really clicked into place for him until now. The ship held through it, kept them both alive, and even facilitated their escape.


    Alex really hadn¡¯t been prepared for how that would make him feel. Certainly not for a ship he¡¯d only spent a few months on. Despite the unexpected hitch in his throat he pushed on, past the suits and into the main corridor. The airlock to the bridge had been locked out with a steel bar welded to the door, the largest radiation warning stickers he had ever seen plastered over it multiple times, and sprinkled with a few smaller biohazard warnings.


    There was a fair bit of him left in there.


    Carbon and Dae continued down the hall as he ducked into his old bunk. Someone had returned a control computer to it, the air circulating quietly, and the lights back on. It took him all of a minute to grab that box of plastic bricks, a couple of pictures, and some personal media he¡¯d brought and cram them into the bottom of a duffel bag. There, all his personal effects were taken care of. He had packed light, mostly just Civilian Pilot Program issued clothes. He hadn¡¯t expected to be out there forever, after all.


    Dae jogged back down the corridor as he pondered that, sliding the drawer he¡¯d been storing things in open. All the CPP clothes in it, some still in their vacuum bag. He wasn¡¯t going to be in the program for much longer. The thought left him gritting his teeth, molars grinding while he stuffed all of that into his bag too, anger he hadn¡¯t realized was so readily available surfacing as the career he¡¯d spent half his life working towards had been plucked out of his grasp, again. This time so some fucking spooks could update a manual.


    He realized he¡¯d been punching clothes into the bag more than stuffing them when he ran out, an empty fist packing the clothing down a few times.


    He had left a jumpsuit and a t-shirt in Carbon¡¯s laundry. The act of walking back down the hallway was strange after more than six months in zero g. He still reached out to a handhold on the wall to stop his forward momentum when he arrived at the open door to her cabin. ¡°Hey, did I-¡±


    Carbon¡¯s bed was flipped open, the base containing the external frame for her boosted armor, said armor resting in a network of cables and straps, most of the back held open to allow ingress. Carbon herself was standing, halfway undressed, between a packed duffle bag and a neatly ordered spread of guns of Tsla¡¯o make. ¡°Did you?¡± She inquired, as though this was a perfectly normal thing you see all the time.


    ¡°Why do you have so many guns?¡± He suspected the answer would have been roughly the same as him asking how she¡¯d gotten alcohol aboard a dry ship - it all went in before the ship was complete.


    ¡°To tailor my equipment to the expected threat.¡± Again she sounded like this was just an everyday sort of consideration.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Her first job as a Lan had been on a Tsla¡¯o battleship, so perhaps it was. ¡°Did I leave any of my clothes in your cleaner?¡±


    ¡°You did, I packed them into my bag.¡± She reached down to flip a switch on the frame, the head end of the suit rising until it was about 45 degrees from the floor. Carbon slipped out of her jumpsuit and stepped into the contraption, the armor sealing behind her. She glanced over at him as the fame disconnected piece by piece. ¡°I admit that I assumed you would not mind if I returned them later. It is acceptable?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll do.¡±


    Dae returned with a strip of red zipties in hand. ¡°These should work for your firearms, they¡¯re lockout tags with a cryptographic security- Is that combat armor?¡± His voice went up an octave, disbelief written across his face.


    Carbon had pushed herself back out of the support frame and stretched her arms. ¡°It is not rated for combat specifically. I will additionally need access to my tool room so that I can remove the frame,¡± she gestured at the array of machinery she¡¯d just stepped out of, ¡°all of this was gifted to me as an individual so I should not leave it on the ship.¡±


    He sighed and looked a bit like he didn¡¯t want to be dealing with this but had no choice. ¡°Everything to the aft should be unlocked, and if it isn¡¯t your access codes should still work.¡± He handed the lockout tags over, then loosened his tie. ¡°Suppose I¡¯ll find something to move all this gear with and somewhere appropriate to store it.¡±


    It was late afternoon by the time Alex settled into a stiff chair in the Rear Admiral¡¯s office. Getting all of that equipment out and into a secure locker, with a trip by station security to drop off a box full of alien guns and ammo for temporary storage in their vault, hadn¡¯t taken nearly as long as it seemed like it would. There had even been time to do something akin to relaxing, though he couldn¡¯t shake a growing sense of unease.


    Alex shifted uncomfortably and took a moment to really look around the office. The room was too warm and weirdly anachronistic. Dark wood panels covered the walls and floor, the Admiral¡¯s wide desk matching in color. Were it not for the modern terminal, he couldn¡¯t be sure what era he was sitting inside of.


    ¡°I trust you have reviewed the changes to your contract?¡± Rear Admiral Argueta sat across from him, her back straight and eyes scrutinizing. She was older than the Captain, short silver hair streaked with black. Hard to tell how old, though. Navy personnel were more likely to spend significant time in low or zero gravity, that threw off estimations.


    He reclined as far as he could, tried to feel comfortable and nodded slowly. The new contract just effected his transfer, providing almost no information on what he would be doing in Section 7. He had to look them up to find that they dealt specifically with alien concerns, from ship movements to artifacts. ¡°Oh yes. I admit, I¡¯m not exactly sure what an Intelligence Specialist does. But it sounds very desky.¡±


    The Admiral blanched, if you could call the minuscule movement of her face anything. ¡°The title is somewhat inaccurate. We do not have a job function that properly reflects what we would like you to do and this provides an adequate level of coverage for our purposes.¡±


    Captain Gladwell had laid out what they wanted him to do clearly enough, even if the contract didn¡¯t. ¡°Spying on the Tsla¡¯o?¡±


    She didn¡¯t like that at all. ¡°How did you come to that conclusion?¡±


    ¡°The Captain told me when he delivered the papers.¡±


    ¡°Delivered?¡± Her eyebrows raised, just enough to make Alex think that Gladwell was not supposed to have done that. ¡°Very well. Spying is an inappropriate term for our purposes. We have a significant intelligence disparity with the Tsla''o. Namely, we lack a solid understanding of their society, their mores and way of life.¡±


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Alex nodded once in agreement. ¡°The primer is kind of garbage.¡±


    Alex wasn¡¯t sure what the Admiral was thinking, deep brown eyes boring into his. Probably hadn¡¯t appreciated that, though. ¡°Our interest in you is twofold. Currently, you are the only Human with any sort of experience with the artifact you discovered. This alone would be enough to bring you on board as the investigation into it will be ramping up shortly.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t considered that, particularly since Gladwell seemed pretty focused on what Alex assumed would be the second half of her reasoning. ¡°That¡¯s understandable.¡±


    ¡°Beyond that, we have been made aware of your... dalliances with the Shipmaster Tshalen during your mission. We would like you to continue your relationship with her, ingratiate yourself into her favor and learn as much as you can about them. Considering your interest in anthropology, you seem to be particularly well equipped for this task.¡±


    He smiled and laughed. His background in anthropology had been what made Carbon pick him to be her Pilot in the first place. ¡°Just observing... secretly, to collect information?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There is a significant difference between observation and spying, Alex. You will not be trained in, or use any sort of tradecraft. Just pay attention and write reports on your findings. We would not turn down access to any books or data stores, but by no means should you attempt to acquire them surreptitiously.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not really the thieving type anyway.¡± He kicked the thought around for a long while. The way she laid it out was acceptable. It wasn¡¯t what he wanted to do, but it was... fine. Better than quitting and heading back to Earth with an unusually short stint as a pilot, and not able to discuss the actual why of the situation. Alex tamped down the part of himself that was excited he was basically going to be getting paid to date Carbon before he responded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m in.¡±


    A single eyebrow went up, altering the network of thin wrinkles around her eye. She didn¡¯t say anything for a moment, apparently surprised at his response. ¡°Excellent, welcome to the Office of Naval Intelligence. You should get the formal papers via your navy.mil email in the next day or two, and you will be issued appropriate ID on your way out. Beyond that, you should expect to hear from medical about having your wetware upgraded.¡±


    ¡°Upgraded?¡± It was his turn to be surprised. ¡°If I¡¯m not piloting I don¡¯t need an Amp anymore.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll retain your Amp. That¡¯s part of the deal for CPP pilots, and the Navy will uphold that.¡± The Admiral had relaxed slightly, eyes on her terminal for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s a necessary part of the upgrade we have slated for you as well, a full Immersion Translator suite in the Tsla¡¯o language.¡±


    He let out a low whistle. Immersion translators would, depending on the model, translate four to sixty-four conversations at once. For human languages they were expensive, getting one for Tsla would probably be outrageous. ¡°Nice. Though, ah... The only Tsla¡¯o I know speaks English fluently.¡±


    She sighed and looked at the clock. ¡°It is being issued with the expectation that you will go on to meet other Tsla¡¯o through her. There will be more of them in Sol, this is a guarantee. Perhaps you will be allowed to travel to their systems with less security than we are normally forced to endure. Time will tell.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll be listening to them without them knowing? Surreptitiously, you might say?¡±


    ¡°Listening is not spying.¡±


    Alex had his doubts about that. ¡°I suppose I¡¯m not to tell anyone I¡¯ve got one, though.¡± He already knew he''d be telling Carbon before he got it installed.


    She nodded in agreement. ¡°Not to anyone. While we are discussing your hardware suite, there is another item we would like you to test.¡±


    ¡°Test?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is an experimental device based on the Whisper that may prove advantageous for trade with the Tsla¡¯o.¡±


    Whisper was the brand name for a less invasive version of the Amp, a sub-dermal circumcranial implant. They provided a less immersive experience, but it was a surgery that didn¡¯t require opening up the skull at all. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, experimental?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You are familiar with the Tsla¡¯o mind linking ability.¡± A statement there, not a question. ¡°The Marines field tested the modified Whisper for enhanced unit cohesion via a similar, wireless, mind link several years ago. They passed on the concept, but now it appears that the Tsla¡¯o may present an opportunity to not let this research go to waste.¡±


    Alex was surprised at how tantalizing the idea of having the same ability as Carbon was, but he managed to keep any indication of that out of his reaction. ¡°You want me to field test an experimental commercial product?¡±


    ¡°I want you to ingratiate yourself to the Shipmaster Tshalen and be allowed to experience their culture as fully as possible. This is not without benefit to them, either. Coming away from the disaster, one of the most common injuries noted by Search and Rescue crews was damage to the antennae. It seems to comprise an important part of their day-to-day life and we estimate at least a hundred million of them have partially or fully destroyed antennae. Anecdotal evidence indicates the loss of these can cause deep psychological trauma.¡±


    Carbon¡¯s stress from a few months of not having that connection was bad - and that was just because she was abstaining in a stressful environment. Having that ability taken away by an accident, never to have it returned... ¡°It would.¡±


    ¡°For unknown reasons, they have not sought our assistance to regrow them using mediboards, and they do not seem to have any sort of technological replacement. If it works as intended, the Whisper would allow them to have the lost abilities back and generate goodwill towards us.¡±


    His face twisted with disdain, words sarcastic. ¡°And we could sell a fundamentally impaired people millions of units in the process. Stupendous.¡± He sighed and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll go for it, but I¡¯ll give it a try.¡±


    Her head tilted, almost imperceptible as she ignored his tone. ¡°Why would they turn an opportunity like that down?¡±


    The question gave Alex a moment of pause. He was sure they had discussed this outloud on the Kshlav¡¯o at least once. Did the black box not record audio as well as video? Or was this a test? ¡°They don¡¯t like invasive procedures or machines being ¡®in¡¯ their minds.¡±


    The Admiral¡¯s head leveled out and she looked like she was making a mental note. ¡°Interesting. I would still prefer you try it, see if it is viable for them. The Shipmaster is likely well connected, a few good words here or there may change minds.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s well connected. I suppose it is a time of change for them in general, maybe something will come of it.¡± Carbon had said that very thing before he had left to meet Argueta.


    ¡°All we ask is that you try. Do you have any further questions?¡±


    ¡°No, not right now. I think I¡¯m good.¡± Alex pushed the chair back as he stood, one of the feet squeaking across the floor. He reached down into his cargo pocket and retrieved a small data chip and set it on the desk. ¡°Oh, there is one thing. Lan Tshalen sends her regards and a gift. Just some old books, but it should help us along.¡±


    That, Rear Admiral Argueta definitely did not like. She started to stand, dark eyes burning. ¡°You told her?¡±


    ¡°No. Your man Gladwell showed up and started flapping his jaws just after she got out of my shower. Speaking generally, she agrees that they have been too secretive for too long.¡± No sense in pretending the Admiral didn¡¯t know they were in a relationship.


    Her jaw worked as she sat back down, finally settling into a faint smirk. ¡°Good. I¡¯m glad she¡¯s on board with this.¡±


    Alex shook his head. ¡°She¡¯s not on board. Finds the idea that you would attempt to coerce me with what she perceived as a threat, even a minor threat, to be reprehensible. It offended her on a personal level, her first recommendation was that I should simply leave.¡±


    There was more than little confusion on her face now. ¡°I had nothing to do with what Gladwell said. He shouldn¡¯t have even contacted you in person, this is something traditionally handled by email.¡±


    ¡°She sees things differently, Admiral. She is an alien. Her expectations for accountability in the chain of command are much more rigid. I did manage to convince her that hearing you out may clear things up and I feel it has, I would not give you the data otherwise.¡± He sighed and rubbed a hand down his face, ¡°but damn an email would have made today a lot less shitty.¡±


    She considered everything for a moment. ¡°She will not work against our goals?¡±


    ¡°No. She does not believe that I will be accepted widely by her people, but she is willing to show me around, and attempt to facilitate a better understanding of their ways.¡± This was all something Carbon wanted to do anyway, though her reasons were somewhat more selfish.


    Argueta picked the chip up and flipped it over, a simple red and white logo marking it as a massed produced terabit unit you could pick up just about anywhere, the label that once read ¡®Alexs Music¡¯ struck out with a single line. ¡°Will she help us more, directly?¡±


    ¡°Nope. She might have if someone had come to her and asked for help. Gladwell pretty much blew any chance of that. As I said, she was very offended by that exchange.¡±


    She grimaced, the first full expression Alex had seen on her so far. It passed and she tapped the chip on the desk, nodding to herself. ¡°Very well. When you see her next, give her my thanks. See if she will stop by so I can apologize for the Captain¡¯s behavior in person.¡±

 Burden to Bear

    ¡°Turns out they want me for two reasons.¡± Alex tried leaning back in his chair, but like every hotel chair he¡¯d ever sat in, it was just a little too small. This one was plush, comfortable even, though the seat wasn¡¯t wide or long enough and the back didn¡¯t come up to where one could reasonably expect to recline. It wasn¡¯t like there was a way to steal these or something - you couldn¡¯t throw it out a window to your mates on a space station. He adjusted his posture again, sitting up and stabbing a fork into his salmon. ¡°For what Gladwell had his fit about, and because I¡¯m the only person with any experience on the artifact.¡±


    Carbon was a quarter of the way through her obnoxiously large ribeye already. ¡°The only one they can expect to be able to control without causing problems.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s... Probably how they¡¯re looking at it.¡± It didn¡¯t sound as good when she put it that way.


    ¡°And you felt as though the Admiral was being honest about this?¡± She talked around a piece of steak, eyebrows arched as she glanced up at him.


    ¡°I know I¡¯m not always the best judge of character, but she seems far more earnest about the whole thing. I guess it feels like they¡¯re just keeping me on retainer more than anything? Not for any particular skill or capability I¡¯ve shown, just because I¡¯ve lucked into a couple of experiences outside the scope of human experience until now.¡± Alex paused to separate a piece of skin from the rest of the fish and scooted it over to the edge of his plate. ¡°Not gonna lie, that is making me feel a lot less accomplished in life.¡±


    ¡°It was only your capability that allowed you to ¡®luck¡¯ into those experiences.¡± She said, giving him an affectionate nudge under the table. ¡°Was it luck that allowed you to use the Eohm¡¯s own sense of morality to prevent them from firing on the Kshlav¡¯o almost long enough to jump? Or how you used the sensors to blind incoming missiles?¡±


    Alex stopped a forkful of salmon halfway to his mouth and looked at her, head tilted to the side. ¡°How¡¯d you know I did that?¡±


    Carbon smirked at him and waggled her antenna. ¡°Well, was it luck?¡±


    Of course she¡¯d seen it. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t. Frying missiles with scanners is an old trick, hard to defend against but also hard to pull off. And using the Eohm against each other was an educated guess. We were lucky it worked.¡±


    ¡°So it is our luck that did all these things, and not just your luck?¡± She was incredibly amused by this line of thought, idly stroking Alex¡¯s ankle with her toes as she continued, ¡°I just say that because I believe I have had some amount of fortune as well...¡±


    ¡°M-maybe it was just your luck carrying me the whole time.¡± He stammered there, once, not expecting what he was perceiving as a compliment, a blush on his cheeks as he recalled that what she was doing under the table has a somewhat more intimate connotation to the Tsla¡¯o.


    There was no hiding the glee in her response to that. ¡°It is possible. Between my bountiful luck and your skills, we made it out of that situation alive and well.¡±


    ¡°Please, your knowledge of the systems onboard was critical to getting us back.¡± He gestured with his fork, tines coated in a creamy tuscan sauce, and very much nearly composed again. ¡°Even if they were standard Human waverider drives, even with the very detailed repair guides, I don¡¯t think I could have pulled off a fix like that.¡±


    ¡°So you agree it was just skill and not luck?¡±


    Alex started to say something, catching his immediate response mid-syllabyl. He sat up, realizing he¡¯d been argued into a corner by someone who was inhaling a steak at an alarming rate and hadn¡¯t even slowed down to do it. ¡°Ahah, I see. Fine, yes! I agree.¡±


    ¡°I knew you would come around on that.¡± She beamed, another bit of ribeye disappearing into her slender muzzle. ¡°How is your... ah, salmon? Yes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good but I¡¯m regretting my choice.¡± It was actually the best he¡¯d ever had. But sitting arms length away from a steak that looked like it could be used to advertise beef and smelled even better, sort of dampened that.


    ¡°Would you like to try it?¡± She asked, the razor sharp steak knife poised and ready to cut.


    He took a deep breath and pondered that question for about a half a second. ¡°Actually, I would.¡±


    She offered up a bite, and he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this was normal behavior for Tsla¡¯o or if she¡¯d picked it up from Humans. Carbon had mentioned that she¡¯d seen Human couples before while getting the drives installed on the Kshlav¡¯o. Presumably it would change her behavior in this relationship, but how much? There must not be any sort of deep seated taboo about sharing food or utensils... These thoughts didn¡¯t stop him from going for it, though.


    Alex hadn¡¯t thought about it in awhile, but she had fed him while he was stuck on the mediboard with broken limbs, and that was when their relationship was somewhat cooler and more professional. There were a lot of variables on just this one interaction, a fork held over a table. Carbon had only occasionally used a fork, for that matter. Trying to suss out Tsla¡¯o culture with just her as a sample size was going to be impossible unless she wrote the reports for him.


    One thing was certain, he¡¯d chosen wrong as far as dinner was concerned. ¡°Damn that¡¯s a good steak.¡±


    ¡°Is it? We do not have livestock that produce pieces of meat like this, I have no point of reference.¡± She pondered another very rare bite stuck on the tines, turning it slowly. ¡°The... fat striations are unusual. Though I am finding it is very easy to become accustomed to.¡±


    ¡°The chef here is excellent. I can barely tell that¡¯s vatmade.¡± He went back to the salmon, likely also vatmade given the distance to the nearest ocean they live in could currently be measured in astronomical units. Yes, there were plenty of ways to ship things like that, but running food fabrication onboard was the most efficient way for larger ships and stations to stay stocked.


    ¡°The menu said these were true meats.¡± She took another bite like that wasn¡¯t a big deal.


    ¡°Are you- what. No.¡± Alex reached for the data pad they had ordered room service with and scrolled through it until he found the ribeye and hit the little asterisk to pop up more information. ¡°All foods served in Gardien de Phare are naturally grown on Earth unless otherwise noted. Huh.¡±


    ¡°You seem bothered by that?¡±


    He scrolled down to the salmon, which specifically stated that it was wild line caught. Where did he even start? ¡°Not bothered, I think. Just- I do feel a little shocked. I¡¯m from there and I¡¯ve never had actual, used-to-be-living beef or fish before. Vegetables every now and then, maybe on a holiday. It¡¯s kind of expensive to buy the real stuff. But otherwise almost everything came from the deck¡¯s fabricator or hydroponics.¡±


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Carbon was silent when he finished speaking, hands resting on the table that she was staring through, brow furrowed in contemplation. ¡°Was... it a problem for you? For your family?¡±


    ¡°What, vatmeat? Nah, it¡¯s fine. Having had several kinds of fabbed fish and now this, I can actually say that with some amount of authority.¡± He laughed, though the joke didn¡¯t gain any traction with Carbon. ¡°The main difference is variation. You don¡¯t get a lot of it from-¡±


    ¡°You said it was expensive, was that ever an issue? Did you ever...¡± She looked up at him and hesitated, her body tensed. Like she couldn¡¯t figure out how to finish that question without breaking some taboo he actually wasn¡¯t aware of.


    ¡°Was food ever an issue?¡± It wasn¡¯t a particularly long jump to figure out where she was going.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°No, we just didn¡¯t buy the expensive stuff. Particularly when it came to produce. You can¡¯t tell a hydro potato from a ground potato. I can¡¯t anyway.¡± He pushed his fork through a little mound of rice pilaf, separating the grains from the bits of onion and celery. All of it likely the real deal. ¡°We had a dispenser too, but mom and dad both liked cooking so it didn¡¯t get a lot of use. Mostly just made coffee. And juice that tasted a little like coffee.¡±


    Carbon relaxed and laughed softly at that last joke. ¡°I am- I am glad, Alex. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Of course. You know if you have any questions like that, that you are not sure how to ask, I¡¯m not going to be upset about you asking.¡± Despite the best fish he¡¯d ever had now being fine at best, he continued eating it. ¡°Consider me an open book.¡±


    ¡°I should have. You have never given me a reason to believe you are not.¡± Her tone was still subdued, her previous pace through the steak before her dialed down to nothing now as she rolled a carrot along the crisp white china plate, lost in thought.


    ¡°Something going on over there?¡±


    ¡°I have... Nnh, my momentary concern about your childhood has reminded me of why I am here in the first place.¡±


    Alex sifted through the things he thought that ¡®here¡¯ could pertain to. Eating dinner? No, too narrow a focus. Same with being in his room again. The station? It could have something to do with what happened on the Kshlav¡¯o, but that didn¡¯t feel quite right as well. Why she was on- oh, yes. ¡°About the disaster on Schon?¡±


    She nodded and slid the plate away from herself. ¡°Have you heard much about it? I saw what Ed had shown you, but I did not want to see more.¡±


    ¡°Then you saw almost all I know. That little incident wasn¡¯t long before launch and there were a lot of sync-data changes for the drives coming in, for obvious reasons.¡± He set his fork down and wiped his mouth, stopping while she did. ¡°Mostly just kept my head in that. I didn¡¯t need to know more, what I was doing wasn¡¯t just exploration anymore. I felt the weight of it.¡±


    Carbon picked up her glass of water, real crystal based on the sounds it made when the room service had set the table, and looked into it for a moment before putting it back. When she looked back at him there was terrible guilt in her expression, bright blue eyes darting away after a moment. ¡°Due to my station, I am more well versed about the situation on Schon than most. Those of us outside the ashfall want for less and less. For those inside, the situation does not change. Rationing is tight, everything is very scarce. I have seen the videos, read the reports. Endless night, city-wide shields humming and cracking constantly.¡±


    ¡°That sounds distressing.¡± Alex didn¡¯t feel like eating anymore, either.


    ¡°And I sit here in these luxurious quarters, dining on rarified foods from my boyfriend¡¯s homeworld - my alien boyfriend! Not a single thought given to my people living in that nightmare.¡± Anger colored her words now as she held herself in contempt of her own race.


    ¡°Hang on. You didn¡¯t make the decisions that landed you here.¡± He bristled at the tone she got when talking about her alien boyfriend, though Alex knew it wasn¡¯t directed at him. ¡°You didn¡¯t ask for diplomatic quarters, they were issued to us. And since we¡¯re living under the watchful eye of the Diplomatic Security Services now, we have one place to order from.¡±


    ¡°I did not.¡± She was still mad at herself, and seemed to be set on staying that way. ¡°I am still enjoying them.¡±


    ¡°What are you supposed to do, call down to the restaurant that doesn¡¯t even list prices on it¡¯s menu for some hard tack and dish water?¡±


    She gave him a puzzled glance, hard tack being a bit too obscure for her. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we can just take a trip back to Schon and you can fly down there real quick and offload a couple of cities.¡± Despite how casually he said it, that comment was way sharper than he wanted it to be. But she was angry at someone he¡¯d come to care deeply about, and that wouldn¡¯t stand.


    ¡°You- Wh-¡± Carbon leaned forward and hissed something in Tsla he didn¡¯t even manage to catch part of, ears all the way back and eyes narrow as she glared at him, a surprising number of sharp little teeth on display.


    Goodness, did that feel like a threat. At least she wasn¡¯t mad at herself anymore. ¡°Did you give up on them?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Dark blue lips settled back down, teeth put away though her posture didn¡¯t change. ¡°I would never.¡±


    ¡°I know you wouldn¡¯t. I haven¡¯t even known you for a year, and I know that you are that kind of tenacious.¡± He let out a sigh, Carbon¡¯s offensive posture easing back further as he spoke. ¡°You did what you set out to do. We came back with six habitation-viable planets, ten more that are resource rich, and dozens of mineable asteroid fields. All of that data has already been sent to your government. Would more be nice? Sure. But don¡¯t get mad at yourself for not being able to fix this instantly. I know you just got me to say it wasn¡¯t luck, but it was luck. We almost died bad, several times. We were real close to not coming back. But we did. We saw things that shouldn¡¯t exist along the way. So you can embark on another facet of helping your people soon. I know you will. But for now, you need to decompress.¡±


    Carbon fiddled with her fingers, avoiding eye contact but clearly back to actually thinking.


    Alex had said some things in that little speech that he¡¯d been... avoiding. Now, loose from the hole he had crammed them into, they wandered his thoughts freely. He was her boyfriend, yes, but he was the new interest. He didn¡¯t really have anything useful to add to the whole ¡®get the Tsla¡¯o off their wrecked planet¡¯ thing she had going on for the last couple of years, aside from some emotional support.


    He was an experienced pilot, though. He was even familiar with the main tenet of flying in ash: don¡¯t. Every surface it came in contact with would end up abraded, it would choke every sort of engine that wasn¡¯t fully sealed, and had a tendency to cake on thrusters when they got hot enough to melt it back into lava.


    How would you even load up a ship in that environment? Certainly their cities hadn¡¯t been built with this as a potential problem in mind. You¡¯d have to fly on instruments all the way down, who knows what sort of navigation systems and landing areas were left. Ships would have to set down outside the shielded areas and walk people through the ashfall. It¡¯d be everywhere in the hold. There''d have to be maintenance done after every trip to make sure the next one didn¡¯t end in a crater.


    She interrupted his pondering of the difficulties they were facing with a quiet statement. ¡°I am sorry I called you that.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t understand enough of it, what did you say?¡± He didn¡¯t have his tablet on hand to run it through the translator even if he had, and he got the feeling it wouldn¡¯t have been in there anyway.


    Carbon made a negative little noise and shook her head.


    Yikes. ¡°Well, apology accepted as long as you promise to tell me someday.¡±


    ¡°Someday, if you ask again.¡± The glance she gave him, brief as it was, said she would prefer it if he did not ask again.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Alex gave her a shrug, not wanting to argue about something like that. ¡°I love you, and I do that knowing you¡¯re not a miracle worker. I wish you did too.¡±


    There was a particular sadness in her eyes as she looked back up, meeting his gaze for a moment before standing and walking over to his bed. Carbon laid down with her hands folded over her sternum, staring at the ceiling in silence, motionless save for her jaw working as she struggled with whatever she didn¡¯t yet want to speak.


    Alex cleaned up the table. Put the food away in the little fridge, all the silverware and napkins returned to the cart that he rolled back into the hall. He dimmed the lights and sat next to her on the bed, patting her shoulder gently. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be okay. I know you¡¯ll do everything you can.¡±


    She rolled over and hugged herself to his back, squeezing him hard. ¡°But what if it is not enough?¡±

 Vacation

    Carbon laid around in bed well after Alex had left to go do... Naval Intelligence work. Whatever the first day of his new job would entail. He had no idea, but he left a perfectly nice bed and went back to their warren of offices elsewhere on the station at an hour that felt uncivilized. It hadn¡¯t been specified that he had to do it that day, but he wanted to get it done. Stay moving.


    Not think about things.


    The warm spot he had left under the covers had cooled, which was incredibly rude. A largely immutable feature of physics, yes, but still rude. She tossed the covers back, grumbled, and padded softly into the shower. She¡¯d give them some amount of credit, every Human made shower she¡¯d used had been great. Plenty of pressure and the ability to crank the temperature up so much further than should be safe was exactly what she needed.


    What she didn¡¯t need was for the clock to still say it was before seven AM station time when she finally got dried off. He must have shown up at the offices at six, which she recalled was first shift on the CS Haultain when she was overseeing the installation of her drives into the Kshlav¡¯o. It was too early then, it is decidedly too early now. Yet he got up to go deal with whatever they needed him for.


    And she was the one that needed to decompress. Mmh.


    He wasn¡¯t wrong, she did. He did too. She pulled yesterday¡¯s jumpsuit back on and retreated to her quarters to get a fresh one while pondering exactly what to do with the seven or so hours of free time and the mental resolve to not throw herself into the thresher again immediately. Not that she could, yet. Her contact within the Empire had said a ship had been set to retrieve her. It was probably a few days away yet, perhaps a week, depending on which they sent.


    She¡¯d consider the ramifications of that later. Talk about it later. Today she would actively do nothing of import. Take advantage of the fact that she was surrounded by people who were not all deeply traumatized, enjoy life for a little bit without external pressure. How long had it been? Decades? Had she not felt those forces as a child, well before the disaster?


    Perhaps it had been never.


    Perhaps today would be auspicious. She would start with the rest of that steak.


    Carbon pulled her boots back on and cursed herself quietly after she realized she¡¯d left the steak in his room, which she did not have access to when he was not in it. So much for that breakfast plan. The Diplomatic Services team had left a very thorough rundown of what was available on the station on the room¡¯s pad. A handful of restaurants, from the fine dining kitchen that handled the room service here, all the way to a... sci-fi themed retro-future diner. Too many hyphens on that. The one that caught her eye was more of a footnote. There was a cafeteria for station employees.


    She¡¯d eaten at the closer of the two cafeterias on the Haultain for a few meals before her dispenser had been installed on the Kshlav¡¯o. Desperate to not eat another meal from a packet. It was similar enough to how the Tsla¡¯o handled dining for personnel on their military ships that it felt familiar, even though it also came with a lot of questioning looks and alien foods that, at the time, she hadn¡¯t done more than scan to ensure biocompatibility.


    What in the hells had she even been eating? Ground meat cylinders that must have been some kind of sausage. Everybody made sausage. Fluffy yellow protein slurry. A pastry? Yes, there had been a pastry, heavily spiced and slathered in sugar. How deeply had she been allowing herself to drown in her work that she hadn¡¯t even thought about what she was eating.


    Carbon pulled the laces tight and knotted them, tucking the excess away before pulling the jumpsuit down over the tops of her boots. Don¡¯t forget yourself. There had been a layer of arrogance at play there, as well. It was just Human food. Inherently inferior, no sense in paying attention to it. Would you ever admit to having enjoyed it, let alone having eaten it? Of course not. But things had changed.


    She had changed. Today would be auspicious for her, at least.


    Which is how Carbon had ended up at the cafeteria, sitting in a quiet corner with a tray that had begun to bow under the assortment of food they¡¯d given her when she foolishly and perhaps a little proudly asked to try a bit of everything. Five drinks waiting beyond that. Half the cafeteria staff watching from across the way.


    They had said they¡¯d never had an alien come through. Which, given that it was only her CPP badge that had allowed her access to this part of the station, made sense. Several of them had been positively enthused about this. The rest seemed too busy to care.


    The absurd variety was what she was coming to expect from Human culinary arts. Eggs - the protein slurry - served four ways. Two types of sausage, bacon and ham - apparently different parts of the same animal. A fruit salad with at least five types of fruit. A waffle with a pancake and egg toast haphazardly stacked on it, all with ample amounts of that milk product they seem to put in everything, and refined tree sap. Four more kinds of toasted bread. Preserved fruit and more of that solidified milk product for the bread. A small bowl of rice, steaming hot and sprinkled with seasonings, with yet another egg cracked on top. Finally, a neatly ordered row of pastry stacked like books that had shifted on a shelf. All of them different in ways she hadn¡¯t caught despite her best intentions.


    The beverages sat like a fence to retain the range of solid foods should their containment within the tray fail. Orange juice, grape juice, a ¡®smoothie¡¯, coffee, hot chocolate. With a recommendation to mix the last two to produce a sixth drink.


    It took a long time to eat that much, not that she could finish it. The flavors all started to blend together after a bit, almost everything being either salty-savory or overwhelmingly sweet. While it stood in stark contrast to Alex¡¯s attempts to tailor food experiences to her sensibilities, as much as he could at the time, none of it was bad. Far too much sap for her tastes, though. The cafeteria personnel celebrated among themselves when she asked for something to take the still enormous amount of food back to her quarters in, packing it up and removing the dishes despite everyone else having to clear their own. They even brought her a pre-mixed ¡®mocha¡¯ beverage that she¡¯d enjoyed in a cup with a lid specifically meant to be drunk through while doing things.


    Benefits of being the first alien through the place, apparently.


    By the time she¡¯d managed to figure out how to fit everything into her tiny refrigerator - another interesting anachronism. Stasis storage would be so much more effective and the power requirements shouldn¡¯t be excessive, but they put food in cold anyway - it was just past eight. She traded a few emails with Admiral Argueta¡¯s aide, setting up a meeting for that afternoon, and sent Alex one letting him know she¡¯d be doing that. They would discuss her excessive breakfast in person.


    All of this had not made an appreciable dent in her day, so she returned to the pad to see what else she could be filling a few hours with. First and foremost was the Exploration Museum. A dozen historical ships, and dozens more smaller exhibits. That should take care of things for a while, even if it was tangentially related to most of her work through her life so far. Station employees even got in for free, and an hour early. Again she set out.


    As she sipped her drink in the elevator, the fairly rash idea of simply putting a few holes in a lid that was barely attached to a cup was starting to grow on her. The convenience of not having to unlock something every time you wanted a drink wasn¡¯t something she¡¯d allow in any of the engineering spaces she had overseen, but just out in public it seemed sufficient. Unless you dropped it, or the gravity failed.


    The doors opened to a deck that looked like a park. The space was two stories tall and by the smell of it, contained real plants. A pleasant open area that separated the lifts from the museum, the entire wall beyond the trees a mix of polished stone and tall sheets of glass, the nose of a red and very well worn ship visible inside. She tossed her empty coffee cup into a bin and proceeded to the entrance.


    ¡°Welcome to the Space Exploration Mus- oh. Uh, it¡¯s uh. Employees only for about another forty-five minutes.¡± The dark-haired woman in the admissions booth had sounded rather bored before she had swiveled her chair back around and spotted someone she clearly hadn¡¯t expected.


    ¡°Good, I have never particularly enjoyed crowds.¡± Carbon tapped her obviously Human-made ID badge on the scanner and it beeped cheerfully.


    ¡°Oh.¡± The woman - Mei, according to her name tag - looked between the badge, a screen on her side of the booth, and then back at Carbon. She went through this cycle two more times before settling on a friendly response, sliding a museum branded pad across the desktop. ¡°Well then, like I said: general admission opens in about forty-five minutes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Carbon smiled politely and went about her way, the doors unlocking as she approached.


    Mei leaned out over the counter, shouting after her. ¡°Oh, the H¨­k¨±le?a is up on the third floor!¡±


    Carbon wasn¡¯t sure why she thought that was important, but gave her a polite nod and thanked her before passing through the doors.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    The red ship that was visible from outside loomed overhead, the initial path into the museum running under it. It looked like a seed that had been stretched out, sleek and packed with sensor equipment pointing out from armored shutters in almost every direction. It wasn¡¯t even a proper ship, the pad informing her it was a drone used by the Civilian Pilot Program to perform primary mapping scans. It had no proper thrust capability, instead just using a rupture drive to- she stopped reading and looked up at it in horror.


    The pad continued its narration of the exhibit undeterred. ¡°Due to the enormous amounts of radiation a ship using a rupture drive is subjected to when exiting a jump, the museum only has a full size model. All active units are disposed of in a neutron star at the end of their lifecycle.¡±


    At least Humans had the good sense to not to put a violently radioactive ship in a museum, or those drives on something that had a crew. And, she supposed, the use case was good. Rupture drives on something this small would be very efficient. Keeping the jump points in deep space reduced the likelihood of an exit pulse damaging anything, and the amount of guesswork needed made them almost impossible to track back more than one or two jumps. Alright. That was an acceptable use of such a dangerous technology.


    Not like the Tsla¡¯o didn¡¯t have a few launch platforms that used that same system, but those weren¡¯t something that would end up in a museum.


    The next display was satellites. Humanity¡¯s first forays into space. Each model was the first launched by its respective government, rapidly growing from a simple silver sphere to more complex though frail looking designs, over a shockingly short period of time. Tsla¡¯o satellite technology had not come about from something like the ¡®space race¡¯ that kept getting mentioned, but rather the constant and careful iteration of technologies. Durable, long lasting equipment was the only thing that would be fit for orbit.


    The robots they sent to their other local planets displayed a much less haphazard methodology. Drones of varying sizes, mostly with six or eight wheels, stood on display in mockups of the planets they had landed on. One was loose. A triangular body on six wheels and a pair of cameras mounted on a mast rising from the front, a modern copy of Opportunity cruised around at what was its maximum speed on Mars. Strangely endearing looking, and incredibly durable given how much longer it had run compared to what had been planned. That was engineering worth remembering.


    She wandered the rest of the first floor, exhibits expounding on how they went about getting out into the black. Rockets, missiles, a centrifugal launcher, balloons. Launching spacecraft from aircraft. Expanding her understanding of the frantic madness of humanity¡¯s attempts at reaching space. All this ending on an antique module from their first International Space Station. Finally they weren''t all just competing against each other at a national level. This was far and away the most stressful museum in existence.


    The second floor was crewed flight. From horrific accidents, to the first Humans on the moon and mars, they had just gotten around on chemical rockets and coasting. Putting living creatures on chemical rockets.


    Absurd.


    The designs started to change once they had figured out ion-impeller thrusters. Space flight became more common as the energy requirements dropped precipitously. Trips to their neighbor Mars took days. Mining the asteroid belt became feasible. New wars broke out.


    Then the rupture drive was discovered, tearing holes in space-time to slip through at speeds that shouldn¡¯t be possible, allowing access to any part of Sol in minutes, and even nearby solar systems in short order. New wars broke out.


    Carbon scrubbed the audio back to be sure she hadn¡¯t gone over the same piece of narration twice. Nope. New wars just break out all the time for Humans. That¡¯s not unsettling at all.


    The first version of the Confederation was born out of these wars. A laser-scored section of armor from the ENS Eurycyda stood here, destroyed at the battle of 61 Cygni. The territories of Sol put together their forces long enough to bring the outlying colonies to heel and dragged them into a loosely defined government. Finally a choice that made any sense at all. Would a proper empire have been better? Yes, absolutely. But a hundred disparate groups all killing each other over trade deals and territory disputes was objectively the worst.


    Finally, the biggest step: Waverider drives. No more discarding hulls after they became too radioactive, or giving everyone on a space station a lethal dose of radiation because of a too-close approach. The actual first Human waverider assembly was here, each component clearly recognizable to Carbon, and it was easily the most Human thing she¡¯d ever seen. Gold foil everywhere. They loved their gold foil so much. The plasma conduits that ran out from the reactor were 100 degrees away from approaching an efficient layout. A panel appeared to have been nailed closed. There was tape on the electrical conduit running into the array, which had been arranged radially, if you could believe it. There were a few different flags and manufacturer marks on everything, so maybe it had been built from scrap parts. Carbon relented for a moment. That would have been impressive. Unfathomably dangerous, but impressive.


    The third floor marked the beginning of the modern age of exploration. Right there, front and center was a gleaming silver ship that reminded her quite a bit of the Kshlav¡¯o. It clearly wasn¡¯t. The lines weren¡¯t as sleek, and the sensor clusters were visibly dated, but it was a Scout Ship. The Kon Tiki, said the narrator on the pad. The first of its kind.


    The first, but her Scout Ship was better. She allowed herself a smirk at that thought, then immediately felt it falter. Alex would love this. He¡¯d probably already been here, probably already knew everything the pad was quietly dictating to her. His delivery would be so much more enthusiastic.


    She sought to escape the reminders of him, to get away from the familiar parts of a ship that nearly became their tomb. There was a phenomenal amount of minutia about the Scout Ship program here. Not surprising. Thruster assemblies, a half scale model of the main sensory array, a door to the head from one of the earlier ships. A hands on, exploreable main corridor, complete with cabins, mess, and sickbay. She skipped over it.


    Finally the pathway through all of this dumped her out before a crisp white ship, bulky frame just barely fitting into the two story tall exhibit area. Clearly an evolutionary advancement from one of the early Waverider equipped ships shown on the previous floor. RV H¨­k¨±le?a. The name had been written in a stylized script on the first plaque, along with the various details of the craft. Beside it, a video played on loop.


    A feed from what was obviously an optical camera panned slowly along a gas giant, dozens of rings sliding into focus as it went. It hesitated and stopped before rotating away - the ship had rolled to bring the camera around to something else. The resolution shifted a few times as the magnification indicator in the corner spun up, a pale red speck slowly resolving into what was clearly a Haskan-class frigate, wearing the gray and red paint the Imperial Navy used until about fifty years ago. The bow came into focus, marking it as the Kshtal specifically. The first ship to make contact with Humans.


    All of this was laid out on the next plaque: The H¨­k¨±le?a had made contact with the TIN Kshtal, a patrol frigate investigating unusual gravity signatures reported by a sensor net in a solar system at the edge of Tsla¡¯o space. They overcame language and cultural barriers to forge the first bond with those who would become the only friend and ally that Humanity has ever discovered among the stars.


    There was a bench nearby, and Carbon sat down for a while. How could there be such a vast discrepancy in how this event was portrayed? She¡¯d never even heard the name of the Human ship until now. That was why Mei had yelled it after her. They actually cared. They celebrated it. Kept an entire space ship inside to commemorate the event.


    The Kshtal had been decommissioned and stripped for the fleet. She¡¯d seen it listed in a scrapyard she had frequented for parts while training to become a Lan.


    She sighed and looked down the path, a few regular visitors starting to filter through. Down the other direction there was a display with a life-size picture of a Human standing next to a Tsla¡¯o. Probably the respective captains of their ships, if she was reading the old Imperial uniform correctly. The human sort of reminded her of Alex. Similar build but taller, darker tan skin, and black hair, the sleeves of his jumpsuit rolled up and showing off extensive markings on his forearms, geometric patterns that reminded her of how ascetics had plucked their fur back on Schon. He had a relaxed demeanor with a very welcoming smile. The Tsla¡¯o projected beside him did not seem as nearly at ease - the gray-furred male stood with a stiff spine and carried the severe countenance that many Imperial Navy Captains ended up with.


    If her father hadn¡¯t been using her as a prop when he dealt with Humans she would have never seen one of them before the disaster. They were touched on only briefly in her history lessons, never pictured and only briefly described. Humans had this awful picture that had probably been taken when he took his command, and they just blasted it on the wall all day for anyone to see.


    Carbon set the pad to the side and rested her head in her hands. This wasn¡¯t decompressing at all. It wasn¡¯t making what she was supposed to be taking a break from worse, no, but it had introduced an entirely new problem. How could her people treat those that view them as friends with such disdain?


    Her spiral was interrupted by someone sitting down at the other end of the bench. The voice that spoke was light but aged, her words coming in a cadence faster than Carbon was used to hearing. ¡°You look like you have something you need to talk about.¡±


    She sat up, momentarily as stiff as that Captain she¡¯d just complained about. The woman across from her fit the voice. Silver hair and wrinkled skin, a wisp of a Human in a casual floral dress and woven hat that had no purpose indoors. ¡°I would not want to burden someone with my problems.¡±


    The woman laughed. ¡°I¡¯ve been to this museum three times in as many days. Great grandkids go nuts for it but... I¡¯m begging you, burden me with something other than watching the Apollo launch video again.¡±


    That got a smile out of her. ¡°If you are watching you grandchildren, I do not think I would-¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry! They¡¯re with my son and his wife, who like all this... ship stuff as much as they do. I¡¯m just here because they wanted to get me out of the house.¡± She leaned on the arm of the bench and waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Not really my first choice of destinations, but after a few days here... It¡¯s still not even in the top ten.¡±


    Despite the stresses that her revelations had unleashed Carbon found herself laughing. They had been too secretive for too long. Obscured too much. Today was a day to change. ¡°Very well. If you really wish it so.¡±


    ¡°I do. Now cough it up. Don¡¯t leave anything out.¡± She slapped a hand against her knee, and seemed enthusiastic about having a total stranger - someone not even from her species - vent their problems to her.


    Carbon had to take a minute to think about this. There was a lot. Some of which she wasn¡¯t even going to touch on, or couldn¡¯t due to the amount of paperwork she¡¯d signed specifically stating she¡¯d never talk about it without clearance. Probably start from the most recent and work her way back, easier to keep track that way.


    ¡°Humanity believes us a friend and ally, but we have never once reciprocated that properly.¡±

 Blown Cover

    It had been a busy day, if you counted writing reports as being busy.


    Alex did not, at least not in this case. It was an insufferable chore. He knew that the military had thousands of hours of sensor data that told them exactly what they wanted in the reports. He even had the security clearance to view them in secured areas - but he was on the hook for condensing it down into neat, easily digestible documents.


    The worst part? Email. There weren¡¯t even that many, just a few outlining exactly what they wanted in his initial reports about the attack by the Eohm and the events leading up to the discovery of the artifact. The ones that hit hard were from the CPP, asking for their stuff back. It just made the whole experience all the more miserable knowing that not only had he finally been cut loose from them, he¡¯d also be without clothes shortly.


    Under different circumstances he would have found that funny.


    He opted to stay longer than the average eight hour shift, knowing that Carbon would be meeting with the Admiral, and timed it for roughly when he expected her to be done with that. He¡¯d found a bench next to a decorative palm just down the hall from the nondescript entry to the ONI offices, the perforated sheet of metal somehow more comfortable than the office chair he¡¯d been sitting in all day. Didn¡¯t make sense, but at least he didn¡¯t have to worry about further report writing until tomorrow.


    It was about 4:30 when she walked out of the offices and, once she located the tired looking human next to a palm tree - he had not even considered if she knew what a palm tree was when he¡¯d told her where to find him - took a seat next to him. ¡°So, how¡¯d it go?¡±


    ¡°She has gone to significant lengths to convince me that Commander Gladwell was acting out of his own volition and outside of the appropriate channels, and to ensure that such behavior will not be allowed in the future. The Admiral even had an agent from Diplomatic Security Services there to discuss the new methods they have put in place to make it more difficult for high ranking military personnel to gain access to the suites without multiple layers of authentication.¡±


    ¡°Commander? Ouch.¡± While it was only one step down in rank, that was a lot to lose for whatever he thought he was going to be doing that morning. ¡°What''s your verdict on all of that?¡±


    ¡°I feel it is an appropriate first step, but it has not yet changed my views. I will not impede their attempts to learn more about us through you, but I will not actively assist them. Certainly not when they retain Gladwell, even with his reduced rank.¡± She smoothed her jumpsuit, done discussing that for now. ¡°How was your day?¡±


    Alex closed his eyes and groaned. ¡°Can we keep talking about the meeting? Or anything else?¡±


    ¡°It could not have been that bad.¡± Carbon reached over and patted his leg. ¡°You left so early to, ah... ¡®get to it.¡¯ Did you not?¡±


    He gave her side eye, the amount of taunting in her tone not matched at all by her words. ¡°It was about ninety percent writing reports. When we stop talking I can still hear myself typing.¡±


    ¡°And the remainder?¡± She had dialed it back a bit, at least.


    ¡°Email and... well, it was all email, just from different sources. Which is a perfectly good excuse to not continue talking about work, because I need to go shopping.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Carbon sounded surprisingly interested in that statement. ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Pilot Program wants its clothes back, and they¡¯re the ones who furnished pretty much everything I have right now.¡±


    ¡°That would become an issue quickly. Is there anywhere to get clothing here? Aside from the gift shop.¡± She stood, stretching her back.


    ¡°You went to the museum? Without me?¡± He played up sounding hurt about that as he followed her lead, the huge smile on his face betraying his actual feelings. ¡°You gotta tell me what you thought of it!¡±


    ¡°Yes, without you. I was decompressing.¡± The short alien seemed entirely smug about that, turning towards the elevator bank down the hall. ¡°It seemed to be thorough. There were no chronological gaps in what was presented that did not make sense. Much of Human methods for achieving spaceflight, and the technologies you were putting into space until recently, are fully deranged. As is your propensity for war.¡±


    ¡°Ah yeah, we did a lot of war.¡± There was no arguing with that.


    ¡°Far too much. Your first Waverider drive was worrying.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah! They really got lucky with that one.¡±


    ¡°It seems so.¡± Carbon¡¯s tone indicated that she agreed with the assertion that luck played heavily into it functioning at all. She paused and tapped the button to call an elevator. ¡°The display of the H¨­k¨±le?a was... endearing and worrisome.¡±


    As far as Alex understood it, everybody knew about the H¨­k¨±le?a from school. Maybe they didn¡¯t remember it like he did - it was a Corvin K2, after all! The original backbone of human space exploration! - but first contact was mentioned in several history classes he had taken. He tamped down that spike of excitement, not quite the place for it. ¡°How do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It is-¡± She stopped talking as the elevator arrived, doors opening to reveal an empty lift. ¡°As I said, it is endearing to see that first meeting between our races portrayed with joy. And it is something I wish we had approached with even half as much enthusiasm.¡±


    They stepped in and Alex tapped the glyph to take them down to the main deck where all of the day to day commerce was. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised, based on... Well, everything. It¡¯s been an uphill climb for us a few times and you¡¯re more used to humans than most Tsla¡¯o, right?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± She¡¯d shown him some early memories of actually meeting Humans before. Most Tsla¡¯o had probably never even seen a picture of a Human, then the disaster on Schon brought thousands of them to Empire space. ¡°Our treaties were mostly outlining borders and formalizing how aid could be rendered in certain situations. The Confederation and our Empire never truly had a need for each other, and this was made clear in how we portrayed our only allies among the stars. And we suffer for it in the face of humanity¡¯s kindness.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s changing though, right? Between having the Archimedes on site and all the other aid we¡¯ve sent, and what we found with the Kshlav¡¯o there has to be a shift going on.¡± The elevator stopped and dinged, the doors opening onto the main promenade. The crowds would arrive when the normal day shifts started to end, and the more tourism-focused places began shutting down for the day. For now, it was only sparsely populated.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°It is... slowly.¡± She shook her head, not satisfied with how fast that was happening. ¡°Where are we going, anyway? There is actually a place to buy clothing here?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an Uncommon down at the far end. It¡¯s... Fine. They¡¯re everywhere, but on stations they sell clothing intended for workers as well as the usual fashion stuff.¡± The name of the store could not be more ironic. He¡¯d been to an Uncommon back in the Berkley arcology, The Valles Marineris arcology on Mars, and an actual ground floor one in London. All the same once you look away from the entrance. Now he was about to be in one on McFadden station. ¡°It¡¯s nice that they leave you alone unless you ask for help, but If I¡¯m being honest I kind of don¡¯t like shopping there.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± She looked over at him, eyebrows and antenna raised in curiosity.


    ¡°Nothing, really. It¡¯s just... Not my style.¡± He shrugged as they passed by the gaudy neon and steel front of The Mothership, an absurd little-green-man themed restaurant complete with ¡®crashed¡¯ UFO and saguaro cacti for that desert feel. ¡°Lots of fancy clothes, I prefer to keep it simple.¡±


    Carbon peeked in through the glass front doors and waved at the hostess standing behind the podium, who waved back with a wide smile. ¡°Will they have ¡®fancy¡¯ human clothes here? I admit my curiosity to what that is, and what you¡¯d look like wearing it.¡±


    ¡°Do- do you know her?¡± he asked, catching the end of that wave. ¡°And no, I¡¯m not getting anything fancy. Probably. At least no ties.¡±


    ¡°Not well, but I did have lunch there with my friend Emily. If you are an alien you get free dessert - it was disclosed on the menu and they honored that.¡± Carbon said this like it was the most normal thing in the world. ¡°I would like to see the fancy clothes.¡±


    He got the distinct impression that he would be getting something at least a little bit nice, despite being disinclined to do so. ¡°Guess you were decompressing today.¡±


    ¡°Aside from a brief crisis of faith in my own people, I would say that I have.¡± She straightened up a little bit, a hint of pride creeping into her voice. ¡°I sought out new experiences with an open heart, and I believe I have come out better for it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t- That¡¯s not necessarily what I mean when I say decompress. But as long as it leaves you feeling better, good.¡± He had meant doing nothing, lazing around, maybe watching TV or listening to music. Reading. There was a pool on the station, but he suspected hanging out there was somewhat out of the question for Tsla¡¯o given the ankle thing. He¡¯d happily accept Carbon getting it done however worked for her, though.


    ¡°It has. While I still feel the weight of future endeavors, of the horrors my people are experiencing, it does not feel oppressive now.¡± She petered off as she was speaking, noting the tall black and white Uncommon sign at the end of the promenade, across from a bar, hemmed in on the other side by a gift shop that was starting to close up. ¡°I know these things will come to my full attention again, likely soon. My mind feels clearer, I do not question if I will be able to make a sound choice.¡±


    ¡°Gotta say, that¡¯s a lot more than I was expecting for a day off.¡± Maybe he should try tagging along next time. That sort of clarity sure sounded nice.


    The doors slid open for them, the brightly lit interior just like all the other stores. White tile floors, everything displayed on pale wood tables or gleaming steel racks. The ceiling was lit wall to wall, save for the regular dotting of fire suppression systems and other safety features required on modern stations. It made his eyes ache. He still grabbed a steel mesh basket from the stack of the by the door.


    ¡°It was a good day.¡± She followed him in, squinting for a moment as her eyes adjusted to it. Carbon looked over the displays, scrutinizing the mannequins and the various branding and images of happy people doing happy stuff in the store¡¯s current lineup of clothes, all the while perusing the multitude of options laid out aside the store¡¯s main aisle. ¡°All of this is intended for female Humans - ah, Women?¡±


    ¡°Up here, yeah. Men¡¯s is in the back corner.¡±


    ¡°Curious. There is far more variety than I had expected.¡± She stopped in front of a display of dresses, head tilted as she took in the details, studiously ignoring all that exposed leg.


    Alex hadn¡¯t stopped when she did, and had to retrace a bit to reunite with her. It wasn¡¯t a big store, but losing your alien in any store was probably not the best. ¡°Want one?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡± She looked up at him with a little smirk that he hadn¡¯t seen in a few weeks. ¡°Another time. We are here for your clothing, so we should focus on that.¡±


    ¡°Alright. It¡¯s back this way.¡± He continued down the wide aisle, a single black line of tiles marking the primary route through the store. True to his word, and every one of their stores he¡¯d been in so far, the comically small men''s section was tucked away in a back corner. He stopped at a table full of pants, a small display noting they met all the requirements for engineering crews - rated with arc, cut, and blast protection as well as being fire resistant. Not to mention pockets for days. More than he needed, but exactly what he was used to. He crammed two of each color into the basket, then a few pairs of shorts with none of those ratings from the next table.


    Carbon was studying the mannequins again. Inspecting one in its generic model pose, then looking to Alex with her ears perked slightly, mentally dressing him in the clothes on display. ¡°Why is there so much less clothing for men? Your species has a very even gender distribution, does it not?¡±


    ¡°We do, and-¡± He paused and piled some plain t-shirts into the basket. Why is that? Uncommon was particularly bad about it, but he¡¯d noticed that anywhere he¡¯d bought clothes. ¡°I don¡¯t actually know why. Fashion, I guess?¡±


    ¡°The array of colors and materials are reduced as well. Is there a social taboo I am unaware of when it comes to Human fashion?¡± She joined him again, picking up a dark red shirt and slipping it into his basket, once more looking like she was getting away with something as she wandered deeper into the section.


    Was there? That seemed like a good question. ¡°Not that I¡¯m aware of. It¡¯s just kinda always been like that?¡±


    ¡°The difference is just... it is shocking. Our clothing does not feature such variety, so to see this divide based on gender is very unexpected.¡± She stopped and picked up one of the few vibrantly colored objects in this corner of the store, unrolling it to look at the pattern. ¡°Are there subgenders that would mix elements of both?¡±


    Fuck, she was looking at ties.


    ¡°Hey I need help picking out a belt.¡± Alex filed the question about subgenders away for another time as he gently set the tie back on the stack it came from and ushered her towards the back wall. It was back there, next to wallets and laces and shoe shine kits. They¡¯d always been back there. ¡°The CCP issue pants have tabs to adjust the waist, but these don¡¯t have that feature.¡±


    Carbon rolled her eyes at his behavior but went along with it, soon facing an array of leather goods. ¡°Oh, they come in black and two shades of brown.¡±


    The sheer amount of sass coming off her was as relieving to Alex as it was annoying. She must have been feeling better, and he would be willing to put up with quite a lot of it because of that. ¡°Probably... black? There¡¯s some color combinations that are supposed to go together but I don¡¯t remember what. I¡¯ve got a couple of belts back on earth so it¡¯s only until I get to the rest of my stuff.¡±


    ¡°Alex?¡± The question came from behind them, and Alex recognized the deep baritone immediately. How could he not?


    He turned and there was his trainer from the last phase of the Pilot program, Ed Brzezinski. Tall fellow, impossible to miss if they hadn¡¯t been staring at the wall. Alex hadn¡¯t been avoiding him, per se, and yes he was feeling a bit guilty about that. Had getting poached by the ONI made it worse? Vastly.


    ¡°Oh! Ed, it is good to see you again.¡± Carbon said cheerfully before Alex could say anything in response.


    Alex pressed his eyebrows together as he processed that. He distinctly recalled Ed leaving the station before the Kshlav¡¯o arrived to take care of a death in his family, and they had departed before he returned. Carbon had never met Ed... Not outside of Alex¡¯s memories, anyway.

 Widening Gyre

    Edwin Brzezinski was a big man. Bald, burly, and unusually tall. He looked like he might have been a strong man for a circus in another time and place, sporting a bushy mustache, lifting impossible weights, and bending iron bars. Though he was nearly thirty years his senior, he made Alex seem slight and simply eclipsed Carbon.


    He was also a really good person. Alex knew this first hand, Ed had been his mentor for the final phase of pilot training. He was one of the best in the Program and probably one of the most respected personnel on the station. He had been doing this for a long time and loved his work. In retrospect, it was clear they¡¯d chosen Ed because of his unrelentingly high standards. Not only towards the profession, but in how he treated people. A lesson he only had to impart upon Alex once.


    But right now, here in the back of the only clothing store on the station, Ed was confused and a little bit surprised. He stood there, holding a crisp white button down shirt, and wearing an expression that said he did not know why this little alien thought she knew him or why she was speaking English. His eyes traveled down to Carbon¡¯s badge, lingering there for a long second before a glimmer of recognition lit them up. Ed was good with names.


    The pleasant smile that graced Carbon¡¯s short muzzle melted away, her face registering something just short of horror for a moment. She regained composure before he looked back up, a faint smile returning. She still shrank away from Ed as she did this, ears and antennae pressed down as she took a step back and shifted a half step further away from Alex.


    Alex registered that to mean that he was right. Carbon did not actually know Ed in person, but was recalling his memories, and that they had probably been getting a little too comfortable in public for people trying to not obviously be involved with each other. His brain spun, trying to come up with a cover story that made sense to him, let alone Ed or anyone else. The little ONI shield on his badge was not turning him into a clever spy. Maybe he should buy some time to think. ¡°Hey Ed, how''s it going?¡±


    The words came out a little too fast, a little too loud. Ed looked up and the confusion that was leaving his face came back instantly. ¡°Doing well, just picking up some new shirts.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Alex nodded and laughed, breaking out a smile that was more nervous than he would have liked. James Bond he was not.


    He still looked confused and Alex knew that he did not like being in that state. ¡®Confusion is detrimental to operations.¡¯ Ed would just keep asking questions until he was satisfied he understood what was going on, and he was good at honing what he asked to get down to answers that made sense. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you still be out in the deep?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. There was... Uh, we ran into some-¡± Alex stopped himself and blanched. He was going to have to ask Dae for some advice on how to deal with situations like this. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can talk about it.¡±


    Ed inspected him for a moment, gears turning behind his eyes. ¡°What do you think about that ring that showed up a couple of weeks ago?¡±


    Alex visibly winced and sucked in a breath through his teeth. ¡°Eeeh... What ring?¡±


    ¡°So that was you.¡± The tone in his voice said that something had just clicked into place for him. ¡°Nobody told me you¡¯d been brought back in, I suppose I can understand why now... You still should have stopped by Training and said hello.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, things have been kind of hectic since we got back. Lots of people want a lot of stuff, had a job transfer and all that.¡± He rubbed his neck and shrugged, feeling more guilty about not looking Ed up before now.


    ¡°Ah, I see Naval Intelligence got you.¡± Ed held up a hand, eyes closed. ¡°Let me guess, Section 7?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They do that a lot?¡± That reaction was unsettling. How many times had this happened before?


    ¡°Often enough. Makes me want to ask you a different load of questions I know you can¡¯t answer, so I won¡¯t.¡± He nodded over at Carbon, who had quietly shuffled a little bit further away while looking as casual as she could. ¡°Are you ever going to introduce me?¡±


    ¡°Thanks, questions are really hard to answer right now anyway.¡± Alex didn¡¯t think Ed thought anything was up, aside from the transfer to ONI... Or he was just doing a good job of hiding it. Alex wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d always been this paranoid or if it was new. ¡°Ed, this is Lan Tshalen... Lan, Edwin Brzezinski.¡±


    Ed stuck his hand out at Carbon with a warm smile, affable as he¡¯d always been. ¡°I¡¯m sorry we didn¡¯t meet when they launched the Kshlav¡¯o, I am sure you¡¯d been notified I had been called away on a family matter. I assume Alex has spoken well of me?¡±


    Carbon¡¯s hand disappeared into his and she smiled back. ¡°Please, call me Carbon. He always spoke very well of you, and in great detail.¡±


    He laughed with an affable smile. ¡°As you wish. Well, can¡¯t say I was expecting to see either of you today. You guys want to grab dinner? Even if we can¡¯t catch up on what you¡¯ve been doing, I do love to hear myself talk.¡±


    There was a moment of silence before Alex and Carbon both started to answer at nearly the same time. Carbon managed to start first. ¡°Oh, I do not-¡±


    Alex was much more enthusiastic as he unintentionally cut her off. ¡°That¡¯d be great! Where are you thinking?¡±


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    ¡°The usual, Noonan¡¯s. As long as you both have clearance for it?¡±


    He was fully unaware of the wide-eyed stare from Carbon that clearly said she did not approve of being interrupted or the idea of having dinner out. ¡°We do, that sounds perfect.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± He checked his watch, ¡°six? Should be plenty of time to get all that to your quarters and back.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be there, the usual spot?¡± Alex hadn¡¯t felt excited about anything this mundane in forever. It was fantastic to feel this way about something that hadn¡¯t been a life or death threat.


    ¡°Of course. I need to get going, myself.¡± He gave them an almost fatherly smile before picking a second shirt off the rack and turning towards the check stand. ¡°See you two later.¡±


    ¡°See you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we will.¡± Carbon echoed his reply but there was a certain coolness in her voice now.


    Alex lifted a black belt off the rack and coiled it in his hand. ¡°Suppose I have enough here for a while. We should get going.¡±


    ¡°That would be good.¡± Her words were crisp, the easy quality of how she¡¯d been speaking since they met up after work tightened up, the look in her eyes was... professional.


    Well, he¡¯d fucked up. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Ed was already out the door by the time they got to the counter. The lady behind the check stand was polite and kept it quick, transferring everything from the basket into a bag sitting on a scanner, the register beeping as each item passed into its limited zone of awareness. Alex tapped the card he¡¯d had delivered from the Navy Credit Union, collected his things, and left.


    There was an uneasy quiet between the store and Alex¡¯s quarters. They walked in silence, an argument already boiling beneath the surface. It even seemed to chill the other conversations in the elevator.


    Carbon spoke first after the door to his quarters closed behind them. Her voice low and sharp, antennae pressed down tight against her head and body tensed for a fight. ¡°Why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°What? Why did I agree to have dinner with a friend? With a man that I respect as a mentor? Gee, I don¡¯t know.¡± He dropped the bag on the table and tossed his arms out in frustration. ¡°Doesn¡¯t make any sense to me, either!¡±


    Her lip curled up, sharp white teeth gleaming, an accusatory finger leveled at him. ¡°You spoke over me.¡±


    Alex smoothed himself out, trying to remain calm as he explained himself. ¡°I was excited. I haven¡¯t done anything since we got back except deal with work and hide. And apparently I¡¯m not even good at that.¡±


    Carbon made a derisive noise and glared at him. ¡°Do you think that it has been pleasant for me?¡±


    ¡°Of course not! If anything, it¡¯s been worse for you! You think I¡¯m that stupid?¡±


    ¡°No. Not stupid.¡± She took a moment, teeth working silently as she crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. ¡°Inconsiderate and coarse.¡±


    Well, the ONI wanted some insights on how their social structure actually functioned. Time to see if he was living in it already. ¡°Did you expect me to behave like I¡¯m Tsla¡¯o?¡±


    She looked away for a moment, her jaw working. The question seemed to ease the tension in her body, and when she spoke it was with just a hint of guilt. ¡°I sometimes forget you are different. Despite all of this.¡± She gestured widely at the room, probably at the rest of the station. Possibly at the entirety of Humanity. ¡°You feel familiar to me already, and it is not because you embody Tsla¡¯o ideals, even if there are more in you than I expected.¡±


    He had no idea what exactly Tsla¡¯o ideals were. That was something he¡¯d want to dig into later for personal edification at the bare minimum. For now, though, the matter at hand had not been resolved. ¡°I am not supposed to make plans off the cuff like that? I don¡¯t know enough about how Tsla¡¯o do stuff to not... do the wrong thing by you.¡±


    Carbon blanched and shook her head. ¡°It is fine that you did so, and it is wrong of me to get mad at you for talking over me. I am not used to mixing personal, romantic relationships with professional, certainly not to conceal one. They compete in my mind, the reactions clash, and resolving them is... difficult.¡±


    She pulled a chair out from the table and sank into it before continuing. ¡°Was I to respond as a romantic partner? We would have asked for a moment, talked about our reply. Humans have a tendency to want answers immediately, but a Tsla¡¯o who knows of a relationship would expect that aside. That is the opposite of our ongoing deceit. As professionals on the scoutship? Would that be interpreted the way I had initially considered you, as a - what was it, Chauffeur? Even then I should not have been angry. You do not treat a subordinate like that. You do not treat someone of equal station like that.¡±


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s a mess, yeah.¡± Considerations he could not have known started to slot into place, Ed¡¯s dislike of confusion fresh in his mind. ¡°So, when we are out, we are of equal station. Coworkers. That is how it would be between a Pilot and Engineer on a scoutship, which is what most people will know us as. It says so right on your badge.¡±


    A faint smile crossed her lips as she toyed with the thin plastic of her ID. ¡°So it does. I am sorry, Alex. I was upset at myself and confused with a situation that I have never had to navigate before, and I am not yet comfortable with these feelings.¡±


    ¡°Apology accepted. I¡¯m sorry I just cut you off like that, it was rude. I would still like it if my Engineeer came to dinner. You know Ed nearly as well as I do, you know how much I respect him.¡± Alex had intentionally avoided mentioning her knowledge of Ed through the mind link thus far. ¡°I think you¡¯d like him on your own.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Yes, I remember quite clearly. As I said, it was very vivid, unusually so.¡± She sighed softly and relaxed, rubbing her eyes. ¡°I do not know...¡±


    ¡°Please? I know it¡¯s stupid, but I want to actually go out with you. We¡¯ve been a thing for what, a month now and we haven¡¯t gone out once.¡± Sure, they¡¯d been trapped in places where going out was an impossibility for the majority of that time, but he still counted it as time in a relationship. A wry smile crept across his face. ¡°It¡¯s not unusual to see personnel working on scoutships socializing outside of work, you know.¡±


    She glanced up at him with bright cerulean eyes, a flicker of mischief in them. ¡°Were I not hungry, I would hold out longer. I find I have come to enjoy your flattery.¡±


    ¡°Mmm. I¡¯ve noticed.¡± He walked over to her with a roguish grin, leaning down to kiss her before grabbing his clothes off the table. ¡°Let me get into something a little less depressing and we can get going.¡±

 Social Experimentation

    Alex was ready to go scant minutes later wearing the deep red t-shirt Carbon had approved of over black cargo pants, pockets crammed with the emergency equipment that the CPP had required he carry while on station. While he didn¡¯t work for them anymore, the Individual First Aid Kit and decompression pouches were issued by the Navy specifically, and thus were not on the list of things that needed to be returned. They hadn¡¯t been noted as required equipment by the ONI, but it had become a force of habit to pack it all along. It was a space station, after all. Vacuum was mere meters away.


    Noonan¡¯s was on the other side of the station, the only conventional restaurant in the secured section. The decor was classic English pub, all dark wood and padded leather seating, the dining room itself was D shaped with the ceiling stretching to the second floor above. The doors opened into that first floor, half the wall a curved bar, the rest booths. The flat wall was a single, massive display showing traffic in space immediately around the station and in the main runways for Sol. Specks of light in various shapes and colors floated across the screen, tagged with ship name, registration and other sundry data.


    Alex bypassed the host, the two of them tapping their badges on the gate to the bar, verifying they were old enough to be in there and that they were off duty. He led them past the handful of people sitting and drinking there, conversations slowing in their wake as they went straight to the stairway that curved up to the much smaller second floor. Ed preferred the booths up there, most people didn¡¯t make the trek unless the first floor was getting full. As expected, it was nearly empty and Ed was tucked away in the far corner, nursing a pint.


    Carbon took a seat on the bench first, sliding over to the wall to make room for Alex.


    ¡°Glad you two made it. Ordered you a porter.¡± Ed gestured to the other pint glass on the table, dark liquid topped with a tan head of foam. He looked over to Carbon. ¡°Didn¡¯t know what you¡¯d like, though.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure. I am unfamiliar with most human beverages.¡± She shook her head, eyebrows knitting together as she looked over the menu Alex handed her. ¡°I am... unfamiliar with most of this food as well.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you have lunch at The Mothership?¡± He bit his tongue about all the times they had shared dinner on the Kshlav¡¯o, though Noonan¡¯s focused heavily on pub food while their cultural exchange had not.


    Ed shook his head. ¡°They give everything themed names there, it¡¯s almost as bad as getting a mixed drink here.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Well, drinks first. Something straightforward to start with, a brown ale?¡±


    Ed nodded. ¡°That¡¯d be a good place to start. They did tap a keg of double cream stout a few days ago. Not my thing, but I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s good. Sweet.¡±


    ¡°I will try that. Sweet has been safe, in my experience. If not occasionally overbearing.¡± Carbon tilted the menu towards Alex. ¡°Chicken fingers. That is like the fish sticks, correct? They are not actual fingers?¡±


    Ed chuckled quietly into his ale as Alex answered her question. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s just a way to describe a particular method of serving chicken. Don¡¯t get those here, they always fry them too long.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Is there something they are good at?¡±


    Ed piped up. ¡°Cheeseburger. Best on the station.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. With bacon.¡±


    Carbon eyed the menu, one eyebrow raised. ¡°It sounds interesting. I will trust in your judgment.¡±


    The waitress arrived bearing a basket of garlic fries and took their order. Alex ordered for Carbon and himself, both having the same thing. Ed got the t-bone, which was the only thing that Alex had ever seen him eat here. The waitress gave Carbon a second glance, though it was a quick second glance. Tsla¡¯o still weren¡¯t common around here.


    Ed ate a few fries as he watched the waitress descend the stairs, barely hiding a smile. ¡°So... you two are an item now, or what?¡±


    Alex sat stock still for a moment before he took a long sip of his beer, shaking his head as he set the glass down. ¡°No... What would give you that idea?¡±


    Ed laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, Alex.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just professional acquaintances.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think so. When I said that, you both looked like deer in the headlights.¡±


    Carbon cleared her throat. ¡°It was a surprising statement.¡±


    Ed seemed very amused by the situation. ¡°You ordered dinner for her. And that glare you gave him in Uncommon? Whew. I¡¯ve seen those from ¡®professional acquaintances¡¯ before, but not like that. That came from the heart.¡±


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    Alex weighed trying to keep lying to Ed or just admitting it. Giving Carbon a look would tip his hand and it¡¯s not like Ed was wrong. Might do him well to have an outside perspective on the whole thing, too. He sighed and leaned back against the booth. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. We¡¯re an item, as you put it.¡±


    ¡°Interesting. She¡¯s doing it again.¡±


    Alex glanced over and Carbon was giving him the ¡®why did you do that¡¯ look. ¡°What? I don¡¯t like lying and he¡¯s both perceptive and trustworthy.¡±


    She relented, jaw still tight as her eyes softened. ¡°I know. I do not enjoy duplicity either.¡±


    Alex turned back to Ed. ¡°Alright, so do we throw a party now?¡±


    Ed considered him for a moment, idly swirling the amber liquid in his glass as the waitress returned with Carbon¡¯s stout and waiting for her to leave again. ¡°I would think that a bit extreme. I get the impression you¡¯ve been keeping this under wraps, or trying to?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°You could stand to work a little harder on that. Just off the cuff, I would find this rather deviant. Still kind of do, but I¡¯m willing to entertain the idea you¡¯re not just playing Kirk here, Alex. You¡¯ve never seemed like the type of guy who would engage something casually.¡±


    Carbon looked up from inspecting her drink, perplexed. ¡°Kirk? Who is that.¡±


    Ed didn¡¯t miss a beat, explaining with his usual level of nonchalance. ¡°It¡¯s a fictitious character who was a ladies man - and that did include aliens.¡±


    ¡°Ladies man - is that one of the subgenders?¡± She asked before taking a drink, apparently finding it to her liking with an appreciative hum.


    Ed shot Alex a questioning look with a little shrug of his shoulders to indicate he did not know what to make of that question.


    Alex, in turn, filled in the spaces for her. ¡°It means he enjoyed spending time with women, flirting, that sort of thing. Suppose that doesn¡¯t require a gender, just an interest.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he does that.¡± She nodded emphatically. ¡°Sometimes quite aggressively.¡±


    ¡°Wh- I do not.¡± He was surprised at how defensive he got about that. Ed was laughing into his pint across the table and Alex felt some embarrassment creeping in.


    ¡°I know you do not only flirt with me for my enjoyment of it.¡± Sip.


    ¡°Yes, ok, that¡¯s true. I do enjoy that.¡± Flirting during a link was pretty much a guarantee that she knew how he felt about it. ¡°But I am not aggressive about it.¡±


    Carbon gave him a sidelong glance, a little smirk curling the corner of her mouth. ¡°The shorts.¡±


    He held up a single finger in his defense. ¡°I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°And now that you do know, you continue to wear them around me. I would say that is quite flagrant.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re comfortable.¡± Alex rolled his eyes, words dripping with sarcasm. ¡°I¡¯m sure Ed wanted all of this aired in front of him.¡±


    Carbon shrugged through a second sip. ¡°He brought the subject up and I would know if you were. Now there is no doubt for him.¡±


    Ed was laughing, hard. ¡°No, that¡¯s great. I don¡¯t really want to know, what you do behind closed doors is your business.¡±


    Alex cleared his throat, cheeks feeling a bit warm. ¡°Anyway. Not just in this for the alien sex, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Actually going for the interspecies relationship, Commander Shepard? You¡¯re not just putting her on, right?¡± Ed brought the conversation back down, a hint of humor still on his face as he checked on Alex¡¯s motives.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not putting her on. She¡¯d know by now if I was.¡± He put his hands up by his temples, index fingers waggling. ¡°The deely-bobbers aren¡¯t just for show.¡±


    Ed sat up a little straighter, surprise clear on his face. ¡°So... they work with humans, too?¡±


    Carbon¡¯s pint was mostly gone now. ¡°Very well, actually. Our brains are similar enough in layout.¡±


    ¡°Interesting. So she can see into your mind?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s duplex. Works best when both people have a set, but that¡¯s somewhat impossible.¡± Alex hadn¡¯t told her about the Whisper and experimental hardware he was going to be getting yet. He was hoping it would be a pleasant surprise. ¡°There¡¯s a sort of shared space, and it¡¯s possible to show each other memories. It¡¯s a little like fulldive VR movies. But since you¡¯re reliving the exact thing, you have to just go where the memory takes you.¡±


    ¡°Huh. That¡¯s a hell of a-¡±


    Carbon started to chirp, the sound unfamiliar to Alex. She fished a slim black communicator out of one of the many pockets on her jumpsuit and tapped through to a message. He leaned over, unable to read the Tsla on the tiny handheld.


    Her eyes widened slowly, a look of apprehension washing over her. Her head twisted to look at the screen on the far wall of Noonan¡¯s. ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    Alex moved out of her way, following her to the railing. She scanned the screen, jaw working until she found what she was looking for, a hiss of her native tongue following.


    ¡°What? What is it?¡±


    Carbon looked up at him, bristling with a mixture of fear and anger. ¡°I must depart. I will contact you as soon as I can, please thank Ed for me.¡± She stood on her toes and kissed him softly before running away, taking the steps two at a time.


    A glance at the screen told him part of what he needed to know. Triangles were military ships, red was non-human. A great big red triangle was in the inbound runway nearest Earth right now, the Sword of the Morning Light. Listed as a Tsla¡¯o Hammerhead-class Supercarrier. A smaller red triangle only marked as a shuttle was already in the diplomatic lanes. Her government had arrived in the system and was on its way to collect her.

 Upgraded

    Dinner had been awkward after Carbon bailed, mostly for Alex. He assured Ed that she had good reasons, even though he was unsure exactly what they were. He neglected to mention the emotions he¡¯d seen play over her face before she left. Ed didn¡¯t press the issue, dismissing it out of hand as good work ethic. He insisted on paying and they went their separate ways, Alex toting a plastic to-go container back to his quarters.


    He was unprepared for how alone a cheeseburger could make him feel. Eating it didn¡¯t seem to improve anything, either.


    The next few days were odd and lonely, finishing up the last of his reports and tossing emails back and forth with Carbon. Even though she was on the Tsla¡¯o carrier in orbit at Earth, she was still using her cpp.navy email address. She didn¡¯t have much to say, which he expected. Mostly taking care of all of the same stuff he had been doing, debriefs and the like.


    On the upside, it left him plenty of time to get his augments installed. McFadden station had an extensive medical suite, but wasn¡¯t set up for invasive installations like he was about to get. Despite having to remove and reinstall a machine attached to his brain, to start, it was just a day trip. The ONI had him booked into the Naval Medical Facility in Arcadia Planitia. Alex didn¡¯t even pack a bag, fully expecting to be back on the station he was currently assigned to later that day.


    Once again he got up at an entirely unreasonable hour so he could catch the shuttle to Mars Terminal, then a connection down to Arcadia Planitia. In a matter of hours after stepping into the surgery suite, Alex had gained nearly a kilo. Barely even noticed it, aside from the shortness of breath and still being attached to a mediboard, though this time it was just a narrow strip along his back and up to the top of his skull. It was performing the final repairs from the string of surgeries that had replaced his Amp - he got the upgraded Mk. IV, with double the flex processors - inserted the experimental Whisper, and his shiny new Immersion Translator.


    Most of the weight came from the Immersion Translator. Almost half a kilogram of specialized processor clusters and their controller were slipped into his rib cage by a robotic arm remotely controlled by a surgeon. The packages were slim, conforming to the ribs along the spine in an area that effectively had no spare room.


    His head and upper body had been injected with an array of subdermal sensors that were wired into the controller, along with a connection to his auditory nerve to help with accurate rendering. All this allowed the translator to pick up sounds and information about these sounds. How loud, how far away, where they were coming from, in a three dimensional space. The data shoots down into the IT, gets separated, translated and adjusted to retain vocal cues and then recompiled into a full, three dimensional soundscape. All of that is then piped directly into Alex¡¯s brain via his Amp, minimizing lag.


    Hopefully.


    ¡°So does this... Ever go away?¡± Alex wheezed as he sat on the mediboard in a pale green gown, waiting for it to release the back of his freshly shaven head.


    Doctor Hernandez was the surgeon that had installed his IT, and as the last of the doctors that had performed the implantations, she had been the one to monitor his recovery. Which meant that she was mostly there to ensure the mediboard finished its tasks correctly. They only had about fifteen minutes to go. ¡°Yes. It will take a few days to adjust to, most people are almost back to normal in a week.¡±


    His eyebrows went up, skeptical of her answer. ¡°Whatta you mean... almost back to nor... normal?¡±


    ¡°It is as it sounds. Almost back to normal.¡± She looked at him like he should have known this was going to happen. ¡°Most of the problem you are having right now is related to temporary swelling after the surgery. There was a lot of cutting and drilling involved. Weren¡¯t you told that during the consultation?¡±


    ¡°Got it for work.¡± He shook his head but smiled at the complete sentence, short as it was.


    ¡°How did you even get in here... Of course, Intelligence.¡± She paged through the tablet in her hand as she sucked on her teeth, not particularly pleased with that answer based on the way her eyebrows knit together. ¡°You were given a dose of an anti-inflammatory, it should be working shortly. Since you got fast-tracked past the consult, I¡¯ll give you the short version: an implant that size is always going to make its presence felt. It will be slowing you down as long as it¡¯s in there. Maybe just a little bit, but you¡¯ll notice it. Don¡¯t expect to improve your hundred meter dash any time soon.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡±


    Her bedside manner had gotten a bit curt, which wasn¡¯t too surprising. ¡°It¡¯s a well known complication. People just don¡¯t want to have organs removed so we shoehorn the implants in around them.¡±


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    Alex nodded. ¡°Like ¡®em where they... are.¡±


    The doctor made a noncommittal sound as she reviewed his chart, tapping through several pages before blanching. ¡°That¡¯s where they were hiding it. We put a lot of mods in you today. Why in the world do you have an Amp and Whisper?¡±


    He wheezed a laugh, breathing starting to get easier as the anti-inflammatory started to go into effect. ¡°It¡¯s for work. Classified. I think. I suspect I don¡¯t want to guess wrong.¡±


    She nodded and looked, if anything, more serious. ¡°Have you ever used a translator before?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, external over comms.¡±


    ¡°All right. More information that was in the consultation: An IT is very different from using more standardized forms of translation. Over a comm, people know you¡¯re getting translated information. It¡¯s a given these days, most comms will even display that they¡¯re filtering through a translator.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± The intercom systems on the Kshlav¡¯o had just put a little asterisk in the corner of the screen when it was translating. It was pretty easy to know who was getting translated on board, but every now and then it¡¯d pop up for a moment if someone from Mission Control had used a loanword with too much accent on it.


    ¡°An Immersive is effectively invisible. Unless you¡¯re wearing a translator yoke or some other visual cue, people will not know that you have translation capability unless you tell them.¡±


    Alex nodded along, not entirely sure where she was going, a hint of confusion on his face. ¡°That makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Good. When you turn the translator on, there will be no obvious way to be able to determine if a voice is being translated unless you are watching the speaker. Their lips will move differently, and there will be a brief lag. There¡¯s a setting to add a little distortion to translated voices as well if you¡¯re having trouble with it.¡±


    Alex honestly doubted he¡¯d be having a hard time telling who wasn¡¯t speaking English among the Tsla¡¯o, but he kept that to himself. ¡°Still following you.¡±


    ¡°Many people assume a level of safety around foreigners when they¡¯re using their native tongue. Without any cues to let them know you can understand them, the sudden revelation that you¡¯re surreptitiously listening to everything they¡¯re saying can damage relations, even if you have no ill intentions.¡±


    That tidbit was actually useful and made everything click into place. He¡¯d be careful about that when he got around Tsla¡¯o, might see about getting a yoke to wear just to be safe. ¡°I can see how that could be bad.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the main thing we warn about in the consultation. It¡¯s a pretty common novice mistake to reply to someone who doesn¡¯t know you¡¯re translating. Most people just won¡¯t like it, but some cultures are more accepting of violence towards spies.¡±


    Alex nodded. ONI was all over his paperwork and he was getting a high-end translator implant. Not a stretch of the imagination, by any means. ¡°Yeah, I was starting to think that¡¯s where you were going.¡±


    ¡°Good. Are you familiar with any of the anti-augmentation organizations?¡±


    ¡°No. Should I be?¡± He¡¯d heard of them, of course. Some people just didn¡¯t like the idea of human augmentation, no matter how slight or beneficial.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say you might want to keep your prodigious number of implants to yourself. Most people who get them only get one, like that FTL-grade Amp you have, unless they¡¯ve replaced limbs or organs. I think you¡¯re the most heavily modded person I¡¯ve worked on without it being visible from the outside.¡±


    Alex took a moment to process that, a little surprised and disturbed. ¡°Huh, well... Good for me.¡±


    ¡°Just be careful about who you discuss it with. Some of the more extreme groups... They are not called extremists because of their moderate reactions.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Not going to be an issue. Not in the habit of talking about work.¡±


    ¡°Good. That about covers the big items...¡± She glanced down at her tablet and held up a hand, counting down from five on her fingers.


    The mediboard attached to Alex¡¯s back started beeping when she hit zero, insistent about how finished it was. The doctor held a hand out to help him get upright, a thin layer of gel keeping him stuck down for a moment before he pulled free of it, that minor exertion leaving him wheezing again. The experience was remarkably pain free. Just a cool breeze on the newly healed skin running down his skull and along his back. He sighed, relaxing with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s a lot better than last time.¡±


    She stepped back and shut the mediboard down, retrieving a medical scanner and holding over his chest. ¡°Alright. Take a deep breath for me.¡±


    He did, drawing in most of what he¡¯d normally be able to before he winced and coughed.


    ¡°That¡¯s right where it should be. You¡¯re ready to go, Mr. Sorenson. The nurse will have all the documents at the front desk, including everything you should have received during your consultation. Just remember to take it easy for the rest of the day.¡±


    ¡°You got it. Have a good day.¡± Alex smiled and gave a little wave as she left the room. All in all, a fairly productive morning.

 Surprise

    Once released from the hospital, Alex proceeded back to McFadden, stopping in first at the ONI offices to have his new implants tested. The Mk. IV Amp booted slower than his old Mk. III, despite the generational upgrades. They ran his translator through a handful of tests, playing back several recordings from a variety of angles. It worked well, even though the tests didn¡¯t really stress the translator, particularly since they only ran it with a few short sentences that sounded like military radio chatter. Clipped, easy to make out over a bad connection. He¡¯d have Carbon give it something hard to digest when she could.


    ONI issued him a variety of hardware to use in conjunction with the IT, and drilled its use into him. Most visible was a translator yoke. An off the shelf unit updated with a non-standard dictionary, it rested around the back of the neck like the AI that Carbon had worn. Though this one extended further down the shoulders, two ¡®arms¡¯ coming around the front resting on the collarbone. It was scarf-like, rigid ceramic white segments linked by a soft, flexible base layer, a subtle blue glow letting everyone know it was on. The whole thing was self-contained, transmitting to an earpiece or any built-in connections that were handy. They were common, inexpensive, and the batteries would last for days between charges. Humans had been using them with the Tsla¡¯o for several decades, so they shouldn¡¯t draw unwanted attention. They gave him a handful of peel-and-stick one time use translators as well, in flimsy plastic packages with pictograph instructions. The battery would run down in about six hours and they were highly directional. Important considerations.


    They verified that the Whisper was booting and making contact with his brain as it should, and in turn making contact with the neural link interface they wanted him to try. The technician who was working with Alex seemed somewhat relieved when he declined the opportunity to test it. The interface for the Whisper was currently a jury rigged mess. There was a nylon web harness that kept a small electronics package pressed against his back over four of his near-field data ports. Two meters of cable snaked out of the plastic lump, ending in a pair of sensors glued to a headband. Alex was assured they were working on a more refined version, but was silently glad they hadn¡¯t built it to look like Tsla¡¯o antennae. He didn¡¯t think he could pull those off.


    The technician also covered more of what the doctor had been talking about. Keeping a low profile with a million dCred worth of augments. There was a concern that he might wake up in a bathtub full of ice with his head wrapped in tape, or simply get killed. Alex did not like the sound of either of those. He didn¡¯t have much choice in the matter anyway - it was made clear that he would be wearing some sort of external translator whenever he used his internal.


    With his new accessories in hand, he took his leave. He had a few days of R&R lined up and was looking forward to not having anything that looked like work in front of him.


    He called his parents to see if the next morning was a good time to drop in. It was. He probably could have shown up unannounced in the middle of the night and it would have been fine. He emailed Carbon to let her know where he was going, packed a bag and hopped the evening shuttle to Earth Terminal NorAm. There was enough traffic out of Humanity¡¯s birthplace that it had a terminal station for each main continent to handle ground-to-space traffic.


    Alex wasn¡¯t about to tell anyone, unless they clearly worked in navigation, but he was eyeballing the numbers. Departure time, expected transit speed, McFadden¡¯s current distance to Earth, plus the difference in time zones. Most stations were set to UTC. Was it easier to just ask the kiosk what to take to arrive when you want? Yes.


    Did it feel good to put all his training to use again? Incredibly.


    He coughed up the extra dC for a private cabin and spent most of the trip snoozing in the pleasantly compact area. The shuttle pulled into NorAm at about seven AM Pacific. God damn it he was good at that. He shuffled through customs, even though he hadn¡¯t been outside of Sol since quarantine. He was unaware that stay had been logged on his Navy ID and got a wide-eyed, slightly fearful look from the agent. Travel timestamps where there¡¯s an eight month gap that starts on a exploratory trip to deep space and ends in a visit to a quarantine station out past Neptune is understandably unsettling.


    The transfer shuttle was nothing but seats - it was an hour, tops, from station to ground, after all. The main pad on Berkley was way up on Deck 8, clear sunny skies and a gentle breeze met him when he returned to Earth for the first time in almost two years. It was nice to feel the real sun on his face, all of the varied smells of Earth in his nose. The Dyson sphere had been good, coming out of months living in a tin can. Now that he was back on Earth, there was no way it could compete. Not for him, anyway.


    It would be an understatement to say his parents were glad to see him again when he got down to their place on Deck 5. They both tried to hug the life out of him before he could get in the door. They wanted to know everything he had been doing, and he got to very patiently explain that he couldn¡¯t talk about it. Any of it. Not even that, or that, or that. Eventually the conversation shifted into a two hour long inquiry about current events over lunch... Everybody knew about the artifact, which the military had claimed they had towed in-system from deep space. Everyone except Alex, of course.


    Alex laughed and shook his head, seated across the table from his parents. Now that he was thinking about it, he probably could discuss whatever had been disclosed to the public. But that meant keeping track of what was available and what he wasn¡¯t supposed to know about, and he knew he¡¯d screw that up at some point. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯ve been so busy with quarantine, debriefings and these mountains of paperwork... I haven¡¯t had time to keep up with the news.¡±


    His father was exasperated by this - not that he was avoiding the question, but that one of his sons would be so out of the loop about the goings on in the universe. Still, he grinned, ¡°it figures they would make you work more when you got back than when you were out on a mission.¡±


    ¡°It does. Turns out they don¡¯t tell you how much writing you¡¯re in for once you¡¯re done.¡± His deflection was getting better, which was nice. He didn¡¯t like lying to his parents, and this sort of felt less bad to lead them around topics he wasn¡¯t supposed to discuss. ¡°Nobody would sign up if they did.¡±


    ¡°You have been getting rest, Alex? You¡¯ve been back for a few weeks now, you haven¡¯t just been working every day?¡± His mother gave him an inquisitive look. He had called a few times, but hadn¡¯t been able to get away until now.


    ¡°I have been working a lot, I wanted to get everything done while it was still...¡± He petered off, thoughtful for a moment as he reconsidered his words. ¡°Just to get it all done and taken care of. I¡¯ve been making sure to put it up at a regular time to have a long stretch of time off. Relax a little, show Carbon around the station and all.¡±


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    They looked at him, confused. His mother spoke first, ¡°Carbon?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh.¡± He laughed, nervous for a moment before he regained his composure. ¡°Shipmaster - Lan is the proper title actually - Lan Tshalen. We¡¯re on a first-name basis now. It¡¯s a sign of respect.¡±


    His mother seemed particularly pleased with that. She¡¯d always been a bit interested in aliens. ¡°That¡¯s wonderful. Do you suppose we¡¯ll get to meet her?¡±


    He was relieved by that question, that they might find some acceptance from his parents. ¡°You might, yes. She¡¯s taking care of some work now that a Tsla¡¯o ship is in the system. Last time we spoke, she wasn¡¯t sure when she would be done.¡±


    ¡°Well let her know that I¡¯d very much like to meet her, if she has the time. She seemed very nice, even though we never got to speak in person.¡± His mother referred to when she was using him to pass notes to Carbon, before the attack on the Kshlav¡¯o.


    ¡°I will be sure to. She didn¡¯t know what to make of your messages at first, but she grew to appreciate them.¡± At least, she grew to appreciate the sentiment, well after the fact.


    ¡°Good.¡± She turned to his father, patting him on the knee. ¡°I¡¯m going to start dinner, why don¡¯t you call Peter and see if he can come over too? Bring his family if he can.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Excuse me.¡± They both got up, his mother bustling off into the kitchen and father heading towards the nook with the comm by the door. Alex picked his glass of slightly coffee-flavored lemonade up and pointed to the deck, his father nodding in acknowledgement as he tapped the comm screen.


    Alex sunk into a chair and kicked his sneakers up onto the rail. The breeze was freshly filtered, none of the usual particulate matter in it today. They must have had the electrostatic arrays out in the Pacific turned all the way up. He could see the top of the North San Francisco arcology across the bay. The massive building arched over the top of Old San Francisco, giving it a physical link to the South arcology.


    He let his mind drift, staring out into the pale blue sky with a handful of fluffy clouds riding the winds. It was good to be back, but he didn¡¯t think he wanted to stay for more than a day or two. He wanted to be back on the artifact, back with Carbon... He wanted to be doing something. It would be good to see his brother again, though.


    He sat there doing nothing but idly tapping his foot on the rail... it didn¡¯t feel like it had been very long before the door chime went off. Peter lived in San Francisco South, the better part of an hour by tube. Still would have taken thirty by air.


    He listened to the faint sounds of talking through the glass, the insulation layer muffling everything. His father slid the door open and popped his head out. ¡°Your friend is here. Brought company, too.¡±


    With the door open, he could clearly hear Carbon and his mother discussing niceties. It was deeply surreal. He took a sip of lemonade and pondered that before standing and stepping back inside.


    For a moment, Alex wasn¡¯t sure what he was seeing. It carried over onto his face, eyebrows knitted as he took in Carbon in what he assumed was more traditional Tsla¡¯o clothing. Dark blue flowing pants that hid the legs and a black shirt under a bright blue brocade jacket with silver detail. The long jacket sat half way down her shoulders, leaving the thin stripes on the back of her neck visible.


    Her company was wearing the standard lightly armored encounter suit. He - Alex figured it was a he from the body shape - the Tsla¡¯o males he had seen in her memories were always a little more wiry than the females. He was differently colored as well, sort of a dark ruddy brown, eyes hidden behind a tinted visor. He stood rigidly by the door, definitely military.


    Alex made a mental note to ask if the fur coloration meant anything important. Carbon noticed him, her eyes lighting up as her smile widened. ¡°Pilot Sorenson. It is very good to see you again.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t a pilot any more, but he liked the title much more than ¡®desk jockey¡¯ or whatever it was he officially did now. He didn¡¯t miss the formality of what she said, either. ¡°Lan Tshalen. It has been too long. What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°A small matter. The Empress has requested an audience with you.¡±


    That didn¡¯t strike him as a small matter. He¡¯d never had royalty request an audience with him before, so maybe it was. Either way, this was not how he had expected this afternoon to go. It did explain why they''d brought one of their largest capital ships to Earth, though. ¡°Uhm, yeah, sure. You could have just sent me-¡±


    ¡°The Empress has requested an audience with you immediately.¡± There was a certain weight in her voice that she¡¯d never really used with him before. The way she spoke hadn¡¯t changed, but the familiarity had been carefully stripped out of it. It would probably be what she would have sounded like when they¡¯d first met, if she hadn¡¯t been under so much stress at the time.


    ¡°But... My brother is coming over.¡± He hesitated and his brain locked up, less sure of what to do now that it was clearly a demand. ¡°I was going to have dinner with him and the family.¡±


    She had leaned in towards him as he was talking, eyes intent and eyebrows raised, disbelief and a hint of fear on her face.


    ¡°Or, you know... I could probably just go meet the Empress. Not every day she wants to talk to me, I guess.¡± He rubbed the back of his neck and looked to his mother. ¡°If that¡¯s alright with you guys?¡±


    ¡°This is a bit of an occasion, but I suppose it isn¡¯t very often that royalty comes calling. Just hurry back, ok?¡± Audrey seemed somewhat impressed by this turn of events.


    Carbon smiled, relieved. ¡°Thank you. I promise I will return him to you as soon as is possible, I do not expect he will be gone a full day.¡±


    ¡°Suppose I should change...¡± Alex gestured at his shorts, already feeling a bit under dressed.


    She looked him over, nodding slowly. ¡°Yes, that would be good.¡±


    Alex excused himself, taking refuge in the second bedroom to swap clothes. He fished the translator out of his bag and slipped it over his shoulders before he returned to the living room. They said their goodbyes, exchanged hugs and the usual before stepping out into the hallway.


    Carbon and the soldier she didn¡¯t bother to introduce him to conversed in low tones. Alex hit the button on his yoke as he turned his Immersion Translator on, considering this a perfectly good time to give it a try in a real-world environment.


    ¡°...ship is prepared?¡± He caught the end of Carbon¡¯s question.


    ¡°The pilot has been notified we are returning, Princess. It will be ready to depart when we arrive.¡±


    Alex stopped, his face screwed up in confusion. Carbon noticed he wasn¡¯t following and looked back at him, eyebrows raised. His voice was an octave higher than he would have liked, very close to cracking. ¡°Princess?¡±

 Grilled

    Carbon just looked at Alex for a moment, confusion etched on her face. That gave him a moment of hope that she hadn''t been hiding something like that from him. Understandable when she thought he was just a chauffeur, sure, but things had changed quite a bit in the last few months. Or perhaps her escort was just being an asshole. Tsla¡¯o had to have people like that, too. Right?


    The confusion gave way to understanding as her eyes fell onto his translator. While he had kept the Whisper a secret, he had told her about the Immersion Translator before he got it. He wanted to make sure it wouldn¡¯t bother her, and she had told him it wouldn¡¯t. She probably hadn¡¯t foreseen this particular circumstance.


    Much to his disappointment, she slid right down into guilt. When she spoke, her voice was quiet, almost meek. "Yes?"


    Alex was surprised at just how much that hurt. His eyes narrowed as he shook his head. "It¡¯s nothing. I thought I had forgotten my ID, but I''ve got it." He reached back and patted his wallet. This didn¡¯t feel like a conversation to have in a hallway in front of his parent¡¯s house.


    "Good. We should hurry, the shuttle is waiting." She gave her escort a sidelong glance, neatly avoiding making eye contact with Alex.


    He fought back the urge to say something snide. It sure wouldn¡¯t have helped the situation as it was, and it probably wouldn¡¯t even make him feel better. ¡°Don¡¯t want to keep them waiting.¡±


    They walked in silence the rest of the way to the elevator, where they were whisked up to the landing bays that dotted Deck 8, most of its area given over to handling air and space traffic. The Tsla¡¯o ship was easy to spot, low slung and neatly poised, with an almost organic flair to the design that wasn¡¯t common in Human ships. Gentle angles swept up into gracefully curved winglets. Thick stripes of reddish-purple paint ran over the dark gray hull from nose to tail, arching back along the sides. The pair of Tsla¡¯o guards standing at the forward hatch didn''t hurt, either.


    Alex ducked as he entered the craft, suddenly aware of just how short everyone was compared to him. The interior was purely a military transport, spartan with tie downs everywhere for cargo, and just enough space for him to stand up straight as he followed Carbon across the wide cargo area. She flipped a seat down and buckled herself in. Alex followed suit, wedging himself into the jumpseat next to her and finding that he was just a bit too large for the safety harness.


    The others had secured the hatch, heavy latches clacking into place and the three soldiers took up residence in the seats next to it as the craft pressurized. The engines warmed with a gentle hum moments later as the pilot lifted off. Alex waited, biding his time until blue skies had faded from the tiny window in the hatch. He kept his voice low. ¡°So... you were going to tell me about that. Right, Princess?¡±


    Carbon didn¡¯t respond immediately, crossing her arms over her chest. When she did speak, it was similarly quiet and she had switched back to English. ¡°That translation is not accurate.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡± He chewed down another petty remark that felt satisfying to think but would have been wildly unproductive if he actually said it. ¡°That¡¯s not what I asked, but okay. I¡¯m still listening.¡±


    ¡°It is more like...¡± She considered it for a few moments, chewing on her lip. ¡°It is more like your Marquise, I think.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d ever heard that term before. Maybe once, in a movie, but to his recollection it had never been explained. ¡°That¡¯s not better. I¡¯m not even sure what the hell that is.¡±


    He caught her rolling her eyes. ¡°It is the child of a Duke, but I cannot be considered a Princess because I am not a child of the Empress or in the selected ascension line for the throne.¡±


    ¡°Well, now that that¡¯s cleared up... You were going to tell me, right? Just because I don¡¯t know what a Marquise is doesn¡¯t stop it from feeling like a big deal.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± She sighed softly. ¡°I just needed the right time.¡±


    ¡°I can understand you not wanting to tell me when I was just a pilot, but we¡¯ve come a long way since then. It¡¯s not like-¡±


    Carbon cleared her throat softly, giving him a pointed look and then glancing over at the soldiers sitting across the way. ¡°Later.¡±


    Alex looked over just in time to see the one that had escorted her to his parent¡¯s place fold his ear back down tight against his head. He had a lot of questions right now, but the back of a military transport near a handful of total strangers was still probably not the best place to air them. ¡°Alright.¡±


    It was a mercifully short trip. They must have had access to the diplomatic lanes, no way ground to space would be possible in minutes otherwise with the traffic around Earth. They were expected and promptly landed in a bay with multiple matching shuttles, but no personnel to be seen - odd for a ship that ought to be a constant hive of activity. Alex and Carbon disembarked and were met by a short, dark gray male dressed similarly to Carbon: black pants with a gray and black brocade jacket, his with a high collar. Alex was starting to understand why separating their laundry had been a big deal to Carbon now.


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    ¡°Pilot Sorenson, this is Tashen, the Empress¡¯ secretary.¡± She didn¡¯t seem particularly pleased to see him. Perhaps she just didn¡¯t want to be back here on the carrier.


    ¡°Good to meet you.¡± Alex stuck a hand out, trying to maintain some level of decorum. Tashen wore a personal AI, Alex assumed he would be translating as well.


    Tashen looked at Alex¡¯s hand, then up at him and finally over to Carbon as if he was trying to figure out what was appropriate before turning back to Alex and giving a very shallow bow. ¡°It is fine to meet you as well, Pilot Sorenson. Please, we must not keep the Empress waiting.¡± His lips moved well out of sync, the translated voice stopping half a second after he was done speaking. That was going to take some time to get used to again.


    Carbon set her hand on his wrist and gently pushed his arm back down to his side. She seemed oddly resigned. ¡°Just bow. It will be more comfortable for everyone we meet.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she is correct. Please. We will go now.¡± He gestured for them to follow, turning and striding towards the nearest exit. Carbon followed with a quiet sigh, Alex staying close behind. The corridors were dark gray bulkheads with dusky red support ribs, each intersection neatly marked in Tsla. Right now it was eerily empty as well, something he presumed was because of his presence.


    Tashen led them to a lift and leaned into the control panel, eye open wide as he gazed into a retina scanner. He seemed impatient more than anything as he ushered them in and pressed the top button. Alex was reasonably sure he¡¯d be lost as soon as he stepped out of the elevator, and he was sure he wouldn¡¯t be using the lift without an escort. Not that he had any way to leave suddenly.


    The lift pulled up and deposited them in a very fancy room. Plush purple carpet, richly woven tapestries that ran to the top of the walls - easily twice his height with arched ceilings making the room even taller - and finely carved wooden furniture made it feel much less like a carrier than before. This was more what Alex expected for royalty. Carbon practically threw herself into one of the chairs, spine rigid and visibly more tense than before they had gotten onto the elevator.


    ¡°This way. She is expecting you.¡± Tashen directed him towards the tall, intricately carved wooden doors at the other end of the antechamber with a gentle nudge of his hand.


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re just going to send me in alone?¡± Why did that revelation make him feel nervous? Why was that the first thing that set his nerves on edge?


    Carbon nodded. ¡°Eleya often prefers to meet with people alone. Just bow, deeply. You will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± He very clearly remembered how Carbon felt about her. The fear so sharp her memories made him afraid along with her. Ah, yes. That¡¯s why.


    She gave him a thin smile, resigned to sending him in by himself. ¡°You are not family, you will be fine.¡±


    ¡°It is as she says.¡± Tashen urged him towards the ornate doors.


    ¡°Alright.¡± His heart still pounded in his chest, despite their reassurances. The metal of the door handle was cold under his fingers as he twisted it, the door gliding open silently and closing behind him with a soft thump. The walls of the octagonal room looked to be made of cut stone, or at least a convincing facade. More tapestries and curtains hung here, not quite as large as the ones hanging in the antechamber. It was sparsely furnished, a few intricately carved chairs with thick upholstery sitting around a small table, what was clearly a liquor cabinet, and a bed. Everything swathed in crimson and trimmed in gold. The air was heavy with incense, all traces of the ship erased.


    It took him a moment to notice that Eleya, the Empress of the Tsal¡¯o Empire was actually there, seated neatly on the edge of the bed. The next second after that was spent coming to terms with the fact that this looked like a bedroom. Her bedroom. The weirdness of that realization momentarily overrides his nerves.


    ¡°Hi.¡± Alex started to wave and then caught himself, bowing as Carbon had indicated.


    She seemed to be quite amused by that, standing with grace and slowly closing the distance between them. There was a definite family resemblance, the same blue-black fur and azure eyes with a trio of gold piercings glittering along the top edge of her ears, each linked with a fine chain. They dressed similarly as well, though the Empress¡¯ vibrant blue jacket was much more ornate and appeared to be ready to slide off her shoulders. ¡°Your presence is greatly appreciated, Pilot Alex Sorenson.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing.¡± She didn¡¯t seem that bad. Though Carbon and Tashen both saying that he¡¯d be fine because he wasn¡¯t family was still creeping around in the back of his head.


    A coy smile played over her lips, eyes studying him intently. Her fur was starting to turn silver around her mouth and on the top of her head around her antenna. A U shaped line of silver fur sat on the front of her right shoulder as well. Eleya stopped in front of him and he could see a matching U on the back of her shoulder... apparently a bite mark. ¡°My niece speaks well of you. She is quite impressed with your intelligence and tenacity, among other things.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that. She¡¯s been exceptional at everything I¡¯ve seen her set her mind to.¡± Alex hesitated, not sure what he should expect. She still didn¡¯t seem to be as bad as Carbon had led him to believe, though. ¡°If you do not mind me asking, Empress, why did you want to see me?¡±


    ¡°Some security issues have come to light in the past few weeks, some of which may involve you and your well being. Before any moves are made on these, there are some questions I need answered.¡± A gentle hint of annoyance crept into her voice as she spoke. Not at him, at least, it felt directed at these ¡®security issues.¡¯


    ¡°Of course. Ask away.¡± Alex was quite sure that she, of all people, would have high enough clearance for anything that might come up. Maybe. She was the leader of a foreign government. Not like Carbon hadn¡¯t been along the whole time anyway, so she would definitely have told her own government everything already.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She looked over at the wall and tipped her head at Alex.


    As he looked at the heavy curtain he caught a flicker of motion and ozone filled his nose. He had just about enough time to put the two together - telltale signs of someone using cloaked armor - before a stun baton slammed into his neck, seizing the muscles in his upper body and sending him sprawling to the ground, unconscious.

 Crucible

    As Alex drifted back into consciousness he felt weak and nauseous, but at least he was laid out on something soft. Then he became aware of the vast and impressive tableau of discomfort that was his body. A strange numb pain radiated from his neck in all directions, head to toe, muscles agonizingly slow to react when they did. Fallout from being stunned. Warm fingers gripped his head, thumbs keeping his eyelids closed. This was overshadowed by someone who had their knee jammed into his groin in a most uncomfortable way.


    He assumed it was the same someone who was now rifling through his memories. The other presence was familiar and strange at the same time. The family resemblance was still strong. Eleya felt a little bit like Carbon in his mind and they both liked to ransack his brain while he was unconscious. At least Carbon had done it because she wanted to know if he was still alive. This felt more like the violation that she had been concerned about.


    All of this thinking drew Eleya¡¯s attention. Her presence was smooth and glassy, impenetrable. She regarded him for a moment, giving him the impression that she was considering how to deal with him.


    Her presence extended a sense of calm, though it was stiff - this was not someone used to smoothing things over in this fashion. She lacked the ease of emotions that Carbon had when she¡¯d linked with him in the past. ¡°Ante seruvi.¡±


    Alex didn¡¯t know what that meant. It sure as shit felt like somebody telling him to calm down while they poked around in his mind to sate their own curiosity. He focused as tightly as he could, the way that Carbon had enjoyed, a spotlight of attention purely on Eleya¡¯s presence on his mind. ¡°Go fuck yourself.¡± Alex tried to include a shove with that, but his arms barely came up and it was more of a feeble slap at the bed.


    He was sure she didn¡¯t know what that meant but could infer plenty from how he said it, and the anger that came with it. From what he had learned, he really didn¡¯t have the ability to stop her except for physical distance, and his body was not playing nice right now. He was willing to give interference a shot. Alex started thinking about unimportant things. Playing tag as a kid, watching movies he didn¡¯t like, filling out paperwork. He breathed through his mouth. A bunch of noise in the signal to make it more difficult for Eleya to find what she was looking for.


    She seemed surprised at this turn of events. Perhaps she wasn¡¯t expecting him to be able to mount any sort of defense, or had expected immediate capitulation. The Eleya-part¡¯s smooth surface radiated an annoyed geometry before settling back down. She tried again. A snippit of memory, the feeling of comfort, followed by the concept of allies.


    ¡°Try asking first.¡± Alex wasn¡¯t sure how to do that little bits of memory thing, and he really didn¡¯t have the composure to figure it out right now. He was pretty sure the only memory he could muster would be him telling her to go fuck herself a minute ago anyway. He went back to thinking about paperwork, this time with an angry rendition of the only show tune he knew.


    Elaya set aside her patience for him, a distinct chill between them as her presence shifted away to dig up a memory, thrusting it down into his mind. The curious sensation of the skin of the eyelid as it gave way under her claw, the sudden heat of blood as her thumb plunged into the eye of someone else who had resisted her. The screaming. There was fury in her heart and she hated it. Hated that it had come to this, mauling one of her own people, despite what he¡¯d been involved with. But it was something that had to be done to find the path forward.


    His stomach twisted, shocked at the memory as it played out.


    There was no fury in her now, but she still needed to find the path forward. The thumbs holding his eyelids closed shifted as sharp claws caressed the delicate skin beneath them.


    He got the message.


    She went back to rummaging. The experience was surreal, and not as cut and dried as he had imagined it to be. He kept that laser focus on her as she worked, enticing his subconscious into thinking about Carbon with a gentle, fond recollection of her. Eleya¡¯s own memories used to bait a wandering mind to focus on something specific.


    The real interesting thing he picked up was that this bait had a raw honesty to it. He felt her love for Carbon, recognizing the way he felt about his own nephew within it. So much promise in a young life. Though this was framed with vigilance, and a grand crimson smear of regret stained it. There was more, despite Eleya¡¯s best efforts to keep everything neatly contained. There was no hiding here, this experience was still a two-way street. Her feelings were shot through with spicules of anxiety.


    Eleya perused their interrupted dinner with Ed at Noonan¡¯s, Alex¡¯s introspection about this quiet enough to not draw her ire further. Carbon had said you can¡¯t fake things in this space. It¡¯d be obvious, incomplete. The handful of glimpses of Eleya that he had gotten from Carbon did not fit with what he was experiencing here - mostly. The eye thing being the exception.


    The memories she dragged up were more of a slideshow, everything slightly jumbled up and semi-linear. Words, sight, and thoughts mostly aligned, nothing like the intentional sharing of a memory. Eleya relived him biting back sharp comments during the most recent memory of her, from the flight back to the carrier. Not his most proud moment, but it could have been worse. That was all she needed, apparently, fading away from his mind a moment after the memory was done.


    Alex blinked in the light after she released his head, the ceiling a web of jeweled lights. He was on her bed - no big surprise, there were not a lot of soft objects large enough for him in there that he had seen. At least they hadn¡¯t dumped him on the floor.


    Eleya flipped her antennae back and leaned down, whispering. ¡°Now we share a secret.¡± She kissed his forehead and sat up, straddling his leg, knee thankfully removed from his groin. ¡°It was not my intent to disturb you, I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s way too late for that.¡± Strange, his Amp should have shut off when he lost consciousness. He¡¯d check the documentation later, maybe it was standard in the Mk. IV. Not having to wait for it to boot and restart the translator was nice.


    ¡°You are correct. This was a necessity, if not a distasteful one. You do not yet know our ways and I did not yet know you.¡± She climbed off his leg and sat next to him on the bed, legs folded under her. ¡°I normally prefer a more leisurely method of getting to know a person, but we are operating under time constraints right now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really stupendous. Maybe you could just try to explain things first next time?¡± Alex willed his traitorous limbs into motion, weak arms slowly pulling back to help him push his body up, still tingling with pinpricks of heat from the stun. It took a minute, but he did manage to sit himself up, face to face with her again. He spotted his external translator nearby on the bed, still powered on and close enough to be connected with wireless. He wasn¡¯t sure what she¡¯d seen when rooting around in there, exactly, or if they¡¯d performed any sort of medical scan while he was out. He¡¯d continue to keep the internal under wraps for now anyway.


    ¡°There is no need. I have learned what I sought from you.¡±


    ¡°Okay. So do I just leave now? Or are there some other fucked up things you want to do to me?¡± As his head cleared, he was becoming more irate and her non-answers did not help.


    She smirked at that with a clipped laugh and turned away, sliding towards the end of the bed. The tips of her antenna glowed, forked beads of metal wrapped around the shaft and resting on the fluffy part. Must be how she was translating. She set her hand down on his ankle as she stood and may have given it a squeeze. He wasn¡¯t sure if she had or just put pressure on it to use as leverage, but it definitely made him feel awkward. Eleya smoothed her jacket and strolled over to a small cabinet and poured herself a drink. ¡°I do not think there are many more terrible things in your future, Alex. I intend to do a few things for you... and perhaps there are things you will do for me.¡±


    Her phrasing left him uneasy, unsure if that was how she meant it to be or if it was just the translation. ¡°That¡¯s creepy, but I¡¯m feeling like I don¡¯t have a lot of options here.¡±


    She sipped the amber liquid and shook her head with a smile. ¡°Do not worry. You will not find the tasks I set before you distasteful. I suspect you may actually enjoy most of them.¡±


    He was starting to understand Carbon¡¯s resignation before he came in here. There were a lot of answers coming from her, but they were all empty. ¡°You really aren¡¯t used to giving away information, are you?¡±


    ¡°You cannot know how refreshing you are, so free of guile.¡± She laughed and seemed, for a moment, legitimately happy. ¡°A rare quality here, I am afraid. It does make my dear neice¡¯s interest in you much more clear.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± He laid the sarcasm on thick, even though it felt like an honest compliment.


    She nodded and set her glass to the side and picked up a tablet, using a claw to navigate through it. ¡°I am glad that she is not just chasing a nice pair of ankles or sweetened tea. I do not think she would be taken in by such things, but she had led a taxing life and stress makes people act strangely. I understand it is the same way for your kind.¡±


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    ¡°Yeah, accurate.¡± Was she implying something about his relationship with Carbon there? They had been very up front with the possibility that the stress of what happened on the Kshlav¡¯o had been what drove them together. While the last few weeks have not exactly been a vacation, things have still been going smoothly. Until now.


    ¡°I must admit I did expect someone with a bit more face. Though, yours does have good symmetry.¡±


    ¡°Uh, that¡¯s... Good to know.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure where the hell she was going now. The lack of clear direction was disarming, never letting him get a head of steam going.


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡± She continued her work on the tablet, whatever she was looking at was apparently more important than the conversation that Alex had expected to continue.


    ¡°So, while I¡¯m still sitting here, maybe you can tell me a little bit more about what¡¯s going on? I¡¯m sure this means nothing to you but I haven¡¯t seen my family in almost a year, and I¡¯m thinking I¡¯d kind of like to get back to that.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Almost a year? You know, I have not seen-¡± Eleya¡¯s facade had slipped just a touch, ears and antenna lowered as she stopped and glanced over the tablet at him. There was disapproval in her glare, lips pulled into a thin grimace before she went back to scrolling through it. ¡°Yes, now is a good time. In the wake of the disaster on Schoen, our relationship with Humanity has grown at a rate much faster than it has before. Much faster than we would normally be comfortable with.¡±


    Alex nodded and scooted forward to sit on the edge of the bed. Fucking finally. This was more like what he was looking for. ¡°Yes, I have been made aware of that.¡±


    ¡°Have you? Good. This has met with resistance in certain circles. We have been an isolated people for a very long time and they do not want this to change. When it was just trade treaties, they would grumble and complain. Now that we have given up one of our most advanced technologies on a gamble to find more planets, they do much more.¡±


    He already did not like where this was going. ¡°Such as?¡±


    ¡°There have been a few assassinations and they are attempting to foment an insurrection to overthrow the monarchy. This is not in my best interest. It is not in Carbon¡¯s or yours, either. Until now, they have kept their sights set on loyal members of the government. Understandable, and it fits in with their goals. Several weeks ago one of our spies found a few Human names added to a list of potential targets. Most of them high ranking military.¡±


    Eleya had stopped looking at her tablet, drink in hand once again and looking into the swirling liquid within. ¡°But that last one, Alex Sorenson. A pilot. I hope you will forgive me for saying this - a person of no importance. While we consider the source to be a credible threat, we did not believe you to have any actual value as a target.¡±


    He swallowed. Today was turning out to be a big day. Meeting the Tsla¡¯o Empress, getting stunned, having his mind plundered, and finding out that he was targeted for assassination. ¡°Why would they care about me? I haven¡¯t had anything to do with... anything.¡±


    ¡°You were directly involved with the Kshlav¡¯o expedition, a plan that many are afraid is just an attempt to have us deliver our most advanced technologies to the Confederation out of desperation. Yours is the one Human name that made it to our news, to the public. Hand-picked by the respected Shipmaster Tshalen - as you now know, a member of the royal family.¡±


    ¡°When you put it like that, I guess I can understand why I ended up on a kill list.¡± A sentence Alex had never imagined he¡¯d say. ¡°They¡¯re not - they can¡¯t be serious, right?¡±


    She looked up at him, dumbfounded. ¡°They have already killed. They are very serious.¡±


    ¡°Wait, were you not going to tell me? Before Carbon came back?¡±


    ¡°No. Why would I? You were in barely-charted space when it came to light, so we passed it along to your government with all the other names. I am to understand they were more confused about your inclusion than we were.¡± She gave him a curious look, not clear on why he thought that would warrant a personal meeting when he was just some pilot. ¡°We had assumed you would continue on the expedition for the full two years. If your Confederation was honest, we would have accumulated no small amount of proof of that honesty during that time. We developed a contingency to help make you a disagreeable target - having this spill out into a war between us is undesirable - but that was before Carbon returned to the hearth with her heart in your hands.¡±


    ¡°Ok, as long as the Confed was notified.¡± Alex was certain he would have remembered this sort of conversation had it popped up before now, which means it hadn¡¯t. Which agency had been informed? Did they even know he was back in Sol? Had they taken it seriously? He¡¯d probably get better answers going through the Admiral... ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone wants a war.¡±


    ¡°You would be surprised. I took it upon myself to speak with you because news of you becoming... more than friendly with a high ranking, beloved member of the Royal family will eventually break out of its current confines.¡± Eleya didn¡¯t seem particularly bothered by this, though her tone was tightly controlled. ¡°I cannot truly predict how this will be taken by the populace. I do not expect that my people will begin throwing themselves into relationships with Humans, but the fact that a commoner lived up to her standards will be a net positive. Do you see my concern?¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m picking it up. As a pilot, I¡¯m just some guy. But since I¡¯m in a relationship with the...¡± He had already forgotten her title. ¡°Carbon, that makes me a symbol. One you believe will make your people less apprehensive about Humans and the assistance we offer.¡±


    ¡°A highly visible symbol. In turn that will make you both a more attractive target. You in particular would remain fresh in their minds, never allowed to slip off that list.¡± She returned her attention to her tablet, ¡°it is our way that Royals should lead, and she has never shied away from that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she never told me about the royalty stuff, until uh- you saw it.¡± Suppose that was an upside to having her go take a look at his mind, shitty as it was.


    ¡°I did. Your restraint is admirable.¡± Eleya tipped her head in approval of his actions, though she did not look up from what she was researching.


    He sighed slowly, rubbing his eyes as feeling returned to his hands. ¡°So, what can I do about this?¡±


    ¡°There is little you could do at this point, save perhaps sequestering yourself on Earth. I can already tell you will find that distasteful.¡± She procured a silver pen from the liquor cabinet, carvings glittering in the light as she sat down in a chair and started writing. ¡°Time and distance will make you less enticing. Both of those are going to be in short supply in the near future. We were invited to bring a ship like this to Sol because we are again working with your Confederation on this artifact you two have found. We will remain for some time, and your oh enn eye will force your involvement because of your previous experience.¡±


    Carbon knew that he was working for the ONI now, presumably Eleya did as well. She¡¯d probably seen the whole thing with Gladwell, given Carbon had been there. They had learned there were some Tsla¡¯o in Confederation space now, but not many. ¡°Hang on, back that up. This ship is the main source of Tsla¡¯o in Sol, are you telling me you think you brought some of these insurrectionists with you?¡±


    She closed her eyes and nodded. ¡°We have over seventeen thousand people aboard. Even a percent of a percent would mean there are several who are sympathetic. We screen as best we can, but I cannot compel every single person to undergo invasive links.¡±


    ¡°Just me, huh?¡±


    ¡°You are a unique case, worthy of such inspection.¡± There was a hint of pride in there, as though getting your mind invaded by the Empress was a big deal to aspire to. ¡°So, yes. Any attempts on your life would likely be launched from my ship. It brings me no joy to say as much, and it is part of why I have personally intervened. Your life is important to my niece, as hers is to me. I cannot stand by and let you be killed.¡±


    ¡°Getting killed is kind of low on my list of things to do.¡± He¡¯d done a good job avoiding that with the Eohm. What¡¯s dodging death from one more alien race? This felt far more personal, though. He likely couldn¡¯t rely on being a good pilot if he wasn¡¯t in a ship, or even running something less capable than a scoutship. ¡°I can lay low for a while.¡±


    She looked over at him with a smile tugging up one corner of her mouth, blue eyes squinting with amusement. ¡°Is it so, Pilot? Will you shed your wings until we have left Sol for a reprieve? Would you cast aside my dear niece for your own safety, knowing it will not bring her any?¡±


    Alex bristled at that, an attempt to stand finding that his legs were not quite back in working order yet, leaving him stuck sitting with a finger leveled at her. Suddenly popping up like that probably wasn¡¯t the best idea with an unknown number of cloaked guards in here, anyway. ¡°Maybe... maybe the first one. But no, I wouldn¡¯t abandon Carbon like that.¡±


    ¡°As I said, distasteful.¡± Eleya drained her glass and went back to writing. ¡°Sadly, it removes an option for you.¡±


    ¡°Look, I work for an intelligence agency. I can get them involved.¡± ONI seemed like a perfectly capable group most of the time. They at least knew what organization would be able to handle something like this.


    She laughed. A single, sharp sound. ¡°They already know. Do not think because I have not met a Human before that your expressions are too alien to read. I saw your reaction when I first told you that, I know what it looks like when someone realizes their government has forgotten them. I have seen it too often of late.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright! So what the fuck am I supposed to do? If you¡¯ve got answers, let me hear them.¡± He threw his hands up in the air, something finally working right.


    She set the tablet down in her lap, directing her full attention at him. Her chin was up a little, blue eyes looking down her muzzle at him in a way that gave her an air of superiority. ¡°I offer you the protection of the Tsla¡¯o Empire.¡±


    ¡°Great. I accept. Thank you.¡± He did, but was still annoyed. She could have just said that to start and skipped over all the bullshit. He really didn¡¯t feel like there were any other options at the moment, except hoping that some part of the Confed took this as seriously as she did. ¡°I appreciate that.¡±


    ¡°As you should.¡± She looked over at the wall again, addressing the space in front of it. ¡°Send her in.¡±


    ¡°Do you need me to do anything? Are your people just going to take care of it?¡± He wasn¡¯t exactly sure how they¡¯d be protecting him. Maybe the formal offer - and his acceptance - meant she could allocate more resources to it. Make it more official. Alex had no idea how things ran in the Tsla¡¯o government. It seemed like she was the ultimate power, but maybe even that was tempered by the circumstance they were in.


    She tapped the tablet a few more times and scribbled one last thing before setting it down on the table as the doors swung open. She had that smirk again as she shook her head. ¡°No, dear nephew. Our people will take care of it.¡±


    Carbon stopped short, stunned. When she spoke, her voice was laced with venom. ¡°What have you done?¡±

 Clarification

    Eleya regarded Carbon for several seconds before she responded. "I have taken care of the problem, dear niece. What else would I have done?"


    Carbon¡¯s demeanor shifted a bit, eyes burning as she raised her voice. "How did you do it?"


    "I have married you and the young pilot." Eleya was remarkably nonchalant about that, given Carbon¡¯s reaction to her even knowing about their relationship before.


    Alex was a quarter of a second behind the conversation because of his translator. It wasn¡¯t much but it only gave him enough time to make a sort of surprised guttural noise before Carbon exploded. "That is not what we discussed! That is illegal!"


    ¡°All of you, out.¡± Eleya glanced over at the empty spot by the wall, eyes narrowed. ¡°They will be fine, Captain.¡±


    The door opened on silent hinges, multiple barely visible forms following each other out. Impressive they managed to stay so clear while moving. As far as Alex was aware, the Human version of optically cloaked armor wasn¡¯t nearly so transparent unless still.


    Eleya had returned to her liquor cabinet as they went, topping off her drink as silence filled the room after the door closed. "I was so moved after the young pilot confessed his blazing... Mmh, no. Enduring love for you that I made it legal. I oversaw the ceremony myself. That is the official story. It is much more elegant than what we discussed and I believe it will be taken well back home."


    ¡°Elegant!¡± Carbon took a step forward, the motion halting as soon as her foot hit the ground, no doubt well aware of Eleya¡¯s personal guard even if they were in the next room now. ¡°A royal decree allowing-¡±


    Eleya cut her off, voice sharp but not raised. ¡°Do you think that would not be transparent? ¡®Oh yes, we¡¯re bringing one single human into the fold, to help with ongoing exploration efforts. Mmhm, the one was piloting the Kshlav¡¯o when it was shot down. And yes, Shipmaster Tshalen will be coming with him for some reason, even though none of the ships are large enough to warrant a Shipmaster.¡¯ You are smarter than that, dearest niece.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a reasonable thought to bring him in, given his expertise.¡± Carbon faltered, but was still much louder than normal, ears still set back and ready for a fight. ¡°Though the expedition was cut short, we still found significant assets that need proper investigation, it¡¯s fitting that we would be placed in that fleet. Your desire for propaganda could be filled with that - despite the destruction of the Kshlav¡¯o, our duty to the Tsla¡¯o people has not ended.¡±


    The Empress let her speak her piece this time, patient while Carbon unspooled a bit of rope. ¡°And when you can¡¯t hide the truth anymore? What lie shall you spin then? What more lies would you weave, instead of an easy truth? Should we say he has... special exploration abilities that only you can call forth in him? Although. That is a truth as well, is it not?¡± That little smirk came back.


    There was a half a second where, if the two of them were not separated by about ten feet and possibly someone in power armor still hiding in here, Alex thought Carbon would have taken a swing at her. The way her body tensed, fist actually coming back for a moment, spoke volumes. Her words were clipped when she replied. ¡°It will not be a problem. I can keep my secrets.¡±


    Eleya cocked her head the the side, gently shaking it, the smirk that had been tugging at the corner of her muzzle gone. ¡°You cannot. I do not say that to hurt you, it is the truth.¡±


    Carbon spit out something that was flagged as untranslatable. ¡°What do you know of me?¡±


    ¡°When you were delivering your report on the expedition and its untimely end, do you know what you were doing?¡± Eleya¡¯s demeanor shifted and set her glass down. She fixed Carbon with a stern gaze and folded her arms over her chest.


    ¡°I suppose you will tell me.¡± Almost not shouting now, but still venomous.


    ¡°Oh, of course, dear niece. You were transparent. In front of two Admirals. Even in front of me! Every time the name of the young pilot came up, you would get a look in your eye and you would smile. Just a little. Do you know how long it¡¯s been since I saw you smile while I was in the room, and it did not immediately fall when you looked my way? I remember each time.¡± Eleya had become more animated as she spoke, those stern eyes melting into sadness, a faint smile on her lips. ¡°My presence was not enough to overcome your happiness, for once. That alone was monumental. I had to know more, and that was before you described any of his more heroic actions in utterly superlative language.¡±


    ¡°I did no such thing.¡±


    ¡°You did. Check the video if you do not believe me. It was clear as the air in this room.¡± She sighed softly and the smile turned wistful. ¡°I hope you have not kept this development from Neya. She needs good news, unconventional as it is.¡±


    Carbon had begun to relax, slightly. She didn¡¯t look like she was about to get into a fist fight anymore. But the mention of Neya - an name Alex was entirely unfamiliar with - immediately turned it around. She shook, hands balled into fists again, though this time her antenna and ears rose slightly, a ridge of fur running from above her eyes and over the top of her head following suit. Though her eyebrows were pulled tight and eyes narrowed into a sharp glare, they were wet. Given everything he¡¯d learned so far, angry crying was going to be as bad with Tsla¡¯o as it was with Humans. ¡°Why did you do this?¡±


    Eleya leaned back against the cabinet with cool eyes, all traces of the humor that had been there before gone. ¡°He needs protection. Our people need to have some scrap of confirmation that we are not just being held at arms length as we are drained of our technology. Marrying one into the royal family worked with the western tribes, it will work here.¡±


    ¡°The western tribes!? That was three hundred years ago! This is hardly the same! They- they were Tsla¡¯o!¡± She thrust an accusatory finger at Eleya, shouting at her from across the room again.


    ¡°They were. It has always been the place of the royals to lead the way. I do not expect that we will embrace humans the same way the tribes were, but I do expect that the rebellion¡¯s legs will be snapped by this.¡± She walked to stand in front of Carbon, just slightly shorter than her niece, gesturing with the glass as she spoke. ¡°I told you long ago, that your life is mine. That if you were lucky, you would be my sword and shield rather than a payment to keep someone in line.¡±


    She paused and took a drink. ¡°I think it appears that you are very lucky.¡±


    Carbon seethed in silence with her eyes locked on Eleya, teeth bared and hate etched on her face. Her words came slowly, each one loaded with acid. ¡°May I be dismissed?¡±


    Eleya sighed quietly and waved a hand towards the door. ¡°Yes. Go.¡±


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    She had started to turn before Eleya had even finished her first word, Alex rising to follow as soon as he realized what had just been said, still lagging behind about what had just transpired.


    Eleya stepped into his path and grabbed his wrist, twisting his arm till his elbow locked. In one smooth motion she pivoted her shoulder into his upper arm and forced him back, the edge of the bed knocking his knees out from under him and planting him where he had just been. ¡°I did not dismiss you, young prince.¡±


    It took Alex a few moments to pick a question out of the possibilities that were roiling in him. His first instinct was to go to Carbon, but Eleya¡¯s statement and the knowledge there was at least one cloaked guard made that seem unwise, for the time being. ¡°What the hell just happened?¡±


    She took a drink - he just now noticed that she was still holding it when she had stopped him, and hadn¡¯t appeared to have spilled it - and gave him a sidelong glance before dragging a chair over to the bed and sinking into it, gesturing out past the door with her drink. ¡°She needs a moment to collect herself.¡±


    Alex was starting to get sorted out. Carbon was upset and erring towards anger felt pretty right about now. ¡°That¡¯s not what I asked, so let me rephrase it: what the fuck is going on?¡±


    ¡°You must understand, this is how most of our conversations end. Carbon will hate me for a few hours - perhaps a few days this time - and then go back to not liking me.¡± She stretched her legs out and set her feet on the bed next to him, soft leather shoes resting atop each other as she crossed her ankles. ¡°I like seeing your concern for her, Alex. It makes me feel much more confident in this decision.¡±


    He felt strangely good when she said that, the fire in him cooling slightly. ¡°Why did you marry us? What does that do other than upset her?¡± Alex still felt distant from that, the fact of what Eleya had done hadn¡¯t sunk in yet. Mentally, he was still back where he hadn¡¯t even told his parents that he was dating again, let alone who he was dating.


    ¡°Several reasons, the most important being Carbon. Aside from her odd name, she has always been a tremendous asset. Smart, capable, popular with the public, and quite pretty.¡± She studied her glass before taking a long drink. A sad smile crossed her face as she looked back up. ¡°I do believe that your life is in danger, and I will not see that girl wither in the desert of your death. It would shatter her.¡±


    Alex had started to think that she¡¯d just been blowing smoke up his ass. Maybe she was. At the very least he was starting to catch on with how she was manipulating him, edges of truth corralling him in the direction she wanted him going. ¡°Fine. So, you¡¯re doing all this for her? I¡¯m a pawn for you to move around?¡±


    ¡°Would you prefer not to be? I have just filed these documents, there is still time for me to wipe the slate clean. Send you back to Earth to your family. Carbon can rejoin the fleet, take her place as a Shipmaster again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not-¡± Alex gritted his teeth, exhaling slowly through them. Perhaps a few truths of his own were in order. ¡°You think that me dying would shatter her? What do you think her going back to being a Lan would do to her?¡±


    ¡°She was- is a fantastic Shipmaster. Exemplary among rarified peers.¡± She replied, looking a little annoyed at his lack of decorum. He should have just been agreeing with her, after all.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t really been keeping up with her, have you?¡± Alex tilted his head, eyes narrow as he inspected the Empress. He gestured up towards the top of his head. ¡°You don¡¯t do the thing? Not that sort of trusted family?¡±


    Eleya did not particularly care for that intimation, sitting up a little straighter, chin tipped up just slightly to give her that imperial look again. A frown tugged at the corner of her mouth. ¡°We do not.¡±


    "We do. Carbon was barely keeping her shit together when I met her. She burned herself up to keep going on her previous assignment, and she never let any of you know it. I helped her with that, as much as she¡¯d let me. Didn¡¯t you pillage those memories?¡± He knew he shouldn''t be telling Eleya, of all people, something that Carbon would probably want kept private. He also thought she''d approve of a little bit of hurt applied to Eleya. It was a balance.


    ¡°I did not. There was much I left unseen. I am not a parasite, I needed confirmation that you are who she thinks you are.¡± There was a hint of disdain in her voice, but she seemed less resolute now.


    ¡°She¡¯s been in my head multiple times, you think I could hide from her? The absolute fucking audacity to think that Carbon couldn¡¯t easily see through me in there.¡± Alex laughed at that. It looked like he was the only one in the room who was aware of the secrets she had kept. ¡°I¡¯m surprised to say this, but it¡¯s a shame you didn¡¯t. So! Go ahead and make that threat. I¡¯m calling you on it. Undo what you did. Send me away, fit her back into the system that almost destroyed her. See how it goes. You can watch her wither in a desert of your own design.¡±


    This was clearly not the reaction or information that Eleya had expected to receive in this moment. She stared into the distance for a lot longer than Alex thought normal, apparently not doubting his words. ¡°Long ago, her mother made me promise that I wouldn¡¯t use her as currency. That I would do my best to do right by her, to keep her happy.¡±


    Alex raised an eyebrow, surprised to hear this coming from Eleya. He barely knew her and such a direct and earnest comment already felt strange. ¡°You¡¯re doing a shitty job of that.¡±


    She laughed, the sound thin and sarcastic. ¡°So it is. The girl has not trusted me for a very long time, and I can¡¯t blame her. I pushed her hard when she was young so that she would be all that she could. As she has grown, she has pushed herself harder. I have spent decades trying to make her take even a week of vacation. I gave her houses and ships, offered her everything I could, consulted the best psychologists to find some angle to make her stop for a day. I think she believed that she could outrun me somehow if she did not yield.¡±


    ¡°How do you not know that she doesn¡¯t care about stuff?¡± This seemed like it was obvious, but he was clearly the one who¡¯d been more involved in Carbon¡¯s life for the last few decades, which was not a great sign considering he hadn¡¯t even met her a year ago. ¡°She¡¯s incredibly driven, because she¡¯s afraid of you. You can¡¯t just expect to toss things at her to make it better. Which, hello, that¡¯s what you¡¯re doing with me.¡±


    Eleya¡¯s smile changed, softening until it ceased to exist, eyes slowly following suit as she wilted in that ornate chair. ¡°I wield all the power of the Tsla¡¯o Empire and could not make my niece take a break. You flash a smile and the galaxy stops. She loves you more than anything, you know. I linked with you as I did to ensure that you reciprocated that appropriately. Everything else this might accomplish is convenient, so long as she is happy. I told you, we are allies.¡±


    He almost didn¡¯t believe that Eleya just wanted Carbon to be happy. It seemed like such a petty thing for an Empress to be chasing. If he hadn¡¯t seen how she felt about her, the secret that they now shared, he actually wouldn¡¯t believe it. Eleya at least seemed to be honest about this. ¡°If you want me to be an ally, then you need to start treating me like one.¡±


    Eleya righted herself, drawing back up and standing before him, eyes resolute. ¡°Have my apology then, Alex Sorenson. I have mistreated you, considered you as a payment to mend my relationship with my niece. If you wish me to stay my hand in regards to the marriage, I will comply, though I think it the most defensible way to proceed.¡± She stuck her hand out to him.


    He stood and shook her hand, surprised that she was familiar with the gesture, given that Tashen seemed to find it entirely alien. He didn¡¯t fully believe her, either. It could well just be another way to direct him the way she wanted, but the admission would buy her a little bit of leeway for now. ¡°Alright. Apology accepted. I think Carbon needs to be involved in this conversation - I don¡¯t know exactly what her plan was, but the fact you didn¡¯t discuss this with her... well, you saw how it turned out.¡±


    ¡°I have.¡± Eleya brushed some hairs off of his shirt, neatening him up a bit. ¡°Go find her. Take Tashen with you. He knows her hiding places and is getting very nervous with my guards out there.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He was heading for the door in a heartbeat, legs slightly wobbly but serviceable. He really needed to talk to Carbon first, get things sorted out and make some sense of what just transpired before they returned to discuss things further.


    ¡°One thing, before you go.¡± Eleya stopped him before he opened the door, taking his arm gently and pulling him down to eye level. Her voice was low and her gaze deadly serious. ¡°If we are truly allies I must be clear about this, Alex. I care about Carbon and how you make her feel. You are pulled along in her wake. Do not disappoint me.¡±

 Hurt

    The Sword of the Morning Light - Alex did not know its name in Tsla - seemed like a ghost town. A comparably sized Human carrier should have a crew of ten, maybe twelve thousand. The Hammerhead-class were larger, sure. A couple of hundred meters longer, and that distinct wide bow, but seventeen thousand on board should have left this ship bustling. Maybe it was the middle of the night? He had no idea what ship time was. The dark gray bulkheads were all lit with bright lights, a little more red than you¡¯d find on human ships, but nowhere near the night red the Kshlav¡¯o had to help maintain circadian rhythms.


    Obviously, they wouldn¡¯t be everywhere at all times, but Tashen had spent the last half hour leading Alex around and they¡¯d seen all of a dozen other people. A solid two kilometers of walking, mostly constrained to the port side of the ship. Alex assumed the presence of a Human to be a bit unusual from the looks he was getting. Just surprise so far, which felt better than a lot of other possible reactions.


    ¡°So, this happens a lot?¡± Alex stayed about two steps behind Tashen. He had a longer stride than the Tsla¡¯o, but Tashen moved quickly. It evened out as long as they were going in a straight line, which wasn¡¯t often.


    ¡°Yes. It has not always been so bad between them. The last few years have seen things take a distinct downward shift. The disaster has weighed heavily upon all.¡± His voice was a little higher than Alex''s, likely due to the size difference, but it still carried an air of authority and more than a hint of age. Tashen was looking at that little communicator, scrolling through a list he¡¯d referenced several times so far, and turned down another side corridor without warning. He seemed to be ignoring Alex, never looking back, never even tilting his head towards him when he spoke. He still answered without fail.


    Alex wasn¡¯t sure why that was. Might be some cultural thing. He was in a position to take whatever Eleya did extremely seriously so this could be how he spoke to royals. Might be that Tashen just didn¡¯t like him, or know what to do with him, given that what Eleya had done was apparently illegal several minutes before she did it. ¡°Really? You¡¯ve been working with them for a while now?¡±


    ¡°Thirty two years and sixteen weeks.¡± He stopped suddenly, fingers tracing down the side of a wall panel before popping it open and sticking his head inside for a moment. He sniffed the air with a grimace, closing it with a solid thump and continuing down the corridor. ¡°When Princess Tshalen was younger, they were quite close.¡±


    ¡°No kidding. Couldn¡¯t tell that from what I just saw.¡± Alex slowed to watch the corridor markers long enough to get a visual translation out of his Amp. They were on deck six, forward section two, port passageway two. He was just starting to get a feel for the carrier¡¯s layout. Fairly straightforward, but he¡¯d still like a map.


    ¡°Indeed, there is nothing to joke about.¡± Tashen took a left suddenly, towards port passageway three.


    Ah, literal interpretation there. Maybe. He was pretty sure the Empress¡¯ secretary wasn¡¯t being an asshole, at least, but he could have just been playing along with that turn of phrase too. ¡°So what happened?¡±


    ¡°The Empress did have to explain how her life would be at some time. She was, perhaps...¡± Tashen trailed off and turned towards the bow on the passageway, not finishing his sentence.


    ¡°She was, perhaps?¡± Alex prompted him, curious as to what Tashen was going to say.


    He looked over his shoulder, eyes narrowing as he checked the corridor beyond Alex. When he spoke, his voice was lower, just loud enough for Alex to hear over the steady, low noise of the ship. ¡°She was harsh, too harsh for a young girl she had doted on before. The Empress, I believe, intentionally drove a wedge between them and now regrets it.¡±


    Alex had gotten the impression that Eleya at least wanted Carbon to be happy, it was no stretch of his imagination to think she¡¯d actually want a good relationship with her as well. ¡°I¡¯d agree with you. I think that¡¯s the only reason I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°There are many reasons you are here.¡±


    That piqued his interest. Tashen seemed like he¡¯d be privy to information that was answer-shaped, something Alex was feeling a little desperate for. ¡°Such as?¡±


    ¡°You are to keep Princess Tshalen happy.¡±


    He needed to flag that word and make sure it got an update in the translator¡¯s dictionary. With any luck he could get Carbon to help him with that - and the other various royal titles he would likely be running into. ¡°I got that one, not doing too well at it right now. What else?¡±


    Tashen seemed to pick his words carefully when he spoke. ¡°Your new status does not defend just you.¡±


    ¡°Which means?¡±


    ¡°A married couple is given preference when choosing who will next ascend to the throne.¡± Tashen stopped and tapped a code into a keypad next to a set of blast doors. They slid out of the way with a reluctant thrum, revealing forward launch bays. The space was nine or ten stories tall and just as deep, the far wall fully obscured by the rows and rows of fighters and bombers sitting in rigging, waiting for pilots and crews.


    Alex took it in, slowing for a moment. He desperately wanted to be interested in these ships, but there was too much else going on right now. Alex jogged to catch up with Tashen at the elevator. He wasn¡¯t aware of much of the upper levels of Tsla¡¯o royalty, but he knew that Carbon¡¯s mother had died. ¡°Carbon and I are next in line to be leaders of the Empire? You¡¯re not shi- uh, you¡¯re not putting me on here, right? That is what you¡¯re getting at?¡±


    ¡°It is more complex than that.¡± He looked back at Alex, studying his expression for a moment. ¡°The old rules of succession have only rarely been bypassed. Usually when both parties are particularly unfit. One bad ruler can be navigated around when the other is well tempered.¡±


    Alex considered that, stepping into the lift after Tashen. ¡°So that would protect Eleya. As long as there¡¯s not enough popular support for the rebellion to overthrow the monarchy, assassinating her would likely install a Human at the head of the Empire because everybody likes Carbon. I can still imagine that would not sit well with a lot of people.¡±


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    He tilted his head to one side and then to the other, like a scale being balanced. Tashen picked his words as they rose towards the top floor of the hanger. ¡°There will be push back. This is expected. The Empress anticipates that she will retain her footing, if not gain ground.¡±


    ¡°So just having me around with that potential outcome is going to be tolerable to... uh, the rest of... the royalty? And everyone else?¡± He¡¯d have to ask about how other parts of the Empire might go about reacting to his presence once they got Carbon back, too.


    ¡°Both the Princess and the Empress have linked with you, have seen you.¡± He emphasized the word with his hands. ¡°They will be taken at their word about your character and intentions.¡±


    ¡°Just because someone vouches for my character doesn¡¯t mean anything.¡± He wasn¡¯t exactly in the mood to ponder philosophy at the moment, but it came spilling out of him anyway, burning up a little nervous energy. ¡°There¡¯s no proof there. I can have the best intentions, but there¡¯s nothing that indicates I will do the right thing, particularly by the sensibilities of an alien race.¡±


    Tashen glanced at him as the lift stopped, eyebrows raised a little. ¡°Have you had access to our historical documents?¡±


    ¡°Not really, why?¡± Alex followed him out onto a wide ledge behind a row of small spacecraft.


    He waved a hand and walked down a gangway between two rows of long bombers, bulbous frames ending in sharp angles, atmospheric wings folded out of the way to conserve space. ¡°What you said reminded me of a second age Emperor.¡±


    ¡°Is that good or bad?¡±


    ¡°Opinion in the Empire is mixed about Humans. Your race has often been seen as brash, as un-Tsla¡¯o. Yet you came to our aid when asked, far beyond what was expected, and you continue to help us. There is trepidation about this help. Many appreciate that, but are unsure what to make of it.¡± He looked over his shoulder as he continued down the row, making eye contact for a moment. ¡°They fear it is a ruse. As long as you carry yourself in a fitting manner, you may well sway them.¡±


    It¡¯s no big deal. You¡¯re the single data point that the honesty and integrity of Humanity will be judged by now. Easy. Cool. ¡°So that¡¯s good?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tashen stopped at the end of the path and pointed up into the equipment in the ceiling.


    Amidst the gear and scaffolding Alex could just barely make out a patch of vibrant blue jacket on top of a bridge crane. He wasn¡¯t sure how she had gotten there, with no obvious path up to her location. ¡°Carbon? Are you there?¡±


    A long moment of silence, then a terse reply in English. ¡°Go away.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t what he was expecting. ¡°Uh... do you want to talk?¡±


    Only the gentle sounds of nearby equipment hummed a reply.


    Tashen leaned over and spoke quietly. ¡°It takes her some time to calm down, but she does not usually move once she has found somewhere to... To be despondent. I suggest we give her space and attempt to reach out in an hour, she is usually more willing after having some time to herself.¡±


    Alex nodded. He didn¡¯t like the idea of just leaving her there and the fact she had become this withdrawn bothered him deeply, but Tashen apparently had experience with this. ¡°Carbon? If you¡¯re going to do something stupid, let me know first so I can do it too. Okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Her voice was soft now, drained of emotion. Hopeless.


    Alex watched the blue spot for a few moments before he turned and walked back down the gangway. ¡°Is she going to be safe up there?¡±


    ¡°The crane is quite wide and this area is equipped with a fall suppression system.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something. Look, I don¡¯t want to go too far, can we just wait in here?¡±


    ¡°We will wait for her at the maintenance hatch she used to get to the crane. From the tone of her voice, I do not think it will be long before she is finished.¡± Tashen gestured towards another heavy door down the ledge, outlined in blue and marked with a symbol that looked quite a bit like a wrench and screwdriver.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I don¡¯t like seeing her like this.¡±


    Tashen just nodded and they walked in silence through the doors. The maintenance corridor beyond was just like every other part of the carrier Alex had seen. The same paint and lighting, uniformly clean. Aside from a few structural details and the paint scheme, it was pretty similar to the Human military ships he¡¯d visited. There were probably only so many ways to make a spaceship for bipeds.


    He had barely registered the sound of an extra set of footsteps when someone ran into him from behind. Not hard enough to knock him down, just shoving him forward with a sharp pain in his back.


    ¡°Filthy unknown thieves.¡± His assailant hissed into his ear, the translator giving that word in the middle a little digitization so he¡¯d know it wasn¡¯t in the dictionary. Alex still got the meaning. He¡¯d have picked it up from the spit on the back of his neck alone.


    A fresh brace of pain radiated as he tried to yank the knife out of Alex¡¯s ribcage, a sharp wheeze coating his tongue with the taste of blood. A second harder pull made that stab wound blossom into a ball of agony in his back. His translator pinged a warning that one of its coprocessors was offline just as another blinding shock of pain found the blade well stuck.


    Alex had training for this sort of thing, to a certain extent. The Navy instructors had assumed you¡¯d know where your assailant would attack you from. You would see it coming. Have time to take a stance, offer some defense.


    Easy to do on a ship with one hallway and two airlocks.


    Alex¡¯s back was already wet with blood as he looked over his shoulder at one of the soldiers that had been on the transport that had brought him here. The one that had stood dutifully in his parents home. The Tsla¡¯o soldier seethed, face contorted with rage as he gave up trying to get his knife back and just kicked in Alex¡¯s knee, shoving him to the ground as the shipboard alarm started to go off.


    Tashen was two steps down the hall, the small communicator back in his hand. The soldier, this assassin, stepped over his body as he went after the Empress¡¯ secretary.


    Alex already felt weak, chest aching and his breath short as he tried to right himself, the attempt rewarded with more pain. A hint of training that he now wished had been much more thorough peeked through. Medkit. Medkit in the cargo pocket, left side. Somebody was screaming as he forced his arm to work, cutting muscles in his back on the knife lodged in him as he wrapped trembling fingers around the hard-sided kit, nearly fumbling it as he pulled it out and slipped his fingertips onto the controls.


    Tashen and their assailant slammed to the ground in front of Alex, almost hitting him. The visibly younger soldier was on top and clearly in control of the fight already. He put a knee in Tashen¡¯s chest and started hammering away at his face with gloved hands, flashes of metal on the knuckles stained with deep brown-red blood. The older male''s arms were slack, unconscious and unable to defend himself from the beating.


    The medkit shifted in Alex¡¯s hand as he forced his thumb into a depression on the back of the gleaming white kit, a hidden button turning it into a makeshift, probably non-lethal weapon. He reached out and jammed the injector into the soldier¡¯s side. The last thing he heard was a solid clack coming from it as it discharged a large dose of muscle relaxant into their assailant.

 Spare Parts

    Somebody was yelling.


    No, he was yelling. His vocal cords were strained, the sound coarse and awful, which matched the pain in his chest. Now that he was thinking about it, that was why he was yelling. Fuck did it hurt.


    Something clattered to the floor nearby, a pale shape hustling over to his bedside and clicking a box on the rail beside him. His eyes remained unfocused as cold meds flooded his chest, a shudder momentarily making the pain worse before his body settled. Alex was very much not sure what was going on right now, but now that whatever that was hit his system, that was OK. It was good to be, right now. He smiled and the dry skin of his lips cracked and bled, but he didn¡¯t really feel that either.


    Once he figured out how to focus his eyes again the world materialized around him. Sort-of familiar colors drew into focus on the ceiling, a wide ring of soft indirect light still a little too bright to look at. He cast his gaze around the room, taking in the bank of monitors next to him first.


    He stared at them, trying to figure out what was up with all the lines. They moved, slowly, evenly. Little lights flashed in colors that didn¡¯t mean anything to him, blue and yellow and orange. Whatever they were displaying, it seemed to be really stable. That¡¯s when it hit him: that was medical equipment. He¡¯d only seen stuff like that in movies set before the mediboard had been invented. Then again, he hadn¡¯t spent much time in hospitals unless he was using one.


    That bit of knowledge absorbed, he scanned further, the small room not ever coming into sharp focus beyond the bed that was just large enough to hold him. There were indistinct shapes that were equally likely to be a table or a chair, and one that was almost definitely a door. There was one blob that was different, sort of a stack of colors that looked, in his opinion, Tsla¡¯o-like.


    Alex focused on the Tsla¡¯o shape and willed it into focus. Nothing happened for a moment, but it did shift a bit. Then, almost miraculously, it started to clarify. She was still standing next to the bed, violet eyes watching him inquisitively. He was disappointed to find that it wasn¡¯t Carbon, but he should have known that even before she came into focus. The pale lavender fur was a dead giveaway. She looked different in another way he couldn¡¯t put his finger on yet, and was clad in a blue jacket like Carbon had worn, a personal AI perched on her shoulders.


    His mind shifted gears as he remembered being stabbed in the back, if only distantly. He hoped Tashen was alright, the beating he had been taking had looked vicious, and he hadn¡¯t tried to protect himself. When he asked what happened, nothing remotely like words came out of his mouth. Just the rough murmur of his breath escaping him. He licked his lips and tried again, already feeling short of breath. Alex did manage to get the question out this time, even if it was hardly more than a whisper.


    ¡°You were attacked, my lord. Stabbed. Your assailant has been caught, thanks to your actions.¡± She watched him with cautious eyes.


    The difference clicked in his head. She looked more fluffy than all the other Tslao he¡¯d seen. The rest of them had slick fur, but she appeared to have an undercoat. He decided staring was probably not appreciated and shook his head, his brain sloshing around in there and spurring a headache. ¡°Just Alex. Is Tashen OK? Where¡¯s Carbon?¡±


    She seemed nervous as she considered his questions, possibly because he had spent the better part of a minute scrutinizing her as intensely as he could before suddenly looking away. ¡°Of course, Prince Sorenson. Tashen was beaten badly before you stopped the assassin, and he is still in recovery also. Princess Tshalen is currently attached to a diplomatic mission.¡±


    He shook his head again, lips drawn tight. The cracks stretched and actually hurt as his voice returned, and breathing was starting to make his chest ache. Made sense, he had been run through. ¡°Just Alex, please. Do you know when she¡¯s going to be back? Is she still upset?¡±


    ¡°She was very upset, Sir. The first responders did the best that they could, but they did not adapt methods to your biology. We hope she will be back before the end of the day.¡± She nodded and seemed very earnest about everything, at least.


    Alex tried to roll his eyes and let her call him sir. It felt far less awkward than lord or prince. ¡°I meant about the marriage and her argument with Eleya. She was upset about that. Didn¡¯t seem to want to see me.¡±


    She looked confused for a moment and then understanding dawned upon her face. ¡°Oh, that. I believe she is still upset at the Empress, but not with you. but she only left your side so that she could oversee a diplomatic team working on the acquisition of appropriate medical supplies.¡±


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    The word ¡®appropriate¡¯ was unsettling in that sentence. ¡°Medical supplies?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you were severely injured and the responding team used a tissue regenerator designed for Tsla¡¯o biology. Your body rejected the new tissue immediately.¡± She seemed to be getting more comfortable talking to him, becoming a little more animated as she spoke.


    His surroundings suddenly started to make more sense. Tissue regenerators were pretty common, so not a big surprise they had used one on him... even if they didn¡¯t think about compatibility of the tissue they were regenerating. Structures must have been similar enough, even if the underlying cells were completely wrong. ¡°You guys don¡¯t have mediboards? What was the damage?¡±


    ¡°No, our medical technology is not that advanced yet. The blade punctured your lung and scored your... ah, I am sorry, Sir, I have never done well with internal anatomy.¡± She looked up for a moment as she tried to recall something, her eyes returning to him a moment later. ¡°It scored your lung artery, which tore almost to the heart.¡±


    Alex wasn¡¯t familiar with a lung artery, but there were a bunch in there. Could just be a bad translation. When he replied, his voice had gone up an octave. ¡°And what happened to the tissue?¡±


    ¡°As we have no human-safe anti-rejection drugs on board, they removed the dying organs.¡± She said it like it wasn¡¯t that big a deal, though she seemed more cautious again.


    He let that sink in, rolled it around in his brain for a moment and sussed it out carefully. Despite this, he could feel a spike of adrenaline hit his body, but no corresponding change in his heart rate. He couldn¡¯t even feel his heart beat, now that he was thinking about it. A leaden hand moved to his chest, fingers delicately probing a thick protective layer of gel covering most of his chest, several tubes running out of it. Alex took a glance down that he immediately regretted, an angry red scar visible beneath it that ended just past his sternum. He couldn¡¯t see the top of it. ¡°You removed my lung and heart?¡±


    ¡°The doctors did, yes sir.¡± She hesitated and quickly added, ¡°you were given an artificial heart, of course.¡±


    That explained that. ¡°And you didn¡¯t try sending me back to Earth, literally a few minutes away? A planet that is covered in human medical supplies? That has ready-to-launch medical emergency ships that could have been ordered in?¡±


    ¡°I actually did suggest that.¡± She was very particular about making sure it was clear she hadn¡¯t been the one making these decisions. ¡°Carbon did, as well.¡±


    A sigh hissed out between his teeth. ¡°Eleya?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yes, Sir. She did not want your-¡± She caught her words, hesitating before continuing, ¡°the Confederation government getting involved.¡±


    ¡°I suppose calling my parents to let them know I¡¯m not dead is out of the question?¡±


    ¡°Carbon notified them that there had been an accident and you were receiving care on board.¡± She tented her fingertips and looked away for a moment. ¡°At Eleya¡¯s request.¡±


    Figures. He¡¯d known her for an hour or whatever, and this was already par for the course. ¡°But Carbon is getting something to actually patch me up, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. As I said, she should return soon.¡±


    He rested his head against the pillow, forcing his body to relax, and sighed again. ¡°My medkit was right there.¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡± She tilted her head, a little nod encouraging him to say enough to make sense.


    ¡°My medkit was right there, in my hand. Hard white box, a couple of red symbols on it?¡± He was pretty sure they hadn¡¯t tried it, given everything he¡¯d just learned. ¡°CPP gets special units in case we get boarded. I gave that stabby fuck a shot of muscle relaxants so he¡¯d stop beating the shit out of Tashen, but I didn¡¯t get it back to myself.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± This was news, it seemed. If the first response team had tried it, word hadn¡¯t made its way back to her. ¡°Would what was left have been enough to repair your wounds?¡±


    Alex really didn¡¯t know if it would have been. It was mostly nanite-gel like the mediboards employed, just thin enough to be injectable. It was nowhere near as capable, the lack of a dedicated medical suite leaving it intended for short-term emergency repairs, not permanent fixes. ¡°I mean, I¡¯d probably have at least one more original organ right now.¡±


    ¡°I will make sure that the response teams are made aware of Human emergency medical equipment.¡± She gave him a little nod, resolute. Reminded him of how Carbon would do that.


    ¡°Good.¡± He was out of danger, apparently, and knowing that Carbon was working on getting him new organs was at once weird and comforting. Alex exhaled and relaxed a little. That seemed to put her at ease again. ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t catch your name?¡±


    Her eyebrows went up at his request. ¡°Oh, yes, of course. I am Neya Khensha.¡±


    ¡°Neya.¡± Was this the Neya that Eleya mentioned, that had set Carbon off? Or was it a common name among the Tsla¡¯o? Eleya¡¯s comment that she needs good news echoed in his mind. Maybe now would not be the best time to investigate that further. The one person he knew was a good guide to Tsla¡¯o stuff was off doing diplomatic stuff.


    Her ears and antenna rose in curiosity. ¡°Yes, Sir?¡±


    ¡°Just making sure I¡¯m saying it right.¡± He looked around the room again and drummed his fingers on his legs. The haze of the drugs was mostly gone, replaced with a manageable though sharp ache in his chest. ¡°So, what is there to do around here?¡±

 Fixer Upper

    About twenty minutes later, one of the royal doctors came in to check on Alex. He asked about pain levels, if there were any issues with breathing, and did a bunch of tests to ensure the undersized heart was providing a reasonable amount of blood pressure. Checked the thick protective gel dressing glued to Alex¡¯s chest, ran some scans of the incision and stab wound while he was there, and adjusted the drug dosage by a few micrograms. He was professional though unsettled, and tried to leave just as soon as he was done with his tasks.


    Neya stopped the doctor and got him to swear that it was safe for her to step out of the room. Alex had requested some sort of entertainment, and she had immediately relayed that to someone via the tablet she had dropped when he came to, with updates when he had settled on something to read, something to do with their history - they had cinema as he was used to it, and even television, but the idea of watching those felt weird. He wanted to save that for when Carbon was back. That was their thing. History books felt like the perfect way to spend an indeterminate length of time while recuperating after open chest surgery.


    Neya had been adamant about not leaving him until one of the doctors had given her the all clear - Carbon had personally requested that she keep an eye on him. So yes, she was probably the Neya that had come up during Carbon¡¯s fight with Eleya. He still wasn¡¯t going to ask about it. Not until he¡¯d gotten things cleared up with Carbon.


    This conversation had been carried out in hushed tones and as far away from him as possible without leaving the room, which was really only a few steps. They did so next to his external translator, which had been placed very neatly on the table in the corner. It was still connected to his wireless, so he got a front row seat to it anyway. There were sensors in the bed and buried in the gel dressing connected to the sickbay¡¯s network, and since ¡®the human¡¯ was conscious again, he could summon help on his own with the push of a button.


    The most alarming thing he learned was that he had been unconscious for well over a day. He did an admirable job of not reacting to that, given that he actually was eavesdropping. Look at that, he was actually doing spy things. Argueta would be... based on their last conversation, mad. She could go to hell, they were talking about his health like he wasn¡¯t there.


    Once finally assured that she wasn¡¯t going to be shirking her duties, Neya said goodbye and left to go find him something to read. As she walked out the door, Alex noticed she had a tail. Until now she¡¯d been standing too close to the bed, and further away the long cut of her jacket had covered it. Cat-like, curling low above the ground, carrying the same inverted color scheme of pale lavender fur with dark purplish stripes.


    None of the other Tsla¡¯o had tails. Weird. Having the time to reflect on it, there had been a sentence in the primer about Tsla¡¯o with that fur color, labeled contra in the book, noting that it existed. There had been nothing more substantive, let alone details about physical differences.


    The doctor followed her out - no tail peeking out below the dark purple coat he wore. He¡¯d have to ask Carbon if they docked them or something - and left Alex with the quiet hum of the life support systems. The adjustments the doctor had dialed into his pain management dosages seemed to be working, at least. The incision ached, but it was mostly ignorable now. Sitting up didn¡¯t make it feel like it was trying to rip open.


    Now that he didn¡¯t have anyone to talk to, he dwelled on how annoyed he was about the whole ¡®we¡¯ll do this on our own¡¯ thing going on. Real fucking shitshow so far. This was the exact opposite of what he needed to be doing right now. Maybe he could grab a nap. The internal clock on his Amp said it was almost midnight UTC, so it was about the right time. Sure, he¡¯d been unconscious until recently, but that wasn¡¯t the same as sleeping.


    It wasn¡¯t, right?


    Trying to get comfortable and rest with the light on was a fool''s errand, but he ran it anyway, to the predictable outcome: it wasn¡¯t happening. He wasn¡¯t actually tired and the crisp overhead light wasn¡¯t helping. A mental glance at his Amp¡¯s internal clock let him know it¡¯d been eleven minutes since everyone left.


    He appraised the handful of buttons on the rail beside him, all of them marked with symbols. The visual translator didn¡¯t do a single thing for those symbols, which he thought was a huge oversight now that he was dealing with it. Some of them did make sense, at least. The up and down arrows next to what he thought was a pillow raised and lowered the head of the bed, for instance. Neya had pointed out the one that would give him more pain meds, a line running into two parallel lines. He could kind of see that, a very deconstructed syringe.


    The triangle with the swirly line in it? Not a single clue. Nothing in the room was triangle shaped. Maybe it would summon chips - he knew it wouldn¡¯t but the thought did make him smile. The four rounded squares were equally nonsensical. The one there at the end was an arc with a few lines radiating away from it.


    He gave it a poke, and the overhead lights turned off. Filing that one away for later.


    Alex was still mentally celebrating that victory over Tsla¡¯o iconography when the door shushed open, a dark figure in the hallway behind tsking softly. ¡°Why is the light off? Did you not just leave?¡±


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    If it wasn¡¯t his favorite aunt. ¡°I¡¯m in here, you know. You can just say, ¡®Hey Alex can you turn the light on?¡¯ And I will.¡± Maybe. He did turn the light on, this time.


    Eleya filed in, an enormous book in her arms. It was about the size of her torso, black leather bound, metalwork over the corners and a latch the size of her hand holding it closed. ¡°Very well. Though I hope this is not a recurring event.¡±


    Neya came in behind her carrying another book with the same binding, looking somewhat chastised. She set it down on the table with a muted thump and immediately took a seat. The light furred Tsla¡¯o studiously ignored them, paying very strict attention to her fingertips worrying against each other.


    ¡°Same. So, what brings you down to sickbay? Just a book delivery for little old me?¡± He managed to keep a snide tone out of his voice, even though he was really feeling it right now. There would be time for that when he was more sure he could actually walk away without his chest popping open.


    ¡°That is part of it, yes.¡± She pressed a button on the outside of the rail and a small table unfolded and laid out across his lap, the book hefted onto it. Closer to it, the leather looked real, the imperfections of a natural hide visible. The metalwork had the same hammered finish as the engines on the Kshlav¡¯o did, and it smelled like the archival section in the university library. ¡°There is more information that I thought would be best delivered in person.¡±


    ¡°Alright, lay it on me.¡± Alex eyeballed the book, realizing that he was probably the only Human that had seen this, the only one that knew it existed. That felt like pressure. ¡°Also, do you have anything a little less fancy? I figured you¡¯d have something on a tablet... Or at least some gloves?¡±


    ¡°You will read these. They are important.¡± Eleya glared at him for a moment, distinctly displeased by his rejection of these tomes. It softened quickly, the Empress moving on to the actual matters at hand. ¡°Neya informed me that you have been apprised of Carbon¡¯s attachment to a diplomatic team overseeing the acquisition of Human mediboard technology.¡±


    ¡°In less words, but yes. Tsla¡¯o can¡¯t just walk into a medical supply store and pick one up, huh?¡± His mind wandered, wondering how they would even pay in that situation. Just slap down some gold bars and tell the cashier to keep the change? Did the Empire have a bank account somewhere?


    ¡°The Confederation has offered to sell us this before. A few decades ago when they first developed it, and then more recently after the Disaster.¡± She rested a hand on the rail, claws clicking against the hard polymer. The jacket she wore this time was different, a dark blue that reminded Alex of the sky just after sunset, a hint of details woven in with silver thread. ¡°We have been... prideful about such technology, in the past. Now, as we see the fallout from the disaster on Schoen, as we work with Humans more and more, it is time to stop ignoring it. The ongoing project means more interaction with Humans, which means we should be equipped to help them, as well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you, it sounds a lot better than the events that lead to this conversation.¡± A little bit of contempt slipped into that one.


    ¡°It should. I regret what has happened to you Alex. Rest assured that the Royal doctors are hard at work cloning you new organs should the Confederation not come to a decision quickly.¡± She said it like that was a good thing.


    He supposed it was. Really didn¡¯t matter how his organs got put back in place, just as long as everything was in there at the end of the day. ¡°Well, thank you. I do appreciate that. Even if I would rather have had an ambulance summoned so all of this could have been avoided.¡± He gestured at the raw scar under the protective gel.


    ¡°You are welcome, dear nephew.¡± Eleya gave him a little nod, ignoring that last comment. ¡°Have you been made aware of your assailant¡¯s status?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. Only been up for like an hour, maybe. How¡¯s he doing?¡± Alex wasn¡¯t sure that he wanted to know. Neya had said that he¡¯d been taken into custody, and that was good enough. He already had an inkling that the outcome was going to be something that he was uncomfortable with.


    ¡°He admitted what he did, and stands by his actions. I am displeased to find that he has had no direct contact with any rebellion cells. A significant amount of their propaganda was found in his effects, but his actions appear stochastic. He saw an opportunity to strike a Human and took it.¡±


    ¡°He was in my parents house.¡± Alex tried to keep his voice calm, the words still coming out clipped.


    A hint of concern touched Eleya¡¯s features, ¡°how did he...¡±


    ¡°He escorted Carbon when she was on the Arcology. Stood there in the entryway, stiff as a board. Escorted us both back to the shuttle, back to the Sword of the Morning Light.¡±


    ¡°Is it so.¡± Her eyes narrowed, gears turning behind them. ¡°I will look into the events that put him on that detail. Someone in his command should have been aware that he was not fond of Humans, given how violent his reaction was.¡±


    Alex was becoming unsettled by the way she referred to Humans. He was one, sitting there in front of her, no matter what her little marriage scheme said. ¡°I gotta say, ¡®not fond of¡¯ is doing a lot of heavy lifting there.¡±


    ¡°It is. He hated so strongly that he took a risk that led to his capture, when he could have done much more damage if he had worked in secrecy for years.¡± She regarded him directly, fixed cool blue eyes onto his. ¡°Do not think that your actions to protect Tashen have gone unseen - he is a tremendous asset, and a close friend. I appreciate it deeply, and his wife sends her thanks for your selfless act.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well...¡± He rubbed the back of his neck, the movement pulling at his wounds and teasing a wince out of him. ¡°He was already unconscious when he hit the ground. I couldn¡¯t just... watch somebody get beat like that. I didn¡¯t even know he was married.¡±


    ¡°A kind choice in a hard moment. A rare thing to see these days, I am afraid.¡± A wry smile curled the corners of her mouth, and she set a warm hand on his shoulder. ¡°It does make her admiration more understandable.¡±

 Understanding

    Eleya had left them hours ago. Neya took the opportunity to inform him of how the negotiations were going - smoothly but slowly - and relayed a message from Carbon, who was understandably happy that he was alive and conscious. True to how Eleya had explained it, they were not trying to push the deal through quickly - this was just a step that the Tsla¡¯o had decided to take on their own. Definitely nobody all hacked up and waiting for organs on their ship!


    On the upside, the Confederation seemed to be buying it. They had been forthcoming with several pallets of more generic first aid equipment as a show of good faith - enough to outfit all the shuttles onboard the Sword with current generation trauma kits, and a few dozen spares. They had come aboard earlier in the evening, been cataloged, and distribution had begun, including a couple of kits to the sickbay.


    They used one with a Human regenerator - Alex double checked it - to fix his incisions up. Things had already started to heal so there was still a scar, and it still looked awful, but the bone was fused and the protective plate wasn¡¯t necessary anymore. Which was good, because the drugs they were giving him for pain management were not only keeping him awake, but they were a very effective diuretic. He was hobbling to the bathroom hourly.


    This is also when Alex found out that Tsla¡¯o had a somewhat different view on nudity. There were no hospital gowns, just confused looks when he asked for one. His pants were still being cleaned, apparently there was some issue with the bloodstains. He¡¯d settled with wrapping a folded sheet around his waist like a towel. Alex wanted to call it a kilt, but it clearly wasn¡¯t, and he didn¡¯t know how to put one on anyway. Sheet skirt it was.


    Neya fell asleep during one of these trips across the hall, her legs stretched out under the table to the other chair, head tipped back and wheezing softly. Her tail rested on the ground and he could hear it twitching and dragging across the floor on occasion, another reminder that he had accumulated a big pile of questions for Carbon.


    At least he had reading material. The fact he had asked for books about history and gotten ones that seemed historical bothered him. The metal binding and worn leather smelled familiar and alien all at once, and for the first time since he had come aboard he was struck by how much of an outsider he was here. Yes, he had known that he was the stranger in this place, but holding a book that he was sure that no other Human had ever heard about, let alone seen, crystalized that in his mind. Made it tangible.


    Maybe he¡¯d be the only Human who ever would see them. Better not miss the opportunity. He pulled on a too-tight pair of gloves and undid the clasp, the front cover easily opening, the first page faded to an almost normal paper color from the usual blue that he had seen the Tsla¡¯o use so far.


    It was slow going, his Amp took extra time to digest the fancy script before handing him a translation. Stylistically, it reminded him of those ancient illuminated manuscripts, if the scribes had stayed a bit more restrained in their decorations. The first book started with a week-by-week overview of the first Dynasty during the first age. The Tsla''o didn¡¯t have a concept of months, just ten day weeks. For the most part, it was not exciting. Tax revenue came in, someone made a formal complaint about a land dispute, there was a funeral.


    So on and so forth.


    It wasn¡¯t the driest book he¡¯d read, but mostly only because of what had been added in the margins, notes about things that had been relevant at some point, or sometimes what appeared to be offhand comments made by the scribes. There were a couple of things that must have been real zingers, based on reactions added around them. The Tsla¡¯o symbol for ¡®ka¡¯ and their equivalent for an exclamation point - a stack of three little circles - was a frequent one. He had some guesses about the meaning.


    Now and then something would be scratched out with a comment appended next to it. Usually indicating the original was in bad taste. Once it was just ¡®that was my father¡¯ with an untranslatable word next to an inheritance dispute. The original comment had been obliterated with a neat rectangle of ink, making it unclear if it was the deceased, or one of the people who had brought the dispute before the law.


    Alex was taking frequent breaks, always surprised to find he wasn¡¯t waking Neya up. The machine his chest catheter was hooked up to made an angry beep when disconnected - his finger on the button to silence it immediately - and it made a more friendly beep when he hooked it back up. Swapping the hydration IV bottle for a fresh one came with its own set of quiet noises. Not drinking anything was weird, but he also didn¡¯t feel thirsty. Made it easy to ignore.


    He¡¯d try to sleep, too, but the medication was phenomenal at keeping him awake. Alex would have paid money for this stuff in college, there were no other side effects he was aware of - his brain and body felt normal, all things considered. It might be a bit different with a real heart, though.


    This pattern continued through to morning, when a nurse rolled a cart with more supplies in, the sound of a quiet conversation about his intravenous nutrition packet finally waking Neya up. Alex would have preferred real food, but the doctors wanted him to keep up with the IV on the off chance the talks fell through and they would have to slap some cloned organs back in him the old fashioned way, so they wouldn¡¯t have to wait for him to have an empty stomach.


    It made sense enough to him and he wanted out of there as quickly as possible, so he relented. The saline IV bottle got swapped out with something that looked like milk but obviously wasn¡¯t, and away the nurse went.


    The day progressed very much as the night had, but now Neya was sitting in the edge of his vision, held in rapt attention by his reading. She¡¯d leave now and then, sure. Stepping out for breakfast, lunch, and then dinner. But she always came back, sat in the chair that faced him with her tablet propped up so he couldn¡¯t see the screen. Every now and then there¡¯d be another update about the negotiations. Things were looking good, overall.


    After these brief, honorific-laden conversations, she seemed like she wanted to say something more. There was always a moment after she was done speaking where it looked like she was about to continue but just sank into her seat again and clammed up. He could see her eyes shift from the screen to him regularly. They hadn¡¯t gone back to her tablet like normal this time. It felt like she was studying him.


    ¡°Do you need help with something?¡± Alex didn¡¯t look up from the book laid out on the little fold-away dining table. He¡¯d hit a whole half-page writeup about an altercation at the mid-winter festival. Fines had been handed out. There was a joke about wine casks and raw spiders in the margin that he didn¡¯t understand in the slightest, but it apparently killed with the intended audience.


    She jumped at the sound of his voice. ¡°I am sorry, my lord, what did you ask? I was... checking to see if there was any news about the negotiations.¡± She patted the tablet resting on the little round table and sounded like she had not been doing that at all.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Where you¡¯re sitting, it looks like you¡¯re staring at me.¡± He flipped a page that was largely uninteresting, revenue that hadn¡¯t been important in hundreds of years. ¡°How many times have I told you not to call me that?¡±


    ¡°Seven, Prince Sorenson.¡± Neya sounded both relieved and a little pleased with herself.


    He rolled his eyes. ¡°And that?¡±


    ¡°Only four times, your honor.¡± Ok, very pleased with herself.


    Alex laid back on the bed with a sigh and rubbed his forehead. ¡°I¡¯ve made it expressly clear how uncomfortable that makes me, correct?¡±


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    ¡°Yes sir, you have.¡± She nodded, once again serious.


    ¡°Then why do you keep doing it?¡±


    ¡°I had hoped that you might get used to it or begin to find it endearing. In addition, it is inappropriate for me not to, sir.¡±


    ¡°Even if I, as an Honorable Lord Prince, tell you not to?¡± Alex was getting exasperated. She started over again with the titles every time they spoke.


    She tapped her index fingers together - Alex had determined this was her tell for being nervous - and studied the wall behind him very hard. ¡°I think it is best that I continue to do so, sir.¡±


    ¡°So... someone told you to be particularly formal with me?¡±


    ¡°I- it is not for me to say, sir.¡± Tap tap tap.


    There were not a lot of people on board that would provoke that sort of response, that he knew of. ¡°Eleya told you to?¡±


    She pulled a leg in and tucked it under her body, shaking her head. ¡°I cannot disregard her orders, sir. She will know if I do.¡±


    ¡°I get it, she¡¯s the top d-¡± He closed his mouth so fast his teeth clicked together. ¡°She¡¯s the Empress. Nothing you can do about that. Just... just keep it simple, none of this lord or prince stuff.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir. I will do that from now on.¡± She did not look or sound enthused by this solution.


    ¡°Good. Can you help me with this? There¡¯s a word I can¡¯t translate.¡± He waved her over, flipping back a few pages and angling the book towards her. He mostly just didn¡¯t want her over there moping, partially because he felt responsible for that and it was just as distracting as the staring.


    ¡°Of course.¡± She hopped out of her chair and inspected the pages laid out before her. ¡°Sir.¡±


    ¡°Right here.¡± Alex pointed out a note scrawled in charcoal, loose symbols slopped across the margin. ¡°It looks like a play on Emperor Khaevi¡¯s name, they changed the vi to va. I know it¡¯s kind of minor, but I¡¯m curious because the word isn¡¯t in my dictionary.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that.¡± Neya blanched and shook her head, embarrassed. ¡°It is a particularly vulgar term, sir. Though it may not have been so explicit when it was originally written.¡±


    ¡°Poor guy. Must have been teased mercilessly by the other kids.¡±


    ¡°If I recall, he did later kill many-¡± They both looked to the tablet, still sitting on the table, now chirping insistently.


    Neya abandoned him immediately to check on it.


    He didn¡¯t blame her, per se. If their positions were somehow reversed, as unlikely as he found the idea, there¡¯d probably only be one person calling and he¡¯d want to answer it right away too. Though, Alex supposed, his mom would probably be checking in. She¡¯d love to visit someone while they were on the mend.


    The call connected before he had more time to ruminate on missing his parents. ¡°Princess Tshalen, it is wonderful to see you again. I hope your day has been kind?¡±


    ¡°Neya, please.¡± Carbon¡¯s voice carried out of the tablet, a little weary and a hint of annoyance in it. Alex was familiar enough with her regular voice that he could appreciate how good the translator was at relaying details like that.


    ¡°As you wish, Carbon.¡± She relented far more easily than when Alex asked, and that was a little annoying.


    Alex pondered listening to their ongoing conversation, just sitting here and twiddling his thumbs while they probably talked about him like Neya couldn¡¯t just rotate the tablet a little. It¡¯d been too long since he¡¯d talked to her anyway. Fuck it. ¡°HI CARBON,¡± he shouted from across the room. ¡°HOW¡¯S IT GOING?¡±


    Neya¡¯s head snapped up and looked a little mortified, eyes wide as her ears and antenna lowered tight against her head. Carbon¡¯s laughter filtered out of the speaker. ¡°Since he is awake perhaps I can speak to both of you at once.¡±


    They gestured back and forth a few times, eventually settling on Alex coming over there. He¡¯d not taken his sheet skirt off to facilitate being able to go to the bathroom without flashing his watcher, the bed only came up to thigh level on him and it beat constantly asking for a little privacy. He sank into the largely unused second chair, leaning over the table to get his head in the shot.


    ¡°Did they not give you clothing?¡± Carbon inquired immediately. According to the little window displaying the outgoing video, she could see half his chest too.


    ¡°They did not. Apparently they have been having trouble with the bloodstains, and the shirt got cut up to get me out of it.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Honestly pretty low on the list of important things right now.¡±


    Carbon sighed. ¡°Neya.¡±


    ¡°I will ensure he has a set of clothing by morning.¡± She replied, picking up the direction of the conversation with ease.


    ¡°Thank you. Make sure it is human-compatible. I should have some patterns from the CPP in my personal storage, in the files related to the Kshlav¡¯o project.¡± She looked between them with tired eyes and relaxed visibly, a smile warming the corners of her mouth. The background bore a significant resemblance to the secure diplomatic quarters they¡¯d had on McFadden station with different furniture, which wasn¡¯t a big surprise. She was engaged in actual diplomatic efforts right now, and he couldn¡¯t imagine her making a call somewhere that wasn¡¯t private anyway. ¡°He has a preference towards more utilitarian designs.¡±


    ¡°And thank you, that¡¯s very thoughtful.¡± Alex had been 90% sure he was going to end up walking out of the sickbay in ill-fitting Tsla¡¯o clothing until now.


    ¡°Of course.¡± The smile grew before she finally replied to his original question, ¡°oh yes! It is going very well.¡±


    Alex arched an eyebrow and nodded. ¡°Oh yeah? Care to elaborate?¡±


    ¡°The deal has been done. The Confederacy had sales documents drawn up from shortly after the disaster - they had been certain we would have purchased it then - so little adjustment was needed. Dates, prices, delivery location.¡±


    ¡°Did you get what you wanted?¡±


    ¡°What I want was not discussed here.¡± There was a little gleam in her gaze that she tempered quickly. ¡°The team I am working with felt the deal was equitable. Previous generation mediboard technology rights for a few thousand tons of more exotic ores and materials.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Alex was more familiar with the problems the Tsla¡¯o were having with the whole ¡®homeworld is unusable¡¯ thing than most Humans. But a few thousand tons of anything seemed... excessive. ¡°Particularly for last generation gear.¡±


    She tipped her head to the side. ¡°Mining has not been severely impacted by the disaster, unlike many other industries. We have been stockpiling with the expectation that someday, it will be needed. This does not greatly impact those reserves.¡±


    Neya nodded in agreement on the edge of his vision. ¡°Alright. And the fact it¡¯s not current gen?¡±


    ¡°Having worked with the ¡®cutting edge¡¯ equipment recently... The main difference seems to be repair speed, not quality.¡± Carbon paused and looked away for a moment, pensive. ¡°It will get the job done, and that is the most important thing.¡±


    Damn did he want to hug her when she looked like that. ¡°Sounds good to me. When are you coming back?¡±


    ¡°In the morning. They¡¯ve sent along the files already, but we are receiving a few physical beds as well, and will be transporting them back with us.¡± A faint smile came back as she turned her gaze back to the camera. ¡°I hope that is not too long for you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll figure it out somehow.¡± He looked over at Neya, ¡°anything else we need to discuss? She looks tired.¡±


    The pale Tsla¡¯o shook her head. ¡°No, I am just pleased to know that you were successful. I agree with his assessment, you do look tired.¡±


    ¡°You are correct, I am exhausted.¡± Carbon leaned back in her chair with a sigh. "All of this has been draining.


    ¡°Go get some rest. We¡¯ll be here in the morning.¡±


    ¡°I expect it.¡± Carbon said, a weak smile propping up her tired eyes. ¡°Goodnight, both of you.¡±


    They echoed that sentiment back, and Carbon closed the link, the screen going dark for a moment before the application kicked back to its dialing screen.


    Neya had that expectant look again, a question ready to go that she had not spoken. Maybe she needed a little bit of encouragement. Alex looked over and gave her a nod, like some sort of royal might to an underling who wasn¡¯t sure if they were allowed to broach a subject.


    ¡°You...¡± She faltered for a moment before resolution filled her bright purple eyes. ¡°You really love her, don¡¯t you?¡±

 Resolve

    ¡°Well yeah. I¡¯m sure as fuck not putting up with all this because it¡¯s fun.¡± Alex leaned back in the chair and ruminated on that for a second before continuing, his voice rising in intensity as he spoke. ¡°Lemme let you in on a secret: this whole situation sucks a lot. If I wasn¡¯t keeping my head busy with these stupid giant books I didn¡¯t ask for, I would have so much time to think. And then I¡¯d have time to be mad about this whole fucked up situation.¡±


    He didn¡¯t give Neya time to respond before he continued, the pale furred Tsla¡¯o already leaning away from him in her chair. ¡°I mean, I get ¡®borrowed¡¯ from visiting my parents - who I haven¡¯t seen in nearly a year, by the way. I know, I know, everybody here has it worse. I feel bad about that, and I¡¯d like to be able to spend some time with my living relatives. Anyway, I think ¡®oh maybe I¡¯ll get the Tsla¡¯o equivalent of an attaboy or something.¡¯ Then I found out who Eleya is, so then I¡¯m more like ¡®maybe the Empress isn¡¯t a total psycho despite Carbon¡¯s incredibly intense fear of her¡¯ and for a hot second there, that¡¯s what it actually seemed like. But no. I got the combo platter of assault instead.¡±


    ¡°And you know, the real kicker? I can almost understand it. Me and her, we¡¯ve got secrets now.¡± He dropped his voice and leaned in for the next thing he said. ¡°She¡¯s afraid for Carbon. Had to make sure I wasn¡¯t running some kind of scam, or whatever. I didn¡¯t even know Carbon had royal connections until like fifteen minutes before that. If she asked, I would have been happy to show her the kind of person her niece is. The truth of my feelings. If I hadn¡¯t been forthcoming, that¡¯s a perfectly good reason to be suspicious. But why ask, you know?¡±


    ¡°Then the whole marriage thing, the assassination plot. The actual fucking assassination attempt. I don¡¯t trust Eleya and I don¡¯t feel bad about that. You know what? I don¡¯t trust my own government either. Both of them have hung the same sword over my head, did you know that?¡±


    Neya had not been prepared for the ferocity in that response, nor the length. Her ears and antenna were pressed back, purple eyes wide. ¡°It was not a real sword?¡±


    ¡°No, metaphorical. They both saw a romantic connection and attempted to exploit it immediately. We see this, and want that from you; if you don¡¯t comply, we¡¯ll make you two suffer. Eleya at least tried to manipulate me with things that benefit me as well, but the implication was still the same: comply or I¡¯ll send you away and ship her out. I agreed and I still damn near got killed. All I want to do is fly ships and date somebody, and everyone is doing their damndest to make me think it¡¯s not worth it.¡± He waved a hand dismissively. ¡°This is what I think about when I go to the bathroom. You can imagine how much of a spiral I¡¯d be going through if the notes in the margins of those overgrown receipts weren¡¯t a little interesting. I probably would have tried to walk home by now.¡±


    There was more heat on all of that than Alex had initially planned for, the truth of his experience here tumbling out. Neya¡¯s eyes darted away from him as she let out an uneasy murmur, her fingers tapping nervously. When she looked back, she gave him a faint nod in agreement. ¡°I hope you do not try to do that. Though, I- I think I know how you feel.¡±


    ¡°I really hope you don¡¯t. I wouldn¡¯t want to put anybody through this bullshit.¡± He drummed an irritated beat on the table with one hand, annoyance simmering close to the surface now as he looked over to her.


    ¡°Not so precisely. Having the feeling that something is not worth continuing... Has been a close companion for me recently.¡± Her eyes darted away, intentionally avoiding contact as she laced her fingers together and set them in her lap. ¡°I have thought of going home many times.¡±


    Alex scrutinized her, Neya sitting more still than he¡¯d ever seen her - sure, it had only been a day, but she was always moving until now. The weight in her words hadn¡¯t gone unnoticed, either. ¡°Well, go on. I vented at you, the least I can do is hear you out.¡±


    It took her a few minutes to work up the courage to continue, deathly still in the meantime. ¡°Did Carbon tell you anything about me?¡±


    There wasn¡¯t really a doubt in his mind at this point that this was the Neya that had come up during the fight with Eleya, given how casual Carbon had been with her, but that question felt like proper confirmation. Alex shook his head. ¡°She never said a word about you. Never got a lot of specifics out of her about anything. I still don¡¯t know her dad¡¯s name. I know what he looks like - well, I know what he looked like when Carbon was a kid. Real bundle of secrets, that one.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Neya sank in the chair slightly, a soft sigh following close. ¡°She often does not like talking.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. She needs to. Has a tight grasp on her emotions and memories, and she did seem a little better each time she opened up. I guess I was waiting for her? She¡¯d shown she trusted me. She in no uncertain terms saved my life back on the Kshlav¡¯o.¡± He probably wasn¡¯t supposed to talk about that but he was rapidly running out of caring about what the government wanted him to be quiet about. ¡°Giving her time to feel comfortable was the least I could do.¡±


    Alex gave a start as the machine running his IV began beeping. He¡¯d been disconnected for longer than it wanted. He rolled his eyes and reached over, dragging the stand of equipment closer to the chair and hooking his port back up. ¡°So, I¡¯ve known you as long as you¡¯ve known me... Probably. Unless Carbon started talking about me the moment she came aboard?¡±


    She sighed softly, lips pulled thin. ¡°She avoided me, and then Eleya called me down here. I have never...¡± Neya¡¯s voice petered out and she stopped talking, staring at the floor across the small sickbay room.


    ¡°Take your time.¡± He had nowhere to go until the next morning, if not longer. Aside from the bathroom.


    ¡°I had never seen her so shaken. Even in the face of the eruption, of her mother¡¯s death, she had remained composed.¡± No longer confronted with talking about herself, Neya relaxed, hands once again moving as she spoke. ¡°She was just pacing in the waiting room, and there was a lot of blood on her. When she saw me, there was such a clear look of fear in her eyes.¡±


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    ¡°Why do you think that was?¡± Alex had a pretty good idea, but letting people get to their own conclusions was best.


    Neya gave him a sidelong glance over the table, clearly asking him ¡®what could it have been?¡¯ before she continued. ¡°The first thing she said was ¡®you have to leave.¡¯ That... hurt a lot. I did not leave. I feel it was self-serving now, but I gave her a hug.¡±


    ¡°She does need more of those.¡± The idea that he was being kept a secret had almost been fun for awhile. Carbon had him as a source of strength, of comfort, and he had enjoyed being part of their little conspiracy. Seeing pieces from the trainwreck of that secrecy was making him doubt if it had been worthwhile.


    ¡°Yes. She stood there and cried. I was in shock, this was unlike the Carbon I knew. Eleya interceded, sent us away to get her cleaned up with the assurance that the best doctors on board were working on ¡®him¡¯ - she did not specify who it was at the time. We came back after she was cleaned up. Carbon had not spoken a word the entire time we were gone, and Eleya had already started to gather a team to see about getting the mediboard technology onboard. She attached Carbon to it immediately.¡±


    ¡°Keep her engaged with something other than worrying?¡±


    Neya gave him a nod in agreement. ¡°Carbon protested, loudly. Eleya remained firm in her directions. She could do nothing for you here other than wearing the floor down, but proper lifesaving equipment would actually make a difference. Who on board would be more invested in seeing that deal done? Carbon did not want to relent, but eventually did with the condition that I would be here in her stead. I agreed immediately, of course, as did Eleya.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for that, by the way. You may not have been a familiar face, but of the two Tsla¡¯o that could have been here when I came to, I don¡¯t think I would have reacted well to Eleya.¡± Particularly not with how long it took for his vision to focus, he probably would have mistaken her for Carbon at first given their fur and eye colors are nearly the same. He shuddered. How awful a bait and switch would that have been?


    ¡°I would have done so no matter the reason if I was asked, but she was adamant that I be here while she could not be, and I take the tasks I am given very seriously.¡±


    ¡°I noticed you sleeping in the chair.¡± A little bit of envy slipped into his voice. Even if the drugs were keeping him awake with good mental clarity, he would have loved to have actually been able to shut his eyes and have some time disappear.


    ¡°The bed was taken.¡± Neya shrugged as the glimmer of humor in a fairly bleak conversation curled the corner of her mouth into a barely restrained smirk.


    Alex laughed, shaking his head. ¡°You want to give it a go, I don¡¯t mind sitting for a while. The chair actually isn¡¯t too bad.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Her gaze twitched over to him, aghast at the suggestion before she remembered she was talking to the very definition of an alien, and a neophyte when it came to her culture. ¡°Ah, apologies - it is taboo to use a bed intended for medicine if you are not in need of it. It invites sickness to take home in your body.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± It made sense from a pre-germ theory point of view. Alex was getting the feeling they had a lot of long holdovers on stuff like that, probably thanks to a relatively homogenous society. He was now extremely aware of the fact he¡¯d been showing off his legs non-stop when he was out of the bed. Nobody seemed to care. Not the doctors, not Neya... Had Carbon been putting him on? The intensity of her feelings around that indicated otherwise, but it was another question for the pile anyway. ¡°Seriously, though, if you want to sleep in your own bed, don¡¯t avoid it on account of me.


    ¡°I said I would remain here until Carbon returned. This is my duty, and I will fulfill it. A night or two with a stiff back is acceptable.¡± She closed her eyes and nodded once, the idea put to rest as far as she was concerned.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Duty being a big deal for the Tsla¡¯o had been mentioned in the primer, and it seems to have been accurate about that one. ¡°Even if I, as a prince or whatever, tell you I don¡¯t want to sit here awake while someone else sleeps in front of me?¡±


    To her credit, Neya did think about it, soft shoes tapping on the hard floor while she formulated an answer. ¡°No. While your station - or whatever - is equal to Carbon, she gave me clear instructions while you were in surgery, and I cannot in good conscience simply discard those. In addition, Eleya approved of those instructions, giving them weight beyond your station.¡±


    ¡°Oh. You got me there.¡± Alex shrugged. They had started talking about something specific that had seemed important to Neya, and he was no stranger to realigning the trajectory of a conversation that was feeling too heavy. He¡¯d give it a corrective nudge and see if that stuck - if not, it was probably more than she was comfortable divulging to a stranger and he¡¯d just have to deal with it. ¡°So. You agreed, they packed Carbon up and shipped her down to Earth...¡±


    ¡°Eleya stayed with me while they were fixing you. She was being more guarded about what she spoke about than normal, and I did not understand why until you were placed in here and we were allowed to enter.¡± She paused, fingers tented together as her jaw worked. ¡°When Carbon left - a year ago, to embark on the foraging expedition - she was... She had no ill will towards Humans, but she did not look forward to working with them. You might understand how surprised I was when it was not a Tsla¡¯o on that bed. That she had returned with her heart in the hands of a Human.¡±


    ¡°I read you. The first few months of knowing her had been a bit chilly, that turnaround was a surprise for me, too. A welcome one.¡± He added quickly.


    ¡°I knew she was under stress. Everyone has been under so much stress.¡± Neya heaved a sigh that would have been dramatic under other circumstances, but as her eyes focused on something far outside the ship, it was just worrying. ¡°I lost almost everyone in the disaster. My family, my friends, every teacher and the other contras I had known from the council, all of them were in the caldera. Gone in an instant.¡±


    ¡°Except Carbon.¡±


    Neya inhaled, closed her eyes and nodded as she held it, then exhaled a ragged breath. She repeated the breathing exercise a few times. ¡°Carbon finds a love she did not expect, and hides herself because of it. It... makes me wonder if I have not actually lost everyone, but the last was just slow to slip away.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t lost her. She hauled me out of crash foam in an incredibly radioactive room, back when she didn¡¯t even like me. You can¡¯t make me believe she¡¯d abandon an actual friend.¡± Alex reached over the table and rested a hand on her shoulder, the fabric of her jacket was dense and silky under his fingers. Wet purple eyes looking over at him in return. He still wasn¡¯t sure about what their relationship was - a courtier, or some sort of lady-in-waiting, but alien? Maybe Tsla¡¯o friends were just that sort of intense. ¡°This is new territory for her, and she¡¯s afraid. Fear makes people do stupid things. Between Eleya¡¯s meddling, me almost dying, and you feeling like you¡¯ve been abandoned, we¡¯re out of stupid outcomes to worry about. You two will talk this out, I¡¯ll see to it. Alright?¡±

 Warranty

    The conversation hit a lull after that, Neya soon excusing herself to have dinner and deal with Alex¡¯s clothing problem, letting him get back to his unreasonably large books. They had not gotten any more thrilling, but it filled the time.


    She came back after about two hours with a t-shirt that was pretty much exactly like the one he¡¯d been wearing, though the different fabric and lack of a tag indicated it had been made onboard. He pulled it on, that alone making him feel more Human than he had in the last day. Their conversation restarted with a thanks, and it carried a much lighter mood now, delving into music more than anything. Neya was a fan of something that translated to ¡®life sound¡¯, what Alex could only describe as Tsla¡¯o jazz after she played a few tracks on the underpowered speakers of her tablet. It seemed as complex as Human jazz, something Alex was only a passing fan of. She monopolized the conversation, apparently starved for someone to listen to her discuss the finer points of musicians whose names Alex immediately forgot. He did try to keep up, but her enthusiasm simply outpaced him.


    Neya eventually fell asleep while he was in the bathroom, again. Alex stepped over a surprisingly active tail and returned to his bed, his legs that no one cared about for reasons that were not clear back under a blanket. His guess was that the hospital setting was also a venerated sort of space for them, or everyone he was dealing with was a professional who was slightly afraid of Eleya and didn¡¯t want to incur any sort of wrath by being a creep to her new nephew.


    He could go either way.


    Effectively alone once more, he resumed his exploration of the goings on of the first age Tsla¡¯o Empire, very nearly done with the tome when morning came around, Carbon bursting into the room as soon as she was back onboard.


    ¡°Well look who it is!¡± Alex said, a broad smile crossing his face for the first time in a while just before Carbon caught him in a hug, leaning over the edge of the bed and squeezing the life out of him. Over her shoulder he spotted quite a large number of people out in the hallway, several sets of eyes glancing into the room before the door quietly closed on its own. Not doing the secrecy thing so much over here. Fine by him.


    ¡°You are not allowed to do things like that anymore.¡± She mumbled into his neck as he set a hand on her back, patting her through the dark gray jacket she wore. ¡°I have seen you too close to death too many times.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t intend to make a habit of this.¡± He laughed softly, despite the severity of the situation that had landed him in the sickbay.


    Neya stirred from her slumber before he could say anything else, blinking in the lights before sitting up like she¡¯d been shocked. ¡°Princess Tshalen! I am-¡± she paused and wiped the corner of her mouth, then smoothed the fur of her face a little, ¡°I am glad for your safe return.¡±


    Carbon had loosened her grip on Alex as she spoke, taking his hand in lieu of crushing the air out of his last lung. She switched back to Tsla to address her, ¡°Thank you, Neya. It is good to be back, and to see you have carried out your duties.¡±


    Neya gave her a short bow from her seat, looking pleased with that.


    She turned her attention back to Alex. ¡°Technicians are working on installing the mediboard now, everything to integrate it into the surgical suite was fabricated last night. It should be done shortly.¡± She gave him a wistful smile and squeezed his hand again.


    ¡°Short reunion, huh? At least I¡¯ll be put back together and then hopefully I can never need something like this again.¡± The odds for losing multiple organs in a knife attack and living felt like it would be pretty slim. He did not care to actually know what they were, but he imagined doing so twice was even worse.


    ¡°You will not.¡± She nodded, resolute, her word enough to stop any further injury to his person.


    ¡°I¡¯m done with all of this nonsense anyway.¡± Alex gestured at the medical equipment and his chest tap, fighting the urge to start asking the pile of questions he¡¯d saved up, or launching into what would no doubt have been a long conversation about what Eleya had done. Half of that was just stuff he wanted answered by the one Tsla¡¯o that he had absolute trust in, but the other half was deeply personal things that were not meant to be talked about in a sickbay room he was sure was being monitored. At least by medical staff, but probably by security or intelligence as well. That felt like something Eleya would do.


    All that would have to wait.


    The chief medical officer - Yatsala, Alex was pretty sure, with the same gray fur that Tashen had - opened the door, standing there in a matte purple surgical robe. ¡°Prince Sorenson? The device has been installed and is performing a startup check now. It should be ready in a few minutes. If you would like to come down to the suite, we can begin the procedure as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Damn, that was fast.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but be a bit surprised, Carbon hadn¡¯t been there for ten minutes yet. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll hobble on down in a moment, thank you.¡±


    ¡°The instructions for installation were very straightforward. A bolt on each foot, and a main power conduit attachment.¡± The way Carbon said it made it sound like she would have disapproved of it having taken longer.


    He supposed that was her forte, and it was just a couple of bolts and a plug. Probably had to make an adapter for Tsla¡¯o power to Human power spec, but she had made their drives work with a Human made tokamak on the Kshlav¡¯o, so that should have been childs play. Alex swung the table and unreasonably large book out of the way and tossed the covers back, standing and stretching before unplugging his chest tube.


    Carbon made a negative little noise when she looked at the book. ¡°She gave you the logs? Whr-¡± She stopped suddenly, eyebrows knit together in confusion as she stared at the sheet wrapped around his waist.


    ¡°It¡¯s a kilt.¡± He lied, pulling the waist tight again and making way for the door. ¡°Nobody here knows what a hospital gown is, can you believe that?¡±


    ¡°A... dress for the hospital?¡± Carbon shook her head and joined him at the end of the bed, antenna raised in curiosity. ¡°Is that why the selection of clothes for women seemed so much larger? There is specific clothing for a stay in the hospital?¡±


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s... it¡¯s not a dress, it¡¯s just a-¡± Alex locked up for a moment as he realized that yeah, a hospital gown was like a dress, one you would only wear in a hospital. ¡°It¡¯s a protective article of clothing issued by the hospital so people aren¡¯t wandering around naked.¡±


    Her eyes narrowed as she processed that. ¡°Ah. Protective, that is understandable.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking.¡± He turned and gave Neya a wave before toggling the door controls. ¡°See you around.¡±


    ¡°Be well, Lord Sorenson.¡± She said, tipping her head down in a bow.


    He¡¯d let it slide this time, but rolled his eyes as he stepped out into the hallway. Unlike the last time he¡¯d been out here, maybe an hour and a half ago, everybody with a purple sickbay jacket was out today, wanting to get a look at the new toy. Hopefully. Alex really didn¡¯t want them to be there to watch him get worked on. He was fine with it as long as they were there to watch the machine work on him. Weird how not being the focus of something made it okay. He kept his voice low when he looked over at Carbon, who had followed him into the hall after saying a brief goodby to Neya as well. ¡°I think this is going to take awhile, and there''s something I¡¯d like you to do.¡±


    She fell in next to him, ear raised in his direction. ¡°Of course, what is it?¡±


    Alex exhaled and hoped he didn¡¯t sound too much like Eleya saying this. ¡°You need to have an actual conversation with Neya. She¡¯s hurt, and from the sounds of things, you¡¯re the only friend she has. Maybe, you know, do the thing.¡± He gestured nebulously at his forehead, ¡±if that¡¯s something you¡¯re comfortable with. I told her you two would talk it out, at least.¡±


    They walked in silence down the hall, the conversations the medical crew were having quieting down as they passed. ¡°I can do that. Did... Did she talk about me much?¡± Carbon¡¯s voice had an oddly pensive tone in it, the words strained as though she were keeping her delivery tightly controlled. She pointed them down a side hall, the crowd of medical personnel getting a little thicker.


    ¡°A little. Said you¡¯re the last person she¡¯s got.¡± They turned a corner, the surgical suites past a heavy security door that was currently sitting open. ¡°Everybody else died in the disaster.¡±


    Carbon nodded in the edge of his vision. ¡°It is so. Her experience was particularly brutal.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well... I don¡¯t want to put this on you, but she feels like you¡¯re leaving her behind like everyone else.¡± It was entirely on her, based on what Neya had said. The cut of being avoided by your last friend, because of what was ultimately good news, had to be a deep one.


    ¡°I am not. I will not.¡± She looked up at him, eyes alive with determination. ¡°Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will set this right.¡±


    ¡°No worries. She seems like a good bean.¡±


    Carbon smirked and laughed quietly. ¡°A good bean. Such an odd turn of phrase.¡±


    ¡°That reminds me, she mentioned that she was thinking about going home, which was-¡± He was cut off by Carbon sucking a breath in through her teeth, a warm hand gripping his arm tight.


    ¡°She did not.¡± Wide blue eyes searched his, like she was hoping that he was making a particularly bad joke.


    ¡°She did. I had vented a little and said that I was getting mad enough to just walk home,¡± Carbon¡¯s grip on his arm tightened as she stopped walking, eyes looking like they were about to bulge out of her head. ¡°And that¡¯s a really bad thing to say, I take it?¡±


    ¡°Returning home is a euphemism that has become common since the eruption.¡± Her voice was low, barely loud enough for him to hear, ¡°we cannot go home to Shoen as it is now, not in a material sense. Some wish to return spiritually, to be with their lost family.¡±


    It took him a second to put it together. Oh. He¡¯d inadvertently told Neya he was considering suicide over a situation he was annoyed with, and she¡¯d confided the same to him because almost everything she¡¯d ever known was gone. ¡°Oh. You know, I can figure out how to get there by myself if you want to...¡±


    Carbon released his arm, eyes still wide as she dealt with this information. ¡°I think it would be best if I did.¡±


    Alex pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head, ignoring the much more open stares that attracted. Like they didn¡¯t all know already. ¡°Come find me when I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± She hurried back the way they came, disappearing down the main hall in sickbay.


    Alex turned back down the hall, suite three clearly the one modified for this based on the crowd waiting outside of it. He stopped at the back, a head taller than everyone. It would have been the perfect opportunity to ask what the line was for, but he felt a little too anxious to crack a joke. He tapped on the shoulder of Tsla¡¯o in front of him. ¡°Pardon, I think I¡¯m needed in there.¡±


    The crowd parted with remarkable efficiency, allowing him to press through without much effort. Yatsala was there at the control panel on the mediboard, running the show. Switching between the panel, clearly in English, and a translated manual. His antenna were resting in a personal AI, and given how hard he looked at things sometimes, he was surely getting translations through it. The motion caught his attention and he waved Alex up. ¡°The diagnostics are complete, everything is running as expected. If you would disrobe and get on the table, we can begin.¡±


    Alex had left his external translator in the room. Shit. Well, whatever. Everything had been fucked up already. ¡°Great, let¡¯s get to it.¡± Alex doffed his shirt and improvised skirt, then handed them off to someone who backed a bunch of the crowd out of the surgical suite, closing the doors behind them.


    Of the handful of personnel left, he caught two of them staring for longer than would be respectful as he hopped up onto the board and laid back onto the thick layer of gel. It didn¡¯t bother him as much as he had expected, but there were more pressing things on his mind right now.


    The mediboard hummed to life under him, a warning sound warbling out of the control panel. Yatsala inspected it, checking his manual before looking over at Alex. ¡°It will not proceed until your electronics are shut off.¡±


    ¡°You have a translator on that thing so you can talk to me?¡± He enquired, stifling a sigh.


    He poked around the tablet that the manual was on a few times, a heavily digitized but clearly English voice coming out of the AI package on his shoulder. ¡°Do you understand this?¡±


    ¡°I understand it, we¡¯re good.¡± He shut off the internal translator, then his Amp, and the warble stopped. It felt a little more quiet in his head, though he knew that neither of them produced extra sound.


    ¡°Proceeding with operation.¡± The synthesized voice crackled.


    The mediboard slid the privacy shroud into place, finally, a sensor scan proceeding from the underside of the board. Alex could feel the tingle of the older technology as it started from the top of his head, proceeding downward until it reached the middle of his chest, the warning alarm starting back up again. It could have had a problem with the artificial heart, no doubt obviously not Human make, or was it the sliver of metal the artifact had implanted in his chest?


    Whichever it was, Alex didn¡¯t bother keeping that sigh to himself this time.

 Family

    Alex wasn¡¯t sure how long the procedure was supposed to take. It was a lot, everyone knew that, a whole new lung and heart was going to take some time. It wasn¡¯t as bad as having to regrow burnt limbs, a shattered spine, and whatever all that radiation did to him, at least.


    The mediboard was not happy about all these alien things it was encountering. The artificial heart, the implant, the chest tube, the Tsla¡¯o made drugs that he was using for pain management. Yatsala was working with the machine - he seemed to have a good handle on building a plan for each item with the software. Removing the heart and chest catheter like it would Human made objects, and leaving the tag from the artifact alone.


    There was no workaround for the drugs. The mediboard wouldn¡¯t use its own fabricated compounds on him until it was sure the other unfamiliar drugs were out of his system. Alex was fine with that at first. Who wants to find out what kind of reactions those would have? Not him, and surely not in his bloodstream.


    The board used neuro disruption instead, generating a short range field that muted pain sensing nerves and prevented unwanted movement. He could still distantly feel the goings on, like his body was a hundred kilometers away from his head. The incisions happened, yes, a strange cold blunt feeling against his skin. What were, for all intents and purposes, medical tentacles slithering into his chest cavity, beginning the process of regenerating his organs without removing the artificial heart. He could tell it was busy in there.


    An unsettling experience, and based on the reactions from the peanut gallery, one he was better off not knowing the exact details of.


    He was conscious for the entire thing. The halflife on the Tsla¡¯o painkiller was impressive, he still wasn¡¯t tired even though he¡¯d been awake for days now. The surgical team switched out later that evening when he was at about 40% complete. Smaller crew, but excited about the system they were babysitting. It sounded like it at least, he couldn¡¯t understand a damn thing they were saying. Could have been talking about baseball, for all he knew.


    This went on throughout the night. One of them tried to have a conversation with him. Alex had gotten a feel for the rankings shown on their uniforms: a dark metal bar, carved or hammered with increasing amounts of detail to denote higher rank. Yatsala¡¯s was covered in marks and had some painted with enamel, even a few star-like symbols filled in with silver. This guy - Marani Asava, he introduced himself very formally - had a single line and maybe some leaves on his. It was hard to tell from the angle.


    Alex appreciated the attempt, but his lung was being run by the board, so it was mostly wheezy answers that didn¡¯t translate well. He attempted to promise that he would actually look the guy up and have a conversation when he wasn¡¯t being worked on. That might have gotten through. He¡¯d still look him up. That was only appropriate.


    He requested they play some music instead. Whatever they thought he should know about. Alex was a little proud of that - he was incredibly bored, but he was hopefully scoring some ¡®hearts and minds¡¯ points by asking their opinions. They took turns picking tracks, and boy, did he get some opinions. Half of it was music that was like what Carbon had played back on the Kshlav¡¯o, heavy on the orchestra and vocals that often bordered on ethereal. The other half ran the gamut from a children¡¯s song that everyone was annoyed at but sang along with, something that would fall into the category of shanty-punk, and even a generic pop sounding track that the entire crew but the doctor that chose it groaned audibly at.


    By morning, the crew had switched out again and the meds were finally starting to clear out of his system. He had never been this tired, while still not being able to sleep. Alex tried his best, but whether it was the mediboard keeping him up, or the last vestiges of the drugs, or the excitement of being in the last ten percent of this ordeal...


    His train of thought was derailed by the unique feeling of something roughly the size of a heart being slipped out the incision on his back. Yes, the feeling was muted, but the fact it made such an impression meant it would have been excruciating otherwise. A few of the morning crew made sounds that said they were not prepared to see something like that on the viewer. But, about five minutes later he had a heartbeat again. Finally, real progress!


    The pressure on the open incision reduced as the board retracted a portion of its working limbs, the progress bar continuing to fill as it finished up his lung. Having the machine test it out for him once it was finished was utterly bizarre. The mediboard withdrew the rest of its arms, resealed everything, and dinged quietly to let everyone know he was done.


    Yatsala ran scans right then and there while Alex rebooted his systems, a lot of very excited chatter bursting into understandable English as they marveled at the fact that it only took like a day to get that done.


    He was glad, really. But he was so tired. They had brought his clothes and he dressed - most of it had been fabricated on board, but the shoes were his own, at least - while Yatsala ran down a bunch of stuff he did not pay any attention to, except for the part where he discharged Alex.


    Carbon was waiting in the hall, thrilled to see him again, another rib-crushing hug applied immediately. They had some things to deal with, related to Eleya¡¯s decisions about their marital status.


    The trip to the other side of the ship took the shine off things considerably.


    ¡°You are like... you are like a child.¡± Carbon was tired of Alex being tired. Not surprising, considering he was starting to become petulant.


    ¡°Well excuse me, princess. I¡¯ve been up for like... Four days. In Tsla¡¯o. That''s like a week in real days. No sleep. And they didn''t give me another shot of that painkiller that was keeping me up." Alex¡¯s thoughts were poorly ordered, right now.


    Carbon exhaled through clenched teeth. "That is four days in your calendar as well. Have you eaten recently?"


    "Mmm." Alex walked a few meters in silence, watching the deck plates go by and successfully fighting the urge to fall asleep on his feet for now. "Sorry, what?"


    Her ears and antenna flattened as she growled with frustration, "when did you last eat?"


    "Oh, I dunno. I had a snack on the flight to Earth, they¡¯ve kept me on IV nutrition since." How long had it been? At least five days since he¡¯d had a meal, maybe creeping towards six now.


    She grabbed his arm with an exasperated sigh and diverted them down a side corridor. "You will eat and you will behave yourself."


    "That sounds good. Is there anywhere to get a sub around here? I''ve wanted one since...¡± It took him a moment to remember where he was. ¡°Oh, no, there wouldn''t be. Well, as long as it''s real food. You know what I like."


    "I do." Carbon gritted her teeth as they came out into a small promenade, fairly crowded despite the early hour on the ship. She kept a hold of his arm, guiding him through the cluster of small shops and gawking aliens.


    At the very least, Alex remembered to comport himself with some dignity when in public. As much as he could while being towed behind Carbon, anyway. He double checked his external translator was on and put on a friendly smile - no teeth because the doctors always stared at them and it made him feel weird. A little brief eye contact and a few polite nods of recognition. He was a prince now, even if he was uncomfortable with the idea.


    ¡°Stop that.¡± Carbon hissed at him as she caught a glimpse of him grinning like a demented clown, head bobbing almost uncontrollably.


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to be genial.¡± He shot back, but stopped as he had been told. He¡¯d have stopped a moment later anyway, as he ducked into a compact restaurant behind her. Alex assumed it to be a restaurant, the air laden with the unmistakable smells of grilled meat and fresh bread.


    Carbon stepped up to the bar, a light wood that had been stained a pattern of blues and greens, and rapped on it to get the proprietor''s attention. She switched back into Tsla as he turned around. ¡°I need a savory crepe. Do you have deep tea?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Freshly made.¡± The reddish male eyed Alex warily, picking his words carefully before he looked back to Carbon, his eyes settling on her ear piercing. ¡°Ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Two of those. Sweet.¡±


    He deposited two smooth sided mugs of steaming hot tea in front of them with another long glance at Alex before tapping something into a register, Carbon setting her hand down on a little glossy rectangle on the bar, letting it scan her palm and acting as some kind of payment.


    Alex looked down into the cup that almost disappeared into his hand, swirling a few crystals of sugar in the bottom. It felt nice, the ship was kept quite cold. He followed Carbon into a booth in the back, sitting across from her on a bench that was just deep enough to fit his butt. The table Could seat four Tsla¡¯o, or four Humans who were comfortable with each other. ¡°What¡¯s a savory crepe?¡±


    ¡°A savory crepe? I do not know.¡± She took a long drink, her aggravation abated slightly in the quiet shop.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you ordered.¡± He checked the mug again, still steaming hot.


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°No, I ordered a savory crepe.¡± There was a little pause mid-sentence as his translator caught up with the word she was using in Tsla. It had been good about catching names of people, but didn¡¯t do so well with names of things.


    Alex scalded his tongue on a sip, the heat almost overwhelming the bittersweet flavor of the tea. He swallowed it anyway and winced as it burned down his esophagus, waving his free hand. ¡°Translation problem, fix it later.¡±


    She tipped her head in assent and leaned on the table, nursing her tea, watching the other alien cook. Between the heat of the tea and the sugar in his empty stomach, Alex was almost starting to feel normal again.


    ¡°Sorry about earlier, I didn¡¯t mean to be an ass.¡±


    Carbon shrugged. ¡°You have had a trying time since coming aboard.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and that¡¯s not an excuse, which is why I¡¯m apologizing.¡± He wrapped both hands around his mug, the dense ceramic keeping his digits hot. ¡°As you now know I get a little cranky when I¡¯m tired.¡±


    ¡°Cranky?¡± Carbon¡¯s eyebrows went up as her electric blue eyes glanced over to him.


    ¡°Ill-tempered.¡±


    She snorted a little laugh. ¡°Yes, you were.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling a little uncomfortable on a ship I don¡¯t know, without all my gear. And my wallet¡¯s still missing. Plus, one of the processor clusters from my IT isn¡¯t reporting anymore, and I just got that.¡± He was going to have to explain the damage to the Navy at some point, and a good lie probably wasn¡¯t going to cut it.


    The cook came around the counter, set a rectangular plate on the table and slid it between them, addressing Carbon specifically with a nod of his head and a thin smile. ¡°Anything else, ma¡¯am?¡±


    ¡°No, thank you.¡± She said, and pushed the plate towards Alex as the proprietor of the shop returned to his work.


    Atop the dish was a single cylinder wrapped in crisp white parchment, the alleged crepe an item that warranted a plate specific to it. Alex picked it up, peeling the paper away from it, the flatbread springy under his touch. About the diameter of the mug of tea, and twice as long, pleasantly heavy with whatever was loaded inside. Good size for a burrito, in his opinion. ¡°Alright, so we¡¯ve determined what this isn¡¯t... so what is it?¡±


    ¡°Street food, though somewhat... not anymore.¡± She gestured at the warmly lit little restaurant, a handful of these little tables along the wall and a few stools at the bar where she ordered. ¡°Flat bread, filled with grilled food livestock, vegetable, root vegetable, vegetable, pickled plant, usually with common sauce.¡±


    Alex narrowed his eyes and sighed, having found where the translator¡¯s dictionary was particularly lacking. ¡°It translated almost everything you said there into the most generic possible terms. The gist of it: meat, vegetables, pickles, sauce?¡±


    Carbon closed her eyes and nodded, sharing in his aggravation. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Alex peeled the paper back further and tried not to think about what he might be biting into, pleasantly surprised to find something very palatable. The thin piece of flat bread had a sharp tang to it, savory meat bits that were not quite beef but definitely not chicken, a bunch of vegetables too finely shredded to give much of an impression, and some spicy pickled... moss. Looked like moss, anyway. Tasted like a hot pickle. He was pretty sure the ¡®common sauce¡¯ was that condiment that he¡¯d drank straight out of the bottle back on the Kshlav¡¯o. ¡°You know me so well.¡±


    ¡°You like it?¡± There was just a little bit of surprise in her voice.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s good.¡± He continued eating, much less trepidation in the next few bites. ¡°Where are we meeting Eleya, anyway? I, uh, wasn¡¯t paying attention earlier.¡±


    ¡°The temple. These are just formalities, but it is traditional to hold them there.¡± Her voice softened as she spoke, looking at the decorative divider that separated the kitchen from the rest of the small restaurant.


    ¡°Formalities?¡± Alex spoke through a mouthful of food.


    ¡°We must select a name, and we must show our station. We will now both wear two gold.¡± Carbon reached up and touched the silver stud that sat along the top of her ear. She hesitated for a moment. ¡°You do not have to wear them all the time, if you do not want to. Just in public.¡±


    He blanched at that, chewing through a crunchy piece of moss. ¡°I¡¯ve never really thought about getting my ears pierced. Not too big on the idea of having objects stuck in my body. Don¡¯t think the irony of that escapes me.¡±


    She smiled and laughed softly before the weight of whatever she was considering pulled her back down. ¡°If- If you do not wish to go through with this, I believe I could... Acquire a shuttle to take you back to Earth.¡±


    ¡°Steal?¡± He asked, before taking another bite.


    She clicked her tongue at his tactless but accurate rephrasing and sighed, crossing her arms over her chest as she regarded him. ¡°No, I have the authority to use a shuttle.¡±


    ¡°I believe you do, but this is a military ship. While I only have experience with the Human Navy, I am very familiar with how much they dislike letting vehicles get up and wander.¡± He popped the folded up end piece into his mouth, reasonably sure that the Tsla¡¯o military would also dislike someone ¡®acquiring¡¯ one of their shuttles, and he was not about to encourage his girlfriend/wife to steal from any military. ¡°Hundred percent sure Eleya is keeping everything that can leave under lock and key while her schemes are unfolding, too, and I barely know her.¡±


    Carbon chewed on the inside of her cheek while she considered that. ¡°I just wish to give you a way out, if you do not want to go through with this.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate that, but it¡¯s not necessary.¡± He folded up the wrapper as neatly as he could and set it back on the plate.


    ¡°Are you sure? I... I am willing to give you up.¡± She stared at the empty mug in her hands, fiddling with it nervously.


    ¡°It¡¯s not necessary. I dunno if this is forward of me or whatever, but I don¡¯t mind the idea of what Eleya did, even if I do mind how she did it.¡± Alex had ample time to consider this over the last few days, try as he might to keep his mind off everything. ¡°It¡¯s a really short timeline for getting married, at least for a Human. I don¡¯t know how long Tsla¡¯o courtship usually lasts.¡±


    ¡°I- You do not?¡± She stammered a little bit, somehow surprised at that.


    Alex pushed the plate to the edge of the narrow table and reached out, cupping her hands in his. ¡°No, not at all. I love you, I enjoy what our relationship has become, and I¡¯d like that to continue. If that means we get married because your aunt has an insurrection problem, so be it.¡±


    She stared down at their hands, eyes wide, a blush that was visible a kilometer away heating her face. ¡°I would like that too.¡±


    Alex found that unreasonably cute, a smirk curling the corner of his mouth. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. We should probably get going, too. Can¡¯t imagine Eleya is big on waiting.¡±


    Carbon¡¯s focus shifted quickly, ¡°yes, of course. We should go.¡± She slid out of the booth, hurrying out of the restaurant with Alex following close behind. ¡°The temple is not far.¡±


    She was right, it was about a five minute walk. The usual ship corridor changed as they approached it. The gray and red paint gave way to earth tones, the lights dimmed slightly. It gave Alex the impression of being in a timber reinforced tunnel. Carbon gestured at a wide doorway, a wide wooden door that was covered in metalwork waiting.


    His eyes took a few moments to adjust as they passed from a wide antechamber to a narrow passage that opened up into a large spherical room, the walls lined with clusters of small candles. A quick glance confirmed that they were artificial, having no flame and being lit from within. A good idea on a space ship.


    There was one person waiting for them at a short altar, clearly Eleya even in the low light. Alex couldn¡¯t smell anything other than incense but he didn¡¯t suppose her escort was very far away. As they approached, she turned and seemed happy. She was smiling, but Alex had doubts about how legitimate that was.


    ¡°Alex. I am pleased to see you have mended well.¡± She sounded happy as well as she hugged him, which felt terribly awkward despite how brief it was. She did the same to Carbon, who did not seem to appreciate it.


    ¡°Empress. We have come as you have asked.¡± Carbon extricated herself from her aunt and bowed slightly.


    ¡°So you have.¡± Alex thought he saw Eleya¡¯s eye¡¯s narrow as she turned, but in the dim light it was hard to tell. She gathered two items from the altar and set them in Alex¡¯s hands. ¡°Some things you are missing and a gift to help you in the task that has been set before you.¡±


    Eleya gave him a very particular look before she returned to the altar, opening a small box and beginning to unpack it with practiced motions. Each package she had given him was wrapped in dark red cloth, the first containing his decompression kit, wallet, and an odd, flat silver-grey stick with a rubbery coating. Alex¡¯s missing processor cluster, judging by the neatly clipped wires at one end and the tiny screws that used to hold it to his ribs. He slipped his gear back into the appropriate pockets, folded the cloth back up around the processor and stowed it away before looking at the gift, which was clearly more books from the shape. At least these were normal size.


    Having laid out all her equipment, she turned her attention to a folder, flipping it open and readying a pen. ¡°Have you chosen a family name, dear niece?¡±


    Carbon¡¯s reply was instantaneous, the question something she had been expecting. ¡°Sorenson.¡±


    Eleya¡¯s head tilted up slowly to look directly at her, eyes gleaming in the artificial candle light. ¡°I am aware of the young prince¡¯s name. What will your family name be?¡±


    ¡°Sorenson.¡± They glared at each other, both resolute in their stance.


    ¡°There are many very good family names. Historic, classical.¡±


    ¡°It is a common practice among Humans for the female to take the male¡¯s family name. It felt appropriate in this situation, to blend Human and Tsla¡¯o traditions... Unless our motives are not as you have said?¡±


    Eleya¡¯s jaw worked for a moment before she turned back to Alex, who had just been watching them, the still-wrapped books tucked under his arm. ¡°Is this true?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Yes. It is fairly common.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Sorenson you will be.¡± Eleya¡¯s lips twisted in disdain but she relented, turning back to the altar and filling out the paper as Carbon smirked at the small victory. ¡°Prince Sorenson. Will you take up the mantle that has been offered to you?¡±


    Alex looked at Carbon, who waved him forward and nodded. He handed her the books and stood behind Eleya. ¡°Yes, I will.¡±


    ¡°Good. Take a knee.¡±


    He did as instructed, kneeling down before her.


    Eleya turned to face him, looking him over with cool eyes. She clutched a long, slender needle in one hand, the other reaching down to testing the helix of his ear. She frowned as her fingers probed the thick cartilage, her voice quiet but irritated. ¡°This will be interesting.¡±

 Allies

    After a successful ear piercing and a handful of vows given to each other, Eleya had celebrated by escorting them down to one of the landing bays to give them another gift. Carbon insisted they stop for a moment and let Alex give his parents a call first, something Alex agreed with emphatically now that he was put back together and not out of his mind with exhaustion.


    They stopped at an empty briefing room and he had a quick chat with them - audio only due to some weirdness with the Tsla''o and Human systems not meshing fully - they were very glad to hear he was back on his feet, and he promised that he''d be back in the next day or so. He shot Carbon a questioning look as he made that promise, and she nodded back. While she was the Empress, Eleya''s opinions could take a flying leap for now.


    Easy enough. The landing bay was right next door, and Alex wasn''t about to say anything aloud, but he hoped Eleya was giving them a ship. What else would you have there? He''d sit in an unlimited amount of traffic around Earth if it meant being able to pop in at home whenever he wanted, with whoever he wanted. The bays were empty save for about a dozen soldiers and two Tsla¡¯o who appeared to be tied to a blast deflector. He recognized his assailant immediately, despite how brutally he had been worked over. It looked like they¡¯d both had their right antenna burned off, a strangely uniform scab where the stump would have been.


    Alex was sure this guy would have tried again, right then and there, given how violent his attempts at getting free became once they walked in. The utter hatred in his eyes, the string of untranslatable epitaphs that lasted until one of the guards cracked him across the face with a stun baton.


    It took him a second to parse why there were chairs set up behind a protective screen.


    About a half an hour later Alex found himself standing in a very nice lounge, holding a drink he hadn¡¯t looked at, wearing a jacket in the traditional Tsla¡¯o cut for someone ¡®of his station.¡¯ A little shindig to celebrate things. Maybe twenty or so Tsla¡¯o he¡¯d never met before, mostly giving them warm congratulations, mostly aimed at Carbon. There had been names given, but he was not in the right space, mentally, for things like that.


    He posted himself at the window, staring out at a slowly rotating Earth. It wasn¡¯t a real window, he was close enough to see a bit of digitization on light-dark transitions. Nobody would put windows on a warship.


    ¡°Alex?¡± Carbon touched his arm, startling him despite the softness of her voice. ¡°I need to handle something, is it alright if I leave you with Senator Lanshen? She is more interested in Human affairs than most.¡± She gestured over at who he expected to be the Senator, a shorter, red furred Tsla¡¯o who looked to be younger than Eleya, just a hint of silver on her face.


    ¡°Yeah. Yeah, that¡¯s fine.¡± He drifted over to the couch she was seated at, a halfhearted nod as he settled in next to her. ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Senator.¡± Carbon gave her a bow, and then a worried look over at Alex. ¡°I hope I will be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Princess.¡± She returned the bow, offering Carbon a genuinely warm smile as she departed. The senator shifted slightly, looking back over to Alex and holding out a hand. ¡°Senator Palan Lanshen, I am pleased to make your acquaintance.¡±


    The fact most of that hadn¡¯t been translated caught his attention immediately. A little rough, but very much understandable. ¡°Oh, uh... Alex Sorenson.¡± He shook her hand, ¡°I didn¡¯t know anyone other than Carbon spoke English.¡±


    ¡°I hardly speak it, just a few greetings and inquiries.¡± She laughed politely. ¡°Oh, of course - ara ara.¡±


    The translator gave him a little notification on that last bit there: unknown. He recognized it, though. A friend of his in school had been a serious anime fan and had roped him into playing way too many VR games he was not interested in. Alex took a deep breath and downed the pale green drink that had grown warm in his hand, jaw working from the intensely acerbic flavor. ¡°I¡¯m trying to figure out how to say this politely... Did somebody put you up to that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± She asked, again in English, apparently confused by his reaction.


    ¡°That last phrase there. Where did you get it from?¡±


    The senator dipped back into Tsla, ¡°My aide compiled a list of common sayings. It is how a senior female would greet a junior male?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a greeting, it¡¯s a statement. Not even in English.¡± Alex swirled the last little bit of liquid around in the bottom of his glass. ¡°It¡¯s got some connotations I hope you do not want to impart.¡±


    ¡°You have my apologies, and my thanks.¡± Lanshen seemed bothered by that, but recovered quickly. ¡°Would you mind if I sent the list along to you at a later time? I have given it to a few people and I think it would be best to make sure there are no other turns of phrase that might be inappropriate.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure.¡± He was relieved that this was panning out to be a misunderstanding. How somebody got a hold of enough anime to pull that phrase from it was beyond him right now. ¡°You can... I probably don¡¯t have an email address here. Uh, yeah, just send it along however.¡±


    She pulled one of their little phones out of a pocket in her sleeve and started noting something, Alex¡¯s attention drifting back to the fake window. Part of him was glad it was fake. He found himself wanting to launch himself through it right now, just to get off this insane ship and back to any sort of normalcy. Yes, that was entirely unfair to Carbon, even if she¡¯d offered to steal a ship to do just that an hour ago.


    ¡°Lord Sorenson?¡± The senator¡¯s voice finally cut through is idle daydreams of screaming through the void before burning up in atmosphere.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    She looked just as worried as Carbon had. ¡°Are you... feeling well?¡±


    ¡°I am a bit out of sorts right now. It¡¯s just been... There have been a lot of firsts for me today.¡± That was a significant understatement. Alex sighed and stared down into the empty glass, still in shock from the second ¡®gift¡¯ that Eleya had given him. ¡°There¡¯s been a lot of firsts for me this week, actually.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I should imagine.¡± Palan was short, and had a bit of a motherly vibe to her. The cut of her jacket indicated she was somewhat important, which tracked for her being a senator, the collar resting high on her shoulders, pink stripes on her neck surrounded by reddish fur. ¡°Has anything been particularly shocking? It may be beneficial to discuss it."


    ¡°Everything. I mean... I didn¡¯t even know Carbon was a mari- marioness or whatever until... well, until like an hour before we were married. Then she was all upset, and I completely did not expect to get stabbed. They cut out my heart, you know?¡±


    That seemed to catch her off guard. Her eyes widened slightly and she leaned in. ¡°The assassin?¡±


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°No, the doctors. There was a complication from the triage and my body was rejecting a repair. They gave me an artificial heart till I could get it replaced.¡± He finished the last dregs of his drink, the strong citrus aftertaste actually not that bad. He still would have preferred whatever he had been drinking with Carbon back on the Kshlav¡¯o. Alex looked around for one of the servers that had given him the drink, seeing none, but finding quite a selection of food on a table nearby. ¡°Hey, would you mind if I got something to eat?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± She got up with him, following him over to the buffet table. ¡°The replacement heart - that was with the medi-board technology, was it not?¡±


    Alex didn¡¯t recognize a single damn thing on the table. Would it have killed them to make at least one... What would these be, hors d''oeuvres? Everyone was standing around drinking, so probably. At least one single hors d¡¯oeuvres that at least looked Human in origin? He picked up a plate and began piling one of everything onto it, each one stacked with a little more spite than the last. ¡°Yeah, the mediboard.¡±


    Palan watched him with a slowly growing discomfort. ¡°That was a lovely gift.¡±


    Eleya had already spread the word that it had been some kind of dowry. How that lie was going to survive contact with reality was beyond him. Maybe the buffer between the ruling class and everyone else was really that wide.


    Alex played his part. ¡°Yeah. It was. All of that- That''s... Not even that big a deal. The execution, though? I''ve never seen someone die before. Sure as hell not by firing squad, anyway. Executions aren''t that common on Earth." Alex returned to the couch, lost in thought as he sat down. He wouldn¡¯t forget the look of hate on his attacker¡¯s face any time soon, but now he got to split custody between how that guy looked during the attack, and lying on the ground bleeding out after the execution. ¡°I''ve never had someone so angry at me that they''d spit at me with their dying breath, either.¡±


    "Quite understandable. That is why they put up the protective screen." The senator sounded remarkably nonchalant about that. How common was this?


    Alex managed a thin laugh, teetering right there on the edge of sanity. "I suppose so."


    Senator Lanshen frowned and head tilted just a little. "Do you blame yourself?"


    He considered that for long enough for a waiter to come over and replace both of their drinks, idly stuffing himself with snacks he wasn¡¯t really tasting. "I guess I do. If I hadn''t been on board they¡¯d both still be alive."


    "That is very likely, though I suspect he would have killed someone else... The attack on you was not planned, his anger made him reckless. It exposed the lieutenant that was feeding him propaganda." She patted his arm and sounded exceptionally positive about that. ¡°I understand the interrogators were able to determine they were out for anyone closely linked to the royal family. Your presence may have saved the life of anyone in this room. Perhaps several of us.¡±


    Alex didn¡¯t have a good reply to that. The idea of someone dying - even someone who had wanted to kill him - didn¡¯t sit well even if the thought of someone attacking Carbon did get his blood to rise. ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right. It¡¯s just going to take a while for me to process this.¡±


    She smiled, ¡°the Empress seems to think you will do well, that there are many opportunities for you among us.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Alex was pretty sure he was just there to keep Carbon happy and his most recent memory of Eleya was her stabbing him repeatedly in his ears. While she remained composed through the ritual, he wasn¡¯t sure if it hurt so damn bad because Human ears were different than Tsla¡¯o or because she was mad about Carbon¡¯s selection of their family name.


    ¡°Yes. She said as much yesterday. That you are willing to learn and have an honest heart.¡± Lanshen grinned and laughed as she leaned against the back of the sofa, ¡°you should see about getting into politics. The senate floor could use more honesty.¡±


    ¡°Never thought about getting into politics.¡± He didn¡¯t want to think about getting into politics, either.


    He spotted Neya halfway across the room, making a beeline for them. It looked like she was wearing Carbon¡¯s jacket with a palm-sized silver broach, intricately carved. She stopped in front of the couch and smiled warmly. ¡°Senator Lanshen. If you do not mind, I would like to take possession of Alex.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Princess Sorenson.¡± She turned to Alex, ¡°it has been lovely speaking to you, I hope our paths will cross again soon.¡±


    Alex suppressed the urge to look at the senator like she was insane, eyes darting back to Neya to be sure that he wasn¡¯t the one hallucinating. He may have been on the edge of exhaustion but it was clearly Neya and not Carbon. He stood and bowed to Palan anyway. ¡°Likewise. Have a good night.¡±


    ¡°Come along, Alex.¡± Neya tilted her head to the senator and took his arm, holding it tight against her body. She smiled as they threaded their way through the crowd, acknowledging a dozen people who seemed to think she was Carbon as well before they got out to the corridor.


    Alex wasn¡¯t sure what was going on and was a little disconcerted that Carbon¡¯s... friend? Personal assistant? Whatever. She was still latched onto his arm. It felt inappropriate. He waited until they were a ways down the corridor before asking the question that had supplanted all his other thoughts for the time being. ¡°Why did they all think you were Carbon?¡±


    Neya got a look like she was getting away with something, one that did seem very much like Carbon back on the Kshlav¡¯o. ¡°Because I am.¡±


    ¡°No. You¡¯re not.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am, Alex.¡± She rolled her eyes and patted his hand.


    He shook his head. ¡°No, you¡¯re Neya. There are several obvious differences...¡±


    ¡°As far as everyone is concerned, except for you, I am Carbon. I am her contra, after all.¡± She stopped them in front of an elevator bank and summoned one.


    She¡¯d referred to herself like that once while she sat with him in the hospital. At the time he thought it made sense because her fur coloration was reversed, a lavender fur so pale it was nearly white, with dark stripes. Just like the primer had said. ¡°I think I¡¯m missing something. I don¡¯t see what difference coloration makes. ¡±


    Neya pulled him to the elevator with an embarrassed laugh. ¡°I am sorry, I have been using that term without context for you. We - contras - are rare among the Tsla¡¯o and we are given a special place in society. I am Carbon¡¯s contra. If she requires it of me, I can carry her thoughts and power. I act as she does and will be treated as her.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s interesting. I can see how it could be useful.¡± He made a mental note to flag that word later so it would be translated better. Seemed to carry a lot of meaning for them.


    ¡°Yes. I do not preside over many things for her, but I take the tasks I am given to heart.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t do that in the hospital, though?¡± Probably would have been a bad idea to introduce someone to that concept out of the blue like that.


    ¡°I would not have, even if instructed. A place of healing is sacred, it would be an insult to the patient.¡±


    The elevator dinged and she finally released his arm, directing him just down the hall and leaning into a retina scanner next to a heavy looking pressure door. It slid open into a small chamber, gently curved walls and several seats with a more conventional door at the end, like a mud room. Neya unclipped the broach and hung the jacket up after the main door closed.


    Alex was a little relieved to see she was wearing a shirt under the jacket. He hadn¡¯t been sure if they wore anything under it, but she was clad in an emerald green shirt, sleeveless with a wide V neck, leaving her shoulders exposed for the jacket as was their custom. She turned to Alex and undid the small fasteners he was struggling with, helping him out of it and hanging it up before heading through the smaller door.


    The room beyond was what had been roughly described in the primer as a normal Tsla¡¯o home, a circular plan with most everything built into the outer wall, and a small kitchen backed up against the straight wall marking the entryway. Carbon was sitting on a bench at the table, chin resting on her arms with a distant look in her eyes. She didn¡¯t seem to notice them approaching.


    ¡°Princess? I have acquired him, as you requested.¡± Neya set the broach down on the table, her voice quiet. ¡°Is there anything else you need of me?¡±


    Carbon shook her head and look over at them, her blue eyes lingering on Alex. The strength he was used to hearing in her voice was gone. ¡°Thank you, Neya, I would just like some privacy tonight.¡±


    ¡°You are welcome. I hope your night improves, Princess.¡± She bowed at them and departed without another word.

 Rituals

    Alex sat down next to Carbon on the bench and set his hand on hers. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    She straightened up and leaned against him with a sigh, switching back into English. ¡°We contacted my father, before word got back to him through unofficial channels.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t go well, I take it?¡± He laced his fingers with hers and gave her hand a squeeze.


    ¡°No. He is...¡± Carbon petered out and stared at their hands while she decided on the appropriate word. ¡°Furious.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Alex wanted to say some particularly unkind things about him, but that probably wasn¡¯t what she needed right now. So he stuck with thinking that sanctimonious prick could go fuck himself, for the moment.


    ¡°It is expected. I was more surprised that Eleya defended us so fully.¡± She leaned against him, a soft, warm ear pressed against his neck.


    That surprised him, too. ¡°Eleya? Really.¡±


    ¡°Yes. She said that she believed you were worthy of me. More so than any suitors he has ever found.¡± Carbon sighed and squeezed his hand. ¡°That escalated the conversation significantly.¡±


    ¡°Eleya said that? You¡¯re not joking?¡± He was a little suspicious, but Eleya seemed to be talking him up to pretty much everybody. That felt suspicious, too. It honestly wasn¡¯t attention that he wanted, but given that the alternative was taking a hike, he¡¯d deal with it for the time being.


    ¡°She did. I was shocked.¡± There was a hint of a frown in her voice. ¡°I did not know he had been finding me suitors, or that she had been shielding me from them. I had not thought... I have not thought well of her for some time.¡±


    Alex nodded with a soft chuckle. ¡°I had noticed.¡±


    She was silent, twisting her hand out of his grasp so she could run her fingertips along his palm. ¡°I still do not know what to make of this. I had never expected to be entwined. My plans had been to remain a Lan for a few decades, then perhaps join the Naval Academy to take on a few apprentices.¡±


    Her description of her future brought a smile to his face and a warm laugh. ¡°That¡¯s definitely my Carbon.¡±


    ¡°Is it? And what of you, atalna? What did your future hold?¡± Carbon¡¯s head tilted, looking up at him out of the corner of her eye.


    ¡°Maybe take a gig in a Trailblazer fleet. A lot of CPP Pilots move into that. Not as rigid as a Navy job, some of the larger ships even have room for families.¡± Those idle thoughts of his future had never involved a murder plot of any sort, let alone his own. Usually just trying to suss out if whoever he had been dating would be the one. He¡¯d leave that part out. ¡°I kind of figured I¡¯d settle down at some point.¡±


    Carbon managed a sad laugh. ¡°But not like this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Not like this.¡± He disentangled his hand from hers and put his arm around her shoulder. ¡°I expected a lot less stabbing.¡±


    She laughed again, warmth flowing into it this time, a short little snort and nestled against him. ¡°Is it... is it bad for you? Do you not want this?¡±


    ¡°You know if you keep asking me if I want out, I¡¯m going to start thinking you don¡¯t want me around.¡± He leaned over and kissed her on the head, a smile crystal clear in his voice.


    The dark furred Tsla¡¯o huffed and smacked his side with a gentle slap. ¡°I am serious. I do not want you to agree because you feel threatened. I want you to agree because you feel it is right.¡±


    ¡°I used to wonder if it would last once we were off the ship... I think we would. Yes, I¡¯d prefer...¡± Alex scrambled for the right turn of phrase here, that sufficiently conveyed how fucked up the last few days felt. None of them were very tactful so he put that aside and went with something that felt extremely watered down. ¡°A more conventional courtship process. I¡¯m not going to act like I¡¯m not overwhelmed by all of this, but I stand by what I said in the restaurant. I¡¯m in.¡±


    Carbon smiled and kissed his cheek. ¡°Are you still tired, Alex?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± That was a silly question. ¡°I¡¯m going to be tired for a month.¡±


    ¡°Then we should go to bed.¡± She ducked out from under his arm and slid around the table, beckoning him to follow.


    The bed was built out of the wall, knee-height and sort of leaf shaped, several drawers of storage beneath it. A rich green duvet resting on top looked thick and comfortable, a pile of matching pillows on one by a short, curving headboard made of dark wood with more storage. Best of all, it was easily large enough for a few Humans to sleep on. Sure, Carbon only had one on hand, but he was still moved by the expanse before him. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    Carbon laughed as she wrangled him around and gave him a push, sitting him down on the edge of the bed before tugging his shirt off. She touched his chest, fingertips hot across his collarbone. ¡°But there is something we need to do first...¡±


    Something they needed to do first? Carbon¡¯s statement swirled around his mind for a moment before he got it, grinning as he set his hands on her hips and pulled her close. Maybe he wasn¡¯t that tired. ¡°I¡¯m game, if you¡¯re ready.¡±


    She nodded and leaned against him, closing her eyes as she whispered into his ear. ¡°I believe I am.¡±


    Alex smiled and slid his hands up her sides, still surprised at how hot her body was. He wasn¡¯t sure what had changed, but he didn¡¯t feel awkward or weird about it. He wouldn¡¯t exactly say it felt like it was easy - there was still a lot of alien for both of them to navigate - but it felt much more possible this time, the anxiety he had felt last time just not returning. That was a pleasant surprise.


    Carbon exhaled sharply on his neck, a happy noise escaping her as Alex gave her a little squeeze. She steadied herself, hands tight on his arms as she leaned down, taking a shaky breath before she sank her teeth into his shoulder, just below his neck.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Some part of Alex recognized that trying to wrench his shoulder out of her mouth would not work out well for him. He was pretty sure those pointy little teeth would just shred it. Instead, he sucked in a breath and gripped her hips harder, jaw tight against the growing pain.


    Her eye opened and she looked at him like she expected him to do something.


    ¡°Why are you biting me?¡± Alex hissed, brown eyes bulging.


    She finally released his shoulder with a wet pop, teeth pink with his blood. ¡°It is the final act of becoming entwined.¡±


    Alex winced as he gently probed the narrow u-shaped bite mark, already bleeding down his back and chest. ¡°What? that¡¯s- Can you get me a towel?¡±


    She grumbled and pushed off of him, rummaging through a chest of drawers next to the bed. ¡°Were you not prepared?¡±


    ¡°No! Not for that... fuck this hurts.¡± He had stopped poking at his injury and stood to keep from bleeding on the bed. ¡°I thought we were going to try, you know....¡±


    Carbon raised an eyebrow, not looking up from the drawer. ¡°I think it is quite apparent I do not.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were intimating you were interested in having sex.¡± It felt like that¡¯s what she had been getting at, at least.


    ¡°Perhaps I was...¡± She slid the drawer closed hard and looked at him with narrowed eyes, antenna pulled down tight, and gestured towards the stools at the table. ¡°Come, sit.¡±


    His first instinct was to defend his actions and be mad at her for not making it clear what was going on. He was a guy, after all, of course he was easily steered towards sex. He also wasn¡¯t stupid. Completely different cultures are going to have different expectations, and here¡¯s one of them. Just a bit more intimate than the last few he¡¯d run into. Alex shrugged and winced, taking a seat in front of her. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware of this... biting thing.¡±


    ¡°Neya said you had been reading about our ways. Certainly someone had brought up the unity mark, given what Eleya has done?¡± She unscrewed the top of a large jar and scooped a finger of thick blue goo out, eliciting another wince as she slathered it over his wound. Carbon grumbled quietly as her eyes narrowed. ¡°They did give you a book other than the logs?¡±


    ¡°No, it was just the weekly records of the First Age Emperors. Made it all the way through the Zherar dynasty. The notes from the scribes were actually pretty funny most of the time.¡± The goo stung at first, but quickly settled to an almost pleasant tingle.


    Carbon clicked her tongue and shook her head as she circled him, dabbing the thick salve onto the back of his shoulder. ¡°Those have no useful information.¡±


    He got the impression he may have gotten Neya into some trouble with that. ¡°To be fair, Eleya was the one who gave them to her. I learned a swear word, too. That¡¯s useful.¡±


    She stopped, mid-smear. ¡°Eleya gave them to her? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Carried one down herself. She made Neya use formal titles on me, too. I didn¡¯t like that.¡± Alex simply didn¡¯t want to get used to those.


    ¡°Curious...¡± Carbon continued applying the salve, ¡°perhaps she really is grooming you to be active within the royal family. It certainly would cause a stir.¡±


    ¡°I can only imagine.¡±


    Carbon made an affirmative noise and picked up a fresh towel, wiping his back and chest clean. ¡°I do not understand why, though.¡±


    ¡°She said she likes my naivete. I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s a compliment or not.¡± It felt like it should be an insult, but Eleya had seemed happy about it. That wasn¡¯t what Alex would have considered a good feature in a conspirator, but apparently he lacked sophistication.


    That almost got a laugh out of her, a smile in her voice. ¡°It can be endearing, from time to time. How is you shoulder now?¡±


    ¡°Better.¡± Alex touched the goo, already hardened into a thick protective layer. ¡°So do you want me to try doing that to you now?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She put the jar on top of the dresser and tossed the towel into the cleaner before seating herself back on the bed. ¡°I do not know how successful you will be, but it is necessary for you to do it.¡±


    ¡°Uh... I was kind of kidding there. I don¡¯t-¡±


    She gave him a particularly pointed look and patted the bed next to her before she began to take her shirt off, a long strip of cloth that had been wrapped around her the same way Neya had worn it. ¡°It is your obligation, Alex. Unless you do not wish to be entwined?¡±


    ¡°Is this a regular part of being entwined? The biting? Is there any other violence I should know about?¡± That might actually be a deal breaker.


    Carbon shook her head, ¡°just one bite to seal our commitment. No more beyond that.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s do this.¡± What¡¯s the worst that could happen? He sat down next to her, held her arms like she had held his and leaned in. Jaws opened wide, he set his teeth down on her shoulder and gave it a tentative squeeze.


    ¡°Harder.¡± She rested her chin on his shoulder. ¡°It is to share in each other''s pain, to share the essence of our life, not to placate me.¡±


    He didn¡¯t exactly relish the idea, but he gave her what she wanted. His jaw tightened and he felt muscles flex as she flinched. Much to his surprise, his teeth did manage to puncture her skin. He gagged on the coppery taste of her blood, tongue trying to withdraw from his mouth to avoid it.


    A moment later she patted his side and whispered through clenched teeth. ¡°That is enough.¡±


    Alex let go and sucked in a breath of air. ¡°Good?¡±


    ¡°More... nh, more capable than I expected. Get the salve.¡±


    He retrieved the jar of goo and dabbed it on to her wounds, a series of shallow punctures from his canine teeth. The thick mixture didn¡¯t even leave a residue on his fingers. ¡°There. Not as complete as the one you gave me, though.¡±


    ¡°That is fine. I would prefer it to be unique.¡± She smiled and plucked the jar from his hands, setting it down on the headboard. ¡°As you are unique to me.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I am.¡± Alex shifted further onto the bed and stretched out, closing his eyes. ¡°We¡¯re quite the pioneers, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°It seems that we are.¡± She snuggled down next to him, threading an arm around his and holding him tightly. ¡°I think I like that.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± He was glad to hear the strength in her voice again, the Carbon he knew returning. ¡°I¡¯m hard to get rid of.¡±


    ¡°You are very tenacious.¡± She laughed and kissed his arm. ¡°I cannot believe you made it all the way to Zherar in the log books.¡±


    ¡°Seemed important at the time.¡± Alex rubbed his eyes, the invigorating shock of having been bitten starting to wear off. ¡°And I wasn¡¯t sleeping because of the drugs.¡±


    ¡°They used to make me read those when I misbehaved. There is very little useful information in there, but all royals are expected to have read them.¡±


    ¡°Great. At least I know a couple of jokes now, and it¡¯ll help with my cussing.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, which word did you find?¡± She grinned widely and squeezed his arm again.


    ¡°Khaeva. Neya said it was vulgar.¡±


    ¡°Not vulgar, in a modern interpretation... too negative. Mmh, salacious might be a better way to put it.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it mean?¡±


    Carbon didn¡¯t say anything, though it felt like she was thinking. She shut the lights off with a word and Alex could hear the smirk when she spoke. ¡°I think you will be best enlightened if I show you myself.¡±

 Preperation

    Alex awoke to the sounds of cooking. Soft, careful taps of utensils, the hallmark of someone trying to stay quiet in the kitchen, and the scent of that fruity breakfast mash that Carbon had eaten all the time on the Kshlav¡¯o, but stronger. A peek over the top of Carbon¡¯s head found Neya, lit by a single small light over the stove, idly stirring a pot while reading a book.


    Yes, he did find it a little weird. Not weird enough to concern himself with while he was this comfortable, though.


    Alex nestled back down into the inviting depth of the mattress, a little annoyed about having been woken up at all. He wasn¡¯t sure where the clock was and he was not inclined to turn his augs on while still half asleep. No matter what the time, it was still too damn early as far as he was concerned. He slipped an arm over Carbon¡¯s midriff and focused on going back to sleep.


    It worked pretty well until Carbon got up. She turned the lights on - she hadn¡¯t turned them up very high, but they were still on - and the two of them started chatting. Alex had more trouble ignoring that. He couldn¡¯t tell what they were saying, and he was not familiar with the cadence of Tsla among native speakers yet, but it sounded amicable. Friendly, even.


    Resigned to the fact he was not going back to sleep right now, Alex rolled over to the edge of the bed and slid his arm out from under the blanket, trawling the floor for clothes.


    The conversation stopped while he did this, pulling one garment after the next into the warmth of the bed. He was pretty sure none of it was his. It didn¡¯t feel like something he¡¯d wear, the material was too fine - perfect for someone with a layer of insulation built in, though.


    Carbon pulled the blanket back a little and he squinted up at her in the dim light, wrapped in a long purple robe. She set a neatly folded stack of clothes next to him with a wry smile. ¡°These are yours.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Alex was pretty sure that¡¯s what he said. The light went away with a pleasant laugh and the chatting resumed. It only took a moment for him to pull on a pair of pants and he rolled out of bed with a grunt and a wave at his audience.


    Carbon waved back with a pleasant smile and they watched him for a few moments before he got up and trudged into the bathroom, securing the door behind him. It was pleasantly familiar, a toilet looked like a toilet no matter where you went, apparently. The shower was a little tricky, but Carbon had shown him how to use that last night.


    Hot water washed away the last of the cobwebs in his head, giving him time to reflect on just how insane the past week had been. Admiral Argueta had wanted him to ingratiate himself to Carbon and experience Tsla¡¯o culture. He was doing a pretty damn good job of the former and not very well at the latter, by his estimation.


    Despite that, Alex suspected he had enough information already for several reports. He would start off with a nice loose overhead view for them to chew on while he looked into the legal side of marrying into alien royalty for him. Did they even know that Carbon was related to the Tsla¡¯o Empress? That seemed like a reveal for a much later report.


    He shut the water off and tapped the dry button, vents overhead opening up and blasting him with warm, dry air. That was the trouble with working with intelligence though, wasn¡¯t it? You couldn¡¯t tell what or how much was the truth with them. Ed, he could depend on. Even when he had said something objectively vile, Ed was more interested in seeing him turn that around, to be a better person.


    The Admiral? She¡¯d probably have him flushed out an airlock once he wasn¡¯t useful enough.


    Alex hit the button again and scrubbed a hand over his head to make sure he was dry before he stepped out of the stall. He checked the rubbery coating over his mark, still firmly in place, though peeling a little at the corner. A burst of dental spray and getting dressed left him feeling pretty much human again, ready to take on another day. A more uneventful one, with any luck.


    He had planned to announce his return when he opened the door, instead treading quietly over to the table when he noticed Carbon and Neya in a link. There was a setting for him next to Carbon, tea and that orange colored mash. It was already cold but still tasted fine, a surprisingly palatable mix of something that reminded him of peach and lime, with a hint of oat.


    Beside that was a few sheets of paper, and one of those little black phones they all seemed to have. He set the phone aside, the papers about half-and-half English and Tsla. The list of phrases the Senator had been asking about, printed out, with a nice pen waiting for his input, a note at the top thanking him for his time in advance. He turned his Amp on and set it to translate text.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Alex went over the list while he ate. A lot of it was common greetings. Hello, good morning, good evening, a pleasure to meet you. Perfectly reasonable, and left alone. He struck out ¡®you go girl¡¯ immediately. Each item had a sentence or two explaining how to use it, and this one simply claimed it was a female-to-female saying of solidarity. That was pretty accurate as far as he was concerned, but he noted below that it was not something you¡¯d use in a professional setting, but more appropriately said between friends.


    A couple more he marked as being acceptable but in Spanish, one that was insulting and also in Spanish. Further down the page he struck out a few that were clearly slurs, and labeled them as such. The mind boggled as to where they had gotten these. Some sort of rudimentary machine learning setup, scraping whatever Human media they could get a hold of? The second page had more obscure English - Alex hadn¡¯t heard anyone say ¡®ahoy¡¯ seriously in his entire life, and he let the Senator know as much - as well as what he thought was Mandarin and maybe Hindi, though both were romanized through the lens of Tsla. He just circled all those entries and noted they were in languages he was not sufficiently familiar with.


    Setting those aside, he finished breakfast and worked on the cup of tea. His links with Carbon had never been this long, but he supposed he wasn¡¯t as experienced as either of them. Was it just like what Carbon had walked him through? Were there other sorts of things the Tsla¡¯o did in there?


    Having never seen others engaging in a link before, Alex hadn¡¯t realized how silly the act looked. They leaned across the table towards each other, breathing slowly with eyes closed and faces absolutely serious. Long antennae bridged the gap, the fluffy tips resting at the base of the other¡¯s antennae. Eyes and ears twitched on occasion, but did not seem to focus on anything he could perceive.


    They stopped just before he finished his tea, his return apparently unnoticed until then. Neya gave a start and stared for a moment, looking away as she flipped her antennae back into place. She looked a bit embarrassed as she stammered out something in Tsla. Alex thought he understood the word for ¡®food.¡¯


    Alex flipped the mental switch for his IT and it came to life, his senses going fuzzy for a moment before returning. ¡°Sorry, translator wasn¡¯t on. Say again?¡±


    She composed herself and cleared her throat. ¡°Was the meal to your satisfaction, sir?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was fine, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Now that everything is finished, perhaps you could be convinced to just call him by his name?¡± Carbon slid a hand across the table and patted Neya¡¯s with a soft smile.


    ¡°Yes, the titles did seem to aggravate him.¡± She seemed to brighten at that, her gaze shifting between them. ¡°You would still prefer I call you by your name?¡±


    ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, Alex.¡± Neya relaxed a little, relieved.


    ¡°She will have to use a title on occasion, for formalities like last night when she returned my marker or public events.¡±


    ¡°Sounds better than being Prince Sorenson all the time.¡± He was really hoping to avoid that as much as he could. ¡°So, what¡¯s on the agenda for today?


    Carbon sipped her tea and considered that for a moment. ¡°I would think it wise to discuss things as they are with your parents, before much more time passes. I do not want them to feel marginalized in the face of such events.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Alex was not looking forward to this particular conversation. He didn¡¯t expect a reaction like Carbon¡¯s dad, but talking about relationships with his parents wasn¡¯t something that had ever come easily for him. Now he got to tack on a marriage and assassination attempt. Easy, no sweat.


    ¡°I thought as much. The flight plan is being filed, we should know when we can arrive soon.¡± Carbon gave him a supportive pat on the shoulder.


    ¡°Good. I guess. Look, I don¡¯t know how this is going to go over with them. Us dating is one thing, but being married... I¡¯m not sure how they¡¯ll take it given the circumstances around it, and I don¡¯t want to leave them too far out of the loop. I think I should be the one to inform them, alone.¡± If either of his parents got out of hand, something he didn¡¯t expect to happen, he¡¯d prefer Carbon not be there to see it.


    "That is wise." Carbon sighed quietly, picking at the protective coating over her bite mark, peeling it out of her fur slowly. ¡°I am still hoping for the best.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve known them my entire life. They¡¯ll be surprised, I¡¯m sure, but I know they¡¯re going to want what¡¯s best for me.¡± Alex was saying that out loud as much for her as for himself. He believed it, but this was a massive change. ¡°And if I feel that being married is what¡¯s best for me, they will at least respect that.¡±


    She continued to delicately pull at the dried salve, the piece covering the front half of her mark nearly free now. Dark pink tissue peeking out through her fur, the pattern matching his teeth. ¡°If they are as upset as my father was, we can do what is best for our families and force a separation. While they are few, there are some places where even the Empress¡¯ power can be overridden.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be that mad. Shocked, surprised, upset... Maybe. But not furious.¡± Alex very clearly remembered Eleya¡¯s warning about keeping Carbon happy being his reason for being there, the tacit threat her words contained. If they did go over her head - he assumed Carbon would know how to do that - that was likely the end of things for them. They¡¯d get over it. Life would go on, even if just thinking about it felt like a staggering loss. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter if they are. It¡¯s not their life to live.¡±

 The Talk

    Authorization for the use of a shuttle and the diplomatic lanes down to North American air space came back within the hour. Not long after that Alex, Carbon, and a fireteam for security were waiting in the back of a far more opulent shuttle than the one that had brought them up.


    The trip down didn¡¯t take long, just about thirty minutes by Alex¡¯s constant clock-checking. They set down on Deck 8, their escort ship landing in the next berth. It looked almost identical, save for the name and numbers on the wings, though Alex assumed it was loaded out very differently.


    Carbon hugged him, gave him a kiss on the cheek and told him he could do it. He believed her. Mostly.


    One of the soldiers from the forward compartment came back in full gear - grey-black urban camo, plate armor, helmet with tinted visor, boots with the steel toe on the outside... though notably lacking firearms and the related equipment. He introduced himself as Specialist Amalu, Alex¡¯s escort. Too valuable to be left alone, but not so valuable as to skirt Confed regulations about foreign militaries operating on Earth.


    He didn¡¯t even try to make small talk on the funicular down to Deck 5. It was weird enough having someone he didn¡¯t really know with him, but the bubble of space everybody gave the severe looking alien in what was clearly combat armor standing next to him made it worse. The ONI badge Alex had clipped to his translator, should he need to go anywhere that those credentials were useful, didn¡¯t really help that ¡®leave us alone¡¯ vibe they had going on.


    Right now? Probably for the best.


    They walked in silence to his parents apartment, the home he grew up in, every turn of the residential zone as familiar as when he was a kid. Yeah, they had repainted it a few years ago, beefed up the aircon system - the vents had gone from nearly flush with the walls to a sort of angular blister that held fully modernized cleaning systems. Berkley was one of the older arcologies.


    He stopped before the door that he¡¯d gone through a million times before, Specialist Amalu taking up station beside it. Alex shifted from one foot to the other, jaw set as his hand hesitated over the control panel of his parents front door. The idea of speaking to his parents alone at first, leaving Carbon with the shuttle, felt like an increasingly bad idea. He knew it was all nerves, but that didn¡¯t calm them down any.


    He could think of a hundred ways that trying to ease them into the idea of their younger son being suddenly married... and to an alien, could go wrong. Yes, they''d always been understanding, accepting people. They would deal well with this. He was sure of it.


    He still found it very hard to ring the doorbell, nearly jumping at the sound of the chime as his outstretched finger brushed the panel on accident. No turning back now.


    The door shushed open into the wall, an unexpected face greeting him. "Well, look who¡¯s decided to grace us with his presence. Got tired of the royal treatment already?"


    "Oh, shit." Alex cleared his throat and his face twisted into a nervous grin at the sight of his older brother. "Yeah, you might say that, Pete."


    Peter stepped back and let Alex in, closing the door behind him with a wave of his hand. ¡°Looking pretty good for someone with severe plasma burns.¡±


    ¡°Mediboards do some pretty impressive stuff.¡± His parents had been told that a small explosion from a plasma conduit was what had injured him on the Sword of the Morning Light in lieu of telling them that someone had tried to assassinate him. Presumably they had told that to Peter as well. Alex followed him through into the living room. ¡°Hey Dad!¡±


    ¡°Alex, you¡¯re just in time. Milly and Jason are coming over in a bit, we¡¯re all going out to dinner.¡± His father waved him into a chair. ¡°Good to see you no worse for wear... Did you get your ears pierced?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did.¡± He sank into the same overstuffed chair he¡¯d been sitting in a week ago. Milly and Jason were Peter¡¯s wife and son... looks like the entire family would be here before too long. ¡°It was unexpected. A lot of unexpected stuff happening lately.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it. Did you see the news at all?¡± Ambrose popped himself down onto his preferred end of the couch and relaxed. ¡°Do they have any Human news on board that ship?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Well, not that he was aware of at least. Other than himself. ¡°I¡¯ve had a pretty busy week anyway.¡±


    ¡°Rassmussen¡¯s been acting uppity for months. A couple of days ago he starts talking like he wants to secede, but Eneceladus is right smack in Sol.¡± His dad absolutely loved keeping up with all this stuff. ¡°Even if they did, who¡¯s he going to trade with? Nobody needs Enceladus that much anymore except for tourists, and they barely go.¡±


    ¡°Wow, weird.¡± Of all the political news Alex might have heard about while aboard the Sword, a governor trying to rattle sabers on an icy moon was not going to be near the top. He glanced over at Peter, who had taken up residence on the other end of the couch. ¡°So when are Milly and Jason showing up?¡±


    Peter checked his phone. ¡°They left Monterey a little bit ago, so maybe an hour. Hour and a half at the most.¡±


    Alex¡¯s leg bounced as he started to second guess himself. His mother finally came out of the back room and greeted him with a hug before heading towards the kitchen. His jaw tightened as he resolved to say what he needed to say. He wasn¡¯t going to come all this way just to act like nothing had changed and Pete was going to find out eventually anyway. ¡°Mom, hang on a second... Come have a seat. I need to talk to you guys.¡±


    That changed the demeanor in the room instantly. His mother sat down between Peter and his father, all three of them watching him with concern. That was something. ¡°Go on, Alex. What is it?¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m about to say some stuff that you have to promise me will not leave this room.¡± He tented his fingers in front of his chest, and sucked in a breath through set teeth. ¡°Some of it¡¯s going to come out later, some of it might have to stay forever.¡±


    That didn¡¯t do anything to ease the mood. Made it worse, based on the worried looks the rest of his family was sharing with each other. His father was the first to reply, nodding his agreement. ¡°Of course.¡± Peter and his mother echoed the sentiment a moment later.


    ¡°Hah, alright. Some big stuff has happened in the last week. In the last few weeks, really.¡± He stared down at his hands, knuckles pulled white. ¡°You know that I came back from my tour early... Some things happened and the situation got pretty dire for a while and my relationship with Shipmaster Tshalen became, uh, romantic.¡±


    They didn''t say anything for several seconds, his mother the first to break the silence. She picked her words carefully, the question delicate. ¡°You two... are involved romantically? So you¡¯re dating?¡±


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    ¡°Oh, we were. Kind of. I was going to tell you guys last time I was here, but that visit got cut short.¡±


    The care she had taken with her first question rapidly gave way to confusion. ¡°So you¡¯re not involved with her anymore?¡±


    ¡°No no, I still am. There¡¯s more. I had this all laid out in my head on the way down.¡± He pursed his lips and went with the biggest item first. ¡°We¡¯re actually married now. Entwined, in their language, basically the same thing. It was sort of a shotgun wedding. Neither of us were really expecting it, or I¡¯d have told you guys sooner.¡±


    He could hear them breathing as he waited for someone to say something. Pete just had this smirk he was trying to keep hidden that said plenty. His father¡¯s brow furrowed and he started and stopped several times. ¡°When you say shotgun wedding... She- You didn¡¯t... She¡¯s not pregnant, is she?¡±


    ¡°No! It¡¯s not like that. Humans and Tsla¡¯o can¡¯t reproduce. I think. I know for sure that we¡¯re not compatible at a genetic level.¡± At least, his body went through hyperacute rejection of Tsla¡¯o tissue when they tried to shore up the stab wounds. He imagined that fertilization was pretty much out of the question. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Well then, what possessed you to get married?¡± His father didn¡¯t exactly raise his voice, but his hands were starting to get animated.


    ¡°That¡¯s the other thing. I am marked for death by a group of Tslao isola-¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re what?!¡± His parents blurted it out at the same time, his mother horrified while his father had a particular gleam in his eye that indicated he might be inclined to go set someone straight, despite the fact that someone was a small terrorist organization partway across the Orion arm. It did wipe that smile off Pete¡¯s face, at least.


    ¡°Marked for death. There are some isolationists who wish to break the alliance between our races. Since Carbon is a member of the royal family, I am now afforded the same level of protection as she is. These guys aren¡¯t screwing around, but you all should be safe. Earth is too heavily defended. They want isolation, not a hot war.¡± That came out much more nonchalantly than he was expecting. Eleya had assured him that family were generally off the table, particularly if they had no power. The isolationists needed the public to believe them to be honorable, a better path forward, and blowing up a couple of old people was not that.


    His father leaned back into the couch, nodding. ¡°I assume they are doing everything they can to protec-¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a member of the royal family?¡± His mother burst out, this apparently the most surprising thing he¡¯s said so far, which tracked for his mom. She was the closest thing they had to a historian in the family.


    ¡°Yes, the Empress is her aunt. Though, according to their rules of succession, we¡¯re next in line now.¡± That was more matter of fact than he expected as well. He pointed at his ears. ¡°That¡¯s what those are about. They show rank in the family and are symbolic of the commitment to the Tsla¡¯o people and always carrying one¡¯s duty.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a member of the royal family?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Effectively, I am the crown prince. The Empress thinks it¡¯ll play well back home.¡± He neglected to mention the various other reasons that he has heard used to justify his marriage and title. He suspected a lot of finer details were going to be skipped over in this conversation.


    ¡°Goodness.¡± She seemed to have settled on being proud of that.


    His father cleared his throat. ¡°As I was saying... They¡¯re doing everything they can to protect you now?¡±


    ¡°Now, yes. There was a little... hiccup at first, right when everything had been set up.¡± As soon as Alex said it he knew his dad wasn¡¯t going to approve of that phrasing.


    His eyebrow went up, and he leaned in. ¡°Which means?¡±


    Alex looked at his hands and tapped his fingertips together. ¡°There was no accident, an attempt was made on my life shortly after I arrived onboard.¡±


    His father sort of bristled at that, but otherwise kept his cool. ¡°I assume they caught the bastard?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Yeah, they caught him and another guy working with him. They were executed yesterday.¡± Definitely not mentioning that Eleya had considered the execution a ¡®gift¡¯ for their marriage.


    Eyebrows went up all around, but his father voiced the question. ¡°They executed him?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, everything had been set up. When I was attacked, I was a member of the royal family. That¡¯s high treason. I¡¯m not exactly happy about what happened, but I didn¡¯t have any say in it.¡± Eleya had made it clear that she was still calling the shots, literally and figuratively.


    ¡°Well, none of that was what I was expecting.¡± His father still looked a bit like he was going to pick a fight with someone, but his expression had softened. ¡°How are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Pretty good. Aside from the almost dying, it¡¯s been interesting. And confusing. Weird a lot of the time, too.¡± He managed a laugh and a smile but didn¡¯t get his hopes up too much. All of this was still new and they hadn¡¯t had much time to process it yet.


    His mother piped up next, ¡°this thing with Carbon... You¡¯re OK with this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am. When we got back, I wasn¡¯t sure how things would pan out - like I said, it was an intense situation. There had been a couple of times where I don¡¯t think either of us were sure we were coming back.¡± He was pretty sure that Carbon wouldn¡¯t have even considered anyone as dating material if not for the circumstances they had found themselves in, let alone some pilot. ¡°It¡¯s not all smooth sailing, we are both literally alien to each other. The other side of that is we communicate well and we¡¯re a pretty good fit for each other. I don¡¯t even think of her as alien most of the time, if that makes sense? I just love her.¡±


    ¡°I- Still not what I was expecting. But if she makes you happy and you¡¯re happy with your situation, I¡¯m happy for you. For both of you.¡± His father elbowed his mother gently, ¡°you liked her, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Audrey nodded in reply. ¡°Yes, she was very pleasant. This does explain why she brightened up so much when she saw you. I had thought that maybe there was more than respect there, but I hadn¡¯t expected that kind of relationship.¡±


    ¡°I really was going to tell you guys before... I guess it wouldn¡¯t have changed too much considering how everything played out.¡± Alex finally relaxed a little bit, his assumptions about his parents holding true. Peter was keeping quiet but he seemed entirely amused by this.


    ¡°So far, I approve of her. Seems very intelligent and polite.¡± His mother got a sort of wry smile. ¡°How was the ceremony? Did you at least get some nice pictures since we weren¡¯t invited?¡±


    ¡°No, the ceremony was...¡± Invasive? Unsettling? Was there an actual ceremony that they had skipped because he was busy trying to die? Would Carbon even want to do that? That was entirely too many questions. He shook his head. ¡°You didn¡¯t miss anything. Mostly it was just some paperwork.¡±


    His father rolled his eyes as she continued. ¡°That¡¯s a shame, I would like to see their ceremonies even if it isn¡¯t much to look at. I notice you¡¯re not wearing a ring... Do they do that?¡±


    ¡°Not... sort of.¡± He pulled the collar of his shirt to the side to expose the edge of his bite mark, the salve peeled off earlier, a row of puncture wounds standing out in partially healed pink skin. ¡°It¡¯s a pretty permanent gesture.¡±


    They all recoiled from the sight but his mother continued, otherwise undaunted. ¡°I assume we will be meeting her parents at some point, as well?¡±


    Alex balked at that. ¡°That¡¯s still up in the air. Her father didn¡¯t take the news as well as you guys did.¡±


    His dad grumbled something Alex couldn¡¯t hear under his breath, but Audrey stayed the course. ¡°What about her mother?¡±


    ¡°She died in the disaster. Most of her family did, actually. All she¡¯s got left is her dad and aunt now.¡± He spread his hands out. Nothing to do about that now, as nice as it would be to reverse those deaths. They¡¯d have to make due with what was left.


    ¡°Oh, poor girl. You let her know she¡¯s welcome here.¡± She gave Ambrose a poke with her elbow, electing a gruff sound of agreement from him. ¡°Speaking of, why didn¡¯t you bring her?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s back at the shuttle. I expected you guys to be good with this, but I wanted to make sure. She took her dad¡¯s reaction really hard, I didn¡¯t want her to get a second dose of that.¡±


    His mother shook her head, clicking her tongue in disapproval at Carbon¡¯s father¡¯s behavior. ¡°Well, go get her. If she¡¯s part of the family she had better start acting like it.¡±

 In-Laws

    Alex had left his Tsla¡¯o phone back on the carrier, and had to pop out to have his escort give the shuttle a ring. Specialist Amalu was nowhere to be found, though he quickly revealed himself. He had moved to a small alcove just up the hall, out of the way but with a clear line of sight on the door, adaptive camouflage turning him into a roughly Tsla''o-shaped blob against the decorative treeline adoring the wall. Their radio still worked, and he called to have Carbon come down. Not long after, there were two soldiers posted in the alcove outside his parents'' home.


    When Carbon arrived there had been hugging and crying and it hadn¡¯t taken Peter or Alex¡¯s father very long to abandon ship. Alex stayed around until the discussion turned to what kind of rings they should be getting - and while they were on the subject of wedding related things, where they would be going for the honeymoon?


    His mother had plenty of opinions on both of those subjects, and really seemed to want to get into the weeds in regards to how the Tsla¡¯o viewed precious metals, gemstones, and jewelry in general, and Carbon was very interested in hearing what Audrey had to say. Alex excused himself to go catch up with Peter.


    ¡°So, how¡¯ve things been going with you?¡± He slid the door to the patio closed and stood next to his brother at the railing, looking out over the bay with him. Everybody said the family resemblance was strong between them, and Alex had a hard time disagreeing. The dark hair and tanned skin both speak highly of it. Even if Peter kept his hair longer, like he was on the cover of a romance novel. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve been monopolizing the conversation since I got here.¡±


    ¡°You have, but at least you have a good reason for it.¡± He smirked and laughed. ¡°I can¡¯t complain. Wife loves me, the kid is doing great, still enjoy my work.¡±


    Alex leaning on the rail, the air clear today. San Francisco North and South both clearly visible across the bay. ¡°Yeah? How is the architecture business these days?¡±


    ¡°Remember when you asked me that before you left?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same as it was then. Well, the boss has been talking about trying to break into space stations lately. There are a lot of similarities between a station and an arcology, don¡¯t get me wrong.¡± He sighed and shrugged his shoulders, sounding somewhat resigned to it already.


    Peter loved to talk about his work when the opportunity arose and Alex was inclined to indulge him. Alex didn¡¯t usually understand what he was talking about when he dove into the finer points, but still found it interesting. Doubly so now that they were talking about space stations. ¡°I think I hear a ¡®but¡¯ in there.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, you do. Gaspari wants us to go in for a big contract - New Vegas sized, over in Proxima. If they wanted an Arc on the ground, we¡¯d be a top contender. But! We¡¯ve never done a zero-g structure before. We have no personnel who are familiar with the building requirements, the permitting... the things I don¡¯t even know about, that go into a space station.¡± He was starting to gesture out to the blue-green waters of San Francisco Bay, getting more emphatic as he spoke, his face flushed against the cool breeze. ¡°He wants us to burn up thousands of man hours to get a prelim ready for the first round of bidding in three months. I know we can do it, I just don¡¯t think we should.¡±


    ¡°Damn. I¡¯m guessing you tried to talk some sense into him?¡± Alex tilted his head to watch his brother, eyebrow raised.


    ¡°Tried. He wasn¡¯t having any of it, though. Dead set on getting into stations. Thinks we can ¡®bring an innovative look to the stale affair of space living¡¯ or some garbage.¡± Peter had never been fond of anything that sounded like marketing, despite his job needing someone to market their expertise.


    ¡°I bet you could. Can the company deal with that falling through?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I checked with the CFO. We could not make a cent for a few years before we¡¯d have to think about laying people off. He said Gaspari has actually been wanting to do space stations for forever and built up a nice buffer of money before he tried.¡±


    Alex shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s actually pretty responsible. Why so mad, then?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been working there for eight years and I had never heard a word about this until a month ago. Lots of talk about how we¡¯re like a family, but big plans like this are kept secret.¡± He shrugged again. ¡°It just feels duplicitous.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he just didn¡¯t want to get his own hopes up ahead of time.¡±


    ¡°Knowing him, probably.¡± Peter sighed and laced his fingers together. ¡°Saying all this out loud makes it seem less consequential.¡±


    ¡°I always was good at putting your life into perspective.¡± Alex smiled and patted his shoulder.


    The smirk returned with a sharp laugh. ¡°You were always good at being a pain in the ass.¡±


    ¡°Same thing, really.¡±


    ¡°Keep telling yourself that.¡± Peter turned to face him and jerked his head towards the living room. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to take this the wrong way, but... You really are good with her? You¡¯re not just saying that in front of mom and dad? Like, there¡¯s not some ulterior motive going on?¡±


    Alex looked over at him, lips pursed and eyebrows drawn tight. ¡°Yes, I really am.¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    He held up a hand with a grin. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m just making sure. I can look out for my brother sometimes. So... Everything is good between you two? You¡¯ve been back like two weeks, that¡¯s fast as hell to get into a marriage. You didn¡¯t even date your first girlfriend for two weeks.¡±


    ¡°It was three weeks. And yeah, things are good between us. I wasn¡¯t kidding when I said we¡¯re a good fit. Absolutely had a rough start, but she¡¯s smart, kind, a little sarcastic... I think that¡¯s who I need in my life. You know about my problem.¡± Peter had been the first person he¡¯d told about why he washed out of the Civilian Pilot Program the first time, and after he got done laughing, had commiserated with him and talked him through that depression in his life. ¡°She¡¯s like a counterbalance to that. Very grounded, but without grounding me. If that makes any sense.¡±


    ¡°Shit, ok. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard you say something like that about anybody, so that¡¯s pretty damn serious. Are Humans and them even, y¡¯know, compatible?¡± Peter gestured with both hands to make it clear what he meant by that.


    ¡°Yeah, the deely-bobbers work on Humans, we just don¡¯t have the same level of interaction since we don¡¯t have our own.¡± He ignored Pete¡¯s intended question there, managing to maintain a neutral expression as he watched a sailboat out in the bay.


    ¡°Those do something? They¡¯re not just for show?¡± He actually sounded surprised by that, standing up a little straighter and casting a worried glance inside.


    ¡°Yeah man, they¡¯re all contact mind readers.¡± Alex almost added that they usually ask first, but that would open up more things he didn¡¯t really want to discuss. ¡°Well... It¡¯s more like full duplex mind-sharing. If someone¡¯s in there, it¡¯s like an open comm channel. Fairly personal experience for them, as well. They don¡¯t just run around linking with everybody.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be damned.¡± Peter relaxed, elbow back on the rail. ¡°But for real- you¡¯re fine? There¡¯s not going to be like... problems between you two?¡±


    He rolled his eyes. Of all the topics he didn¡¯t want to discuss with his family, this was actually pretty high up there. He felt his jaw tighten before he replied. ¡°They¡¯re basically mammals, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking.¡±


    ¡°Close enough.¡± He nodded, approving of that, which was more than a little weird. ¡°This is still not at all what I was expecting today, but if you¡¯re good... I¡¯m happy for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, I really do appreciate it.¡± Alex unclenched his jaw and managed a thin smile. ¡°There are ulterior motives, though, just not hers or mine. Shit, with Eleya the ulterior motives probably have ulterior motives.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The Empress.¡± Alex was surprised, for a moment, that someone didn¡¯t know who Eleya was. He had been on her capital ship for the last week, though, so that likely skewed things.


    ¡°Ah. So she stands to benefit?¡± The way he said it made it clear Peter did not understand how in the world that could be.


    ¡°Yes. I think her primary concern is Carbon... Their relationship isn¡¯t great, and Eleya is trying to use me as a ¡®get out of jail free card¡¯ to fix it. Which, you know, presents its own problems.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± He understood that even less.


    ¡°Like I said, things got intense on the Kshlav¡¯o. We bonded, and she¡¯s... Very much enamored with me. Eleya saw an opportunity to give her something she actually wanted to have, so she could be back in her niece¡¯s good graces.¡± Alex wasn¡¯t sure how much of this he should be talking about, particularly hanging out on an entirely unsecured patio, but he needed a little bit of feedback on everything. ¡°They had intercepted some intel that put me on a kill list, probably because I¡¯m one of the few Humans to ever end up on their news, as part of something that was a little contentious with the public. Protection from that was the carrot to get me on board with being a poker chip. Which I¡¯m not okay with, to be clear about it.¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Peter was lost for a moment before continuing, ¡°what the fuck?¡±


    ¡°I dunno man. Didn¡¯t work, obviously. At least it seems like this arrangement is being taken seriously. Got the Royal doctors, the guy that shanked me was executed by firing squad. Some folks seem to think I¡¯m actually being groomed to operate in the court, which is... it¡¯s bonkers.¡± Alex managed a clipped, sarcastic laugh, annoyed by the very idea. ¡°Can you think of a worse person for that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying this because you¡¯re my brother, but yeah, like... twenty or thirty off the top of my head.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I think.¡± Alex chuckled at the absurdity of it and shook his head. ¡°Plus, the Empress gets a symbol and a shield as well, and some nice propaganda. I¡¯m still not sure how all of that shakes out, but she¡¯s the one with the experience running the Empire. I¡¯m just the guy that all of humanity''s integrity will be judged by.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, sounds easy.¡± Peter clapped a hand onto his shoulder and gave him a very serious nod. ¡°You can do it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Alex looked back through the patio door at the sound of the doorbell going off. ¡°Looks like everybody is here. I¡¯ll explain more later.¡±


    Peter nodded, sliding the door open again. ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    They stepped back inside and he exchanged a quick wave with Carbon, who was sitting on the couch now, drinking tea. The front door closed and Jason started loudly announcing everything that came to mind to his grandmother. ¡°We saw sharks today!¡±


    ¡°Energetic as ever, huh?¡± The kid¡¯s enthusiasm was infectious, Alex grinning as he looked back over to Peter. ¡°Remind me before we go, I have something for him from the expedition.¡±


    Pete laughed. ¡°Will do. And yeah, it¡¯s been crazy since he turned four.¡±


    Audrey came around the corner into the living room with Milly and Jason in tow and had just opened her mouth to introduce them when Jason noticed Carbon. His eyes grew wide and he bolted towards her, arms flung over his head in delight. ¡°IT¡¯S A PUPPY!¡±


    Milly grabbed for his shirt and missed, the young boy launching himself onto the couch a moment later. He tossed his arms around Carbon¡¯s neck and hugged her tight. ¡°Mom, dad! It¡¯s a puppy!¡±


    Carbon hugged him back with a laugh. ¡°He is quite spirited.¡±


    Milly was extricating him from Carbon a moment later, apologizing about his behavior profusely. Peter gave Alex a sidelong glance and a nervous laugh as he went to help. ¡°Let¡¯s go tell grandpa about your day...¡±


    Everyone disappeared from the living room with remarkable speed, Jason¡¯s protests quickly derailed by the prospect of talking about sharks some more.


    ¡°I am curious.¡± Carbon smoothed her fur out with a wry smile on her face. ¡°Is a puppy what I think it is? And if it were not a young child calling me that, how offended do you think I should be?¡±

 Self-Discovery

    Alex sucked a breath in through his teeth.


    Not really the time to mince words, he laid it out as succinctly as possible. ¡°It¡¯s the term for a baby dog.¡±


    Carbon stared up at him with those bright blue eyes that seemed to match her jacket today and hummed an affirmative note in reply.


    ¡°As far as offense...¡± He really had to think about that. Jason clearly hadn¡¯t meant anything negative - he had been unreasonably excited about it. Most Arcology dwellers didn¡¯t own pets, not large pets anyway, but everybody knew what a dog was. People love dogs. There was a dog cafe on Deck 3, you had to get reservations to go there. ¡°Okay, so like... An adult wouldn¡¯t do that, right? They¡¯d see you sitting there, antennas, wearing a sharp jacket, and go, ¡®that¡¯s not a dog, that¡¯s... Uh...¡±


    When was the first time he had heard of the Tsla¡¯o? Alex¡¯s gaze drifted towards the ceiling, getting to be the one rifling through his memories for once. They hadn¡¯t really been mentioned until third grade, so he would have been eight. There had been a picture of a very severe looking captain, a couple of paragraphs about them and first contact stuffed in between a couple of wars... then that was the last of it until high school. Even then it wasn¡¯t enough to cover an entire chapter of any textbook he had used.


    They had almost never come up. It¡¯s not like you were going to run into a Tsla¡¯o at the grocery store or something, so a quick mention was all that was needed. Had he even heard any negative talk about them until he¡¯d joined the CPP, where they were often viewed as competition? No, not really.


    His mind raced back to the primer, the list of names of the envoys that had been to Shoen. A dozen, maybe fourteen. Aside from the crew of the H¨­k¨±le?a, that¡¯s the number of people who had actually met Tsla¡¯o before the disaster. He sat down on the back of the couch. The number had to have increased during the relief operation, of course, and during the runup to the Kshlav¡¯o expedition.


    How many times had they actually sat down and talked? From his early experiences with Carbon, it couldn¡¯t have been many.


    He¡¯d met some Trailblazer crews. The work they did was instrumental in keeping the edges of Human space functioning, so they had that long-haul skillset that would have been needed to ship cargo to the Empire. They were a very insular group, even giving a cold shoulder to their fellow Human pilots who hadn¡¯t joined up. The Tsla¡¯o would probably view Human military personnel with suspicion-


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Carbon asked, setting a hand on his knee.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m just... I don¡¯t know.¡± He shrugged and waved a hand, partway through a little existential crisis as his understanding of how few Humans had ever interacted on a personal level with the Tsla¡¯o, and how large a diplomatic role he was now playing for both races crystalized in his mind. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you. Most people have probably forgotten what you all look like. An adult would know that puppies, despite also being cute, are not bipedal and certainly don¡¯t talk. They¡¯d have to be doing it to be offensive or because they think they¡¯re funny.¡±


    ¡°So it would be situational?¡± She asked, gesturing with the novelty ¡®I broke the ice on Europa!¡¯ mug he had brought back from a trip for his parents.


    ¡°Afraid so. Always a dick move, but the latter group will shape up if you tell them to cool it.¡± Probably. If they didn¡¯t they were part of the former group and could go to hell.


    ¡°The differences between our kind grow fewer every day.¡± She sighed, the sound shifting into a soft laugh as she shook her head. Carbon looked up at him as a sly smile crossed her short muzzle, lifting the mug to her lips to hide it. ¡°You think we are cute?¡±


    He gave her a sidelong glance. ¡°I think you¡¯re cute.¡± He actually thought Neya was kind of adorable too, but he was not about to say something like that about his now-wife¡¯s secretary aloud, or to any other living soul for that matter.


    Carbon had been taking another sip of tea and sputtered into the cup, her features darkening with a blush.


    ¡°Too soon in our relationship for that?¡± He teased gently, a grin forming despite his best efforts to keep a straight face.


    She set the mug down and wiped errant tea off her face. ¡°You-¡± Carbon started, only to be interrupted by Peter returning to the living room, clearing his throat as he did.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about that. He didn¡¯t mean anything by it.¡± Peter looked like he was afraid Jason had caused some kind of incident. Which was fair, considering his son had unintentionally insulted the crown princess of a foreign government.


    ¡°Do not worry, I have taken no offense.¡± She smiled and shook her head. ¡°The young are often very excitable and not aware of how their actions could be taken by others. I do not think our children are particularly different, in that regard.¡±


    ¡°Good, I¡¯m glad.¡± Peter laughed nervously, though the tension disappeared from his face immediately. He looked up at Alex, still standing behind the couch, and then back at Carbon, eager to put that little incident in the rear view mirror. ¡°So, any thoughts on dinner?¡±


    Carbon declined quickly. ¡°I will let Alex speak for me, I do not know this area- or this family, well enough yet to make a properly informed decision.¡±


    Alex mulled over what he had successfully fed Carbon with what was nearby. He was secure in the knowledge that family would eat just about everything. ¡°Thai?¡±


    Peter shook his head a little, mouth pulled to the side as he held up a finger. ¡°Dad doesn¡¯t like Thai after the water bug incident.¡±


    Alex had forgotten about that, but he had been off planet at the time. Tsla¡¯o cuisine would be a hard sell. ¡°Oh yeah. Chinese?¡±


    He nodded in agreement. ¡°Probable. Golden Dragon?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll call and see if one of the private rooms is available.¡± Peter departed, heading over to the house comm by the front door.


    Carbon watched Peter go, turning back to Alex and speaking in a quiet voice to ensure she wasn¡¯t interrupting the call. ¡°Chinese? Have I had that yet?¡±


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°No. They¡¯re pretty distinct.¡± He had made the mistake of saying that the two were similar once, in front of people who were Thai and Chinese. He would not be making that mistake again, even though it had landed him several excellent recipes. ¡°You¡¯ll see some ingredients that are familiar: rice, scallion, garlic, chicken. The two countries aren¡¯t that far apart geographically. The application, the recipes, will be very different. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like it.¡±


    She nodded once, ¡°I have become fond of your Alliums.¡±


    ¡°You really did take to them, yeah.¡± He laughed as he came around to the front of the couch. ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll have any problems with family style dining? We¡¯d get several dishes and everyone would take servings from them.¡±


    ¡°I think I will be fine with that.¡± Carbon considered that a moment longer, eyebrows coming up as she asked, ¡°there will be utensils for serving?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°That is agreeable.¡±


    Pete popped his head back into the living room. ¡°No go on Golden Dragon, but Mandarin Palace is expecting us in 30 minutes.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re better anyway.¡± Sure, they¡¯d have to go up to Deck 6, but it wasn¡¯t a long ride. He held a hand out to Carbon, helping her up off the couch. She pulled him close and slid her arms around his waist, giving him a squeeze and a gentle kiss, a sublime smile on her lips.


    They all gathered in the foyer and quickly spilled out into the wide hallway, Alex¡¯s father double checking the door like he always does. Everyone except for Alex and Carbon were startled by the sudden appearance of their escorts, their adaptive camouflage switched off as they trailed the family at a respectable but easy to close distance.


    Jason approached Carbon carefully, eyes wide and gripping his mother¡¯s hand tightly. Milly seemed particularly anxious, the young boy nearly dragging her along with a quiet determination. When he spoke, it was just above a whisper. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about what I said.¡±


    Carbon stopped and crouched, getting down to his level. ¡°I know you did not mean any harm, your apology is accepted.¡±


    He brightened up significantly as she stood and they began walking again, a question following immediately: ¡°Are you an alien?¡±


    Carbon nodded as they turned towards the funicular, a grin forming as she thought about her reply. ¡°As it is, I am an alien.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± His voice went up an octave, somehow incredulous.


    Carbon beamed at that, his reaction delighting her to no end. ¡°Really.¡±


    ¡°From space?¡±


    She considered that for a moment. ¡°I was not born in space. But I did travel through it to get here.¡±


    Alex noticed Peter trying to get his attention and he jerked his head once Alex noticed him. It only took a moment for Alex to catch up to him at the front of their little group. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    Peter kept his voice low. ¡°Just as a warning, Golden Dragon does not want Tsla¡¯o around. When I asked if there were any problems with Carbon, he sounded like I told him I wanted to take a shit in their kitchen.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting a warm welcome everywhere. Palace is fine with her, though?¡±


    ¡°As long as we stay in the private room. They were pretty cool but weren¡¯t sure how the other patrons would react.¡± He held up his phone and waggled it, ¡°called down to expand the reservations to include your guys. Mom hasn¡¯t said anything yet but I know she¡¯s not going to let them just stand around.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± He looked over his shoulder at Carbon, still talking to a much more animated Jason. The Berkley arcology was pretty progressive, but most people there just hadn¡¯t seen an alien in person before. He was sure that most adults could keep a lid on any reaction well enough. And Peter was right, their mom wouldn¡¯t just let someone stand there while everyone else was eating, even if that was their job. He¡¯d give Carbon a heads-up about that before they got there, make sure it wasn¡¯t going to be an issue.


    It didn¡¯t take long for him to notice that Pete looked unreasonably smarmy. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Just thinking about something.¡±


    ¡°And that would be?¡± Alex was finding his patience for secrets was becoming increasingly thin.


    Peter rapidly developed a solid ¡®I know something about you¡¯ smugness about him, the grin that came with it practically ear-to-ear. ¡°How unsurprising this development is.¡±


    ¡°Do you care to qualify that statement?¡± His words may have come out quieter and much more threatening than he had intended.


    He held his hands up, that smug grin gone instantly. ¡°Whoa, hey, back it up. Just an interesting observation here.¡±


    Alex was momentarily surprised to find that he had been getting ready to get into an actual, physical fight with his brother. They were about the same height and build, but the training Alex had gone through in the CPP would make a significant difference. He took a breath and calmed himself down. ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s been crazy for the last... a long time. I was kind of cued up on the way down here, too. Wasn¡¯t hoping for a fight, but I was kind of expecting one.¡±


    ¡°From what you¡¯ve said so far, that¡¯s understandable. Didn¡¯t mean to set you off there.¡± Peter sounded recalcitrant, his posture relaxing again.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s your observation?¡±


    Peter chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ve never dated anyone from Earth. As a matter of fact, the older you get, the further from Sol they get.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± That couldn¡¯t possibly be true. Could it?


    ¡°Not a one from your home planet. At least, none of the girls you¡¯ve told any of us about.¡± Peter had gotten his smug grin back.


    ¡°No.¡± He checked over his shoulder again, not particularly inclined to talk about his ex¡¯s in front of his wife, who was talking with both Milly and Jason now. ¡°Really? What about... Oh, she was born in Venus dome, then moved here.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh. Jeni from Mars, Claire from the mining colony, whatshername from Proxima and then, ah...¡±


    ¡°Lynne from Lyuten.¡± They stopped in front of the funicular, a bank of doors displaying the up arrow and countdown timer. Just seven seconds to go. He stared out through the windows flanking the waiting area, stunned at this revelation. ¡°I did not know that about myself.¡±


    ¡°Did not know what?¡± Carbon appeared at his side, Jason¡¯s hand gripping her fingers tightly as he waved at his father.


    Alex managed a reasonable poker face and his brain stalled as he tried to figure out what to say. ¡°Oh, just weird... coincidences in my past.¡±


    ¡°I always like hearing about your past, it is often fascinating.¡± She smiled like she knew he was avoiding something and her eyes narrowed slightly. A chime sounded, announcing the arrival of the funicular car. The doors open and Jason started to tow her along behind him. ¡°Perhaps you can tell me about it later.¡±


    ¡°Oh, maybe. We¡¯ll see.¡± Definitely going to be putting that conversation off for as long as possible.


    ¡°You know.¡± Pete started before she was hardly a few steps away.


    Alex turned his head and gave him a wide-eyed glare. ¡°Shut. It.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± He feigned being hurt with that dumb smirk.


    As they filed onto the funicular Alex pantomimed ears with his hands, then jerked his head towards Carbon. Her ears were perked up a little more than normal, and very much still aimed in their direction. It might be too subtle for someone that had never met a Tsla''o before, but Alex was getting better at noticing the finer movements. The soldier on the transport had been eavesdropping on them from about eight meters away, at a whisper, so he presumed that she would have little trouble monitoring a less furtive conversation if she wasn¡¯t busy talking to Jason.


    Peter caught on quickly, eyes darting over to Carbon before he leaned in to Alex and continued in a very low voice. ¡°They were always kind of short, too.¡±

 Incidental

    ¡°You¡¯re not just going to leave them standing by the door, are you?¡±


    Peter¡¯s guess that their mom wasn¡¯t about to let Specialist Amalu and Staff Sergeant Kanete stand by, had been correct. It didn''t matter if they were inside or outside of the private dining room while everybody else had dinner and caught up. There would be no pretending they weren¡¯t there. The very idea was antithetical to who she was.


    ¡°How long should the dinner take?¡± Carbon injected herself into the conversation taking place between Alex, Audrey, and Pete... directly in front of increasingly uneasy soldiers. ¡°I understand that it is unusual, but the orders they are working under are fairly rigid.¡±


    ¡°Last couple of dinners out have been, what, around two hours? He hadn¡¯t been gone for a year and didn¡¯t have anyone with him at the time, so I could easily see it being three.¡± Pete gestured at Alex as he counted the hours on his fingers.


    Alex found that to be a pretty accurate guess. ¡°Sounds right.¡±


    Carbon¡¯s head rotated slightly, glancing up at him. Her eyes just a touch wider than normal. ¡°That is a significant length of time for a meal.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°We¡¯re talkative.¡±


    ¡°It is so.¡± She dipped her head in assent and turned to the Tsla¡¯o soldiers, who were currently still standing by the door, and switched into Tsla. ¡°This is unconventional, but I believe that Audrey¡¯s request is reasonable for this setting and can be made to fit within regulation. Standard procedure indicates a shift change for you both in the next few hours, pending there is no active threat. This can be put off for some time if there is a secured area as outlined in the dignitary escort field manual where escort is considered to be on tier one vigil. That is low threat potential with a high concealment stance, correct?¡±


    Alex had zoned out somewhere around ¡®regulation¡¯ but he nodded in agreement once she stopped talking. ¡°Yeah, exactly.¡±


    Kanete¡¯s eyes darted between them. ¡°Princess T- Sorenson, your reasoning is correct. However, we have been ordered to maintain tier two, despite the Confederation¡¯s assurances.¡±


    Audrey and Peter were just standing by, watching this exchange with no ability to follow what was being said outside of Alex¡¯s brief comment.


    ¡°I am pleased that you are up to date with the current security threat matrix. May I ask where those orders have come from?¡± She kept a quiet, authoritative tone with her. Security detail or not, they were ultimately both subordinates. ¡°I find it strange. Doctrine states tier two should be a detail of no less than two per dignitary. Yet we received one fireteam on our shuttle, not enough to provide proper coverage. Is there a staffing shortage I am unaware of?¡±


    ¡°Orders and deployment schedule came from Admiral Havasio himself, ma¡¯am.¡± She seemed to straighten up a little bit when invoking the Admiral¡¯s name, as though he might somehow see Kanete talking about him. She lowered her voice and continued, ¡°the lieutenant disagreed with his assessment and split the detail so the Prince would be included.¡±


    ¡°The Admiral is well intentioned, but he is not here.¡± There was a subtle change in her tone, a shift down that Alex would have missed if he hadn¡¯t spent so much time around her. She didn¡¯t believe the Admiral to be well intentioned at all, particularly since he had taken it upon himself to decide which member of the royal family was worth protecting. Carbon tipped her chin up, like Eleya had done when trying to look very Imperial at Alex. Didn¡¯t work at all while he was standing, but their escorts were roughly Carbon¡¯s height so they caught it just fine. ¡°He has left it to you to insult the kindness of my family, Staff Sergeant.¡±


    There was a moment where, even under all that armor, with just a flash of red fur exposed beneath the dark plate of the visor hiding their eyes, Alex could sense the Staff Sergeant bristle with panic. ¡°I did not intend- There is no provision for such things.¡±


    ¡°There is not. These are strange times. I believe the Humans when they say their planet is secure. So much so I do not believe we actually require an escort, but I allow it because it is a standard practice.¡± Carbon held up a hand, slowing her speaking cadence down. ¡°Be assured, you will not be abandoning your duties, merely performing them while seated. Any wrath from the Admiral shall be directed at me, as I will clarify this with him personally, as well as the lieutenant. Now, please take a seat.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Princess Sorenson.¡± She bowed, Amalu following suit a moment later.


    Carbon thanked him, a very shallow bow in return, before looking back to Audrey. ¡°They will be seated. I believe with us, so they are close at hand should any trouble arise. If you will excuse me, I must notify their commanding officer about this change of plans.¡± There was just a hint of a smirk on her as she said that, the expectation for problems occurring clearly very low as she retrieved her phone and stepped away to inform the Lieutenant of what was happening.


    The pair of soldiers stacked their helmets on an extra chair in the corner, and ended up being seated between Alex and Carbon. Right there at arms length should the need for protection arise, but also not buffering them from the rest of the family. Alex had Peter to his right, Jason insisting on sitting between grandma and Carbon. Both of them had scanners from their armor systems deployed around the room - Amalu¡¯s by the door to keep an eye on the short hallway, Kanete¡¯s sitting in the middle of the lazy susan to scan food. A quiet compromise that put them both at ease.


    Alex borrowed his dad¡¯s phone, linking it to his external translator - making note to insist that anyone being sent to human-rich areas had a way to actually talk to the locals who may not have their own translator - and let the two soldiers try to figure out what to order with the help of the waitress, who seemed to be have a good time with the back and forth of trying to narrow down what aliens might want to try. Mapo tofu, four stars, as Kanete wanted something spicy. Amalu ended up at the seafood combination, barely keeping himself together when he found out they had ¡®ocean foods¡¯ on offer, having grown up by the sea.


    All the other Humans at the table seemed to miss the weight in his statement, which was fine. Mostly just confusion as he looked like he was about to start crying. To her credit, the waitress didn¡¯t even flinch. Amalu seemed young, he probably didn¡¯t want everybody to start apologizing to him at once anyway, though Alex did reach over and pat his shoulder.


    Carbon was already well versed in how humans went about meals, and both Amalu and Kanete picked things up quickly despite being baffled by their immediate and unquestioned inclusion into the family. Unlimited tea and the fact Humans had chopsticks too were the highlight of the quiet discussion between the two, until the first wave in what seemed an unending tide of food arrived.


    Everything needed to be scanned, of course. Kanete¡¯s systems made quick work of it, given that she was giving them the go ahead moments after each item was set down. Both of them waited until after Carbon and Alex had started eating to do the same, something Alex filed away in the back of his head to look into. Kanete immediately found out that the allyl isothiocyanate in mustard worked on Tsla¡¯o physiology just fine, and the significant increase in sinus area made it much more effective.


    She was happy with this, once she stopped tearing up and holding her face. There was still far less mustard on her next piece of char siu.


    Alex, despite his usual instinct to hog the pot stickers, did not. There were new diners at the table, and it wouldn¡¯t do to have them miss out on something he thought so highly of, even if he could have eaten a plate of them by himself. Carbon lifted one off the tray with recognition lighting her face, calling them something the translator butchered as ¡®fried outlander rolled pockets.¡¯ He hoped that was a translator problem, at least.


    The three Tsla¡¯o at the table were overwhelmed when the actual meal started arriving. Ten big plates of food - nearly every tray was brought in by a different member of the staff, including somebody from the kitchen - crammed onto the lazy susan, one after the next. Rotating slowly, stopping each plate in front of the next person one after the other. The idea of family dining on this scale was apparently an entirely alien concept, but that didn¡¯t stop any of them from engaging with it.


    Carbon tended towards anything with beef, the steak back on McFadden station apparently having made an impression. Kanete tried everything, scooping tiny bits from whatever dish stopped in front of her, and eventually she found the little jar of chili sauce and it went on everything. Amalu initially stuck with his seafood, but branched out after a second pass.


    There were no missteps from his family¡¯s side of things, which was nice. Conversation had stayed pretty light, but that wasn¡¯t too much of a surprise either. His family had never discussed big things in public, though in the lobby there had been a brief whispered conversation about not telling Jason that uncle Alex was married and that was actually auntie Carbon. Kids had a tendency to talk about anything, and Jason¡¯s behavior so far said that he¡¯d volunteer that information to anyone without a moment¡¯s hesitation.


    Dinner ran long, as expected - they had the room all night so there was no rush, everyone catching up on what had been going on with their lives over the last year, with the near total exclusion of Carbon and Alex who just didn¡¯t have much to say about anything starting four months ago. His dad even got Specialist Amalu to start talking, a little. Turns out he was only twenty, and had joined the military shortly after the disaster, rising through the ranks at an accelerated pace despite his personal losses. That was what landed him on the Sword of the Morning Light.


    Jason¡¯s wide-eyed appreciation for having met multiple aliens at once had not gone unnoticed either. By the time they were ready to leave, all three of the Tsla¡¯o at the table had been presented with their own drawing. Kanete seemed particularly moved by that gesture, even if it was just crayon on the back of a paper placemat.


    Alex picked up the tab, though only because he had stepped out to use the bathroom and flagged down the waitress to pay for everything before his parents got to the check. He hadn¡¯t spent a dime of his salary while out on the Kshlav¡¯o and while he hadn¡¯t checked the balance tonight, it had been more than enough before he had left on the expedition. He¡¯d ordered a bunch of extra food for the rest of the security detail back on the shuttle as well, since the Lieutenant had actually been looking out for him and it was a little unfair to have only fed two of them. Everybody in the other shuttle was on their own, though.


    His parents had still argued with him about it, briefly, his father assuring him that wouldn¡¯t fly again.


    Time would tell.


    The employees had everything packed up and ready to go, including an extra bag full of fortune cookies that the unusual guests had found to be particularly novel. Leaving was not without its own peril, as the owner came out and asked, very politely, if they could take a picture with everyone. There had been a brief discussion, and the Tsla¡¯o equivalent of ¡®hearts and minds¡¯ - water and sun - had been tossed out a dozen times in as many sentences.


    The extended Sorenson family, adopted soldiers and all, ended up taking a group picture with about half the staff. The little window on the back of their professional grade camera was cramped, but it looked like a good shot. Lots of smiles all around. Good optics. They emailed his parents a copy before they were even out the door.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    They went their separate ways at the funicular, Peter and his family heading up to Deck 8 to catch an aircab back to San Francisco, everyone else returning to his parents¡¯ place. Alex hastily crammed a bunch of clothes and some personal items into a duffel, pocketed his uncharged phone, and let their escort decide on who had to carry all this stuff back to the ship while the other one stayed with them on a little side trip. Kanete pulled rank and set Amalu on that task, a daunting one considering the size of the bag Alex had packed, and the sheer amount of food that he would also be transporting. Audrey asked if it would be rude to send the leftovers along, and the specialist assured her it would be fine even if he were the only one to eat them.


    Ambrose volunteered himself to help - more specifically, he had a folding cart in the back room, and it fit everything. The two of them departed, chatting amicably, after a brief goodbye. Alex and Carbon lingered a few more minutes before parting ways with his mother, both promising to visit again soon.


    ¡°This was much better than I had hoped.¡± Carbon hung on to Alex¡¯s arm as they walked away from his parent''s house, trailed at a respectable distance by Staff Sergent Kanete. They were detouring from the direct path back to the shuttle, Alex intent on stopping by an old haunt before they returned to the Sword of the Morning Light. This part of the promenade was nearly deserted despite the sun having set not an hour before. There were faster ways around, but none of them had floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of San Francisco lit up across the bay.


    ¡°I told you they¡¯d be happy for us.¡± His mother had been happy for them, at least, while his father and brother seemed to be good with it as long as he was happy. Milly was more quiet than normal, but given the circumstances Alex hadn¡¯t been surprised. The Sorensons could be a lot, and that was without aliens in the room.


    ¡°You did. I am glad. I did not know how much I missed having family.¡± Carbon slipped her hand into his, glancing out across the water with a soft, wistful sigh. ¡°Perhaps I just avoided thinking about it.¡±


    ¡°You were.¡± Based on some of the things they had talked about on the Kshlav¡¯o, that was the only possible conclusion. He squeezed her hand. Would his reaction be much different in that sort of situation? ¡°It¡¯s the easiest thing to do, really. Just keep going.¡±


    ¡°It is. I do not like admitting that, but it was much easier to bury myself in work than deal with those feelings.¡± There was a profound sadness in her voice, heavy with regret that she had no good way to expel.


    Alex nodded in agreement. ¡°Sometimes, I think you were on the Kshlav¡¯o just because it was a lot of work.¡±


    ¡°That... may have had some impact on my decision.¡± She smiled and then sighed quietly. ¡°On the Kshanev, my crew would come to me, try to reduce my workload. Try to make me take a break. I knew how much maintenance a set of drives took, I knew it would keep me busy if I was the only one working on them.¡±


    ¡°That sucks.¡±


    She didn¡¯t say anything for a moment and then laughed. ¡°Yes, it did. But I would not undo it.¡±


    ¡°You say that now.¡± Alex grinned and gave her a sidelong glance.


    She closed her eyes and smiled again. ¡°I do say that now. I should hope to say that forever.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll see.¡±


    ¡°We will. Is this the place you spoke of? Benny¡¯s?¡± She pointed down the promenade, past several businesses that were already closed for the day. There was one still open, a few empty tables out front bathed in blue neon.


    ¡°That¡¯s the place. Best subs in the arcology. Maybe the whole Bay area. Fresh sliced meat and cheese, fresh baked bread.¡± He held up a hand. ¡°Well, they¡¯re going to close in a half hour, so it¡¯s not as fresh as it could be. It¡¯s the premise of the thing, you know?¡±


    ¡°I am sure. What were you going to get me?¡± She squinted up at the neon as they approached, dark fur gleaming more blue than black now.


    ¡°An Italian with the works.¡±


    Carbon looked up at him. ¡°It sounds thorough.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good place to start. There¡¯s a lot going on, but it¡¯s really about how all the stuff works together.¡±


    ¡°We are not eating this right now, correct?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not. It¡¯ll hold overnight just fine, probably be even better, actually. Let the flavors really meld.¡± He stopped himself before he started waxing philosophic about sandwiches, looking over her shoulder at Kanete. ¡°You want anything while we''re here?¡±


    ¡°Uh.¡± Their escort had not been expecting that. She looked around, nobody nearby save for a few people closing up shops. ¡°Do they have tea as well?¡±


    ¡°Iced tea.¡±


    Kanete picked her words cautiously as she spoke. ¡°If you do not mind it, I would like that.¡±


    Clearly had a lot to learn about how unrelentingly casual Alex was about everything. ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±


    They turned into the small shop, currently deserted except for the lone employee behind the counter. Unsurprisingly, he was not expecting Carbon. The young man looked from Alex to Carbon and then back to Alex. He sounded as confused as he looked. ¡°Can... Can I help you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Get two foot long number twelves with everything and an iced tea. To go.¡± A nice straightforward answer should help things along.


    Carbon leaned over to Alex, elbowing him gently. ¡°I would like a root beer.¡±


    ¡°And a root beer. Also to go.¡± He didn¡¯t manage to hide the surprise, he hadn¡¯t expected her to go for a soda.


    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± He punched the order into the terminal and by the time Alex had paid, the fountain had produced the drinks. The young man fit them into a drink carrier and slid it across the counter before stepping over to the prep area, firing up the old fashioned meat slicer after he prepared two rolls.


    He didn¡¯t exactly stare at Carbon while he was working, but he did seem more than a little distracted by her presence as he slid a piece of prosciutto across the cutter without using a pusher, gloved fingers uncomfortably close to the spinning blade.


    Carbon picked up the drink carrier. ¡°I think I will wait outside.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably a good idea.¡±


    Things seemed to go more smoothly after that, if not slowly. The kid seemed new, taking his time checking and cleaning the blade between meats. Not that big a deal, the shuttle had pre-approved access to the diplomatic airspace for another fifteen hours.


    Alex looked outside and noticed Carbon and Kanete sitting at one of the tables, talking to some guy. Glowing letters across the shoulders of his body armor said ¡°POLICE,¡± a solid indicator that he was a cop. Things seemed copacetic for the moment.


    ¡°Here you are, sir. Have a good night.¡± It sounded more like a question.


    Alex picked up the bag and headed for the door. ¡°Thanks, you too.¡±


    ¡°You say you are here on personal business?¡± The cop was looking at Carbon¡¯s ID, the one from the Navy in one hand, some sort of Tsla¡¯o credential in the other.


    ¡°Yes. As I just explained, I am here having dinner with my escort¡¯s family and being shown around the arcology.¡± There was a hint of exasperation in her voice. Things seemed to not be going as well as Alex had thought.


    ¡°And who would that be?¡±


    ¡°That would be me. Officer?¡± Alex smiled and set the bag down on the table.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to need you to stand right over there, sir.¡± He pointed to the support column between Benny¡¯s and the clothes store next to it.


    That rubbed Alex the wrong way, and definitely rankled Carbon. Alex leaned in and read his badge. ¡°Look, Officer Dunne, we are just-¡±


    ¡°You need to go stand over there, right now.¡± Officer Dunne again pointed to where he wanted Alex to go, his other hand conspicuously close to his sidearm.


    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± He turned his Amp¡¯s networking on and linked in to the local wireless as he walked over to the indicated area. A flick of his mind activated the thought-to-speech system, his normal speaking voice already cued up, and he pressed a comm link through to the local Police station¡¯s non-emergency number.


    It rang twice before someone picked up. A smooth female voice with a practiced line. ¡°Berkeley Police, Fifth Deck, West Precinct. How may I help you?¡±


    He stayed silent - the officer had made it clear he didn¡¯t want to hear what Alex had to say - and let his Amp synthesize a nearly perfect imitation of his natural speaking voice. ¡°My name is Alex Sorenson, I am with the Office of Naval Intelligence. I need to speak to the most senior person on duty immediately.¡± He pressed his credentials package through to her workstation. He had never really looked at the digital version. Multiple cryptographic seals were present on it now, which was a change from his Pilot days. There was silence for a good ten seconds as the high-end crypto seals reached out to a Navy server and the one that the police had clearance to decrypt verified that he was, in fact, a bona fide spy with a shocking amount of redacted information spilling out over her screen.


    Ok, it didn¡¯t actually say he was a spy. It just said that he was an Intelligence Specialist, which given the things that the ONI got up to in popular media, was probably worse to the layman.


    She hesitated for a moment, the well practiced voice slipping. ¡°Right away, sir.¡±


    Officer Dunne did not seem to like any of the answers a continuously more frustrated Carbon was giving him. Kenete in the chair next to her had tensed up. While her eyes were still obscured under the helmet, something about her posture said she was fully prepared to end this guy with her bare hands and was just waiting on a go-ahead.


    ¡°This is Sergeant Ansel. What do you need?¡± He sounded older, gruff, and more than a little harried.


    ¡°Sergeant, thank you. I¡¯m over here on 5-D, west promenade, section four. Your officer Dunne is detaining the dignitary I am escorting. Since he will do nothing but threaten me, would you kindly call him off before he causes an incident.¡± Alex stood stock still, staring at the back of the officer, still using the synthesized voice to carry out the conversation.


    Ansel heaved a sigh. ¡°If Officer Dunne has stopped her, I¡¯m sure he has a good reason.¡±


    Her. That was interesting. Alex was quite sure he hadn''t mentioned anything about who was involved aside from Dunne. ¡°Has he pulled their visas yet?¡±


    ¡°Visas?¡± A moment of confusion, followed by the clatter of an old fashioned mechanical keyboard and then distant, aggravated complaints about Dunne under his breath. Nothing nice to say, apparently. ¡°He hasn¡¯t run anything recently and is currently not logged as performing a stop. Let me get his bodycam- are those aliens?¡±


    It was nice to hear a little bit of anger rising in Ansel''s voice. ¡°They are. Sergeant, let me clarify: this dignitary is the crown princess of the Tsla¡¯o Empire. I am the liaison appointed by the Confederation¡¯s Office of Naval Intelligence. You should have my credentials already. There are multiple fireteams of honest to god soldiers on Deck 8 waiting for her safe return. We would prefer not to have relations sour because they felt they had to exfiltrate - I fear I am repeating myself here - the crown princess of the Tsla''o Empire because one of your guys was bored. Please, get on your comm and call him off or we¡¯re all going to end up regretting the choices he¡¯s made in life.¡± Letting the Amp manage his voice left him sounding a lot more cool and collected than he felt. It probably lacked the urgency that was needed in this situation as well. Alex estimated that Carbon was very close to out of patience, and he did not think Dunne would like the outcome of that.


    Dunne stopped mid-sentence and turned his head, the universal sign for having gotten a call in your ear. He spoke a few times and then set Carbon¡¯s identification back on the table, nodded at her, and walked away. He and Alex glared at each other as he made his way down the promenade. ¡°Thank you, Sergeant. Officer Dunne doesn¡¯t realize it yet but he appreciates what you did as well. Have a good night.¡±


    ¡°This night had been going well.¡± Carbon was understandably wound up, standing as Alex came back.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know what the hell his problem was.¡± Alex glanced over his shoulder to make sure he had kept walking. He had a pretty good idea what his problem was, but this didn¡¯t feel like the place to get into the weeds about abuse of power in the police force. ¡°Got it sorted out, though.¡±


    ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°Called local PD and waved that fancy ONI badge in their face. Only had to warn them that Dunne continuing with what he was doing was going to start a shooting war, right here and now.¡±


    ¡°So little?¡± Despite everything, she laughed softly and slipped an arm around his waist.


    ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± He retrieved the sandwiches and they continued towards the nearest elevator.


    Carbon sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. ¡°Alex?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I am not letting you take any side trips from now on.¡±

 Broken Fences

    Alex still knew his way around the Arcology well enough to avoid running into almost anyone else, picking a side route that took them to the inner set of elevators and skipping the much more popular funicular. It was a slightly more circuitous route, getting to the handful of roads that were usable by ground vehicles inside wasn¡¯t something you did on accident, but it had let everyone cool down before they got in line to take the elevator back up to Deck 8.


    The core elevators were about half the size of the funicular, though there were a lot more of them so they were available sooner. No view, though, and no seating. There was a line, still long even at the later hour and almost entirely freight or maintenance related. Each lift could take two pallet carts - a low-slung cargo mover about four meters in length with space for three pallets or a bunch of loose cargo - and a driver if it wasn¡¯t fully automated. It was limited to maintain a reasonable load and unload time, more than weight restrictions. About once a minute, they¡¯d shuffle forward.


    The thing that always impressed Alex when he used these, was that the carts always respected a pedestrian¡¯s place in line, even though they were separated from the vehicles by a substantial yellow safety rail. There was what appeared to be automated traffic control in place, likely with some human oversight in an office nearby. The floor here filled with a matrix of bright lights, forming blocky segments for both passengers on foot and vehicles that were in the queue, ensuring that the lines were orderly and unskippable. A pair of arrows flashed to life under their feet, and lights demarcating their area began moving forward at a leisurely pace, the driverless carts rolling steadily beside them but never entering their ¡®space¡¯ in the vehicle lane.


    ¡°I should have gotten a soda. I feel so out of place.¡± He was left holding the bag, literally, while Carbon and Kenete both had beverages.


    She looked up at him with a little smirk as she took a drink. ¡°Would you like some of mine?¡±


    ¡°Nah. I¡¯m just complaining so I have something to do while we wait.¡± Alex waved his hand. He wasn¡¯t even very thirsty.


    ¡°Are you sure? It is very sweet, which seems to be a common feature in Human beverages. I expected it to have more root flavor.¡± Carbon lifted the transparent plastic cup and shook the ice, about halfway empty. Her brow furrowed as she looked into the remaining dark brown liquid. ¡°I expected more beer, as well.¡±


    ¡°Just trying to pawn off your disappointing drink, huh?¡± He laughed as he held a hand out. ¡°Suppose I can do something about that.


    Carbon pulled it away from him, and clicked her tongue. ¡°I did not say it was unenjoyable. Just that it did not meet my expectations from its name.¡±


    ¡°It came out of a soda fountain, so there¡¯s probably only sugar and flavoring in it. If you want, I¡¯m sure we can find some brewed root beer that has some actual root in it.¡± That was such a weird thing to be saying, but he was talking to an alien. ¡°I¡¯ve been to a few places that had hard versions, so you can have the beer too.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is it so?¡± She regarded the cup again as they shuffled forward a few more meters. ¡°The word ¡®hard¡¯ there, it is to indicate the beverage is alcoholic? Not that it is physically hard.¡±


    ¡°Yes, exactly. They make root beer flavored candy too, so you could have an actually hard version if you really wanted.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. I will need a break from this first, the sweetness is overwhelming. It may be too much for me to finish.¡± She took another drink anyway, idly inspecting the undecorated walls of this more utilitarian section of the arcology. Almost everything back here was gray metal sprayed with a matte clear coat to reduce glare from the powerful overhead lights. The only adornment to be found were yellow safety rails bolted to the walls and floor, and detailed directional signage for easy navigation.


    Every now and then, while they were talking, Kanete would make a sound. Very quietly, like she was about to say something, but then remembered that she was working before she could actually vocalize anything but half a syllable. The last one had been pretty close to a word, both Alex and Carbon looking back at her this time.


    ¡°You all right?¡± He asked, eyebrows raised. He assumed that if there was an actual problem, she would... leap into action. Push them out of the way. Something like that. Whatever someone trained with a dignitary escort field manual would do.


    ¡°The tea is not sweet. It is just tea that is cold.¡± Her posture got a little more rigid as she spoke, looking as professional as possible with a sub shop drink in one hand. She gestured with the cup, very dedicated in that moment to keeping her eyes on their surroundings. ¡°As the name implied.¡±


    ¡°I will remember that for the future, thank you.¡± Carbon replied first, a warm smile for the obviously uncomfortable soldier.


    Kanete nodded back as the line advanced again, moving them around the last corner. The line marking the front of their area shut off and the arrows prompted them to move all the way up. The floor weighed the carts as they approached, determining there was wide enough margin to safely add three more people with the next group.


    ¡°You could get a sweet tea.¡± Alex added as they approached the final red line, the doors to the last elevator closing before rising up the shaft. ¡°The name is very much literal.¡±


    ¡°No. A plain tea would be a welcome reprieve now.¡± She held the remainder of her root beer out to him.


    ¡°Oh, I couldn¡¯t.¡± He replied, taking it and having a drink. Countdown on the next lift was only ten seconds, the lower decks must not be very busy tonight. ¡°You seem so attached to it.¡±


    She laughed and shook her head. ¡°What is the Human saying... If you love something, set it free?¡±


    ¡°And if it comes back, it¡¯s yours.¡± He took a long drink, draining it to the last quarter. The root beer was really sugary, even for his sensibilities. The Tsla¡¯o food that he¡¯d tried so far had a much lighter touch, when it had been sweet. Another little thing to ask about. Most of it had come from a dispenser, so it wouldn¡¯t be a shortage issue. Sucrose was an easy print, as well. Their food and drink may just be less sweetened. ¡°If that¡¯s how it actually works, I¡¯ve got some bad news about this soda.¡±


    The elevator pulled up, doors on both sides opening. A cart rolled off, the red line on the ground staying lit until it was well clear. It shifted to green, both sides of the pedestrian barrier getting a handy flowing line in the same color directing them exactly where to go. The automated cart rolled on as they stepped up to the raised passenger platform, and Alex tapped the button for Deck 8, despite it being the only one illuminated.


    ¡°At least I have released it to someone who can appreciate it.¡± Carbon replied as the doors slid closed, and the lift started moving with an acceleration that had clearly been tuned to move cargo fast rather than give pedestrians a comfortable ride.


    That was part of why Alex and his friends had used them all the time when they were teens. Particularly on the way down it felt like the floor was falling away, and if it wasn¡¯t busy you could get some pretty good speed going through multiple decks. Nowhere near fast enough to be dangerous, but you felt it. ¡°That you have.¡±


    The sixth and seventh decks dinged past before the elevator car came to a stop short of Deck 8. It was the busiest, as expected for the main port serving the arcology. The process of moving up in line repeated several times before it was their turn, only one set of the doors opening for all people and cargo to exit. Once emptied, the lift would be moved over to one of the ¡®down¡¯ tubes, keeping traffic running in a single, predictable direction at all times.


    Alex had taken the lead, only one walkway here running up to the flight decks. He had finished the drink in the elevator and tossed it in the first trash receptacle at the bottom of the ramp.


    ¡°Is there another trash recycler between here and the shuttle?¡± Carbon inquired, tilting her head at the chute embedded in the wall, a large pictogram that Alex had long associated with trash emblazoned on it.


    He didn¡¯t have to think about that. ¡°We¡¯re going to pass through the terminal to get back out to the flightline, they should be all over the place in there.¡±


    ¡°The distribution of recyclers in Human facilities has always been very thorough.¡± Carbon glanced back at Kanete, who seemed to pick up what she was getting at. Probably not the best look to return to your CO with a drink in hand, no matter who offered it or how safe the security threat matrix said it was here.


    The walk up to the main concourse wasn¡¯t long - Deck 8 was the most compact, the arcology having a slight angle at the walls that gave it a hint of a pyramidal shape. They walked into the sparsely populated terminal, right past the commercial flight waiting areas and up to the private departure gate. True to his word, there were trash receptacles everywhere, which Kanete took advantage of.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Somehow, shocking everyone, the guy behind the counter knew exactly which craft they were going to be returning to. A couple of scans later, the airlock out to the flightline opened and they were set.


    There were guards standing by, of course, and they opened the door and extended the steps as they approached. Everyone piling in and securing things behind them. It smelled distinctly like a chinese restaurant inside this time.


    ¡°Tell the pilot we are ready to depart at the earliest convenience.¡± Carbon spoke to Kanete before she left the nearly opulent rear seating area. She was on the ball when it came to having a personal shuttle.


    Alex hadn¡¯t even thought to let anyone know about that. In his experience, either he was the one doing the piloting and there was a checklist to be run before asking the tower for permission, or it was a commercial flight that would leave around a specific departure time. None of this ¡®depart at the earliest convenience¡¯ stuff.


    It was convenient, he wasn¡¯t going to lie to himself about that.


    Alex slipped the sandwiches into the small, empty stasis fridge and latched the door closed. The light on the door switched from yellow to green as the field that made the magic happen popped on a second later. Human stores had simple scanners to prevent the field from turning on around anything alive - stasis fields and nervous systems quite notoriously did not get along. Presumably the Tsla¡¯o had them as well. A lot of their systems did seem very safety oriented.


    That reminded him of something Kanete had said at dinner. He walked up to the front cabin, scanning the door open and poking his head inside. The squad of five that had been issued to Carbon were, naturally, in there. Kanete and Amalu he recognized right off the bat, which felt pretty good. The other three he wasn¡¯t so sure about, but there was only one other female in the group, and her rank bar had a fair bit of detail on it. Probably who he was looking for. ¡°Lieutenant?¡±


    He had chosen correctly. ¡°Yes, Lord Sorenson?¡±


    Ugh, titles. ¡°I just want to thank you for looking out for me. I understand you went behind the back of an Admiral to do it, that can¡¯t have been an easy choice.¡±


    ¡°Of course, my Lord. The Empress has spoken, and it has shown me the way forward.¡± She bowed quite deeply at him.


    ¡°Understood, and thank you again.¡± That was a little creepy, but he was talking to someone in the military of an absolute monarchy.


    He bowed back, a little bit, realizing too far into this conversation that he should have asked Carbon about what would have been proper in it. Alex withdrew from the cabin and closed the door behind him, hoping that was formal enough, or at least that they¡¯d cut him some slack for being an alien.


    Carbon was standing at the bar closer to the aft of the shuttle, pouring herself a fairly conservative glass of something dark red. She looked over at him, and lifted the bottle, dark brown but in the same shape as the one they had been drinking from on the Kshlav¡¯o.


    He ignored the fact he¡¯d probably just made an ass of himself in front of their security detail. ¡°That¡¯s deep wine, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She sounded pretty happy about that recognition. They¡¯d never had it before, so it had been a solid guess on his part. She reached for a glass before she asked, ¡°would you like some?¡±


    Alex mulled it over for a few seconds. ¡°I think that is in order.¡±


    Carbon poured him a much larger portion than she had, hurrying over to the ornate looking acceleration couch as the shuttle¡¯s engines spooled up. The lane they were sort-of abusing was kept clear of non-diplomatic traffic, letting them depart the planet at will after clearing with the local tower that no one else was on approach. The late hour and the lack of dignitaries traveling to Berkley basically guaranteed they had a clear launch window. Alex was standing next to it and sank into what may have been actual leather upholstery covering the conformal gel.


    She settled into the couch with far more grace than he had, handing him his glass after getting situated. ¡°A toast, I think, is appropriate? To family?¡±


    Alex laughed as he clinked his glass to hers. ¡°Sure, to family. Maybe it would have been more appropriate at dinner, but it¡¯s the thought that counts.¡±


    ¡°Ah. The details of toasting were not laid out as clearly as they could have been.¡± Still, she smiled and drank. ¡°We have a similar custom, but it is only to be started by the host. Others may add things once that has been done.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Alex took a long drink of the wine - dry and lightly fruity, with a bit of spice in it. Definitely stronger than the wine he¡¯d had in the past - and made note of that particular custom. It hadn¡¯t been mentioned in the primer and would definitely go into one of the first reports he wrote. Which he would get around to doing soon, he promised himself. It was his job. ¡°I¡¯m glad I haven¡¯t been to any formal dinners, I would have screwed that up.¡±


    ¡°I am sure you would have been forgiven.¡±


    ¡°Probably. I imagine I would suffer some form of wrath from Eleya.¡± He swirled the wine as the window across the cabin went from the brightly lit gray hanger walls to the darkness of the night sky. It wasn¡¯t a real window, just a display showing an external view. No one puts windows on spaceships unless it¡¯s for tourists.


    Carbon snorted and laughed at the same time, a hint of a little cackle hidden in there. This clearly had tickled her in a way that Alex didn¡¯t understand. ¡°She would have acted upset, I am sure, but according to Neya she does like you. Particularly that your presence disrupts everyone else. An agent of a sort of chaos, at her disposal.¡±


    He rolled his eyes. ¡°Oh, great. This whole time I thought it was because I was just a guileless commoner. Makes me feel nice and used.¡±


    ¡°That is how she makes everyone feel.¡± She finished what little was in her glass and leaned over to kiss him. ¡°So that you do not feel too important, or alone.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I got that impression.¡± He returned the kiss before finishing his wine. It was surprisingly easy to drink, and the Tsla¡¯o sized glass wasn¡¯t a large serving. ¡°Everyone else is there to do what she wants.¡±


    ¡°Effectively, yes. She is the Empress.¡± The sky faded from ink blue to truly black as they left the atmosphere. Carbon got up and retrieved the bottle, now safe from turbulence, and refilled her glass halfway before topping his off.


    ¡°Yup. Comes with the territory, I would imagine.¡±


    ¡°It does.¡± She sipped her wine and nestled against him. ¡°On second consideration... She does seem to have a genuine affection for Neya, even if she is often an instrument for her.¡±


    Alex swirled the wine, thinking that statement over. ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    She made a derisive little chuff, ears perked up a little bit at the absurdity she¡¯d just heard him speak. ¡°How does it make sense?¡±


    ¡°Neya¡¯s a contra. Takes your place, is you when she¡¯s wearing the right clothes. Right?¡±


    Carbon did not seem to get where he was going, her reply tentative as she shook her head. ¡°It is more complex than just that, and I do not think contra is the right term for her.¡±


    That piqued his interest. He pulled up the internal translation database and prepared the system to perform an edit. ¡°Translator always tells me contra, like reversed colors. What is she supposed to be called? Nice and slow so I can capture it and update my dictionary.¡±


    ¡°Zeshen.¡± She enunciated it clearly and slowly as asked, pausing for a second afterwards. ¡°Second soul. It is a comprehensive term for them.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Zay-shen. Sounds nicer than contra.¡± He finalized the change and set it to not translate that particular word since ¡®palette swap¡¯ and ¡®second soul¡¯ felt like astronomically different concepts. ¡°Anyway, like I was saying. Neya is like a surrogate you. Eleya seems to regret whatever she did that wrecked your relationship. I mean, she married us because she wants you to be happy, to begin mending your relationship, and thought throwing me at the problem would make it happen. I don¡¯t think she wanted me to tell you that, but whatever. I can¡¯t believe she¡¯d ransack my memories and come away thinking I wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    She stared at the window before she drained her glass and stepped away to refill it, fully this time. ¡°I... I do not know.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I do not know what to do with this information.¡± Carbon blanched and shotgunned the full glass in one go before leaving it there on the bar and returning to the couch. ¡°We were close for many years. I am told that when I was very young, I had actually thought she was my sister. For some time, she felt she was.¡±


    ¡°Tashen said she drove a wedge between you two. Had to do with, ah... Royal life or something. He wasn¡¯t very specific.¡± Alex was kind of done with getting details that were not very detailed, particularly when it pertained to the well being of people he cared about.


    ¡°She explained how my life was going to be. How I was currency, or a sword, or a shield for her. Depending on what she needed. If I was not to be a weapon somehow, I would be married off and I would keep whoever I was given to happy even if I was not. I was terrified. My parents were both away and...¡± She trailed off before curling up against him and resting her head on his shoulder with a sniff. ¡°It was so confusing. I was six. I thought she intended to give me away to someone right then. I hid in the attics of the castle for two days before Tashen found me.¡±


    Alex wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. ¡°That¡¯s... Really fucked up.¡±


    Carbon sniffed again and was silent for a moment before she laughed weakly. ¡°That word is too flexible.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, fair. It is.¡± He smiled and stroked the top of her head. ¡°I think Eleya knows she fu- that she screwed that up. I get the impression she¡¯s been trying to make it up to you but... doesn¡¯t understand that she needs to start in a way that is meaningful to you. I can¡¯t blame you for not wanting to let her back in after that.¡±


    ¡°Good. You seem to have given her an opportunity to repair what she has broken.¡± She sighed. ¡°But I do not know.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you want to do, I¡¯ve got your back. As much good as that will do when dealing with her, anyway.¡± Alex finished off his wine and set the glass down.


    She reached up and directed his face to hers to kiss him softly, the hint of a smile on her lips. ¡°Even if it does no good, it means everything to me.¡±

 Integration

    It was approaching midnight onboard when they arrived back on the Sword of the Morning Light. More so than normal, it appeared to be deserted as Alex and Carbon wandered the dimmed halls back to their cabin.


    They had finished the bottle of wine on the shuttle. Between the two of them it wasn¡¯t enough to really get drunk on - Carbon had started off slow even if she¡¯d slammed her last glass - but Alex found himself creeping towards a respectable buzz. Probably because he¡¯d consumed about two thirds of the bottle.


    Carbon led the way, easily navigating the carrier like she¡¯d lived there all her life. Alex suspected she had spent a fair amount of time on it, or maybe the Tsla¡¯o military ships she had served on were just good practice. He was starting to feel like he was familiar with it. A little bit. He recognized the door to their apartment-quarters-house-cabin thing just as soon as he saw it, at least.


    Once inside the... Mud room? Vestibule? What was this thing, anyway? Whatever it was, Alex helped her out of her jacket, once the outer door closed. It was something that she could easily do herself but they had been getting a little bit amorous and now that they were properly away from prying eyes, the gesture was met with enthusiastic approval.


    Carbon was wearing a shirt, as one would expect, but the material wasn¡¯t stretchy, so he was trying to figure out how it came undone. He¡¯d seen the process before but the weird mixture of wrapping and braiding around her body was entirely too complex for him to manage right now. There must have been some trick to it. He stopped tugging at that long strip of cloth and cursed quietly.


    ¡°What is wrong?¡± Her hands dropped to her waist and pulled the ends free, slipping them into his hand.


    Alex grinned and undid the first loop. ¡°I forgot the sandwiches.¡±


    ¡°They are in a stasis.¡± She reached up and grabbed the lapel of his shirt, pulling him down to her level for a kiss. ¡°They will be as fresh tomorrow as next year.¡±


    ¡°But what if someone eats them?¡± Alex complained in the least convincing tone of voice possible as he unwound a few more loops, exposing more of her midriff. That was surprisingly fun.


    She turned away from him with a smirk, pulling him along behind her into the darkness of the cabin proper. ¡°No one is going to eat them... And if they do, we can get more.¡±


    ¡°You saw how Amalu went after the seafood combo. He¡¯s ravenous, and nothing stands between him and more Human food but a simple latch.¡± He couldn''t keep the charade up, a deep laugh starting halfway through the entirely unlikely scenario. He thought he knew the layout of the modest cabin well enough to not run into anything, closing the door to the vestibule and leaving the room pitch dark. His hands found her hips and he leaned in to kiss her neck, warm body pressed against him with a happy rumble.


    ¡°Then we will send him to get more.¡± She pulled away, the alien cadence of her steps louder in the dark and leading Alex towards the bed.


    ¡°Oh, fine.¡± He did bump one of the chairs, but otherwise he made it without incident. Pretty good for being a little drunk.


    ¡°It had better be.¡± There was a playful seriousness to her voice as she untucked his shirt and slid her hands across his sides, holding him tight against her and grazing his skin with her claws.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I might be worrying about this all night.¡± Alex smiled as he discarded his shirt and turned them around, backing towards what he was sure was the bed. The hard edge that pressed against his calf felt right and he took a chance, pleased to find himself sinking into the plush mattress. ¡°Maybe you can think of some way to distract me?¡±


    That got a laugh out of her as she straddled his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck with a kiss. ¡°I am sure that I can find a way.¡±


    Something touched his back.


    It was well below where Carbon could reach. A gentle pressure half-way down his rib cage, just to the left of his spine and he was transported momentarily to the access tunnel in the launch bays. The unexpected assault, the blade that slid through his torso so sharp and so thin that he barely felt it, even though it had cut into his translator implant. The heat of the blood all but gushing from the wound.


    Alex was up off the bed like a shot, yelling in a mixture of fear and anger that wasn¡¯t clearly directed anywhere as adrenaline surged through his body. As he did this, he somehow managed to hold onto Carbon, thankfully not just dumping her on the ground in a panic. ¡°Lights!¡±


    The system didn¡¯t understand English, of course. His SERE training had been on his mind lately, the Navy instructors drilling the locations of equipment he carried into him and the various ways it could be used. Left front upper cargo pocket was his emergency med kit. He reached for it, and only as his fingertips slid down the nice fabric of the slacks he was wearing did he realize it wasn¡¯t there, and he hadn¡¯t gotten it replaced after he used it last time he got stabbed.


    In the dark his mind raced, panicked, chest tight... But there was no pain. No cuts from a knife, no blood. He hadn¡¯t been stabbed again. He was just standing there with every stress chemical a Human body makes dumped into his bloodstream, shaking like a leaf.


    Carbon spoke a heartbeat later and the lights came on. He had apparently knocked over a chair in his panic, the table in the center of the room shoved a bit as well. Carbon wriggled out of his death grip, and rested a hand on his chest, heart racing beneath her fingertips. There was no assassin waiting for them. Just Neya sitting in their bed, pale fur fluffed out like she¡¯d just been woken up by someone screaming in terror.


    He looked from Neya to Carbon, eyes wide and senses alive with adrenaline, his fingers still trying to operate a medkit he didn¡¯t have. ¡°What is she doing here?¡±


    ¡°It looks like she had been sleeping.¡± Carbon was, for some reason, perturbed. ¡°And given where she was doing that, it seems she has come to a decision sooner than I had expected.¡±


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t she sleeping in her cabin?¡± That seemed like a perfectly reasonable place for her. Not sleeping in their bed, at least half naked. He started to relax, arms falling to his side even though his heart still raced. ¡°What decision?¡±


    ¡°This is her home. It is appropriate for her to be here.¡± Carbon said it like it was obvious. ¡°The decision that she has been contemplating for several days now - whether she will become our Zeshen or remain mine alone.¡±


    That was weird. Why would they be staying in her place? Why did Carbon kick her out of her own cabin last night? That was wildly inappropriate given what they¡¯d done in her bed. ¡°I thought this was our cabin?¡±


    Carbon rested her hands on her hips, this line of questioning not particularly impressing her. ¡°It is.¡±


    Alex¡¯s eyes darted to Neya. She was just sitting there with the comforter draped over her legs and most of her tail, watching them talk and looking more perplexed than anything now. She retrieved a set of those little beads he¡¯d seen them use for a machine interface from the headboard and began attaching them onto her antennae. ¡°But... You, wait. Wait wait. Our Zeshen?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Carbon had been looking at him like he was crazy, but that melted away as his brain gained traction on the conversation.


    Alex sighed and rubbed his forehead. He wasn¡¯t really drunk, but he was too drunk for this. He spun a finger in the air, gesturing to all three of them. ¡°Ours? Why did she do that? What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°She was my Zeshen. When we became entwined, she was presented with a decision - remain mine alone, become ours, or step away.¡± Carbon slowed it down and enunciated everything very clearly for him. Any other time he would have found that denigrating but it was actually kind of useful right now. ¡°It is her choice alone.¡±


    Alex plucked his shirt off the ground and pulled it back on, suddenly feeling uncomfortably naked despite - or because of - Neya and Carbon¡¯s various levels of undress. He righted the chair he had knocked over and eased himself down into the seat. ¡°So she chose to become ours.¡±


    ¡°If my guess is correct.¡± She looked over to Neya, an eyebrow lifted as she switched back into Tsla for a moment. ¡°You have chosen?¡±


    Neya had been patting her fur back down into place, only pausing to give a cryptic reply. ¡°You know I am very strict about protocol.¡±


    Alex looked between the two of them. ¡°Which means?¡±


    ¡°I have chosen the demanding path.¡± Neya had just about gotten herself back down to her usual amount of fluffiness, and she seemed a little amused with her statement. ¡°It felt fitting to throw myself into more difficult work.¡±


    ¡°Do not.¡± Carbon admonished her softly, a finger directed her way though her gaze never left Alex. ¡°She steps around the answer, but it would be yes. Zeshen would not sleep in the bed of an entwined pair unless they had taken on the more arduous role of reflection for both.¡±


    Reflection? That was a new one... But this whole thing was extremely new anyway, what did one more thing he didn¡¯t understand matter? Alex squinted at the bed. It was large enough to fit him and Carbon with plenty of extra space. Which made more sense now. ¡°Alright, so... ours. I¡¯m guessing she¡¯s been working on this since, what, when I woke up in the sickbay? Was I going to be involved in this decision at all?¡±


    ¡°Since before she met you in the sickbay, after Eleya informed her of our relationship. It is a formal decision they make, it must be spoken so all may know it - though it seems she has some items out of order.¡± Carbon gave her a sidelong glance, which Neya did her best to ignore. ¡°We discussed this while you were undergoing your procedure, among other things. She was still not sure what to make of you. I made the decision not to tell you until after she had chosen, which would have worked better with proper formal notification. I- I expected this to take longer, and that I would work through my fears about it in that time.¡±


    ¡°I said I would not step away.¡± Neya piped up into the conversation, sounding very resolute in that statement. ¡°I know why I was chosen.¡±


    The chair creaked as Alex leaned back with an uneasy laugh. ¡°You¡¯re not thinking of me as an alien again. So, like - Okay. So. Your secretary... assistant? Our assistant - our second soul. She doesn¡¯t have her own home? She lives with us?¡±


    ¡°That you are different has become easy to forget for me.¡± Carbon started to speak then stopped short, sitting down on the bed next to Neya. The pale Tsla¡¯o slid an arm around her waist and gave her a hug. ¡°She is not... secretary or assistant is not accurate. Though some of her duties do include that work. Most Zeshen reside with their first soul, this is a very common practice.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡± He nodded, not as much in agreement with anything Carbon had said, but to give his head something to do other than feel entirely out of his depth. ¡°So, I am missing something here. Probably a whole lot of something, this feels like a big cultural thing that I¡¯ve been blind to so far.¡±


    She considered that before continuing. ¡°It is likely that this has been concealed from Humanity until now - intentionally. You did not have a dictionary entry that appears to reduce their existence to fur coloration by accident.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but notice that she¡¯d been doing some intentional concealing as well until the last few days. Fear of losing Neya to either her decision, no matter what Neya''s statement on it was, or because he was unwilling to allow it. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m picking that up. So, uh... can you get me caught up here?¡±


    Carbon nodded, a hand reaching out and stroking Neya¡¯s head absently. ¡°Zeshen are given to-¡±


    He cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Given?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There are few of them born, it is an honor to receive one. My mother and Eleya - and their Zeshen - assisted the council in choosing Neya for me.¡±


    ¡°Receive?¡± The other eyebrow went up, both of them threatening to pop right off his face at this point. ¡°Like property?¡±


    ¡°No. That practice was banned in the first age, and the establishment of the council has ensured that it has remained dead for hundreds of years.¡± Carbon sighed softly, face falling. ¡°The council is nearly gone now, but their work remains.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well... That¡¯s something.¡± He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. ¡°So you got her and she... lives with you now? Sleeps in your bed? Checks the mail?¡±


    ¡°As I said, there is more to it than that. It is natural for her to be here and she does assist me with many aspects of my life. As she will with yours.¡± Carbon reached over and gave Neya¡¯s hand a squeeze, a little bit of worry easing from her face. ¡°Since she is ourselves, it is proper that she sleep in our bed.¡±


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    ¡°Ourselves?¡± Alex blanched and tried to get everything Carbon was telling him ordered neatly in his brain through the wine when the best possible solution hit him. He stood up and shooed Neya back from the edge of the bed - yep, she was entirely naked - clearing room for him to sit next to Carbon as he switched his wetware off. ¡°I don¡¯t know why the hell I am asking you questions. Show me.¡±


    Carbon was relieved that he finally took the initiative, flipping her antennae over and resting them on the crown of his head. They sank down into the shared space, her presence showing worried edges and cracks of insecurity. ¡°A moment... There is much to show and much that is excess.¡±


    He was sure his own discomfort was showing through but he tried to play it down, a smile spreading across his thoughts. ¡°Take your time, I don¡¯t have any plans for tomorrow.¡±


    She seemed to appreciate that, a busy sort of vibe spiraling from her as she worked up whatever it was she was going to show him. ¡°Here. I think this will do to start.¡±


    Alex sank down into a memory first, an absolutely ancient recollection of Carbon¡¯s childhood. Probably years before the last memory she had shown him, given how tall her mother looked. He shouldn¡¯t have been surprised to find that they didn¡¯t share a fur color, but he was. A dark blue, maybe purplish in the evening light as Carbon looked up at her, seated on her mother¡¯s lap and idly swinging her feet through the air as akaya explained something to Carbon.


    He couldn¡¯t understand a word of it, but given how Carbon¡¯s gaze kept returning to her father and a Zeshen going over a thick sheaf of papers at the other end of the table, he assumed she was explaining who that lady was. The way she spoke, the cadence, despite being in a foreign language, reminded him of how a teacher who was passionate about a subject would explain something. Young Carbon enjoyed being taken seriously, even when finding out new things did not lead to understanding them.


    Alex felt that very deeply.


    The memory drew to an end as the lesson finished. He understood that Carbon was putting them on equal footing with that, more than an explanation. She was once unaware of it, too.


    A moment of inquiry from Carbon, little more than the idea of a question mark permeating their shared space.


    He agreed and carefully ordered knowledge rushed into his mind.


    Zeshen are born from deeply recessive genes. In more primitive times, before genetics were understood, they were considered a soul that was loose from a body - and required grounding in this world so they did not become violent spirits. The word had come to describe them in every way. While their unique coloration was part of that, it was their title, their gender, their place among the Tsla¡¯o. Exalted in their culture and held above the law, even above the Imperials in some situations.


    In the modern age, much care was taken in selecting who each one would be given to. The council was made of retired Zeshen, and beyond seeing to the upbringing of this unique group, they were heavily involved in matching pairs. Interviews and mental links with the candidate and their nominator, their friends, their family, their coworkers and fellow students.


    Nothing was left to chance when souls were in the balance. The relationship they had with their aeshen - their first soul - was very close. In time they would become indistinguishable in some ways, forever changing the other. Choosing personalities for a beneficial weave was second only to ensuring that the prospective was worthy.


    This didn¡¯t feel like the last time Carbon had breathed understanding into his mind. These weren¡¯t her thoughts, this wasn¡¯t something she¡¯d studied, it wasn¡¯t her voice. There was the feeling of someone else on them, an echo that this very same thing had been shared with her first. ¡°Who was that?¡±


    The Carbon-part wavered with surprise. ¡°It was part of the explanation the council agent gives a candidate.¡±


    ¡°Huh, right from the source. Suppose they¡¯d know their history best.¡±


    ¡°It is so.¡±


    ¡°How much...¡± Alex wondered for a moment how insensitive the question he was about to ask was, his unease written in bold strokes that were impossible to hide. ¡°How much have you - both of you, I suppose - changed? I find the idea unsettling in a couple of different ways.¡±


    ¡°For me, the weaving has been mild so far. I am told I have picked up a mannerism or two, and I have become less harsh on myself. I have not inquired with Neya what she believes has occurred - though I have seen her grow more serious about the council¡¯s protocols.¡± There was a hint of humor in that, a smug little smile.


    His discomfort deepened as she explained this, apparently just fine with squeezing minds together so often you picked up someone else¡¯s behaviors. ¡°So that part is literal and not a metaphor for just... changing opinions.¡±


    ¡°Yes, correct. Most entwined will weave throughout their lives as well - the selection process for that is far less structured, as you have become aware.¡± Carbon studied him, not too closely, and while she was giving off the feeling of calm initially but quickly realized it was not helping like last time and stopped. ¡°This is a normal process for all Tsla¡¯o, starting when we are infants.¡±


    As she spoke in their shared mental space, she did it in the same cadence her mother had used. She¡¯d done it a few times before, too, but he understood where that came from now. The idea that this was normal for them did not set him at ease, but it was less troubling that it was a whole society thing, and not just what occurred when you¡¯re issued another person. ¡°So... has this started between us?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it is far too soon for it to begin showing.¡± She hesitated, a momentary disturbance of alarm crackling between them. ¡°I- I do not know if you being Human will change that. It took years for evidence of weaving to occur with Neya.¡±


    ¡°Have you noticed me acting like you yet?¡± Alex found a bit of humor in the question. ¡°I think I¡¯d have noticed if you had suddenly started doing things like me.¡±


    ¡°No, not at all. As you are an adult, it should be between three and five years of weekly links before there is any noticeable transfer. That is far more than we have engaged in.¡±


    ¡°Huh, all right. Just... Let¡¯s keep an eye out for changes that are unusual for both of us.¡± That had dialed him back to cautious, for the time being. ¡°As we are different, this should be approached with more caution.¡±


    Realization of what he¡¯d just thought hit him with a burst of panic. When was the last time he¡¯d been concerned with caution? Why was she viewing this with an almost cavalier attitude?


    Oh no.


    ¡°Alex.¡± She gave him a nudge mentally, a gentle touch that he couldn¡¯t reciprocate without antenna of his own.


    ¡°Are we- Has-¡± He felt his heartbeat quicken as that panic settled in.


    ¡°Stop. You are so upset you are broadcasting your thoughts. I appear cavalier because this is a part of my society, I grew up with it. It is a natural part of life to me, that you have only just found out about. I think...¡± Carbon narrowed her focus on him, a spotlight on his racing thoughts. ¡°Are you afraid we will stop being us?¡±


    Alex exhaled, actually exhaled through his mouth, only remembering it was rude after he did it. He¡¯d apologize later. ¡°Yeah. I guess I am. I don¡¯t want to date myself. Be married to myself, whatever. I don¡¯t want you to change.¡±


    ¡°Change is an immutable part of life, but I think I understand what you mean. With the weaving, the self is not lost, it is enhanced by those that care for it. Most often you hear the adage ¡®jewels on a necklace¡¯ used to describe the changes. These are treasures.¡± She paused to make sure he was paying attention before continuing in a manner that felt intensely personal. ¡°I would very much like to have some from you.¡±


    Carbon¡¯s desire to have that happen was the shock his system needed. It was still utterly alien, which tracked, and... yes, was still unsettling from the point of view of someone who wasn''t used to the idea. ¡°Alright, I think my imagination just got away from me there. So it¡¯s additive? We should still keep an eye on it. Make sure me being Human doesn¡¯t change the speed at which it happens or anything, for either of us.¡±


    ¡°The self always remains. And since you are different, that is prudent.¡± She turned her attention back to her thoughts, a wry feeling in her words. ¡°So, do you think you understand Zeshen enough yet? I have a few other memories... My first link with Neya, perhaps.¡±


    While he found himself curious about what that was like, a response in the negative rolled off him. It didn¡¯t feel like something that was his business to be viewing. ¡°I think I¡¯ve got the general overview. Enough that I don¡¯t have a pile of questions anymore.¡±


    Carbon radiated assent and the shared space faded out.


    The first thing he saw was Neya watching him intently, violet eyes wide and expectant for... something. He looked back to Carbon, eyebrows raised in a silent question.


    She flipped her antennae back into place and smiled softly. ¡°There is one remaining question for her. She has made her choice, but it still requires you to accept. Normally it would be the other way around... You assent to her becoming ours, then she would decide. Normally at least one council agent would be involved as well. These are not normal times.¡±


    He tipped his head back and rubbed his eyes, lips pulled tight. ¡°It¡¯s still... alien to me and I am keeping that in mind while I process this.¡±


    Neya leaned against Carbon and whispered something into her ear, amethyst eyes pensive and locked on him as she did.


    Carbon sighed and patted Neya¡¯s leg and began to roll her eyes, stopping before they had gone very far. ¡°She wants to know if you are upset with her. She believes that she cannot read your facial expressions properly yet.¡±


    Neya gave her such a look. Staring daggers at the dark-furred Tsla¡¯o as she elbowed Carbon in the side with a negative little click of the tongue.


    Carbon switched back into Tsla, talking so fast the translator lagged slightly. ¡°Oh, so you will believe me when I show you he is kind and empathetic, but when you might actually experience that you want to hide behind me like a child? You are older than he is, you know.¡± She finished the statement with a gruff noise through her teeth. ¡°That is not like you.¡±


    Neya had puffed up a bit Carbon chastised her, tail lashing nervously. ¡°It is not. Apologies.¡±


    Carbon¡¯s tone had relaxed significantly before she spoke again. ¡°Very well. Please, just ask him your question. I cannot think of a more understanding person.¡±


    Alex held up a hand to stop her. ¡°I got it already, she can handle them herself from here on out. Short answer? No, not upset with you. You¡¯re as good at reading me as Carbon was a few months ago, by the way. Never got it wrong in sickbay.¡± He was actually mad at whoever made the decision to not talk to their Human allies about these social details, but also expected most of them were dead for one reason or another so there wasn¡¯t much point in getting riled up over it now. ¡°And... yeah, I suppose we¡¯ll give it a go. See how it works out. Slowly. This is still new to me.¡±


    Carbon poked her in the side. ¡°You see? He offers an honorable path as though it were a reflex.¡±


    ¡°So it is. Thank you for the kindness, I have doubted much recently and it has seeped into myself.¡± Neya smiled and relaxed, scooting forward and wrapping her narrow arms around his torso. ¡°I believe that I mistook what you meant when you said personal assistant, there may have been a problem with the translation. If I had known so, I would have clarified my role.¡±


    Alex had raised his arms out of her way when she came at him and now held them aloft, not sure what to do with them. Her fur was softer than Carbon¡¯s, which was unexpected. Alex had figured they¡¯d all feel pretty much the same until now. Was it a genetic thing, or did she condition more? He cocked an eyebrow at Carbon, who didn¡¯t seem to mind Neya getting comfortable on him. ¡°I¡¯m sure you would have.¡±


    ¡°She is very curious about you, Alex.¡± Carbon gestured for him to put his arms down. ¡°Neya does not have the experience with Humans that I do, and I do not think that she imagined being Zeshen to one.¡±


    ¡°I guess so, yeah.¡± He settled his arms on her shoulder, Neya nestling down under them and nodding silently in agreement. It left him feeling more uncomfortable than when he had just been holding them up. ¡°This doesn¡¯t bother you?¡±


    Carbon was perplexed by that question, head rotating slightly, ears perked up. ¡°Why would it?¡±


    He considered his reply carefully before speaking. ¡°You don¡¯t see the same thing I do.¡±


    Carbon¡¯s words were measured, thoughtful. ¡°No. I do not think so.¡±


    ¡°I am a little weirded out.¡± He was a lot weirded out, actually. Tonight had ended up being a hell of a learning experience. Definitely would not have drank all that wine if he¡¯d had any idea this was coming.


    While Neya had not said anything, she had clearly been listening. She extricated herself from the hug, and gave him a deep nod before moving to a more empty part of the bed, once again under the covers.


    ¡°You do have a certain nervous look about you that I find enticing.¡± There was a low predatory tone to her voice as she crawled up the bed and ushered him further in before taking hold of his arm and resting her head on his shoulder. ¡°I take it that Humans do not have any similar system?¡±


    He sighed quietly, now sandwiched between them. ¡°Not that I was raised with, not that I even know about.¡±


    ¡°I see there are still so many ways we are different.¡± She reached over him to pull the blanket up, setting it about Neya¡¯s shoulders as she was already asleep again. Carbon lowered her voice before continuing. ¡°My mother said she had trouble getting acclimated to having a Zeshen, even though she knew of them. She lost much sleep when my parents first became entwined.¡±


    ¡°Oh? That makes me feel a little bit better.¡± It was good to know that being uncomfortable with this wasn¡¯t unusual among the Tsla¡¯o. If they were just sleeping, that was... weird, but not too weird. Did sort of explain why the bed was so spacious for a fairly compact race.


    ¡°It should not be a problem for you, Neya does not kick in her sleep like Eraei did.¡± Her delivery was perfect, absolutely deadpan.


    That took a moment to sink in. ¡°No, it¡¯s not...¡±


    She was laughing quietly, mischief in her cerulean eyes. ¡°Will this be too uncomfortable for you? Here is her rightful place, but I - or you - can send her away.¡±


    ¡°Making her leave doesn¡¯t feel right to me. Mind you, I think that response is for entirely Human reasons.¡± Alex couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that he was the one intruding here.


    Carbon smiled and idly stroked his arm. ¡°I know she is a bit ¡®weirded out¡¯ by this situation. She hides it well, but there are little signs. If my feelings for you were not held out by your actions... She would not even consider the attempt.¡±


    ¡°Interesting. Like a relationship barometer.¡± That made sense to him. Being able to get a second opinion from yourself but one step removed from a situation seemed like it would be damn handy.


    Her smile widened, approval in her eyes. ¡°Very much like that. Are you sure you have not been reading any of our history books?¡±


    Alex laughed softly. ¡°Very sure.¡±


    ¡°Will you let her stay?¡±


    He considered it again. Really, what¡¯s the worst that could happen? Not like it was somehow more inappropriate than sleeping with one alien. ¡°When in Rome.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°That does not mean anything to me.¡±


    Alex sighed and rolled his eyes at himself for casually using another idiom. ¡°Old saying. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Act like you belong where you are.¡±


    Carbon beamed at that. ¡°Good. In the morning you should link with her. It will help you both along.¡±


    He felt a little like he was just humoring her in the moment, but she clearly thought it important. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°As you should." She patted his arm. "Now, will you disrobe? You make me feel as though I¡¯m underdressed.¡±

 Drift

    ¡°Fine, fine...¡± Alex rolled his eyes and sat up enough to strip his shirt off again, tossing it over the edge of the bed. ¡°But that¡¯s all for now. This is still... It¡¯s a lot.¡±


    ¡°Mmhn. Too subtle.¡± Carbon huffed softly, cheeks puffing up for a moment as a hint of disappointment crossed her face.


    ¡°What?¡± How in the world was being half naked too subtle? By his estimation it was pretty forward, particularly since the not-naked half was just underwear.


    ¡°I made a joke.¡± She left it there until she realized that wasn¡¯t the only joke she had made in the last few minutes. ¡°Another one, that you did not seem to notice.¡±


    Neya rolled over to face the wall and scooted away from their conversation, grumbling in her sleep.


    ¡°Wait, really?¡± He tried to recall what she¡¯d said between the one about Eraei and now, going through the conversation they¡¯d just had as close to word for word as he could manage. Couldn¡¯t think of a single thing that¡¯d fit the description. Time for the worst possible outcome. ¡°What was it?¡±


    She grunted and rolled over onto her stomach, chin stretched out on a pillow, and stared at the shelves of the headboard before closing her eyes. ¡°I used a contraction.¡±


    Alex went over the conversation, again. And then once more for good measure. ¡°When?¡±


    Carbon cleared her throat and repeated herself. ¡°You make me feel as though I¡¯m underdressed.¡±


    ¡°Yep, I didn¡¯t even notice it.¡± His shoulders raised a smidge in the most half-hearted shrug possible.


    ¡°It is best you did not, it was unkind to play off your discomfort.¡± She sighed softly, tilting her head away from him a little, the closest ear lifted to listen to him. ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes jokes work. Sometimes they don¡¯t. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s even that bad, just way too subtle for me. You, of all people, should know that me and subtlety aren¡¯t friends.¡± He waved a hand and shrugged before bringing it to rest on top of her head, fingertips working over the muscles around the base of her antenna. ¡°So do you... not like to use contractions or is it not a feature in Tsla? I¡¯ve noticed you don¡¯t use them, and the default setting for my translator doesn¡¯t use them either.¡±


    ¡°There are, but they are different - long words or phrases might be contracted down, but it is not the same as how your English uses it.¡± An eye opened and she watched him before the iris darted away, focused on the headboard again. ¡°For instance, the Windward Coast Geosynchronous Orbital Spacedock is usually just referred to as Windward Coast Geosynchronous Orbital Spacedock.¡±


    Alex broke out in a grin, sighing before he started laughing. ¡°Sorry, sorry. Translator was on and I got the full name in English both times.¡± She had switched between English and Tsla as she spoke, and the translator caught it - though the first time it had given him the translation word for word, and the second time she was done talking well before the translator was finished.


    Carbon¡¯s eyes closed and she laughed with him. ¡°Would you like me to try again? After you have shut your machine off?¡±


    ¡°Nah, not right now. I get what you¡¯re explaining though. Several Human languages do something similar.¡± He was pretty sure several did, at least. Not including portmanteaus, which was a different thing entirely.


    ¡°Very well - perhaps another time.¡± She inched over, pressing her shoulder against his as she stretched out.


    He shut his translator off, then the whole Amp system. No need for either right now. They laid there in silence for some time, Alex idly kneading Carbon¡¯s head. ¡°So... Why didn¡¯t you ever tell me about her? It¡¯s pretty clear how important she is to you, and vice-versa. I mean I get not leading with that, but why not when we were back? When we talked about our family? When we were talking about our future, if it could even happen?¡±


    ¡°Zeshen are not family.¡± Carbon said quietly, bright blue eyes opening as she reached up into the headboard and pulled a large hexagonal coin off the shelf, the bronze disk disappearing into her hand. She sighed and rolled it over her knuckles. ¡°I have asked myself that question often the last few days. When could I have told you. I... I never expected that I would have to.¡±


    That didn¡¯t feel particularly good to hear. ¡°How do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Do not mistake me - I desperately wished for this relationship to continue. At the same time, I had expected that the Empress would simply transfer me to another project, and I would disappear into the embrace of my work once more.¡± The coin flipped back and forth over her fingers, Carbon staring intently at it.


    ¡°She really threw you for a loop with all of this, I take it?¡± Alex groaned, catching himself too late. ¡°When someone does something surprising or shocking.¡±


    The corner of Carbon¡¯s mouth turned up in a smirk with a quiet snort of amusement. ¡°She did. Shocking is a good word for it. Even if I had expected to stay in Sol, I thought things would continue slower - normal courtship takes between two and three years for Tsla¡¯o. I would have time to fix things with Neya, to acclimate you both to each other.¡±


    ¡°Fix things with her?¡± Neya¡¯s apparent interest in suicide had come as a shock to Carbon when he unintentionally revealed it to her. What else was going on there?


    ¡°She has suffered badly. When the council was... alive, she would have had more support from them. I knew what remained was not in a position to spare that, and I chose to abandon her to participate in the Kshlav¡¯o expedition instead of remaining with her to offer that help.¡± The bitterness that crept into her voice was all directed inward, eyes narrowed as she flexed a claw out to drag along the edge of the coin, clicking over one ridge at a time.


    ¡°Abandon is a strong word.¡± He had a suspicion that someone was being needlessly harsh on herself, and shifting history around to do it.


    A derisive little snort. ¡°It is the truth of the matter.¡±


    ¡°So if I wake up Neya right now and ask her if she felt like you abandoned her, she would agree?¡± He had a real good idea of what the answer would be.


    The coin shifted in her hand, thumb running along the face with some kind of tree on it, the relief well worn. Carbon looked away, studying something in the kitchen with deadly intent. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve talked to me about the importance of what you were doing on the Kshlav¡¯o before. You¡¯ve been upset about the fact we didn¡¯t get the whole two years. It was for your people, and she¡¯s one of them.¡± Alex found himself rather mad about this, his hand resting atop her head now. ¡°I swear, I¡¯m going to ask her about that and if she has any sort of positive response about you taking on that challenge... You know what? I¡¯ll have her show me that whole conversation, as a matter of fact, because I bet you didn¡¯t just take it on without talking to her.¡±


    Carbon didn¡¯t say anything, but he could feel her jaw working.


    He gave her a gentle tap on the top of the head with a single finger. ¡°Stop giving my wife a hard time. It makes me into something so bad she won¡¯t even tell me what it is.¡±


    She closed her eyes and laughed silently. ¡°I make no promises, but I will try.¡±


    ¡°No, you have to make a promise. I will accept nothing less.¡± Alex replied quickly, obstinate, as he rolled onto his side, arm sliding under the dark green comforter and draping it over her shoulder.


    ¡°I promise I will be less hard on myself.¡± She didn¡¯t sound entirely convinced of that, but she said it.


    ¡°Mmh, alright. That¡¯ll do this time.¡± He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that this is somehow ¡®less harsh¡¯ - I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever met someone as irrationally hard on herself as you.¡±


    Her shoulders lifted under his arm and she shifted her gaze back at the headboard, the coin clacking softly against the wood as she put it back. ¡°I have often...¡±


    Alex made a quiet affirmative noise, just enough to let her know he had heard her and was waiting for her to continue.


    Carbon said something in Tsla, the lights dimming to just above darkness, and she joined him on her side, nestling back against him and pulling his arm down around her shoulders protectively. ¡°Almost all of my decisions are based in fear. Every major choice in my life has been driven by it. Accelerating my schooling. Becoming a Lan. Taking the position on the Kshanev. They shouldn¡¯t have even offered that to a sprouted Lan, it is too much. Even accepting Neya - the rumors denying so carefully chosen a Zeshen would have caused. Unthinkable.¡±


    ¡°This may be incredibly arrogant of me, but I noticed someone didn¡¯t get listed there.¡± There was a hint of a chuckle in his voice as he gave her a squeeze.


    She continued immediately, paying his comment no heed just yet. ¡°Could I have even said no when the expedition with the Kshlav¡¯o became a reality? The Empress came to me and asked me to take the role. Almost any Lan would have been a fit for it. Most anyone who had become an engineering commander. It was - I have heard Humans call similar things ¡®optics.¡¯ The citizens like me, I am seen as an ideal of what a royal should be. Diligent, high achieving, taking active leadership roles. All the while, never being perceived as arrogant or disrespectful. And I broke. It took a long time, but I broke and then I took that out on you. The first person I did not have to impress, with no prying eyes to see it, and I bit like a spider.¡±


    ¡°Every time you talk about your life it sounds worse.¡± Alex slipped his other arm under her, wrapping her up in a full hug and eliciting a surprised squeak. ¡°I¡¯m going to be honest with you here, you weren¡¯t that bad. Like, you always seemed annoyed and distant, and kinda pissed at me when I talked too much... But you weren¡¯t mean. Gruff, maybe? Abrasive. Sure. But I can think of a half dozen people from high school that were actually shitty to me, and you never did anything half as bad as them.¡±


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°I was very disrespectful.¡± She sounded like she thought he was lying, her voice pitching up as she spoke. ¡°I thought very little of you because of your casual manners, and while I did not voice them, I had many-¡±


    ¡°Did you ever hit me with anything?¡± He inquired as he rested his chin on her head. ¡°Throw stuff at me?¡±


    ¡°That would be a wild breach of ethics, as I perceived you as a subordinate at the time. Even as someone of equal standing on the ship, basic decency would prohibit that.¡± Carbon tilted her head, the ear that was pressed against a pillow rising up with a hint of indignation.


    Alex was having more fun with this trip down memory lane than he should. ¡°How about those times you pretended to trip and dumped soda on my pants to make it look like I pissed myself?¡±


    It took her a second to parse what that meant, but Carbon twisted her head around, eye gleaming in the dim light as she looked at him. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Hazing a freshman, you know. I mean, based on that reaction you don¡¯t, but eh... traditions die hard.¡± He shrugged again.


    ¡°You were assaulted as a child? By other children?¡± This appeared to be all but unthinkable to her sensibilities.


    ¡°We were teens - high school is the last few years before university. I was kinda short the first year, but sophomore year I started at like 175 centimeters and just kept growing, so that stopped happening to me, my friends, and people that those assholes thought were my friends.¡± There was a little pride in his voice, the shield that getting lucky with genetics had provided him also protecting others. ¡°And you know, I wanted to be a Pilot and started training like it and maybe I got into a fight once and punched a guy out.¡±


    ¡°While you were a student?¡± Carbon relaxed somewhat, not trying to keep her neck craned back enough to make eye contact anymore.


    ¡°High school is a real confusing space. You¡¯re not kids anymore but not adults, and everybody is trying to figure out where they fit in while hormones are doing a number on them. Lots of mistakes are getting made.¡± Alex considered himself pretty lucky in that department, for the most part he didn¡¯t have much trouble that ended up in the books.


    She was still appalled by it. ¡°That sounds terrible.¡±


    ¡°Most of it was fine, but that doesn¡¯t help to illustrate how utterly benign your ethical disrespect was. At worst it was like butting heads with someone.¡± He just let that one go. She¡¯d ask if it wasn¡¯t clear enough. ¡°But I knew what had happened, why that expedition was unique. I figured you were having a hard time because of that. Turns out it was for a lot of other reasons as well, but it doesn¡¯t change the fact you were hurting.¡±


    Carbon didn¡¯t respond immediately, taking his hand in hers and bringing it up to kiss it. ¡°It is appreciated. Though... You think I did not choose you out of fear. I do not know. Perhaps I was just scared to die alone.¡±


    She had sounded pretty scared when she found him asleep in his cabin after getting dumped out of the mediboard in the middle of the night, though her reaction to his admittedly clumsy attempt at reassuring her that he wasn¡¯t going to abandon her out there was not tracking with that idea. Alex shook his head. ¡°Nah.¡±


    ¡°Nah?¡± Her ear twitched, voice incredulous. ¡°Explain.¡±


    ¡°You invited me to sleep in your bed.¡± It struck him as being a bit more than not wanting to die alone. ¡°And let¡¯s not forget that little fantasy you concocted.¡±


    Carbon stammered out a hasty reply. ¡°Wh- Yes. That was. That was some time later.¡±


    He lowered his voice and spoke directly into her ear. ¡°You don¡¯t have to sound so embarrassed about it when I¡¯m actually sleeping in your bed.¡± Technically he wasn¡¯t sleeping yet, but he wasn¡¯t going to let semantics get in the way of teasing her for that response.


    She bit him on the hand. It was very gentle, nowhere near hard enough to break the skin, but she still bit him with an angry huff. ¡°I am trying to be serious!¡± Carbon hissed quietly.


    ¡°Ow.¡± Alex laughed, not even bothering to pull his hand away. ¡°I am serious. I think your brain is trying to fit past events into that narrative. Maybe it¡¯s vain of me, but I don¡¯t want our relationship to be because you were afraid of dying alone, or afraid of anything else. I am willing to accept that it played a part in our paths crossing, but I¡¯d much prefer it if I was something you wanted for yourself.¡±


    She still held his hand and had begun massaging it where she¡¯d bit him, a worried little noise coming from her. ¡°You are something I want.¡±


    ¡°Good, otherwise it would make this whole situation really awkward.¡± Alex kissed the top of her head. ¡°I thought you said there wasn¡¯t any more biting.¡±


    ¡°You were getting off the subject.¡± Every word she said carried a little bit of a smirk in it. Carbon continued to work on his hand, warm thumbs pressed into the muscles of his palm.


    Alex rolled his eyes at that. ¡°Uh huh. So that¡¯s how it¡¯s going to be.¡±


    ¡°Only when necessary.¡± She brought his hand to her mouth again, just a kiss this time.


    ¡°I feel like that gives you a lot of leeway.¡±


    Carbon hugged his arm to her chest. ¡°It will not be abused, this is not your high school.¡±


    ¡°Color me skeptical.¡± Alex laughed and gave her another squeeze.


    ¡°With paint?¡± Such a cheeky response.


    They went back and forth like this for a while, before Alex suggested they should actually get some sleep. Carbon taught him a few words to run the lights, and he shut them off for the evening.


    Sleep came quickly to Carbon, nestled down next to him and wheezing softly minutes later. He found himself envious of her ability to do that, tired but still working over the day in his mind.


    Even though it was the right place for him to be sleeping by Tsla¡¯o standards, Alex couldn¡¯t shake the impression that he was intruding. Carbon and Neya had a decade long relationship that he didn¡¯t quite understand, and he felt like he was taking Neya¡¯s place. He wasn¡¯t, apparently. He consciously knew that. But the relationship he was supposed to have with Neya now, and the idea that Neya ¡®belonged¡¯ to them was... Well, it was just alien.


    At least the bed was large enough to accommodate them all without crowding. He disregarded his own good advice about sleeping, now very sure that his mind wasn¡¯t going to simply disengage. He turned his Amp back on, called up the document editor, and started to work through his first report for ONI. Mostly he just wanted to get things in order, he would do all of the fit and finish at a terminal later.


    This report was just going to be light weight stuff anyway. A better look at how society was arranged, formalities, methods of dress and what they meant... things that would make the primer more useful in a day-to-day capacity. It was all interesting to him and made for a pleasant distraction.


    Neya shifted in her sleep and rolled over to face him again, draping an arm over his abdomen. Alex told himself it was normal, no big deal, this was part of being in this relationship with Carbon. He told himself that quickly and repeatedly. He still felt uncomfortable, shifting his hip away from her and carefully removing her arm. She¡¯d understand. Worst case, he could show her how he felt.


    Alex went back to work, interrupted a few moments later when she grabbed the waistband of his compression boxers with both hands.


    He turned the lights back up to low, pulled the blanket back and looked her over. Her pale fur was disheveled and one ear was splayed out from the side of her head, chest rising and falling slowly. She looked like she was still asleep. An exploratory tug revealed that she had a death grip on the elastic material, not so easy to just move her this time. He set the blanket down and shrugged. It didn¡¯t really matter, people do weird things in their sleep all the time, why should she be different?


    He called up the file again and she started to twitch. It wasn¡¯t bad at first but got progressively worse in short order. He grunted in surprise as her body jerked and she punched him in the side, a whimper emanating from under the blanket. Sure, she didn¡¯t kick in her sleep...


    ¡°Carbon.¡± He whispered and gave her a poke in the shoulder.


    She rolled away from him, disappearing under the comforter.


    ¡°Carbon.¡± Alex said it a little more forcefully this time and pulled the blanket back.


    ¡°Yes?¡± She mumbled, sitting up.


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong with Neya.¡±


    That got her attention. She sat up and watched the lump under the blanket shift and whine quietly before climbing over Alex and sliding in between them. Carbon cupped a hand to Neya¡¯s cheek and whispered into her ear. She jerked awake, eyes searching and wide with fear.


    They softened as she recognized where she was, flooding with relief that didn¡¯t quite wash away the terror they had held. Her body relaxed and she whispered back, soft words too quiet for Alex to hear.


    Carbon smiled and leaned down to kiss her, hand stroking her forehead. She waited for Neya to return to sleep before rolling over and situating herself against Alex again. She stretched and set her arm across his chest, rubbing his leg with hers. ¡°She has sleep terrors. You should have just woken her up.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure what was going on and I figured you¡¯re the expert.¡±


    She closed her eyes and smiled again. ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    That got a grin out of him. ¡°So modest, too.¡±


    ¡°It is nice to have your virtues recognized.¡± She laid in silence, the smile fading. There was a certain worry in her voice when she spoke again. ¡°If you do see her having a terror again, please wake her as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, of course. I¡¯m just... I¡¯m still an outsider here.¡±


    ¡°You learn very fast.¡± Carbon nodded and stretched out to kiss his cheek. ¡°She suffers from the disaster worse than most. I know she has been seeking every avenue of treatment...¡±


    The brief discussion in the sickbay had been enlightening, and horrible. ¡°She told me that everyone she knew had died, except you.¡±


    ¡°Her home city and the college for Zeshen were both in the caldera. Almost all she had ever known wiped away in seconds and she watched it happen¡±


    Neya hadn¡¯t mentioned that. ¡°How could she have seen it?¡±


    ¡°She was in orbit at the time, traveling to take care of a meeting for me. They didn¡¯t know what was happening at first, but she got to see it all. Her grief is... indescribable.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot worse than I thought.¡±


    ¡°Many lost someone, but few lost as much as her. Even less had a clear view of the destruction as it happened.¡± She pulled the blanket up over them. ¡°At the end, I was all she had left.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something.¡± He filed his report away and shut his Amp off for the night, sliding his arm around her shoulders. ¡°You are pretty great.¡±


    She snorted and shook her head. ¡°She is still so hurt...¡±


    ¡°Of course she is.¡± Alex thought that was obvious, but he hadn¡¯t been there to experience these events. The enormity of them, the scope of a billion deaths and a dead planet was incomprehensible to him as anything but a report to read, a page of statistics. The thought of it being a slow trickle of news, coming through bit by bit and getting worse all the time filled him with a sickly dread. ¡°That¡¯s some massive trauma she has to work through. You can¡¯t just wave your hands and make it go away.¡±


    Carbon grumbled but otherwise stayed silent.


    ¡°Have you worked through all of your hurt from the disaster?¡± He knew the answer before he even asked the question. She had told him that she hadn''t grieved her dead. Didn''t know how long it would take and couldn''t afford the time.


    ¡°No.¡± She seemed particularly recalcitrant to part with the word.


    ¡°Right. Everyone takes their own time to process grief.¡± Alex had been down this road with a few grandparents, and they hadn''t died all at once. Not really an expert at it, but he had a healthier relationship with it. He slipped her hand into his wove their fingers together. "You''ll both get through it. Yes, it''ll take awhile. This is a mountain of hurt. For both of you, before you try to diminish what you''ve gone through because she''s had it worse. Don''t think I can''t see you preparing to do that."


    Carbon gave a sad laugh, then sighed and squeezed his hand. ¡°You always make me feel better about bad things. I hope you can do that for her as well.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well...¡± He spoke a few sibilant words and the lights went all the way out. ¡°I hope I can too.¡±

 Learning Curve

    As he slept, he dreamed.


    Another slideshow of his life, but this one was focused, his mind baited around to specifics instead of the random stream of thoughts that Carbon had seen. A few recent events, yes, and lots of older ones. The pattern of how they were arranged, someone else¡¯s thoughts whispered behind them, was familiar.


    It was cut short when he woke up, rather urgently having to use the bathroom. Another fun fact he learned tonight: deep wine goes right through his system. He climbed over Carbon and out of bed, squinting at the pale green symbols on the clock sunk into the wall. Was that a three? It was three something in the morning? Whatever it said, it was too damn early o¡¯clock.


    He toggled the bathroom door controls and stepped into the entirely too-bright room to take care of business. Gave him a little time to think about those dreams.


    The impression left was of someone who was curious, cautious, and most of all they were calculating. It wasn¡¯t Carbon this time, desperate to know if he lived and starved for interpersonal contact. This was Eleya¡¯s handiwork. Even if others had been poking around in his mind, it couldn¡¯t have been anyone else. Each memory was part of an equation, his actions and those around him numbers slotted into variables only she could comprehend.


    The dinner with Ed, shopping at Uncommon, the ride to McFadden station, bursts of anger and understanding back on the Kshalv¡¯o, these he understood.


    The small party after he graduated with his Aerospace Science degree, consoling his mother at the wake for his great-grandmother, a random dinner from his childhood with his family seated around the table in the dining room chatting away about whatever had happened that day... The reason she¡¯d gone looking for these was less clear. Prying into his family, certainly. But why? There¡¯d been a delicate, mostly hidden feeling of approval laced through what she had seen. Just assurance she wasn¡¯t going to marry some Human psychos into the upper echelons of Tsla¡¯o royalty? Or something else she needed so she could see the path forward?


    Maybe he¡¯d ask next time he saw her. Certainly, she wouldn¡¯t mind.


    Further rumination could wait until the actual morning. He washed his hands and went back to bed, finding Carbon had rolled over into the warm divot he left, stacked up behind Neya. He took her spot, slightly cooled now, and did his best to get back to sleep. He didn¡¯t dream again that night.


    Morning proper rolled around, and so did a rather pleasant wakeup call. He could just barely hear the shower going through the bathroom door, and felt a grin play across his face in the dim light. ¡°I¡¯m not sure we have time for...¡±


    It was about then he noticed the torso draped over his leg was wrong. Carbon was lean and athletic, and this was... fluffy. He panicked a little bit. ¡°Nope.¡± Realizing entirely the wrong woman was down there and he dug his heels into the bed to give himself a shove away, a rather startled sound coming from under the blanket.


    Alex immediately curled up into a ball on the bed, hands cupped protectively over his groin. Surprising someone with retractable claws by yanking things out of their hands was not the best idea he had ever had. ¡°Oh-kay. I did not think that through.¡±


    Neya scooted away from him and pressed her back against the wall, eyes wide and saying something in too-fast Tsla. At least she looked as surprised as he had been. He flipped all his systems on, the guitar strum playing as everything initialized. Took a couple of seconds, but her voice abruptly shifted into lightly panicked English. ¡°-not meant to offend you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t.¡± He wasn¡¯t ready to check for damage just yet, preferring to remain in the fetal position for the time being.


    ¡°I am sorry, I was just... curious.¡± She collected the blanket around herself in a protective barrier and stared down at her hands, tapping the tips of her index fingers together. Neya had been awake long enough to have put her translator on, apparently. Admittedly, it seemed like it only took a couple of seconds per antenna


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Alex sighed and checked his hands, a wave of relief washing over him. No blood, and everything seemed to be in normal shape. He listened to the shower run as he sorted himself out, sitting up and setting a pillow on his lap, as the last bastion of his discomfort driven modesty - his underwear - was nowhere to be found. ¡°I can understand that, it¡¯s an admirable trait.¡±


    She didn¡¯t look up, voice hurried as she explained herself. ¡°Carbon had said you were, nh... different, and you were very forward this morning.¡±


    ¡°I what? When was I forward?¡± He was quite sure he woke up to having a detailed inspection done. He¡¯d certainly remember inviting that sort of thing from his wife¡¯s... their personal assistant. Body double assistant soul. Alex wished he¡¯d been about 80% more sober for that whole thing.


    ¡°After Carbon got up. You set your arm around me and you were... Very rigid, and comfortable with your exploration.¡± She leaned into the words, antenna and eyebrows lifting as she made grabbing motions with her hands.


    Oh. Oh. ¡°Shit. Sorry. I¡¯m not used to sleeping with more than one other person, and that¡¯s a, uh... automatic response in the Human body, I dunno if Tsla¡¯o have the same thing going on.¡± He knew the how and why of that before, it had come up in a biology class. Something about the parasympathetic nervous system... The details completely and utterly escaped him right now, though.


    She nodded. ¡°The ¡®second sunrise.¡¯ I am familiar with it... though your external parts make it much more pronounced.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a vastly more elegant term than what I normally call it.¡± He replied with a chuckle that still felt uneasy, eyes drifting pretty much anywhere that wasn¡¯t her right now. ¡°Alright, so uh... If I do that again feel free to ignore it? Wake me up and tell me to roll over, whatever you need to do to feel comfortable. Boundaries and all that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no! You mistake me. I was surprised you had become so comfortable so quickly. I had thought Carbon had eased your concerns last night, she can be persuasive when she sets her mind to it. You were very accommodating until you woke up.¡± She paused, holding up a pale hand to parlay his response. ¡°I had thought you were awake until then. Your responses to my inquiries had been short but positive, and you disrobed without even a suggestion.¡±


    That explained why he was naked. ¡°Alright, well... boundaries for me, then. I think it¡¯s been made clear that I¡¯m still not fully comfortable with this. So, uh... if I do that again, wake me up and tell me to roll over.¡± That would do for now. There was more to sort out but this was a start he hadn¡¯t realized he would be needing, let alone so soon. ¡°And if you want to give something like that a go in the future... Don¡¯t. At least make sure I¡¯m making eye contact and responding in full sentences before you do.¡±


    ¡°As you command, Alex.¡± She closed her eyes and bowed.


    His word was all that he needed to make it happen. Alex wasn¡¯t really expecting pushback on that, but at the same time he didn¡¯t expect it to be that easy. Maybe a little a nudge towards what was ¡®his place¡¯ by Tsla¡¯o standards... though his understanding of that was limited right now, given he thought Carbon was just a normal, albeit highly skilled, Tsla¡¯o a few days ago. Even if she had been, that phrase would still be doing a monumental amount of work in describing what it was clear he had only scratched the surface of.


    ¡°Now that you are awake, and we have your boundaries. May I ask you a question?¡± There was a certain caution in her voice that he hadn¡¯t really heard since sickbay. Not fully setting aside the more relaxed tone she¡¯d used so far, but there was a dose of formality mixed in it now. ¡°My understanding of you, and humanity in general, is limited.¡±


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    ¡°Oh, sure, of course.¡± That was beneficial to everyone¡¯s understanding of this situation, certainly. He would gladly take all the most awkward questions she had to ask over another morning like this.


    ¡°You responded to me while you were asleep. Is that normal for you?¡± Neya was very focused on this, the fairly friendly countenance she¡¯d worn so far sharpening as she appeared to take asking these questions seriously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Nobody has ever mentioned it before, but anything a person can do awake, they can do asleep. Humans anyway.¡± His mom might know. He¡¯d been a champion at turning his alarm off and going back to sleep without realizing it as a teen, and she was usually the one motivating his ass out of bed when it happened. ¡°I am way behind on sleep right now, too. Might be part of it.¡±


    ¡°Interesting, I will keep this in mind - but will tend towards eye contact to be sure.¡± A little smile followed that last statement, a hint of humor in her voice. ¡°Last night you said this - having a Zeshen - was alien to you. I get the impression that even a group sleeping arrangement is unusual for humans?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, generally it¡¯s one person per bed, or a couple. I¡¯ve heard about people in poly relationships, no idea how they hash the sleeping arrangements out though.¡± That wasn¡¯t exactly the situation here, particularly based on Carbon¡¯s assertion that Zeshen are not family, but it was the closest thing he had to anchor this to something he was remotely familiar with for the moment. ¡°That¡¯s in the modern era, of course. There was communal sleeping throughout history.¡±


    Neya seemed almost taken aback by that, sitting up a little straighter. ¡°Not even in youth homes?¡±


    ¡°Is that like an orphanage?¡± Did they... send their children off to live in group homes? The handful of Carbon¡¯s memories he¡¯d been shown so far didn¡¯t seem to indicate that, but clearly she had not had a normal upbringing.


    ¡°No, we would call that a foster home. A youth home is for those who are approaching adulthood, but have not become adults. Allowing them to experience life away from their family while still having guidance of an adult - usually an elder couple will be the stewards. It is a very old tradition.¡± She used almost the same cadence Carbon had when explaining things.


    Alex didn¡¯t want to admit that it kinda creeped him out, so he kept it to himself save for a small shiver. ¡°Not a single thing like that unless you count staying in a dorm for college. Which I wouldn¡¯t, from the sounds of it.¡± Definitely gave the impression that it was more structured than dorm life, which had bordered on chaotic when he went to university at Hellas.


    The shower finally shut off, and the dryer started up a moment later.


    ¡°Curious, and enlightening.¡± Neya pondered that, or perhaps what she would ask next, as she carefully rubbed her teeth together while staring through him. Sharp purple eyes refocused on Alex as she settled on her next question. ¡°Do you consider me attractive?¡±


    Hey look, there was a question he didn¡¯t want to answer. Truth of the matter was that he hadn¡¯t put a lot of thought into it. He wasn¡¯t going to lie to himself - or her, for that matter - he did think she was adorable. The underpinnings of that answer felt very questionable to him, though. ¡°Uh, maybe?¡±


    That caught her off guard, ears and eyebrows lifting. ¡°Also curious.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been avoiding saying this since you all do have a resemblance to some Earth fauna, but you¡¯re adorable. I¡¯m still working the details of that out, but I¡¯m kinda uncomfortable with the why behind it.¡± That was all he could think of right now, of course.


    ¡°I have heard there are some comparisons that are not kind, even if they are somewhat accurate.¡± She leaned forward, invested in hearing more about the reasons for his non committal answer now.


    ¡°Yeah, people love talking shit. So the issue for me, is that you in particular are very fluffy. Everybody else less so, but not, you know...¡± He gestured at his arms and chest. He wasn¡¯t particularly hairy but it was still readily visible, doing nothing to obscure the tan skin beneath.


    ¡°Thank you for noticing, it takes a lot of effort.¡± Neya seemed pleased with that, a smirk crossing her muzzle. ¡°Though I admit I do not understand what you are reaching for.¡±


    ¡°Alright so everything I¡¯ve seen before that¡¯s cute and fluffy has been a wild animal or a pet, and I want to pet them. Obviously, this is not okay when it comes to a person with, you know, volition and stuff.¡± That really was the crux of the matter, for him.


    She shook her head. ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, and?¡± There was no ¡®and¡¯ there!


    ¡°Because I am adorable you feel a compulsion to pet me?¡± She was very amused by that, tail switching under the blanket.


    ¡°I mean, sure. And I don¡¯t like what that says about what¡¯s going on in my brain. I know I¡¯m not just going to up and touch somebody the moment I see them.¡± Alex assumed all the wild animals he¡¯d ever wanted to pet would also maul him for trying, it was very helpful in regulating that urge. ¡°But I am very uncomfortable with the fact that I see a person and something deep in there compels me, ¡®just grab their cheeks and squish them a little,¡¯ like that¡¯s at all acceptable.¡±


    Neya had set her elbows on her knees and cradled her chin in her palms, invested in Alex¡¯s unwinding of his issues. ¡°Of the things Carbon has told me about you, she did not mention any of this.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t told her because this is new and so much other stuff has been going on. First impression of her was actually quite cold. She had a very severe look, which I understand, but it was not inviting at all.¡± Their first meeting the day before the launch of the Kshlav¡¯o on McFadden station had been, to be polite about it, glacial. Normal crews would train together ahead of time, but they weren¡¯t a normal crew. Traditionally, a crew had a little party the day before launch - for the ship, of course. Another superstition. Somebody in the Civilian Pilot Program had set one up, same day the Kshlav¡¯o arrived at the station, which had served as their first meeting as well. Not a lot of people from the program had turned out despite it being a new ship. Ed had taken a leave to see a dying family member, so it had been just the two of them and a handful of higher ups from the CPP. ¡°It was pretty clear that she was not there to be friendly, and she was not happy about wasting time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she had been... suffering.¡± Neya added quietly.


    ¡°There had been briefings about what was up, so I didn¡¯t take it personally. But yeah, no desire to reach out and pet her. Probably would have beaten me with a chair if I had tried.¡± Being separated from that event by enough time, and quite sure that she wouldn¡¯t do that now, he found the idea funny.


    Neya lowered her voice, a conspiratorial tone filling the space between them after the dryer shut off. ¡°You could now and she would not mind.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I could.¡± Alex laughed, shaking his head. ¡°Still makes me feel weird.¡±


    ¡°We understand why that is now. Perhaps you have a better answer to my question?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. You look like Tsla¡¯o and... I don¡¯t know what makes you attractive. Like, I didn¡¯t get involved with Carbon because she¡¯s beautiful. I really can¡¯t tell one way or the other.¡± About halfway through saying all that, the door to the bathroom slid open.


    Carbon stood there in her purple robe, humid air pouring out around her into the cool of the cabin. She gave him an inquisitive look, arms crossed over her chest. ¡°I cannot wait to hear how you got to this subject.¡±


    ¡°Hush.¡± Alex shot her a sidelong glance before turning his eyes back to Neya. ¡°As I was saying. I have heard she¡¯s quite lovely, but I have no point of reference. Even for human beauty standards... I¡¯ve had people tell me that facial symmetry is attractive, but then the same person will say asymmetry is too. What I¡¯m saying is, I fell in love with the heart and mind, the person. Not the face or body. I have no complaints about either, mind you. I¡¯ve become quite enamored with both.¡±


    Carbon smiled and chuckled quietly, setting herself down on the bed between them. She gave Alex a particularly smart grin and leaned over to kiss him, voice low. ¡°I love you.¡±


    Neya seemed pleased with that answer, sitting up with a nod and tenting her fingers. Her head tilted towards Carbon. ¡°Now that you are back, shall I start breakfast? Or shall I continue to assail the prince with questions?¡±


    ¡°No. I will take care of breakfast. The two of you should link, as I suggested last night. An activity I had assumed you would have already begun.¡± She glanced over her shoulder at Neya, that last remark clearly aimed at her.


    ¡°Yeah, we got off to a rocky start this morning.¡± Alex waved a hand. ¡°Got it cleared up though.¡±


    Neya perked up at the prospect of Carbon cooking, a grin curling the corners of her mouth. ¡°It is as the prince says, and your suggestions are wise as ever.¡±


    ¡°She thinks she can flatter me into making something lavish.¡± Carbon said to Alex with a smirk as she stood up and stretched, stepping away to rummage through the dresser.


    Neya did not dispute that assertion.


    ¡°Alright, we can do that. But first, I need some clothes.¡± He paused as he glanced back over at Neya, half hidden under the covers but still naked. ¡°Everybody needs some clothes.¡±

 Alignment

    Alex and Neya performing a neural link was a great idea in concept.


    An important part of the Aeshen-Zeshen relationship.


    A shortcut to a more thorough understanding of each other, and each other¡¯s race.


    It was severely hampered by the fact neither one spoke the other¡¯s language enough to do anything more advanced than ask where the bathroom was.


    They tried to push through it anyway. Neya¡¯s presence was loose and enthusiastic, compared to the restraint that Carbon had usually projected. Where they lacked words, they filled in with concepts and ideas, flashes of images from memories. What Eleya had done when she had realized telling him to calm down wasn¡¯t working, but he wasn¡¯t mad so he picked it up pretty quickly.


    It was semi-successful.


    He wasn¡¯t sure how she¡¯d gotten their rather handsy start to the morning out of the ideas of physical space, bed, and fence. Though Alex couldn¡¯t understand any of her thoughts, he could interpret her feelings well enough. His sleep groping had been a bit of a surprise - though he got the distinct impression that was only because it wasn¡¯t Carbon she awoke to. The recollection that there was someone else in the bed now took a moment to filter back in, though the thing resting on her thigh should have been an immediate clue. Her view of him was likewise enlightening as she sat up and turned the lights on low. Her doubts about properly interpreting his expressions were made real, and there was a shameful unease when looking at him. As her gaze wandered what little of him was visible, she seemed to approve of his arms, at least.


    She stretched, the chill air of the room finally working through her thicker fur, and spotted his external translator folded up on top of the headboard, faint blue lights still on, like they had been in the sickbay. That was weird. He had turned his Amp off last night.


    She grabbed her wireless beads and went through the process of slipping them on. Claws on her thumbs pressed into recesses to unlatch them, splitting them open like fruit, resting the shaft of the antenna in it and folding it closed, then sliding it down onto the fluff at the end of the antenna. A common, practiced motion. Alex felt everything to do with the antenna through his eyes, the weight pulling them down in a way that didn¡¯t exist for a Human, an electric buzz settling in before his words started getting translated. Questions he couldn¡¯t understand, followed by simple answers that remained one word. Ironically, Alex knew enough Tsla to understand his replies after they had been translated for her, all of which were just ¡®yes¡¯ even though it looked like he was saying ¡®yeah¡¯ and ¡®sure¡¯ if he was reading his own lips right. They were all in the positive, which surprised her.


    And that¡¯s when he took his underwear off. Clearly still asleep and having zero idea that a real person had been talking to him, and away they went. Stupendous.


    Distantly, he could tell Neya was amused by how annoyed he was at himself.


    Memory-Neya steeled herself before she pulled the blanket back, thinking of Carbon. Being Carbon. There wasn¡¯t really a perceived difference between them in that moment, save for Carbon¡¯s greater levels of comfort with him. Carbon would do it - had done it, even, although it felt like very little about the more physical details about him had been revealed. Now, he had presented an opportunity, and she was going to learn more.


    She slipped under the covers, the warmth pleasant compared to the cool air of the room, scooting down to drape herself over his leg. Kind of boney, which fit for a knee, and really not that comfortable to squish a breast against, but she could put up with that for now.


    Her eyes adjusted to the darkness under the thin blanket quickly, a faint view of the subject of her interest coming into focus. He was already familiar with what was in her grasp, admittedly not from that angle. True to her word, Neya was overwhelmingly curious about what was going on down there. It wasn¡¯t a clinical inspection, but she was here for information before anything else. Aspects felt both alien and familiar at once, and it left her feeling perplexed. There were more thoughts he couldn¡¯t translate filling her mind as she explored with care.


    Alex¡¯s initial statement hadn¡¯t really made it through the blanket. His leg shifted under her, and without any warning his knee came up with nearly enough force to get her airborn. Startled and suddenly moving, her grip tightened and her claws flexed out as a matter of reflex, hanging on to whatever was convenient - unfortunately for Alex it was his genitals. He planted his heel and everything was yanked free from her clutches in a moment that was fully incomprehensible, based on how the situation had been going a mere heartbeat before.


    She stopped the memory there, the oddly thrilling feeling of claws dragging along bare skin getting cut short.


    ¡°That was one of the weirder things I¡¯ve ever experienced.¡± Alex thought, mostly to himself. His presence wavered, a little bothered by how delightful that last sensation had felt to her. It was a lot of stuff he just hadn¡¯t ever expected to feel... It was nice to see he was still in good shape despite not having done any real exercise in the last month or so, though.


    Neya¡¯s presence felt earnest, if not uneasy. She crinkled a little, probably trying to read him as he ruminated over what he had seen. ¡°Sa esan¡±?


    He fluttered, frustrated for a moment before he reminded himself that she meant well, and this had actually been enlightening. He knew the ¡®you¡¯ in that question, but wasn¡¯t sure what ¡®esan¡¯ meant and turning his Amp on to translate it would interfere with the link. He took a chance and hoped that it meant it was his turn.


    Alex figured she¡¯d want to know his side of this event now. He cued up his memory in his head and offered it to her, the sinking feeling letting him know she was paying attention, and then let her see what he had experienced.


    He had been rather enthused at starting the day that way, expecting that it was Neya in the shower and Carbon picking up around where they had left off the night before while they had some privacy. In the dim light of the cabin, he grinned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure we have time for...¡±


    The realization that it wasn¡¯t Carbon arrived suddenly, an electric jolt through his mind that woke him up fully. In this retrospect view he had a better sense of the emotions that followed, horrified to find that he was cheating on Carbon with her assistant. Instincts set in as he planted a foot and shoved himself away, a surge of adrenaline flooding his brain - though he stopped it before they got to the claws.


    They parted ways, Neya shimmering with excitement before she broke the link. He started up his wetware as the pale furred Tsla¡¯o immediately began putting her wireless back on. She was now thankfully dressed, as Carbon had picked some clothes out of the dresser for her... But this was not appreciably less disconcerting than her still being naked, as Neya was wearing what Alex would describe as a tube top and possibly the shortest shorts in existence, both a muted gray-blue. He was having a difficult time reconciling everything he had seen Tsla¡¯o wearing so far with something that struck him as so immediately Human.


    He, on the other hand, was fully dressed again. Pants, shirt, everything but shoes. Part of him longed for the heavy decompression-rated jacked they issued to scoutship crews.


    That enthusiastic emotion from the link carried over into Neya¡¯s body language. She was sitting across the bed from him on folded legs as a wide, toothy grin formed on her pale muzzle, gesturing with crisp motion as she spoke. ¡°I think I understand now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Her energetic response to his intense feelings of infidelity sort of put him off, but at least it was a step in the right direction. Best to double check what she got out of that, though. ¡°So where do you think I¡¯m coming from?¡±


    ¡°Your actions were driven by your culture''s view of loyalty between couples.¡± She arched her eyebrows at him, expecting that she was right. ¡°You both as an entwined pair, and I as her subordinate.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± It was a fair assumption, having just seen that memory. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that my reaction was so abrupt. As you saw, I hadn¡¯t actually been awake until just then.¡±


    ¡°I did not expect that you could be so animated while asleep.¡± The energy slowly ebbed from her face, a more serious tone creeping into her voice. ¡°I am sorry that I have not had more time with Carbon to acclimate to our differences.¡±


    ¡°Eh.¡± He gave a little shrug. Carbon could show her the various learning experiences they had on the Kshlav¡¯o and other times she¡¯s dealt with humans, sure. It would probably help for some things. ¡°I don¡¯t think it would have helped in this case, considering how new I am to this living situation.¡±


    ¡°In truth, we are all new to it.¡± Carbon butted in from across the cabin, standing at the stove and working on breakfast. She had actually gotten dressed as well, clad sleeveless blue compression shirt that reminded him of what she¡¯d worn under her jumpsuit on the scoutship, over a pair of black slacks that looked like a skirt when she stood still. Carbon had donned a sensible, and very durable looking, apron in vibrant crimson before she¡¯d started cooking, as well.


    ¡°What she said.¡± Alex had a feeling he¡¯d be saying that a lot. ¡°So, boundaries as we all acclimate to this?¡±


    Carbon murmured an agreement as she flipped something in a pan over. Whatever it was, it smelled sweet and savory. He wanted to say it was like Canadian bacon, but if it was a breakfast sausage.


    ¡°Yes, that is a good idea.¡± Neya did the bow again, then scooted herself over to the edge of the bed, legs unfurling from under her and stretching out. ¡°I will be more wary of the- Alex¡¯s true attention from now on, in particular. If you would prefer that I not take my place here, it will not be difficult to find another accommodation.¡±


    ¡°Hang on. The first part of that is great, thank you.¡± He held up a hand and weighed how to continue. Alex being the intruder in this living situation rose to the top of his mind with ease. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to have to go live somewhere else, by Tsla¡¯o rules, you belong here. I¡¯m the alien. Maybe if I had my own home and Carbon... and you had moved in there, sure. But my life before now is being stored in a pile of boxes in my mom¡¯s craft room, so I remain the stranger. It¡¯s on me to adapt to here. I would appreciate help with that, of course.¡±


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    Neya¡¯s eyes widened, just enough to be perceptible, and she sat up straighter before she spoke. ¡°You did not have a home before you were entwined?¡±


    ¡°I mean I had intended to live on the Kshlav¡¯o for like two years, and I¡¯d been using crew quarters on McFadden when I went back to the program... In the dorms before that. Not the most rigid definition of homes, I guess, but I wasn¡¯t sleeping on the street or something. My parent¡¯s place always has a spot for me, too, even if it¡¯s just the couch.¡±


    She was taken aback by everything Alex had just said, very nearly aghast. ¡°How long were you itinerant? You slept on seating?¡±


    ¡°The couch folds out.¡± Sleeper sofas were not a thing for the Tsla¡¯o. That was going in a report.


    ¡°What she is bothered by is the idea you did not have a... true home? A place where you would stay when you were done with your travels, no matter how long they would take.¡± Carbon piped up from the stove before the two could continue their conversation, proving context for both of them. ¡°It is common for Humans to change homes in a way we would find excessive, and they perceive each place as their true home. Consider their rapid expansion. It is more sensical if a new place becomes a home, rather than a job or duty. Would you say that is an accurate assessment, Alex?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d say it¡¯s close enough anyway.¡± That was going in a report. Finally putting a why behind their lack of expansion, something he knew had bothered a bunch of people in the CPP, and probably other parts of their government. There were going to be papers written about those sentences. ¡°I suppose you might say that my parent¡¯s house was sort of like my true home the entire time, if that¡¯s easier to work with.¡±


    Neya had been busy having her mind blown by that information, leaning back on an elbow and massaging her forehead with her other hand. Alex talking again brought her back around. ¡°You said they would have you sleep on the seating? That folds up? It is not even the good seating?¡± She pointed at the long bench next to the front door. It sat on stout, stubby wood legs and was topped with several flat pillows in a variety of dark, rich colors. You could fit three or four on it, depending on how comfortable everyone was with not having personal space.


    ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s nothing like that. It¡¯s like...¡± Their couch was comfortable, for one thing. And while he hadn¡¯t been around too much of the Sword of the Morning Light, he hadn¡¯t seen anything like a couch as he knew it, and clearly the translation for Neya was not accurate. ¡°Like several heavily padded chairs attached to each other, long enough to lay down on, but the arms are only on the far ends. And it folds out into a bed.¡±


    Neya fell silent as she worked at envisioning that, eyebrows knit in confusion.


    ¡°It might make a nice addition. Not a classical piece of furniture, but I have grown fond of them.¡± Carbon glanced over her shoulder at him, a wry smile curling the corner of her mouth and a wink in his direction as she plated whatever it was she had been cooking.


    They had spent a lot of time relaxing on the couch in the mess aboard the Kshlav¡¯o, which honestly hadn¡¯t been that comfortable, but it had made some good memories. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind. Have to get a big screen for movies, though.¡±


    ¡°I will have to see pictures of the unfolding chairs. I do not understand it.¡± Neya sighed and shook her head. ¡°Alex, would you like to use the shower now?¡±


    That was a fair question, he was basically fully dressed. ¡°Nah, you can if you want.¡±


    She bowed again and padded off to the bathroom, shorts still distractingly short, though partially obscured by her tail from the rear view. Sure, his girlf- wife had picked those out for her, and had been perfectly happy about Neya hugging him while naked the night before, but it was still a lot.


    Alex hauled himself fully out of bed as well, standing on the narrow rug that protected bare feet from the floor in the morning. Tightly woven cloth of some kind in a dark green that matched the bedding, adorned with a repeating geometric pattern that was colored like jade. He skirted around the dining room table, coming up behind Carbon and sliding his arms around her waist. ¡°Morning.¡±


    She had been mixing a bowl of thick golden batter, pausing to lean back against him. ¡°I feel as though I have missed something significant.¡±


    ¡°Nothing too wild.¡± Alex replied, despite how unusual nearly every moment of this morning had been. ¡°Just finding out about where our boundaries are for the moment, and finding out just how chatty I am while I¡¯m asleep.¡±


    Her head tilted, rotating a bit to point an ear at him as she scoffed softly, that alone enough to carry all her disbelief in his statement. There was a little smile in her voice, at least. ¡°And what did you talk about in your sleep?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Neya showed me the memory, and it was all in Tsla so I picked up exactly none of it. Whatever she was asking I kept answering ¡®yes¡¯ so it was yes or no questions, I guess.¡± He gave a little shrug. ¡°Whatever it was, the answers must have been all right based on what she-¡±


    Carbon didn¡¯t reply for a moment, waiting for him to finish that statement. It became clear he wasn¡¯t going to after a few long seconds. ¡°Go on...¡±


    ¡°I was, y¡¯know.¡± He shook his head as he tried to not just blurt out the facts of the incident while actually telling her what happened, knowing very well that she¡¯d just ask Neya anyway. ¡°Upright, and she went to check out what was going on down there. With both hands.¡±


    ¡°She is a curious sort.¡± Carbon nodded softly, not a trace of anything but understanding in her voice as she scraped the sides of the bowl to ensure she¡¯d mixed it thoroughly. ¡°Proactive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± His voice might have gone up an octave. ¡°She¡¯s a curious sort?¡±


    ¡°Yes? She¡¯s always been curious, it is one of the things that made her a good choice as my Zeshen as I am curious as well. Could you imagine trying to exist so closely with someone who is disinterested?¡± She took hold of his hands and situated them on her hips beneath her apron, before turning the burner back on. ¡°Is that wrong?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s a me thing.¡± He gave her a squeeze and kissed the top of her head, the scent of the cinnamon-like shampoo she used filling his nose. If that was fine with her... Maybe someday it¡¯d be fine with him, too. ¡°Hey, last night you said that Zeshen aren¡¯t family. What does that mean?¡±


    Carbon held a ladle full of batter poised over the pan as she digested his question. She began pouring it out onto the surface, a slow drizzle that she used to lay down a braided pattern. ¡°It means a Zeshen is not family. They are not considered by law like the entwined, or a parent might be. The law bends for them, but they are excluded.¡±


    He leaned over so her head wasn¡¯t in the way of the pan, letting him watch her work clearly. That made sense, from a legal standpoint. Not allowing a person that had been... issued, to dip into wills and power of attorney and such as that. Despite the fact that they were deeply, and apparently intimately, involved with their Aeshen¡¯s day to day life. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s consider for a moment that it¡¯s the only lens I have to view her through, since ¡®wife¡¯s assistant¡¯ is very wrong.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± She dipped the ladle back into the batter and repeated the pattern on the other side of the pan. ¡°Perhaps an older view of the concept. A Zeshen not as a living person, but a soul attached to another¡¯s body. We know they are real and alive now, but we will speak of myth for the moment.¡±


    ¡°Okay. A soul without a body, attached to someone so they don¡¯t become a violent spirit, right?¡± He recounted from their link the night before about this subject, which had been pretty informative.


    ¡°Yes. The second soul helps the first. But the body, the life, always belongs to the first soul.¡± She set the ladle aside and worked a thin wooden spatula around the first pancake, flipping it with a practiced flick of her wrist, the pattern of the pour visible on the cooked side. ¡°Would you say this pan is a member of your family because I am cooking with it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He was following so far, though talking about living people - even with the caveat that this was mythology - as objects rankled him. "Humans will make family out of just about anything, though."


    ¡°Is it so? That is interesting and worrisome.¡± Carbon paused as she flipped the other cake, pulling a large stoneware plate over beside the small cooktop. She shook her head. ¡° In the more modern sense... I told you that she is ourselves, and you did not understand it at the time. Would it make more sense if I said that when she was my Zeshen alone, I always spoke to myself? But now when you speak to her, you are also speaking to me? And when I speak to her, I am also speaking to you?¡±


    By the time he¡¯d managed to suss all that out, she had finished transferring the pancakes to the plate and started another pair. ¡°No, but it¡¯s confusing differently. In my head she¡¯s an individual. I can''t shake that, and I¡¯m not sure how much acting like she¡¯s you or me it will take to work around that. The best I can do right now is ¡®they¡¯re my wives¡¯ which I think is closer to what you¡¯re talking about, but still very different.¡±


    ¡°It is not bad. That would make you both my husbands?¡± She transferred the second batch of golden-brown pancakes to the plate with a quiet chuckle, then poured the rest of the batter out in a much less fancy pattern, a pair of lazy figure eights finishing it off. ¡°You said you had no point of reference as a Human. That it will take you time to adapt is valid. Perhaps I can think of better ways to describe this relationship as you work, as well.¡±


    ¡°I suppose it would.¡± He laughed along with her, resting his chin on her head as the pancakes cooked. ¡°Sure would be nice if somebody had written a book about all this stuff. Maybe a video. ¡®So you¡¯ve got a Zeshen¡¯ or something.¡±


    ¡°Historically, being an initiate is a years-long process that puts you in contact with several agents, so there has been no need for such a thing. There are a few tasks for Neya to take care of this morning, you may add things to the list.¡± She flipped the hastily made cakes and patted his leg, bumping him away with her hips. ¡°It might look good for the new prince to be showing a purposeful interest in our culture so quickly. Conservators and their librarians pretend they are an insular group, but they speak widely.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that does sound like mom.¡± Alex gave her a little space, picking up the dirty dishes off the counter and taking them over to the sink. Everything was pretty straightforward: spout, two knobs, deep metal basin with a drain. Similar to Human design, but as he learned in the bathroom, one knob was for hot and cold water mix and the other for flow rate. He started unlatching cabinets and peeking in, looking for cleaning supplies. ¡°Got a sponge or something?¡±


    ¡°Your mother is a conservator?¡± She looked at him with surprise in her eyes as she reached over and pointed out an unmarked transparent bin tucked into the corner of the cabinet.


    ¡°Research librarian.¡± He pulled it out and popped the lid off, several very bristly washcloths about the size of his hand laid out neatly beside a well-used block of soap. It smelled just like lemon and cedar. This was not a combination he was expecting, let alone being a scent so immediately easy to identify in Human terms. ¡°I¡¯m still not sure exactly what that is. It¡¯s not a regular librarian, but she always enjoyed the job but didn''t like, explain it in detail.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hm.¡± She nodded to herself, shutting the stove off and sliding the pancakes onto the plate before setting it into a narrow, vertical oven beneath the cooktop. The sausage she¡¯d cooked first was already in there, the scent of spiced, smoked meat wafting out. Waiting for themselves before serving breakfast, which was polite. ¡°From what I have seen, she does have the tenacity to be a conservator.¡±


    Alex would have to pass that along, after he figured out exactly what a conservator was to the Tsla¡¯o. He started on the cutting board first, the knife she¡¯d used on it already dealt with as it was nowhere to be seen. ¡°So when Neya¡¯s out of the shower, I just ask her to go find some books for me?¡±


    ¡°Ask or tell, through any means of communication. You do not need to wait, she is very mindful of requests and orders alike.¡± Carbon arranged the handful of dirty dishes neatly next to him, pan still cooling on the back burner.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interrupting someone¡¯s shower to ask them to do something for me.¡± He set the board into what he assumed was a drying rack. It had all the same design cues he would expect from a drying rack. Carbon didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by him putting clean dishes somewhere weird, so Alex took that as a victory. ¡°I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s appropriate by Tsla¡¯o standards, that¡¯s a sacred space and I¡¯m not going to invoke work in it.¡±

 Breakfast

    Carbon laughed as she pulled her apron off and wiped it clean, folding it carefully before stowing it back into a drawer beside the stove. ¡°Very well, it can wait until she is done. There is not much to do this morning, though we have a meeting this afternoon, and a state dinner tonight.¡±


    Well, someone was on the ball. ¡°State dinner? Already not looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°I am not as well. Before you ask, it is not something we could send Neya to in our stead. Perhaps one of us, if there was a circumstance that prevented attendance. The more important the host, the less room there is for substitution.¡± She leaned on the counter and watched him scrub dishes.


    ¡°Guessing that means the host is Eleya?¡± Might as well go right to the top. Who else would be holding a state dinner, anyway?


    ¡°You are correct. We are receiving a few soldiers who have past experience working with Humans, they will be attached to the project regarding the artifact we found. That is what the meeting is about as well.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± That got his attention, the prospect of cracking open the secrets of that place reigniting in his mind. Maybe not being a pilot, but xenoarchaeology on an alien dyson sphere was a reasonably cool second place as far as jobs went. More Tsla¡¯o he could possibly talk to without having to translate everything was a pleasant thought as well. ¡°That part sounds interesting at least.¡±


    ¡°I know the Captain, he is a good sort.¡± She closed her eyes and nodded once.


    ¡°Oh, uh... How fancy is the state dinner? I did not pack a lot of nice clothes.¡± Speaking of his nice clothes... ¡°Do you know what they did with my bags?¡±


    Carbon inhaled and her eyes drifted away in thought. ¡°I do not. Another thing Neya may be able to look into, unless you would prefer to take care of it yourself? It may not matter today because the dinner will be very fancy.¡± She seemed particularly amused by that turn of phrase.


    ¡°Ugh. Fine. I¡¯d still like to have, you know, clean clothes in the meantime. I wore all this yesterday.¡± They¡¯re going to make him wear a tie. Ugh. ¡°I don¡¯t have to dress nice for the meeting, do I?¡±


    ¡°No, and for the dinner there is traditional clothing being made for you now. It should come as no surprise that one of Neya¡¯s tasks is picking it up.¡± She handed him the pan off the stove, cool enough to the touch to be safe to wash.


    That filled him with a peculiar sense of dread. The regular clothes that he¡¯d seen them wearing really wasn¡¯t his style. Formal dress was likely to be vastly worse. ¡°I dunno if that¡¯s at all necessary... I¡¯m sure I packed a linen shirt and slacks.¡±


    ¡°Ah. It is very necessary, Prince. One cannot expect to go to a formal dinner hosted by the Empress wearing just a shirt and slacks.¡± Carbon folded her arms over her chest as though she were serious - which she certainly was about what everyone would be wearing - but there was a lot of mirth in her eyes. ¡°The tailors have your exact measurements, their initial attempts were perfect, were they not?¡±


    She had him there. Despite the handful of physical differences between their races, the pants and shirt they¡¯d made fit perfectly. Alex set the pan and the scrubber into the drying rack and shook his hands out. ¡°Ok, ok. So traditional clothing for the dinner. That¡¯s... fine, as long as everybody else is wearing it. Everyone else will be wearing it too, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Though, not all at the same level as you and I. Active military have their own formal dress, as do Senators.¡± She stepped up to him, catching him in a hug that lingered as she pulled him against her. ¡°I know you dislike fancy dress, but this is a reflection of our station.¡±


    He would admit that he did have an academic interest in what Tsla¡¯o formalwear looked like. He really did not want to wear it, or even go to an event that would require him to wear it. Alex was sure Carbon could describe it in detail, or just find some pictures, if he asked. He just didn¡¯t want to deal with it right now. It¡¯d be easier if he didn¡¯t have anything specific to dwell on and the whole thing was a surprise. ¡°All right. Guess there¡¯s no getting around that.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Alex.¡± Carbon stood on her toes and kissed him softly on the lips, a sly smile on her muzzle as she stepped away after the shower shut off, busying herself with plates and utensils and pulling the food from the oven before dishing up three plates. Two of the braided ¡®pancakes¡¯ each, and a neatly arranged row of fried sausage that had been bias cut into thick, oval slices.


    Alex watched her work, laughing softly to himself. ¡°Reminds me of Portuguese sausage.¡±


    ¡°Oh? How so?¡± She just set the dirty dishes in the sink and shooed him away towards the table before he could start washing again.


    ¡°The cut, the way it looks. Easily the most familiar Tsla¡¯o food I¡¯ve seen so far, except for the noodles.¡± One of the foods she¡¯d shared back on the Khslav¡¯o had looked exactly like fettuccine. The sauce shattered the illusion, a very unappetizing shade of translucent green shot through with spicy red fibers. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to go to Hawaii at some point.¡±


    ¡°Is it on Earth?¡± She brought the plates over, setting them around the small, rectangular table. Two on one side, one on the other, setting a pair of chopsticks on the bottom edge of each plate. She paused, staring at the arrangement. ¡°Would you prefer to sit next to me, or across from me?¡±


    ¡°It is, yeah. Little tropical island chain out in the middle of the Pacific ocean.¡± Of course she wouldn''t be as familiar with the locales on someone else¡¯s home planet. ¡°We tend to chat during meals, and it¡¯s awkward if you¡¯re sitting next to me. Make me feel like we¡¯re being interrogated.¡±


    She slid the plate with the less carefully made pancakes across the table, rotating it to arrange the chopsticks properly. ¡°Now you may interrogate Neya and myself.¡±


    ¡°Well, hang on.¡± The door to the head opened and Neya returned, fluffed out from the dryer and naked again as she made a bee-line for the dresser. He averted his gaze and wondered just how much nudity was normal for Tsla¡¯o, because it seemed like it was a hell of a lot in private. The first eight months he¡¯d known Carbon for had been wildly inaccurate. ¡°Someone could sit at the end of the table and then we have triangulation so no one has to look over ninety degrees. Or we could get a square table. Maybe a round one.¡±


    ¡°You are putting too much effort into seating at a table with four chairs.¡± She sat down across from him with a smirk on her face. ¡°There will be so much effort put into seating at dinner, do not exhaust yourself with the subject now.¡±


    Alex groaned to himself. ¡°Speaking of that, I¡¯m going to need a rundown on etiquette for dinner. I¡¯m guessing that it¡¯s a bit more involved than family dinner at the Chinese restaurant.¡± That had only been last night. It felt like it¡¯d been months already. Repeated surprises from Neya had probably taken a year off his life in the hours since they¡¯d returned, so months was pretty good in his estimation.


    ¡°It is.¡± She glanced over at Neya, who was now partially wrapped in the long strips of cloth they used as undergarments. ¡°Though, I do not think you will have much difficulty with it, as it falls more towards repetition rather than complexity. For instance, when a course is served, the table waits for the host to partake before they do. The host decides when that course is cleared and everything but drinks will be taken - do not attempt to keep something. Beverages are refreshed and appropriate cutlery is placed between courses. The Empress has not been known to entertain herself with the timing of the courses, unlike some of her predecessors.¡±


    He was pretty sure that was how Human royalty did dining, not that he¡¯d gotten any closer to it than his mother¡¯s interest in royal families. ¡°Alright, that one is easy enough. Should we practice all this with breakfast?¡±


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Carbon glanced around the table. ¡°No, I do not want to put aside a quiet meal to pretend I¡¯m at a dinner I do not want to be at. I understand that formal dining for humans involves many different utensils?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s three or four forks? I dunno. It¡¯s a lot and very specific.¡± Honestly, bonus points for not having an incomprehensible series of forks, knives, and spoons laid out for him to fuck up the proper order of.


    She nodded, looking away as she puzzled something out. ¡°I have not seen the menu but there will likely be eight or ten courses. We have not had a formal dinner yet in celebration of our entwinement, so I am assuming she will fold that in and make it more extensive.¡±


    Neya joined them, a burnt-orange shirt wrapped around her torso, over plain black pants. She clicked her tongue and swapped the plates on that side of the table. ¡°Must you always do that?¡± She asked, sitting down beside Carbon.


    ¡°Only if you continue to insist upon taking my food.¡± Carbon had switched back to Tsla to address her, her words stern but carrying a slightly playful tone, and made no attempt at taking the plate back.


    ¡°Is that...¡± Alex was so far out of the loop here that he might as well have not been on board. ¡°Is that okay? I think it is based on your reaction, but I¡¯m recently acquainted with how little Tsla¡¯o culture I really know.¡±


    Carbon smiled, a soft laugh spilling from her as she scooted herself up to the table. ¡°It is fine, in this situation - she wants me to have nice things, not because of some sort of inequality.¡±


    Neya continued immediately, pointing at the malformed pancakes on her plate. ¡°She does this after she makes all of the other lace crackers normally and then keeps these misshapen ones for herself. It is little effort, she is still pouring the batter, and her technique is perfect. It is unfair to her.¡±


    Alex looked down at the ¡®lace crackers¡¯ in front of him, wondering if the translator got that one right or if it was another savory crepe moment. Accurate or not, the bread product on his plate still showed the intricate, lace-like drizzle of batter Carbon had used. ¡°The way she did those is way faster, though.¡±


    Carbon leaned back in her chair with a subtle smile on her face that still managed to be incredibly smug. ¡°It tastes the same.¡±


    ¡°It is the proper way to make them.¡± Neya sighed and seemed to resign herself from the conversation.


    ¡°Okay, trying to put some of my most recently acquired knowledge to work here: If you¡¯re not going to look out for yourself.¡± Alex nodded at Carbon first, before turning his attention to Neya, ¡°You¡¯ll look out for yourself.¡±


    Carbon was the first to respond. ¡°If I take your meaning correctly, that is very close to what is going on here, yes.¡±


    ¡°Agreed, even if the stakes are merely a properly formed breakfast.¡± Neya nodded back at him with a very pointed look. ¡°Though now I must also look out for myself.¡±


    ¡°You mean me when you say that, right?¡± He wasn¡¯t that good at this Zeshen business yet. ¡°Uh, us?¡±


    Neya closed her eyes and gave him a single nod. ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still going to take some getting used to.¡± Something just didn¡¯t sit right about other people looking out for him, outside of certain situations. Ed looked out for him during his training, that was fine. Ed was teaching him. Carbon looked out for him when she was his Engineer, fine. They were in a very supposed to do that for each other. Now as his wife, well... that was something he¡¯d have to get used to, too. He reached down and snapped a corner off the pancake, the texture more like a thin cookie. ¡°Let me give it a few days, I¡¯ll-¡±


    Alex was treated to the two of them reaching out and waving a hand to stop him at the same time. They used the same gesture, and he got a soft tisk and a click of the tongue in stereo. He recoiled slightly, eyes wide with that chunk of lace cracker still poised before his mouth.


    Carbon didn¡¯t seem to notice or care about that synchronized display. ¡°Like with formal dining, a meal made at home waits out of respect - though it waits for the cook.¡± She picked up her chopsticks and reached over to her stolen plate, breaking a small piece off the misshapen cracker and popping it in her mouth.


    Neya likewise was not bothered by anything that had just transpired. ¡°It is not an issue in a restaurant - the professional chef is paid for their work, a different form of respect. Or if you are eating from a dispenser, which is a form of disrespect to the self.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Alex ate the cracker. He was busy unwinding what he¡¯d just witnessed in his head, and he didn¡¯t taste it. A hint of that panic he had last night about the weaving, two individuals giving and taking from each other after years of mental links, crept back in. That, piled on top of how they were interacting right now - he saw lifelong friends sitting across from him, or a couple. That just didn¡¯t jibe with what he¡¯d been shown about Zeshen yesterday, what he had been told.


    ¡°She believes she can taste the difference between prepared and dispensed foods.¡± Carbon didn¡¯t seem to notice the turmoil he was going through as she ate. That made sense, it was inner turmoil for the time being.


    Neya gave a derisive little snort. ¡°It is because I can. Dispenser made food tastes like plastic and metal.¡±


    They continued talking about that as he continued to turn inward. How would he even breach that topic? Hey wife of three days, who I sort of dated for a couple of months and was coerced into marrying for protection, I noticed your not-a-personal-assistant, that my language doesn¡¯t have a word for and my culture doesn¡¯t have a comparable concept of, seems less like the thing you said and more like you¡¯re married to someone else, and that makes me feel really bad.


    Fuck, talk about the worst possible option floating to the surface first.


    Maybe it would do him well to sit on this for a few days, maybe a week. Get more information, figure out what his real feelings were. He would not try to figure this out on four hours of sleep. Take the time, see how everything shakes out once he¡¯d been able to acclimate himself to this whole situation. They were aliens, they¡¯re going to do alien stuff. Pretty tame compared to what movies had told him aliens would be like, not a single chest-burster to be found. Although he had been hunted a bit, but not for sport.


    And if things weren¡¯t looking good, if he didn¡¯t feel like this was something he could adapt to... He¡¯d have the time to figure out a better way to talk to Carbon about it.


    ¡°Alex?¡± Carbon was staring at him from across the table, a hint of concern in her voice.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± His eyes focused again, no longer staring out into the middle distance. He¡¯d picked up a slice of sausage while ruminating, holding it delicately between his fingers over the plate like he was about to make a point about something with it.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± She leaned in a little, eyebrows pulled together, ears perked up.


    ¡°Yeah, no. I¡¯m just working through some stuff. It¡¯s been a big...¡± He tapped his head with his free hand and checked the clock in his Amp. ¡°A big six and a half hours. Lots of learning to process.¡±


    Carbon sat back and looked him over, really scrutinizing his face. ¡°As you say, much has changed for you, literally overnight. I wish that I had the opportunity to ease you into... everything.¡± She sighed softly, glancing down at her plate.


    Alex got the distinct impression she didn¡¯t fully believe him. He wasn¡¯t exactly lying. There was a lot going on, he just wasn¡¯t forthcoming with the extent of it. ¡°You didn¡¯t think any of this was going to happen, you said so last night. I can hear you preparing to beat yourself up over it right now, so to get it out of the way: don¡¯t. Knock that off.¡± He finally made a point with the slice of sausage before tossing it into his mouth. Smokey, fatty, a little bit peppery, with other spices he wasn¡¯t familiar with. He could eat that every day.


    Neya looked like she was about to add something before Alex finished talking, but settled for a low, excited hum, violet eyes alive with mischief as she gave Carbon a sidelong glance.


    Carbon, in turn, groaned softly to herself.


    ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡± He went back to the ¡®cracker¡¯ and actually tasted it this time. It made him think of what would happen if you left most of the sugar out of a batch of shortbread cookies, and then pan fried it. A little more gritty, sure, but it left him wondering if you could fry cookies.


    ¡°Knock that off is going into my collection of things to say when this one decides she would prefer to beat herself up over things she cannot control, rather than accepting them and moving on towards a solution immediately.¡± Neya was pleased as could be to have that new phrase under her belt, grinning widely as she turned to Carbon and repeated it. ¡°Knock that off.¡±


    It was nice to see that translated clearly both ways. ¡°Knock it off would probably work too.¡± Alex was nothing if not helpful. This brief exchange with Neya was also easing his mind. There was no friction there. She appeared to be genuinely happy that he was looking out for Carbon, even if he was more coarse about it.


    He liked that she was looking out for Carbon, too.


    They did have a much longer history together. That wasn¡¯t bad, it was just different. If he had someone who was supposed to be himself, who was privy to his life and experiences, how would he act with that person after a decade? Like a brother? Like a couple that had been together for years?


    Maybe he was willing to find out.

 Gathering

    Getting Neya to take care of things was just as easy as Carbon had said it would be. Literally just had to ask, and provide a little extra information when prompted. Setting her upon the tasks of figuring out what happened to his luggage and finding out if there were any books, texts, or any sort of media - preferably nonfiction, but if it was accurate then fiction would do - that were pertinent to his situation was trivial.


    Neya did not seem particularly burdened by this extra work either, which put Alex at ease. After breakfast she departed with Carbon¡¯s sigil broach tucked away in her shirt should she need to put a little oomph behind any particular task.


    Alex verified they didn¡¯t have anything to do for several hours, and went back to bed.


    Carbon joined him.


    ¡°I admit, I am curious about your... modesty when Neya is here. You are not like that when it is just me.¡± She nestled up against him, taking advantage of the lack of Neya.


    He had originally wanted to just take a nap, setting an alarm in his Amp and everything. Carbon following him changed the timeline for extra sleep a little bit. ¡°I dunno, it¡¯s just weird to have a stranger around. Doubly so when she¡¯s already naked. Makes me self conscious. I know she¡¯s not a stranger to you, but I only met her a couple of days ago.¡±


    Carbon hummed into his neck before reaching up to pluck her phone off the headboard, screen lighting her up as she tapped around on it. She spoke quietly to herself in Tsla, picking one thing after the next.


    He craned his neck over to see what she was doing - it looked a lot like she was digging through a translation dictionary.


    ¡°Ah. Hm. This is curious.¡± She continued tapping through to different words and scrolling through all the text attached to them. ¡°Your idea of nudity and ours may not be the same.¡±


    ¡°Not wearing clothes is pretty straightforward.¡± It had seemed like it was until she said that, anyway.


    ¡°Yes, yes. For you - if I am interpreting these definitions correctly - it is the exposure of the body that carries more importance.¡± Carbon continued to study the little screen in her hands, going back over several pages that had distinct strings of characters that Alex could not read. ¡°We have several kinds of bodily exposure. A state of undress, to us, does not seem to carry the right weight given how particular you are about it.¡±


    Based on how casually Carbon and Neya treated their own nudity, that was clear enough. ¡°Inclined to agree there. The fur probably has something to do with it, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is always present, so it could be a constant that is just not thought about. There is a term for-¡± She stopped rather abruptly, looking away with a hum before she started again. ¡°A humiliating form of fur loss. It is yet further distinct from your general purpose nudity. Do you suppose your view of it is a moral quandary?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s moral or a social thing... Likely formed by morals. I didn¡¯t grow up in an environment where everybody was naked once they came home. I mean, you¡¯ve seen how I dress. That¡¯s how it is for me until I take a shower or go to bed. You don¡¯t just go wandering around with your bits flapping in the breeze.¡± There was one aspect that was definitely social, though. ¡°There¡¯s a healthy dose of self consciousness in there, too.¡±


    That caught her off guard, the gleam in her eyes from the screen darting up to look at him. ¡°What do you have to be self conscious of? Is it your height?¡±


    ¡°No. What? If anything, my height is something I¡¯ve been happy with for quite awhile.¡± That was not what he was expecting. The Tsla¡¯o were all a very similar height, probably eight or ten centimeters of variance as far as he¡¯d seen. Carbon seemed to be on the tall end of things for them, too. ¡°Just high school again. Everybody talks shit in the locker room. I didn¡¯t get too much trouble, but just hearing it all the time grated on me and I hated it, so now group nudity takes me back.¡±


    ¡°I do not like your high school.¡± Her eyes shifted back down to the screen with an exasperated huff.


    ¡°Yeah, same.¡± Alex shrugged. ¡°So, there you go: probably social issues combined with personal issues. Easy.¡±


    ¡°As I consider my past experiences, it is not so different for us. We do not strip all our dress off when we close the door for the evening. We do take off the jacket or outermost layer, as you are well aware of, but at minimum the... Daman will stay on.¡± She clicked a button on the device in her hand and the screen turned off, the room dark once again. ¡°I think you may have your view distorted. She had gone to bed when we returned last night, after all. A time when you would have been naked, yes?¡±


    ¡°Is that underwear? My translator¡¯s off.¡± That was true, it was the middle of the night and an unreasonable amount of stuff has happened since then. ¡°And yes, things were looking pretty clothes-free at the time, and I would not have jumped up to get dressed after those activities. Point taken.¡±


    ¡°Not quite underwear. You¡¯ve seen what we would call underwear, back on the Kshlav¡¯o. This is the wrapped layer. Suitable for around the home or formal wear, depending on the style. Easy enough to simply pull pants on over should one need to go out again.¡± Carbon reached up and put the phone away, snuggling herself back down against him. ¡°Among citizens, daman ko is more popular. It looks traditional but is stitched to a garment so it is just pulled on like underwear.¡±


    Formal wear, huh? ¡°I get the feeling that I¡¯m going to be familiar with this soon.¡±


    Carbon laughed. ¡°You will, though I do not expect you to have picked up how to wear it just yet.¡±


    ¡°First time for everything.¡± All this discussion of clothes was bringing up questions he¡¯d had back in sickbay but wasn¡¯t about to ask someone he didn¡¯t know, or a doctor, about. ¡°Hey, so... Remember the hospital gown thing? And the ankles thing?¡±


    ¡°Why did no one care about your nudity?¡± She asked, clearly remembering both of those things.


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°Mh. I believe you are right about it being the fur. We have our ¡®hospital gown¡¯ on all the time, and we lack the ¡®bits flapping in the breeze¡¯. Beyond that, taking advantage of the sick or injured, even leering at them, that is a moral issue.¡± She took advantage of the fact he was not currently sick or injured, sliding a leg along his and laying a wandering hand on his abdomen. ¡°Even if they are an alien with shockingly stout limbs.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Tsla¡¯o keep everything internal.¡± That had been mentioned in passing in the primer, with no real details about what it had meant from a biology point of view. At the time he hadn¡¯t expected to ever need that information. Things were perfectly straightforward with Carbon so far, so that was not likely to change even if his bosses would probably like to know more. ¡°Even the guys?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. A curious difference between our peoples.¡± Carbon scooted herself up and kissed his neck. ¡°But not an onerous one.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve noticed.¡± He laughed and curled an arm around her. ¡°Picking up where we left off, I take it?¡±


    The doorbell rang. Alex assumed it was a doorbell, it had that sort of chime that you could hear through a couple of walls in a normal house, which their cabin was clearly emulating.


    They both heaved an annoyed sigh.


    Alex untangled himself from Carbon, taking the job as he was closest to the edge of the bed. Pausing only to pull his pants and shirt back on as he walked out to the foyer, double checked that the interior door was secure, and hit the flashing green button on the exterior door controls. He turned on his audio translation, skipping visual for now. While he couldn¡¯t read the display, he knew that the blue button opened the door and the orange one locked it.


    The green button opened the video feed from the other side of the heavy door, Specialist Amalu standing way too close to the camera, gray fur only a shade darker than his gray fatigues, a familiar black bag slung over his shoulder. ¡°Oh hey. Hang on, let me get the door.¡± Alex thumbed the button without a second thought.


    ¡°Sir, I have-¡± He launched into explaining what he was doing there before being interrupted by the door starting to roll open. ¡°Ah, all right.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for bringing this by, I don¡¯t actually have any other clothes on board.¡± Alex said, reaching out to take the bag just as soon as the door was open. He immediately began to pepper him with questions. ¡°How are you doing, anyway? Dinner settle alright? Everybody on the security detail find something they liked?¡±


    The Specialist, despite having dealt with Alex and his family the night before, had not been prepared for a barrage of inquiry that was so casual. He straightened up a little bit and answered everything. ¡°Of course, sir. I am doing well, and have had no problems with the food from last night. I believe everyone did find something enjoyable, the fate cookies have been popular with everyone. I did not inquire for specifics, but if you would like I can-¡±


    ¡°No no, you¡¯re good. Just wanted to make sure no one got left out.¡± He looped the strap of the bag over his shoulder and suppressed a sigh. There was probably no chance of having a normal conversation with Amalu, given that he was taking their rank difference seriously. Alex found himself unhappy with that thought, but put on a warm smile anyway, and carefully bowed to the Specialist. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t keep you further. Again, thank you for bringing this around, makes my day a lot easier.¡±


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°It is my duty, sir.¡± He gave a deep bow, silvery eyes twitching to check the surroundings, lowering his voice before continuing despite there being no one else around as far as Alex could tell. ¡°Thank you for allowing us to be partake of dinner with your family. I- It has been a long time since I have had that experience.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, of course. Mom wouldn¡¯t have heard otherwise.¡± Alex laughed and gave him an amicable smack on the shoulder as his words sank in. This guy was twenty. That was way too young to be saying things like that. Though, given the scope of the destruction on Schoen, there were probably kids who could say they¡¯d simply never had dinner with their families for the same reason. ¡°Take care of yourself, alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± He had that same look from the night before, just barely keeping his shit together as he held a fist to his chest in a salute and bowed again before stepping back from the doorway and striding quickly down the hall.


    Alex toggled the door, only returning to the cabin after the bolts had locked into place. He set the bag by the dresser and sat heavily on the edge of the bed.


    ¡°Bad news?¡± Carbon scooted over and slipped an arm around his waist as concern filled her voice.


    ¡°No.¡± He sighed and shrugged. ¡°No bad news. Just Amalu being a good guy despite the fact I think his family is at least trapped on Schoen, if not all dead. The personal scope of the situation there is kind of starting to come into focus for me now.¡± The videos had made it clear that it was bad, but finding that every other person he met had these massive losses was disturbing.


    Carbon sat up and set her hands on his shoulders, then pulled him back down to the mattress before laying over his chest. There was a dry playfulness to her voice when she spoke, not teasing him, but welcoming him to the club. ¡°Some of the worst news, then? Realizations that weigh down the heart?¡±


    Alex offered no resistance, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing hard enough to get a grunt out of her. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve watched this kid nearly cry twice in one day because we were kind to him, and that¡¯s fucked up.¡± Rationally, he knew Carbon had lost family as well, probably more than she¡¯d spoken of. She just didn¡¯t seem to carry it so close to the surface, which made sense considering how focused on appearing strong for those around her she was.


    ¡°He is not much younger than you.¡±


    ¡°I know! That makes it worse. Like I get that I¡¯m probably not supposed to be like, ¡®hey every person that looks sad, welcome to the family¡¯ because... One, that¡¯s an unsustainable thing to try to do. And two, I¡¯m guessing there¡¯s some distance everyone is supposed to keep because I¡¯m technically a royal now and they¡¯re not.¡± That second one was more upsetting. He wanted friends. A little bit of that was a strange sense of desolation - he had only been on board for a few days, and he did have Carbon, and Neya by proxy, but that was it. Seventeen thousand souls aboard and he was on a first name basis with two of them, and one still called him by his title sometimes.


    He¡¯d also never been stabbed by a friend before, so having more of them around at least felt like it¡¯d reduce the chances of that happening again.


    ¡°I am not ready for so large a family.¡± She hummed in agreement. ¡°That gap between royal and commoner is not so great, though military personnel will find it particularly difficult to cross.¡±


    They talked about that divide for some time, where Alex might find it more easy to cross, and how a lot of it sounded like networking and not having friends. Eventually he nodded off, finally getting the nap he¡¯d been wanting.


    The most remarkable thing was that he actually felt better after he woke up, despite the grating feeling of the Amp¡¯s alarm sounding. It was just like any other alarm he¡¯d had, but the beeping coming from inside his head was an unpleasant experience that usually left him disoriented as his still sleep fogged mind tried to figure out where that scratchy noise was coming from.


    He woke up Carbon, who appeared to have trusted his ability to set an alarm, and they prepared for the meeting. A quick trip through the shower left him clean and smelling like Tsla¡¯o soap, which he assumed would help make a good impression... and it was all they had right now anyway. Carbon had made the bed and was busy sorting his bag out, his haphazard repacking of items from several boxes leaving her vexed.


    Still, there was plenty to choose from already - he went with what he perceived as also being Tsla¡¯o friendly - those black work pants he¡¯d gotten from Uncommon, and a t-shirt to match. Yes, it was from the Rust Bucket, Mars¡¯ premier tourist trap bar. Yes, Carbon was annoyed by that, but relented when he pointed out that he would be wearing a jacket that was appropriate for his station, so none of the logos would be visible.


    It was an easy trip down to the conference room - there was only one tram running the length of the ship, taking them from near the bow to somewhere further aft, a short walk to the conference room in a secured portion of the ship that they had to retina scan to enter.


    "I''m just saying, I never submitted a scan. Somebody took it while I was out." Alex slumped into a tiny chair as best he could and fiddled with his external translator, the white device draped over his shoulders like he actually needed it. They had arrived at the conference room first, a long wooden table ending in what looked like a 3D hologram projector taking up most of space. Tapestries hung from the walls, these ones displaying a series of battles, ranging from melee weapons to propeller driven aircraft, unlike the purely decorative tapestries that Eleya¡¯s room had used.


    "If they performed a full body scan, which is standard procedure when a critical patient arrives in a surgical suite, it would contain all of that information." Carbon stood behind him, leaning on the back of his chair and resting her chin on his head. ¡°It would be easy enough for someone with the appropriate clearance to use that to build out your access profile at the behest of the Empress.¡±


    "Fine, that makes sense." It was annoying, more than anything. He needed access around here, but it would have been nice to be involved in the process and not have his retinal scan be in the machine as a little surprise.


    Carbon leaned down to kiss his ear, straightening up suddenly as the door opened. She noticed that Alex wasn¡¯t doing anything other than looking down the table, gave him a little pat on the shoulder and spoke to him in a low tone, ¡°stand up when others enter.¡±


    Alex pushed himself up out of the chair as two more Tsla¡¯o who he didn¡¯t think he recognized stepped into the room. They were both dressed in dark gray military tunics and wore shoulder mounted AI¡¯s, antennae swept back into them. One was an older male, gray fur turning silver around the mouth and temple, and missing a chunk of one ear and probably half the antenna on the same side. Age and injury didn¡¯t seem to have taken the edge off him as he evaluated Alex with a sharp gaze.


    The younger one was probably a female, an almost brown shade of red, alert but relaxed. They wore the same battalion insignia but obviously different rank badges. Alex couldn¡¯t read either of those, his Amp didn¡¯t seem to be inclined to translate whatever symbols they used for that.


    ¡°Sir, ma¡¯am.¡± The older one acknowledged them with a bow, then stepped up to Alex with his hand out.


    It took Alex a second to realize what he was doing, unused to having a Tsla¡¯o offer a handshake. He accepted a moment later, suddenly aware that he wasn¡¯t sure how much pressure would be right. ¡°Good to meet you...¡±


    ¡°Colonel Lhenan, sir. This is Sergeant Zhensen.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t met either of them before, that was a relief. ¡°Colonel. Pleased to make your acquaintance.¡±


    ¡°Likewise.¡± The Colonel broke off the handshake and sidestepped him to speak with Carbon.


    ¡°Prince Sorenson, correct?¡± Sergeant Zhensen said in lightly accented English as she walked up to him. She had a friendly sort of smirk on her face and what he could only describe as a very Human swagger to her step, hand thrust out in front of her.


    One of them doing that was odd, both was damn weird. Carbon had said that they had more experience working with Humans, though, so this shouldn¡¯t be a surprise. He shook her hand, of course. ¡°Yes. Just recently... Still not used to the title.¡±


    ¡°Understandable, sir.¡± She leaned in and lowered her voice. ¡°Do not mind the Colonel. While he is unsure what to make of your appointment, he is committed to the Empire.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that.¡± He looked over his shoulder, Carbon and the Colonel deep into a conversation already. ¡°I¡¯m trying not to rock the boat too much, but I¡¯ve come to the conclusion it¡¯s unavoidable that I will cause some trouble. I mean, more trouble.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ve rocked the boat already. Among the military, his reaction is common. They trust that between the Princess and the Empress you have been thoroughly vetted, despite how unusual this is.¡± She leaned against the table with her arms crossed over her chest, entirely self possessed. ¡°I myself am somewhat surprised we don¡¯t hear about this kind of thing more often. Humans are a very outgoing lot, throwing themselves at anything that seems challenging.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s something.¡± He rubbed the back of his neck and sat down. The Sergeant spoke English as well as anyone he¡¯d ever met, most of the sibilant tones from Tsla tamped down. Now that she talked a bit more he recognized the accent as very faintly British. A bunch of big colonies had that going on, so the odds were pretty good. ¡°You seem to be unusually well adapted to, y¡¯know, Human custom.¡±


    ¡°The Colonel and I have worked with Humans extensively over the last year and a half, though I have spent more time among them... I am very comfortable with the idea that your kind are not what the rumors say.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good.¡± It was. If he wasn¡¯t looking at an alien he¡¯d be easily convinced he was talking to another Human right now. That ended up being kind of disconcerting, which was not what he¡¯d been hoping for at all.


    ¡°It is.¡± She watched Carbon and the Colonel talk for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you two were the first onto the artifact?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we were.¡± Alex wasn¡¯t sure how much he should be saying about that, but they were there to talk about the artifact so all of this would probably come up anyway. ¡°Hell of a place.¡±


    She nodded in agreement. ¡°It looks very impressive.¡±


    The hologram plate warmed up behind them and Carbon cursed under her breath at a datapad in her hands. Alex excused himself and rolled the chair down to her side, eyebrow cocked. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°They were issued a new translator module.¡± She gestured to the Colonel, more specifically the simple machine interface perched on his shoulders.


    ¡°So? Is it bad, or what?¡± He didn¡¯t get where Carbon was going with this, looking between her and the Colonel, who looked a little bit lost as well.


    ¡°See for yourself.¡± Carbon gestured at the display, a maze of microcircuitry displayed floating in the air, massive arrays of transistors and infinitesimally small capacitors.


    This was even less enlightening to Alex, at first glance he had thought it looked like a map of a city, but that''s not what you would find in a new translator. ¡°Looks like... a processor?¡±


    ¡°It is, but it is not of Tsla¡¯o origin.¡± She tapped on the control panel and scrolled through a file. ¡°The design first appeared in the system three days ago. This was stolen from your translator.¡±


    Ah. ¡°The one that got stabbed?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She growled.


    The door opened, the ozone smell of cloaked armor filtering into the room as Eleya entered, only one guard wavering in behind her. Zhensen and Lhenan snapped to attention immediately, a hand clutched over their heart in salute. Alex leaned back in his chair and waved to his very favorite Empress.


    Carbon turned slowly, eyes narrow. ¡°Dearest aunt... Would you care to explain this?¡±

 Breaking Point

    Eleya waited until the door closed behind her before continuing down to the end of the conference table, standing on the other side of the holo projector and inspecting the design on display. She picked a loose hair off her deep blue jacket, geometric designs woven in with sliver and gold, before looking over at her niece. The Empress raised an eyebrow at Carbon, lips pressed tight and already annoyed. ¡°I do not know what that is. You are aware that technology was never the focus of my studies.¡±


    ¡°This is the newest version of our translator module, two days old.¡± Carbon practically hissed in Tsla as she tapped at the datapad in her hand, digging into the data stores to find a comparison. The projector went dark for a moment before an image of a much less complex design lit it up. She pointed at it, not that familiar with it, but the chip sitting in the middle was incredibly common. There were probably ten of them in this very room. ¡°Our original module. According to the logs, unchanged since an update to the microphone over a decade ago.¡±


    Eleya did not look particularly impressed, shaking her head with a little shrug. ¡°As I just said, I have never pursued technology. If a new processor design was issued and works well, I¡¯ll be sure to congratulate the team that worked on it. If it does not, it appears that we still have the ability to produce the old unit?¡±


    ¡°It is not our design. Not evolutionary, not revolutionary...¡± Carbon¡¯s voice lowered, accusatory, as she flipped back to the first chip. Eleya¡¯s behavior had always been difficult to follow, although her drive, her goals, never changed. It was clearly intentional. Carbon¡¯s fingertip slid across the tablet in her hand, highlighting a segment of repeated squares, an explanation of what it was spilling out onto the holodisplay in Tsla. ¡°Multiple rewritable, pipelined language decoding channels. For decades ours have used software running on a single multipurpose processor, capable of translating one audio stream at a time. But we have just now jumped to dedicated hardware with four concurrent streams? There have been modifications, but the core of it is decidedly Human in origin. Look at the power regulation.¡±


    ¡°That is curious.¡± Eleya seemed to be bored by this already. She gave Alex, still sitting in his chair, a quick look with no small amount of scorn in it. No doubt attempting to spur him into controlling his wife. Finding no reaction besides confusion from her beloved, the Empress set her gaze upon Carbon once more. ¡°Though I admit, I do not see what that has to do with why we are here.¡±


    ¡°It has nothing to do with why we are here, but now is a good time to discuss it. You said you wanted us to have better access to Human technology. Did you not?¡± Carbon leaned against the table, glaring across it at the Empress. Of all the secrets she¡¯d kept, this one had felt the worst even when she¡¯d merely tolerated the presence of Humans.


    She clicked her tongue and shook her head in disapproval. ¡°Yes, and that was years ago... Long before all that has befallen our kind, and long before we undertook any ventures with the Humans.¡±


    ¡°I am thinking of a much more recent statement.¡± She stood up and crossed her arms over her chest, pad still clutched in one hand. Eleya had never meant for any of this to make to her before she left to work with the Kshlav¡¯o, apparently. ¡°I believe your exact words were ¡®we will get back twice what we give, in one way or another.¡¯ Were they not? Taken right from the scripture.¡±


    For a moment, Eleya¡¯s composure broke. It was subtle, her lip curled and her eyes shined with anger. A heartbeat later it had passed, her cool demeanor only betrayed by a twitch of her arms and clipped words. ¡°I never said such a thing. Whoever told you that was fabricating it.¡±


    Carbon set her jaw, lips curled down in contempt. The fucking audacity. So it would be lies stacked on lies? Fine. Perhaps a little more evidence is in order. ¡°I have not been told, Empress, I have been shown.¡±


    She replied with a sharp laugh, a hand set on the table as she leaned towards her niece. ¡°By who?¡±


    ¡°The first time was an Admiral. I did not think much of it, you have a difficult job. A few little lies here and there to smooth things over until results can be shown are understandable. Not my favorite method of gaining compliance, but these are hard times.¡° She paused, a tiny sad laugh filling the otherwise silent room. ¡°You looked so smug. It really sold the performance.¡±


    ¡°Which. Admiral.¡± Eleya had been backed into a corner with the knowledge that Carbon had seen the statement in a link, the disdain for this crystal clear on her face as she shifted to simply demanding to know who had spilled this privileged information.


    ¡°Which Admirals.¡± Carbon smiled faintly, azure eyes cold in the overhead lights. ¡°They weren¡¯t the only ones. Four people all thought I was part of your plan to steal Human technology... I still do not know if it was just a lie you told over and over again, but they all thought I was part of it. I am starting to think they were right, but not about the role I was to play.¡±


    Eleya looked like she had bitten into something particularly unpleasant. ¡°While this has been a delightful talk, I still do not see your point. We both knew that handing over our drives would advance Human waverider technology by decades. There is nothing wrong with wanting equitable trade.¡±


    ¡°The trade was letting us use their research and ship to find new planets!¡± Carbon burst out, slamming the datapad down on the table and sending it skittering across the room. She seethed at the piece of shit standing across from her. She had thought, for quite a long time, that Eleya was actually looking out for their people. It was stupid, to think that the Empress would do anything but use her. ¡°New homes for our people! Places where they could live, and be whole, and begin to put these horrors behind them! Not to sneak about, stabbing people in the back to get what you want.¡±


    Her eyebrow went up again, looking between Carbon and Alex. A malign smile crossed her face, a heavy dose of malice in her voice. ¡°Ah, I see. This is about your toy, is it?¡±


    The silence between them was cold and crisp as Carbon¡¯s face contorted in rage, her teeth bared with wild look in her eye as everyone else in the room tried to make sense of this exchange between the two most powerful people in the Empire. The Colonel actually took a step away from Eleya, silver-gray eyes evaluating her in a new light. Alex sat up and reached out, trying to get her attention.


    Carbon didn¡¯t see any of that, the universe collapsed down into a finite point of hate immediately across the room. She stepped back and grabbed the chair next to her, and hurled it over the conference table.


    She lept up onto the table right behind it, the lightweight chair making contact with its intended target - Eleya¡¯s guard. Protocol dictated that the Captain of the guard would stand to her right, so that¡¯s where the chair was aimed. The assault caught him by surprise, staggering back into a loosely defensive posture as the cloaking field was disrupted and brought him clearly into view for a moment. Carbon took one step to cross the conference table, the next snapped out at the Captain¡¯s flickering form, catching him squarely in the throat.


    No hard armor there, only the thinnest amount of impact gel - it would be a shock to the system. Far from fatal, but he was about to wish that it had been.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Her boot came to rest on the deep V shaped bevor on the chest piece, extra protection so blast or spall didn¡¯t shred your muzzle, and now a handy foothold. She shoved off the table with her back foot, sending the Captain tumbling, her inertia moving his center of gravity far beyond what the lightly boosted suit could reasonably expect to hold up. He slammed into the ground with a deeply muffled groan, hands raised to protect his throat.


    Not his weapon.


    Before anyone really knew what was happening, before Alex could even get out of his chair to try and stop this, Carbon had retrieved the Captain¡¯s sword and snapped the blade out, the monofilament wires cutting a glittering arc in the cold lights of the conference room and filling it with a quiet hum. The other guard had a stun baton out already, the charged stick playing havoc with the cloaking field. A lunge forward and a flick of the impossibly sharp edge hacked a chunk of the baton off, rendering it inert. Carbon pivoted and shifted direction, all but slamming Eleya up against the wall with her forearm, the tip of the wire sword held her throat. Carbon¡¯s lips curled back, eyes burning with hate. ¡°Perhaps you would like to rethink your words, dearest aunt.¡±


    A healthy amount of fear filled out Eleya¡¯s eyes now, wide with shock. She gazed into the violent response she had finally provoked and her mouth twitched towards a smirk before she began to laugh. She was amused by this, the fear on her face replaced with... pride? The smirk that had almost formed quickly developed into an enthusiastic grin. ¡°You really are your mother¡¯s daughter.¡±


    This did not make Carbon ease up at all, sword trembling from the adrenaline running through her veins. ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Your father does not have the fortitude to do that.¡± She waved her other guard away with a curt little hand motion, the ghostly vision wavering as it stepped back. ¡°And your mother did. Tashen and your father had to pull her off of me once... But she had not trained to fight, and certainly not trained to fight cloaked opponents. Is that what they are teaching to Lan these days?¡±


    Hate still boiled in her. It was Eleya¡¯s existence that had pushed her to learn to fight, the Royal Guard specifically. The knowledge that someday she¡¯d end up as a pawn, traded against her will as a payment... Even as a child, she had known that the Guard would be the ones enforcing it. Training to be a Lan put her in close proximity to the military - and they loved having an apprentice who was interested in their domain. All she had to do was ask and she was getting personal lessons from the same people who trained the Guard. Carbon knew that Eleya¡¯s inquiry about her skill was just an attempt at deflection. Her reply came out as little more than a growl. ¡°Why did my mother attack you?¡±


    ¡°I am sure you remember.¡± She sighed and lowered her voice, though her eyes never wavered. ¡°I am sorry. It was cruel, I should not have said it. It has caused you so much pain that I had never considered when I did it.¡±


    Carbon relaxed, somewhat. She had never expected Eleya to recognize that she had done wrong by her. Ever. Not even if one of them were dying. It took nearly thirty years, and a sword held to her throat, but her aunt even apologized. Carbon didn¡¯t sense a bit of resentment in her words, it didn¡¯t feel like she was trying to dodge responsibility for her actions. She didn¡¯t release Eleya yet, but she lowered the tip of the sword from Eleya¡¯s neck and let it drop... though it was still held ready at her abdomen. ¡°And your desire to take from the Humans?¡±


    ¡°A simple lie told several times is easier to make truth than a dozen interwoven. Think about the people who shared that with you. You do not know them like I do, you have not spent much time in the court. I assure you they were all greedy parasites, ready to carve out their own little corners of the Empire.¡± Eleya huffed, annoyed to even speak of them. ¡°If we fractured, shattered into fiefdoms, there would be no deals with the Humans. We would turn inward, bleed ourselves dry. No homes, no healing, just a death mark.¡±


    ¡°Do you have proof?¡± Carbon had eased up further, still holding Eleya firmly against the wall. The murderous intent that had sent her over the table in the first place had all but drained from her.


    Eleya tipped her head at Colonel Lhenan. ¡°He dealt with Governer Teraha personally when that fool decided the wait was intolerable. Not a bright one, but he had made some friends.¡±


    Carbon lifted an ear in the Colonel¡¯s direction, never looking away from her aunt.


    ¡°It is as she says. He planned to break his entire sector free of the Empire, then turn around and start raiding us.¡± The Colonel¡¯s words were clear and concise, and he was trustworthy. A friend of the Emperor, may he rest, and a hero for his actions on Zeshela. ¡°It was seen, and stopped.¡±


    This mollified her somewhat, though the sword did not waver. ¡°Fine. A lie to corral the treacherous. And the assassination attempt on Alex?¡±


    ¡°I had nothing to do with the attack on the young prince. If you do not believe me, consider that it was not nearly as well contained as it should have been to merely be convenient. A twitch in the wrong way and that blade would have ended his life. Right after I brought him into the fold? For a translator? That would make me look like an idiot. Besides, not even the rest of his implants are worth what happened to Tashen.¡± The Empress laughed again, clipped and sarcastic. ¡°I hope you do not actually think that I am that petty, particularly after what we paid for the mediboards.¡±


    Carbon was well aware of the fact that they were almost done adapting the mediboards for Tsla¡¯o, so it wasn¡¯t just for Alex... And it pained her to realize she¡¯d forgotten that Tashen had been beaten into a coma, if only for a day. She retracted the blade and released her aunt with a single nod.


    ¡°The doctors had to remove the unit anyway, it was leaking something into him.¡± She waggled her fingers in Alex¡¯s general direction, straightened her jacket and settled into a seat like she hadn¡¯t just been held at sword point. She turned the chair and looked up at Carbon. ¡°But when your house has spiders, dear niece, you ferment them.¡±


    Carbon was aware of how the court operated, the unspoken language of how Royals acted. Eleya stepping past her - still armed and unrestrained - and carrying on like there had been no altercation was the same as a pardon. She hadn¡¯t been thinking that far into the future when she¡¯d thrown that chair, but... maybe Eleya really did care about her, actually wanted to make things right. The idea that everything that was going on wasn¡¯t just some kind of ruse to hurt her again felt uncomfortable to think about.


    ¡°Fine, you have made your point.¡± She twisted the pommel of the sword, locking the blade deploy system out and tucked it away inside her jacket, threading the thin hilt into her daman like some kind of movie hero. She¡¯d won the fight - yes, she had struck first without warning. He had invisibility, strength boosting power armor, and a real weapon. That should have been an overwhelming advantage. It didn¡¯t matter at this point, the loser''s weapon was forfeit. She¡¯d give it back to him eventually, but right now he¡¯d have to deal with that humiliation.


    ¡°I have done too much wrong by you, Carbon. I will do what I should have done decades ago.¡± Eleya reached out and set a hand on her arm, the two looking at each other once more. A lifetime¡¯s worth of regret was clear in her face and she still seemed recalcitrant. ¡°I do not think you will trust it, but you have my word.¡±


    ¡°It lies with you to prove it good.¡± She slipped from Eleya¡¯s touch and stepped back, not quite ready for that at the moment. Carbon brushed past the wavering form of the guard before returning to Alex¡¯s side, pulling the last chair at that end of the table along behind her.


    ¡°So it will be...¡± Eleya closed her eyes and bowed deeply, head nearly touching the table.


    That deep a bow was very rare for an Imperial. Carbon took it in stride, despite her surprise. ¡°I look forward to it.¡±


    Alex leaned in, his voice low and panicked. ¡°What the fuck was that? Are you okay? What. The. Fuck? Is she going to kill you?¡±


    ¡°I believe we just needed to speak truthfully for once. The air has needed clearing for far too long.¡± Carbon replied just as quietly but much more composed and gave him a faint, warm smile as she patted his arm. She turned back to Eleya as she mulled it over what to say next, foot tapping thoughtfully under the table. ¡°I agree, all of that does not seem like something you would have orchestrated. There were not enough ways for you to turn the situation to your favor.¡±


    ¡°I knew you had been paying attention all these years.¡± Eleya grinned broadly, obviously delighted by her statement. ¡°Now, do you mind if we turn to the matter at hand?¡±

 Planning

    Despite Eleya¡¯s declaration that they should proceed with the meeting, there was an awkward silence that lingered for some time. The Royal Guard that had quite abruptly had his career ended got back up and slunk out of the room, another wavering form taking his place behind the Empress. Colonel Lhenan straightened his tunic and stepped back up to the table, clearing the holodisplay and fishing a data cartridge from some unseen pocket and loading it into the control panel built into the table.


    Sergeant Zenshen moved up, taking the seat next to Alex. She elbowed his arm and leaned in, speaking in a low, harsh voice that was just loud enough for him to hear. "Aye yo, what the fuck was that?"


    Alex looked over his shoulder at her, only a little surprised to see that they were both roughly the same level of freaked out about what had just transpired. He shifted in his seat and leaned over, lowering his voice as well. "I don¡¯t know, I guess they just had to talk it out? It¡¯s been building for a while. I think."


    This was not a particularly relaxing explanation, apparently. "That was not talking things out."


    "I mean, no. Not at all, but that''s pretty much how it goes when they talk, in my experience. Which, I admit, this is only the second time I¡¯ve seen them in a room together. First time I was pretty sure she was going to take a swing too, though." He sat up, then returned to their conference after reconsidering. "But without weapons. That was new."


    She blanched and slid down in her seat a little bit further. "I had been warned they were not on good terms, but I did not expect to see an assassination attempt. Or watch it get swept under the rug.¡±


    Colonel Lhenan cleared his throat and dimmed the lights, the holographic pad humming to life again. ¡°The information we are going to cover is classified. Please keep this in mind.¡±


    In the darkness, Alex couldn¡¯t see the Colonel but he was fairly sure that Lhenan was just talking to him when he said that. A panel showing an image of the enormous ring materialized in the air at the end of the conference table. It appeared to be facing him exactly, but if it was like Human hologram technology, everyone would see it that way.


    ¡°This is the artifact ring, located in local space. Images taken four days ago. As of yet the Humans have not been able to determine if it is the same ring that was encountered in the cluster-globe or a different one. There is no discernable difference between the two. Current theory they are discussing is that, as these are clearly manufactured, that there are at least two and possibly more.¡± He reached down and tapped the controls, shuffling through images of it. Several up close with Human measurements superimposed - with the measurements in Tsla superimposed over that.


    ¡°It was suggested that there is only a single ring currently in play. My counterparts with the Confederation Navy do not like that as it indicates there is someone with the ability to near-instantly traverse at least two thousand light years and set up a stable wormhole wherever they please. I am inclined to agree with them.¡± He tapped through the last few images. ¡°Though the idea of having an unknown force staging something untraceable like this nearby to their home system was not received any more positively.¡±


    ¡°They attempted to take a sample of the ring material but were unable to.¡± The slide changed to a video, the camera slowly approaching the faintly curved outer edge. It drew to a stop, the surface textured with the same curlicues as the walkway inside had been. A cutting disk at the end of a machine arm spun up, the camera jittering as it pressed the tool to the ring but there was no other reaction. It appeared to spin freely, not heating or producing any sign of work. ¡°As you can see here, the material appears to be either frictionless or using some sort of shield technology that we cannot detect or damage.¡±


    ¡°Drone or manned craft?¡± Alex had an actual question, surprising himself a little as he asked.


    The Colonel didn¡¯t miss a beat. ¡°A refit mining drone, remotely operated via tether. There were several other drones in the vicinity for observation.¡± He tapped over to another video, showing a beat up old mining drone applying tools to the ring, zooming in for a very long time before refocusing on a drill bit spinning. Alex couldn¡¯t tell if it was touching the ring, or held a millimeter off from it. If that was a shield, it was incredibly thin and remarkably conformal - and should have been shedding at least a little energy from the tool or entropy.


    ¡°Their scans?¡± Eleya was quiet, remarkably respectful sounding. Alex found that almost as disconcerting as them talking about Humans like he wasn¡¯t there... or like he wasn¡¯t one.


    ¡°They also turned up nothing. We had dispatched the Avanara to assist, along with several shuttles, and it would appear that our scanners are not appreciably more advanced in the face of this relic.¡± Lhenan tapped through several items, mostly complex looking charts with Tsla translations slapped down over them, and a series natively in Tsla that looked just as complex.


    Alex would have gotten all of it if he wasn¡¯t waiting on visual translations to get it back into English, each one finishing just as the next slide arrived. Probably Accardi-qBranch or just spectro, based on the layout. Just like the scans he had run back on the Kshlav¡¯o, there appeared to be almost no usable data in them anyway, so he wasn¡¯t exactly clamoring to get a better look at any of them.


    ¡°It appears that the ring will open a portal when an unarmed ship comes within seven three point two six two kilometers. As before, it requires that there be both Tsla¡¯o and Humans on board.¡± Alex double-checked how he was translating measurements and switched it from full precision to rounded tenths. Another still image flipped up, the inside of the landing dome from the apex, a shadow from a ship cast onto the floor below. ¡°The automatic landing mechanism that took hold of the Kshlav¡¯o activated at two kilometers before the test craft passed through the portal. It released controls immediately upon landing.¡±


    Alex spoke up again. "Did the portal close behind them?"


    "No sir. It remained open for the length of the initial test." He was quick to reply again, all of this likely in his presentation anyway. ¡°Egress was unimpeded and the relic made no attempt at landing the ship as it departed.¡±


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    ¡°Huh.¡± He leaned back into his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. The system in there was at least programmed well enough to recognize a ship leaving, even if they had not been afforded such a luxury when he had tried to move away from the ring just before the scoutship had been forcibly landed. ¡°Lucky.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± He clicked over to the next image, the archway surrounded by softly glowing symbols. It was frosted over, the hieroglyphs that seemed to indicate weapons were not allowed bright on both sides. ¡°The team did approach the inner portal, carrying a variety of weapons. Whatever controls it seems to be able to discern intent. While it would not allow a combat knife, a kitchen knife appeared to be acceptable. Standard and exotic firearms from both armories also caused it to deny entrance.¡±


    ¡°If you will notice these marks at the base of each side of the arch.¡± The image changed again, all of the glyphs dark and the portal clear, the hash marks faintly lit. It looked mostly the same on the other side, some of the trees in the distance were turning colors as though it were fall already. ¡°It appears that one mark was removed from each side when Prince and Princess Sorenson passed through it... There were 75 before, with 74 remaining on each side now. As of yet we do not know if that is counting down the number of passages remaining or the total number of people allowed through.¡±


    ¡°Given that we were tagged upon reaching the other side, I would assume that it limits the number that can pass through.¡± Carbon said as she swiveled her chair to look over at Alex, eyebrow arched.


    Alex had forgotten who Prince and Princess Sorenson were - it was so weird they had the same last name as him - and was staring into the screen working that over in his mind when Carbon nudged his foot. ¡°Oh, yeah. Tracking tag. I don¡¯t see why they¡¯d bother with one if it was per trip.¡±


    Lehnan grunted in agreement. ¡°That is the general consensus so far, but until another group goes through it, it is still speculation.¡±


    Alex looked at the Colonel in the dim light of the projector. ¡°Is that going to happen soon?¡±


    ¡°There is another joint reconnaissance meeting planned in twelve days. You in particular, Prince, should be sure to be in contact with the Confederation. I believe the Navy intends to deploy you as an expert on their side.¡± A little unease crept into his voice as he spoke, the older Tsla¡¯o male shutting off the display and bringing the lights back up.


    ¡°Yeah, the Admiral told me as much.¡± He shrugged, rubbing the back of his head as he wondered for a moment, if all this made him some sort of double agent. Was that part of the plan? For that matter, who¡¯s plan? Eleya or the Admiral? Or both? Did that make him some kind of double-secret-double-agent? A quadruple agent? He didn¡¯t care for these potential layers of complexity in his life. ¡°Suppose I¡¯ll check my Navy email tomorrow. Once I figure out how to get onto the Solanet.¡±


    ¡°That would be wise. The Confederation Navy expressed interest in having Shipmaster Tshalen attached as well, given her experience working with Humans in isolated environments and her engineering background.¡± The Colonel looked more towards Eleya than Carbon during that statement.


    ¡°I think, for the moment, it would be best if Shipmaster Tshalen were to join the expedition.¡± She turned her attention to Carbon and Alex across the way. ¡°It will be a bit of treachery, yes. If the two of you can tolerate such theater, at least.¡±


    This felt like one of those moments where the two of them were supposed to actually discuss things before Alex just blurted out an answer. Things had changed in his life, whether or not he had intended for them to. So he did, scooting his rolling chair up to Carbon¡¯s until the arm rests bumped together. ¡°Alright, are we going back as a couple or are we doing the secret squirrel thing?¡±


    Carbon laughed softly and shifted closer to him. ¡°I... I think it may be beneficial if we do ¡®the secret squirrel thing¡¯ in this instance. I am not looking forward to it, but I am known as just a Lan to the Confederation, and you are a - an analyst? I suspect that if our station were known they would not want us present, both being aligned with the Royal Court.¡±


    ¡°Our intentions wouldn¡¯t change, but since there are two members of Tsla¡¯o royalty, one of which is being brought along by the ONI, the Nav- the Confed Navy would think they¡¯re getting the short end of the stick.¡± It made sense. All this stuff was supposed to be joint effort and the spy - Yeah, he wasn¡¯t supposed to be a spy, but he was the inside man here - not disclosing significant ties to significant people of the folks he was supposed to be ¡®learning about¡¯ was not the best look, even if all he was actually trying to do was be married and live a quasi-normal life.


    He was sure he was already lying for the Confederacy anyway. He didn¡¯t trust Argueta that much. Ingratiate yourself, learn about them, tell us. It was simple and... when he thought about it, really let his mind go to town on all of this, it just felt wrong coming from the ONI. The Pilot Program giving him a huge working zone and nebulous instructions, letting him pick and choose where to go, made sense looking at it from the point of view of someone who wanted access to those drives and wanted to at least look earnest in return.


    The Office of Naval Intelligence were spies, they traded in knowing things. Why not give him concrete things to find out about? They must have some idea on where the bigger gaps in their understanding are. But no, just... go date your alien, bro. Pinky swear you¡¯re not a spy. We¡¯ll let you know when it¡¯s time to explore that alien artifact.


    God did he hate actually thinking about what his life was now. It was just going to be lies stacked on both sides of the scales. Scales that would never balance, so what¡¯s one more lie on the pile?


    Why did he want to go back, anyway? There was a mystery there, one they¡¯d scratched the surface of. Untold technology, effectively unlimited space.


    Instantaneous foot travel over potentially incredible distances.


    Carbon¡¯s desire to return, to unlock those mysteries clicked into place for him. Why send shuttles that get sandblasted into oblivion when you could evacuate cities with a couple of neat, orderly lines? Potential freedom for all those trapped in the ash. A little too deep in his personal problems to have noticed that before, apparently.


    Alex trusted the Confederation. Mostly. Enough of the time. They had overwhelmingly upheld their agreements with the Tsla¡¯o so far, at least. The ONI being involved immediately made him uneasy. That portal technology was there, perhaps on offer, or at least potentially able to be borrowed or imitated. He wasn¡¯t a tactics guy, but he could see how powerful that could be and how easily it could be turned into a weapon.


    He trusted Carbon to put it to good use. Even believed that Eleya would prioritize her own people.


    Admiral Argueta and Commander Gladwell? Perhaps not.


    ¡°That is the concern, at this juncture.¡± Carbon nodded.


    ¡°Well, looks like we¡¯ve reached a consensus.¡± He sat back up and looked back to the Empress. He was just one guy, trying not to let titles or proximity to power get to his head. A Pilot who may be skilled, but had burned through a couple of lifetimes worth of luck already. Maybe it¡¯d be best to stay close, somewhere he could keep his thumb on the scales. ¡°Pilot Sorenson and Lan Tshalen are getting the band back together.¡±

 Fallout

    Everyone just stared at him after that statement. Everyone he could see, anyway, so merely the Empress, Colonel Lehnan, and his wife. Of all the idioms he had unintentionally used in front of the aliens, that one definitely should have been straightforward enough to parse... ¡°It¡¯s - it means that we¡¯re, you know, going to be taking up those roles again. Like a reunion.¡±


    Eleya stopped him before he could stumble any further through that explanation. ¡°Yes, everyone has seen that opera.¡±


    Everyone turned to look at her now. Alex was completely sure that he saw the Colonel mouth the word ¡®opera¡¯ in Tsla, eyebrows brought together in confusion. He had no idea what the word actually was, but it could not have been anything else.


    ¡°It was a movie first.¡± Carbon clarified. ¡°The stage adaptation was fairly recent.¡±


    ¡°Hang on, you¡¯ve all seen The Blues Brothers?¡± That was the oldest place he¡¯d heard it, at least. How had this information not made it back to Earth yet, if they¡¯ve made an opera out of it? How could he see this opera, for that matter?


    ¡°It is... Oceanside Quartet. Throughout the movie-¡± Carbon translated the title into English for him, which was nice, and hesitated for a moment as she smirked and stifled a little laugh under her breath, recalling something entertaining from it. ¡°Throughout the movie, each of the quartet tells someone who isn¡¯t in the band that they want to ¡®get the band back together¡¯ but never tell each other until nearly the end of the third act.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s an unexpected similarity, okay..¡± He paused and shook his head. ¡°Alright so we¡¯re doing that but with secrets. Right?¡±


    ¡°It is maintaining an expected profile. Hardly keeping secrets.¡± Eleya would naturally find this to be the most normal thing of all.


    ¡°Whatever sounds good to you, I know what it feels like to me.¡± Alex sighed, this already feeling like another lie he didn¡¯t want to tote around. He didn¡¯t want to be in this room anymore, for that matter. Nothing had changed but the atmosphere in here felt oppressive now. ¡°Anything else in your presentation, Colonel?¡±


    ¡°No, Lord Sorenson. There are a few more excursions to be made to the landing zone beyond the first portal in the coming days, sensor distribution and monitoring mostly, but as of yet this is all the artifact has yielded.¡±


    ¡°Very well, thank you.¡± His first instinct was to just bounce. The guy who had the news he was there to see had said all of it, so there was no reason for Alex to hang around anymore. Which made sense in the hive of activity that were Scoutship program daily briefs, or back at the vastly more casual college campus. This time, he turned his attention back to Eleya, letting her dictate what happens next. Let it never be said he couldn¡¯t learn.


    ¡°Then it appears we are done here. Thank you for the presentation, Colonel.¡± She glanced briefly at Lehnan, eyes back on her niece and nephew across the table in an instant. ¡°Likewise, it was wonderful to see you again. I hope I can count of your presence at the dinner tonight?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Empress.¡± Carbon was the first to speak, switching back into Tsla and bowing her head as she did. ¡°To verify... it is royal formal?¡±


    ¡°For such a significant occasion, of course.¡± She smiled a little too far, ¡°I have personally checked in with the royal tailors to ensure they spared no detail.¡±


    ¡°Their efforts on the Prince¡¯s clothing thus far have been excellent, so I expect it will be perfect.¡± Carbon replied with a pleasant smile.


    Alex was unsettled by that tonal shift between them. He should be glad that Eleya wasn¡¯t being a shit, and that they¡¯re not at each other¡¯s throats. And, ultimately, he was. But the speed at which they went from a near-beheading to chatting amicably about tailors... He just didn¡¯t understand it. How could there not be animosity on both sides?


    Maybe there was and they were just hiding it.


    ¡°Well, we should get going, then.¡± He inserted himself into their conversation. ¡°I¡¯m not one for formal dress, and I understand it¡¯s a bit more complex than what I¡¯m used to. The sooner we get started, the better.¡±


    Eleya considered that and relented, a nod in agreement. ¡°Then we shall adjourn, unless there is anything else that needs to be discussed?¡± Her gaze traveled the rest of the room, mostly checking with Lehnan, and got no responses.


    They all parted ways with some more bowing and formal goodbyes, Alex and Carbon traveling back along the same path. The return trip seemed like it took forever, despite the tram going the same speed it did before. Carbon opened their door, Alex closed it behind them and they hung up their jackets, proceeding into the cabin proper.


    Neya was waiting, thankfully still wearing her jacket. She sat at the table, surrounded by a multitude of neatly tied packages and a small hoard of books, reading. She perked up when they came in, setting the book back atop the stack next to her. ¡°Welcome home, I hope that the-¡±


    Alex was not really listening to her as he stopped Carbon with a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Hey, are you actually all right?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± She looked confused as she turned to face him, eyes searching his face with increasing worry.


    How could she be confused about that question? ¡°Don¡¯t what me. You almost killed Eleya, and you did assault her, and now everything is cool? Like just no big deal? I watched her tell a firing squad to kill two guys like, fucking yesterday. Aside from blood spilled, I don¡¯t see a huge difference in what they got executed for and what you did.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, she did what?¡± Neya had popped up out of her chair with an odd little strangled sound and inserted herself between them. Mostly addressing Alex. ¡°Why did you let her do that?¡±


    Carbon watched him expectantly, nodding as he spoke and letting him finish, resting a hand on Neya¡¯s shoulder to settle her. ¡°The laws do not bind royals as they do the citizenry. If I had been attempting to seize the throne, things may have been different. I was not. She was very aware of that fact, and- Ah, you are not familiar with the behavior of the court. The signals she sent with her body language, her behavior and posture, absolved me in that moment.¡±


    Alex was torn between a sarcastic reply to Neya¡¯s rather accusatory question, and actually parsing out Carbon¡¯s explanation. He held up a finger towards the pale Tsla¡¯o and kept his attention on his wife. ¡°So the way she sat down told everybody in the room you¡¯re good, and that¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°There is more complexity in what she did, but that is essentially what happened.¡± Carbon nodded, as though that really was that.


    ¡°Ok, that doesn¡¯t make any fucking sense to me whatsoever, but if that¡¯s what happened, it happened.¡± He withdrew his finger from Neya¡¯s vicinity, the Zeshen looking like she was prepared to bite it - and not in the playful way Carbon had bitten his hand the other night. Alex cupped Carbon¡¯s cheeks instead, fingertips sliding through soft fur as he looked directly into her eyes. ¡°Now. How are you? You assaulted a couple of people and looked a lot like you were prepared to kill your aunt, so... What¡¯s going on in there?¡±


    ¡°I feel...¡± She looked away, searching for the right words. ¡°I feel better than I have in decades.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± He couldn¡¯t keep the surprise out of his voice, and Neya echoed his sentiment a moment later as she whipped her head around to look at Carbon.


    ¡°We finally talked, though we spoke very little. She admitted what she had done, and that it was wrong, and didn¡¯t try to hedge her words or sneak out of it. I had given up on an apology like that when I was still a child.¡± She looked genuinely happy about this, a lopsided smile curving the corners of her mouth as she set her hands on his. ¡°I saw the pride in her eye, before she set her cunning aside. I have not forgotten her guile, or how elusive she can be. Despite that caution, my soul has not felt this light in... I do not know how long.¡±


    ¡°Well... all right.¡± Alex still had his doubts, and his own concerns about what Eleya¡¯s sudden reversal on this actually meant. It was a long time, and one does not often have a sword pressed to their throat... He didn¡¯t know Eleya well enough to determine if this is something she¡¯d really stick to, or if she would go back to being herself once there was a reduced chance of beheading.


    Sure, it was what she said she wanted. Restoring her relationship with Carbon. He supposed, like Carbon had said, the onus was on her to make good on that after this apparent first step. ¡°If you¡¯re happy with how this turned out, I guess... I am too. I just want to make sure that this isn¡¯t a regular thing for you.¡±


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    ¡°Thank you. It should not happen again.¡± She sighed happily and wrapped an arm around Alex before reaching out to Neya, pulling her into a hug with her face buried between them.


    Neya looked at him over the top of Carbon¡¯s head, eyebrows raised. He shrugged back. What else was there to say at this point? Hope Eleya doesn¡¯t change her mind about the pardon, whoops we¡¯re all enemies of the state now? Would Neya catch that charge, too? It seemed to be a very spur of the moment thing and was obviously provoked, so it wasn¡¯t like she had any sort of chance to prevent it from happening.


    Violet eyes darted away and she blanched, before clearing her throat softly. ¡°Now that we have discussed that, perhaps you would like to see the regalia? The tailors have done some remarkable work this time...¡±


    Carbon released them and nodded, turning towards the stacks of packages on the table with a bright smile. ¡°We should. There is still some time before the dinner begins, but full formal clothing can take some time.¡±


    Alex was glad to have this distraction, even if it was for formalwear... and even though it didn¡¯t really distract him from the unsettling feeling of having just watched Carbon nearly kill at least one person and then apparently just shrug it off. He had doubted her here and there in the past, of course, but this felt so much larger. He planned to ask her to show him what Eleya¡¯s reactions were, so he could understand this unspoken language better. He believed that the Empress had pardoned her, at least. There¡¯s no way she would have been allowed to walk out of that room otherwise.


    But he knew she couldn¡¯t hide anything in that space without being obvious about it. What he¡¯d do with this information, if she wasn¡¯t feeling how she described... That was a bridge he¡¯d cross when he came to it.


    Alex stepped up next to the table with her, the packages split between dark red and rich blue cloth wrapped around the contents and secured with undyed twine. ¡°Red ones are mine, I¡¯m guessing?¡± They were slightly more numerous, and larger.


    ¡°Correct.¡± Neya replied from behind him. ¡°The shoes that came with them are by the bed. The leather may yet be stiff. I notified them that yours were still in excellent shape and did not need to be replaced, Carbon. They argued but eventually saw it your way.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I have barely used them as it is.¡± She mumbled to herself as she shuffled through the stacks, squeezing each package until she found whatever it was she wanted, a claw silently cutting the twine. ¡°The outer coats, marks, and cloaks have already been hung up? I didn¡¯t see them when we came in.¡±


    Neya was, unsurprisingly, on the ball. ¡°They are in the steam rack in the bathroom.¡±


    ¡°We have a steam rack?¡± He¡¯d been in there a bunch of times and never noticed that. He hadn¡¯t been looking for it, but assumed he would have seen it.


    ¡°It is next to the towel cabinet.¡± Carbon picked through some packing material and unwound a belt. It looked like leather, a blue just this side of black, embellished with silver vines and flowers that matched the designs on her armor. She hummed in approval as she looked it over. ¡°Did they ask you for a choice in design?¡±


    Alex shook his head. ¡°All I know about this is what you¡¯ve told me about it so far.¡±


    ¡°Eleya told them to use the sea and stars.¡± Neya added, standing across the table from them now.


    Carbon paused at that, tilting her head as she weighed the options. ¡°It is a strong choice and probably what I would have recommended. A popular motif, often associated with pilots and explorers. Anyone who travels long distances, and you have traveled some distance.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s actually not that bad.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure what he was expecting, but it sounded all right. ¡°So what¡¯s yours mean?¡±


    ¡°Vines and flowers are deep connections to home and renewal.¡± She sounded a bit wistful as she said it. ¡°Some designs are chosen because they are aspirational rather than factual.¡±


    ¡°Aw, that¡¯s...¡± That was really sad. Everything he wanted to say felt trite so he reached over and hugged her, squeezing her tightly as she did to him.


    Carbon shook her head with a soft laugh and patted his arm. ¡°Thank you, dearest. I feel closer to them than ever with you.¡±


    ¡°Glad I can help.¡± That felt trite, too, but he didn¡¯t really have anything else to say about it.


    ¡°As am I.¡± She lingered in his arms for a moment before gently moving away. ¡°I need to take a shower. Do you wish to bathe again as well?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m pretty good.¡± It had literally only been a few hours, but he hadn¡¯t jumped over a table and assaulted anyone.


    ¡°Very well. I can do my own daman, but you will need assistance. Neya knows her way around every wrap.¡± She plucked the sword hilt from her jacket and set it down on the table before picking up her stack of formal clothes. ¡°If you will pardon me. The sooner we are dressed, the better.¡±


    Alex and Neya watched her walk into the bathroom, staring at the door as it latched.


    Neya was the first to talk. ¡°What in the hells happened?¡± She hissed at him, voice urgent and low.


    ¡°Okay, so like, Eleya was doing her usual shit but worse, right?¡± He pulled a chair out and carefully sat himself down, keeping his voice low as well.


    ¡°How much worse?¡± It sounded like she didn¡¯t believe him at all.


    He gave her the quickest rundown possible. ¡°Uh, we found out that the Empire is now using a stolen translator they acquired when part of mine was cut out. Eleya has been lying to people about stealing Human technology because everyone thought we would steal Tsla¡¯o waverider systems. Then she got all smarmy and said Carbon only cared about all this because ¡®her toy¡¯ got hurt. To her face.¡±


    Neya¡¯s eyebrows went up a little bit after each sentence, and she sucked in a breath through her teeth at that last revelation. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. So there was about a half a second span where they went from arguing to Carbon throwing a chair. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t stop her.¡± He successfully fought the urge to flip her off for that earlier question. ¡°She just hurled it over the table and leapt up onto it like she¡¯d been planning this. Just gone out of my reach in an instant. Kicked the guy in the throat and took his sword, disarmed the other guard, held Eleya against the wall just about ready to stab her in the neck.¡±


    Her gaze fell on the blue-white metal of the sword hilt and she picked it up, rotating it to inspect the etchings ¡°This is the Captain of the Guard¡¯s sword. She kicked the captain in the throat?¡±


    ¡°Seems like. The fight was over in like four or five seconds. Has she done stuff like this before? I¡¯m worried about her because that was a lot of violence and I really thought she was prepared to kill for a second there.¡±


    ¡°No, never attacked anyone. She has never mentioned anything she cares about being attacked either, so...¡± She clicked the lockout back into operational mode and held the sword out, pressing the trigger to activate it. The wire blade sprang out with a low hum, and retracted a moment later after her curiosity was sated, returning it to safe and setting it back on the table. ¡°Carbon started training in a variety of martial skills long before I met her and never really went into the why of it. I never inquired, it seemed understandable as she worked with the military and was mindful of her physical fitness.¡±


    ¡°Do you think she planned this?¡± It seemed a little too situation specific. The few times he had seen them in the same room together there hadn¡¯t been nearly enough furniture for her to pull that off.


    ¡°I do not think so.¡± Her eyebrows furrowed and she stared at the sword hilt. ¡°She has always been afraid that Eleya would do what she said she would, deeply and viscerally. She only hid that from me for a year, but I could feel it weighing on her the entire time. The Royal Guard are Eleya¡¯s agents, so it stands to reason that she learned to fight them specifically while never telling anyone that because they would be how she enforces anything.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t defend against a weapon if you don¡¯t know it exists.¡±


    ¡°So it seems.¡± Neya nodded once, looking back to him with fear in her eyes for the first time. ¡°I hate to admit that I am at a loss about how to proceed. She appears happy, but- What if Eleya returns to her ways? What if she kills her next time?¡±


    ¡°Hang on. Didn¡¯t get to the aftermath yet. You heard how Eleya apologized and pardoned her, I guess. She said that she would ¡®do what she should have done decades ago¡¯ and that Carbon had her word about that.¡±


    Neya huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. ¡°It lies with her to prove it good.¡±


    Alex pursed his lips and stared at her from across the kitchen table. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what she said.¡± Almost the exact same tone, too.


    ¡°Well, it does.¡± She smirked with pride at that revelation. ¡°Do you think Eleya means it?¡±


    ¡°Been asking myself that very question.¡± Neya probably wasn¡¯t privy to everything he and Carbon had spoken about yet... ¡°She said she wants Carbon to be happy. That¡¯s why she married us. I¡¯m sure there are other steps she has not shared, but that¡¯s the first one.¡±


    ¡°Is it so? Now she has apologized and offered her word that she will do right by her. If it is truly what she desires, she seems to be continuing down that path.¡± Neya leaned on the table, pondering that turn of events.


    ¡°Right. So if this positive trend sticks, great. But if Eleya doesn¡¯t keep at it and goes back to antagonizing her...¡±


    ¡°The next time she will not stay the blade.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I think we¡¯re both interested in making sure that never happens.¡±


    She nodded once. ¡°Agreed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to try and link with her, maybe tonight or tomorrow. See about having her show me some of what went down from her perspective. I know she says she¡¯s happy, but I want to be sure she¡¯s not just putting up a front.¡± He didn¡¯t really like planning like this behind her back. That Neya was going along so readily was a relief, his concern matched by hers.


    ¡°I will continue to link with her as we normally do, but will be more mindful of new, or renewed stresses. You and I will be the vines she wishes to have.¡± She clicked her tongue. ¡°I will reach out to the council as well. Eleya¡¯s Zeshen are not here, but they still speak regularly. A bit of gentle direction from a trusted hand could make all the difference.¡±


    ¡°Good idea. We should check in on this regularly. Every other day for now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, unless something significant arises.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± He sighed and rubbed his eyes, all this planning feeling like treachery. Maybe it would go away in time. Maybe they would all have a laugh about this someday. Maybe everything would fall apart. He turned his attention to the packages of clothing sitting on the table. ¡°Now that that¡¯s settled... I suppose you should get to showing me how all these work, yeah?¡±

 History Lesson

    Alex got a crash course in being comfortable with someone else dressing him. It didn¡¯t work particularly well, and Neya¡¯s assertion that it was not anything she had not seen before did not help.


    Neither did Carbon saying the exact same thing when she got out of the shower.


    Still, Neya had gotten it done. Alex was now wrapped in a traditional, formal version of the Tsla¡¯o daman, which... was not really his style. The lengths of fabric contained in the multitude of packages were dark red, very nearly brown, and impressively light. The first part to go on, the sa-daman, was effectively a loincloth, reminding him very much of a speedo. The ad-daman came next. It started as a several kilometer long strip of fabric, and was more like a tube top with one wide strap running over his left shoulder, carefully twisted and turned and knotted occasionally. It started just above his belly button and stopped shy of his armpits.


    ¡°One would store all manner of items in the ad-daman. Currency, identification, trinkets, idols, charms, small weapons. Even larger weapons, as I believe Carbon stowed the Captain¡¯s sword in hers.¡± Neya cooed that last bit, eyes shining with delight for a moment as she ushered him to the bed to sit. ¡°Just like the Wandering Blade.¡±


    ¡°That... doesn¡¯t change the fact I¡¯m wearing a tube top.¡± Sure, pockets in the shirt was a neat idea, but it wasn¡¯t improving his outlook on this particular article of clothing. The exposed midriff was not working for him. Maybe if it went all the way to the waist, it would be more palatable.


    ¡°I am wearing a ¡®tube top¡¯ and you do not seem to be complaining about it.¡± Carbon added helpfully, as she was already done with the two main parts on the torso. It appeared to be exactly the same as what Alex was wearing, but in a deep navy blue. Now she was working on wrapping her hand, already halfway done with it. ¡°Nor when Neya wore something similar earlier...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not complaining that it exists.¡± Alex had spent plenty of time as a younger man appreciating its existence, as a matter of fact. He was pretty sure the issue wasn¡¯t that it was traditionally women¡¯s clothes - it was one shoulder away from being a tank top, and he¡¯d just spent a day wearing a makeshift skirt. The more time he had to ruminate on it, the more he found himself gravitating towards the actual problem being the fact that he was being dressed. Like a child, or worse, like royalty. ¡°It¡¯s just not my kind of clothes.¡±


    Neya pulled a chair up and patted her lap. ¡°Foot, please.¡±


    He obliged, and she rested his heel on her knee, staring intently at it with a roll of fabric in her other hand. ¡°I... Think I can make this work.¡± She did not sound at all like she could, but she set to the task anyway, growing in confidence after the first few loops.


    The thinner pieces were treated with something that stuck to itself, but not to his skin, or as it crept up his ankle, his leg hair. It looked like a foot wrap you¡¯d use for kickboxing or other martial arts, but likely would not stand up to that sort of abuse. ¡°Alright, I actually kinda like that.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Carbon sounded surprised.


    Which was fair considering he¡¯d mostly kept quiet so far instead of complaining constantly, and she knew him well enough to know that was what he was doing. ¡°Yeah, it looks cool.¡± He nodded, switching feet when prompted.


    Neya started her work again, casting a glance at Carbon.


    She picked up what Neya was asking about with a quiet chuckle. ¡°That means it is good.¡±


    ¡°It does.¡± He agreed, his attention turned to what Carbon was doing now, as she had finished her hand wraps and moved on to the rest of the outfit. Pants first, black with that motif of vines repeated in a shade of plum that barely stood out from it. It sat low on the hips, cinched closed with a length of flat braided rope. Then the boots, supple black leather with floral silver details, the opening running down the outside with buttons and speed hooks to pull it closed. She had them on and laced up like she¡¯d grown up doing that, pants tucked in and bloused.


    Neya was wrapping his hands now. It was loosely familiar thanks to a brief interest in boxing as a teen, but the pattern was different. The ¡®tape¡¯ here didn¡¯t support much of anything, the overlapping patterns clearly more for show than function. ¡°Why is Carbon¡¯s like that?¡± He asked, noting that hers were way more simple.


    ¡°Because I was doing my own. That style requires two hands.¡± She said with a shrug as she disappeared into the bathroom, a pile of dark green items fresh from the steam closet draped over an arm.


    ¡°I guess I am hogging the help right now.¡± He watched her separate everything into two stacks, one of which was obviously larger than the other. Alex smirked and snorted a brief laugh as he realized all of it was in British racing green.


    ¡°It is for a good reason.¡± Carbon had the belt out, threading two parts onto it. A sort of inverted house shape split down the middle, and a longer, narrower band. As she put it on the layout fell into place, the wider of the two looking like a coat tail, the split points terminating at her knee, the narrow strip more of a loincloth that went to her shins. Both were embroidered with a simple line in glittering gold thread.


    ¡°Done. Do you think you will need assistance with the rest of your regalia?¡± Neya patted his last hand, finished with all the base layers now.


    Alex flexed his hands and looked at the almost glove-like wrapping, running nearly halfway up his forearm. They looked kinda cool, too. Maybe like something a street fighter would wear. ¡°Nah, I think I got it from here. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± She said, bowing slightly and stepping away.


    The pants were straightforward. They were just pants, though Carbon did step in to tie the rope in a particular knot. His lacked the decoration, but he was new to this. That¡¯d probably come sometime in the future, the thought of which killed the mild enthusiasm he¡¯d managed to work up. He turned his attention to the boots.


    There were going to be some stylistic differences, due to the difference in physiology in this area. Their heel was always off the ground, the foot far longer than a Human¡¯s, and all the footwear he¡¯d seen Carbon wear had half as much sole as his. This did not stop the surprise of unveiling what turned out to be a pair of wedge heel boots. It was a pretty significant heel, too, maybe eight or ten centimeters. It would give him a foot angle much closer to what Tsla¡¯o had, which he assumed was the point.


    Otherwise, it matched Carbon¡¯s. Black leather, silver adornment. Tiny stars and waves carved into the metal. How had they gotten these made so fast? Did they actually have a cobbler onboard or were these printed all the way through? Probably some combination of the two. Well, whatever. It was a dinner, he wasn¡¯t going to be standing that much anyway. He shrugged and slipped it on. ¡°What the hell.¡±


    He got a pair of curious looks for that.


    ¡°Why are there toe sections?¡± He asked, each one slotted into its own space save for the pinky and ring toes, which had to share a nook. Tsla¡¯o had four toes, so in retrospect... No, he wouldn¡¯t have expected individual toe spaces anyway. It wasn¡¯t uncomfortable, yet, but it was weird.


    Neya was the first to respond. ¡°Do your shoes not have that?¡±


    ¡°No, just one open area.¡± Alex set his mind to just deal with this oddity for the time being, lacing it up like Carbon had done. He knew how a speed hook worked, and there was a very modern latch hidden at the top that held the single lace tight. Novel. Now perfectly well aware of what he was getting himself into, the other boot went on without a hitch.


    Everything was going well until he tried to stand up and found out all that heel was soft foam. Alex lost his balance and pitched back onto the bed with a startled yell, ultimately glad that he was sitting there instead of at the table or on that hard wooden bench. He laid there for a moment, staring at the ceiling. ¡°So uh. Nobody else uses their heel around here, I guess?¡±


    ¡°Are you hurt?¡± Carbon rushed over to the bed to check on him, worry laced through her voice.


    ¡°Nah, all I hit was pillows.¡± He sat back up and stood up again with a bit more caution this time. Yeah, he was going to have to have a discussion about what works for human feet with whoever made these. If he was careful, he could lean back a little and not pitch over now that he knew what to expect. ¡°So, how important are the boots?¡±


    ¡°They are a part of the regalia, so... fairly important.¡± Carbon said, Neya nodding in agreement.


    ¡°So no substituting them for something less like to land me in sickbay?¡± He looked over, and down, at her.


    ¡°If you earnestly believe you are in danger, we can substitute something.¡± She didn¡¯t sound like this was a good trade off. It was official high level stuff, after all. There were expectations that didn¡¯t involve showing up in sneakers.


    Alex shifted his weight back and forth, resting on the balls of his feet and seeing how hard it would be to adapt to that. ¡°Hey, last night, you asked me if I was self conscious about being tall. Is there like a cultural issue about height?¡±


    ¡°Not significantly, I had just noticed you seem taller than many other Humans.¡± She shook her head, getting back on her feet and only coming up to his shoulder now.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°Alright.¡± He was rapidly convincing himself to wear the boots anyway, even if they were hard to walk in. ¡°So I¡¯ve gotten the impression that some folks have a, shall we say, less than kind impression of Humans. What was it, like wild animals among the stars? I¡¯m the tallest person in the room already, but with these things I¡¯m pushing two meters. How does towering over everyone else like that play into those stereotypes?¡±


    Carbon was pondering that in earnest, claws extended as she idly stroked her chin with them, staring off into the distance.


    Meanwhile, Neya had started to develop the most evil grin he had ever seen on a Tsla¡¯o about halfway through his question. Utterly wicked by the time he¡¯d finished speaking. ¡°Oh. Those self-absorbed pieces of-¡±


    ¡°Neya.¡± Carbon held a hand out to her. ¡°I agree with Neya¡¯s sentiment if not her choice of words. I am sure that the Empress has invited people who have avoided you so far. If they still believe Humans to be brutes, despite all of what has been done for us, finding themselves staring up at a giant will be a shocking experience. And if you carry yourself with Tsla¡¯o decorum at the same time... They will find it a particularly difficult hill to climb.¡±


    ¡°Alright, that sounds fun.¡± At least he¡¯d be entertained, while fulfilling his role as chaos agent for Eleya. He returned to the task of getting dressed, the belt with the weird combination of coat tails and loincloth flap in place, and then the final piece - an asymmetrical vest. Same color and gold details as the rest of the outer layer, held closed with a trio of gold buttons, but only going over the left shoulder. The entire right shoulder was exposed, his rather obvious bite mark on display. ¡°So is this the newlywed version? Do we get sleeves in the future or something?¡±


    ¡°It is, yes.¡± Carbon was practically beaming, so pleased that he figured that out. ¡°We would wear these for perhaps a year, then they will be displayed in our true home, when we decide on one.¡±


    That was kind of interesting, even if he felt silly wearing all of this. For a year. Neya was just waiting for something to do, so he called her back with a wave. ¡°Check me over, everything on straight? Looking properly regalia-like?¡±


    She adjusted the blouse on his pants, straightened the buckle on the belt, checked the golden studs in the helix of his ear, and gave him the all clear.


    ¡°Thanks. So, let¡¯s go over how I should be acting during this little shindig. If I¡¯m going to play the part, I want to make sure it¡¯s going to land. Dinner etiquette was pretty easy, what else should I be prepared for?¡±


    There was about an hour and a half to kill before the dinner and they spent most of it giving him a rundown on what was expected of him outside of how to behave at the table. Nothing seemed to be particularly alien, but they are both social species. As a high ranking member of the court, he was actually expected to mingle less than a mere senator or governor. People would be allowed to approach him. So they could, to a certain extent, pick and choose who had direct access. It would be suspicious if he were to exclude anyone so early in his royal career - though he could keep meetings short.


    Before they left the cabin, there was one last item to wear. A lightweight cloak in raw, densely woven fiber of some sort, completely unadorned save for a simple wooden hook to hold it closed. The very definition of what a commoner would wear, except hundreds of years ago and not on a spaceship. He slipped his external translator on, slinging it over one shoulder under the cloak. It felt a little bit like he was going to an alien renaissance festival now.


    They got a lot of looks on the tram. Wherever they were going was past the conference rooms, and each batch of people that got on went through the same routine: they¡¯d spot him and stop, and look up with startled eyes. He¡¯d smile politely, give them a carefully measured nod, and they¡¯d look down and see all the fancy clothes peeking out from under the cloak. Then they¡¯d notice Carbon standing next to him and everything would click into place for them. The reaction there varied. Most nodded politely back before they went along their way, a few even smiled. The rest were at least wise enough to not respond negatively to the giant Human and his remarkably violent wife.


    Alex and Carbon made their way to a waiting room, the cloaks apparently only for travel as they were immediately taken by an overly polite hostess and hung up. They went over everything again and found that he¡¯d retained just about everything on the first try, despite it being something he was so viscerally disinterested in.


    Colonel Lhenan and the Sergeant arrived shortly thereafter, as Carbon was quizzing him about table manners again. They had much more formal jackets on now, charcoal fabric with a high, heavily decorated collar and double row of silver buttons running down the front. All of their rank insignia was stitched in silver, and a substantial column of awards kept Lhenan from floating away.


    Carbon excused herself again to speak with the Colonel. The last time they had to catch up was spent finding out they were using stolen hardware, which really doesn¡¯t count.


    Alex stayed put in a nearly Human sized chair, sitting carefully to ensure he wouldn¡¯t crease his finery. Fortunately for him, Sergeant Zhensen was quite the chatterbox.


    "It''s humorous you should mention that. I have found that taking a casual demeanor with Humans, even those in your- in their military, puts them at ease. Most curious indeed, as they all know that I''m military as well." She leaned back in her chair and gesticulated as she spoke, contractions slipping into her English after she learned that Alex wasn¡¯t much for formalities.


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s kind of surprising. I always get stink-eye when I act too casual.¡± Alex had shut his translator off, the delay annoying when he was talking to someone who spoke English well. Only took a second to power it back up anyway.


    She took a drink of water and smiled, setting her glass down on the table between them. ¡°From officers, yes?¡±


    Alex drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair. ¡°Yeah, actually. Enlisted personnel don¡¯t seem to mind as much.¡±


    ¡°Is that not curious?¡± Zhensen glanced over at the Colonel and then back to Alex with a knowing look. ¡°I¡¯ve come to think there are many similarities between our people, more than most would acknowledge.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve come to that same conclusion, actually.¡± He was sure Carbon had, as well.


    Stana rolled the base of her glass on the table, watching him intently. ¡°That is good. As I said earlier, there is dissent among the military about you... it is quiet, but it is there. Were you Tsla¡¯o, none would speak ill of you, but since you are not they feel it gives them an excuse to decide how the Empress should make decisions.¡±


    Alex took his time digesting that. ¡°And what do you think?¡±


    ¡°She did not become the Empress by accident.¡± She shrugged, taking another drink. ¡°I also feel it deeply unwise to question someone once called Kshanevo.¡±


    ¡°Translator¡¯s off, what¡¯s that mean?¡± He was sure he¡¯d heard the root of that before. Anev. It reminded him of the name of the first ship Carbon had served on, as well. Hadn¡¯t it been a battleship? Or was it a dreadnought...


    She took a moment to consider the best translation for him. ¡°It is, hm... Butcher. You know. Someone who cuts up meat.¡±


    ¡°Butcher?¡± He was just a little incredulous. Then a little less so as he recalled being shown her memory of torturing a man for information by gouging his eyes out. Thumbs sinking into hot, gela- Alex interrupted himself with a quiet dry heave. ¡°Oh okay.¡±


    ¡°It was a dark time after the Emperor was assassinated. I had not been born yet, but I work with some who were there.¡± Zhensen gestured towards the Colonel. She was very nonchalant about this, none of which had made it to Alex before. ¡°She killed the assassin herself, did you know? Stabbed him to death in the street with his own weapon. Had the Keslon Shen all hunted down and executed. I am told the river running through the citadel was choked with blood and ash the next time it rained.¡±


    That certainly changed his view of Eleya. ¡°Are you putting me on?¡±


    ¡°No, I would not.¡± She finished off her water. ¡°Unless you ordered me to, then it would be my duty.¡±


    ¡°No... Just...¡± Alex shook his head. That was too close to talking about some wholesale executions to be making jokes. ¡°I didn¡¯t really see that kind of thing in her.¡±


    ¡°They were a blight on the western lands and her actions have always been just, before and since.¡± She considered her empty glass and shrugged again. ¡°I believe her reaction was so violent because of grief. They were very close, much closer than many Royal couples before them.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Alex felt like he should have more to say, but that was all he could really muster at the moment. Zhensen''s words reminded him of how Tashen spoke about Eleya and Carbon.


    ¡°Indeed. Do you want more water?¡± She indicated his glass, nearly untouched.


    ¡°No. No, thank you.¡±


    Her head dipped in assent and she stood, wandering over to the bar nestled in the corner.


    At least that explained why no one ever mentioned the Emperor, despite the marking that Eleya wore that indicated she was entwined. He had been curious about that, but there had just been so much going on the last few days that he had forgotten to ask about it.


    Alex¡¯s introspection was cut short when Tashen opened the door and stepped inside. He was looking pretty good for somebody that had been beaten so badly a few days ago, not a single scar on his face from those metal-capped gloves. The secretary looked them over and seemed relieved for a moment before he ushered Eleya in. Alex stood and flipped on his translator. Everyone was finally here, the event seemed to be ready to get underway.


    ¡°The other guests have arrived and are seated.¡± Tashen singled out the Colonel and sergeant Zhensen, directing them to the door that led to the dining hall. ¡°Honored military guests, please. You will be announced lowest rank first.¡±


    The two of them lined up as instructed, Tashen fussing over them for a moment before he sent them on their way. As they departed the waiting room the Sergeant gave Alex a nod and possibly a wink. If it was, he wasn¡¯t sure how he should take it.


    ¡°Dearest niece," Eleya said, pleasant though reserved, her eyes lingering on the proof of entwinement on Carbon¡¯s shoulder "Would you take your seat first? I think it would be wise to have the young prince be seen at our sides.¡± She was as smooth as she always was, any indication of the altercation between her and Carbon invisible.


    ¡°I would, and I concur. It would be wise.¡± Carbon gave her a shallow bow and turned, a sly smile on her face as she glanced at Alex before disappearing down the hallway.


    ¡°Alex... Dearest nephew.¡± Eleya closed on him, smoothing his jacket out and looking him over, also spending some time inspecting the bite mark he was sporting. ¡°You wear this better than I had expected. I am pleased with that.¡±


    Alex''s mind wouldn''t stop flipping between thinking about Eleya stabbing someone to death and her memory of gouging out someone''s eyes. He laughed uneasily. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s actually pretty comfortable, except for the boots. Absolutely killing my calves.¡±


    ¡°We all suffer for tradition. This... This throws everything off.¡± She shook her head and slipped his translator off his shoulder, handing it off to one of her body guards before he could grab it back. The device disappeared as it was covered by the cloaking field. ¡°That is perfect.¡±


    ¡°But... Look, not everyone is supposed to know about-¡±


    Eleya reached up and pressed a finger to his lips with a smile. ¡°I told you that you would do things for me and this is one. Keep your secret and listen. I am curious to know what others say when they do not know you can hear... Are you not?¡±

 Dinner Time

    ¡°No, not really.¡± Alex deadpanned, shaking his head slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t particularly care what people are saying behind my back.¡±


    Eleya gave him a narrow look, her ears and antennae pressing down against her head with an exasperated growl. ¡°You may not have before, but you are no longer who you were, young prince. What others think is far more useful than you yet understand and it is important that you learn that.¡±


    He thought he understood what Eleya was getting at, if not a little insulted by the way she said it. She wasn¡¯t wrong, though. He wasn¡¯t just some guy anymore. Not here, anyway. Didn¡¯t make him feel any different. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll listen. Happy?¡±


    ¡°No. I do not yet know how well you will do.¡± She touched his arm, urging him towards the open hallway. ¡°But your promise is sufficient for now.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Alex shrugged and waited until he had turned away to roll his eyes. He got that it probably was important, knowing what people thought about him. Getting into that mindset was a different problem altogether. All these years he¡¯d gone without really giving a damn about other people¡¯s opinions of him. Strangers, at least. He cared about what his friends and family thought, but there was one person in that dining room who fit the bill there.


    Eleya counted, as well, but only because she was... Well. She was a threat, wasn¡¯t she? They weren¡¯t enemies, but he hadn¡¯t forgotten the harm she had all but promised Carbon before he explained just how bad an idea sending her back to her previous job would be. That was before even dipping into the disregard she had for him, willing to pick through his mind with force for her answers.


    ¡°Sir.¡± Tashen looked more apprehensive than the first time Alex had met him, sucking in a breath when he noticed that eye-roll and not exhaling it as he watched the Human¡¯s face pull into a scowl. ¡°Please, wait at the end of the hall, you will be announced-¡±


    ¡°Carbon explained it to me already, thank you. It¡¯s good to see you again, Tashen.¡± Alex cleared his mind and smiled, clapping him on the shoulder. He would have tried to shake Tashen¡¯s hand too, if not for the massive height difference right now. Was it the princely thing to do? No. Would it have been appreciated anyway? Absolutely not. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re healing up well. They use the mediboard on you?¡±


    As predicted, Tashen was taken aback by that overt familiarity. He recovered quickly, giving him a reserved nod. ¡°I am... glad to be back. Yes, sir. They did use it, thank you for enquiring.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Alex nodded and continued on his way. He wasn¡¯t sure why he liked Tashen. The short Tsla¡¯o had been standoffish when they¡¯d previously met, but had still helped him - albeit by Eleya¡¯s orders. Could just be that it was nice to have someone more uneasy around.


    A soldier at the end of the hall nodded at him as he drew to a stop before a heavy purple curtain. She leaned into the curtain and whispered through it, someone on the other side loudly announcing him a moment later: Lord Alex Sorenson, Crown Prince. The soldier then reached across the curtain and pulled it open for him.


    Alex was only dimly aware that Lord was actually part of his title now. He hadn¡¯t had any title a couple of days ago, save for what was printed on his Navy ID, so he felt like that was within the window for getting used to such things. Still, he stepped through the portal and bowed as he had been instructed, his face serious despite his surprise. The room beyond was not that different from the conference room. The walls were a more vibrant shade of red and largely hidden by floor to ceiling tapestries, those framed with curtains that matched the green of his clothing. The table was a wide, low oval, the surface dark and glossy with place settings that seemed familiar at first glance. There were about thirty people already seated around it, of which he was sure he recognized four, at most.


    About half of them had been watching the entry when he came in, and there were a few distant murmurs of surprise that rapidly turned everyone¡¯s attention to him. He was supposed to wait three or five seconds, and it was just long enough for everyone to register that he was towering over the soldier beside him before he turned towards the only empty space on the table.


    There were only two spaces open at the far end. The walk was five seconds, if it was even that, but being the focus of attention to the entire room made it seem like hours. Carbon was already seated, the tails of her finery laid out behind her on the floor. Alex and the weird gait his boots required took a path that stayed closer to the wall so he wouldn¡¯t have to step over that, or go around her, both of which were disrespectful. There was one pillow to sit on left before the end of the table, which was nicely padded but left him too far off the ground to slide his massive alien legs under the table. He scooted it out from under himself and slid the cushion under the wide table where it would hopefully stay out of the way before situating himself at the appropriate distance from the edge of the dark lacquered wood and straightened the back flap of his outfit, ensuring that it was unfurled on the floor behind him like Carbon had done, the front flap folded neatly in his lap.


    Carbon looked him over as he did all that, giving him a little nod as he finally settled in. ¡°Where is your translator?¡± She spoke very quietly, just loud enough for him to hear her over all the conversations that had resumed once he had taken his place.


    ¡°Give you one guess.¡± Alex matched her volume as his eyes darted back to the curtain with the soldier beside it. His calves were on fire and he wanted to complain about it so bad, but bit his tongue. Sure, he was being shown off and pressed into service as an idiot spy. Right now he was more concerned with at least not being an embarrassment for Carbon.


    She sighed and shook her head very slightly. Carbon barely moved her lips as she spoke, teeth held tight together. ¡°Of course. We cannot just have a nice dinner, there must always be subterfuge.¡±


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    ¡°Why so surprised?¡± Had she left the sword back at the cabin? Alex was sure he¡¯d seen it sitting on the table with the books before they left. He almost started to reach for the narrow glass of water out in front of his place setting but stopped himself when he noticed that no one else had touched theirs. Have to wait for everything. ¡°I barely know her and finding out she¡¯s got a scheme feels like par for the course.¡±


    Carbon glanced at him with a very subdued version of the look she has when he uses a phrase she doesn¡¯t know, but at least she was distracted by that. Before he could explain, their conversation was cut short by the guard announcing the Empress.


    Eleya looked entirely comfortable with the room watching her. She moved with well practiced poise before settling down on Alex¡¯s right, at the head of the table. When she spoke, it was with an easy grace that seemed rare in any personal interaction with her. ¡°Thank you all for attending. I am pleased to have the young prince here with us, now that he has had time to fully recover from his grave wound.¡±


    She gave Alex a nod and without looking he felt the room watching him again. Much to his relief and before he could do anything stupid, she gestured to Carbon. ¡°The young princess, his bride, my dearest niece also graces us this evening. A pair forged in desperate times to bring enduring strength to the Empire.¡±


    Eleya turned her attention to Colonel Lhenan and the Sergeant. ¡°I am sure many of you have not yet met these two soldiers. One a lifelong member of our military, the other just recently answering the call in the most difficult of times. Given their experience working with Humans, they will be heavily involved with the leadership team overseeing operations for the ongoing exploration of the alien artifact discovered by these newly entwined.¡±


    Alex was mindful of where his attention should be during the toast, which was to say on the one giving it. Still, he caught a little movement out the corner of his eye and spotted a few glances being exchanged. He had no idea what part of Eleya¡¯s statement caused that or if they were just wondering when she¡¯d stop talking. He was hoping she¡¯d stop talking, anyway, they had more of a snack instead of lunch and he was hungry. This reaffirmed his assumption that he was going to be incredibly bad at espionage.


    Mercifully, she did stop.


    Then she looked at him.


    Oh fuck, she actually wants him to do a toast too? How had Carbon said it works? The host says theirs and then others can add to it. Right. This had been in their review. Maybe he could just-


    Eleya¡¯s eyes narrowed just a touch. Someone sitting further down the table wouldn¡¯t have even been able to see it. But Alex sure could.


    Shit. Was the most important thing first or last? They hadn¡¯t talked about that.


    Fuck it. Only one thing, then.


    ¡°I would just like to thank my wife, my beloved.¡± He turned, glancing her way with a warm smile that came easily to him. ¡°For saving me when I was little more than a stranger, and the compassion you show when I am difficult. For welcoming me into your life, and allowing me to see a future I could never have imagined otherwise.¡±


    He thought it was a bit flowery, but it got to the heart of the matter. Carbon smiled back at him with a hint of a blush, so mission accomplished as far as he was concerned. Hopefully it translated well for everyone else.


    Carbon picked up a moment later, speaking in Tsla. ¡°To you, dearest husband. For meeting me in trying times and still seeking out my truth. For standing to every challenge as though it were already a victory. For taking a step where others would fear to tread. For the honor that comes easily to you, and for binding our fates.¡±


    She paused for half a second, looking to Eleya. ¡°And to you, dearest aunt, for words I have long wished to hear.¡±


    Hers was better, and he had the distinct feeling that she hadn¡¯t just come up with it in a panic on the fly. He smiled at her and the Colonel added his own, much more brief addition to the toast before Alex could embarrass himself by talking out of turn.


    ¡°To the enduring strength of the Empire.¡±


    They went down one side of the table and then back up the other after that. Most of them kept it short and very pro-Empire, which made sense sitting at the table of the Empress. A few even added in some form of sucking up to Eleya directly.


    He distinctly noted three that wished Carbon and himself well in their marriage. They would be allowed to live. Alex fought back a smirk as he entertained that absurdly megalomaniacal thought before discarding it. That was three people who at least recognized them. They considered their marriage positive enough to comment on. Maybe he could schmooze his way to a fourth and fifth by the end of the night.


    Once the last words had been spoken, a gesture from Eleya brought a dozen servers out of the woodwork. They appeared from passages hidden behind several tapestries that decorated the walls. The first wave was just wine, the server filling a pair of short glasses and setting the crystal decanter between Alex and Carbon before disappearing.


    A second wave brought a shallow corrugated plate with an odd, palm-sized bowl perched on top, and an array of small crab legs arranged around it. Steam wafted from the fresh green soup within. It smelled like coriander, warm and savory. Still, he waited, trying to look casual while watching Eleya out of the corner of his eye. ¡°So, what is this?¡±


    ¡°Soup.¡± Just a hint of humor in her voice.


    He glanced over at Carbon, a sly smile on her face again. At least she was having a bit of fun. ¡°I figured. What kind of soup? I mean, obviously it''s crab based.¡± He didn''t even know they had crab. Crab adjacent. It made sense, though. It was just a sea bug, and he had recently found out they did seafood.


    ¡°It is a rustic style forest spider soup, served in the carapace.¡±


    Alex looked down at the unevenly shaped bowl in front of him and then over at Carbon¡¯s. A faint brown-red pattern covering the side of the bowl resolved into stripes and then he noticed the tiny hairs that speckled it. ¡°This is the entire spider...¡±


    ¡°Not the head. The head is poisonous.¡± Carbon was having too much fun with this. She needed to dial it back. ¡°The rest of it is quite delicious.¡±


    Eleya crunched into something, presumably one of the still steaming legs surrounding the camouflaged carapace, and everyone else started in on theirs.


    He could do this.

 Borrowed

    Dinner turned out well. The forest spider, despite being some kind of alien spider, actually tasted good. It was somewhat like crab in Alex¡¯s estimation, just slightly less rich and more earthy. The servers brought out several more small courses and his reaction to them was... varied. Nothing was bad, but some of it wasn''t something he''d go out of his way to have again in the future.


    That pickled salad that came after the soup, though. He could eat that every day.


    Alex did not fuss about anything, as he had promised. Adhered to every bit of formality that Carbon had taught him. He had been concerned that he wasn¡¯t going to be comfortable being served in a formal setting but it didn¡¯t faze him at all. That actually did make him worry a little bit, as though acceptance of a lavish treatment would make him a bad person. He was pretty sure that it didn¡¯t, but the concern lingered in his mind.


    The thing that was most disagreeable was sitting directly on a hardwood floor. His calves were less upset, but his legs had fallen asleep around the fourth course. Standing up as the feeling returned to them, with an audience he was actually sort of trying to impress, was going to be an interesting experience.


    He thought that was bad until it became clear that there was no dessert. Why would you arrange ten courses and just have it end on a little palate cleanser after a third main? He was aggressively disappointed by that, there should have been some sort of interesting alien sweet involved. If he did only one thing as Crown Prince, it would be introducing the concept of desserts to whoever was deciding what got served at these events. Maybe that was childish, but it was still his favorite part of a meal.


    Once dinner was over it was time to mill around having drinks and chatting. One of Alex¡¯s least favorite things to do. Mercifully, they filed out to the lounge from least to most important so only Carbon, Eleya, and a handful of staff had to watch him almost eat shit into the table and hobble around like a newborn deer as sensation, horrible as it was, returned to his legs.


    So he stood, nearly a head taller than everyone in the room, nursed his wine and pretended that his translator had broken. This went more smoothly than he expected, though part of that was Carbon tightening up what he was saying when she translated for him.


    Everyone was very cordial face to face. Face to chest. Whatever. They came over in order of importance, starting with a few actually powerful people. A Duke, an Earl, and two honest to goodness Barons. Alex got that it wasn¡¯t an important title but it was his favorite to say, and they both seemed really down to earth. A couple of Admirals - curiously not including the one that hadn¡¯t shipped the right number of security personnel for them - and a General started off the non-royals, then several more slightly lower ranking officers. A big passel of senators followed on last.


    Most of them had... he assumed spouses, as it seemed like that sort of function. Not everyone had visible marks indicating they were entwined, and a few times only one party did. He wasn¡¯t really in the mood to speculate, but given where they were, he assumed they weren¡¯t random plus ones. Alex went through the motions of highly formal greetings over and over again, careful to keep his tone where Carbon had coached him to sound dignified and not familiar, and to maintain a generally passive countenance. He played the role as best he could, and if he wasn¡¯t doing well, Carbon wasn¡¯t showing it.


    By the time they had run out of in-person meetings, his calves were ready to violently exit his body. Pretty much every muscle group in his legs were in agony, a slight sheen of sweat on his brow all that outwardly demonstrated it. He was actually pretty surprised by that, but may have just gone into shock already, which would explain why it was so easy to ignore.


    He still managed to sit gracefully when they took a seat, a pair of chairs tucked away in the corner, conspicuously close to some security personnel. Kept the screaming internal all the way over, too. Another victory under his belt for the evening. They both relaxed a little bit, chatting about the people they¡¯d just met, all of whom Carbon apparently knew already.


    Then Eleya came to ¡®borrow¡¯ Carbon. There were important discussions to be had involving her and the Colonel that Alex did not need to be part of. If he was not aware of Eleya¡¯s interest in having him eavesdrop on everyone, he would have conjured any number of theories as to why his presence wasn¡¯t needed. But he and Carbon knew what she wanted and didn¡¯t protest.


    It sort of reminded him of a dance he had gone to in middle school, where everyone split up by gender and congregated on opposite sides of the gym. Here it was just him tucked away between two tapestries with one long stride worth of space between himself and the crowd. Alex had cued up the phonetic translations for ¡®my translator is broken¡¯ and ¡®I have just started learning Tsla¡¯ in his Amp should someone actually come over to speak to him directly. While his immersion translator could feed him fully formed sentences in Tsla, he thought it unwise to pretend to have a conversational knowledge of the language given that he hadn¡¯t mere minutes ago. Maybe he wasn¡¯t going to be too bad at this spy stuff.


    He was learning a lot, at least... but he wasn¡¯t sure how much of it was going to be useful. The surprise at his height was common, as was his general largeness for a male. There was a fair bit of confusion about the fact he was male, being so large and having such muscular, feminine shoulders. Apparently his physique said ¡®androgynous¡¯ to their sensibilities more than anything. Less weird was the approval of his very proper table manners, and unexpectedly Tsla¡¯o demeanor. He had learned from the best.


    One guy, a new senator and the only blue Tsla¡¯o he¡¯d met in person so far, seemed like a real prick. Kept glancing over with a smug grin and saying things the translator¡¯s dictionary didn¡¯t have, which Alex was sure meant insults or swearing. It was nice to see that nobody joined in with him. Not even the General, who had seemed very cold when they had met. Alex was too far away to hear what was said, but it wiped that shitty smirk off his face for a good five minutes.


    Sergeant Zenshen sidled up to him with a nod to the security detail and a deep bow to himself, a crooked smile on her face and visibly a bit tipsy. ¡°You appear as uncomfortable as I feel. Where has your love gone?¡±


    Alex hitched a thumb over his shoulder towards a side passage behind the next tapestry down the wall. ¡°Some sort of meeting with Eleya. Didn¡¯t need me to go along.¡±


    She chuckled. ¡°The Empress took Lhenan also. I believe I know what they are discussing while leaving us here in our discomfort.¡±


    He perked up, curious as to what was actually going on. ¡°Oh yeah? Don¡¯t keep me waiting.¡±


    She shuffled a step closer, almost shoulder to shoulder with him. ¡°It is unusual to have an important action without a royal at the front. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem, but everyone grasps at the old ways like a talisman now. There will be questions and complaints. It¡¯s best to be ahead of them.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± If that was true, it did explain the looks being exchanged at the table. ¡°That¡¯s good to know.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± The Sergeant sipped her wine, eyeing the room with caution. ¡°They are all quite polite... but I think there is more going on behind their eyes.¡±


    ¡°This group? Really? There¡¯s no way politicians would ever have ulterior motives.¡± Alex laid the sarcasm on heavily, assuming that politics were always politics no matter who was doing them.


    Zenshen snickered. ¡°Every intention as pure as the morning sun, I am sure.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    They stood there for a solid thirty seconds, watching the conversations going on in the room. While he was sure he could ask her just about anything because of his station, he was still remarkably uncomfortable doing so.


    Alex fortified himself with some more wine and forced out the question that was on his mind. ¡°Did you wink at me earlier?¡±


    The sergeant tipped her head. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How did you mean that?¡± He wanted that to be a no, that he¡¯d just seen her blink weird. There was a distinct dread in him that Carbon would not be fine with someone who wasn¡¯t also classified as herself being interested in him.


    ¡°I think I like you. I don¡¯t like a lot of Humans... Perhaps ten of the hundred I have now met? Many are fine, trustworthy. Just not someone I would get along with. I can say the same for the Tsla¡¯o I have met. And, as Colonel Lhenan trusts Princess Sorenson¡¯s judgment of you, I trust his judgment of her.¡± She swirled the wine in her glass, brow creased in contemplation before she continued. ¡°I also think that you¡¯re not an asshole, as far as I can tell. That is good. This- Whew. I have said so many words to get here. It means, as your people say, I¡¯ve got your back.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I appreciate it. I would say I feel the same way. You seem trustworthy.¡± That wasn¡¯t what he was expecting, but he was pleased as could be to find that it was what he had hoped for. ¡°I really wasn¡¯t sure what to make of it, you know. A wink can mean a lot of things for Humans.¡±


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    ¡°Oh, it is the same with the Tsla¡¯o. I should have thought of that but I am unfamiliar with the experience of...¡± She finished off her wine, and gestured at the throng of people. ¡°This. It is throwing me off.¡±


    ¡°Noted. I don¡¯t know how many people here are on my side... Other than Carbon and maybe Eleya, when I¡¯m convenient. I know I¡¯ve got a few enemies around as well. ¡±


    ¡°Yes, the assassination attempt. That sounded very unpleasant.¡±


    ¡°It was.¡± Alex finished his wine off as well. ¡°It¡¯s just been a hell of a month. Three weeks.¡±


    A trio of Senators were the first to depart the meeting, two males that Alex barely recognized practically erupting from the side room hidden behind a curtain. They both looked unhappy, though the second actually appeared to be mad about something.


    ¡°Speaking of unpleasant. Looks like the meeting didn¡¯t go as planned for somebody.¡± Alex hadn¡¯t met them during the little meet and greet, so they must have been pulled aside before it was time for the lowly elected officials to bask in his glory.


    ¡°Indeed, they look like they really-¡± Stana put a stop to her comment as another Senator exited, this one turning towards them immediately.


    Alex did recognize Senator Lanshen. He had actually spoken to her the other day, the older Tsla¡¯o even making an impression through his shock at the post-execution-viewing party. She had been one of the few that wished him and Carbon well at the toast, which earned her a lot of points as far as he was concerned.


    ¡°It is very good to see you again, Prince.¡± The Senator spoke in English first, the sibiliant tones of Tsla standing out in her accent, but still perfectly understandable as far as Alex was concerned. She bowed deeply to him before repeating a much more shallow bow to Zenshen and switching to Tsla. ¡°And I am glad to meet you for the first time, Sergeant. I understand you speak his language well? Are you able to translate for me?¡±


    Stana went through the formalities, the presence of someone who would probably prefer strict formality sobering her up quickly as she returned to her native tongue. ¡°Well met, Senator. Thank you for your kind words, I should be able to do that, yes.¡±


    ¡°Please tell him that he appears to be becoming more comfortable in the court every day, and thank him for his assistance with the language notes. The details he added made everything much more clear.¡±


    The Sergeant repeated that back to him, very nearly verbatim. How long had she been working on speaking English? He really did not want to hear that he looked comfortable in the court, even if it was probably a good thing. ¡°Of course, it was my pleasure to assist in ensuring that our species can communicate clearly and effectively.¡± He was a little surprised that something so... middle management had come to him so easily.


    She looked to Sergeant Zenshen as she translated it back, and spoke quietly. ¡°Thank you for your assistance, it is very much appreciated. If you would let the young prince know that I wish him and his beloved well, and that I would enjoy speaking with them both again, I would be deeply grateful.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Senator.¡± She switched from Tsla to English, relaying the message back.


    Alex successfully fought the urge to reply directly and thought carefully about what to say, both of them watching as he made up something that sounded sufficiently formal, if not short. ¡°I thank you, Senator. I would very much like that as well, I hope that our paths will cross again soon.¡±


    The Sergeant translated his words and Lanshen lit up, touching him on the arm before she bowed and took her leave. Zenshen waited until the senator was well into the crowd before speaking again. ¡°Looks like she fancies you.¡±


    ¡°Really.¡± It would explain why she was one of the few Tslao who actually seemed to enjoy his presence, even if it was not at all what he was looking for right now. "I thought she was just interested in humans."


    ¡°I¡¯d say she is interested in a human, at least." One of them found that funny.


    ¡°Last time I talked to her, she had a couple of questions about human culture, greetings and that kind of stuff." He had been in a state of shock when he had last spoken to her, as well... He could have missed something, but was sure he hadn''t. ¡°Nothing untoward. Particularly since she¡¯s trying to meet me and my wife again.¡±


    "It may be so. Were you Tsla¡¯o, that touch would have been a breach of conduct for a Senator... Except in a more private setting. Royals may get away with many things in private." The Sergeant hummed quietly, eyes watching the slowly thinning crowd and she dropped her voice. "I do not know if anyone has told you, Carbon is very attractive by Tsla''o standards. Smoking hot, your people would say."


    "Well that- I mean, I''ve been told as much." Not in quite as colorful a manner, though. Would that end up on the list of things he had learned listening tonight? Perhaps not. "I''m not really getting that feeling from her. She wouldn''t have done that in a room full of witnesses if she meant it that way, anyway. Right?"


    Her shoulders lifted just a centimeter. "Given how often anyone looks our way, this is almost a private setting."


    Colonel Lhenan exited the hallway next, coming to a stop before his subordinate and clearing his throat. "It is bad enough that you corrupt your own mind with those romance books. You do not need to do the same to him with their unreasonable fantasies."


    She had straightened up as soon as she heard his voice, wine glass disappearing behind her back as she turned to face him. "Yes sir."


    "Romance novels." Alex laughed quietly. So he had been correct about the senator not having some sort of intentions toward him. The relief he felt was unexpectedly intense until he noticed the Sergeant and Colonel Lhenan looking at him like he shouldn¡¯t have been able to understand what the Colonel had said. Alex noticed Carbon standing behind them, mid-cringe. The amount of suspicion now in the conversation sent his comfort level crashing back to the ground. ¡°I- I, uh... Have been learning Tsla. Slowly. It¡¯s a process. I know more now than I used to, now.¡± Maybe if he said ''now'' a few more times that would make it more convincing.


    They didn¡¯t seem to be buying that. Alex scrambled for something that would be more convincing to them and came up empty. That would be his story, he would stick to it. It did not stop him from looking to Carbon, silently pleading for her to do something.


    ¡°Neya also has an affinity for such stories... I have heard her speaking to Alex about them as she helps in his studies.¡± She stepped around Lhenan and took hold of Alex''s arm, eyes turning towards her old friend. ¡°They have yet to interfere with her duties.¡±


    The Colonel seemed skeptical but held his tongue. ¡°I will keep your experience in mind, Princess. May we take our leave?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Kaen. You do not need to ask me.¡±


    Colonel Lhenan glanced at Alex and then back to Carbon. ¡°I know. I am not asking you.¡±


    It took Alex a second to understand that the Colonel was talking about him. ¡°Oh. Oh yeah, it¡¯s fine. If she said something, I¡¯m good with it too.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir. Have a good evening.¡± It almost seemed that just listening to Alex was taxing for the older Tslao. The two soldiers bowed and departed, Zenshen staying a step behind and depositing her glass on the bar as they passed by it.


    The smell of ozone announced Eleya before she said anything, a pair of cloaked guards stepping silently past them. ¡°It is time for me to depart, as well.¡±


    No one bothered with the pretense of translating for him. Carbon gave Eleya a shallow bow, speaking in Tsla again. ¡°Of course, dear aunt. Sleep well.¡±


    ¡°I do not intend to depart alone.¡± She gestured for the two of them to follow as she headed for the double doors across the room. Not much in the way of choices, Eleya¡¯s little entourage made several stops to say goodbye before they found themselves back in the waiting room.


    ¡°Do you have yet more plans to discuss?¡± Carbon said in English, clearly not enthused by this prospect.


    ¡°No. Nothing that has not been covered already, but I do wish to speak with the young prince. Privately.¡± She held out a hand and one of her guards deposited his translator into it, in turn holding it out to him.


    That was not what Carbon wanted to hear. ¡°If there is anything that he can discuss, we can discuss it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Alex took the device from Eleya¡¯s hand, smiling as he settled it on his shoulders. He didn¡¯t particularly look forward to a private chat with Eleya, but he knew what she wanted to talk about this time. Probably.


    ¡°It is not that I doubt you.¡±


    He laid his hand on her shoulder. ¡°But you don¡¯t trust her?¡±


    She gave Eleya a sidelong glance and nodded. ¡°Yes. That is it.¡±


    Alex shrugged and looked at the vague silhouette of the guard standing over his shoulder. He reached out and gently punched him in what Alex hoped was his shoulder. ¡°I got these guys to look after me. They¡¯re pretty good, right?¡±


    Given that Carbon had overpowered their Captain with nothing more than a chair and a well placed kick, then held his weapon at the Empress¡¯ throat just a few hours ago, she was unimpressed with them right now. ¡°They are loyal to her.¡±


    ¡°I have stretched my word to you painfully thin, but please understand that I have no ill plans for him. I just wish to speak in private. You know how the court operates.¡± The Eleya that cared was back. The one that felt like family, that you would actually want to spend time with.


    ¡°I do.¡± Carbon sighed and patted Alex¡¯s arm. ¡°Hurry home.¡±


    "You know I will." He flashed her an easy smile, the annoyance he felt at this situation safely stored away inside where it could fester until they had finished parting ways.


    The attendant from earlier brought Carbon her cloak and helped her get it on, his very fancily dressed wife departing on her own moments later.


    Alex all but threw himself into one of the wide, well padded chairs, fingers working the laces on those damned boots as fast as they could before slipping them off with a relieved groan. He resisted the urge to hurl the hateful torture devices away from himself, instead carefully lacing them together and tossing them over his clothed shoulder. Eleya and the attendant were just staring at him, and he assumed Eleya''s guards were too. "What? Everything important is covered. You might suffer for tradition but I''m the one about to end up back in sickbay over it."

 Redundancy

    Alex leaned against the wall in the back of the lift, Eleya just in front of him with her security detail posted on either side between them. She had her very own elevator that ran down to most of the meeting areas, formal dining rooms, one of the smaller hangars. Not surprising, given that she was the Empress. Nice to have, though.


    It was cold in the lift, too, and that felt fantastic on the muscle groups in his feet, numbing the pain in them a little. Everything else still hurt, but having his heels on the ground again like some sort of normal Human was getting everything... Less bad. Alex still expected to get a charley horse in each leg tonight.


    He waved a hand at the indistinct forms of the guards he was standing behind. ¡°So, can these guys understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Their armors have the latest version of the translator... Thank you for that.¡± Eleya¡¯s reply did not sound nearly as annoyed as Alex had expected, her happy family mode still in effect for the time being. ¡°Though they do not communicate out loud. It would defeat the purpose of the cloak.¡±


    ¡°Well yeah.¡± The elevator arrived with a soft chime, the doors opening directly into the antechamber outside of her bedroom. Alex followed her out, the guards a step behind. It was clear why he hadn¡¯t seen the elevator when he had last visited. The doors had a veneer of the dark grey stone that covered the walls, when closed they fit in perfectly with no obvious means to access it.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± One of her guard opened the door to her bedroom and she sauntered in, Alex trailing along behind her. She waved at the small seating area as she headed over to the short cabinet that held her spirits. ¡°Would you care for a drink?¡±


    He was surprised that she even asked, but didn¡¯t think that he was up to imbibe any more tonight. ¡°No, no thank you. Had plenty of wine with dinner.¡± More familiar with how Tsla¡¯o did their homes than last time he was here, her room fell into patterns that matched up with Carbon¡¯s cabin. It was less round, and less self contained - the kitchen was replaced with a wet bar, for instance. There was a low stone hearth beside it, dark and hopefully entirely decorative. The table towards the center of the room was likewise not meant for meals, too low compared to the chairs around it. Perfect for sitting around with your noble friends and drinking, though.


    Alex picked the chair closest to the door that let him keep an eye on Eleya. He set those awful boots next to it, tossed his cloak over the back, and eased himself down into the seat. While the frame seemed stout, intricately carved legs as thick as his arms, it looked old. The wood creaked slightly as he settled in, the thin padding remarkably functional.


    ¡°Mmh.¡± She set about making some kind of mixed drink, again almost sounding happy. ¡°I am to understand you do not metabolize alcohol as quickly as we do. Interesting, the little differences.¡±


    ¡°Yup. Found that out the hard way.¡± He said it before thinking about how he knew that. That night on the Kshlav¡¯o might not be something Carbon would want shared with her aunt even if they were on good terms. There were other things he was willing to disclose, surface level stuff. While the actual throwing up on him might not be a big deal, everything surrounding it absolutely would be.


    It did pique Eleya¡¯s interest though, her head turned just enough to see him over her shoulder as she shook a mixer. ¡°Oh? How so?¡±


    ¡°Shared a bottle of wine with her the other night.¡± That was true. Good job, spy Alex. ¡°She sobered up much faster than I did.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. She also never drinks as much as she appears to.¡± Eleya said it like it was a trait she particularly approved of, smiling as she set out two glasses - they looked to be about the size of a rocks glass, though taller. The older Tsla¡¯o continued with the setup for whatever she was making, fishing shards of dried rind out of a crystal jar with little golden tongs and dropping them into the glassware before pouring the shaken drink over it.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s true...¡± He took the glass she handed him, confused as to why she was doing so. ¡°I don¡¯t think I should-¡±


    She shot him a look that stopped him in his tracks, initially cold but softening with a smile as she spoke. ¡°You do not turn down a drink from the Empress, young Prince. ¡±


    ¡°All right. Thank you, then. Cheers.¡± He held the glass up before trying the chartreuse colored concoction, a sharp blast of alcohol and some kind of fruity flavor that he couldn¡¯t place.


    ¡°Captain.¡± She gestured to the door. ¡°Please, give us our space.¡±


    Alex couldn¡¯t hear his reply, but the way Eleya¡¯s face darkened indicated it was not to her liking.


    ¡°It was his wife that bruised your pride, Captain. Who held your sword to my throat. If you think me incapable, you should remember when you last held my scabbard. It was not long ago.¡± The venom in her words came quick and low, the wavering form of the Captain taking a step back before she finished speaking.


    Three of them departed silently, the ventilation system clearing the room of the ozone smell a few moments after the door closed.


    ¡°So, he¡¯s pretty... insolent.¡± Alex went for the fanciest word he could think of that fit the situation.


    ¡°He is concerned about you, I can respect that even if I know better. That does not give him leave to speak so callously.¡± She sat in the chair next to him, taking a moment to savor her drink before setting it on the table between them. ¡°Given their performance today, it may be time to consider bringing up new soldiers.¡±


    ¡°You do what you have to do.¡± He had no idea how any of that worked.


    ¡°That is correct, I do.¡± Eleya nodded in agreement. ¡°So tell me what you have heard, young Prince.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°A lot of it didn¡¯t strike me as very interesting.¡±


    Eleya looked his way with narrowed eyes and an annoyed click of her teeth. ¡°I assure you, it is all interesting.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± If she wanted to hear it... ¡°Most of what I could make out was surprise and relief. They didn¡¯t know I could use chopsticks, behave in a civilized manner, or even eat Tsla¡¯o cuisine. Not a lot of research going on there. The majority were glad that I was wearing pants. I swear I heard someone say they wanted a peek under the socks, which... I don¡¯t know how to take that.¡±


    ¡°Consider it a compliment.¡± Her jaw worked slowly as she carefully rubbed her teeth together in contemplation. ¡±Someone is interested enough to speak it out loud, which means they suspect others are curious as well. Curiosity can be bent to your favor.¡±


    Hang on. ¡°You don¡¯t mean I should be... uh, showing off, do you?¡± He felt like he was about to personally swear off wearing shorts for the rest of his life, which was a shame because they were his preferred lower body covering.


    Eleya closed her eyes and exhaled a long-suffering sigh through her nose. ¡°If you do that, then there will be no curiosity. Tease it out, never let them have exactly what they want.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Today was not going to be the day he asked for advice on how to do that. ¡°Anyway. My strange teeth and abundance of skin were also bothersome to a lot of people.¡±


    ¡°You do have a lot of skin.¡± She nodded in agreement.


    Alex rolled his eyes. ¡°Everyone has a lot of skin. We¡¯re all covered in it. Let¡¯s see. I am very large for a male and I¡¯ve got feminine shoulders, which was a common point of confusion. I am including myself in that, because this is the first I¡¯ve heard about it. My face is too short and too tall. I smell like a Tsla¡¯o, which is unexpected because I don¡¯t think I smell any different, but I have been using whatever shampoo is in the shower...¡±


    ¡°They are correct, you do. You have been sleeping with Carbon?¡± Eleya just dropped that question like it wasn¡¯t hugely invasive. She was good at being invasive.


    ¡°Uh-¡± It locked his mind up for a good couple of seconds too, a blush he didn¡¯t want to be experiencing in front of Eleya warming his face. ¡°Like, uh... in the same bed?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You seemed comfortable in the sickbay bed so I assume Humans sleep in beds and not...¡± Eleya looked up at the chandelier, a very modern array of lights that didn¡¯t really match the rest of the decor, and swirled her hand in the air. ¡°I do not know, in a nest or something.¡±


    ¡°Generally we sleep in beds.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure if he found her actually talking about sleeping arrangements more or less weird than the possible alternative, at this moment. Did sleeping with someone have both meanings in Tsla? He was reasonably sure it did. Another thing to forget to ask Carbon. ¡°And yes, we have been sharing a bed.


    ¡°Hm, good.¡± She turned and regarded him, really looked him over for the first time since before dinner and then leaned in and inhaled deeply through her nose. ¡°Neya as well?¡±


    ¡°Anyway.¡± He said it with just the right amount of force, which in this situation was a lot as he realized Eleya had been smelling him to determine who had been in bed with him. Showers were going to be frequent and scalding hot from here on out.


    ¡°Do not avoid my questions, young Prince.¡± She picked her drink up and sipped it, bright blue eyes, a shade lighter than Carbon¡¯s, watching him over the glass.


    Alex huffed and glanced away. ¡°Yeah, Neya too.¡±


    ¡°Is it so.¡± She clicked her tongue with a hint of annoyance before her words shifted towards approval. ¡°I expected she would choose quickly, but I find I have not received formal notification of her acceptance of you. It would have been a nice detail to have on everyone¡¯s tongue at the dinner.¡±


    He did not want his sleeping arrangements on that particularly horrible turn of phrase, ever. ¡°Yeah, she only notified us last night. So anyway-¡±


    She tutted him, waving a hand to stop him from continuing. ¡°You make it clear, dearest nephew, that you do not understand how important her acceptance is. The Zeshen council is very heavily damaged, but they are an old, respected, organization. For hundreds of years they have been a subtle force in our government and society. All are lowborn, coming from commoners, yet find themselves functioning in every level of the government, in every powerful house of the court.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s-¡± He almost said that was cool. Which did not, in the moment before his words slipped out, feel right for this situation. ¡°Very interesting.¡±


    Eleya grimaced slightly, one corner of her mouth pulled down. ¡°You do not understand what I am reaching for, do you?¡±


    Alex had some ideas. It seemed like a recipe for keeping power in check, for instance. He would still play the part of the unsophisticated Human for the moment. ¡°No.¡±


    She set her drink down and massaged the bridge of her muzzle just below her eyes. ¡°People recognize them as coming from the masses, so they often believe they more closely align with the commoners than with nobles. So this does not slip your grasp, they do. They are concerned about their families, and the families of their kind. Beyond that, they communicate with each other frequently, and often influence their Aeshen.¡±


    ¡°Acceptance by Neya would signal that I¡¯m good for normal people, and put me in good standings with a network that can shift opinions in higher levels of government?¡± Neya had mentioned something about contacting Eleya¡¯s Zeshen, to enlist their help to ensure that the Empress actually followed through on her promises to Carbon. That felt like a lot of power to wield.


    ¡°Correct. You would do well to remember this.¡± She leaned back into her chair, swirling a finger in his direction. ¡°Now you may continue.¡±


    The fact that she kept informing him of these details, how to approach people... Keying him in on the experience of being Tsla¡¯o. It felt a little orchestrated. ¡°You know... Literally nothing I heard couldn¡¯t have been collected just as well, if not better, by a microphone. Maybe hidden in a flower arrangement, or even just left sitting somewhere inconspicuous. You could know all about what people think of me without me being involved.¡±


    ¡°A secret listening device? How tremendously uncouth.¡± Eleya smiled at him, a grin that was just a little too toothy, eyes alight with amusement. ¡°I would never personally engage in such deceit.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Alex thought the location of ¡®personally¡¯ in that sentence was fantastically important. ¡°None of this was for you.¡±


    ¡°Is it so?¡± Her head tilted, eyebrow lifted at him. ¡°Yet here you are giving me a report about it. Please, do continue.¡±


    He was sure that this was some sort of lesson for him. What, exactly, he didn¡¯t quite understand yet. Caring about what people said about him? That seemed too simple. Listening felt the same way. He listens all the time anyway. Usually. Maybe she really just wanted to see how good he was at following orders. ¡°Right. Some of them didn¡¯t believe that Humans had the temperament to become entwined, and several were surprised I had the restraint to produce such a careful mark on Carbon. A fair amount of pity for both myself and Carbon because I don¡¯t have antennae and can¡¯t link.¡±


    That last one got a laugh out of her. ¡°I see someone has not been keeping up with the news. We will come up with something to ensure that stops. Linking is too important a part of our culture for you to be unable to experience, particularly when you already do. Please tell me you saw who was saying that?¡±


    ¡°A couple of Senators really seemed bothered by it. A lot of names are blurring together, I met like ten in one go. I think one was Batena? Very, very old guy. Like solid silver fur.¡±


    ¡°That is Senator Batena.¡± Eleya favored him with a nod and a smile, the attaboy he originally expected when he arrived on the Sword finally showing up. ¡°If you hear him - or any of them - worrying about that when you have your translator, approach it directly. Assure him you do, that Carbon has taught you extensively, and offer to link with him so he could see for himself. Do not press him on it. This is a gentle correction. You are not trying to prove him wrong, just bring him new information to ease his worry.¡±


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    That was a very specific set of instructions. ¡°And if I did press him on it?¡±


    ¡°There are times for that. Say someone has accused you of something you did not do or did not say. Requesting they link with you, with witnesses you also offer the knowledge to, would require the other party to accept and be shown. It would be viewed as suspicious otherwise. Evasive.¡± She paused to take a drink, cool blue eyes watching him the entire time. ¡°But, public opinion would land on his side on this matter. He is a respected old Senator expressing his worry about your ability to have a full life as we experience it, and you would be harassing him for it. So. Offer once and accept his response either way.¡±


    ¡°Offer once, don¡¯t insist.¡± He filed that away for later, unfortunately. There was a sneaking suspicion deep in his chest saying he would have to be doing that at some point.


    ¡°Very good. You would do well to befriend him. I suspect you will appreciate his sense of humor. As he says, he has been collecting jokes for a very long time.¡± She actually laughed a little bit at that, earnest amusement in her voice for a moment. ¡°Now, while we were not gone long, there must have been more said.¡±


    Right back down to business. ¡°Yeah, one of the Senators described me using a few words I don¡¯t have a translation for, but only close enough for me to hear one. Tschova, I believe. That¡¯s what it sounded like.¡±


    Her eyebrow arched and she took another sip. ¡°Ah, that is interesting. Which Senator?¡±


    Alex hadn¡¯t actually been introduced, so he didn¡¯t feel bad at all not knowing which one it was. Plus he just seemed like an asshole. ¡°Younger guy, somebody said he was new. Dark blue fur, seated across from Sergeant Zenshen.¡±


    ¡°Letna Sovota. Yes, that would be him. Always looking for trouble.¡± She swirled her drink and contemplated one of the tapestries, jaw working slowly. ¡°That is what got him elected. It is a noble idea when aimed in an agreeable direction.¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯s it mean?¡±


    ¡°It is a skin disease, makes one''s fur fall out. Also used as an epithet for Humans when they are discussed.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± It was no shock that they had their own derogatory nicknames, just that it had taken him this long to hear one. ¡°Nobody looked like they approved of it. General... Tayso in particular seemed to have harsh words for him.¡±


    ¡°Unsurprising, for both. He was posturing, seeing who would join in with him while your beloved was not around to hold a sword to his throat. Tayso is a trusted ally and would not stand for my decisions being ridiculed.¡±


    Alex didn¡¯t particularly care about the political angling, but he did have some questions of his own he¡¯d like answered. ¡°Yeah, speaking of your niece''s remarkable display of violence this afternoon, what the hell is going on between you two? I¡¯ve gotten her side of the story, but I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s up with this Dr. Jekyll- Split personality crap you¡¯ve got going on.¡±


    ¡°My niece.¡± She gave a clipped, derisive laugh. ¡°When she does something impetuous, she is my niece. Humorous. Batena will love that.¡±


    ¡°Fine, my wife¡¯s outburst earlier. Feel better?¡±


    ¡°Not appreciably.¡± She drained her glass and sighed, sinking into the chair. She seemed old for once, as the air of pride she normally carried herself with was replaced with regret. ¡°Suppose it will do me well. When she was a child, I doted on her as though she were my own. Eventually, I found that I had to move Carbon away from the court, away from its politics, as she was becoming a conduit to me without realizing it. She was so bright and so delicate. I did not want that taken from her by those parasites.¡±


    ¡°Is my translator broken? Because I¡¯m pretty sure you absolutely destroyed her.¡± He could see the bright part, but delicate? That wasn¡¯t the Carbon he knew. Certainly not the Carbon that would attack an invisible guy in power armor with just a chair. ¡°It haunts her to this day.¡±


    ¡°I did not destroy her, I terrified her.¡± Eleya rolled her eyes over to him with an exasperated look that ran in the family. ¡°She was emotionally delicate. Do not think I have damaged that. She is as sensitive as she ever was.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah...¡± Okay. That did sound like Carbon. He had hurt her so easily on the Kshlav¡¯o, with just an uneasy laugh.


    ¡°I know what I did was appalling. But as I said, she had to be moved away from the court. I realized this when nobles began to send suitors. These sycophants tried to marry a child because she was close to me, because they thought they saw a weakness in me. I could not just say, leave this child alone. I had learned their ways, I knew them well. They would go to her directly, and it would only be a matter of time before they found a weakness, and they would have exploited it without hesitation so the marriage was ¡®luck¡¯ or ¡®happenstance¡¯ and not arranged.¡±


    What the fuck. Eleya¡¯s apparent ease in bringing in a Human almost made sense from that alone. ¡°That¡¯s... not at all what I was expecting.¡±


    ¡°The first one-¡± She managed to pack an impressive amount of disdain into a single quiet chuckle. ¡°The first one the court sent for my approval was twenty.¡±


    Eleya¡¯s gaze slid over to him as she let that statement hang in the air. ¡°As though they thought that I would arrange a marriage between a fully grown adult and a child like it was the second century. To his credit, he respected me. Made it abundantly clear he was not involved in the decision to send him to kneel on the carpet with such a perilous question - by himself. Not a single member of his House, not even a steward, traveled with him. He saw that they gambled with his life, thinking any ruin would be his alone. Smart fellow, avoided a lot of trouble by being honest.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Alex found a well of indignation in that. What sort of power-hungry psycho sends their adult child to ask to marry a kid, and makes them do it alone? He kind of hoped they had died in the disaster, if not in some other, more horrible way.


    Eleya considered the empty glass before reaching in and picking out the booze soaked bit of rind and popping it into her mouth. ¡°Has Carbon told you about the assassination? I wish it were not so, but all of this is tied together.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯ve heard that it happened, but that¡¯s been about it.¡± And about the aftermath, but for the moment that was hearsay.


    ¡°After it had been done, after my sweet Navaren had been taken from me... I fell back onto my experience in the military. The weapons they used were from Imperial armories and a cult from the mountains should not have been able to get them. I wanted to know all the details before we made our moves because it very much appeared that they had an inside source.¡± She looked over at him, curious if he was following.


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s a pretty reasonable course of action.¡± It seemed like it to him, anyway. Not just randomly lashing out at your niece or executing enough people to choke a river.


    ¡°It was. Intelligence takes time, and most of the court was kept unaware of the multiple ongoing investigations I was overseeing in case any of them were involved. These people, they... They do not understand what real life is like. That things are difficult. Just as they might eat dinner without a thought to the hours of work that went into preparing it or the seasons spent growing it.¡± She shook her head. ¡°They did not see the nets I was drawing closed, so they did not exist. Just like the kitchen their food comes from is nothing more than an abstract concept. Many families in the court believed I had sequestered myself in the Citadel because I had grown weak with grief. Not because I had all but moved into the war room there to oversee these operations.¡±


    This was the first Alex had heard about Eleya¡¯s past, save for that little, possibly accurate snippet from Sergeant Zenshen, and it was a bit of a surprise. Background in the military had not been on his bingo card. ¡°So they tried to work their way into your family with the intent of putting themselves closer to the throne. A married couple would be given preference. But at the time it probably would have been your brother, right?¡±


    ¡°Very good. One step from the throne is still very powerful, as you will find. In the end, I told Carbon the truth. A truth I would have had a difficult time telling to an adult. Her life is mine to use as I see fit.¡± She picked herself up out of the chair and walked back to the bar, pouring the rest of the shaker into her glass. Not making a single sound until she had returned to her seat. ¡°And with those foul words, I made sure I would never have to. The court was alive with the news. How I lashed out at the poor dear in my grief. The melancholy that had overtaken her as we grew distant. I gladly took up the role of villain to keep her safe from them.¡±


    Eleya shrugged and drank half of her refill in one go. ¡°And now, after decades of keeping up the appearance, I find I cannot stop pushing her away when I feel familial. It is... right. It keeps her safe.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s bullshit. Have you even ever tried telling her about all this?¡± He had zero interaction with the court, aside from meeting a few individuals, and pretty much wanted to keep it that way if that¡¯s what they were like. ¡°She still doesn¡¯t know why you did it. It came out of nowhere for her, and you¡¯ve let her just simmer in that all these years? Just Show her. I demand it.¡±


    ¡°That is not how it works. But that is why I chose you.¡± She managed a faint smile despite the terrible sadness in her eyes. ¡°You truly, earnestly, care about her. There is no subterfuge in your actions. I have begun making progress with her because of that, and in time I will tell her what I have told you.¡±


    ¡°No. Not ¡®in time.¡¯ Soon.¡± He was relatively sure at this point Eleya was expecting to use him as a conduit for this information so she didn¡¯t actually have to say it herself. He was sure that would vastly reduce any impact it had as Carbon would expect that sort of chicanery from her. ¡°You bought yourself a little goodwill at the meeting, and then you spent a chunk of it immediately with all this spy shit at dinner. Carbon was happier than I have ever seen her this afternoon, and she was back to being annoyed at you when we parted ways. All you had to do was let her come along.¡±


    ¡°I could not have done that.¡± At least she was adamant about it, not the slightest hesitation in her reply.


    ¡°Fuck off with that noise. You¡¯re the Empress, you make the rules, your word is law. You can say it¡¯s alright to talk to more than one person at a time. Even about the super secret intelligence report from your nephew.¡± Little bit more scorn on that than Alex had planned for, but her actions were still causing harm to Carbon, so he felt that she had earned it.


    ¡°Every time I look at her I see that child I hurt, the sweet little girl trying to show me the bug she had caught that day, and I live it again. The poison spilling over my lips, the way her face twisted from joy to...¡± Her voice caught in her throat and she stopped before. ¡°Just as bad as when I think of Navaren, the assassin standing over his broken body as the life just goes out of his eyes. But it was my hand that hurt her, and she still stands before me as a reminder of true weakness. Unable to save either of them as they deserve.¡±


    That sounded like something Eleya would have taken to the grave unless she really wanted this relationship fixed. At least she was spilling it. Baby steps. ¡°You need to talk to her. A real discussion about everything. No swords, none of this pushing her away because you feel like a family shit. She¡¯s an adult. You actually followed through with your threat and married her for your own gain, so that¡¯s done and off the table entirely.¡±


    ¡°I-¡± She stopped and ruminated on that, managing a quiet laugh. ¡°I did. I had not considered it from that side, as you were supposed to be the payment.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. And while this is going much faster than I wanted, I want my relationship with Carbon to continue. I actually love her. That means you need to talk. Not eventually. It needs to be soon, because I don¡¯t know how much more she¡¯ll put up with before she just shuts you out.¡± Or actually kills her, but that was the sort of outcome he wanted to avoid here. It wouldn¡¯t fix anything, and he can¡¯t imagine Carbon would actually feel good about it afterwards.


    That jolted Eleya back to life, a flicker of panic in her voice before she brought it under control. ¡°She would not just... leave? Would she?¡±


    ¡°What would be holding her here?¡± No point in sugar coating it. ¡°As far as I can tell, there¡¯s only a couple of things she really cares about. In order of importance: trying to help the Tsla¡¯o people, Neya, and me. I suspect her assistance would be welcome in more direct ways, and the last two will fit into a rather small ship without issue. That¡¯s why I say you need to do this sooner, rather than later. You bought yourself some goodwill with me, and some time with your promises this afternoon, but it¡¯s only going to go so far if you keep acting like this.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± She was distant again, a foot tapping restlessly against the thick carpet as the gears turned behind her eyes. ¡°Thank you for letting me know.¡±


    ¡°I just want her to be whole. If that means helping you fill this pit you dug, I¡¯m fine with that. Just remember that you and me might be allies, but she¡¯s my wife. I¡¯ll help her however she wants, so don¡¯t squander this window.¡± Alex hammered at that point again, dropping hints that even he wouldn¡¯t miss. ¡°Anything else you want to talk about or are we good for tonight?¡±


    She set her drink down and leaned towards him again. ¡°Are we allies?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± He didn¡¯t even think about the reply, because it honestly felt like a no. He was still the payment, any power he has in this situation was very much theoretical at the moment.


    Eleya did have to think about it. Her reply came as another question, a hint more resolute this time. ¡°Would another piece of truth turn that towards yes?¡±


    ¡°That depends entirely on what it is.¡± Alex was a little surprised she wasn¡¯t mad at him for not blindly agreeing with her. Maybe she really did want somebody with no guile around.


    ¡°I brought you to our hearth for numerous reasons, most of which I have not spoken. So I will speak one to you, and you alone.¡± She turned to look at him directly with a weary gaze, ¡°you are my backup plan.¡±


    ¡°Backup plan for what?¡± He was a little impressed that she could build up so much and then deliver less information than you¡¯d get from a fortune cookie.


    ¡°The Empire is not as strong as it was. Forces from within pull at us with their own desires and we may not have the ability to stop all of them. It may someday fracture. I cannot tell you who would be in charge of those shards, but they will likely destabilize everything around them. If the Empire falls, I want you to take Carbon and request asylum with the Human Confederacy. She will not want this to happen. She will want to fix the problem, but there will be no fixing a problem like this. I believe you may be the only person who could convince her to consider her own safety.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Well, that was heavy. Although... ¡°Is that why you were looking up my family?¡±


    Eleya gave him a quizzical look, real confusion creasing her brow. ¡°You remember that? Even though you were unconscious?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, same thing happened when Carbon did it after the shoot down.¡± Way less invasive when she had done it, too.


    ¡°Curious.¡± She sat back, a little startled by this revelation. ¡°I thought Carbon had just embellished that you remembered what she had seen to make you seem more impressive.¡±


    ¡°Not remembering, specifically, but it does end up in my dreams.¡± Which did eventually let him remember it. ¡°So, why the interest in them?¡±


    ¡°You crossed the right river. If we cannot hold, and she must be taken to safety, I had hoped they were unlike what she has left of her biological family. I am a terror to her, and my brother has been changed severely by the disaster. It was a relief to see people who are kind.¡±


    ¡°Her and mom really hit it off last night, so you¡¯re good to go on that front.¡± Alex very studiously neglected to mention anything to do with his nephew, or the rest of his family, for the time being. ¡°They were talking wedding rings, so if you¡¯ve got a jeweler around here I might need their number.¡±


    ¡°Wedding rings? Interesting. There¡¯s only one on board, so he is easy to find.¡± She rested her head against the back of the chair and looked a little lost. ¡°So, how is your new truth treating you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit rough.¡± Being in on one more thing didn¡¯t make him feel any more like they were really allies in this, particularly when it was another thing he was supposed to be doing for her. Alex would dole out a little of his own goodwill for the moment. She hadn¡¯t felt duplicitous, once they started discussing personal matters seriously. ¡°Didn¡¯t know things were going so badly.¡±


    Eleya killed half her drink in one shot. ¡°I hope for the best, but find it wise to prepare for the worst outcomes as well.¡±


    Alex got a laugh out of it, at least, even if it earned him a dirty look. ¡°Sorry, sorry. That¡¯s a very common Human idiom and I didn¡¯t expect to hear it.¡±


    ¡°Is it? Strange, the little details.¡± She said, echoing her earlier comment about their differences, now about their similarities. ¡°I believe that is all, young Prince. If you wish to depart, you may do so.


    ¡°I think I covered everything I heard, so I will be taking you up on that.¡± He stood, stretched, and had another sip of his drink before setting it aside. Alex actually thought about his actions for once and stopped, turning to face Eleya and bowing deeply to her. ¡°Have a good night, Empress.¡±


    ¡°Good night, dearest Nephew.¡± She seemed to approve of his choice to be formal, a thin smile on the greying fur of her muzzle. ¡°Wait. I do have one last question.¡±


    Alex had already tossed his boots over his shoulder and was in the middle of swirling the heavy cloak back on. ¡°Yeah, shoot.¡±


    ¡°The wounds you received on the Kshlav¡¯o... They were significant, were they not? Grave?¡± Her ears had perked up as she inquired, an unusual amount of curiosity in her voice.


    ¡°Yeah, you might say that.¡± He wouldn¡¯t soon forget how thoroughly burned and broken he had been after the Ehom attack. ¡°Without getting into the details, about twenty five or thirty percent of me is only a few months old.¡±


    ¡°Is it so.¡± Revulsion rang clear in her voice, but Eleya had it back under control before she continued. ¡°Despite the severity of your injuries, you were repaired with a mediboard. Completely?¡±


    Alex wiggled his toes and nodded. ¡°Fully armed and operational. Why?¡±


    She shook her head, unwilling to give up any more secrets. ¡°Have a good night, Alex. Thank you.¡±

 Bearings

    Alex did not ask for directions when he left Eleya¡¯s quarters.


    He was too busy ruminating on that last line of questioning, and all the other details that she had divulged to him. He had just walked through the antechamber, past the Royal Guard who were all probably disgruntled with him anyway, and right out into the hall. The faux castle walls extended quite a distance from Eleya¡¯s quarters. Overhead lights were replaced with subtle, faux-fire wall sconces, giving it a real medieval-with-modern-conveniences kind of motif.


    They didn¡¯t put signs on anything in the castle. There was no indication of what deck he was actually on or which corridor he had taken. So when he arrived at a T-intersection, with both directions ending in enormous wooden doors, it shook him out of that introspection about what had been said.


    It was about then he realized he should have taken the elevator back down to whichever deck the restaurant was on.


    He cursed himself and backtracked to what he was sure was the door to Eleya¡¯s quarters - it was noticeably more ornate - and hammered on it like some kind of barbarian as the castle illusion was taken to its logical extreme here. It was just a door, with no visible access control except for a metal ring handle.


    Alex gave it a try. Locked from the inside, apparently.


    He didn¡¯t believe, not for one damn second, that this area wasn¡¯t crawling with security. There had to be sensor equipment, at the bare minimum. He assumed, here in the area around the Empress¡¯ stateroom, he was being monitored down to the cellular level. Somebody knew he was here, what he had for breakfast, and that he was developing an ingrown hair under his footwrap.


    So he¡¯d play it like they were. He stepped away from the door, hands clasped behind his back, face pulled into an impassive, stony expression he had lifted from any number of Naval officers. With Carbon¡¯s coaching about how his voice should sound in mind, Alex loaded up on confidence and a hint of annoyance... And then hit them with some nonsense. ¡°I know you are there, Captain.¡±


    It was a long shot, of course. They were probably perfectly happy to let him stand out in the hallway until he left of his own accord or broke something expensive. Maybe he would stand out here for a while anyway. Play chicken with going home until Carbon got worried and started looking for him, because he had exactly zero devices compatible with Tsla¡¯o wireless systems on or in his person right now.


    Which worked in his favor, if they thought this through. Carbon would go to Eleya first, as she was the one who was last meeting with him. Since Alex was her current project and best hope for reversing what she did to Carbon, she would be curious about why he walked out of her room and disappe-


    The ring handle rotated and the thick wooden door swung open for him.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He nodded to the mostly transparent form that stepped back to allow him access to the antechamber, the annoyance scrubbed from his voice as he actually appreciated them making the right decision by him. ¡°I need the elevator.¡±


    Some of this was probably un-Princely, but the people who were directing him towards that weren¡¯t here so the Royal Guard got his best approximation. Which guard he was talking to was beyond him, but they did summon the elevator. Not the hidden one, the regular one.


    That was less convenient, but it probably went to the same spot, or close enough. It would do. ¡°Hey, do you know what deck the dining room we used earlier is on?¡± Ok, very un-Princely.


    He was pretty sure the guard just stared at him. Hard to tell. There wasn¡¯t any obvious reply until a wavery arm-shape reached up and touched the helmet, a heavily digitized voice replying. ¡°Sixty-three.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. Thank you.¡± He stepped onto the lift and gave the guard a shallow bow before the doors closed behind him and he realized that almost nothing was labeled. There were twenty buttons in two columns, the top left currently lit up, plus a couple more off to the side with little pictographs that he could not immediately decipher.


    He sighed and indulged his inner troublemaker, running his fingers down the lines until all possible stops were lit up and the lift started downward.


    Alex didn¡¯t have time to ponder where he was in the ship when the first stop occurred one deck down. The doors opened to more of the faux castle. Nope.


    Then more castle.


    And more castle.


    Then another castle floor.


    The next stop was several decks down, running without stopping for as long as all the other stops had taken. Deck 20, so said the sign on the wall across from the elevator. Eleya lived pretty close to the top deck. A little surprising, but the armor plate on a Hammerhead-class was supposed to be the best the Tsla¡¯o made, with little expense spared in applying all their metallurgical knowhow.


    Deck 28 was next, for reasons unclear. They had base ten everything so far. Even fingers and thumbs, though only four toes per foot. Odd, the little details.


    Damn. She got him doing it, too.


    The restaurant had been on deck 63. That sounded right. He had recognized the glyph for 3 while on the stairs down from the tram, which was on deck 65 along with their cabin. Sort of near the middle of the ship, as far as he could tell, which felt safest. He was not a combat expert but that put a lot of material around them.


    Deck 35. Zero sign of anything in the hallway the doors opened to. Were these chosen at random, or were there actual important things near here that he simply did not know about?


    Deck 40. Ok, five decks, that was normal. A nice long run after that to deck 50. He would settle for anything in the 60¡¯s. He was not averse to walking, even though his legs were still very mad about the whole ¡®standing on your toes¡¯ thing. Deck 55. Perfect. Just five more.


    Deck 60. Just like that. He hopped off and oriented himself towards the bow. As was common onboard, just the intersections of corridors were numbered, there was no indication where anything was until you got close to it. Sometimes not even then. Not even a hundred meters away he ran into a bulkhead. About the same distance from Eleya¡¯s quarters to the one he¡¯d found earlier.


    Well shit, that was structural.


    As he walked back the way he came, Alex took stock of his understanding of the ship. There was no Star Trek-like computer to ask questions to, sadly. Even if there was, everyone normally had a device that could interface with the networks onboard, so it was a pretty obvious design choice to not cover every inch of the ship in microphones and speakers. Door access panels were, overwhelmingly, just for door access. The big ones, about 30 centimeters to a side, were for cabins. Small ones, roughly hand-sized, were for everything else. You could use them like an intercom... to the other side of the door. They were not otherwise made for communication, and he was not about to hit the emergency button on one because he got lost.


    Not yet, anyway.


    So, get back on the elevator and hope the next floor down is more convenient, or try to find his way around from here by foot? There must be stairs or ladders somewhere nearby. They wouldn¡¯t just have a stop here without access to something important. He¡¯d check around a little bit first. It would be easy enough to get back to the elevator with the corridors being numbered.


    Alex wandered, criss-crossing this section of the deck. He did find one set of stairs, but it only went up to the next deck. Not a lot of doors, either, mostly identified as electrical and communications closets. Interestingly, he had biometric access to both, and they were uniformly crammed full of things he did not understand and thus did not touch.


    The real strange thing was, two junctions towards the port side, the corridor changed. It looked like it had been fully refit. The texture on the floorplate changed. Bolt patterns were different, the bulkheads had softer edges and the support ribs were smoothly arched. Most obviously, the color scheme on the walls shifted from the standard gray bulkhead and red support beam, to a muted brown and green.


    It was more... natural. Less warship. Green was symbolic of renewal, or growth, which is why he and Carbon had green regalia. To symbolize their growth together.


    It was recently done, too. As he walked down the hallway, curiosity gnawing at him for the first time in a while, that fact became clear. It was faint, but there was still that industrial smell of recently print-forged metal and just a hint of the rubbery deck plating off-gassing.


    Air handling in the ship had been excellent so far, so they must have finished this just before setting out for Sol, if not on the way.


    Now, as to why the walls were sporting all these changes, down here in what seemed to be the bowels of the ship, was up to his imagination for the moment. Alex got his answer quickly when he noticed the door markings were different and switched his visual translator on, confirming that these were ¡®Civilian Quarters - Expanded¡¯ which... raised its own questions. The cabin he shared with Carbon was simply labeled as a Cabin, but these were clearly new.


    The panel was lit, indicating occupation. Maybe not right now, but it was claimed by someone. Alex earnestly thought about going back to the lift and heading up to Eleya¡¯s quarters and just asking the Guard to direct him home. It felt like a cop out. Maybe he could try to see if the next stop on the elevator is deck 65. That¡¯d be convenient. He should have done that in the first place instead of getting off at 60. That seemed like a perfectly reasonable plan.


    It was a little grating, though. This ship was massive, and he¡¯d only been on board for a few days, but it shouldn¡¯t be this hard to get around. He could just ask the occupants, if they were in, where the nearest stairs down were. Or if there was a more conventional elevator nearby. His appearance would be unexpected but the Tsla¡¯o had generally been nice, when they weren¡¯t stabbing him or otherwise politically motivated. Was it even a reasonable hour to go ringing someone¡¯s door? He checked the time in his Amp and did the math from when dinner had been to now, converting the Earth standard hours to minutes and shifting those over to the Tsla¡¯o clock, leaving him with it being around half past 7PM ship time. Eight o''clock would probably be too late, so he¡¯s good for now.


    Whoever lived there in the cabin door he was standing in front of while he decided what to do next took the first step, the door beeping quietly and retracting into the wall.


    ¡°Ah sh- shoot. I¡¯m-¡± He turned as the pocket door opened, starting to apologize before realizing he was talking in English and there was a very slim chance random civilians had translators. Then he realized he was addressing no one. The doorway, along with what looked like a pretty standard Tsla¡¯o dining room and kitchen beyond it, appeared empty. ¡°Hello? Akai?¡±


    A tiny little Tsla¡¯o child peeked out from around the door frame, not even a meter tall. They - Alex could not tell if it was a boy or girl at this point - had the same black-blue fur as Carbon and her aunt, bright blue eyes that seemed enormous and carried a healthy amount of distrust for the alien found standing in the hall.


    Most importantly, the kid was so fuzzy. Must have been what Carbon looked like at that age, which was adorable.


    Alex crouched down, closer to the kid¡¯s level, with a careful smile and a little wave. He set a simple sentence into his translator and carefully spoke the phonetics it fed him to the child. ¡°May I speak to your parents?¡±


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The kid shook their head no.


    No he couldn¡¯t speak to the parents or no there were no parents? He tried again. ¡°An older sibling, or adult?¡±


    Before he could finish the sentence another voice started up from somewhere within the cabin. ¡°Adana, why are you not in bed? Are you-¡± There was an unmistakably aggravated sigh here, and rapid footsteps towards where Alex and - presumably - Adana, were talking.


    ¡°Oh, busted.¡± Alex said, more to himself than Adana, who he guessed is a boy based on the -na suffix on his name. That was not a hard rule in his experience, but there¡¯d only been one exception so far.


    ¡°How many times have I told you not to play with the-¡± This older person, probably female if the translator was doing a good job, scooped Adana up from their hiding spot and rapidly transitioned from annoyed scolding to a strangled surprised noise as she spotted the Human crouched there, her ears and antenna rising up with alarm.


    ¡°Akai.¡± Alex said with a little wiggle of his fingers as he drew up to his full height, actually quite amused by the tonal whiplash. The newcomer was shorter than Carbon. Shorter than Sergeant Zenshen, for that matter, though they did share the same reddish fur. He wasn¡¯t sure how old the Sergeant was, but she seemed young.


    This called for a more complete sentence, and he didn¡¯t even give a damn if it was suspicious for him to speak so clearly at this time. He had to look good for his subjects, right? Delicately picking through his words was probably not too offensive. ¡°I apologize for the intrusion. I am very new to this ship and have lost my way, could you direct me to the nearest stairs to deck 65?¡±


    Adana, already tired of being held like a sack of potatoes, wriggled out of her arms and padded away at high speed. He was wearing something like overalls in a pale shade of green, clearly made of a much lighter material than denim.


    His captor, though, had a much more standard outfit as Carbon had explained it to him. The pants in a natural, uncolored fabric Alex hadn¡¯t seen anyone else wear yet, and the daman in an absolutely retina-searing pink.


    It was a little relieving to see someone else with fashion sense as bad as his own.


    ¡°Yes. Go to corridor zero, and head aft about two hundred meters.¡± It took her a second to get that out, eyes shifting from his face to what was visible of his formal regalia, then back up to his ear piercings, then back down at his outfit.


    Alex got it. You know there¡¯s royalty on board, but do you ever expect to see them? Or at least an alien dressed like one? Of course not. Particularly not wandering the ship this late in the evening. He had already cued up a reply in his translator, having assumed she¡¯d have directions he understood. ¡°Thank you very much, miss?¡±


    ¡°Haraya.¡±


    ¡°I am in your debt.¡± Alex hoped that turn of phrase wasn¡¯t excessive as he closed his eyes and gave her what seemed like a reasonably deep bow. When he straightened back up, there were another half dozen Tsla¡¯o behind her, including Adana, gawking at him. The range of heights said they were all kids and teens, so he¡¯d let that slide. He would have let it slide if they were adults, but it was way more excusable from kids. ¡°Thank you, have a good evening.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. To you as well.¡± She returned the bow, much deeper than his own, still visibly perplexed by this entire exchange.


    He gave the peanut gallery a wave and a not too enthusiastic smile as he turned towards the central corridor. Alex made it about a step before he thought of something, stopping dead in his tracks before looking back, half of them leaning out the door to watch him wander off. ¡°Please do not be too hard on Adana. Curiosity is a powerful trait.¡±


    With any luck he wasn¡¯t overstepping his bounds there, particularly since the kid prevented him from having to wander the ship hoping for the best, or go back to the Guard for help. Might not have been intentional, but the kid did right by him so he¡¯d return the favor.


    Alex didn¡¯t look back after that, though the strange experience stuck with him as he made his way home. True to her word, there was another bank of elevators and stairs about two hundred meters down the central corridor. He would have found it eventually, after traversing an extra kilometer or two.


    He took the lifts down to 65. They deposited him right next to the tram.


    Alex got way more, and much longer, weird looks when he was the lone person in royal finery on the train. As it was later, there were less people using it, so it was an overall larger percentage doing it, too. Again, he wasn¡¯t surprised. It was probably very strange to see.


    He disembarked at Forward Station 3, and followed the path that had become somewhat familiar to him already back to their cabin. It had been about thirty minutes since he left Eleya¡¯s, and as he leaned in for the retina scan, he was done for the day. Carbon¡¯s cloak was hung up in the foyer, and he hung his beside it, the hem nearly resting on the ground. He set his boots beside it, because there was no garbage can to throw them into. There really wasn¡¯t a good way to hang up an asymmetrical vest as the one Carbon had worn was nowhere to be seen. Probably have to be folded up and stored in a very specific way he¡¯d get to learn.


    The first thing that hit him as he entered the cabin proper was how warm it was. The compartment normally felt like it was kept around eighteen, but it was easily twenty five degrees now. It was also quite dark, the lights turned down to half. A delicate scent filled the warm air, floral with a hint of berries, and - because he could come up with no other word that fit - pink.


    Honestly not what he¡¯d expected to come home to, but he wasn¡¯t complaining.


    Carbon was laying on her stomach on the bed reading a book, naked by Human standards. Neya was straddling Carbon¡¯s rump, tapping a fine iridescent powder from a tin onto her back. At least Neya was still partially clothed, black cloth wrapped about her hips.


    ¡°I do not know. It seems... needlessly complex.¡± Carbon looked up from the book as he closed the inner door, smiling with relief and giving him a little wave before returning to her conversation with Neya. ¡°It requires equipment.¡±


    Alex was very serious about not staring at anything as he took his vest off and hung the single shoulder over the back of a dining room chair, then doing the same with the belt that had the coattails and loincloth flap attached to it. He stretched his shoulders and neck before heading over. Definitely not staring, even though he knew neither one would care.


    ¡°A chair is not equipment, it is another type of furniture.¡± Neya said with a very matter of fact tone from her perch. She carefully picked one of the many grooming implements arranged around the bed and began to brush the powder into Carbon¡¯s fur. ¡°It is not as though you could fall very far, I just think it would be fun to try.¡±


    ¡°Try what?¡± Alex rearranged some of the grooming implements and moved a pillow to make room before easing himself onto the bed with a groan. His legs would never recover from this evening.


    ¡°This.¡± Carbon held the thin book out to him, fingers pressing the pages apart.


    Alex raised an eyebrow at the sex act illustrated on the page, a rather athletic looking position that did require a chair. The translation of the text that accompanied it was riddled with words that weren¡¯t in the database, but he got the gist of what was going on. ¡°Tempest of the Night, huh. They look like they¡¯re having a good time, but it does seem a bit precarious.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Carbon withdrew the book with a smile and a quiet laugh, flipping the page. ¡°This looks much less dangerous.¡±


    The sound of her laugh lifted his spirits as he shook his head, a sly smile barely hidden. ¡°Whoa, hey. I didn¡¯t say I wouldn¡¯t want to give it a shot.¡±


    That earned him a skeptical look that turned to annoyance as Neya wriggled with delight and tapped her fingers on Carbon¡¯s back. ¡°See?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I see...¡± Carbon huffed and closed the book, hiding it under crossed arms. She laid her head down, eyes closed and words pointed. ¡°That I will have to keep you two separated so I do not find myself in the sickbay.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡± Alex recognized the book when it was closed, one of the three Eleya had given him at the temple. ¡®A gift to help you in the task that has been set before you.¡¯ That made a bit more sense now... What the hell was in the other two volumes? ¡°I¡¯ve had plenty of first aid training, I bet I could take care of anything that comes up.¡±


    Carbon¡¯s eyes opened just enough for her displeasure to register clearly.


    ¡°But if you don¡¯t want to, that¡¯s fine.¡± He said as he leaned down to kiss her. She seemed to be completely covered in that iridescent powder and it was definitely the source of the fragrance, which carried over into a similar taste. ¡°That stuff has a flavor, too? Interesting.¡±


    ¡°She believed that you might find it enjoyable.¡± Carbon tossed her head towards Neya, eyes again closed but voice softened. ¡°Also that you may want to have a quiet evening after your meeting with Empress, though I do not think that is the exact ending to all of the preparation she insisted upon.¡±


    ¡°If you wished to complain, you should have done so before you agreed that it was a good idea.¡± Neya had finished brushing her and was packing all of her tools and tins back into a small bag.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Carbon grumbled quietly at being sold out. ¡°Since it has been mentioned, how did you fare with her? You seemed well enough when you returned.¡±


    ¡°She just wanted me to ¡®listen¡¯ at the dinner. See what folks were saying when they didn¡¯t think I could hear. Actually positive, overall, which I will admit to being surprised at. Got some stereotypes being broken, and gave a few people some unexpected feelings.¡± He specifically neglected to mention their conversation about her. He would help Eleya if she started to act right, but he wasn¡¯t going to dump every last bit of what was said on Carbon. It had to come from the source. Using him as an intermediary for what she¡¯d said was taking the easy way out for her, and would cheapen it for Carbon. ¡°Had an adventure on the way back, too.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Her ears lifted with curiosity.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why it took me so long. I¡¯m not leaving the room without one of those communicators from now on, no matter what finery I¡¯m expected to wear.¡± He laid back on the pile of pillows and stretched his legs out with a sharp grunt of pain. Broken forever, and he had just got them replaced a couple of months ago. ¡°Met some kids, they were very helpful. Got me back on course. Super fuzzy, too. Unreasonably adorable.¡±


    ¡°Children? I did not know that there were any onboard.¡± Carbon¡¯s eyes opened with concern at that sound he made. ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°No, not really. We - Humans, don¡¯t generally walk on our toes like that. You know what it looks like when I walk.¡± He was pretty sure she would have noticed by now at least. ¡°There¡¯s no support in those boots to rest the heel on, so it was all handled by muscles that are unaccustomed to that sort of use.¡±


    ¡°Alex.¡± She sighed. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me this when we spent all that time standing after the dinner? Is that why you were sweating?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was.¡± Well, guess that had been noticeable. ¡°There was a line, and people kept showing up. I thought that standing was, you know, standard royal stuff. I didn¡¯t want it to look like accommodations were being made because I¡¯m Human.¡±


    ¡°That is very earnest of you, but there is no standard for introductory meetings like that. I thought you were nervous because you dislike formal gatherings, and you have a tendency to bounce your leg when you are anxious and sitting. It is somewhat...¡±


    ¡°Not befitting a royal?¡± He offered.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Carbon nodded once. ¡°Thus you avoided doing so, which in retrospect you could not have known would have been an issue.¡±


    Neya had been packing her grooming implements up into a bag as they talked, and once everything had been sealed back up in the little box she dismounted Carbon and went to return that to its home in the dresser. The pale, fluffy Tsla¡¯o dragged a chair back to the bed and set it down by his feet, lifting one and resting his heel on her knee again, this time to unwrap his finery.


    ¡°H-hey. I can take care of that on my own.¡± He tried, with an unexpectedly feeble tug, to pull away from her grasp.


    She stopped and glanced up at him, sliding his pants leg up to get to the top of the wrap. ¡°Can you?¡± Neya asked, incredulous and smirking about it.


    Carbon reached over and set a hand on his arm. ¡°I know you prefer to handle your clothing on your own, but this is one of the tasks she has trained to do.¡±


    ¡°Alright. If she put it on, she can take it off.¡± He said it with a dismissive wave of his hand, well before he recalled that she had put on nearly everything he was wearing.


    ¡°Given that you seem physically miserable, perhaps you would allow her to massage your legs as well? She has extensive practice, as I used to train very intensively.¡± Carbon added helpfully.


    Alex had never seen anyone jump onto a table with a step or two of build up before, so the idea she used to train a lot felt alarmingly real right now. ¡°To help with recovery, right? I guess training is much what I did all evening. Sure.¡± Maybe he wouldn¡¯t end up having charley horses all night.


    Neya had moved on to his other foot wrap as Carbon squeezed his arm, exhaling a small sigh of relief as he accepted the assistance. ¡°You will not regret it.¡±


    ¡°I hope not.¡± He laughed, relaxing a little bit. It didn¡¯t make him a bad person to accept help. Not from Carbon, not from Neya. He knew, had been shown, that she was not there under duress of any sort even if he didn¡¯t quite get it. Carbon legitimately loved him, and Neya... was at least curious about his existence and willing to put up with him.


    There was something else weighing on him once he managed to talk himself out of that fear. ¡°Hey... This is probably going to kill the mood even more, but I need to hear this from people I trust. Eleya told me some stuff about her past during our chat. It sounded like she was being honest but I don¡¯t know with her. I feel like she¡¯ll lie when it suits her, and bend the truth the rest of the time.¡±


    Carbon grumbled quietly, but did not move her hand. ¡°It is so. I have not been involved as much in her life as I could have been, but I will tell you what I know.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Where, exactly, would be the best place to start? Probably the worst place, intentionally this time around. Right to the linchpin. ¡°What happened the day the Emperor was assassinated?¡±

 Due Diligence

    Carbon¡¯s ears lifted as he asked that, and her eyebrows followed suit. ¡°Yes, that is very much a ¡®mood killer¡¯ as you say.¡± She sounded a little upset about that, but there was a trace of curiosity in her voice as well. No doubt wondering where this particular question had come from, what exactly the Empress and her husband had been discussing.


    Alex had, in fact, called it. Not a big surprise when talking about death, let alone the death of a family member. ¡°I just... We talked about some stuff that involves her behavior. It¡¯s up to her to make good on her word, but I need to know if she was blowing smoke up- lying to get me to come around. She seemed earnest about it, but I¡¯m completely sure she could manipulate people in her sleep.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps she could.¡± She exhaled and sat up, crawling towards the head of the bed and flopping over onto her back with a puff of the scented powder. Carbon rested her head on his shoulder, antennae swept off to the side. All of her fur sparkled in the dim light now, Neya putting the time Alex had spent wandering the ship to interesting use. ¡°Twenty six years ago. It was about five weeks before winter¡¯s nadir. We actually came back to Sol not long after the anniversary.¡±


    The sparkle effect was visually interesting, and the part of Alex¡¯s brain that ran his more base desires berated him for bringing all this up when there¡¯s novelty attached to someone he was interested in. Too late now. ¡°The exact dates weren¡¯t given, but that lines up so far.¡± The years that had passed lined up with his understanding of when Eleya ¡®terrified¡¯ Carbon as a child, at least.


    ¡°A bit after five in the morning, the Imperials were taking an armored limousine to a meeting at the Senate. The usual three vehicle line, armored military vehicles fore and aft.¡± She sliced the air with her hand as she described these things, slowly and methodically laying it out in a more technical sense and sounding thoroughly detached from it. ¡°The Keslon attack began after the first river crossing, hitting and disabling the lead APC with multiple antitank missiles from ground positions to avoid the point defense systems, and blowing the bridge with a charge that had been concealed in the riverbed while the rear APC was still on it. Another two missiles were used to disable the limousine, killing the driver and security agent in the front compartment.¡±


    Five AM sounded weird until he recalled they split the day into two base-ten halves, each hour being closer to 90 minutes than the 60 he was used to. Being able to take a hit from an antitank missile and not have everybody onboard die sounded pretty impressive, but that wasn¡¯t really his field. ¡°That¡¯s uh... heavily armored.¡±


    ¡°It was an older model with a single-stage plain-explosive warhead, modified to arm on launch. Powerful, yes, but it was being used on fully modernized vehicles. Their shielding was enough to stop a single blow, but the follow-up shots were to bare armor. The lead APC took two more hits, for instance, but the crew inside only suffered one loss though all were concussed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be honest with you, this is way more detailed than I expected.¡± He had been prepared for a real overhead view of the thing, not casualty reports.


    ¡°It is taught in tactics classes.¡± Ok, that explained why she was so familiar with it. ¡°Given that we are near the head of the military now, you would do well to review the curriculum of those classes.¡±


    ¡°I mean, probably.¡± That was going on the bottom of the list of things he was going to do.


    ¡°You should.¡± She reached over and patted his leg. ¡°One of the three missiles intended for the Imperial limousine failed to arm, likely due to the modifications. After the shield had been dropped, both missiles struck the vehicle but only one detonated. A potential failure that had been anticipated, as a small kill team was stationed nearby and deployed when it became clear the passenger compartment had not been hit.¡±


    ¡°The Keslon Shen was a cult, though, right? That¡¯s kind of outside the scope of what I think cults are capable of.¡± What the hell had they been up to?


    ¡°They had been a cult, yes. Centered around a mystic who claimed to commune with the land itself and built a small compound in the foothills of the Kalamusa range, far away from civilization. An occasional nuisance to the local government for decades. Nothing that had indicated actual sedition, aside from claiming the mountains were the true rulers of Schoen... Never any indication of regicidal intent, though.¡± Carbon sounded like she was recounting documents about the incident, more than anything. It made sense, as a child she likely wouldn¡¯t have been involved much in the investigation.


    ¡°At some point they picked up military personnel?¡± Alex really didn¡¯t actually know much about cults, but having people from the military would likely change the vibe of the place.


    ¡°It appears that a military splinter group picked them up, actually. They had a self-contained, effectively off-grid settlement that avoided contact with local authorities, surrounded by hundreds of kilometers of forest and access to a massive cave network. They wanted a quiet place to develop their plots, and snared the cult to use theirs.¡±


    ¡°So the cult wasn¡¯t involved?¡±


    ¡°No, they joined in readily. They had been convinced that killing the Imperials would collapse the government and return Schoen to the rule of the mountains. They willingly assisted this terrorist cell for years, even carried this out under their own name.¡± No small amount of spite in her voice now, her gestures becoming more pointed. ¡°Several of them trained and came along for the assassination, as well.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well... Suppose that is on them.¡± Not much to say about that.


    ¡°Correct. So, the kill team used a breaching pick on the passenger compartment - one of the military¡¯s current issue units, at the time. Blew the door off, located the Emperor alive inside and shot him in the head twice. While the cabin was not breached by the missiles, it was thrown into disarray. The Empress was hidden from sight by a large piece of headliner from the ceiling and debris from the seating area directly behind the driver¡¯s compartment.¡± Carbon exhaled through her teeth, this clearly not her favorite subject to discuss, but resolved to see it through. ¡°At that time, the crew from the front APC deployed and engaged the Keslon kill team. They were split, the one that had entered the Limousine to kill the Emperor stuck inside by suppressive fire as the rest retreated into a shopping center.¡±


    ¡°All right, I think... that pretty much lines up with what I was told. You don¡¯t have to continue.¡± Frankly he didn¡¯t want to hear any more, either. Well, actually... ¡°One thing, though. Sergeant Zenshen said that Eleya had killed the guy that killed the Emperor. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes. After he was split from his team, he exited the other side of the vehicle into a residential area, using his rifle to provide suppressive fire to cover his movement but also being shot once while doing so. The Empress had regained consciousness at that point and pursued him. He discarded his equipment in an unsuccessful attempt to blend into the populace. She recovered his rifle and shot him again before engaging at close range, where yes, she did kill him with his own knife. It sounds fictitious but there were multiple witnesses and several videos of it.¡±


    ¡°Huh, I¡¯ll be damned.¡± There was a potential discrepancy he noticed there. Eleya had said she saw Navaren die, but this retelling only had her regain consciousness ¡®at some point¡¯ during the attack.


    But would you really want to talk about a detail like that when you could just fudge it a little bit so you didn¡¯t have to recount seeing your significant other get shot in the head, twice, and literally no one else would be the wiser?


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Or she didn¡¯t see it, and a few horrible little details fabricated on top could turn it into a very moving lie. But why wouldn¡¯t she capitalize on that more often? He got the impression that nobody liked what the Keslon Shen had done, but she could have utterly annihilated their already bad public image with something like that.


    Alex really hated having to have these sorts of conversations with himself, and he¡¯d had most of them in the days since he met Eleya. ¡°Did Eleya ever tell you about the suitors that had been sent to you?¡±


    ¡°The ones my father sent? Only that they were bad and had been chosen out of a sense of desperation.¡± She shrugged, not sure where that shift in the conversation had come from.


    ¡°No, not them. The other ones. The first one¡± Yes, he was being cagey.


    Yes, she saw that immediately. Carbon tipped her head back so she could look at him, upside down, eyes sliding his direction. ¡°What other ones? What first one?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s... it¡¯s not for me to share.¡± He sighed. ¡°No, actually, it very much is. But I¡¯m not going to share it, because Eleya needs to do this work herself.¡±


    Carbon blinked once at him and rolled onto her stomach with another puff of dust, chin resting in the crook of his elbow, her eyes intensely focused on him. ¡°Well now you must tell me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that-¡± It¡¯s not that he doesn¡¯t want to? Oh, he very much does not want to. He was still sure that Eleya intended to use him as a courier, and he was still sure that would reduce the impact. ¡°This needs to come from her. This is her mess. I¡¯ll help, but she¡¯s got to do the heavy lifting with subjects that are this personal.¡±


    She actually looked a little bit disconcerted by that statement. ¡°What have you been talking about?¡±


    ¡°What everyone was saying at dinner, and your relationship with her.¡± He wasn¡¯t going to beat around the bush, though.


    ¡°What was said about it? About our relationship?¡± Carbon¡¯s almost clinical tone while discussing the assassination had given way to a strained worry.


    ¡°A lot, and a lot of it personal.¡± He held up a hand, hoping to dissuade her from asking more questions while he figured out a way to explain why he wasn¡¯t just coughing it up. ¡°If she told me that she was sorry for something in your history and then I told you that she was, would you care at all?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°No. While it is nice to know, I would find that her inability to tell me, to use you as a messenger, it would...¡±


    So his guess that Eleya was likely using him as a conduit for this information was accurate. ¡°Infuriate you?¡±


    ¡°That is a starting point.¡± She blanched, eyebrows pulled low as she gritted her teeth.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I figured. She told me a lot. I think it¡¯s the truth.¡± Or at least mostly the truth, which felt like the best Eleya could do. ¡°I was not told to tell you, but I think she expects me to play the rube here and just blurt it all out. I don¡¯t think I can tell you because it¡¯ll lose all of the meaning coming from me. Like... the importance of it will be destroyed. The weight it carries.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. But she has seen you, knows your intent and is becoming familiar with your actions... This is a test, but not of you.¡± Her face softened as she ruminated, setting a warm hand on his exposed shoulder and idly stroking it. ¡°Not of me, either. I do not think.¡±


    Alex exhaled with a long, drawn out grumble of annoyance. ¡°I¡¯m about done with being tested.¡± It was an interesting thought that Carbon had prompted, though - if not himself or Carbon, was Eleya testing herself? Her own ability to speak about these things, to act like a family without immediately pushing back? She¡¯d avoided them for nearly 30 years, that was a long time to perfect a reflex.


    Neya laughed quietly at his reaction, having disappeared into the background of the room as they spoke, even though she had not moved from the chair she sat in to remove his wraps. Present for the conversation, even though she was not a part of it. Alex thought he understood that - if he spoke to Carbon, he spoke to her as well, so now Neya is fully up to date on both sides of what was said.


    ¡°Are you? I have bad news about being alive.¡± She said with a wry smile before her eyes looked towards Neya. ¡°You should, perhaps, work on the prince¡¯s muscles?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± He rested his hand on Carbon¡¯s head and petted her a little bit, something that did not escape Neya¡¯s attention based on the lopsided smirk and crinkle of delight in her eyes. As she went to work on the foot that was already sitting there, Alex let out a strangled, shocked sort of gurgle as she pressed her thumbs into a group of muscles that were still angry as hell. ¡°Fuck, that is a deep tissue massage.¡±


    ¡°I am sure the physiological differences are nothing she cannot overcome.¡± Carbon was sure of that, anyway.


    ¡°It seems mostly the same, save for the extra toe and much more pronounced distribution of said toes.¡± Neya didn¡¯t stop working as she spoke, exploring a group of muscles in the sole of his foot with a little more care. ¡°Tendons are grouped differently, too. There is no vestigial dewclaw, which will make the mid-foot easier to work with.¡±


    ¡°Interesting, th-¡± He grumbled to himself and returned to the topic they had been discussing. ¡°I told Eleya, repeatedly and in crystal clear terms, that she needs to talk to you about everything we discussed, and she needs to do it soon. I hope that¡¯s acceptable to you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is. She has gained some small measure of latitude for what she has said this afternoon, but much is left to be done so it would be best to start before she squanders it all.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say it quite like that, but I indicated as much. Strike while the iron is hot and all.¡± That idiom seemed to land perfectly fine. The Tsla¡¯o did like their metalwork, so he¡¯d be surprised if they didn¡¯t have a similar saying. ¡°She did ask me about my use of mediboards, too. If I had been fully healed by it. That was odd, and she didn¡¯t give me any reasons beyond that.¡±


    ¡°She is often inscrutable, but likely wanted first hand evidence of the functionality. It is very new to us, after all.¡±


    ¡°It does not seem like a thing that should be possible.¡± Neya added, despite the fact she was working over a limb that had been rebuilt from a burnt stump a few months ago. ¡°The idea you get into a bath of goo and a computer wipes away your injuries sounds like a fantasy.¡±


    ¡°Well when you explain it like that, yeah. I would remind you that it still took a full day to replace my heart and lung.¡± He pointed out, tapping his chest. ¡°Not like you just hop in and suddenly everything is ready to go.¡±


    Neya did stop working for a moment as she looked up from scrutinizing his muscle groups. ¡°The cloned organs they were preparing for you take a week to grow.¡±


    ¡°Well all right, that is a lot faster. Point taken.¡± He had no idea how long a Human organ regrowth rig would take, and really didn¡¯t want to think about it because he was now acutely aware of his heartbeat. He pivoted to something a little less internal-organ related, switching from petting Carbon to kneading the muscles at the base of her antenna as he did. ¡°What was the deal with the secret meeting after dinner?¡±


    ¡°It was about our return to the artifact. Colonel Lhenan is the official intermediary for the joint operation for exploration of the artifact. We are still in charge of it, but are to conceal our station from the Humans for now.¡± Carbon sighed with content, her body going slack. ¡°A little harder, please.¡±


    Alex had come to find the demarcation between him and Humans unsettling. He understood what she meant, but he was still Human. As far as he was concerned, at least. ¡°When you say we, who do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You and I, Alex. Royals lead, even if there is deceit.¡± She didn¡¯t sound particularly happy about this compromise. Guess the first senator that left the meeting wasn¡¯t happy about it, either.


    ¡°Interesting. So I¡¯m actually going to do something, huh?¡± He still didn¡¯t know what the hell his function as a prince was. He was consciously aware of that fact he had that title, sure, but it hadn¡¯t really soaked in yet. All he had to go on was movies, so score one point for wearing obnoxiously fancy clothes at a dinner held by the current ruler. Another for getting the Princess, too.


    ¡°That is what Eleya indicated.¡± She pushed herself up and rearranged the pillows, laying her head on his shoulder with a soft sigh.


    ¡°So uh...¡± He draped an arm over her shoulders. ¡°What might that something be? I¡¯m fully out of the loop here, I have almost no idea what¡¯s going on around me.¡±


    ¡°Normally, I am glad that you ask so many questions. It is endearing, and I love your curiosity.¡± Carbon laughed and stretched up to kiss his neck, a hand working on the daman wrapped around his torso. ¡°But that is enough for one night. You will be a prince, and you will lead. The finer details of that must wait until tomorrow.¡±

 Fitting In

    ¡°Hey.¡± Alex laid his hand on Neya¡¯s shoulder and shook her gently, barely awake as he tried to get her attention. He spoke the word to turn the lights up to ten percent, squinting in the dim light. ¡°Hey, wake up.¡±


    Neya didn¡¯t respond immediately, still whimpering and twitching violently in her sleep. Her body went stiff when she came to, a yell strangled in her throat. The pale Tsla¡¯o panted quietly, limbs spasming with less and less force as she started to relax.


    ¡°Just a nightmare. Kaeten?¡± All right? Alex kept his voice soft and soothing, using one of the few Tsla words he knew by heart before he slipped his arm over her chest and pulled her close. He leaned in between her thin antennae to kiss the back of her head and gave a little squeeze. It seemed like what Carbon would have done, if she had been there. Probably in the bathroom.


    ¡°Te. Sa meha.¡± Yes. Thank you. Her hands came up and gripped his forearm as she curled up around his arm, tremors passing as her breathing settled into a natural rhythm.


    He switched his implants on and pressed his translator into service. While he considered that little conversation a successful test of his functional knowledge of Tsla, it was now fully expended. Alex set up a phrase and carefully picked through the phonetic translation like he did talking to those kids earlier in the night. ¡°I am glad. Do these often happen to you?¡±


    A little shrug as she adjusted herself, setting her cheek down on his hand. She spoke slowly, matching his pace. ¡°Every few days. Sometimes once a week. I think the... Nh. The changes that have been going on lately have made them worse.¡±


    ¡°Changes?¡± Alex blurted out his reply before he even thought about translating it.


    Neya shook her head. ¡°I am not wearing my connection. Let me-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got it.¡± Alex reached up for the little case sitting on the ledge at the top of the bed, the metal beads that would connect her to her AI inside. He remembered the experience of putting them on from their link. It was a very straightforward process, and one that surprised him at how familiar it felt from just that one memory. They were closed around her antennae in a moment, gently snugged down on the fluffy purple tips of her antenna. They glowed a dim blue as she established a connection. ¡°Not sure what you meant by changes?¡±


    ¡°You were unexpected. Carbon did not hate humans when she left, but that she would return with one holding her heart...¡± She petered off, sounding particularly defeated when she continued. ¡±I am not as swift-footed as I should be in my adaptation.¡±


    ¡°By your own admission, you had no idea I would show up. How much precedent is there for this sort of thing, anyway?¡± He had an excellent idea what the answer to that would be.


    ¡°It has never happened before, as far as I am aware.¡± Neya worked her feet slowly, rubbing her inner toes together as she considered what he was getting at. ¡°There is no way for me to have changed any faster.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± No surprise she had picked that up, but he was relieved she did anyway. ¡°Given the difference of our cultures, I¡¯d say you¡¯ve been far more quick to accept me than I have of you.¡±


    She processed that with a silent laugh, a smile creeping onto her face as those violet eyes looked over at him. ¡°You are faster than you think. You did not send me away last night, and you do not seem to have clothed yourself afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well...¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°I said we¡¯d both work on it.¡±


    ¡°So we are.¡± She closed her eyes and nodded once, then kissed his hand in a manner very similar to how Carbon had done it. ¡°I am again glad you have such dedication to her.¡±


    ¡°Likewise.¡± He glanced over his shoulder at the room, making sure she wasn¡¯t just standing in the kitchen or something equally weird. She wasn¡¯t, but he still lowered his voice. ¡°While she¡¯s in there... How was she when she got back from dinner and me getting roped into that meeting with Eleya?¡±


    ¡°She was mad, to be sure. But it did not burn as bright as her anger towards Eleya has in the past. I gave her my attention, made sure she felt heard. It turned into a mere annoyance in a few minutes, and then I enticed her energy elsewhere.¡± She sounded proud of that, but there was a distinct hint of guilt in there too.


    ¡°Good. That¡¯s still progress for her. Right?¡± He assumed it was, half of the interactions he¡¯d been present for had ended up in at least shouting. Admittedly, the first one had been a doozy.


    Neya exhaled and nodded. ¡°Oh yes. In the past if their meetings had gone badly she would usually just go sulk somewhere on the ship. I used to try to find her when she would do that, but Carbon knows how to get around Tsla¡¯o craft without being track-¡± She stopped and cussed under her breath.


    It wasn¡¯t in his dictionary, the translator giving him a little ¡®untranslatable¡¯ warning, so it was probably swearing. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I should have seen it sooner. She knows how to avoid detection on our military ships. If she wanted to be a ghost onboard, she could be.¡± Neya hissed, mad at herself for not putting that together sooner.


    ¡°Oh, right. If Eleya was going to force her to do something, being able to simply slip away would be useful.¡± This revelation was unsettling, though not as bad as finding out Carbon had the ability and plans to simply assassinate her aunt despite the Guard being right there. What other skills that she hadn¡¯t told anyone about were they going to be uncovering?


    ¡°Yes, exactly.¡± Still very annoyed at herself.


    ¡°Hey, dial it back. It¡¯s bad enough that Carbon does that.¡± Having the other wife come down on herself too was entirely unreasonable. ¡°This is news to us. Don¡¯t blame yourself for something she clearly went out of her way to keep secret. Probably thought she was insulating you from anything she might have to do.¡±


    Neya took a deep breath and exhaled, warm air caressing the back of his hand. ¡°Right. That is how she would look at it. She cares so much about others in place of herself.¡± Another sigh came immediately after.


    ¡°That¡¯s our Carbon.¡± Despite the weight of this information, he laughed. It wasn¡¯t really funny, but there was nervous energy in him that needed an exit.


    ¡°Yes, yes it is.¡± While the anger had been ushered out of her voice, sadness and guilt remained.


    ¡°Something else bothering you?¡±


    ¡°Lights, off.¡± Neya was quiet in the darkness for a few slow, contemplative breaths before she spoke again. ¡°Yes. But I do not know if I should speak it.¡±


    ¡°I mean, if it¡¯s so serious that you don¡¯t know if you should get it out, you probably need to get it out.¡± That was his experience with feelings like that. ¡°So, hit me. I¡¯m an alien, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll have an interesting viewpoint for you.¡±


    Neya replied to that with a short, nervous laugh. She shifted, rolled out from under his arm and slid away from him, practically face to face with the wall.


    Well, that¡¯s suspicious. ¡°If you change your mind, the offer stands. I am absolutely discreet about stuff like this as it¡¯s-¡±


    ¡°Stop.¡± The word came out with sharp, tenuous edge. An order more than a request. ¡°I am trying to gather my courage to speak and I cannot do so if you keep talking.¡±


    He stayed silent, letting her have the space she needed. Alex was terribly curious as to what exactly would cause this reaction but reigned in his imagination - no sense getting himself worked up over made up scenarios.


    Neya spoke without warning, her words spilling out quick. ¡°I have- I have failed in my duties as Carbon¡¯s Zeshen. As yours, for that matter.¡±


    Maybe he should have let his imagination wander a little bit. His understanding of Neya¡¯s duties was pretty shallow at the moment, though he understood that it got very deep. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°A Zeshen should not become attached to their Aeshen. I find that, in the last few years, I have become-¡± She paused again, a frustrated growl from low in her throat the only sound in the cabin. ¡°Unreasonably enamored with her, and in turn I find myself jealous of you.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± He needed a couple of seconds to process that. It... kinda made sense. Maybe. Having a sample size of one didn¡¯t make for the easiest analysis. ¡°Ok. So like, sure. I just- I¡¯m at a loss here. You thought telling me you¡¯re in love with my wife and jealous about it was a good idea?¡±


    ¡°Everything you have done so far has told me that Carbon is right about you. Even if she had not shown me, it would be clear. You earnestly attempt to understand us when we are alien to you. You embrace our ways even when it causes you harm. You offer what we consider honorable paths without a second thought.¡± Neya grumbled, irritated now and that edge back in her voice. ¡°So no, I do not think it is a good idea. But there is no one else to speak it to so I accept this bad idea over worse alternatives.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you got me there.¡± He figured the worse alternatives involved leaving. Either the arrangement as Carbon¡¯s Zeshen, or this mortal coil entirely. ¡°I mean, I kinda figured you two were a little more than the description of a Zeshen that Carbon showed me.¡±


    ¡°We are not. I have not spoken to her about these feelings. While she does have a friendly relationship with me, I do not perceive her to reciprocate.¡± Neya was very specific about that, ensuring that this was on her side only, as far as she knew. ¡°I know my duties and I fulfill them as I have been trained. Despite that rigid framework, I find that I do not only respect her as my Aeshen. I desire her as a romantic partner as well. This is something that I know other Zeshen have struggled with, but the intensity is...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a thing you can¡¯t have, so that makes it worse. And watching someone else have what you want with her probably makes that worse.¡± Maybe he should have asked her to head out for a while last night. From the outside of this situation, he did sort of have an inkling about the formation of these feelings. ¡°How was your ability to keep that separate before the disaster?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Even then I was attracted to her. She is gorgeous by our standards, as I think you have come to know. I enthusiastically engaged in any activities when she desired them. But it was easy to stay distant from personal feelings at the time.¡± Neya said all this like it was just stuff that happened.


    Wait, hang on. ¡°Activities?¡±


    ¡°Yes, to take care of her carnal appetites. As you did a few hours ago?¡±


    ¡°Huh. Carbon takes the lack of distinction between Aeshen and Zeshen pretty seriously, apparently.¡± Alex couldn¡¯t say he was really surprised at finding this out. It left him feeling weird in a remarkably ambiguous manner. The way they acted together had looked like they were in a regular relationship, so it was likely that sex was part of that. Even if they considered it to be masturbation because there was only ¡®one¡¯ person involved. Probably why Carbon had said she¡¯d never been with anyone else before back on the Kshlav¡¯o. He hadn¡¯t made it a point to pry into the history of anyone he¡¯d dated before so that previous experience didn¡¯t particularly bother him, though it felt a bit like the most technical lie ever told. ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°She does. This is why I am afraid to tell her that I have developed these feelings.¡± Worry crept back into her voice. ¡°She makes fun of my lack of adherence to protocols, but she does consider them and their importance. This is a violation of them. I should have consulted the council for assistance in controlling these feelings, eased myself away from her, and if they could not have been brought under control, stepped away. But I have not. I have not even tried.¡±


    ¡°The council is basically gone though, right? The support network you used to have?¡± What had it been, the entire town they were in was destroyed during the disaster on Schoen? Everything she had grown up with, her friends and mentors, wiped away in an instant.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The word was carried on a soft whimper of pain, punctuated with a sniff of silent tears.


    ¡°And what replaced it?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Not nothing.¡± In a less serious conversation he¡¯d have chastised her for calling Carbon ¡®nothing¡¯ but he held the jokes for another time.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Neya took a moment to think about it. ¡°Carbon did.¡±


    Alex hummed an affirmative. ¡°But you¡¯re not going to burden her with things like a little appreciation for beauty growing into something more serious, right? Not with everything she was going through at the time.¡± It was a leap of logic there, but he felt like that one was pretty accurate.


    ¡°How did- Is it that obvious?¡±


    ¡°I mean, yeah? Shit, if I can pick it up, I¡¯m surprised Carbon hasn¡¯t already talked to you about it.¡± She was the one with years of experience with Neya, after all.


    ¡°She has been busy. Very busy.¡± Neya sighed and curled up into a ball, only the top of her head still out from under the blanket. ¡°And it was not so bad before she left on the expedition. Easier to hide, and hide from.¡±


    ¡°They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I used to think that was bullshit, but more and more I think it¡¯s accurate.¡± Alex shrugged in the dark. ¡°So, with your extended support network here, how do you want to proceed?¡±


    ¡°I do not know. I had expected you to tell me to leave, actually.¡± A thin little laugh. ¡°I did not feel capable of committing to that myself, but an Aeshen may dismiss their Zeshen from service. I had hoped for something different, that you have some understanding that I could not see, but...¡±


    ¡°Ok, first thing. Actually kinda pissed about being used as your executioner.¡± Should have seen that coming. Easier to let someone else pull the trigger. ¡°Second, I still know jack and shit about the Zeshen business. That means I don¡¯t know anything, if the translation isn¡¯t clear. Third, yesterday morning - oh my god it hasn¡¯t even been a full day yet - when you two were sitting across the table from me... It was like looking at a married couple. Entwined, whatever. The ease and affection between you two was clear.¡±


    He scarcely took a breath before continuing, ¡°I had thought at the time that I¡¯ll give it a week, see how things are looking. Because it made me feel like shit. I was - I am intruding into a much longer relationship. I know you¡¯re going to say ¡®that¡¯s what a relationship with a Zeshen looks like¡¯ but I doubt it. Life has shifted for you, for both of you. The normal way of things was obliterated two years ago, and out of that wreckage you two had each other. Am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, that is correct.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m being honest? I think Carbon is hiding feelings for you as well, or at least ignoring them as much as she can. Call it a hunch, but if it comes down to you or me? I know it¡¯s going to be you.¡±


    ¡°She would not.¡± Neya was very much bewildered by that implication. ¡°I am just her Zeshen.¡±


    ¡°Who she was afraid to talk to when she returned to the hearth, because she came back with a boyfriend.¡± He sprinkled in some terms he¡¯d heard them use to emphasize what he was saying. Alex couldn¡¯t help a little smirk there, it felt like an incredibly salient point. ¡°That¡¯s not very Aeshen of her.¡±


    Neya actually sputtered before she could formulate a reply. ¡°It is not like that. She would not violate protocols like that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah she would.¡± He recalled how quickly she¡¯d given up the ¡®right¡¯ way to do laundry on the Kshlav¡¯o over being called his girlfriend. Not the same level of importance, no, but she had turned from tradition on a dime. ¡°If her heart was in it. I get the feeling that is something you would do, though.¡±


    A little shrug shifted the blanket. ¡°So it appears.¡±


    ¡°The weaving in action, then? She said you¡¯d been getting more mindful of protocol. Maybe you have convinced her to not take it so seriously as well.¡± Something that would have drawn the pair inexorably closer as well.


    ¡°It is possible.¡± Neya exhaled a soft sigh and rolled over to face him, eyes reflecting pinpricks of dim light from the clock in the kitchen. ¡°It is part of why I was chosen.¡±


    ¡°To get her to lighten up?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes? If I take the meaning correctly. The fervor in which she had thrown herself into studies was, for some time, unreasonable. I was told she somehow managed to enroll herself into two quarters worth of classes in her first quarter of college, for instance.¡± She exhaled a quiet chuckle. ¡°Apparently she nearly came to blows with the administrator who told her she could not take that course load.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that sounds like Carbon.¡± He¡¯d seen her intensity first hand a few times. Factor in the energy of a teen - pending Tsla¡¯o teens were at least somewhat like Humans - and how she was now ¡®less¡¯ hard on herself... Probably would have been a force to be reckoned with, even without the Empress sitting in the distance. ¡°Speaking of her, did she fall in or something?¡±


    He pushed himself up and looked over at the bathroom door, the little panel beside it unlit - no occupants.


    ¡°She is likely in Engineering.¡± Neya reached up and searched along the headboard for her phone, slipping it into her hand, the screen lighting up her pale fur. She squinted into it. ¡°Ah yes, left just around 2:75. Aw, she put us in a group chat and hopes we slept well.¡±


    Hearing time laid out like that did psychic damage to him after twenty-six years of hours only having sixty minutes. It made his brain feel weird, even though it was effectively the same as a quarter till. ¡°Oh, is that a regular thing for her?¡± They had a group chat? He didn¡¯t even know where either of his phones were.


    ¡°Somewhat. It happens primarily after meetings with Eleya and government functions.¡± Her phone screen shut off, plunging them back into darkness. ¡°It is quiet at this time of night, and she finds performing work without interruption to be cathartic. She likes to be around the machines by herself, says they are complex in an understandable way.¡±


    ¡°So, notice how you¡¯re the one explaining that to me? You two have a relationship that me and her don¡¯t. Not yet. Not ever, actually. If we stick together for ten years, you¡¯ll still have ten years on me.¡± Alex was a little surprised to find he was okay with that. It was sort of an immutable part of how time worked. ¡°This might sound weird, but I like seeing that you care for her the same way I care for her. That we came together for her this afternoon. Our goals meshed instantly. And look, I make her happy for now, but I don¡¯t know what she needs in a long term partner. Or even what a Tsla¡¯o relationship looks like! I¡¯m completely out of my element here, in general. I don¡¯t know who I can trust other than her, and probably you. Even though you just tried to get me to fire you so you can dodge telling her about your feelings.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that. It was... It was actually horrible of me.¡± She sounded surprised at that realization. ¡°I did not think it through other than to avoid a difficult conversation I was more afraid of.¡±


    ¡°Well, accepted. This time. Don¡¯t do it again.¡±


    ¡°You have my word.¡± The quiet sound of someone nodding with their face pressed into a pillow. ¡°I suppose I will have to discuss this with Carbon now.¡±


    ¡°You will. I¡¯m in your corner for this, I think. We can work on how your feelings affect our relationships, where ¡®appropriate¡¯ is in the face of all the changes that have happened.¡±


    ¡°You are?¡± Yet more surprised, and a little confused about it now.


    ¡°Yeah. Like I said, I think she¡¯d choose you over me. We¡¯ve only been a thing for a couple of months. I¡¯d like to continue being a thing for some time. Beyond that, she needs you as a friend. Hell, I need you as a trustworthy source of how to do all this bonkers Tsla¡¯o stuff I¡¯m now expected to be a part of.¡± He sighed, annoyed at everything. There were probably dozens of places where this should have been turned around but here they were hashing it out at like five in the morning. ¡°It is selfish of me, too. I can¡¯t navigate all this on my own yet, and expecting Carbon to explain or do every single damn thing I don¡¯t understand is... I couldn¡¯t do that to her. Splitting it between the two of you isn¡¯t great, but it¡¯s less fucked.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well. Thank you.¡± This had not eased her surprise at all, apparently. ¡°Though, as your Zeshen, keeping you prepared for the tasks ahead of you is part of what I do.¡±


    ¡°Well then, how about a little less trying to get fired. All right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is something I will avoid.¡± She sighed, relief flooding her voice. ¡°Thank you for this. I knew you would listen, at least, but I had not expected a response that was so introspective.¡±


    Well. There were a couple of ways to take that. ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Few people I have known enjoyed turning their thoughts inward, to consider how they interact with the world. Even myself.¡± She laughed, a strange mix of mirth and sadness. ¡°But you do. You act very casual, though there is clearly a lot of thought going on inside.¡±


    All right. Not just ¡®human dumb,¡¯ which he didn¡¯t expect from Neya anyway. Filtering through everyone¡¯s opinions after dinner had left him primed for more people being surprised he wasn¡¯t a caveman. ¡°Suppose so. I¡¯m either thinking too much or not enough, there¡¯s no in-between. Doesn¡¯t work out so well sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps in time you will learn to think just enough?¡± She offered with a snicker. ¡°But until then, the honor and kindness you show is a very effective buffer.¡±


    ¡°Eh. I¡¯m just trying to do right by people.¡± The Tsla¡¯o idea of offering an honorable path was mystifying. It was literally just not being an asshole right off the bat and maybe smoothing things over a little bit. Easiest damn thing in the world as far as he was concerned.


    ¡°No. You are kind, that is why you try to do right by people. It is very important now, and not a thing to be swept aside.¡± She reached out and delicately set her fingers on his hand. ¡°That is why you let Carbon in. Why you saved Tashen before yourself. You even extend it to Eleya. I know what she did to you, and you still treat her with kindness.¡±


    Some of the stuff he¡¯s said to Eleya would not really fall into the category of kind, but... He was willing to help her, wasn¡¯t he? Yes, it was for Carbon, but Eleya would still benefit. If she didn¡¯t rest on her laurels. Alex hadn¡¯t missed the venom in what Neya had said about her, either. The indication that his Zeshen disapproved of her invasive methods of fact-finding. ¡°Did Carbon tell you about when she accidentally picked through my mind?¡±


    The reply was curious, Neya unsure of where he was going. ¡°No. She mentioned that something had happened, but had not gone into details.¡±


    ¡°So when I almost died on the ship.¡± Oh, damn. He could say that about two different ships now. ¡°On the Kshlav¡¯o, she wanted to check on me before she wasted the time hauling my crispy ass back into the sickbay. Make sure I still lived, as you all would describe it.¡±


    The sharpness came off her voice, not quite her normal speaking tone now, but closer to it. More controlled. ¡°That is understandable.¡±


    ¡°It is. Having me be brain dead but healed would have been pointless.¡± He had filled out a form with the CPP specifically stating his preference to not be kept alive in that state, as a matter of fact. That was for another conversation, probably one with lawyers. ¡°She saw what was on my mind. The things that floated to the surface. Maybe her presence changed what I was recalling. I don¡¯t know. I barely remember it happening, and that¡¯s only because I get dreams about what was seen. Little snippets of the viewer''s thoughts, too.¡±


    ¡°I have had dreams of memories from links. It is more common among Zeshen, though still rare.¡± Neya did nothing to hide her confusion about that, or where he was going with this. ¡°I have found it useful.¡±


    ¡°She told me she had looked to see if I lived. But she didn¡¯t include that she had taken the guided tour while she did, until I asked about a particular word she¡¯d left behind. Szhaan, if I recall.¡± He¡¯d have a hard time forgetting it and the raw sense of dread attached to it, let alone Carbon¡¯s reaction to getting called out about ¡®using someone else to fulfill your own needs¡¯ by the one who¡¯d been used. ¡°She looked like she expected me to leap off the mediboard and attack her over it, despite having one functional limb at the time.¡±


    Neya cursed softly, apparently having the reaction to that information that Carbon had initially expected.


    ¡°Did her damnedest to convince me that there¡¯d been a big trespass there. She tried. I get that it¡¯s a thing for the Tsla¡¯o, but...¡± His previous explanation to his Engineer back on the ship was a bit verbose now, so he trimmed it back. ¡°I didn¡¯t feel it. It wasn¡¯t bad. Nothing was lost. She didn¡¯t seek out deeply personal things to blackmail me with. Carbon needed that connection, and it cost me literally nothing. As far as I¡¯m concerned, all she did was listen.¡±


    ¡°It may be so. That is not what Eleya did...¡± A growl of disapproval. ¡°If she were not protected by the throne, she would die in jail.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get that. I... I don¡¯t expect I¡¯ll ever forgive her for that trespass, particularly since I would have freely shown her everything she wanted to know.¡± He would gladly have never been stunned, or have gotten to live the experience of gouging someone¡¯s eyes out, too. ¡°And at the same time, I understand it. I am starting to understand how Eleya is backed into a corner, and her need for truth in that moment.¡±


    ¡°How can you?¡± Clearly mad that he wasn¡¯t as mad about it.


    Why wasn¡¯t he as upset about it? He hadn¡¯t been there for all of it, which was part of the equation. The rest had been under duress, yes, but he¡¯d gotten a price paid from Eleya. ¡°Have you ever had it done? Or done it to someone else?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± She was incredulous that he¡¯d even ask. ¡°That is not taught without heavy restriction. It is a gross violation of even the most basic morals, as well as laws.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Here¡¯s the weird thing. You don¡¯t just reach in and grab memories out. That¡¯s not what Eleya did. I know this because I had a front row seat for the process.¡±


    She replied with a strange combination of anger and intense interest. ¡°That is... It makes sense. You could never be sure what you¡¯d see. It would be chaos until the mind directed itself.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be like what Carbon saw. Random memories. That didn¡¯t matter to Eleya, though. She wanted specific memories. My history, my family, my relationship with Carbon. The truth of me. She had to bait my mind into thinking about the right stuff.¡±


    ¡°Bait?¡± Actual confusion there.


    ¡°She had to share her own feelings to coax my mind into recalling my own. There¡¯s no hiding things in a link, right? You can¡¯t fake things without it being obvious?¡± His understanding so far, at least.


    ¡°Correct. The essence of the thing would be wrong. It will feel false.¡±


    ¡°The reason I¡¯m not mad - and don¡¯t get it twisted, that doesn¡¯t mean I like or trust her - is that Eleya ended up paying the price of admission. I woke up early so I got a secret, one she clearly hadn¡¯t intended to give up.¡± He realized, far too late, that Eleya would probably consider this something he could blackmail her with. ¡°So I know that she loves Carbon like a daughter, and that she¡¯s afraid of what might happen to her, and how much regret she carries about what she¡¯s done. So when Eleya says she¡¯s doing things to attempt to fix that relationship, I believe her. When she tells me that she¡¯s concerned the Empire might collapse, and if it does she wants me to haul Carbon off to request asylum with the Confed... I think that¡¯s a thing she¡¯s serious about.¡±


    ¡°That is... Unexpected, and interesting.¡±


    ¡°It is. So, She did wrong by me several times. I¡¯m not going to forget them, but there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. Like you said, she¡¯s protected by the throne. I¡¯m not even going to dwell on it. She claims we¡¯re allies, but she¡¯s the one with the firing squad. I think the worst thing I can do without putting my head on the chopping block is be an annoying little shit. Or walk away, but that will include walking out on Carbon and you.¡± He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. ¡°Do you think she knows how to bypass control lockout on a shuttle? Before everything was finalized she offered to ¡®acquire¡¯ one and take me back to Earth if I was having second thoughts.¡±


    ¡°On our systems? Without a doubt.¡± Neya slid over to him with a sharp little laugh, pulling him into a tight hug. ¡°She loves you very much. More than I have seen her love anything. I have no doubt she would have commandeered this ship if it was required to help you.¡±

 Lesson Plans

    Neya had curled up at his side and gone back to sleep fairly quickly. No such luck for Alex. He had gotten nearly seven hours of what turned out to be restful sleep and was now wide awake with entirely too much to think about.


    He really didn¡¯t want to think about any of it just yet. Alex was perfectly aware that he really should be getting his feelings in order, but as far he was concerned it was way down the list of things he wanted to be doing right now. More sleep was at the top, but he already knew that was a nonstarter.


    What he needed was a break.


    Everything had been happening at an absurd pace since he had come aboard. Some of it was intentional - Eleya had clearly intended to get him to agree to ¡®protection¡¯ so he would willingly become part of her plans, pending he passed her test. Carbon¡¯s fury in response, the assassination attempt, finding out what Neya actually was, the incident that was awfully damn close to being an assassination attempt...


    His legs stretched involuntarily, still aching but at a more manageable level. He¡¯d give Neya that - she knew her way around muscles.


    Alex sighed and threw the covers back, turned the lights on at ten percent. Sitting in the dim light, his mind was restless, eager to jump from one thing to the next. All he wanted to do was fly his little ships - he¡¯d settle for any size ship at this point - and date Carbon. Even with all the Tsla¡¯o weirdness, even dragging Neya and her infatuation along, he supposed, would be all right. The resignation turned to annoyance as he stood and remembered that everything had been put away. Everything. Not a single long strip of the daman remained out, nor was his bag anywhere to be found. He didn¡¯t know what had happened to it.


    Alex cast a glance back at Neya before he started rummaging. She was sprawled out with mouth agape, snoring quietly. Her ears aimed in different directions, twitching and swiveling like she was trying to listen to something that kept moving, though they never pointed towards him. Still kind of adorable, and very much asleep.


    Top drawer on the dresser was sundries. That bag with the tin of powder and combs, the jar of salve, various grooming implements, the sword Carbon had almost killed her aunt with. The ones below it were largely filled with mostly unidentifiable Tsla¡¯o clothes. Even if he thought he could pull off the shortest shorts in existence, he was sure they were too small.


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡± He muttered to himself as he found the bottom drawer was just accessories he didn¡¯t even recognize.


    Back to the bed. Wandering around naked was less daunting today than it had been just a day ago, which was good. Feeling more at home, despite everything. He crouched there by the foot and slid the drawer open as quietly as possible. ¡°Jackpot. Maybe.¡± It was clearly his clothing, nobody else here was wearing t-shirts. A little more searching found the shorts he¡¯d packed for sleeping in. Actual jackpot, nice.


    Once again clothed, it was time for something to drink.


    All the cupboards latched, which made sense on a spaceship. The detents holding the drawers closed were pretty significant as well. Two of the overhead cabinets were empty, which was a bit of a shock. Carbon¡¯s worry about him having grown up poor and hungry stood out as strange with all these bare shelves. Though, they had not been expected - how much food did Neya need on hand when she was holding this place down on her own?


    It let his mind wander onto the subject of how the Tsla¡¯o handled food distribution, a welcome respite from the more personal matters that had been on hand.


    The other two were dry goods in sealed containers or vacuum packed bags, some cleaning supplies, and a full setting of plates, bowls and cups for the four-seat table. Doing the dishes promptly after every meal, it seems. Alex plucked a cup from the tray it was resting on and decided to stick with tap water for the moment. Too early for coffee anyway - not that he expected to be able to find any onboard. Too early for tea, as well.


    Next up, something to fill the time. The small stack of books that Neya had collected for him was sitting atop the headboard, next to the sex position manuals that Eleya had given him. They had a black cloth binding, the only markings on the outside being on the spine, labling them as Untranslateable One, Untranslatable Two, and Untranslatable Zeshen, now that he was looking at them with visual translation on.


    Not a big surprise that they hadn¡¯t included the title of their Kama Sutra in the language exchanges. That last one was a bit presumptuous, though. Eleya would know how Zeshen work, but to his knowledge Neya was still considering her options when it had been given to him. He grumbled, another thing that immediately struck him as suspicious. Eleya had seemed annoyed she hadn¡¯t been notified of Neya¡¯s acceptance of him, but that could have easily been a front. Zeshen were supposed to be outside of the Empress¡¯ sphere of influence. That was how things had been. Not necessarily how they were now.


    Or did she just know Neya well enough to predict that end? Family members were involved in the selection process. Would her station in life lend her more weight, and how would it be used? Was Neya chosen because she would be unwaveringly loyal - and loyal to who?


    Alex missed never asking himself questions like this.


    Curiosity got the better of him anyway and he slipped the little black book out from the bottom of the stack and flipped it open to find at least half of it was text. Dozens of pages. Translation filtered in and it turned out to be a series of essays about consent. Definitely going to come back around to this as a window into Tsla¡¯o culture at the very least, but it was not exactly the thing he was looking to engage with right now.


    He set it back on top of the stack and turned to the ones not tainted by Eleya¡¯s hand. Several thick tomes on the bottom with titles like History of the First Age, Seasons of Schoen: A Historical View of the Heartlands, and 1100: Rise to the Second Age. They looked like college texts. Back in the sickbay he¡¯d have probably loved any one of these. Even just thinking about cracking one open felt like work.


    It turned out all the rest were textbooks as well, save for one well worn paperback novel that rested atop the pile. A lone red-furred Tsla¡¯o male clad in more rugged looking pants and a plain brown vest, standing in a knee-high field of jade grasses, snow capped mountains in the background. Temptation of the Harvest Fields. Neya had said it was a semi-accurate historical fiction that included several Zeshen, right out of her own personal collection. Even had her name written on the inside of the cover. The more things change.


    Fuck it, he¡¯d read the romance novel. Historical fiction of any accuracy written by aliens was probably as close as he was getting to some actual escapism without poking around the electronics and hoping for the best. Or asking for help, again.


    He turned from the stacks and the glint of black screens caught his attention. Speaking of electronics... One of those phones must be his. He picked up the one furthest from where Neya had been laying when she¡¯d put her phone back, rewarded with a brief moment of blindness when the screen came on as his thumb hit a button on the bezel. Belonged to somebody named Alekese Sorenson, apparently. ¡°I¡¯ll be damned.¡± He was honestly surprised that Sorenson could be translated into written Tsla so smoothly, given how his first name got mangled.


    He unlocked it, the circle with a thumbprint in it a pretty clear indication of what needed to be done. Alex returned to the kitchen, scrolling through the applications. Basic stuff, mostly. Mail, messaging, search functions, maps, calendar. He clicked his tongue, not a single game to be found. Sure enough, there was the group message from Carbon. He thought about replying as he eased into a chair, his back towards the little light over the stove.


    Alex decided against it. She wanted some quiet time, she should get it. He was a grown up, he could deal with not having someone there with him at every moment. Plus he had no idea what these sounded like when they got a notification, or how to silence it. He might be annoyed with Neya right now, but not enough to be an asshole.


    So that was how he spent the next hour, engrossed in what was - if he was being polite - a very tawdry novel. To its credit, the first few chapters actually went into running a farm with what seemed like realistic details that could at least pass for feeling historically accurate. Alex didn¡¯t know anything about running a farm so it was all supposition, but the work aspects of such an endeavor was presented well.


    This was not to say that the book forgot what it was. Even through a translator, the prose was floral and laden with what he assumed were euphemisms. Some of them were more obvious. Only one kind of field is getting plowed inside a barn, and the help that the main character had hired were making sure they had plowed every row.


    Lots of paragraphs were taken up by describing the male lead - Aena - as he hefted tack for the Rakaro-pulled plow, muscles flexing like taut rope underneath his rich red fur that sparkled in the cold spring sun. That sort of thing. Despite all this physical prowess and stoic exterior, this particular pillar of the community really needed a family to run the farm. Despite that, he had never taken a spouse, or even a lover. Not exactly subtle.


    Alex was unlikely to admit that his choice of book did manage to engross him enough to get him to stop reprocessing the last day. Not without a big list of caveats attached to that statement, at least. He was eager to find out what portion of this was actually historical, though. Particularly if the way that Aena was portrayed as an outlier for his running of the farm was accurate - this appeared to be uncommon at the time, but all the female relatives of his that might have taken that role had died tragically before the book started to set him up in this situation.


    Across the room Neya stirred, stretching under the covers before sitting bolt upright with a panicked yelp.


    ¡°Y¡¯all right?¡± He¡¯d been affecting a cowboy-esqe voice for Aena in his head, which was likely completely wrong. It was still funny, and it slipped easily into his own speech patterns.


    She panted, disoriented as her eyes cast around the room before landing on him, a soft sigh following. Neya grabbed her wireless and started fitting them on, starting to reply as she did. ¡°I had thought everyone was gone. You have moved, but not as far as I had feared.¡±


    ¡°A-yup.¡± He flipped the page, the next chapter starting in a courtyard. Clearly not on the farm anymore. ¡°Ah jus wasn¡¯t tired after¡¯n we spoke. Figured ah¡¯d get started on all this here reading.¡±


    ¡°Why are you talking like that?¡± She smoothed her face out, more confused than anything before she spotted what was in his hands. ¡°You are reading my book!¡±


    He cleared his throat, putting aside his bad accent. ¡°Yeah, the setting kind of reminds me of the ¡®western¡¯ genre. Slightly industrialized frontier sorta thing. I think that¡¯s about to change, but time will tell.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°That is about when it takes place, just as industrialization is beginning in the cities.¡± She stretched again, padding softly to the dresser that her and Carbon seemed to share. ¡°Have you enjoyed it so far?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s uh...¡± He had, though probably not from the same point of view of the intended audience. ¡°Not what I normally read, but I think it''s an interesting look into your culture. I will need a little help hashing out what¡¯s accurate and what isn¡¯t at some point.¡±


    That was taken well, Neya brightening up as she tucked a bunch of clothes under her arm. ¡°I look forward to doing so. Would you like to use the shower first?¡±


    ¡°Nah, you go on ahead.¡± He made note of the page and set the book down. If she was up, it was time for some... tea. It would do.


    The kettle was in the lower cabinets with the pots and pans, and he had it boiling in no time. The tea pot, on the other hand, was tucked away with the dishes. Everything in with the food was labeled clearly, and he had tea brewing before Neya was even out of the shower. Measurements were approximate, but it looked right from when Carbon had made tea yesterday.


    He was, for a moment, proud of this accomplishment. Then the fact this was over a pot of tea caught up with him before he fought back that inner voice. This wasn¡¯t Human tea, despite many similarities. This was his first time making an honest to goodness alien tea. The first pour looked right. Dark amber, as the few times he¡¯d had it served.


    It tasted awful. Strikingly bitter, it dried his mouth out with just a little splash of liquid.


    ¡°What-¡± Neya had returned just in time to watch his face implode.


    ¡°I made the tea wrong.¡± Alex coughed in response.


    ¡°How could you have made it wrong?¡± She asked, lifting the cup out of his hand and getting it almost to her mouth before recoiling from it. ¡°It is not wrong, it is incomplete. You did not put the sugar and bicarbonate in?¡±


    Well, that did explain it. ¡°No I did not.¡±


    ¡°I will finish that, if you would like to use the shower?¡±


    Alex agreed and they switched tasks.


    It felt good to be clean, and that little scrubby pad he¡¯d pinched from the kitchen the night before did an excellent job of exfoliating everything. Maybe a little too well for daily use. His legs appreciated the heat, their misery ebbing further away. Neya confirmed that all his clothes had ended up in the drawers under the bed, and while it wasn¡¯t the organizational system he would have used, everything was easy enough to locate.


    ¡°It looks fine, right? Right?¡± Alex held his arms out, showing off his outfit to Neya. He¡¯d opted for human clothing today, a black t-shirt over black pants. They would not be getting him back into formal clothing. Ever, if he had his way. ¡°Toss the jacket on over this. Done. Easy.¡±


    ¡°It looks... Strange. Discomforting. The collar is too high and sleeves too low.¡± She wrinkled her slender muzzle at him, eyebrows pulled low. She may have been holding a slight grudge. Carbon had messaged them while he was in the shower, requesting that he come and dine with her back near Engineering.


    ¡°Ah, what do you know.¡± He sat on the bed and slipped his shoes on. He had expected that Neya would go too, but Carbon had explained there were protocols to be followed when dining with your Zeshen in public. This wasn¡¯t one of those times.


    Neya leaned back in her chair, looking away from him with a dismissive flip of her hand. ¡°I have studied fashion and aesthetics extensively for two decades.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d both have to do that, huh?¡± Alex muttered under his breath as he seated his heel and pulled the laces tight. Real arch support felt incredible. ¡°Look, I¡¯ll pick something up for you on the way back. Actually, I¡¯ll have Carbon do it because I don¡¯t know where anything is or what you¡¯d like.¡±


    ¡°It is not the same,¡± she huffed. Despite the act she was putting up, Neya sounded amused by the exchange.


    ¡°Then we won¡¯t get anything and she can just get up early tomorrow and make breakfast.¡± He stood and picked a few stray hairs off his pants. ¡°How¡¯s that sound?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you should get me something and she can still cook tomorrow. After such a disappointment, it is the least that will soothe my feelings.¡± Neya smiled wide, having given up the pretense of being put off entirely and slipping back into her normal warm countenance. She picked his phone off the table and held it out to him, ¡°the map is set to take you directly to the restaurant. I do not think Carbon will appreciate it if you dally.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think she would either.¡± Alex tucked it into a pocket and gave her a wave as he closed the door to the foyer. His jacket fit just fine over the t-shirt and he didn¡¯t particularly care if it didn¡¯t show the appropriate amount of neck and shoulder. It¡¯d probably be better anyway, bare skin seemed to unsettle many of the locals.


    He slapped the controls and the heavy door started to retract into the wall. He double checked the map - turn left into the hall, proceed forward 112.3 meters - and followed its instructions after the door closed behind him.


    He hadn¡¯t made it to the first junction before he heard a shout behind him and rapid footsteps. ¡°Lord Sorenson!¡±


    The first thing he thought was that he was going to get stabbed again. Maybe shot this time. They would have learned from the first try and waited until he was properly alone before giving killing him another go. By the time he had turned his head to look at his impending death, he had realized the voice was fairly familiar. It didn''t even sound angry at all, actually, and hadn¡¯t been translated.


    ¡°Sir. Are you all right?¡± Sergeant Zenshen pulled up short of him, surprise turning to concern as she looked him over.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Alex managed a nervous laugh. The look of terror on his face twisted into a half-crazed smile, heart still pounding in his chest. He was gripping the phone like it could have been used as a weapon, arms shaking from adrenaline. ¡°Can you never, ever run up behind me like that again?¡±


    She was slow to respond, words laced with confusion as she slid a foot back, easing further away from him. ¡°Yes sir, of course. I will not.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know that was going to be a problem.¡± Alex exhaled hard, composing himself further. ¡°But yeah, don¡¯t do that again.¡±


    That seemed to settle her well enough. She squared her feet and relaxed, tucking a small black case under her arm. ¡°As I said, it will not happen again. If you have a moment, sir, I do have something to discuss with you.¡±


    ¡°Can you walk while we do that? Carbon¡¯s waiting for me.¡±


    She nodded, dipping close to bow territory. ¡°Of course, my Lord.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± He ignored the title as he double checked that he was facing the right way before setting off down the corridor. ¡°Go on, what¡¯s up?¡±


    The Sergeant fell in next to him, footsteps all but silent as she matched his speed. ¡°The Empress appointed me as your military liaison, until you are able to take a command yourself.¡±


    Alex chewed on that for a minute, parsing out exactly what Eleya¡¯s actual intentions might have been. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°So that you can be a proper member of the royal family.¡± There was no ease in her voice, her words sounding more like something she had been coached to say.


    That didn¡¯t make this little tidbit of news any easier to digest. ¡°You¡¯re going to be teaching me how to be a... commander?¡±


    ¡°There is no rank for a Prince other than Prince.¡± She hesitated, conflicted for a moment. ¡°I don''t know if the word ''teaching'' is correct for what I am supposed to do.¡±


    ¡°Qualify that statement, Sergeant.¡± He did his best impression of the handful of officers that he¡¯d worked with.


    ¡°Permission to speak freely?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, of course.¡±


    A handful of steps went by as she picked her words. ¡°I am here more to keep you from offending anyone important while you are adjusting to your new position, than to train you to do anything.¡±


    ¡°Because you already know how to deal with Humans.¡± At least, that made sense to him.


    She confirmed his assumption with a nod. ¡°It helps. You may find that some will not be as easy to work with, and part of my duty is to ensure everyone¡¯s safety as they adjust.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± The corridor widened into a maglev tram stop and he cut across the small plaza to the port side, which ran aft on the loop it took around the ship ¡°That¡¯s great. So that big old target painted on my back is actually for everyone?¡±


    Stana shook her head this time. ¡°That is not entirely correct. Some merely deny your right to command, or to hold a noble title.¡±


    Alex shrugged as the timer clicked by. ¡°So? I think I kind of suck at Prince things. I¡¯d probably be a bad commander too.¡±


    ¡°No. You may be a novice, but you are a Prince. People may think and say what they will.¡± Her eyes darkened, voice hard and clear as she underscored her point. ¡°But when you tell them to jump, they will ask you how high. Do you understand?¡±


    He straightened, rebuked. ¡°Uh, yeah. I guess I do.¡±


    ¡°You guess?¡± Not the answer she wanted.


    ¡°Yes. I understand.¡± He panicked just a little bit, not sure exactly what he was getting or what had happened to the pleasant sergeant from last night. The maglev arrived with a soft chime and he hustled inside as soon as the doors opened.


    ¡°Good.¡± She sounded doubtful but eased up, following him into the car. ¡°Did I use that saying correctly?¡±


    ¡°The jump one? Yeah.¡± Alex sat across from the door, checking the map again to be sure he wouldn¡¯t miss his stop. He had been hoping she¡¯d stay on the platform and that would be that, but as long as she didn¡¯t turn into the drill sergeant again he would deal.


    She smiled and chuckled to herself as she sat down next to him. ¡°Excellent. Your military training methods are similar to ours, so I imagine I will be able to bring you up to speed quickly as far as acting the part is concerned. I think it would be wise to continue your training beyond that, so you are fully familiar with a wide aspect of the experiences of those you will command.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± He sighed, feeling a distinct lack of enthusiasm for this endeavor. Alex had more than enough training from learning to be a scoutship pilot. This just sounded like entirely more work than he wanted to be involved in. Though, he didn¡¯t particularly relish the idea of being seen as a slacker or out of touch even if the situation wasn¡¯t one he¡¯d asked for. More allies were better. ¡°That sounds good. If I am gonna do this, I will need to be learning, and not just how to avoid offending someone.¡±


    Stana handed him the package she had been carrying, gesturing for him to open it. ¡°I feel much more comfortable giving you these, knowing that you are willing.¡±


    Alex untied the thin cords that held the bundle closed, surprised at the weight of it as he set it in his lap and unrolled the flaps. A pair of gloves gleamed back at him, silver plate trimmed with gold and set on dark brown leather. ¡°Nice. A little anachronistic, but nice. What do they mean?¡±


    ¡°The gauntlets for a noble¡¯s armor.¡± Stana intimated he should try them on. ¡°The Empress wanted you to have them now, if you were willing, even though they are unfinished.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s missing?¡± He turned them over and then slipped one on, unable to find any sort of indication it needed work. The leather was snug and stiff, no doubt cut to his measurements so it would be his size when it was broken in. The leather ran halfway up his forearm laced to the wrist, the metal plate bolted to the back of the glove extended past his knuckles, nearly to the first joint of his fingers. He made a fist, the protective metal clearly meant to cut should he punch someone while wearing it.


    The soldier that had attacked him had been wearing something similar - that explained how he¡¯d done so much damage to Tashen so fast.


    ¡°They need your family insignia and you do not currently have one. An appointment has been made this afternoon for you and the Princess to see a designer about that.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Well, all right. Let Neya know and she¡¯ll give us the details.¡± Alex slid the gloves back into their wrap as the maglev decelerated, springing to his feet when the doors chimed and opened. ¡°Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I don¡¯t think either of us wants me to be late for this appointment.¡±

 Secured

    Just as expected, Carbon was waiting at the entrance to Engineering - it had its own stop on the maglev line. It was the heart of the ship. On Human ships it was usually the single largest section, what with all the power generation and multiple methods of ship motivation going on. Unless he was mistaken - which he could be as he was just guessing at the moment as there was no speedometer on the maglev tram - it was about two-thirds of the way back from the bow. A human ship would usually have it all the way to the aft.


    What he hadn¡¯t expected was how Carbon was dressed. He¡¯d gotten used to her in a lightly modified CPP coverall while back on the Kshlav¡¯o, once she had stopped wearing the encounter suit. In retrospect, it should have been obvious that wasn¡¯t her normal getup. It had all the exact same pockets as his - in what universe did two separate species both develop coveralls with the same pocket layout and nametag location?


    Even the standard Tsla¡¯o pants and jacket had been easy to adjust to.


    This getup, on the other hand, made her look a little bit like a videogame character. Brown boots that nearly came up to her knees, with slabs of scuffed armor and soles so thick she was noticeably taller. Similarly heavy khaki-colored pants, made of thicker fabric than what she normally wore, reinforced impact patches at the knees, hips, and lower back. Absolutely resplendent with pockets. Looked like there were a few places to hook up a safety harness, and guides for a belt as well.


    That all pretty much made sense. He understood the functionality. Above the beltline, on the other hand, was not as understandable. It looked mostly she was just wearing the smallest daman possible and a very short jacket as well - it looked like the same leather-like material as her boots, and even sported some matching armor. Despite that, it didn¡¯t go past her rib cage, and appeared to stop at her elbows. Left pretty much the entire middle of her body exposed, which seemed a bit counterproductive.


    There was a lot of technology integrated into the jacket. Sensor clusters around the collar glowed softly, and there were a few holographic emitters sitting dark dotting the area. Her antenna rested in slots around the back to interface with the built-in computer and any nearby networks.


    Out of all of this, the most notable thing for Alex was that she looked so at ease here as she wrapped her arms around his torso and squeezed the life out of him. She looked happy in a way that she hadn¡¯t until now.


    ¡°I hope you have slept well?¡± Carbon looked up, not a hint of tiredness in her face or voice despite having gotten up in the middle of the night to work.


    ¡°I actually did, yeah. Feels like I haven¡¯t done that in awhile.¡± He did not bring up what he and Neya had talked about. Not standing around here in the open - he wasn¡¯t up with the ins and outs of their culture, let alone the entire Zeshen thing, but it felt like the wrong place. They would have that talk once they were back at the cabin.


    ¡°Good.¡± Her smile was sublime, eyes squinting with an easy delight. She gestured at the package in his hands. ¡°And what is this?¡±


    Alex was pretty sure she had never looked this relaxed before. Maybe communing with the ship really was something she needed to be doing. ¡°Gloves. Well, gauntlets. Sergeant Zenshen brought them over as I was heading out. She¡¯s my military liaison now, I guess. Per Eleya¡¯s orders.¡± His gaze kept dropping back to her exposed midriff for some reason.


    Even mention of her aunt didn¡¯t phase her, though her eyebrows did come down with a hint of chagrin. ¡°She was acting as Colonel Lehnan¡¯s liaison, and has just been attached to you? Though... They are already attached to the project concerning the artifact.¡± She had her phone out, tapping away at the screen.


    ¡°Yeah, she didn¡¯t seem bothered by it?¡± He shrugged. In his estimation, the Sergeant had been having a pretty good time, except for that little hiccup in the corridor. It was probably a pretty easy assignment, all things considered. Most of the time. ¡°Just keeping me from stepping on the wrong toes.¡±


    ¡°Be that as it may, I have asked Neya to look into how this was done - I do not want to leave the Colonel sitting on the riverbed.¡± She slipped the phone away into her entirely too short a jacket and looped her arm around his, a sly smirk on her muzzle as she directed them both off the tram platform. ¡°Now, on to more pressing matters?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good. Where are you taking me?¡± His knowledge of the ship ran out just as soon as they walked through the archway, into a slightly busy corridor. These people were at work. They moved with purpose and many were carrying equipment he didn¡¯t recognize, or pushing antigrav carts with large equipment he didn¡¯t recognize, save for one poor duo trying to hover the biggest impeller press that he¡¯d ever seen outside a dry dock through the crowd.


    ¡°There is a place here that is, I believe, much like your Noonan¡¯s.¡± She had to speak up a little bit over the background noise here, but still very much in her preferred environment. ¡°It is... The Hammer¡¯s Rest, I think is a good translation. A place for crews who are on breaks or may be called up.¡±


    ¡°Oh neat.¡± It dawned on him that this was the first time he was seeing the actual crew of the Sword. Several wore powered environment suits in an eye-catching shade of red, but most were clad in the nearly the same outfit that Carbon wore. Some had long sleeves, others full length jackets. Anything that looked like leather was colored coded on theirs, as well. Blue, red, orange, purple... ¡°Ok, honest question here - what¡¯s up with the coat? Yours doesn¡¯t seem very safe.¡±


    ¡°My coat?¡± She looked down at it, realization filling her eyes as she laughed. Carbon grasped the hem with both hands, thumbs resting on a subtle pair of buttons, and just pulled it down like a curtain. She let it go at her hip so it slightly overlapped her pants. ¡°Adjustable, but it is common practice to have the sleeves and hem raised when one is off duty.¡±


    ¡°Hang on, does that extrude material?¡± His gaze fell on her abdomen again, now framed. Looks like he was learning something about himself this morning.


    ¡°Very good, it does. Allowing the user to adjust their equipment to their body and protective needs without custom tailoring or changing gear for different tasks.¡± She gestured at a passing crewmember in one of the red environment suits, helmet retracted and focused on whatever the holographic display before him was showing. ¡°Though particularly dangerous tasks still require more.¡±


    ¡°Well damn, all right. It changes color too, right? All networked together?¡± Not a big jump, if they were stacking that much technology into protective gear.


    ¡°Correct again.¡± Carbon nearly sang it as she tugged him down a side corridor. ¡°In Engineering they are for teams, though in other parts of the ship they may have specific jobs.¡±


    ¡°Like flightdeck crew.¡± The most obvious group who used color coding, off the top of his head.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Their path turned again, this time through another archway that rivaled the size of the one into the tram station, holographic letters in the most garish colors possible stretched overhead.


    Alex wanted to call it a restaurant, at first. It was huge compared to the other places he had been on board, about thirty meters to a side, and actually dim. The walls were lined with long tables, clusters of color-coded workers spread out around the place. The center of the room was taken up by a big square bar, though, which made it more of a pub or tavern - very much like Noonan¡¯s.


    Also like Noonan¡¯s, everything was made of dark wood. The floor, stools, chairs, tables, the bar, all a sort of dark red-brown that occasionally dipped into black, metalwork done in gleaming steel. The walls carried a wattle and daub pastiche, wooden beams running floor to ceiling and horizontally from corner to corner, filled in with a checkerboard of dark green and blue stucco. While it didn¡¯t have the big screen Noonan¡¯s sported, there were a dozen or so smaller screens with a plethora of information about who was needed where.


    ¡°This feels like my kind of joint.¡± Even the curious glances being tossed his way felt normal. Like that¡¯d be what any dumbass rolling in wearing a fancy jacket would get. The din of conversation was far and away the most surprising part - his translator was catching at least half of it, the banality of people waiting for something to happen crystal clear. ¡°Tell me they sell t-shirts?¡±


    ¡°Wh- no, they do not sell t-shirts.¡± Carbon sighed with a smile and pointed out a door halfway down the far wall, their destination.


    ¡°Not yet.¡± He wouldn¡¯t have minded a heads up about the overall casualness. Any excuse to dress down, honestly. Beyond the door was just a smaller, but similarly themed room with a fraction of the people in it. A bar ran halfway down one side, the rest of the floor containing smaller tables for two or four. The change in dress was noticeable, going from the engineering gear to stuff more like what Aena from the novel he¡¯d been reading had been wearing - pants and a sleeveless vest. Manager clothes, though matching the colors everybody else outside wore.


    She settled in at a shorter table in the corner, handing him a menu from the stack waiting there. ¡°Everything they make is pretty good.¡±


    ¡°All right. No warnings about the chicken fingers?¡± He said, recalling the last time they¡¯d been in a pub.


    Carbon laughed. ¡°No. Probably no drinking - it is a bit early in the day to start.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, not drinking before noon has treated me pretty well.¡± So far, anyway. ¡°But now that you got me thinking about it, I kinda want a Mimosa.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡±


    ¡°Orange juice and champagne.¡± He perused the menu, the translations an unhealthy mix of generic terms for food items and nouns that left him with no idea what anything was. Shoreline Broth with Root Vegetable left so much to the imagination. There were plenty of ways to interpret that which didn¡¯t strike him as appetizing. Was it fish based? Did it remind one of low tide? How far into ¡®alien taste sensation¡¯ were they getting here, and what was the sensation he¡¯d be feeling? ¡°You usually drink them with brunch, which this is probably not.¡±


    Carbon laughed and set her menu down with a bemused smile. ¡°And what is brunch?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a meal that¡¯s later than br-eakfast, but before l-unch.¡± Alex split the words up into what was hopefully a clear explanation of the portmanteau, and set his menu down too. Time to go to the old standby. ¡°Mostly breakfast food, though, and focusing more on socialization than a meal specifically. Hence a little morning drinking.¡±


    She perked up as he explained it, ears shifting a little to focus on him. ¡°That sounds... it sounds interesting.¡±


    ¡°If you want to go, I know a few places in Berkley, though I suppose anywhere in-system is accessible right now with a little planning.¡± He didn¡¯t miss that she was interested. More interested than he¡¯d seen her in human stuff since they had gone shopping. Maybe a bit of relaxation in her own culture was giving her the space to be interested in his... Though, brunch seemed a bit superficial. Whatever. It was interest in him and his culture, and it felt good.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Made him really want a Belgian waffle, too.


    ¡°I would enjoy that.¡± Carbon petered off, turning to look at the waitress as she approached the table.


    She had dark red fur, and was bundled up to an extent that Alex hadn¡¯t seen yet on any Tsla¡¯o outside of a powered suit - a blouse that actually closed around the neck and matching slacks in light weight, natural colored materials. Long boots, and gloves that ran up to her elbows, and an apron tied around her waist. There was a forced seriousness to her, staring straight at the green square of wall at the end of the table. She set a teapot down between them, shaking hands distributing a cup to each of them before she started speaking way too fast. ¡°Hello we are ready to receive your order.¡±


    Alex couldn¡¯t put a finger on it, but she was familiar looking. A little on the short side, and he was pretty sure fairly young. Late teens, maybe. Her eyes seemed proportionally larger than an adult, which according to the massive peepers on Adana last night was a neotenous trait on the Tsla¡¯o as well. Wait. ¡°Oh- Akai, Haraya!¡±


    Carbon looked from their stressed out waitress to Alex, and then back to Haraya. Then back to Alex, eyebrows raised in confusion. ¡°How do you know her?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s the one who gave me directions last night. Thanks again for that, by the way.¡± He gave her a little nod. Looks like she knew who she was standing in front of this time. Probably expected him to still speak fluent Tsla, too, because she clearly didn¡¯t understand what he was saying in English. That was a problem he had not foreseen last night.


    She still made a strangled little sound that was in the general vicinity of positive and bowed deep enough to make the bartender look over.


    ¡°Oh. Yes, that was very appreciated.¡± Carbon spoke in Tsla as she looked back to Haraya, who was still staring intently at the wall. ¡°Please, such formality is not required, or sought. I assure you.¡±


    ¡°Of course Princess.¡± Haraya replied, catching herself before she got too deep into another bow. Her eyes darted to Carbon with nervous energy. ¡°What would you care to order?¡±


    ¡°Ah, just a bowl of simmered grass grains with fruit mash, please.¡± She favored the young woman with a friendly smile as the translator brutalized her language for a solid two seconds after she stopped speaking.


    Alex balked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you always have?¡±


    She switched languages without missing a beat. ¡°Yes, it has served me well.¡±


    ¡°Ok, so I was just going to have what you¡¯re having. Translator really does a number on food names and I kinda figured, you know, restaurant. We wouldn¡¯t just be having something we make at home.¡± His expectation of that wasn¡¯t panning out to be very interesting. After the ¡®lace crackers¡¯ and that sausage yesterday, breakfast was feeling like good territory to explore their cuisine. ¡°So uh... Can you recommend something for me?¡±


    ¡°Mh. You make a good point. They have many ingredients we do not normally keep at home.¡± Carbon pondered the menu on the table for a moment while Haraya continued to look nervous. She had switched languages again when she looked up. ¡°We will both have the Shoreline Broth with burnt noodles and chef¡¯s decision.¡±


    ¡°Sounds.¡± Well that was an interesting hole to have stepped in. ¡°Great.¡±


    ¡°Of course, thank you Princess. Prince. It will be ready soon.¡± The waitress gave them both little bows and walked away as fast as she could.


    Alex waited until Haraya had gone through the doors to where he assumed the kitchen was. ¡°She wasn¡¯t like that when she gave me directions.¡±


    ¡°Most youth do not... Have any experience with us. Nobles used to be rare, but they are truly scarce now. The number of Royals has increased recently, though. ¡± She smirked and lifted the teapot, pouring first into Alex¡¯s cup, then filling her own. ¡°I suppose they have not met many Humans, either. But that was not the nerves of meeting a new race on display.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she thought I was actually, you know. Real. Which, given how I was dressed at the time, is completely understandable.¡± He scanned the bar, the only three other people there sitting at it. None of them seemed nearly as concerned about their presence. They all had signs of aging, silver gray fur standing out clearly on two, and nearly wreathing the head of the other.


    Him and Carbon were the youngest people in here by years, at least.


    ¡°I think it may have been more that a Human appeared before her, on the flagship of the Tsla¡¯o Empire.¡± She laughed and reached out to cup his hands. ¡°How did you manage to get so lost on your adventure, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, all right.¡± He launched into a cut down version of events, where he spent way less time actually being lost and glossed over the fact he was just opening up electrical and communications closets. Very quickly getting to the interesting part with Adana finding him standing there in the hall, considering his options.


    ¡°He does sound very cute. By your description, I would say three to four years old. Perhaps he did not wish to speak to a stranger.¡± Carbon replied to his inquiry about how old the kids he¡¯d just told her about were. ¡°Haraya is probably sixteen. A little young to be working, but this area is quieter, less likely to be rowdy. And you say there were six children?¡±


    ¡°Six and Haraya, yes.¡± It did seem like a lot of kids. He knew of one family back in Berkley that had four kids. But seven? Parents must have been busy in a couple of different ways.


    ¡°That is... unusual for Tsla¡¯o families. It is rare to have more than three.¡± She hummed softly, eyes turned towards the ceiling as she leaned back in her chair and pondered. ¡°Deck 60, below the Stronghold complex, port side... I do not understand, there should be a frigate bay there. Not ¡®civilian¡¯ housing.¡±


    ¡°I dunno what to tell you. A lot of it looked new. Still smelled like a print forge.¡± Frigate bay? Damn this ship was big. He was sure Human carriers sported large launchable escorts as well, but it was weird to hear about them actually having internal storage.


    Carbon activated the holographic emitters on her jacket and projected a schematic of the ship over the table between them, zooming in on the area he¡¯d been in. ¡°Did it smell greasy or acrid?¡±


    ¡°Greasy, why?¡±


    ¡°That is what a Human forge smells like. Ours produce a more astringent scent.¡± She manipulated the hologram further, isolating a subsection of the ship. ¡°Hm. Removed both bays under the Stronghold entirely and refit them with self contained residential... communities. Most of it is housing, but there are a few public spaces. Power is mostly off the ship grid, same with the other utilities. Dedicated food production. Schools.¡±


    So it had just been built, with parts from a Human sourced forge. Based on the doors and access panels, it had then been finished with Tsal¡¯o technology. Alex leaned in, inspecting the cross section of decks. Most of it was turned inward, the doors opening to corridors that did not run to the rest of the ship, with a few small clusters of exceptions that seemed to be tacked on to fill out space. ¡°The layout really reminds me of an arcology. Industry at the bottom, more livable space above. Just a continuous eighty decks tall.¡±


    Carbon¡¯s ears twitched and the hologram shut off just as Haraya emerged from the back with two large bowls on a tray.


    Their waitress was more comfortable now, though her gaze remained steadfastly anywhere other than them as she delivered the steaming soup. ¡°Thank you for your patience.¡± She said this at a much more normal speed as she laid out a setting of chopsticks and spoons for them.


    Carbon replied first. ¡°Of course, thank you for your efforts.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Alex echoed, in English. He thought about it for a second and realized that she wasn¡¯t going to pick that one up. ¡°Sa meha.¡±


    Haraya bowed again, departing swiftly.


    ¡°Already getting tired of that.¡± He mumbled, picking up his chopsticks and inspecting the Shoreline Broth with burnt noodles and chef¡¯s decision. It was mostly noodles and decision, the broth barely visible under the pile of... food items. It did not smell like low tide, so that was a point in its favor already. The scent actually reminded him of saimin. Salty, savory, very much with a seafood origin. The burnt noodles were thick tan disks that had a little crinkle of black scorch around the outside, a hole in the middle indicating they had been on a stick and grilled or broiled, then sliced after the fact. Had a nice bite to it, but no real flavor aside from the broth and a hint of sweet ash.


    ¡°I think she is reacting based on how she has seen Nobles presented in media. They usually start as aloof and quick-tempered.¡± Carbon had tucked in without delay, pausing to talk with a bunch of shredded vegetables gripped in her chopsticks. ¡°Though by the end of those stories they have learned humility one way or another, and are on their way to becoming good people.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like we started at the end.¡± Alex found a piece of that spicy moss he liked and picked it out. He could do with a dab of Chinese mustard in the broth to add another layer of flavor, but otherwise he was a little annoyed that this monstrously named dish was starting to grow on him. Maybe not as a breakfast, but he could see having it for dinner. ¡°Is it rude to add seasoning to food? Wouldn¡¯t mind a little more heat in this.¡±


    ¡°If there are spices on the table, it is acceptable.¡± She slid a little jar at the far end of the table over to his bowl before reactivating the holographic display. It was a little dimmer this time and at a smaller scale, rotating slowly as she ate. ¡°This is based on our community towers. Largely self-contained buildings with shopping, restaurants, utilities and work areas on the lower floors, and apartments of varying sizes above them. It is very much like your arcologies, on a smaller scale.¡±


    ¡°Alright, that answers that.¡± The pot was split into three segments, a little spoon resting in each. He carefully tasted all of them, a drop of each onto his chopsticks so he could determine what he was getting into. One salty, one a sort of sweet vinegar, and the third a gentle warmth with no discernable flavor. He heaped a few spoonfuls of the third into his bowl.


    ¡°It does.¡± She reached over and added a spoonful of the vinegar to her own bowl.


    ¡°Looks like... Six hundred apartments of varying sizes?¡± There was nearly as much of a weird shredded vegetable in the bowl as there were noodles. It was like a cabbage and a potato had been combined into something Alex couldn¡¯t tell if he liked or not. ¡°So they added... what, two thousand people in each tower? Four thousand people total.¡±


    ¡°If they are putting seven children into one larger home... Hopefully with at least two adults, it could be closer to five thousand.¡± She idly stirred her bowl, zooming back out to the entire ship again, shuffling through something that changed which section of the ship was being highlighted. ¡°Renovated several areas into senatorial offices. One floor of the Stronghold seems to contain a parliamentary chamber now, as well. I believe Eleya has had the Sword of the Morning Light converted to act as a mobile capital.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s an actual capital ship now?¡± Alex tried to hide the smirk that came with that pun but failed miserably as it turned into a broad grin. ¡°Does explain why there¡¯s so many senators on board.¡±


    Carbon glared at him for a second, a sigh shifting into a quiet laugh. ¡°And why she brought it to Sol.¡±


    He chewed on some more of the cabbage-potato abomination that he was rapidly leaning towards not liking, sussing Eleya¡¯s reasoning out. ¡°Defense?¡±


    She nodded in agreement. ¡°How far into Sol do you suppose an unscheduled ship could get?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t even make it through the Oort cloud. That¡¯s where the first layer of interdiction is.¡± He lifted what was clearly some kind of larva out of the broth and ate it, a burst of umami and the warmth of alcohol on his tongue. How did they get it to do that? ¡°You guys have an interdiction system too, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Nearly as large as the one around Sol.¡±


    The puzzle was starting to come together for him. ¡°If she is legitimately concerned about the Empire fracturing, the threats to the Sword wouldn¡¯t necessarily be coming from outside your home system. It could be coming from another ship in their own carrier group.¡±


    ¡°Here they will need permission to enter Confederate space, and Sol itself. I would not be surprised if Eleya was in communication with the Confederation about which Tsla¡¯o ships should have access.¡± Carbon poked around in the bowl, searching for something particular. ¡°Even one of our stealth craft would find making the trip undetected difficult, or extremely time consuming.¡±


    ¡°And for the time being it¡¯s under the guise of further exploration of the artifact, not just taking advantage of the distance and local security to keep threats at bay.¡± Alex poured himself more tea and topped off Carbon, thinking about Eleya¡¯s request of him last night. To take Carbon and request asylum in the Confederation should the Empire fall. Being right here at the seat of power would make the trip to ask real quick.


    ¡°Gives intelligence more time to work on those threats, as well.¡± She picked her tea up and nodded in thanks before taking a long sip.


    ¡°Alright, gotta give her credit for that.¡± He set about separating all of the cab-tato from the rest of the selection of items in the broth. Maybe he¡¯d revisit it with different vegetables, but that part really wasn¡¯t working with the flavor of the broth for him. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty good plan.¡±

 Compromised

    ¡°Alright, so uh...¡± Alex picked the last larva out of the bowl and ate it. A burst of umami and the unexpected taste of alcohol. Now that it had soaked up some of the spice from the broth, it was pretty good. Not particularly flavorful, but a better eating experience than he would expect from a grub. ¡°Why did Eleya put two towns into a warship?¡±


    ¡°I do not know.¡± Carbon was less fussy about the variety of ingredients presented, eating without playing favorites. It was what she¡¯d picked out when pressed to recommend something for him, and the speed of the devastation she was enacting on what had been a bowl nearly filled to the brim said that it was actually a personal favorite. ¡°I had heard some suggesting converting retired Naval ships into housing, using a decommissioned carrier as a space station once it could be towed into a proper location. Swapping out launch bays for community towers is not a long bridge.¡±


    ¡°That seems...¡± It seemed desperate. But given what he¡¯d seen, desperate was where they had been in the weeks following the disaster. Where they still were, even if things were improving.


    Were things improving?


    ¡°Born out of desperation, yes.¡± She closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°We did not have many colonies, we had not built so many stations. We only kept old ships for parts as another means of efficiency in our fleets. There had been hundreds of thousands in transit all over the Empire at the time. On their way home, on their way to relieve others who now no longer had a home to return to.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that-¡± He shifted some of the shredded cabbage-potato around his bowl, trying to figure out what to say. The ¡®that sucks¡¯ he had stopped himself from blurting out felt offensively inadequate. ¡°That does present a huge challenge. Did they end up bringing ships online for that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we did everything. Any idea that was not completely untenable got the blue light. Repurposing ships, building sealed micro-arcologies on less habitable planets, mining out sufficiently large asteroids, asking the Confederation for help. I saw one proposal that suggested an inflatable space station. I thought it was a completely deranged idea.¡± She paused and picked up the bowl, slurping out some of the broth. ¡°Then Humans arrive to bring aid, and do you know what the first structure they brought with them was?¡±


    ¡°An inflatable space station.¡± He saw that coming. Everyone - well, everyone who was sufficiently interested in space ships - would recognize the Redoubt class from that description alone. The very definition of form following function, each ship was little more than a central cylinder with hard points for a dozen habitat modules, and engines bolted to one end. Light, fast, cheap. Once deployed, you had a small space station that could be packed up when you were done. Old technology, sure, but they were everywhere, and the configuration options were extensive.


    ¡°Exactly. Forgive me, but I laughed. I knew the intent was to help, but having seen that proposal just weeks before...¡± She smiled and laughed despite having just apologized for such a thing.


    ¡°No I get it, it¡¯s a goofy looking ship.¡± He could see the humor in the situation as well. Having gone from ¡®this is too dangerous¡¯ to ¡®of course the Humans brought one¡¯ was pretty funny. It put a smirk on his face and got him close to laughing along with her. ¡°Probably used it as a command post until something heavier arrived. Kind of the primary use case for those in Search and Rescue, which is what I think the aid mission was first considered.¡±


    ¡°I was not involved with that aspect of recovery operations, but it stands to reason.¡± She set her utensils aside in a very specific way, sliding the bowl towards the end of the table. ¡°I cannot tell you why they put all these people here. My first guess would be that it was a somewhat straightforward swap. The bays are very securely attached to the structure, but they are intended to be removed and replaced. It would be important that Eleya use her ship as a proof of concept.¡±


    ¡°Royals lead?¡± Seemed the logical jump.


    Carbon nodded. ¡°The Sword is recognized as her flagship. It is named after her. The Stronghold is based heavily on the Imperial Palace in Ama¡¯o - may it rest. Taking in civilians, thousands of them, is hard proof that she is not simply hiding in here. Having the senate on board also brings with it the need for support staff, creating a symbiotic relationship. It is... a good compromise.¡±


    ¡°Okay, wait. How is The Sword of the Morning Light named after Eleya?¡± That legitimately confused him. ¡°All I know is the -ya suffix is feminine.¡±


    ¡°Another name mauled by your automatic translation, though this time it is a portion of the Empress¡¯ full formal titles.¡± She gave him a pointed look, a little smirk hiding on the side of her muzzle. ¡°The strictest translation would be ¡®the sword that is used to cut back the night,¡¯ but that is even worse. If I were doing translations and feeling poetic, perhaps I would call it Dawnsword. It would convey the meaning of the name well enough, I think, without being verbose.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you call it the Sword like we do?¡± He figured just using the actual Tsla name would be easy enough if Dawnsword was a better translation.


    ¡°When in Rome.¡± Carbon snickered. ¡°The Confederate systems I was working with before leaving for the Haultain were not set up to handle Tsla, and none of the Humans I spoke to recognized the name when I said it, so it became a force of habit.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯d do it.¡± He¡¯d ask about the actual name another time - it being one of Eleya¡¯s titles felt like a natural transition to learning the rest of her titles, and he didn¡¯t give a single damn about doing that right now.


    ¡°Alright, Eleya needs places to put people, and a place to put a temporary capital until the new location can be properly sorted. Two birds with one stone, I suppose. Wouldn¡¯t staying at Schoen be more of the... leader thing to do?¡±


    ¡°If she were to stay here beyond the end of this endeavor, perhaps so. For now, having this ship - and its civilians - as a base of operations, in what even we consider to be one of the most secure solar systems, is reasonable. Most governing at that level has been done remotely since before the disaster, so it doesn¡¯t impede anything.¡± She paused to sip her tea. ¡°No one needs a senator to be on site anyway. Their presence traditionally just interferes with real work.¡±


    That did get a laugh out of Alex. ¡°The more things change.¡±


    ¡°The more they stay the same, yes?¡± She said with a grin.


    ¡°It is so. All right, mystery of the Dawnsword¡¯s surprise towns is put to rest.¡± He stopped talking as Haraya came out of the woodwork to remove Carbon¡¯s dishes, bustling away with even less stiffness than before. Why did he feel like he was forgetting something? ¡°Heck. Did... Did anyone tell you we have an appointment to see a designer about our uh, our insignia?¡±


    ¡°No, but my communicator has been going off like I am being told something like that.¡± Carbon laughed and leaned back into her chair, fishing the slim black device from her jacket, the screen coming on.


    Alex was not intentionally staring at his wife¡¯s abdomen as he pushed the bowl away and set his chopsticks out like she had done. ¡°Zenshen said it was this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Mmh, afternoon. Another curious translation.¡± She teased him gently, flicking items off her screen one by one. ¡°Neya says it is with Aetena Lyshen, at three. He has stated that his schedule is open today, and we may come in earlier if we so desire. Oh. How unexpected.¡±


    Three o''clock, Tsla¡¯o time, was probably like a solid five or six hours away. Plenty of time to have a deeply personal conversation about what Neya had told him. Or, perhaps, just go talk to the guy sooner. It wasn¡¯t like he was putting it off... but he was putting it off for now. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Neya contacted the Colonel to make sure that Zenshen was attached to your detail properly - it turns out she was. You are both already on the artifact project, so it was just a slight shift of duties. The Empress went through appropriate channels, and Lehnan agrees with her decision.¡± She glanced up at him as she processed that. ¡°I did not expect it to be so proper.¡±


    ¡°She is trying to turn over a new leaf, at least as far as you are concerned. Ensuring I have the help to not fuck things up, and doing it properly, could be a part of that.¡± He managed to make it sound like a statement, even though it was very much a question. Did his insistence that Eleya needed to start following through on her words actually sink in?


    ¡°It is possible. She will need to do more than fill out a little paperwork to prove herself.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, obviously. It¡¯s just that you seemed surprised, so I was left with the impression that was unusual.¡±


    Carbon stared down at the phone in her hands. ¡°I do not know. From what I have seen, she will normally adhere to formal channels. But in the past, when it has come to dealings with me, she has not. Relied on her word being law to make things happen.¡±


    Like making it legal to marry a Human. Changed who knows how much legal history with a stroke of a pen, to unfold some new machinations. ¡°Zenshen made it sound like she was mostly there to act as a buffer between me and the military, keep me from offending anyone. Which strikes me as Eleya looking after her investment.¡±


    ¡°That is a reasonable assumption. I fear she has more intent sunk into you than we can see, so...¡± She also stopped talking when their waitress returned for Alex¡¯s dishes, giving the young woman a warm smile. ¡°Perhaps it really is.¡±


    Alex, being privy to at least one plan that Carbon was unaware of, instantly did not want to comment on that. ¡°Like you say, it lies with her to prove... herself good.¡±


    ¡°So it does.¡± Carbon smiled at his butchering of their turn of phrase before glancing down at her communicator again. ¡°All right. Do you have any further plans for this morning?¡±


    ¡°Not a one. Want to push up the meeting with Lyshen? For that matter, do we have any plans tonight?¡±


    ¡°I do want to get that done. Designers can be particular. Best to get started sooner, and also have a meal that we can excuse ourselves for without appearing rude.¡± She smirked, displaying a little bit of the knowledge she had accumulated growing up in an elevated class, and started tapping away at the screen with both thumbs. ¡°As for this evening, nothing that Neya has made me aware of.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Left the evening open to actually have a sit down with Neya, perfect. ¡°Oh shit, that reminds me. Neya wants us to bring her breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Does she. Very upset about not being able to come along?¡± The tone she had said that Carbon was familiar with Neya pretending to be put out by that, as did the barely hidden smile and tiny little snort of a laugh.


    ¡°Absolutely heartbroken.¡± He played along. ¡°I had to promise that we¡¯d get her something this morning and that you¡¯d make breakfast again tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Mh. We will see who is making breakfast when the time comes, but I will have something sent to her and we will proceed to our appointment.¡± She flipped through the applications on her phone and started typing something else out. ¡°There.¡±


    Carbon slipped the slim black screen back into her jacket and stood, stretching a little bit before walking over to the end of the bar, Haraya hustling out to meet them with a small device like the one Carbon had used to pay in the other little restaurant. She set her palm down on it, it processed for a moment and played a happy little tune.


    ¡°Thank you both, it was an honor to serve you.¡± Haraya bowed again now that the transaction was done.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°You did well, thank you.¡± Carbon said it in Tsla as she returned the bow, glancing over at Alex to ensure he was doing the same thing.


    ¡°Sa meha.¡± He was. Paying attention to what Carbon was doing was getting him pretty far, as was having memorized how to say ¡®thank you¡¯ in Tsla.


    They turned to leave, but Haraya spoke again before they could take a step. Quiet, and very timid. ¡°May I ask you a question?¡±


    Carbon didn¡¯t even think about it as she looked back. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°I was mostly asking the prince, I am very sorry.¡± She looked just this side of terrified to be correcting a Royal.


    ¡°Oh yeah, shoot.¡± Alex caught himself speaking in English way too late. He pursed his lips and inhaled, just barely preventing himself from rolling his eyes at that little faux pas. Based on what Carbon had said about Haraya getting her information about how nobles work from movies, she would have interpreted that as aimed at her. He queued up a very quick reply. ¡°Please do.¡±


    ¡°After you left, last night.¡± She glanced over at the bartender, who was not paying them any attention at all. ¡°Adana kept saying a strange word, I assume it to be Human - untranslatable.¡±


    The irony of the translator not being able to digest something in English was not lost on Alex. What had he said to the kid?


    Carbon, meanwhile, thought it was hilarious. ¡°It is actually two words, a phrase. Oh, busted. In this case I believe it means that he got caught doing something he should not have been doing.¡± She laughed, looking up at Alex with a grin.


    Haraya¡¯s relief at how this turned out was immediately visible. She was still tense, but didn¡¯t look like she might have just caught an execution. ¡°Adana likes to play with the door controls. They beep and flash, and he can activate the viewscreen... And open the door. That is what he was doing when he found the prince in the hallway, when he should have been in bed. It is not an offensive term?¡±


    ¡°Et.¡± Alex shook his head no. Score another point for knowing the basics.


    ¡°It is as he says. A harmless statement.¡± Carbon picked up the slack from Alex trying not to advertise that he spoke their language yet. She looked over to him again. ¡°Perhaps used to tease a friend when they get caught out?¡±


    He nodded as sagely as he could, a smirk barely suppressed as he caught that shade she was directing at him.


    ¡°His mother will be so glad. She has been concerned it was some kind of swearing, or something worse. I told her that the prince had been kind in my interaction with him, but she was-¡± Haraya exhaled sharply, wide brown eyes darting between them with a hint of that fear creeping back in. ¡°She was afraid despite that.¡±


    ¡°Ah. If that does not settle her, please get in contact with me.¡± She pulled her communicator out, swiping along the screen for a moment and holding it out to the young woman. ¡°We can arrange a meeting to clear anything up.¡±


    She looked down at a swirling orange circle on Carbon¡¯s phone, ¡°I am not allowed to carry my- May I get it?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Carbon smiled.


    Alex lowered his voice as Haraya hustled away. ¡°You sure giving her your number is a good idea?¡±


    ¡°No. But she is earnest and correct in her assessment of you.¡± She shook her head, her words quiet and sharp. ¡°That boy learned a simple phrase, and his mother thinks it is a curse? I know why she did. I have met my own people. I think a gentle nudge may be in order to prevent it from being passed along.¡±


    ¡°When you say gentle nudge...¡±


    She held a hand out to ease his concern. ¡°I was thinking tea.¡±


    Haraya returned, phone in hand and followed by an older, grumpy looking male dressed in the same natural fiber clothes save for a vibrant red scarf around his neck, voice raised as he tried to keep up with the excited teen. ¡°You may not use your-¡±


    ¡°Akai.¡± Alex gave what he assumed was a manager a needlessly cheery greeting with a little wave of his fingers. Oh man, he had loved being a shit to managers when he was younger, particularly if they were on a power trip. The opportunity hadn¡¯t presented itself recently, and the urge to abuse the power that he allegedly had now was so tempting.


    ¡°Floor boss!¡± Carbon was a step ahead of him, greeting the gray male in their own language loud enough to draw his attention away from their waitress. ¡°What is it that I may not use?¡±


    Alex¡¯s translator sat unused for several seconds as the sounds that guy made never made it past shocked guttural noises, the realization of who he¡¯d been yelling in the general direction of sinking in. Haraya was too busy getting Carbon¡¯s contact information to notice, or might have just been ignoring this exchange as hard as the bartender was.


    ¡°It was- My words- Did not for you.¡± He held up his hands and backed away.


    ¡°Ah, a simple misunderstanding?¡± Carbon offered him as the phone dinged complete, and she slipped it back into her jacket.


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Couldn¡¯t get out of there fast enough.


    Haraya bowed again as she hid her communicator, the same black rectangle that Carbon and Alex appeared to have. ¡°Thank you. I hope I will not have to contact you, but that you have offered...¡±


    ¡°The prince has shown me who he is, what is in his heart... It will not do to have anyone doubting his character.¡± Carbon smiled and returned the bow.


    Alex followed suit.


    The fear in her eyes was gone, and if anything there was a little bit of admiration in there now as she thanked them again, quietly, before running off to whatever her next duty was.


    They left the same way they had come in, through the main dining area. The crowd had shifted, some groups gone, new ones in their place. Conversations to fill boredom, meals he didn¡¯t recognize being consumed at every pace conceivable. Once again, he was pretty sure this was his kind of joint.


    It only took the gentlest of questions to get Carbon talking about what she¡¯d been doing all morning as they walked back to the tram, riding all the way to the stop closest to the bow this time. Alex was only slightly familiar about what she was talking about - had something to do with preventative maintenance checks on one of the shuttles. It was interesting to find out they had developed a very similar system to what he was used to, checking in on functionality after so many hours of use.


    He didn¡¯t understand the majority of what she was describing, but he enjoyed listening to her talk about things with such enthusiasm.


    Lyshen¡¯s office was easily the furthest forward he had been on the ship yet. Took the elevator up to deck 20 and then just walked towards the bow for another five minutes. He must have been as close as one could get to the plate armor and whatever buffer they put between it and the habitable areas. It seemed almost entirely unused - he was sure some of the bulkheads had dust on them.


    For Alex, there were two potential reasons for this. Aetena Lyshen preferred the solitude of the area. It was actually very quiet, even compared to the hall in front of their cabin. Or, he had pissed someone off and gotten banished to a spot as far away as possible.


    Whichever option, Lyshen had put some work into his workspace. The door was ringed in a delicate gold filigree, a lacework of glittering geometric shapes with his name and title contained in a small banner above the door. They were meeting with a Royal Artisan.


    Carbon tapped the door controls and it slid open almost instantly. The young woman with light red fur inside is dressed nearly as formally as they had been last night, though in muted grays. She bows. Not too deep. ¡°Welcome, the Chief Artisan is preparing for your arrival. It should be just a few minutes.¡±


    Chief Artisan. Well. Alex shot Carbon a sidelong glance as the receptionist turned and they followed her through a waiting room. A simple rectangular area, with a few upholstered chairs and benches scattered around. It was the most Human looking area he¡¯d been in so far.


    The far wall caught his eye as they walked through, windows looking into a workshop. Alex walked over, the large floor beyond housing a dozen or so Tsla¡¯o, all seated at desks or workbenches, engrossed in whatever they were working on. Almost to the last, they were using hand tools.


    Alex had never really seen craftsmen up close, doing their thing. In movies, or videos, sure. But not right here a few steps away, carefully engraving some sort of... Breastplate? Cuirass? Big chunk of metal that looked like it went over the chest.


    ¡°I believe that is yours.¡± Carbon stepped up next to him, a smirk in her voice as she leaned against his shoulder. ¡°To go with your gauntlets, and the rest of the armor that is no doubt being fabricated.¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± How could she pick that up from looking at it for, what, three or four seconds?


    ¡°Consider the size.¡± She nodded at it, the artist working on it laying out a star near the shoulder. ¡°Who else would wear such a piece?¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Compared to the guy who was doing the work, it wasn¡¯t exactly massive, but he would need a lot of padding to wear that. This raised a few questions for him about the ethics of receiving such gifts. But he wasn¡¯t a politician... Not as far as the Confederation was concerned. ¡°I guess it is.¡±


    They stood in silence and watched work progress. A woman in the back was carving something, perhaps a chair leg. One guy in the corner making hinges with an induction forge and a tiny, specialized anvil.


    Before long, the secretary approached them again. ¡°The Chief Artisan is prepared for you now. Please.¡± She gestured to the only door that went somewhere other than the corridor.


    The Chief Artisan was sitting behind his desk, wearing an outfit similar to his receptionist, pale green eyes switching back and forth between two screens. The primary one was built into the desk, and had been jury rigged to a Human made laptop that sat on top of it, a rat¡¯s nest of cables connecting the two. There was a holoprojector built into the desk, a jumble of images floating over it. He waved them in and gestured to the chairs across from him, ¡°Please, sit.¡±


    Alex was quick to oblige, glad to be just some guy for the moment. Carbon didn¡¯t seem to mind either, taking the seat beside him without a word. Aetena was the first green Tsla¡¯o Alex had seen, sort of a dark forest green with jade stripes visible on his neck. Apparently a bit of a rarity given how often he saw the other colors on the ship.


    ¡°I am sorry to keep you waiting, the connection to your Solanet has gone down. Despite that, I believe I have enough saved locally to begin the process.¡± Lyshen trailed off, lost between the two displays before closing a dozen images from the holo. He picked a pen up from the table and arranged the remaining pictures neatly, four different coats of arms that claimed to belong to a Sorenson. The red enamel barrel blurred into an arc as he spun the pen in his fingers, voice picking up speed as he locked on to Alex. ¡°There is a large amount of heraldry available for your surname, do you know which coat of arms belongs to your particular family?¡±


    There was a deer, a deer head, a rearing horse and a weird shaped star. Maybe it was a flower, or a drip of paint. They were all surrounded by leaves and the occasional knight¡¯s helmet. Alex wasn¡¯t sure what any of it meant and up until now, he¡¯d never even thought about it. Knights and damsels in distress had never really been his thing. ¡°Uh, can¡¯t say that I do, no.¡±


    ¡°Mmh. What geographic region does your lineage trace back to? I could find no significant references to the Berkley Soresons on your Solanet.¡± He leaned back and the pen continued to trace crimson circles in his hand.


    ¡°The name comes from Europe, but the last couple of generations have lived in California, and America before that for who knows how long... We¡¯re from a little bit of everywhere.¡± It was an inside joke with the family, which had ties back into nearly every corner of the globe at this point. Now they had a relative from somewhere way off the globe as well.


    That puzzled Aetena, ears flicking as he turned back to the Human screen and picked over the keyboard slowly. He didn¡¯t like what he found. ¡°All of these originate from the continent of Europe. Do you happen to know which country?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not sure. Had an uncle do the family tree thing once, but between the civil wars and The Collapse, the lineage got spotty about a hundred years ago.¡± Alex wasn¡¯t really into the whole ancestry thing once you got outside of living relatives. It was novel, sure, but right now all he really wanted to do was ask if he could borrow that Solanet access when it came back up. The rest of the ship had access to the Confed¡¯s milnet, which tightly restricted what he could be sending across it - he just wanted to download a couple of movies and some music, but milnet barely overlapped with the wider public network.


    Lyshen set his hand down and the pen switched back and forth like a metronome, clicking on his desk at the end of each arc. He closed his eyes for a moment, jaw working silently before he closed the images and started pulling up new ones. ¡°Perhaps we should move on to other aspects of this endeavor. As I have been told that you wish to integrate Tsla¡¯o and Human cultures in your marriage, I had intended to blend the existing Tshalan sigil with some of the Sorenson family heraldry. I thought it would be best to use the gear-star surround from the Princess¡¯ family crest as a base to build from. Something that is immediately familiar to Tsla¡¯o, to put the viewer at ease. As it is indicative of starship commands, exploration and the outer colonies, it will solidly represent both of you and the way you met.¡±


    Alex raised an eyebrow at Carbon, ¡°sound reasonable?¡± He had no idea if it was or not, but it did sound like it. Also, if they were serious about integrating parts of Tsla¡¯o and Human cultures, they needed to actually get on that.


    ¡°Yes. I agree, that would be a good place to start.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He busied himself bringing up a few more pictures, rough combinations of the ten point gear-star and the various items from the Sorenson crests, bits of decoration and detail work.


    The door chimed behind them and Lyshen stopped with a sharp glare. He eyed the clock and sighed, a whispered curse under his breath before he set his pen down and straightened up. ¡°Come.¡±


    There was a soldier partially concealed behind the door, the rank plate on his uniform loaded with details, not that Alex could read them yet. He swept the room with a rifle as he entered, the short barrel ending up pointed just a hair under Alex¡¯s sternum. A pair of soldiers took up positions on either side of the door and covered him, a few more lined up in the waiting room.


    When he spoke, it was crisp and authoritative. ¡°Please back away from the Human.¡±

 Disruption

    There was a moment where Alex thought it might be prudent to reach over and grab Carbon¡¯s jacket, just kinda ground her a little bit given what she¡¯d done to the Royal Guard the other day. But the soldier had specifically told them to move away from him, so that might look like trying to take a hostage and he knew fuck all about this guy¡¯s intentions.


    He could say for certain he didn¡¯t particularly enjoy looking down the barrel of a gun, though.


    The only upshot so far? This guy, and the whole crew behind him, were composed. The translator was good at managing the nuance of voices and while he was loud, he wasn¡¯t angry. He wasn¡¯t nervous. He was doing his job. Presumably that job was protecting the ship.


    From Alex. For reasons that were not obvious to anyone else in the room.


    ¡°Sergeant. I assume you believe you have reason to point that rifle at the Prince, but I would like it if you did not.¡± Carbon switched to Tsla, and she dropped right out of that friendly tone she¡¯d just had, the pleasant demeanor she had carried discarded in favor of an unspoken preparation for violence. Her voice carried that as a promise, hard and low.


    To his credit as a professional, the Sergeant didn¡¯t react. He stood his ground, one eye hidden behind the sensor cluster of his rifle¡¯s scope, the other still trained on Alex. ¡°Princess, step away from him. He has attempted to compromise this ship.¡±


    ¡°Fu-¡± While Alex was emboldened to speak his mind by Carbon¡¯s reaction, cussing the guy out first thing was probably not the best idea. He still refrained from making any sort of movement, as well. He had no idea how he could have compromised the ship sitting around talking about heraldry. ¡°I haven¡¯t done that.¡±


    ¡°He would not.¡± Carbon swiveled her chair to fully face the Sergeant, the systems on her clothing coming back online with a soft hum before racks of shield emitters that dotted her protective gear popped back to life. ¡°Stand down now or I will make you.¡±


    That got his attention, eyes darting to Carbon and back to Alex even though his firearm never wavered. He seemed to be taking Carbon¡¯s words into consideration, at least, even if he did look unsure of himself now. He swallowed, ears flattening as he gripped the rifle tighter.


    ¡°I¡¯d do what she says, just as some friendly advice.¡± He tried to act nonchalant despite his voice rising as fear crept up his spine. He didn¡¯t enjoy the idea of getting shot, even if he was sure that he could get it fixed up if it was just a round or two in the chest. More time in the mediboard was not on his list of stuff to do. Alex cleared his throat gently, placing his hands on the table before he continued, hoping to set the Sergeant at ease. ¡°Not big a deal anyway, I¡¯m staying in this chair until I find out what¡¯s going on.¡±


    It didn¡¯t seem to help, at first. He was clearly conflicted but his body stayed tense, gray eyes intent on Alex. He lowered the barrel slowly, the weapon still pointed in Alex¡¯s direction but no longer covering him. The rest of his team followed suit.


    ¡°Thank you, Sergeant. Explain why you are here.¡± Carbon had dialed the venom back but her words were still sharp, commanding.


    ¡°Lady Sorenson, Communications alerted us to an unexpected transmission from this compartment¡¯s intranet link.¡± He continued to eye Alex, still ready for action even if he wasn¡¯t set to gun him down immediately.


    Alex kept his hands on the table, turning just his head to look at the Sergeant. ¡°And how does that implicate me?¡±


    ¡°Approximately fifteen minutes ago, an unregistered computer accessed the Human Solanet connection and began transmitting an encrypted datastream. All secured non-Tslao equipment has been checked to prevent espionage. You are in possession of the only unsecured Human electronics on the ship.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you know what. That is pretty good.¡± Alex nodded in agreement. Fifteen minutes ago was about when they arrived in the area, so potentially anything he had on him could have accessed the network. There was one little issue, though. ¡°But. I can¡¯t send any information. The only Human technology I have with me is my translator and implants, and neither of those have the modems to connect to networks like the Solanet. What¡¯s more, no one in their right mind is going to let their brain implants touch the internet.¡±


    Carbon gave a little nod in agreement.


    The Sergeant was not so easily swayed. ¡°There is no other place for it to have originated from.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying, if I wanted to send data, I¡¯d just send it via the milnet. I wouldn¡¯t even have to roll out of bed.¡± He was getting a little more animated as he worked up his defense. ¡°I had no hand in making this appointment, and I¡¯m supposed to be the one using it as an excuse to ¡®compromise¡¯ the ship? Besides, if I had known there was a live Solanet connection, I would be up here daily.¡±


    ¡°The prince speaks the truth. I have seen him and he has no interest in deceit.¡±


    The Sergeant shook his head, obstinate, which was probably a good trait in his line of work. ¡°This is the only compartment with an open link to the Human public Solanet right now. All others are limited to their milnet. Communications stated that the stream originated from an unnamed device, not the workstation that had been issued here.¡±


    That gave Alex something to chew over. Admittedly, it sounded like it locked him in pretty tight, even if he didn¡¯t have the equipment, or inclination to do anything like that. He did have some lived experience that would prove his intentions out, though. ¡°We can settle this right now. I¡¯ll show you what I¡¯ve been doing for the last fifteen minutes. The whole damn morning, if it makes you feel better. Come on, get those things out.¡± He gestured at the Sergeant¡¯s antenna, currently resting in an interface on the back of his combat shirt.


    He looked from Alex to Carbon, even glanced over at Lyshen for half a second. ¡°You can do that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Alex closed his eyes and exhaled a very annoyed sigh. ¡°Yeah I can. I don¡¯t have the antenna, but it still works. It¡¯s a brain layout thing. You know how it works for babies or people who are unconscious?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± He contemplated what Alex was saying before shaking his head. ¡°It does not matter. I am not here to determine your innocence. I am here to take you into custody and move into an area where you cannot continue to transmit data.¡±


    ¡°Really. I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯m not transmitting any data. I have no way to do that.¡± So just fuck off. He didn¡¯t say that part, but it was there. He wasn¡¯t here to compromise the ship, whatever that meant exactly. He wouldn¡¯t spy on anyone! Not on purpose, anyway. He didn¡¯t even like the way just thinking about it made him feel...


    But he worked for people who would gladly do so without issue. That was their entire reason for existing! It wasn¡¯t the Civilian Pilot Program on the paperwork to get his Amp replaced, it was the Office of Naval Intelligence. It was the ONI that provided the Internal Translator with a custom language package. Who likely had fingerprints all over every part of his substantial list of wetware, which had been exhibiting unexpected behaviors since he got them. ¡°Oh, fuck!¡±


    ¡°What? What is wrong?¡± Carbon jerked back around towards him, startled by his sudden burst of profanity.


    ¡°I''m fine, I just think he¡¯s right.¡± Alex looked up at the Sergeant, the easy tone he¡¯d been affecting so far gone, replaced by sudden intensity. ¡°They cut the transmission?¡±


    His eyes had widened slightly, the rifle back up at Alex¡¯s chest. ¡°Yes, it was stopped automatically.¡±


    Lyshen¡¯s Solanet link hadn¡¯t gone down, it had been shut off by Communications.


    ¡°Good. Could you put that fucking thing down? You¡¯re about to get what you came here for, so chill.¡± He slipped his external translator off his shoulder and started picking at the latch on the back with his fingernails as he turned to Carbon. ¡°Could you call Eleya? I don¡¯t have her number.¡±


    Carbon had Eleya dialed in less than a minute.


    Alex plucked the battery out of the back of the translator and dumped all the parts onto Lyshen¡¯s desk. The lights on the device going dark after a few seconds, his Amp complaining as it lost the connection. He took the phone from Carbon. Remarkably, it worked just like a Human phone did. You just press it to your head and talk.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    When the Empress picked up she sounded pleasant again, familial warmth cranked all the way to eleven. ¡°Hello, my dearest niece. I am-¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s me.¡± Even with the soldier¡¯s rifles lowered again, each second waiting for Eleya had been an eternity. His suspicion about the transmission was making every moment stretch out, even though it would likely take some time to find out one way or another. ¡°You remember that time I almost got killed?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The charm had gone away, though she remained civil.


    ¡°I know you had some research done while I was out.¡± He assumed as much. They had the opportunity, it stood to reason they would take it particularly after what they had found out yesterday. Was that bad? Maybe. Did he care? Not right now. ¡±Did you do anything with my Amp?¡±


    There were a few heartbeats of silence on the call. ¡°Are you in a secure location?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Alex looked from Carbon to the Sergeant and over to Lyshen. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°All of your on-board technology was studied.¡± Eleya was clearly reluctant to say even that.


    ¡°Super. I need someone who¡¯s gotten familiar with it to take a look at mine. There may be something wrong with it. Security and privacy problems, for you and me respectively. Big ones.¡±


    Another hesitation. ¡°Come to aft research lab six. I will meet you there and we will discuss these problems further.¡±


    ¡°Aft research lab six. See you there.¡± Alex tapped the button to end the call, which he seemed to have gotten correct. He handed the communicator back to Carbon. ¡°I¡¯m going to need you to translate for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± It sounded more like a question, but she nodded in agreement as the black rectangle disappeared back into her jacket. ¡°What is in the research lab?¡±


    ¡°Something related to my Amp.¡± He assumed, anyway.


    ¡°Ah. I see.¡± Carbon seemed to be putting things together with him.


    ¡°Alright, this is going to look weird so everybody just chill. Don¡¯t. Fucking. Shoot. Me.¡± That last bit was aimed squarely at the Sergeant. Alex reached up and began tapping his face in a particular series of locations. Left temple, right temple, nose, left temple again, left cheek... He ran down this physical cheat code and ended it by tapping his chin three times. All his machine interfaces shut off. ¡°Okay. Somebody say something.¡±


    Carbon was first to react. ¡°What was that?¡±


    She said it in English.


    ¡°I meant in Tsla.¡± He paused, a stressed laugh escaping him. That had been a little funny. ¡°Deep brain interfaces have hardcoded shutdown sequences that sit in the body interface layer - also hardcoded - so it can¡¯t be intercepted, or otherwise bypassed. Y¡¯know, in case of runaway processes, lock-in, spyware your government installed. That sorta stuff.¡±


    She rattled off something in Tsla that sounded a wee bit accusatory. He caught a ¡®you¡¯ in there, but that was it.


    ¡°Ok, it appears to be off. All the electronics I received from the ONI are currently off.¡± Alex stated that loudly, this whole endeavor suddenly feeling much more martial. He shrugged off his jacket, piling the translator and its battery into it and then wrapping it up into a tight bundle, which he stuck under his arm. Good thing he opted for the plain t-shirt today. ¡°Sergeant, per the instructions of the Empress, please escort me to aft research lab six.¡±


    It was weird to walk in such a large group and not have anyone talking. Seven people there, following Carbon as she actually knew where the lab was without having to consult a map. Everyone just walking. The single-note step of Tsla¡¯o footfalls was even more noticeable when that was the only sound, Alex¡¯s heel-toe stride an outlier.


    Ship security had their own maglev lines, running above the main line. There were multiple tracks, with smaller, windowless, cars. Everyone filed in, and they departed for the other end of the Sword of the Morning Light.


    For the first time in quite a long while, he didn¡¯t feel like chatting with Carbon about whatever was on his mind as soon as his butt was in a seat. Alex did reach over to her and pat her knee, smiling when she turned to look. She returned it, faintly, though the thin smile disappeared when the Sergeant looked over at them.


    Since they were going to be looking at them, Alex turned his attention to their escort. Two gray, two red, one blue. Wearing the gray camo uniform that Amalu had worn, but none of them were wearing body armor, or even carrying much extra equipment aside from what fit on a belt.


    The Sergeant had the most detailed rank marker, despite being ¡®just¡¯ a Sergeant, and was the only one carrying a rifle. The next down was a red-furred female that reminded him of Zenshen, but clearly wasn¡¯t. Older, more muscular. About half as much detail on her rank, and sporting what looked like a snub-nosed SMG.


    The remaining three were probably the Tsla¡¯o equivalent of Privates. One of them had a single line carved in his plate, and looked almost as young as Haraya. All of them were packing some sort of sidearm, all stowed in holsters now. Alex did recognize the Tsla¡¯o symbol for ¡®electricity¡¯ on the neon pink magazines on the belt of the closest soldier, clearly different from the plain black mags the two real guns had. Obvious visible differences for nonlethal weapons, if that convention held between their races. It was nice to see they hadn¡¯t all come ready to kill. If the stun baton was anything to go by, those pistols would still hurt like hell.


    The car dinged its arrival, the sound more business than the friendly notes that the regular maglev played, and they exited. Two stops from the furthest aft, and Carbon gestured for them to follow to the nearby lifts.


    The ride had not done anything to ease the obvious anger that was simmering just below the surface. Alex assumed he was the only one picking that up because he¡¯d come to know her well - her face was placid as they piled into the elevator, with the exception of a brow crease that he hadn¡¯t seen since the early months of the Kshlav¡¯o expedition.


    They went all the way up to deck twenty.


    While Alex was fully comfortable with Carbon¡¯s navigation of the ship, the Sergeant and Not-Zenshen were discussing something quietly behind him, both of them looking at a map on his communicator when he stole a glance back. Neither of them sounded worried, but the Sergeant¡¯s tones were much more relaxed as he traced a finger along the screen. Trust but verify, apparently.


    There was a particular scent in the air as they approached a massive white blast door. Ozone, and a hint of something else hidden under it. Something bitter. Large block letters in Tsla marking the door as leading to... whatever was in there. Alex still couldn¡¯t read enough of their language to decipher it, but he did recognize the symbol for ¡®6¡¯ at the end of one line.


    Carbon leaned into the access panel and it scanned her - not the usual blip of a retinal scan, either. This took seconds, lasers sweeping across her face. Down and then back up, left to right, right to left. It beeped an affirmative and the heavy doors began to retract, the better part of a meter thick.


    Beyond it was a large, brightly lit social area. Benches, plants, doorways and corridors running off to who knows where. There were even a few Tsla¡¯o sitting at tables in the back trying to eat with the Empress standing right there.


    Eleya had made good on her word. The Tsal¡¯o Empress was waiting for them on the other side of the doors, arms crossed over her chest. Clearly annoyed, and flanked by the indistinct forms of her Guard. The most curious thing about her today was the shift in clothing. Her usual formal jacket replaced with a black version of the shirt the soldiers behind him were wearing, but buttoned to the top and bereft of any adornment. She wasn¡¯t even wearing her piercings.


    ¡°Hey, my favorite aunt!¡± He lied, tossing his arms out and pulling her into a hug. Alex was careful about this, putting Eleya¡¯s head between him and Carbon and lowering his voice to the faintest whisper. ¡°She¡¯s already mad. Best behavior.¡±


    He released her before the guard did anything about that, which... Alex couldn¡¯t tell if that was a training issue, or if he was on the OK to hug the Empress list. Perhaps the shakeup that Eleya had spoken about the night before was already underway.


    Eleya said something to him, unaware he did not have his translator on. She didn¡¯t spill the beans about what he¡¯d said, as near as he could tell, a brief glance she shot him while smoothing her shirt out did make it clear she caught it. The Empress turned her attention to the Sergeant and rattled off something that sounded very official, ending her statement with a short bow.


    The entire crew that had brought them there bowed back, deeply, and turned to leave. There was another Royal Guard on the door controls on this side, the blast doors sliding closed as soon as they had crossed back into the hallway.


    Eleya turned back to Alex, and started talking.


    He held up a hand. ¡°Hang on. All my hardware is off.¡±


    ¡°He is not getting a translation right now.¡± Carbon added.


    Eleya¡¯s eyes widened at hearing a version of Carbon through her translator. They started conversing, going back and forth until Carbon looked over at him. ¡°Explain what¡¯s happening.¡±


    ¡°Short of it is that your Comms team caught something on my person attempting to send data using the public network. I left my Human-made phone in our cabin, and all of my wetware shouldn¡¯t be able to access it anyway. My going theory is one of my implants was modified to secretly record and then send that data out, but only on public networks where something like that would go unnoticed, to maintain deniability. I''ll bet you anything that the Human computer in Lyshen''s office has a mesh node, and that''s where it gained access.¡± All of that came spilling out a little faster than he liked, but it was good to get it out. The idea that the ONI would use him as a tool to spy on them, well, in retrospect it really did fit. The assertion he wouldn¡¯t actually be spying. No tradecraft. So much easier to load him up with technology and let him bumble his way through whatever might happen, soaking up who knows what in the process. And when he inevitably came back to a Confed station, or went back to Earth, it would dump it right into their lap. ¡°I¡¯m really hoping you¡¯ve started developing a way to drive a keyed PIN, because that¡¯s the only way we¡¯re going to be able to check it.¡±


    Eleya spoke, gesturing up a flight of stairs.


    ¡°She says we will speak with the head researcher.¡± Carbon was still terse, but it wasn¡¯t directed at Eleya for once. They both had their attention drawn to a problem that needed fixing.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Alex breathed in deep and heaved a heavy sigh. The bitter scent in the air was a little more clear now. Something he definitely recognized, a familiar taste on his tongue. ¡°Ok, just a little aside here... Who''s making coffee?¡±

 Professional Interest

    Carbon was just about to say something, probably to the tune of ¡®we need to stay focused on the problem at hand¡¯ when Alex spotted what was obviously a Human made dispenser tucked away in the corner, the screen all lit up and operational.


    ¡°Oh shit, is that a Berkmann?¡± He departed from the group and made a beeline for it - as much as he could with all the furniture and strategically placed planters in the way. Sure enough, it was a Berkmann. One of the higher end dispenser manufacturers, their units started at a full meter wide and twice as tall, making them unusually large. The extra space was actually used for a larger, self-calibrating forge matrix and more matter injectors. The other hallmark was the dark blue color with a faint hint of green, in a striking translucent gloss finish that gave it an internal glow from the overhead lights.


    This one a bit scuffed and dented, and an older model, but obviously functional. Yes, it was weird that it was here, but he wasn¡¯t going to pass up the opportunity to use a Berkmann. Someone had just made a chicken marsala, the scent of it still heavy in the air despite the door to the print area being sealed tight, so it must have been in great shape mechanically.


    He tapped in a quick order. Just a cup of coffee. The screen was nice, real finished glass that felt like paper under his fingertip... Which just sort of encouraged him to dial through the selection for a couple extra seconds to make it a caffe macchiato. Today felt like it was going to take forever, so why not get started with espresso now? His finger hovered over the start button as he glanced over his shoulder, not wanting to be rude. ¡°Anybody else want something?¡±


    Carbon sighed, somewhat resigned to this being how he was. She also likely saw that they were at the start of a very long process, and not something to flip a switch and fix.


    ¡°Actually, you know what, hang on.¡± he tapped through the screens and added to the order - another feature generally only found in high end dispensers, this one could make several things at a time, before hitting start. ¡°This will only take a minute.¡±


    The Berkmann hummed, an accurate progress bar filling at an impressive rate compared to how the unit in his childhood home had managed to turn out beverages - a single cup of coffee would have taken nearly as long as this entire order. It played an elegant series of chimes and the door slid open, the dense scent of espresso wafting out. A single tiny cup of coffee and a pair of champagne flutes sat inside.


    Alex picked up the stemware first, turning to hand one to Carbon, flaunting as charismatic a smile as he could muster. ¡°We were just talking about them, and I know this thing will make a good one.¡±


    ¡°A Mimosa?¡± Carbon inquired, with yet another sigh. She still took it, shaking her head with the faintest hint of a smile, eyes rolling in as affectionate a manner as one could imagine.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± He extended the other to Eleya. He didn¡¯t trust her, no. But he did need her and the technological prowess of the Empire, so he¡¯d schmooze a little bit. ¡°It¡¯s orange juice and Champagne, probably a little weak compared to what I¡¯ve seen you drinking, but it is still before noon.¡±


    Eleya took the orange concoction, looked into the flute and held it out to one of her guards. The wavering form stepped up to it, hovering over it for roughly the time it took to run a scan on consumables, then stepped away. Eleya gave it a sip and made a quiet comment.


    Carbon picked it up for him. ¡°Interesting, and yes, very soft.¡±


    He gave her a little nod, picked his tiny cup - scarcely more than a shot glass - out of the machine and gestured towards the stairs. ¡°Shall we be on our way?¡±


    ¡°We should.¡± Carbon walked over and slipped her empty flute to the recycler slot on the side of the Berkmann before heading towards the stairs.


    He hadn¡¯t even seen her drinking any of it. ¡°So what¡¯d you think?¡± He asked, picking up the pace for a few steps to catch up.


    ¡°The light alcohol and bright taste would lend itself well to breakfast- ah, brunch?¡± She replied quietly, trying to keep their conversation between them despite the whole entourage they¡¯d picked up. ¡°It was also very sweet.¡±


    Alex turned his head just a little towards her, half a grin hidden from view. ¡°So just like me?¡±


    She hadn¡¯t been expecting a reply like that, and it got a laugh out of her that she quickly tried to hide in a scoff, her ears flattening and then rising back to a relaxed posture. ¡°Sometimes.¡± Carbon said, a little smirk crushed as flat as she could manage as she stopped before a plain door and hit the button to request access.


    It was basically just a doorbell. A muffled reply came from within and the door opened into an expansive office. The walls lined with shelving save for nearly floor to ceiling windows looking out over the common area. A nice desk, repeating that dark wood and silver metal motif that seemed prevalent, faced the windows. There was still ample room for a conference table of similar design that sat eight. The owner of the office was crouched over in a corner and rooting around in a drawer built into the wall, a pile of small boxes on the floor beside him. He didn¡¯t look up, speaking to them in an old but energetic voice and waving a graying hand at the table.


    Eleya took the seat at the head of the table, of course. Carbon in the next seat to her right, and then Alex beyond that, setting his macchiato on the table next to the bundle containing his powered-down translator. All the Guard stood close at hand, their numbers split between inside and outside the office.


    Alex sipped the foam off his coffee and glanced over his shoulder, the guy they were there to meet still looking for something. He was dressed in what Alex had come to think of as normal clothes for the Tsla¡¯o, his jacket blood red and not sporting a particularly wide cut neck. Alex leaned over to Carbon, keeping his voice down as they had outside. ¡°Alright, so who is...¡±


    He petered off as he noticed that several banks of the shelves had been set up like a curio display, and smack dab in the middle of one was a model of the Apollo spacecraft sitting among Tsla¡¯o items. Not just the Lunar Module, like everyone has, no. It was the LM attached to the Command and Service Module, like it would have been on the outward bound leg of the trip to the moon. It floated, whether on magnets or some tiny antigravity device was unclear, above a little display base that stated it was the Apollo 11 flight.


    A few shelves down there was a signed baseball, and a maneki-neko that had seen better days. Come to think of it, the potted plants that sat on either side of the window were both Monstera.


    All of the plants in the common room had been from Earth, too. Palms, mostly, dark green and providing a nice screen to break the area up, and the broad, striped leaves of snake plants. Some sort of vines he didn¡¯t recognize off the top of his head as well. There was an arrangement of cacti in a shallow dish sitting in the middle of the conference table.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Carbon elbowed him in the arm, eyebrows raised.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, uh... Surprised by how much Human stuff is in here.¡± He gestured at the cacti. ¡°Unless Schoen has plants like these too.¡±


    ¡°Those are from the desert, correct? They had them as decoration in The Mothership.¡± She leaned over, inspecting miniature representations of their respective species. ¡°We have something similar, yes, but none with spines I am aware of.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure all the plants here are from Earth. It¡¯s a little weird.¡± He almost continued, but the guy whose office they were monopolizing joined them with an armload of old equipment, laying everything out in a neat row on the far side of the table before sitting down.


    Some of the stuff Alex recognized, to a certain extent. A wireless power cable, for instance, was pretty obvious - it was just a cable with a node to get power from a wireless source, usually used when converting from battery power or a traditional wired plug. The very old, gray male plugged that into a box Alex did not recognize at all, a series of lights coming on before he plugged a headset into it and held it out to Alex.


    It was designed for Humans, at least. A very straightforward single-sided unit with a very conventional looking earpad over the speaker, a slender arm holding the microphone just next to his mouth after he slipped it on.


    The fellow who¡¯s name Alex still did not know spoke, rapid and excited Tsla turning into perfectly understandable, if not a bit digitized, English. ¡°Does it still work? If it does not we may have to rely on less expeditious methods of translation.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I would say it does.¡± He hadn¡¯t done it in awhile, but he cleaned up his speech to avoid contractions. This thing was old, it probably wouldn¡¯t handle them as well as a modern translator. In turn, Alex¡¯s reply was broadcast in Tsla from a small speaker on top of the box. ¡°And uh, who are you?¡±


    ¡°Dena Amara, Administrator of Xenotechnology Resource Integration. At your service.¡± He positively beamed, grinning from ear to ear. ¡°This is one of the translators from the first formal meeting of our races, I could not be more happy to see it still works.¡±


    The translator did little to convey his visually obvious enthusiasm, but Alex was picking up on that. ¡°Glad to meet you. Have you been made aware of the situation?¡± It took him a second to process that the Xeno in Amara¡¯s statement meant alien to them, not to him. Explained all the Human stuff, but not how he¡¯d gotten ahold of it.


    ¡°Only what the Empress has told me. I suspect there is more?¡± He said, silver fur glittering in the bright overhead light as he leaned in towards Alex. Dena was, based on how much his fur color had changed, much older than Eleya. Probably older than the Colonel, as well.


    Alex launched into a rehash of the explanation he¡¯d given Eleya when they arrived. The Administrator nodded along, and Carbon verified the translation was accurate to what he¡¯d said before.


    ¡°That is an interesting chain of events. I am not sure about how much help we could offer.¡± Amara picked through his words carefully. He had his gaze directed towards Eleya the entire time, not wanting to overstep what he was actually allowed to talk about.


    The Empress had spent this entire exchange leaning back in her chair, one arm crossed over her lap, still holding the champagne flute in the other. About half done with her drink so far, she took another sip before giving him a little nod. ¡°Do not feel restrained, Administrator. He is seen and trusted, and in turn he trusts us.¡±


    Amara grinned again, excitement back in his gray eyes as he looked at Alex. ¡°As that is cleared up, I believe we can be of some help. The scans of your hardware have been instrumental in accelerating the development of our own machine-brain interfaces. It is fortunate that we have begun work on an implantation suite already. It is not prepared for an actual surgery, but one of the arms has been set up with a PIN driver already - more than enough to take a look at your diagnostics.¡±


    The industrious nature of the Tsla¡¯o had consistently impressed Alex so far - it¡¯d been a couple of days since they had scanned him, and they were already setting up a surgical suite. Getting the hardware setup was easy enough from a scan, but the software side would be more onerous, no doubt. They might have been able to pull some of it from operational RAM, but likely not the whole operating system thanks to encryption. ¡°Keyed PIN?¡±


    ¡°Keyed?¡± He asked, eyes searching as he tried to figure out what Alex meant. ¡°We had noticed that the access points associated with your internal implant had randomized, recessed contacts. They are intentionally scrambled?¡±


    The Physical Interface Needle was the only way to gain access to the implants, without popping his skull open. It was a tiny little needle, a couple of centimeters long and if his memory served, a whopping 30 gauge. Almost impossible for even the most steady living hand to install, and that was just the plain version. ¡°Yeah, the keyed variants have subsections that need to be rotated into place after the zero pin makes contact. Standard on Amps, but not the Whisper or any of the wireless points.¡±


    ¡°Oh! We have been wondering about that. So, we do not have a Keyed PIN yet, but I believe we should be able to fabricate them with this information. While that is underway, we could begin diagnostics on your other systems we do have PIN¡¯s for.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll need a driver that can actuate the keyed sections, as well.¡± Alex really didn¡¯t want to do this. He wanted to just... He wanted to go home, but a glance over at a surprisingly nervous looking Carbon reminded him that she already felt like an integral part of what home meant to him now, marriage or not. ¡°Maybe you could help them with that while they sort out some of the other systems? I can¡¯t think of anyone I¡¯d rather have working on things that are going to be poking around near my brain.¡±


    ¡°I could, yes.¡± She gave him a resolute nod, a bit of direction getting those nerves cleared up a little already.


    ¡°Alright, great.¡± He smiled, for her alone, before turning his attention to the jacket bundle. He unfolded it, the machine sitting inert within. ¡°Do we have someone who can take a look at my external? Would be nice to have it back, if it¡¯s not part of the problem.¡±


    ¡°Of course, dear nephew.¡± Eleya¡¯s reply came first, as she gestured for one of her Guard to retrieve it. The vague form walked over and folded it back up, the entire package disappearing when lifted off the table. ¡°It was given a quick scan at dinner the other night and came back clean, but I will turn my intelligence apparatus loose upon it this time.¡±


    Alex was sure he was never going to get used to cloaked people doing things around him. Or being related to someone who could order an intelligence agency to do their bidding, for that matter. ¡°Thank you. Shall we get this show on the- should we get started?¡±


    Everyone else agreed. Eleya downed the rest of her Mimosa and left with her Guard. Alex did the same with his coffee, then Amara escorted them over to the surgical suite.


    ¡°He says he wants it to be clear that this is still early in the conversion of this lab room into a surgical facility.¡± Carbon translated for Alex again, the 60 year old translator unable to run without the cable sitting on a power-enabled surface, and thus useless on the trip over.


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to-¡± The doors opened and the room inside was alive with activity. The far wall was covered with racks of servers, and U shaped ring of workstations set up around the center of the room, nearly all of them currently occupied. Amara gestured for them to follow and lead them around to the open end.


    It was a surgical bed in the most strict sense of the term. Literally just a flat surface with some padding on top, and a padded hole to rest your face in at the far end. Not so much as a sheet or surgical drape present. Above it they had bolted a half-dozen robotic surgical arms to the ceiling, with an admittedly impressive looking sensor array centered above where the head would go.


    ¡°It¡¯s like something you¡¯d put in a haunted house. All it¡¯s missing is the pools of blood and a guy with a chainsaw.¡± He was pretty sure that he spoke low enough that only Carbon, standing immediately next to him, could hear.


    Administrator Amara was still jazzed about this entire endeavor. His smile was just a little bit too wide to be charismatic, but it was very eager. He said something Alex didn¡¯t recognize any of.


    Carbon exhaled through her teeth, eyebrows raised as she glanced over to Alex. ¡°He asked you to take your shirt off and lay face down on the table.¡±

 Lab Rat

    Alex was left with a choice with options that he didn¡¯t particularly like. With Eleya¡¯s backing, he was sure that Amara¡¯s unsettling behavior would be kept in check when it came to actually trying to find the problem that Alex believed existed. There was the matter of letting a foreign government have access to top-tier hardware, and he was pretty sure he wasn¡¯t supposed to do that. From a legal standpoint, anyway. As a moral point he found himself indifferent. It was just a machine. Just code. It wasn¡¯t worth the trust he¡¯d put in others, and that others had put in him.


    That was informed by his current belief that the Confederation - or at least a subset of the Confederation¡¯s intelligence community - had his wetware modified to spy on... well, likely everything around him. Every word spoken and heard, perhaps everything he had looked at. The questions this thought raised twisted his stomach into knots, that cup of coffee coming to rest in his throat. Admiral Argueta had made it clear that he wasn¡¯t to act as a spy. He thought Carbon was just a Shipmaster at the time, as well. Did they know she was more than that? That she would have access to the Empress because they were related? Given the flight time between Schoen and Earth, they must have known which ship was inbound at the time, and who it belonged to.


    Why else would they turn him loose with such a flimsy set of instructions? Ingratiate yourself and learn about their culture. Sure. Here¡¯s the most obvious bait in the world, the exact thing you want, have all you can eat.


    Alex gritted his teeth, annoyed - no, he was mad. Angry, for the first time in a long while, at the institution that had lied to him, and himself for falling for what should have been an obvious setup. Cheeks hot with a flush at the humiliation of how eagerly he had walked into it.


    He pulled his shirt off and folded it up, handing it off to Carbon. ¡°Let¡¯s get started. See if Zenshen can¡¯t come up and act as a translator for me, or have Neya find those one-time use translators that were in my bag. If the research team here needs help getting anything ready, I can¡¯t think of anyone better for that than you.¡± Alex forced himself to unclench his jaw and smile a little, pulling Carbon into a hug.


    She squeezed him back tight. ¡°It is just one item, we will get it finished before you know it.¡±


    ¡°Two items. Gotta get the PIN and the driver.¡± He kissed the top of her head and sat on the surgical bed, almost eye to eye with her for the first time in what felt like a long time. The thin layer of padding was the same stuff they used for crash couches, a dense gel that conformed to the body quickly and didn¡¯t interfere with blood flow during high-g maneuvers or long periods of rest. It should be comfortable, at least. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be a problem for someone who can fix a waverider drive.¡±


    ¡°We will see, but I will do everything to ensure it is expedited.¡± She returned his smile, soft and sad, before turning to the Administrator. Carbon spoke in slow, carefully chosen Tsla, bright blue eyes boring into Amara.


    The Administrator¡¯s smile faded a little, his spine straightening up and he agreed to whatever she was saying a few times. They went back and forth for a few minutes, getting things cleared up.


    ¡°He says they will begin with diagnostics on your near-field communication nodes first, as they are least likely to be damaged as they figure out the hardware interface. Someone should be here to translate before they finish with those.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t have the software side of things ready, do they?¡± It made sense. Clearly they had experience working with Human technology - they had repurposed the translator chips instantly, for all intents and purposes. But this was an entirely new system to them, and one not meant to be slotted into any number of places for convenience. It had controlled access restrictions and layers upon layers of obfuscation and defense. They wouldn¡¯t have any experience with it unless they¡¯d been harvesting pilots. ¡°What else did you tell him?¡±


    ¡°They have some ideas where to start. I told them you are an expert on using the implants, not programming them. I hope that is accurate?¡± Carbon approached him, reaching up and carefully removing his piercings. ¡°As for what I told him... I simply explained how important you are to me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s my skill set.¡± There was something missing from what she had said, though, given how long they had been speaking for. Amara¡¯s reaction was a bit too rigid for something so innocuous, as well. ¡°That was an awful lot of words to say that you care.¡±


    Carbon tilted her head just a touch as she looked at him, lips pulled into a subtle smile. She slipped his piercings into a pocket, a little amusement that he had caught that in her eyes. ¡°I also mentioned that as far as I am concerned, your lives and well being are inextricably linked while you are in his care and anything that should happen to you can easily be visited upon him.¡±


    ¡°Suppose it never hurts to be cautious with untested technology.¡± He was pretty sure she didn¡¯t actually mean that. But the mad scientist vibes the Administrator was giving off were pretty damn easy to pick up, if Tsla¡¯o even had such a concept. ¡°Make sure they¡¯ve got one of the new Human medkits for me, too.¡±


    ¡°Consider it done. I will bring the Sergeant and Neya into the loop and have them both report here. Between the two of them, they should have translation, security, and anything else you might require easily taken care of.¡± She slipped his hands into hers and gave them a squeeze, leaning in to kiss him. ¡°Be well, Alex.¡±


    He gave her a little wave and watched her depart with a couple of researchers that Amara had waved over as they spoke. Well, no time like the present. He got situated on the surgical table, face squished into the headrest. It was not designed for someone of his head size or shape, but the padding was particularly thick and it felt comfortable enough once it conformed to his face. Less comfortable were his arms, dangling off the sides of the table, also not designed for someone of his size. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s light this candle.¡±


    There was not the sudden burst of activity that he had imagined, though a sterile field popped on and actual medical personnel did come over and start prepping him. Alex assumed they were, anyway, the pants he could see were the same purple the docs and nurses in sickbay had worn. Another pair of purple pants arrived, and they began adjusting the table, adjusting the facerest to get his neck in a more natural position, and unfolding a set of armrests that had been tucked away.


    The first one started shaving his upper back along his spine, where the near-field wireless nodes were. A quiet buzz accompanied by cold metal sliding along his skin, and gentle suction to whisk the now loose hair away. He¡¯d never been prepped for surgery before, despite having been operated on at least four times, depending on how one wanted to define being operated on. Not like this, anyway. Getting on a mediboard was a very straightforward affair.


    His mind wandered as he got the worst haircut ever, the nurse only shaving away where the PINs would be inserted. Would you count each item implanted? Each part restored to functionality? Getting his new Amp, the Whisper, and the Immersion Translator would have netted him eleven, as long as the translator coprocessors counted individually.


    It was sort of a fun exercise until he really thought about how much had been broken on the Kshlav¡¯o. The pages of things left to fix after he¡¯d been on there for a week. Hundreds if you deigned to count the individual repairs.


    Cold liquid being dabbed along the freshly shaved areas brought him back to reality, the skin beneath going numb a moment later. The nurses working on him conversed between themselves. It sounded professional, not rushed at all. One of them left, the sterile field crackling as they passed through it. The one that remained stepped back, a hum coming from the ceiling alerted him that a surgical arm was underway.


    It tapped his back, a bit more firmly than Alex particularly enjoyed, like a pen jammed into his skin. The nurse sighed with relief - not the most encouraging sound - and marked the spot just to the side of his spine where his number seven near-field node would be, embedded in the transverse process of the T4 vertebra. The arm then withdrew, and tapped the other side, where the number eight was.


    The arm was calibrating as it went, the nurse working with it to notate where every socket was located. It was getting better rapidly as it worked its way up his spine and touched every spot that they would be inserting the interface needles. By the time it had reached his skull each tap was feather-light and barely registered to him.


    Amara said something to him, Alex catching a ¡®Sorenson¡¯ amidst the Tsla. It was a question, and immediately followed by the sigh you¡¯d make when you realize you¡¯ve been talking to someone that can¡¯t hear you.


    ¡°If you¡¯re asking if I¡¯m ready to start, I am.¡± It felt like what he¡¯d asked, at least. ¡°If it¡¯s not, find me a translator.¡±


    ¡°Te.¡± He answered in the affirmative, then immediately started conversing with the researcher beside him.


    Alex was pretty sure they ran the first interface into number seven. It was a gentle pressure, thanks to the numbing agent, the hum of the arm coming to a stop after a few seconds of pressing the needle through his skin and into the interface below.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Then there was a brief flurry of activity, but it was very quiet. He could hear several of them talking - whispering, really - the conversation rushed and a little panicked. This didn¡¯t seem great, or even good, for that matter.


    Amara spoke to him again, so very calm and collected and the exact opposite of how he¡¯d sounded mere seconds ago, and the arm pulled away.


    The PIN had missed its mark and poked into his spine. Not by much, though, as it had been inserted into the bone. This was a guess on Alex¡¯s part, but it was informed by the way the surgical arm stopped moving because the needle lodged in his vertebra wasn¡¯t coming along, the hum intensifying as it increased tension.


    The topical anesthesia didn¡¯t do shit for having his T4 rotated in place, neither did tensing up and trying to jerk his spine away from the surprise pain. ¡°Stop. For fuck¡¯s sake, stop! Stop.¡± Pretty sure that was the word for stop, but the angry tone and waving arms should make it pretty clear what he meant if it wasn¡¯t. Adrenaline spiked and a string of the most creative expletives Alex could muster punctuated the needle separating from the bone. He was sure he heard a twang as it went.


    The quiet thrum of a datacenter¡¯s worth of servers were the only thing making a sound after Alex stopped. Ah, right. He technically had the authority to destroy their lives - literally or metaphorically - with the combo multiplier of being from an alien species that was supposed to be barbaric. They didn¡¯t know he wouldn¡¯t just... erupt into violence at the drop of a hat. Probably. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, the sharp pain ebbing slowly.


    Alex held up a hand and put on his single most tactful voice possible. ¡°Let us wait until a translator gets here. Withdraw the arm all the way, I am going to sit up.¡±


    Another quiet conversation, and the arm retracted further, parking with a quiet clack. He did as he said he would, sitting up on the table and sliding down to let his legs dangle off the end. The nurse looked absolutely freaked out. Covered head to toe in the purple version of Tsla¡¯o surgical scrubs, only a pair of eyes visible through protective lenses. Those eyes were wide as dinner plates, the gentle tremble of the tablet he was holding indicating that he was white-knuckling it. Alex gave him a little wave and a thin smile. ¡°Hey.¡±


    His first instinct was to pop his phone out of his pocket and complain about this to Carbon. This was a bad idea, of course. This clearly hadn¡¯t been intentional, but she might not see it that way. Having Neya bring his tablet up so that it could also be checked over for spying equipment was a good idea, though, and he could see if she was on her way yet. Alex dug the little phone out of his pocket and unlocked the screen, then remembered that he couldn¡¯t actually read or type Tsla.


    Mostly. Alex knew how to navigate to the messaging app, and could even discern Carbon and Neya¡¯s names... But that was about it. He cussed under his breath again and hit the lock button, then put it away.


    Waiting was just as boring as one might imagine. He kicked his feet idly and tried to make small talk with the nurse. ¡°So, uh... You work here? With the Resource Integration team?¡±


    The nurse had calmed down a little bit. He nodded in agreement, but that was all he did. Must have had a translator, or just didn¡¯t want to disagree.


    ¡°Are the hours good? Humans work like six or eight hour shifts, usually. Couple of breaks in there. Not sure how it is for Tsla¡¯o.¡± Had he always been this bad at just chatting with someone? It would probably help if the someone wasn¡¯t afraid of him and could for sure understand what he was saying.


    Administrator Amara stepped into the sterile field, fur puffed up slightly from it. He brandished his own tablet and held the screen up for Alex. We have called a surgeon in. The Sergeant has contacted us and stated she will be here in about forty minutes.


    ¡°Wait, you all were cutting on me without a surgeon? Is there even a doctor - like a medical doctor here? It¡¯s not just a bunch of scientists poking me with surgical equipment?¡± Technically there wasn¡¯t any cutting to be done, no, but those surgical arms could clearly do some damage. Yes, the handful of times he¡¯d needed calibration work done with his first Amp didn¡¯t require anyone that was medically trained. They were using equipment that had gone through generations of refinement at that point, though.


    Amara and the nurse went through a gamut of emotions that said that they were in fact cutting on him without a surgeon, there was no doctor of any sort present, and yes, it was just a bunch of researchers stabbing him with surgical equipment. He pulled the tablet back and began scribbling something else to be translated.


    ¡°Wait, wait. That came out a little harsher than I intended.¡± It hadn¡¯t, in all honesty. ¡°I¡¯m just alarmed by... Everything that I just said. Particularly with prototype equipment. It would be prudent to have experts on the use of the machines on hand, and someone trained on the ins and outs of the living body. It is my understanding that the Tsla¡¯o have not applied machines to themselves in this manner before?¡±


    The next statement was more carefully applied, Amara turning the screen towards Alex again. Correct, on all counts.


    ¡°I¡¯m not above saying that I got ahead of things too. I should have been more concerned about the functionality of this.¡± He gestured to the surgical arms looming behind him. ¡°But I was preoccupied with thoughts of betrayal. So, while we have the time, perhaps you would double check to ensure we have all the experts we might need on hand?¡±


    The writing resumed, the reply quick this time. Of course, my Lord.


    Alex had thought the titles were bad when spoken. It was even weirder to see in writing. He gave the Administrator a little nod and Amara scuttled off, already delegating tasks as soon as he stepped out of the sterile field.


    And so, Alex resumed menacing the nurse with superfluous questions. ¡°So what is there to do around here after work? Like if you wanted to go on a date with somebody? Are there like, I don¡¯t know, clubs or something? I¡¯m not much of a dancer, not a great sense of rhythm, but I don¡¯t mind the atmosphere now and then.¡± Would any of that make it past the cultural barrier? Did Alex care if any of it made sense at all? Would Carbon even be interested in going to such an establishment?


    The nurse shook his head.


    Maybe he didn¡¯t have a translator. Maybe there just wasn¡¯t any nightlife onboard. Alex could also be talking to the single most boring Tsla¡¯o in history. ¡°Hey, if I¡¯m making you nervous you don¡¯t have to stand here with me. I don¡¯t mind. Probably just don¡¯t wander off, they¡¯ll need you again at some point.¡±


    He stepped out of the field and slumped into a chair in the corner.


    That was either the biggest coincidence in history or he had a translator. Alex sighed to himself, a little annoyed but trying not to judge the guy too much. He refocused his attention to other things he couldn¡¯t control: Zenshen was forty minutes out. That by Tsla¡¯o reckoning, of course, so it was probably closer to twenty-five minutes as he was used to it.


    Fuck it, he was going to take a nap. The gel padding was comfortable, and while he was sure the lights would prevent him from actually getting to sleep he was willing to give it a try.


    ¡°Well damn, I haven¡¯t seen a half-naked Human since the last time I hung out with the Marines.¡± Zenshen announced this loudly, standing just inside the sterile field and clad in the standard gray military uniform.


    ¡°The fu-¡± Alex struggled to sit up, bleary eyed and a little confused about how the Sergeant had gotten here so fast.


    She laughed, a single sharp cackle that sounded like something a person who hung out with Marines would make, and reached out to grab his hand and pull him upright. ¡°Sorry I couldn¡¯t get here sooner, was doing medical stuff myself. You know how docs get.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no worries, I was catching up on some sleep I guess.¡± He exhaled and looked around, nodding his head at the Administrator. ¡°You talk to him at all yet?¡±


    ¡°Amara briefed me, figured I¡¯d let you sleep until they were actually ready to start up again.¡± She pointed out a couple of people. ¡°A technician that specializes in maintenance of these surgical tools. The surgeon. She¡¯s set up and mad about a couple of things. Something about the live sensor feed not being looped into the motion controls right, which apparently is why they stuck you. She¡¯s pulling double duty as the medical doctor for you, but we¡¯ve got an emergency med team standing by in the hall too - they are aware of who they¡¯re here for and have Human supplies at the ready.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well. Sounds like a professional operation now.¡± He sighed again, a bit of relief kindled in his heart for once.


    ¡°About as close as we¡¯re getting. You ready?¡±


    ¡°One thing.¡± Alex dug his phone out and unlocked it, holding it out to her. ¡°Get in contact with Neya, find out where she is. I¡¯m kind of surprised she didn¡¯t beat you here.¡±


    Stana held up her hand and shook her head. ¡°I got her contact this morning, I¡¯ll get on it once you¡¯re underway again. Sound good?¡±


    ¡°It does. Let¡¯s get going.¡± He pocketed his phone and flipped over, getting himself situated again. Staring back down at the deckplate.


    Zenshen walked out of the sterile field and clapped twice to get everyone¡¯s attention and started hollering orders like she was running the show. The nurses hustled back in as the background conversation settled down. They numbed his back again, and the robotic surgical arms returned to life.


    With an experienced hand at the controls, things went so much smoother. He didn¡¯t even feel the first pin until it had bottomed out in the interface, and that was a gentle pressure. The next one was a surprise, just as delicate but mere seconds after the first - the surgeon was running multiple arms at once.


    Now that they had access to his hardware, albeit just the near-field communications ports, the quiet conversations he couldn¡¯t really hear picked up intensity again. Alex understood the parts that could contact his Amp and the diagnostics interface as being carefully disconnected from each other - the window between the two portions was just large enough to slip numbers through, and sometimes even a decimal point. The team working on him could do little more than check for functionality and adjust a few transmission parameters. Enough poking around and they could get locked out of it, he supposed.


    Either way, it was experience accessing the less important parts. He assumed they didn¡¯t have any of that so far. This was learning that would make dealing with the higher security pieces easier when the time came.


    As much as Alex would prefer they find nothing, that this would turn out to be some sort of bizarre misread of a hiccup from Lyshen¡¯s jury rigged computer... He had talked himself out of any hope of that already.


    Now all he wanted was a smoking gun, pointing at someone to blame.

 Reconstruction

    The two that Amara had introduced, Merana and Teleya, were a researcher and a team leader respectively. They were to take Carbon from the impromptu surgical suite over to where the Xenotechnology teams worked on analysis and replication, and then assist her with anything that she needed.


    ¡°It was very unexpected, but I am glad that the Empress requested the Integration project be moved onto the Sword of the Morning Light. The accommodations are much nicer, and the equipment is newer. Some of the things we requisitioned years ago were actually brought in!¡± Merana was in his forties, gray fur starting to turn silver, and he was extremely talkative. He had started perhaps two steps from where they were introduced and did not let up, speaking at a breakneck pace, hands gesturing with every word, eyes never staying put even when in a corridor that had nothing of note to look at. ¡°Deep layer scanners that were made in the decade. Actual new printers! I do not know if it is too much to ask, but if you were to mention to the Empress that we appreciate these new laboratories...¡±


    ¡°Merana.¡± There was just a hint of reproach in Teleya¡¯s voice. She was the exact opposite, so far. The definition of reserved, which fit with the crown of silver fur encroaching between her antennae. After a very brief introduction, she had remained silent until Merana had started asking favors of Carbon.


    ¡°Do not mistake my intent.¡± He shushed Teleya with a wave of his hand, but he seemed to pick up what she was driving at with that single word and deflected to a slightly different tack. ¡°I have always enjoyed this assignment, it is fascinating to see what the other species in the universe are up to. But the previous labs were... Those fields were poorly tilled. The integration of the Human ship into the station¡¯s systems was unorthodox but understandable, given how much material we acquire from them. A Proximax cargo hauler. Room for thousands of their standardized containers. Yes, it was quite old, but there were some phenomenal systems on board. The engines were astonishing. Not as efficient as the systems we put on our haulers, of course, but the configuration allowed for an utterly unreasonable energy throughput for sublight acceleration.¡±


    ¡®Utterly unreasonable¡¯ described about 75% of Human ship design, by her estimation. ¡°I am sorry, did you say thousands of containers?¡± Carbon inquired as they passed back into the common area, the seating all cleared out now. She had seen plenty of the ships the Confederation had now, including one of the truly massive Trailblazer which also held thousands of their standardized containers.


    ¡°Five thousand, if my memory serves. It was an ugly ship, a great brick of protective panels. While the storage area was not pressurized, it did have several inspection gantries that allowed us to access individual containers. We put it to use as a very orderly warehouse. I do miss that.¡± He added far more than he had to, and he was very pleased to do so. ¡°Doubled the habitable space on the station, as well.¡±


    That was strange. While she was previously aware of the existence of the Xenotechnology Research unit, the fact they had a space station, with a massive Human made cargo ship integrated into it was news to her. It hadn¡¯t really ever been a high visibility sort of thing, of course. The idea the Tsla¡¯o Empire was scrabbling around looking to see what they could abscond with from the other races was not in line with how they viewed themselves. ¡°That is impressive, you must have had much to store if a warehouse that large was called for. Where was it all coming from?¡±


    Teleya took the lead, directing them back into a warren of hallways.


    ¡°Oh, we only had about a thousand containers in it, and they were not particularly full. We have a crew using a Human ship, the Serenity, to visit the edges of Human space to trade for scrap or salvage. Humans will part with a surprising array of things when they are operating out at the very edges of their frontiers. That is how I first came to work here, counterfeiting Human manufactured colloids for their construction printers as a trade item. It was an interesting little job - if you presented a product that was too good, it was suspicious to them. They thought it was either recently stolen and ¡®hot¡¯ or it was a police operation to catch thieves, and they¡¯d dump it and leave without finishing the transaction. So we roughed the bags up a little bit, tossed them around the floor and kicked them down stairs. Drained a few as though they¡¯d been used briefly - that was my idea - and damaged the cryptoseal enough to render it useless on about two-thirds of the units.¡± He laughed as they turned down another hallway. ¡°Made them all actually look stolen. They were fully functional, of course. We had a reputation to make.¡±


    ¡°Fascinating.¡± A little worrisome, too. That was a lot of interacting with Humans, and not the ones that were supported by the Confederation, apparently. That idea in and of itself did not bother her, but... where had they gotten those ships? Had the Empire been doing business with Human pirates? Or just pioneers out past their own borders who didn¡¯t have much interest in exactly who they were doing business with? ¡°These dealings have been equitable?¡±


    ¡°I assume as much. The terms had to be agreed upon by both parties, and the Serenity was a light freighter, no offensive capability to speak of. That¡¯s why it was shadowed by a cloaked frigate.¡± He stopped speaking for a moment, pointing at the door Teleya was unlocking. ¡°Ah, here we are.¡±


    Teleya opened the door and stepped back to allow them inside. Carbon found the work area to be a bit sparse. Lots of workstations, some obviously claimed by the amount of personalization present. Jackets hung over the backs of chairs, small plants, holos and printed pictures alike. Two conference rooms with big holographic tables in the back wall, and a couple of matter printers - looked like Ke-330 variants, based on the printhead. Not exactly the newest gear, but well maintained.


    ¡°I will show you to an available workstation. If you would get the Princess the documentation regarding the PINs, Merana?¡± She delegated, pointing Carbon to an obviously unused desk.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Merana bowed out of the conversation, literally, and bustled off to retrieve the data.


    ¡°Everything is held off network?¡± Carbon inquired while inspecting the clean white desktop. She had started to reach for the sensor pad to log in when she realized she was still holding Alex¡¯s shirt. Hadn¡¯t even thought to put it down, just absently rolled it up in her hands while Merana had talked. Carbon crammed it into one of the big tool pockets in her work pants, secure in the knowledge that would be the exact thing Alex would do. Several embedded holographic displays hummed to life as she pressed her now free hand to the sensor, logging herself in at that particular site.


    ¡°Most of our data is available upon the lab¡¯s internal network, which is classified at Stone level access. Anything at Silver security clearance or above is available from the Index workstation, and is borrowed on station-locked, time-limited codex.¡± She paused, glancing over at Carbon. ¡°Forgive me - I saw that you had Obsidian clearance and have just assumed you¡¯re familiar with these protocols.¡±


    ¡°As luck would have it, I am familiar.¡± Carbon hadn¡¯t used them often, though it had come up a few times when performing maintenance on some of the more cutting edge systems on the Kshanev. The codex was a physical storage device, usually fairly large to make them difficult to steal. Station-locked just meant the codex could only be decrypted at a pre-specified workstation, and time-limited was simply a countdown to when the codex would automatically delete its contents.


    She didn¡¯t even notice she had slipped a Human idiom into the conversation.


    ¡°Ah, of course.¡± Teleya gave her a stilted little bow, very subtly standing up a bit straighter as Merana returned bearing the codex.


    He held it out to Carbon in both hands. Each codex was a specialized computer, and one of the long-standing traditions around their use was that those computers would be contained in something that made it hard to physically access or to steal. Initially they had just made rectangular cases that were too large to conceal, but as matter printing had become more prevalent, so had customized cases. The Military Academy had units shaped like the spear and star from their sigil. The Kshanev used a model of its Macron gun, which had been particularly ironic when trying to troubleshoot that very same system.


    This one appeared to be a dark stone obelisk, about the length of her forearm, and heavy like it was actual stone. The edges and letters carved into it were crisp, as though it had just been hewn. She recognized it right off the bat, of course, it was a miniature version of the obelisk that had stood at the river port in old Ama¡¯o - the first city. She ran her thumb down one of the inscriptions, the letters on this side filled with gold. May the winds favor your sails, traveler.


    All of that was gone, now.


    Carbon set it down on the desk and took a seat. The clean white desktop bowed and shifted, the obelisk sinking partway into it. She fiddled with the left screen, relegating the index of the files within to a narrow strip out of the way. Not that there was very much in there, literally seven files. ¡°All right. Get me up to speed, what should I be looking at first?¡±


    ¡°All but the last of these are items we had not been able to identify until the scans from the Prince came in. They obviously went together, but we were unsure of the use case. They were all found on a single salvage ship. The first four files pertain to the PIN fragments we found on board. Scans kept throwing traces of metamaterials until one of the sweepers located those fragments stuck in the gap between a wall panel and the floor in the head.¡± Teleya had taken over as the verbose one, pointing out several files on the screen as she spoke.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Carbon opened the first file, the very first picture was piece of metal no longer than a fingertip, caked in dried blood and hair. Notation on the edge of the image informed her that it had been taken on the Serenity, about three years ago. ¡°This is not the same Serenity Merana was talking about, is it? And is that... Human?¡±


    ¡°No. Serenity is their most common ship name. Something like ten percent of privately owned Human craft are named that. Understandable, in a way. There is so much space where there is nothing.¡± She was lost in thought before she cleared her throat and continued. ¡°That is Human, yes. All the samples found onboard were from the same person. If I recall, there were only genetic traces from one Human on board, and only one appeared on the internal logs. We were concerned that it was evidence of a crime until it became clear from those logs that the previous owner seemed to have some neurological problems and was doing quite a bit of surgical work on himself.¡±


    ¡°That sounds horrible.¡± The PIN had been thoroughly documented as it was cleaned and run through multiple scanners, the entire thing mapped down to the atom, which was good because the rotating keyways seemed to depend on microns-thick wafers of high lubricity insulator to facilitate movement while isolating electrical impulses. Likely printed in place, given how delicate the entire thing was despite the use of exotic materials. A simple design, made with the most advanced tools and material.


    She did not dare dwell on the fact that some lone Human sailor at the edge of their space had equipment to access the same sort of implant Alex had, and certainly not the more immediate worry that the implant could have had a role in pushing him to such extremes as performing surgery upon himself.


    ¡°Yes, it gets... We need not discuss the finer details of it.¡± She shivered and exhaled softly. ¡°The next three are more pieces of other, similar PINs. The first and fourth appear to have been broken, while the second and third are clearly cut. The fifth file is a piece of the adapter between the PIN and driver unit, and the sixth is what we believe to be a portion of the driver unit. The final file is the scan of the Prince¡¯s hardware.¡±


    Carbon skipped directly to the driver unit. The needle seemed straightforward at the moment. They had large portions of it. The driver, on the other hand, was still a few loose design ideas for her. The first pictures of it really made her want to discuss the finer details of what they had found on that ship - it had been cylindrical at one point, but only a partially melted wedge remained, bearing distinct plasma cutter marks. It appeared it was the end that held the PIN, as well, which was good - that could be directly copied with no conjecture.


    The chunk reminded her of an old milling machine spindle surrounded by multiple layers made of paired stators and rotors. The scans proved her supposition out, and it was a bit of a relief - most of it should be very easy to reverse engineer as well. The wiring might need a little guess work, but computer rendering should allow her to get that sussed out without having to run a print. ¡°All right, I think we should be able to get this done quickly. Which one of you would be best working on recreating the PIN and adapter unit? I will take the driver.¡±


    Merana piped up. ¡°I have specialized in reconstruction for nearly a decade. Unless Teleya would prefer that task?¡±


    ¡°No, your work is excellent.¡± She deferred, gesturing towards the Index workstation to indicate he should get to it.


    They watched him go, Carbon swiveling her chair around to face Teleya. ¡°I do not think the hardware side of this will be particularly difficult. That said, do we have any of the software that was used with this?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yes, but no.¡± Her ears lowered, an annoyed hiss escaping her teeth. ¡°There was data related to the operation of the machine, and possibly the programs used to run it still installed on the Serenity. As it was a very new ship at the time the entire thing and all files on board were seized by Imperial Intelligence.¡±


    ¡°I know a few people who work in the Intelligence community.¡± Carbon did not specify how she knew them, because historically people did not want to know details about anything to do with Intel.


    ¡°As do I. Sadly, the most I have been able to get from them is that all the data onboard was shipped out to Electronic Warfare. I do not know anyone within that division, and having a mere Gold clearance does not sway much over there.¡± It sounded like she was inclined to continue not knowing anyone within Electronic Warfare, a hint of venom in her tone as she talked about them. ¡°I put in the appeal two days ago, it has still not even been reviewed.¡±


    ¡°I suspect they will be more accommodating to my requests. If that fails, they will kneel at the throne when the Empress calls.¡± Carbon didn¡¯t really have the ability to toss the Empress¡¯ authority around like that, but Alex had been convincing with his fears about potentially compromising the security of the ship. The Empress would take that seriously, and having one part of the military building fortifications around their domains would just delay confirmation one way or the other.


    ¡°I suspect that will expedite things.¡± She bowed again, deeper this time. While Teleya did not specifically ask for this data as a favor, she clearly considered Carbon using her influence to get it as fulfillment of one.


    ¡°If you will excuse me... I will make some calls. Are the conference rooms available?¡± She was sure they would be. It was just the three of them in the workshop at the moment, but Carbon would prefer a little bit of privacy given what was lingering at the forefront of her mind right now.


    ¡°They are yours as long as you desire.¡±


    Carbon stood and offered Teleya the seat. ¡°If you could get started on extrapolating the build on this, I would appreciate the help.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Princess.¡± She bowed, again.


    Carbon took her leave, walking back to the closer conference room. She stole a glance at Merana¡¯s workspace, already deep into pulling the fragments together into a whole. Excellent work ethic on him.


    She closed the door behind her and turned the windows into the work area opaque before walking down to the end of the conference table with the holo emitter. Carbon slumped into a chair and sighed, leaning in to rest her elbows on the table and cradle her head in her hands. She allowed herself to feel miserable for a moment.


    Was any of this worth it? What even was it, at this point? She enjoyed Alex¡¯s company, certainly, and would absolutely call the feelings she had for him ¡®love¡¯ without hesitation. But the idea of being entwined hadn¡¯t truly crossed her mind since she¡¯d put aside that unreasonable fantasy back on the Kshlav¡¯o. Now that was just an offering to get her to let The Empress back in. She hadn¡¯t settled on if that had tainted the entire concept or not.


    Even if it had, Alex¡¯s earnest intent might be enough to purify that for her.


    Worse was that Alex, her beloved, was forced into this untenable position. What if he was being used as a conduit for some sort of spy program by his own government? She wasn¡¯t familiar with the fine print, but it would violate their treaties. It was a violation of the Confederation¡¯s own citizen, as well. All while being the Empress¡¯ leverage to make their people more accepting of the help. To prove they were trustworthy. Not the sort that would do things like... this.


    Her mind raced, working over a thousand threads of what she would do to be free of these constraints. To have a life that was just hers, and perhaps just his. Every one of them felt like an unreasonable fantasy now.


    Carbon sighed again and shut it all off. Crammed it back in the hole. The turn of phrase from Alex brought a brief, sad smile to her face. It had initially felt improper, not serious enough for the workings of the mind. It had grown on her, more and more it felt entirely accurate.


    She smoothed her fur out a bit and pulled the sleeves of her jacket down to appear a little more professional. Carbon stood and patted Alex¡¯s shirt for moral support before slotting her communicator into the holo display, and set it up for an encrypted call before dialing Admiral Olan. His direct number.


    It took a few minutes for each end of the call to negotiate and set up encryption that reached the minimum for Obsidian clearance. While it was the second highest level of security, the real reason she turned it all the way up was that those calls had a tendency to get answered in short order. She waited. The connection was live, but his end was locked down until he was in an appropriately secure area.


    ¡°Princess Sorenson.¡± Olan¡¯s head appeared on the holo, looking both wizened and perpetually aggrieved. He was actually pleasant, his face was just like that while relaxed.


    ¡°Admiral. I am here with the Xenotechnology team, and I have a request for data from the Electronic Warfare division of Imperial Intelligence that needs to be expedited.¡± He had the authority over several divisions, Electronic Warfare included. ¡°Team Leader Teleya put in a request two days ago. It concerns files from a Human ship they acquired about three years ago, the Serenity, which was taken by Intel. We need that immediately, as it now pertains to an investigation into potential security breaches on The Sword of the Morning Light.¡±


    There was absolutely no reaction to this information save for a single, brief nod. ¡°Consider it done, an Index will be brought over as soon as it is filled. Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is a personal request, and why I have chosen Obsidian.¡± She inhaled, lifting her chin a little like the Empress did when she wanted to appear a bit more impressive. Difficult to do through a hologram, but she wanted it imparted that this in particular was to be kept at Obsidian levels. ¡°I require a copy of the interior security logs for the same ship. This is related to the investigation, but more sensitive. Gene-locked, with a time limit of ten hours of review should be enough.¡±


    That got his attention, antennae shifting up slightly. While that was subtle, it was there, and that was notable for Olan. ¡°Of course. Do you need them delivered at the same time?¡±


    Did she? ¡°No, but I would appreciate it being done within the day. Have it delivered to my quarters, my Zeshen can take possession of it there. That is all, Admiral.¡± Carbon would take one potentially horrifying discovery at a time right now.


    ¡°Your will be done, Princess.¡± He closed his eyes and bowed, and ended the call.


    The fears she had crammed into the hole scrabbled against the door that she imagined held them in place. If the machines - those abominations that Alex had allowed his government to saddle him with - were going to destroy him, she had to know. She had to be ahead of it, whatever psychosis had been inflicted upon that lone sailor would not befall him.


    She would see to it.

 Progression

    Time had ceased to have any significant meaning to Alex. He had been staring at the deck plate through the little hole in the surgical table for well over an hour. Probably. It could have been even longer than that, but he was sure it wasn¡¯t shorter. With his augments all shut off the only thing he really had to mark the passage of time was Sergeant Zenshen occasionally warning him that one of the Physical Interface Needles was about to be pulled while regaling him with a retelling of what had happened on her second home, Zshela. She had pulled a chair into the sterile field and he could hear her gesticulating as she spoke with the energy and cadence of someone who didn¡¯t get to talk about this very often, or as candidly.


    It was a harrowing tale from the standpoint of a teenage girl, displaced by the disaster on her homeworld and dumped into another life or death situation a few weeks after arriving at what she thought would become her new home. The Sergeant had excellent delivery, too, and wielded much sharper sarcasm than other Tsla¡¯o he¡¯d met so far. ¡°We get that done and Williams just kinda absconds with me, but I had been attached to her to assist so it was on the up and up. So I¡¯m on the ship, right? The Ingraham. First thing they do is hose the armor off, right there on the flight deck. I was just caked in gore up to my elbows, so completely understandable, but after ten weeks of having to mind every drop it was distressing.¡±


    ¡°Hang on, they had drains on the flight deck?¡± He was pretty sure he¡¯d never seen a drain in space that wasn¡¯t in a shower or sink.


    ¡°They had a little room for decontamination so armors don¡¯t track shit all over the place. Since mine didn¡¯t have a helmet they had to hose it off instead of just drenching me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that makes sense.¡± It did. Who knows what armor would be bringing back after deployment. How much metal was vaporized each time they shot one of those railguns? Couldn¡¯t be good for the lungs.


    ¡°So that was my introduction to the Ingraham. The wild excess of a faucet without a timer on it. Williams takes me down to the armor maintenance bay, where she could secure my suit with theirs so nobody would fuck with it. Now, big difference I found out between Human and Tsla¡¯o armor is that the liner is part of the suit for us, but worn by the individual for Humans. She just hops out fully dressed and I¡¯m like: I need a towel please.¡± Stana chuckled quietly, voice soft for a moment. ¡°The armor bays have dedicated locker rooms with showers, so she posted herself at the door and called down to stores and got me the smallest Human clothes they had. Williams just kinda understood how uncomfortable I was, and that wasn¡¯t what I expected at all.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you two really got along well.¡± It was a little heartwarming to hear that part of the story, and also just a huge damn relief to know he wasn¡¯t the only Human who had gained their trust.


    ¡°Still do, actually. You might say she took me on as a mentor. Anyway, I finally dry myself off and get dressed in these clothes that fit unexpectedly well. They didn¡¯t have boots, so I ended up wearing these ugly tan socks everywhere - I¡¯m sure you know why by now. I was very big on propriety at the time. She crams my translator into my pocket, and drags me down to the mess. We¡¯re getting something to eat - first time I ever had fried chicken - and just kinda shooting the shit, and this guy sticks his head through the door and I hear, ¡®Hey Williams, Mendez said you got a canine unit, can I pet- oh.¡¯ and then he left as suddenly as he arrived.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s fucked up.¡± Alex said to the floor. It kinda made him bristle a little at the thought. Stana had been a nice person as much as he knew her, and even if she hadn¡¯t been, that was still a dick move.


    ¡°I mean it was a little insulting, yeah. I¡¯ll never forget the way his face dropped. He had been so excited about the prospect of petting a dog, but then it was just an alien. The raw disappointment. Dorthea ripped Mendez a new asshole later, which was an interesting thing to experience first hand. I had never seen somebody get dressed down like that, and aside from videos of Drill Instructors, I haven¡¯t seen it again. I did not entirely believe his apology, but I learned what fear looked like in a Human¡¯s eyes.¡± She laughed, another sharp cackle. ¡°Fuck that guy, though. He deserved it. They¡¯re pulling number three.¡±


    Alex grunted as the PIN slid out of the near-field wireless. It didn¡¯t hurt nearly as bad as the improperly driven one from earlier, but it did tug at the vertebra a little. He¡¯d be feeling that tomorrow. The nurse spritzed a cold, numbing liquid onto the back of his neck, an antibacterial coating from one of the Human medical kits. ¡°He wasn¡¯t a problem after that?¡±


    ¡°He kept his distance, so no. Which was good, the Ingraham loitered on site for like two weeks and I ended up spending a lot of time onboard. That was my first run at acting as an intermediary between Humans and Tsla¡¯o. Real sink or swim moment when I¡¯m escorting civilians up for medical checks.¡± She paused. ¡°Inserting on number one.¡±


    ¡°I mean, most of the military folks I¡¯ve had to deal with have been all right.¡± Aside from the one that had tried really hard to kill him, pretty much all of them had been good folks. Alex blanched as the needle slid into his skin, sinking into the socket beneath without issue. The only indication he had that it was seated at all was a tiny bump against the vertebra.


    Though, on a second thought... Gladwell had been a real shit, and the Admiral in charge of ONI had probably lied to his face the entire time he¡¯d known her. Plus there were several higher ranking officers involved with the Civilian Pilot Program, so while he didn¡¯t know them, they likely knew all the shady crap that was going on in the orbit of the Khslav¡¯o expedition - him being tapped as a Pilot candidate included. ¡°Most of them anyway.¡±


    ¡°Right. It¡¯s just a cross section of the population. Probably more so for us. Everybody I talked to on the Ingraham was great. Some of the older folks I had to watch were real pains in the ass though. Acted like we were telling them to climb shit mountain, not sit in an Osprey and make sure their injuries weren¡¯t going to get bad.¡± She scoffed, the sound remarkably like what a Human would make compared to the more sibilant noise that Carbon produced when faced with similar levels of annoyance. ¡°Like- Okay, like Aeya was an older lady, right? Easily old enough to be my great grandmother. Had rolled her ankle while being evacuated into the tunnels and didn¡¯t do anything but hide it for three days. We drag her up there, crying and whimpering in pain the whole time, and it¡¯s fractured. The bone is infected, right next to the joint. Doc dials up one of our doctors, consults with her. She says they gotta do something now or it¡¯ll spread and Aeya will lose her foot. Surgical procedure, because the mediboards weren¡¯t universalized at the time, and you can¡¯t assume biofoam will get into fractures right. Aeya starts pitching a fit.¡±


    Stana stopped as she noticed that she was getting a bit worked up, and sucked in a long breath before she continued. ¡°Like, trying to hobble herself out of the sickbay while yelling about the Doc being a barbarian and a pervert, and she¡¯s not listening to anybody. So I channel Williams a little. I stood in her way and told her that she was out of line for what she was calling the people who came to help us. That Lehnan had sustained worse injuries than her while fighting to keep us all alive and was specifically waiting for his civilian charges to be taken care of before he accepted further treatment. That the longer she made this take, the worse he¡¯d get, so she needed to sit her ass down and let the people trying to save her foot actually save it.¡±


    ¡°Did she get fixed up?¡± The doctor must have had no idea why an old lady was calling him a pervert for checking her ankle.


    She chuckled. ¡°Oh yeah. Bit of a taboo speaking to an elder like that, and I assure you that everyone in the sickbay was watching by the time I had finished. Once I realized how loud that little speech had gotten, all I saw was a fuzzy little teen all but cussing out an elder. But she sat her ass down and let them get to work. Pretty much all the Humans in there seemed to generally approve of the exchange, which was weird to me. It was rude as hell. One of the nurses said I ¡®put some bass in my voice¡¯ when I did that and... It felt kinda good once that phrase was explained to me. Had a soft spot for nurses ever since.¡± Zenshen clicked her tongue twice in rapid succession.


    He couldn¡¯t see it, but he was pretty sure she made finger guns at his nurse. How much time had she spent around Human military personnel? ¡°Uh... What else were you supposed to do, though? Let her foot rot off?¡±


    ¡°That seemed like her plan. Empire ships were still days out - the doctor that was being consulted was on the lead inbound ship, so it wasn¡¯t like they had arrived at this decision for laughs. This was triage until people specializing in our biology arrived. Hang on.¡± She turned her attention to Amara, talking at them through the sterile field. ¡°Says all of your near-fields are clean, just what they say on the tin. They¡¯re moving on to the translator next, so expect deeper insertions.¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    There was just a hint of her tone shifting up halfway through ¡®insertions¡¯ and combined with the way she abruptly ended that sentence, Alex knew she was trying not to laugh at the turn of phrase. Admittedly, if he was a few years younger - and wasn¡¯t the one on the table - he would have found it funny too. ¡°Alright, I will.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re starting with the main unit.¡± She clarified before continuing. ¡°Yeah, so. Long story short, she got her ankle cleaned up and fixed properly. Was still hobbling around and giving me stink-eye the last time I saw her, but she was doing so under her own power.¡±


    ¡°Good, I sup-¡± His words dried up as the first needle for the Internal Translator sank in. It didn¡¯t hurt, not much, but it kept going. The near-field nodes were just under the skin, but this had to travel centimeters to reach its destination on the inside of his ribcage. How many centimeters? Alex didn¡¯t know, and after several seconds of this, he didn¡¯t want to. There were a lot of different textures inside him for it to pass through on this journey, it seemed, and each one provided him with a unique sensation that he was not excited about experiencing a half dozen more times.


    ¡°Whew, damn. That was a big needle.¡± Zenshen at least sounded impressed by it.


    ¡°It uh, yeah it really felt like it.¡± Alex felt an unusually intense compulsion to stay perfectly still. They hadn¡¯t warned him about not moving, but he knew that needle, little more than a thread of metal, was run between his ribs, and he was suddenly very aware of how little he knew about the range of motion of everything back there.


    ¡°Easily the biggest one I¡¯ve seen since I learned how to use a thoracic decompression needle. Not as thick, at le-¡± Zenshen made a startled ¡®oop¡¯ sound as she shot up out of her chair, the feet scraping on the deck plating as someone stepped into the sterile field. She slipped into Tsla, rattling off something that sounded very formal before switching back to English. ¡°The Princess is here.¡±


    That seemed awful fast to have gotten a PIN and driver set prepared. Wait. ¡°The Princess-princess, or Neya?¡±


    The sigh that came in response was lower than Carbon¡¯s, the voice that continued speaking in Tsla as she walked up beside him a little more smoky, which fit the bill for Neya. She crouched next to his head, carefully fitting an earbud into his right ear. ¡°It is I, Alex. Your dearest wife, who understands the difficulties you have with the finer points of how a contra works and does not hold it against you.¡± Whichever translator they were using now wasn¡¯t that great, her voice somewhat digitized and rendered nearly free of inflection, and it didn¡¯t have his custom dictionary for what got translated and what stayed in Tsla.


    He could still hear her speaking through the other ear, too, and caught the incredible amount of affectionate sarcasm on that, which is what he would expect from Carbon. ¡°Hello there, beloved and patient wife. Given that earbud fits, is this one of my one-time-use translators? It better be, because this thing sucks. Going back to hearing ¡®contra¡¯ in relation to Neya is going to be a challenge.¡± It had to be one of those cheap, mass manufactured devices usually reserved for tourists. Alternatively, they did have a very thorough scan of his body, it would be trivial to print out an earpiece that would work.


    ¡°It is.¡± Neya¡¯s arrival had been held up by Eleya and some Intelligence personnel coming over to their cabin to collect all of Alex¡¯s Human manufactured technology for a security check. She set the actual module onto the fold-out arm rest, the only spot there was enough room for it. ¡°The simple design allowed them to verify that it is exactly what it has been described as quickly.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯ll do. How¡¯s the rest of it going?¡± He had already done the mental calculus on whether or not there was anything embarrassing on his personal phone. Aside from a few time-waster games he never deleted, he was pretty sure everything was clear. There was the chance they¡¯d hook it up to their solanet connection, but aside from years old emails from girlfriends that he hadn¡¯t deleted, he was pretty sure everything was aggressively boring.


    ¡°They are making progress. The external translator was prioritized as you had it in your possession at the time of the incident, and last I heard they had hoped to have everything done by tonight.¡± Neya said, standing back up and lightly patting his shoulder in a generally reassuring fashion.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s-¡± Alex stopped as he heard Amara talking outside the field. It was the usual volume, but apparently too quiet for the cheap hardware. ¡°Translator didn¡¯t pick that up, what¡¯d he say?¡±


    Stana was on it without missing a beat. ¡°They¡¯re driving into the number one translator cluster.¡±


    ¡°Ah fuck.¡± He muttered to himself, mentally bracing as Neya stepped back from the table. The arm hummed as it moved, the sound ominous now, and pressed another needle into his back.


    The little gasp coming from Neya did not help. Nor did the fact she was cursing under her breath, too. Alex assumed it was, anyway, too low and rapid to make out or get picked up by the translator.


    ¡°Only five more to go.¡± He said, once the PIN was fully embedded. The Whisper and Amp both required the keyed needles, but they were also much closer to the surface. Easier, overall.


    ¡°Hells, were all of them like that?¡± The pretense of being a Zeshen seemed to be dropped for a moment, Neya¡¯s actual opinion floating to the surface.


    ¡°No, the one...¡± Alex almost tried to point at the remaining needle in his first near-field node, but managed to stop himself before he brought his arm around and moved his entire torso to do so. ¡°The one in my neck is just under the skin. The lower two are inside my ribcage.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that is-¡± Neya dry-heaved. ¡°I am- I do not think I should-¡±


    Someone passing out sounds different when you can¡¯t see them, which was a weird thing for Alex to realize. Very nearly silent, as a matter of fact, but the visual aspect of seeing someone lose consciousness carried so much weight. All he heard was a quiet scuff of cloth, then a little surprised noise from the nurse. Thankfully, they had been standing on the same side that Neya was and managed to catch her before she hit the ground, laying her out on the floor, both him and Zenshen calling for help.


    He fought the urge to act as everyone else kicked into high gear. There were three PINs in his back right now, each with the robotic arm still attached. The best he¡¯d do is break all of them off, the worst would be panicking after he found out he was literally pinned to the table and hurt himself. ¡°Ah, fuck.¡± Alex gritted his teeth and exhaled slowly. There was already a nurse right there. A doctor meters away. EMT¡¯s in the hall. Lots of folks who were fully qualified to help someone having a medical emergency. All he would do right now is get in the way.


    From his vantage point he could see one of Neya¡¯s shoes, embossed with a mix of vines and stars but otherwise unadorned. The EMT¡¯s were there in a matter of seconds, at least, crisp white uniforms trimmed with the dark purple that went with all their medical personnel. Voices urgent, but not rushed, the translator actually picking up some of what they were saying. ¡°I will get vitals, you get the regular medkit.¡±


    The one he could see hustled off and Neya groaned quietly. Even if they weren¡¯t his, he still had eyes and ears at his disposal. ¡°Zenshen? Fill me in.¡±


    She stepped around to the foot of the surgical table before responding, and when she spoke the previously conversational tone was fully gone, replaced with formality that Eleya would have approved of. ¡°It appears that she is waking up, my Lord.¡±


    The next thing he heard through the translator was from Neya, but slightly dazed. ¡°Oh no.¡±


    ¡°Princess, please remain laying down until we have a clear scan.¡± The medic said, her voice soft but emphatic. ¡°You were unconscious and appear to have suffered syncope, we need to determine the cause.¡±


    ¡°You catch that?¡± Zenshen asked him, a little bit of the easygoing tone back already.


    ¡°Yeah, coming through clear.¡± He found it interesting that they maintained the theater of Neya being Carbon because of a broach she wore, even during a medical emergency. Maybe it was more intensely ingrained societally than he thought, though it did worry him a little. At some point their medical needs might diverge. Sure, a live scan would keep the EMT¡¯s up to date with exactly what was going on in the body at that moment, so a lot of risks were mitigated during triage.


    Unless the injuries were too severe to wait on a scan, something he now had first hand experience with. More questions filed away to talk to Carbon about. Maybe he¡¯d remember to ask about why purple seemed to be a medical color this time.


    ¡°Pulse is good, blood pressure is low but stable. Neural activity is high.¡± The first EMT said, but her voice lowered as the other returned and the translator lost their conversation, the two of them continuing to quietly talk with Neya in soothing voices.


    ¡°Zenshen. Come here.¡± The urge to gesture was incredibly strong when it was a bad idea. Did he really use so much body language, or was it just because he shouldn¡¯t?


    She came around to the head of the table. ¡°Yes, Lord?¡±


    ¡°Talk to Amara, see if we can¡¯t take a break. Maybe after they¡¯re done checking the implants they¡¯ve already accessed.¡± The enthusiasm Alex had when he threw himself into this experimental medical suite had been waning for some time, and was now fully exhausted. ¡°I think after the work they¡¯ve already done and this bit of excitement, it¡¯s very much warranted.¡±

 Respite

    Nearly everybody in the makeshift surgical suite disappeared when they took lunch. Most of them had vanished between the end of the diagnostics check on his Internal Translator and when the robot arm parked out of the way, leaving Amara and a handful of medical staff with them. That implant was also clean, as far as the hardware¡¯s diagnostic reports were concerned, and there was nothing unexplained in the translator¡¯s collective parts. There were still several other co-processors to check out, but those would be done later.


    The needles didn¡¯t even feel that bad when being withdrawn.


    ¡°Alright, so, uh... You guys want to get something to eat or what?¡± Alex sat on the surgical table, the sterile field off for the moment. He was still missing his shirt, which made addressing the few folks who remained a little awkward. It was just Zenshen and Neya, the Administrator, the nurse whose name he should probably learn, and the surgeon whose name he should probably also learn.


    There was a little bit of confusion on the faces he wasn¡¯t as familiar with as what he said turned out to be an unreasonably vague way to phrase that question. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m going to get lunch. Would anyone want to have lunch with me?¡±


    ¡°Eh, sure.¡± Zenshen was quick to reply, with a very casual shrug of the shoulders. She got what he was saying the first time around. ¡°As long as you put a shirt on.¡±


    Neya echoed the sentiment in a more formal tone that was mostly obliterated by the time the cheap translator he was temporarily using finished translating. ¡°I will, as well.¡±


    The other three looked between each other, the surgeon piping up first. ¡°Is that to be taken as a question, truly, or is it an order?¡±


    Right, right, the royalty thing. ¡°Completely optional. When we come back, I want everyone refreshed. So choose whatever works to that goal.¡± Damn, that was professional. For a moment, Alex actually felt like he was getting the whole idea of being in charge under control.


    ¡°In that case, I will retire to my office, Lord. It is not far.¡± She bowed and stepped away from the group.


    ¡°Done, how about you two?¡± Alex pointed a finger at both Amara and the nurse.


    Administrator Amara blanched and shook his head, all the silver fur about his face and head a strong indicator of his age after all. Hours of fairly intense work and that rough start to the project had left him visibly worn down. ¡°If the goal is to return refreshed, I am going to take a nap.¡± He seemed to have picked up on Zenshen¡¯s candor and Alex¡¯s approval of such, an almost roguish grin on his silver and gray muzzle as he bowed and headed out to his office.


    Everyone left turned to look at the nurse. ¡°I- I do not have any plans.¡± He didn¡¯t sound sure of that at all, still wearing the protective facemask that had been entirely unnecessary for some time now.


    ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s your call my man.¡± Did that translate? The look of confusion he got from Neya and the nurse did not bode well for that being a clean translation. ¡°If you want to come with us, you are welcome to.¡±


    ¡°Then I will.¡± Still did not sound too sure of himself, but he at least started taking his protective gear off, gray fur on his face pressed down in patterns from the cowl he¡¯d been wearing.


    ¡°All right. Neya, can you get on the horn... Get in contact with Carbon and see if she can be dragged away from her work for a meal? I figure we¡¯ll just eat in the common area.¡± Look at that, delegating tasks he would have preferred to do himself. Not that he could do that right now, so he was mostly forced to, but he did it without hesitation.


    ¡°Certainly.¡± She had her comm out already, dialing Carbon up before he finished asking. ¡°I will be in the hall.¡±


    The lack of both sarcasm and insistence on adherence to Zeshen norms hadn¡¯t gone unnoticed. Invoking the real Carbon must override those. Or she was just tired of correcting him. He slipped off the surgical table, stretching his arms and back. ¡°Everyone OK with Human food? I¡¯ve been dying for a burger for the last few days. Then Zenshen mentioned fried chicken.¡±


    ¡°Hang on, someone on board makes Human food, and they make fried chicken?¡± Zenshen was clearly and aggressively OK with this. ¡°I wasn¡¯t joking about the shirt by the way, it¡¯s weird seeing a Human any amount of unclothed.¡±


    ¡°I got a pretty good idea where to get it.¡± Alex was going to be flexing that Berkmann¡¯s capabilities in a minute, but right now... Where had his shirt gotten off to? He craned his neck to check the obvious places that one might have set something like that down - on the furniture, on top of a workstation, the floor. ¡°As for my shirt, I think Carbon still has it. I handed it to her and then she left and I don¡¯t see it anywhere. You¡¯ll have to deal with my feminine shoulders being exposed for a while.¡±


    Zenshen looked like she wanted to comment on that, but refrained for now. ¡°So be it. If you¡¯ve got a chef making Human food you have to share. I don¡¯t care what hoops I have to jump through, I just have a few things I need made every now and then. It is imperative for troop morale.¡±


    ¡°Oh, troop morale. That¡¯s the singular troop?¡± The idea of having a chef that could whip up some Human standards, or even just a few things adjusted for his palate was a really enticing idea. Maybe he could convince one of the cooks at The Hammer¡¯s Rest to try some stuff out.


    ¡°Look, Humans are real good at frying foods, a method we don¡¯t really use in the same way.¡± Stana nodded out of the room to emphasize who ¡®we¡¯ was in this instance. ¡°There¡¯s been a couple of times where I would have gladly punched somebody for some donuts.¡±


    Neya returned, clearing her throat. ¡°Carbon has been notified. She stated that she is finalizing a few things and that we should start without her, but she will be around as soon as possible, with your shirt. Also, I have received a message that your translator module has turned up clean and is ready for you.¡±


    Honestly the best news he¡¯d had since arriving at Lyshen¡¯s office. ¡°Alright, awesome - I don¡¯t suppose you could get that while I get lunch sorted? It¡¯s not on the other side of the ship or something?¡±


    Neya considered it, purple eyes turned towards the ceiling. ¡°It is not far, perhaps ten minutes away. Fifteen at worst.¡±


    ¡°Oh, excellent. I would appreciate it.¡± The Berkmann should be able to make a meal every few minutes, so for six of them that would be just about the exact right length of time. ¡°I figured we¡¯d be having fried chicken sandwiches, it is lunch after all - you want that or something else?¡±


    ¡°Is that an acceptable introduction to Human cuisine?¡± Her head tilted, the hint of curiosity he heard in her voice once again obliterated by the translator.


    Zenshen could not contain her enthusiasm, immediately replying in Tsla. ¡°It is. Absolutely.¡±


    ¡°Sure sounds like it.¡± Alex couldn¡¯t wait to get one of his good translators back and not have to listen to this hollow digitization of people who previously had distinct voices. ¡°So, spicy or regular?¡±


    ¡°That is high praise. I will start with regular, please.¡± She said, bowing and withdrawing, off to complete that task.


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    Alex watched her go, still feeling a bit conflicted about her admission about her feelings towards Carbon earlier that morning. It didn¡¯t seem to have any effect on her ability to carry out her job. Though, becoming a living copy of someone wasn¡¯t exactly a job in the conventional sense.


    ¡°Suppose we should get that dispenser fired up.¡± Alex grabbed the awful little plastic translator and headed for the door as well, Zenshen and his nurse in tow. He looked over his shoulder at the one member of this party that he didn¡¯t really know at all. ¡°So what is your name, anyway?¡±


    Deno Mosa was quiet and awkward, even through the cheap translator. Alex was once again left wondering if that was because he was just like that, or because Alex presented a wide variety of unknowns compressed down into a single person that may or may not be a pile of stereotypes. He did at least get to float the idea that it may be related to Zenshen¡¯s rather forward flirting with him earlier. During a medical procedure.


    Did Tsla¡¯o flirt in a way that he¡¯d recognize? Carbon had gotten him a few times, but she had some time to study Humans, and hadn¡¯t really done so before he did. Certainly given how easily she picked it up from him, it couldn¡¯t be that different.


    He set that aside as he found himself standing before the Berkmann, Zenshen and Mosa sitting at a table in the middle of the common area and talking in a much more relaxed tone. Search function, perfect. Fried chicken. So many options, and most impressively: a custom order function. Who needed presets? He set up a clone of the best chicken sandwich he¡¯d ever had, from a little hole in the wall shop back on Mars. Straight cut fries, light salt. Keep it classic for the newbies. High speed poly plates, no sense in making fine china for fast food. Six copies, three spicy. He was hungry.


    It asked him a glorious question: would you like this order set up for catering?


    Yes, actually, he would. Covered trays and everything. Alex bumped up the selection of fried potatoes a little, adding in the curly variety and some onion rings. A pitcher of iced tea - unsweet, this time. A few extra sandwiches as well, because he was letting this unrestrained power go to his head. Picnic assortment plates and plasticware.


    He hit go, the little circle spun for a few seconds and it coughed up a timer: twenty minutes. Human minutes, for once.


    For the first time on board the Sword, Alex felt a little comfortable. There was just a normal conversation going on behind him, too far for the translator to pick up but amiable sounding. He wasn¡¯t relying on anyone else in this moment, even though he was very much in the middle of needing a lot of assistance. It reminded him of being back in college, even of being in high school.


    He slid a chair out from the closest table and sat by himself. It was quiet in here for the moment, save for the background chatter and the distant hum of life support systems. It wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d listened to people talk in a language he didn¡¯t know, or know much of, and what it actually reminded him of was being in a place where he felt like he was supposed to be. Where he wasn¡¯t an alien, or a tool, or a threat.


    The Berkmann played its little jingle and the door opened, the first flight of things already finished - just the plates, glasses, napkins, and two liters of tea. Nothing particularly complex. He delivered it to Zenshen and Mosa, poured himself a glass, and went back to waiting.


    There was a curious relaxation to just sitting by himself, feeling slightly comfortable, and staring at a progress bar. Nothing was expected of him, there was no pretense to keep up, his mind finally wandered nowhere except for some delightfully banal thoughts about how good the tea was, and maybe looking into getting his parents a Berkmann. Certainly they made a narrow format? Lots of smaller ships used the 40 centimeter standard, which was the same size unit they had in their home. It seemed likely they would want to tap that market.


    The fries were up next. He hoarded the covered tray, the aroma of freshly fried goods wafting out. The physics of how a dispenser worked was beyond him. Hadn¡¯t gotten into the right classes for that, but he appreciated that it did work.


    Maybe he should see about getting his own small ship, now that he was thinking about ships again. He¡¯d have the cash for something nice after all that hazard pay and various bonuses for finding new alien relics and technology cleared. His use case had changed a little bit, though. Have to seat at least two, if not three now. Tosses out the De Luca Schiavona, the best looking De Luca, but only a single seater. Real shame as it was a very affordable ship on the aftermarket, because they had made way too many.


    Maybe something with a little actual living space? Ships got complex when you started talking about anything with more than a few seats, features getting piled on to improve margins. If you got a bed you¡¯d automatically be looking at a ship with a galley and a complete head, which meant full water and sewage handling systems and complex, multizone life support. Getting awfully close to having something with waveriders at that point, too. Sure, his wife could do the maintenance, but those were still a lot of dCred up front. The entire point of having his own ship would be defeated if he couldn¡¯t afford to put hydrogen slush in it.


    Could probably get it topped off on the Sword for free though.


    That mid-range, ¡®I want to putter around Sol with my family but not actually jump out of system¡¯ sort of vehicle was... He exhaled through his nose, already disappointed that he was legitimately pondering that class of ship. Compact cargo haulers with their holds refit into a sleeping cabin were in that same price range, too. The second gen StarAce did have a certain rugged charm to it.


    The Berkmann sang its song one last time and he collected up everything, hauling it over to the table - trays still quite hot to the touch. Zenshen and Mosa had distributed plates and utensils. They were sitting across from each other at one end of the table, which was just wide enough to fit food he set down onto it. ¡°So, formalities question: should we wait for Neya? She didn¡¯t specify, but Carbon did say to start without her.¡±


    Stana tipped her head back, eyes wandering the ceiling as she thought it over. ¡°Ah, if she was a normal person we could probably start without her, but I¡¯m not sure about how a Zeshen should be treated in this particular situation, particularly when wearing their Aeshen¡¯s sigil. If I was going to act clever, I¡¯d say that Carbon saying to start without her is her response to that query.¡±


    ¡°That does track with how she would behave, yeah.¡± He popped the lid off the closest tray, a dozen sandwiches in neat rows present within. Most in a plain white paper wrapper, though four were an obvious shade of red. Given that blue was the color the Tsla¡¯o used for go, perhaps it was not that obvious. ¡°White is regular, red is spicy. What if she takes the sigil off and goes back to being Neya before she returns?¡±


    ¡°Man, I don¡¯t know. Treat her like a normal person?¡± She shrugged again, brown eyes turned his direction and clearly annoyed that he was asking her questions she could only guess at answering. ¡°Despite my name, I didn¡¯t even think I¡¯d ever meet a Zeshen until a couple of days ago when I found out I¡¯d be working directly with Royals. The finer points of decorum around them are not taught to commoners. That¡¯s your domain, Lord Sorenson.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only been doing this for like five days. I figured you would have picked up some details, you know, growing up knowing they exist at all.¡± Alex noticed Mosa starting to look freaked out at the intensity of the conversation. While he wanted to inquire what she meant by her name, he tamped his tone down and turned his attention back to the food. He was definitely starting to feel a little hangry. ¡°Pop the lid on that, would you?¡±


    The Sergeant was on it, steam billowing into the air as she handed the lid to Alex. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll give you that. Your understanding of our society isn¡¯t as deep as mine.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He stacked them together and tossed them onto the empty table next to them. Now, where should he sit down? This was one of those questions that would not have been complex a few days ago but immediately became so because now he was Lord Sorenson, Crown Prince. Next to Mosa was out. Guy was nervous enough as it is, even if that meant the nurse would end up sitting beside Carbon or Neya, who at least had the benefit of being Tsla¡¯o.


    Maybe the far corner?


    Maybe he should stop overthinking it for a minute. Alex pulled the chair next to Stana out and sat down. Just stack up next in line, like he would have any other time in his life. Carbon would end up across or next to him, that was perfect. Couldn¡¯t do better. ¡°Alright, so the fries are- Well, speak of the devil.¡±


    Neya returned with his good translator in hand, his jacket folded over her arm, and still wearing Carbon¡¯s sigil. Alex crammed the earpiece back into the little slot on his temporary unit and tossed it into the pile with the tray lids, visibly glad to see it go as he took his possessions back from her, pulling the dark red jacket on first thing.


    While he would normally run the external translator through an encrypted shortrange to his implants, Alex wasn¡¯t going to be turning those on until he was sure they were clean. He opted for the pair of low profile earpieces tucked away under a panel on the back. High end jobs, self fitting gel and the whole package was barely visible once he¡¯d gotten them seated. ¡°Somebody say something. In Tsla.¡±


    ¡°Something.¡± Of course Zenshen would get that out first.


    On the up side, the voice piped into his ears sounded like what he expected. Alex still rolled his eyes at that response. ¡°Well it works. Most important part. As everyone but Carbon is here, I suppose we should get this meal underway.¡±

 Played

    ¡°This has to have been made by a chef.¡± Neya gestured at Alex over the table with a half-eaten sandwich, a slice of tomato threatening to come loose over the fries. She had taken her sigil off before eating and tucked it away in her jacket, a move that seemed to relax Deno sitting next to her. The almost panicked tone she had now was not doing the poor guy any favors. ¡°It is not possible for a machine to make something so refined.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, it did. A Berkmann is just built different, and I mean that very literally. Do you want to go print another one off so you can see for yourself?¡± Alex, for one, found the sandwich to be very good. The batter had just the right crunch, the chicken within juicy and flavorful. Accompanied by a single leaf of lettuce, a slice of tomato, and pickles, all tucked into a buttery griddled roll with a smear of something between mayonnaise and aioli. A solid eight out of ten, but still resting in the shadow of the one he was trying to replicate. The sauce was off, not enough heat and spread a little too thick. The onion rings, though? Those were the closest to perfect he¡¯d ever had.


    ¡°It is... It is unacceptable.¡± She put a lot of emphasis on that for someone who immediately went back to eating the very thing that was unacceptable, crunching away in a strikingly morose fashion.


    Every now and then someone would appear from one of the multitude of doorways that lead out of the common area, usually carrying on about their day. This time, the motion over Deno¡¯s shoulder that got Alex¡¯s attention was someone he actually recognized. He waved Carbon over to them, not like there was a big selection of Humans having lunch to pick from right now.


    ¡°It smells good, what are we having?¡± She slipped her jacket off and hung it from the back of the chair before slipping into the seat beside him, giving the rest of the table a friendly smile and nod.


    Alex gave her a brief rundown on the spread and made note to just wait next time this happened so he wouldn¡¯t have to keep explaining what the food was. Though, with any luck, this entire situation wouldn¡¯t be happening again at all. ¡°How¡¯s your day been going?¡±


    ¡°Well. The test needle printed without issue and allowed us to refine the design, we have enough for your hardware being printed now.¡± She wasted no time in getting her own food, piling some of everything onto her plate as Alex poured her a tea. ¡°The driver unit is being printed elsewhere on the ship, but should be here within the hour. The design was very straightforward, likely mass produced.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sounds right. They¡¯d need at least one for anywhere you were going to put enhanced pilots or folks with military hardware.¡± He inhaled a smaller onion ring, crunching on the perfectly fried breadcrumb coating. ¡°Probably other uses too, but those are the ones I know about.¡±


    Carbon hesitated when he mentioned enhanced pilots, dark furred hand stopping over the wrapped sandwiches. ¡°The red wrapper means they are hot? Spice hot?¡± She said, a little faster than necessary in a casual conversation.


    ¡°Yup, right on.¡± Despite having made extras, he was waiting for everyone to have taken their first before he went back for seconds. Alex opted for a regular one this time and was sufficiently distracted by this that he didn¡¯t notice Carbon had changed the subject.


    Carbon plucked a red-wrapper out of the tray and set it on her plate, leaning in to Alex as she watched Neya sullenly eat her own sandwich. ¡°What has happened to her?¡±


    ¡°Crisis of faith in her world view.¡± He said around a bite of the second sandwich, exactly the same as the first save for how much spice had been spread through the batter. Neya had perked up when Carbon arrived, appearing very much normal if not subdued, though that gave way to melancholy quickly. He did feel a little bad, as Neya was clearly taking this hard... but she was taking finding out that an absurdly expensive food dispenser made excellent food way too hard. ¡°She thought I had this catered somehow, but everything here came out of the Berkmann.¡±


    Neya heaved a forlorn sigh, easily close enough to hear them talking about her. ¡°It is delicious.¡± She said as she turned her attention to the fries on her plate. ¡°It should not be, but it is.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Carbon¡¯s reply was kept very short and tightly controlled.


    When Alex glanced over, there was a hint of a smirk on her face, though she was doing a good job keeping it from being obvious. Neya¡¯s previous assertion that she could tell dispenser made food from the real deal seemed to have annoyed Carbon a little at the time, and maybe it did a little more than annoy her. ¡°Like I was telling her, a Berkmann isn¡¯t the usual food dispenser. Way more power built in, a lot more complexity. It was made for rich people to have all their favorites at their fingertips.¡±


    Carbon started with an onion ring, running into an issue common to the novice: not biting cleanly through the onion and pulling the entire thing out of the crunchy shell. This did not deter her at all as she simply slurped it up like a noodle. ¡°It is a step above what I expect from a machine, yes. The separation between the vegetable inside and the crust is unexpected - is that intentional?¡±


    He¡¯d give her credit, that was a smooth recovery.


    ¡°Intentional, to make it appear more natural. Some of them stick better than others, just like you¡¯d get from handmade. Berkmann Company is not messing around. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a setting somewhere to ensure that you only receive perfect copies, but the experience of eating that would be so weird. Imagine a plate with a stack of exactly the same fry, down to the molecule.¡± Alex picked up two fries, feeling a little philosophical. ¡°Both of these are the same cut, about the same size. Both have imperfections. None of the four ends are the same angle, and there¡¯s a little divot in the side like something had been cut out. There has been no small amount of effort put into making this look like it¡¯s fresh out of a kitchen.¡±


    Stana leaned forward and looked down the table at both of them. ¡°I can¡¯t tell the difference.¡±


    ¡°Right? If they weren¡¯t so damn expensive I¡¯d probably be happy eating out of one of these for the rest of my life.¡± He returned to his sandwich, unable to tell the tomato from ones he¡¯d had growing up that he knew were from a hydro farm.


    ¡°How expensive are they?¡± Carbon enquired as she unwrapped her own sandwich.


    He shrugged at that. ¡°I dunno.¡±


    Deno came out of his shell for a moment, no small amount of confusion in his voice. The translator was still dialing him in, his speech apparently a little off from what Carbon and Neya spoke. ¡°Then how do you know that they are expensive?¡± The nurse had been doing a good job of being less and less visibly anxious. He was nowhere near Zenshen¡¯s comfort level, which was unsurprising given what she¡¯d been through and her extensive experience with Humans and high ranking military.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never asked.¡± Alex stopped before he could cram more chicken into his face, holding a single finger out as he thought better of that rather threadbare answer. ¡°I don¡¯t even know who I¡¯d ask to find out pricing on something like that. I do know that they don¡¯t advertise their products. I¡¯ve seen the yachts that do advertise having them installed as an option, and they are well outside my price range. One of those ¡®if you have to ask, you can¡¯t afford it¡¯ kind of items.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Deno appeared utterly mystified by the idea that things like that existed. ¡°That is interesting.¡±


    ¡°Forgive me, I have lost my manners.¡± Carbon had switched back into Tsla as she looked to Deno, addressing him directly. ¡°Carbon Sorenson. You would be?¡±


    ¡°I am Deno Mosa. I am the nurse that was working with the Prince.¡± He bowed a little bit, as much as he could while sitting at a table, caught with a spiral of curly fry halfway between plate and mouth.


    ¡°Thanking you for watching over him. That is a western name?¡± She inquired, keeping things very informal by continuing to eat.


    ¡°It is, yes. I hail from Ladanse, by the Southern Sea.¡± Deno took his cues from her and continued eating as well, though he sat up straighter now that he was part of the conversation.


    Alex wasn¡¯t sure, but he might have caught some pride in Deno¡¯s voice, too. The western part of their main continent - it had been named in the primer, in a section he had skimmed and immediately forgotten. That was going to be something he looked up tonight on his own - had come up a few times. Once as ¡®the western tribes¡¯ that Carbon had compared him to when Eleya unveiled their arranged marriage, and then later as where the Keslon Shen had taken root.


    Carbon continued asking questions as she picked through her fries. ¡°Is your family well?¡±


    That struck Alex as a bit of a sensitive question to be asking someone who¡¯s family may well be stuck on the planet, though it was couched in such a casual tone that it must not have been. Or Carbon was really twisting the knife in the guy.


    ¡°My great-grandparents and grandparents have all been evacuated and relocated to the Lightining¡¯s Repose. My nephew and his father have been taken off world as well - they are on board, as it is.¡± All this information spilled out of Deno without hesitation, leaning in as he spoke, a hint of a smile on his face for the first time since he¡¯d taken the protective mask off. That did cool down as he continued. ¡°My parents and sister are still there in the mountain. They are all in the medical field as well, and so believe that they should be among the last to leave.¡±


    ¡°Hang on.¡± Alex paused, holding up a finger again as he finished off the slice of tomato that had slid out of his sandwich. ¡°In the mountain?¡±


    ¡°The Southern Sea has a particularly bad storm season, and the Ladanse mountains protect the rest of the western lands from them. The rest of the year it was a valuable port, even after the advent of flight. So the mountains were initially tunneled through, and a large cavern network was found, which people moved into when the storms came.¡± There was an eagerness in him that had been absent until now, getting to share this information - while it was Alex that asked, he was looking between everyone at the table as he explained it. The unmistakable excitement of being able to share something he was proud of. ¡°It has grown quite a bit since then, built into a true city beneath the mountain. The unique construction means that little has changed there since the disaster, as there is no threat of a shield wearing down and collapsing.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Sounds good.¡± It was exceedingly weird finding out that there was a city under a mountain. He was sure Humans had done that on at least one planet, so perhaps that was not the oddity here, so much as actually meeting someone from there. ¡°How are your brother and nephew doing?¡±


    ¡°They have taken to life aboard faster than I did.¡± Deno laughed softly, glancing down at his plate. He inhaled slowly and sighed with a slight smile. ¡°Aeno is a maintenance engineer, and Tona is a five year old. Not much in the way of job prospects at his age.¡±


    ¡°They live in the community towers?¡± Carbon asked between bites, bright blue eyes keen on this line of inquiry.


    He turned his attention to her specifically. ¡°Yes, they share an apartment in Leeward with another parent and child.¡±


    They talked about his brother living in the towers embedded within the carrier, the accommodations were good but the kitchen was small. Deno himself had been working on the Sword of the Morning Light for some time and had his own quarters in the ship he shared with another nurse. He had aspirations to becoming a doctor - Tsla¡¯o medical personnel all started as nurses, a word that Alex realized likely wasn¡¯t an exact translation - and specialized from there.


    Carbon in particular had lots of questions about the living situation in the community tower, which Deno was pleased to be able to supply information about. Alex figured she was just fishing for details without actually having to go digging around, and seeing as how everyone but Carbon had stopped eating, he excused himself to get dessert.


    Donuts, of course. Cake style assortment, a dozen. Catering style pink box. Keeping it simple.


    He stopped short of entering the order, finger hovering over the screen, and then upped it to two dozen before hitting the start button.


    While it compiled the sweets he bussed the table, combining the leftovers into a single tray while they talked about working on board. Neya reached out to stop him, already sliding her chair back before Carbon clicked her tongue and shook her head, speaking to her in Tsla. ¡°He is the host. He chooses how to distribute labor.¡± It was a very gentle reprimand. Barely even that, Carbon¡¯s sounding more like she was just giving Neya a reminder.


    Neya stopped immediately. ¡°Of course.¡± Her sullen disposition after finding out the food wasn¡¯t real by her standards stayed put, as she turned back towards the conversation that had nearly lifted her out of that peculiar despondency.


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    Alex slotted all the dirty dishes and empty serving tray into the recycler slot on the side of the Berkmann and waited out the last minute. He was glad to do it. Carbon knew him well, knew that he preferred to take care of things himself when he could. It was how he¡¯d been raised, though they¡¯d never spoken in depth about that. It was good for him, simple as these tasks may be, to keep that portion of himself safe.


    The Berkmann dinged and he returned with yet more fried foods in hand, the conversation having shifted to Sergeant Zenshen retelling the fight against the tkt for Carbon and Neya.


    The first box was set down in the middle of the table, the second deposited directly in front of the Sergeant. Alex was not above bribing the people who were doing things for him, given that he was now extra work for her it was also a bit of a peace offering. He trusted that Zenshen was familiar enough with Humans that she¡¯d understand exactly what he was doing. Sure, she knew where the Berkmann was now and could get whatever she wanted out of it, but it was the thought that counts.


    The sublime smile as she opened the box said that she got it. ¡°I can¡¯t help but notice there¡¯s a few that aren¡¯t chocolate in here. For future reference.¡±


    Everyone else liked the donuts as well. The chocolate was a hit, and he did not once panic about them eating it because food compatibility had been one of those things he double and triple checked the first time it was his turn to do a dinner exchange on the Kshlav¡¯o.


    Carbon¡¯s comm went off, a quick glance telling her what she needed to know. ¡°The PINs are finished, the driver units are on their way. We have a team from Electronic Warfare that should be here with them, as well.¡±


    The Sergeant¡¯s story got cut short as they put lunch up for now. There was a stasis store in the corner that all the food got put away into, and the group dispersed. Carbon went back to the lab to get the PINs, Stana left to get the Administrator from his nap. Alex, Neya, and Deno all returned to the surgical suite which was still very much empty.


    It didn¡¯t stay that way for long. The E-Warfare team showed up next, clad in a dark version of the military tunic, still gray but just a step away from being black. They acted cagey about every single word that they thought was in earshot of Alex, and were very protective of the crates they brought with them. Administrator Amara was next, the Sergeant following along behind him. Carbon and one of the researches she¡¯d left with arrived not long after that, each carrying a small box.


    With their blessing, Sergeant Zenshen departed. This wasn¡¯t her only job and as no one had expected this day to turn out as it has, she still had a large number of tasks related to the artifact expedition that she couldn¡¯t delegate.


    ¡°Apparently the Electronic Warfare team from Imperial Intelligence is only answering to me right now, so with Amara¡¯s blessing I am pretending to lead the operation.¡± Carbon leaned in to talk to Alex, who had been ushered away from the surgical table after a long and somewhat heated discussion between the newcomers and Amara. The robotics tech was finally getting the PIN drivers installed now, a fairly simple looking procedure of swapping the tool heads out.


    ¡°Why are they here?¡± He asked, keeping his voice low. One of the Intelligence agents had left with Neya before this argument started, carrying the smaller of the two crates. The remaining four had done a good job of actually not being overheard, and the translator did not handle fast, argumentative Tsla very well so he was very much in the dark about what was going on.


    Carbon sighed. ¡°They have a copy of the software used to operate the keyed PINs, and they consider it and the emulation hardware too important to have loose around so many people with low security clearances.¡±


    ¡°How did they get that?¡± It was a little unsettling, yes, that the Tsla¡¯o Empire¡¯s Intelligence community had the programs that they needed. Very useful, as there would be no reverse engineering needed, but unsettling. He hoped the answer was not ¡®well we stole it¡¯ but honestly at this point he wouldn''t be surprised.


    ¡°Amara¡¯s program has been involved with secretly purchasing Human ships and salvage for some time. I do not have the exact details of such, but one of the ships had a partially destroyed Interface arm onboard, with the software to run it left in the databank. That is how we cloned the parts so quickly.¡± Her reply was a little agitated, a small amount of worry clear in her voice.


    ¡°Ah, well... Like I was saying, the military in particular goes through a lot of them. Most soldiers get a Whisper nowadays, even if they have it removed after getting out. A larger ship probably has dozens of them operational because they don¡¯t have any wireless, or even near-fields. Security and all that.¡± Alex kept it nice and casual, trying to present a calm fa?ade for her. Internally he was roiling again, the fears about being used to carry some sort of spy equipment for his government front and center once more. ¡°Sometimes things get legs and get stolen, or maybe some surplus slips through without the fancy parts taken off. A surgical arm can still do a lot if you can¡¯t get a mediboard.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that would be true.¡± She sounded distant as she watched them work, all the arms now loaded up with the cloned driver units.


    The technician looked over at them and gestured.


    Alex quickly found himself back on the table, staring at the deck plate again. They restarted where they had left off, sliding the basic PIN deep into his ribcage. It had been unpleasant when they had only had two ready to go, but now six were operational and the surgeon was running them all. Yes, it did make things go faster. But there was a much shorter break between having all that metal run through him.


    While Intelligence was rifling through that portion of his wetware, Neya returned. She took up the role that the Sergeant had before, though without the need to translate now.


    Each item that passed muster made his anxiety worse, which was really not how these things were supposed to work. It would have been annoying if it had been something in one of his translator nodes, but that would have been more limited in scope. With each possibility of that put away, the idea that it was one of the cranial implants was made more and more likely. Those had access to all his onboard systems. There was more power there and the fact he didn¡¯t know how it could be used let his mind run


    away with worst case scenarios.


    The Whisper was next to be inspected - only two ports, and the first implant to use a keyed port. The way it pressed through his scalp and then vibrated slightly was familiar, despite being such a strange sensation. His Amp had been adjusted a few times after his first install for calibration, and it was effectively the same process.


    ¡°They said the needle¡¯s contacts rotated properly and made a full connection.¡± Even though she did not need to, Neya was translating for him. To avoid a repeat of the last time she had seen a needle and passed out, she had moved to the floor, laying there staring back up at him, tail curled over her abdomen to keep it out of the way.


    ¡°Yeah, I got that.¡± With the arms pressed to his head now, he found the anxiety doing its thing in a new, annoying way: he could not stop thinking about music, particularly upbeat songs. It was currently on ¡°September¡± by Earth, Wind, and Fire. He hadn¡¯t thought of it in years, and had probably never heard it in its entirety, but damn did it make him want to bob his head along to the beat right this very moment.


    Carbon was pacing slowly back and forth outside the sterile field, continuing to pretend to be in charge while monitoring the folks from Intel. She stopped by the surgeon, immediately to Alex¡¯s left, and he could hear them confer before she spoke loudly to make sure he could hear. ¡°Pulling from the number four translator node. Once the needle is swapped we will move ahead with the second Whisper port.¡±


    He gave her a thumbs up.


    It wasn¡¯t long before they were plugging PINs into his Amp proper. First needle into the number one, then the number two, so on and so forth.


    The Whisper came back clean. Nothing unusual as far as the Intelligence boys and girls were concerned. This wasn¡¯t surprising, as he¡¯d only ever used it to check calibration and then left it turned off. The Amp was giving them a bit more trouble, just on the basis of capability. There was objectively so much more going on with it than the comparatively simple Whisper implant, it was just going to take longer. Everyone was very glad to finally have all six ports underway.


    When that sixth PIN rotated into place there was a brief, very intense outburst from the technicians. ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°They said there was a number. Two numbers - no, eight numbers?¡± Neya cocked an ear to hear them talking better as her answer rapidly turned into a question that really didn¡¯t make things any more clear.


    ¡°Each port transmitted a single byte of data in binary when the sixth one came on line.¡± Carbon clarified from over on the right side of the room, where more of the individual workstations were. ¡°We are discussing the meaning.¡±


    That was weird. It was a behavior he wasn¡¯t familiar with and he¡¯d been trained in the use and care of Amps as they were integral to being a pilot in the Civilian Pilot Program. Hardware level maintenance was beyond him, he supposed, always handled by a certified technician. The techs usually only had one arm to work with, though, and dealt with one port at a time. ¡°Alright, let me know what¡¯s up.¡±


    No response as Neya sat up and looked around. ¡°They¡¯re all gathered around the main holo.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± He mumbled, wanting to shrug but avoiding it even though they were done with his back. Instead, he settled on a weary sigh. Alex cleared his throat and spoke up. ¡°Do they look like they¡¯re doing anything?¡±


    ¡°Talking and pointing in a very animated fashion.¡± Neya deadpanned as she glanced back up at him.


    ¡°Yeah, that... That¡¯s what I expect.¡± Any time something happened the Intel team would require a little break to talk it out. This was definitely something happening.


    Carbon came back a few minutes later, ¡°we¡¯re going to try something with the order the pins were inserted in.¡±


    ¡°Oh well, knock yourself out.¡± He was a bit peeved at that. He wanted answers, not to be a fun pincushion for them to try things out on. Not that he had much of a choice at the moment.


    ¡°All right. Start the process.¡± She came through digitized that time, speaking in Tsla to the rest of the crew.


    The needles all retracted, in reverse order from most recent to first, going through the same little dance to clear the keyway and giving him a headache as his skull was tugged on. ¡°The retraction on those is very sticky, by the way.¡±


    She was back to speaking English, but very distracted. ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡±


    Once cleared, they started driving the needles back in. There wasn¡¯t a pattern he could discern this time around, one starting just after the previous one finished. Definitely made his headache worse. The last pin slid back into place, the armature spinning the contact points around. Nothing happened, not on his end, nor was there any commotion like last time. ¡°So uh, did anything interesting happen?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡± Carbon had wandered off, voice getting softer.


    ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡± He waited, fighting the urge to get up and go look for himself. Minutes went by with no response and even Neya started to look a little concerned. ¡°Hello? Anyone?¡±


    ¡°They have found something. Not the program that attempted to send the data, but some kind of restrictor.¡± She was yelling at him from across the lab. ¡°They will excise it from your Amp and then initialize it in safe mode.¡±


    ¡°Oh, good.¡± It wasn¡¯t good at all. His fears were coming to fruition, lips pulled thin and staring into the distance as Neya laid back down.


    Alex had chosen a guitar being strummed as the startup sound for this Amp way back when he got his first one, and the second one retained that as part of the calibration settings. This time it was the default three notes on a xylophone. The progress widget spinning in the center of his vision took maybe a second to finish before warnings about changes to his software and hardware loadout appeared.


    Last time he started it, it had taken almost four seconds.


    The hardware change was no surprise, just his IT being unavailable. The software, on the other hand, that was all new. He flicked the menu open and poked through its contents. ¡±So we¡¯ve got VM_ASoren, ARGUS, and return_data_probe. No information on what they do, but I¡¯ve got some guesses. Give me a moment here, trying the first one.¡±


    ¡°The one that started with VM?¡± Carbon was much closer this time, back by the workstations.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He activated it. Just about four seconds later, his preferred guitar strum played, and a second window warning him of hardware - but no software - changes popped up. ¡°Fuck. My Amp has been running on a virtual machine.¡±


    There was a brief pause before the Intel team got that one translated and started talking very emphatically about something that got Carbon¡¯s ire up. She switched back into Tsla and let it rip, shouting them down. ¡°Lieutenant! You will mind your tongue when you speak about my husband. If you find you cannot, you will find yourself assigned to an automated listening post on the far side of the Empire.¡±


    They settled down very quickly.


    Alex closed out of the virtual machine, disgusted by it. So much effort put into getting one, and now its very existence was tainted by the ONI. ¡°Turned that off. I¡¯m going to check ARGUS next.¡± The lack of emotion in his voice surprised him, and when he made eye contact with Neya she looked worried. That didn¡¯t last long, his gaze easily settling back into the middle distance.


    Alex activated ARGUS and nothing obvious happened. There was a spike in processor usage as the subdermal microphone network came online. ¡°Huh. Well, that was- What the hell?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Neya peered up at him, still very worried despite a veneer of curiosity.


    Alex couldn¡¯t see much from where he was sitting, but the ARGUS produced an overlay in his vision that made everything very clear. Hard object edges were given a digital outline as it used the echolocation from his voice to map his surroundings. Neya was highlighted a faint green, a box hovering next to her with her name in it. ¡°There is... a lot going on here.¡±


    His gaze settled on Neya for a moment and the box expanded to show relations, possible job functions, and some minutiae of her life that might be handy to know off the cuff. His blood ran cold when he realized all of the information were things he had learned from Carbon or Neya herself. But that would mean... ¡°Neya. When is your birthday?¡±


    ¡°It is tenth week, day three. Why do you ask?¡±


    A moment later the box was updated. Birthday: May 11th. ¡°You have got to be shitting me.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°I do not think that I-¡±


    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s a turn of phrase.¡± He sighed and closed his eyes, the overlay refreshing with every sound he made, and staying bright as the world went dark. ¡°I compromised the ship. I have been spying on everyone.¡±

 Spy Games

    A very particular sort of gloom rapidly took over Alex. He had believed an intelligence agency would do right by him. It was one that worked in the service of the government he had no particular qualms with, who he thought was actually doing a pretty good job. So why wouldn¡¯t they?


    He kept looping back around to ponder just how big a fuckup he was.


    Enormous, at least.


    He shut ARGUS off and exhaled, his body slack on the table. Of course they were just using him. They were spies and he was a convenient, gullible asset. A love struck idiot. They probably knew who Carbon was the entire time, even before the two of them had left on the Kshlav¡¯o. He was sure that they had nothing to do with the Eohm, at the very least. Their near-death was too delicate a thing for the ONI to fabricate. No one had told him to check that system and the ship had been right on the razor''s edge of destruction after the shootdown. So at least his relationship with Carbon wasn¡¯t falsified. Alex found his teeth grinding as that realization made this betrayal worse, as he was instrumental in giving away their private life.


    Perhaps he was a colossal fuckup.


    The greatest the universe had ever known.


    Alex stared through the floor, unable to rein this in. He was dimly aware that Neya was still there, though he could only see her legs standing at the edge of his vision. His focus was turned inward right now. There was still one program left. He assumed ¡®return_data_probe¡¯ was what it said on the tin, the program used to upload data. But what triggered it? A little digging around in the startup config file led him to an AI, currently sitting dormant as only the hard coded portions of the Amp function in safe mode without user intervention. Why didn¡¯t that show up as a program?


    The metadata attached to it made it clear: It was listed as a system file. Very small, literal megabytes. Probably a class 1 mind. Calling it an intelligence was a stretch as it was so very limited in capacity, never really learning so much as keeping a list of what it had done in the past. It couldn¡¯t grow to intuit something, or anticipate an action. Great for monitoring systems like a secret wireless connection that would only upload stolen data on public networks that were less likely to be closely monitored so there was a better sense of plausible deniability.


    It didn¡¯t take him long to track down where ARGUS was storing its data. A couple of databases that Alex assumed held all the details he¡¯d collected, and a large pile of files with a ¡®.rgs¡¯ extension that were named with just date and time stamps. Each one appeared to be two hour chunks. The oldest was from just a few days ago. If he was remembering right, it started just before they boarded the shuttle after dinner with his parents. Presumably it cleaned out anything that had been sent.


    He opened that first one, the ARGUS program starting again. It was like a janky version of the mind link, a frame-per-second slideshow of...


    The sonar system did not produce pictures, but it had crisp resolution on objects out to maybe ten meters, a wireframe rendered in false color. The architecture on Promenade on Deck 5 of the Berkley Arcology was burned into his heart as much as his mind, and even devoid of true color and detail it was immediately familiar. His blood ran cold. He knew exactly where this was, when it was. They were going to go get some subs at his favorite place.


    Conversely, the audio was perfect. Their conversation about his parents being happy for them, Carbon¡¯s admission that she missed having family and that she chose to join the Kshlav¡¯o expedition because it would drown her in work got picked up crystal clear. It even piped in their security escort, Staff Sergeant Kanete, both translated and her natural speaking voice. Any other time he would have marveled at how close the translator got it. Right now, his understanding of his place in the world was busy collapsing.


    Everything Eleya had told him, the shotgun marriage, the assassination attempt and his recovery on board. The conversations with his parents and his brother. Laughing along with Kanete as she found out just how strong Chinese mustard was. Every quiet moment with Carbon, and the ones that were not so quiet.


    Those were his memories, and they still were. Alex knew that. He knew this was just a recording, but it was so viscerally close to those memories and he couldn¡¯t make himself separate them right now.


    They were his. But he was a rube, so they took all of them.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to delete this shit.¡±


    The cacophony of responses that statement provoked overwhelmed the external translator and he ended up with a bunch of replies that were chopped up and played over each other, but universally the content was the same: No, don¡¯t do that.


    Alex didn¡¯t hear a single Prince in there. Not even a Lord. Any other time until now that would have been nice, but right now it was feeling pretty disrespectful. ¡°They can¡¯t have it. They can¡¯t take more, I won¡¯t let them.¡± He closed the ARGUS again and started the arduous process of convincing the Amp to allow him to delete files.


    It was a lot of work to get files in there, so there were layers of protection to prevent the user from accidentally deleting anything, including time gates. It was annoying as hell and he would have just thrown the whole damn thing away if it wasn¡¯t bolted down inside his skull.


    Somebody interrupted the second layer of prevention - a simple checkpoint where he just had to follow a mote in his vision to prove that it was a willful act on his part - and reset the whole damn thing. ¡°Who the fuck did that!¡± His head twitched up to look at the row of workstations, no one visible behind the hardware. Alex hadn¡¯t even thought of the arms holding all those needles in his skull.


    He didn¡¯t have to, of course. Human made surgical arms had been capable of working on a beating heart for over a century. Certainly the Tsla¡¯o version was advanced enough that some idiot moving his head around was trivial for them to keep up with. So while the surgeon sucking in a sharp breath indicated it was not exactly an optimal move on his part, the PINs stayed put.


    He set his head down and started the process again.


    One of the guys from Intelligence was huffing his way over with a full head of steam, voice emphatic but controlled as he crackled through the sterile field. ¡°Stop. That information is evidence that-¡±


    ¡°I know what it is!¡± Alex hissed in return, cutting him off. There were several open channels into his Amp right now, any one of them able to watch what he was interacting with. They must have watched the playback of that recording and extrapolated the same thing he did. The big difference was that he didn¡¯t care that it was evidence. Despite still being nestled inside his skull, all of this had been stolen from him. ¡°They can¡¯t have it, and you can¡¯t have it either.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t the compliance he was looking for. ¡°Untranslatable savage. Everyone knows that you have been privy to far more than something like you should be, and now it threatens to bring us more ruin. You will do as I say, criminal. You will not interfere with our collection of this data, and you will not alter the data within your implant unless you are told to.¡± Seems like someone wasn¡¯t a big fan, but maybe did want to get into a fight.


    Neya responded first, utterly indignant. ¡°Mind your words! He is the prince.¡±


    ¡°Doctor?¡± Alex was done playing, particularly with anyone from any intelligence agency. There was a distinct lack of kindness available in his heart right now. He sat up this time, not as carefully as he might have otherwise. The arms hummed as they followed his motion, but there was a hint of hesitation the longer they stayed in motion, stretched almost to the end of their range. He held an arm out to stop Neya, who he was sure meant well but also was not as combat ready as himself. Alex issued an order to the surgeon as he turned to look at this asshole, staring down right into his big brown eyes. ¡°Pull the PINs, or I¡¯ll break them off.¡±


    ¡°Disregard that. He is an enemy agent.¡± He barked, perfectly content to stare right back, his ruddy fur speckled with silver, face drawn into a sneer. ¡°Corporal? Begin a download of all assets on his system.¡±


    No reply came. While Alex was aware that the PINs were still attached, none of the open channels did anything. He broke their little contest first, glancing over at where the surgeon had been stationed. She was still there, at least, stock still with her attention turned towards the open end of the surgical suite.


    Alex took a look in that direction, too. Carbon was standing down there, just outside the field, and boy did she look mad. Pissed off, he might say. More interesting in this moment was that Eleya was there as well. Her face was passive, nearly expressionless, but there was a disdain in it that he didn¡¯t miss. The Empress was blocking Carbon¡¯s path with some kind of white ornamental staff. Probably the only thing that stood between whoever this guy was and annihilation.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    He gave them a little wave, and wondered what percentage of that outburst they had heard.


    ¡°Corporal! Untranslatable! Get the data off this untranslatable. Now.¡± He bellowed once more, craning his neck to look over to where his crew had been stationed, the anger creasing his brow only growing when he noticed that none of them were reacting to his orders. The methods he normally used to compel action weren¡¯t working, and he didn¡¯t understand how to deal with it.


    That was how Alex ended up with a gun pointed in his face. It was a stubby little thing with no barrel or slide to speak of. Obviously a stunner, humming with energy that matched the sound of the stun batons he had unfortunately become familiar with. Try as he might to keep himself passive, he did lean back from it and gave Neya a bit of a push away as well. A stun when his Amp is secured was one thing, it was designed to avoid damage from electrical discharges of all sorts. With the ports occupied, needles lacing through his skin to reach them, the effect would probably be very different.


    Alex had just about enough time to ponder that before Eleya erupted through the sterile field. She brought with her a piercing shriek, the gray blade of a sword whipped around to her own agent¡¯s neck. She stopped what would have been a killing stroke short, the blade held aloft at the ready and still howling as it vibrated so fast it appeared blurry even at rest.


    No one moved.


    The blade went still and silent, the ornate carvings along its length now visible. Primarily birds, or bird-like things, intermingled with stars. She shifted the sword, resting the wide flat against his chin and turning his head with it to face her. She set her teeth, sadness heavy in her eyes. ¡°Lieutenant. You cannot measure my disappointment in this moment.¡±


    The stunner clattered to the ground and the excuse machine started up. ¡°Empress. The- This thief was attempting to destroy evidence of his spying for the Confederate government. He had to be stopped before he could cover it up.¡±


    ¡°That is an interesting choice of words.¡± She slapped his chin with the flat of the blade, tipping his head up. The sharpness of the edge still made its presence known, that faint rebuke enough to send shaved fur tumbling slowly onto his tunic. ¡°I have seen him, Lieutenant. Do you honestly think I would have allowed him to come to the hearth, that I would have trusted him with my niece, if I had sensed even a hint of duplicity?¡±


    ¡°I-¡± He stopped and swallowed, quite aware of how close her sword was to his neck. ¡°His kind are not like us. A Human may be able to alter their memories or thoughts in ways we are unaccustomed to, to present a false face. We know that he appears to have made recordings of nearly every moment of the last few days, and then attempted to surreptitiously send them to his government. It is a safe assumption that he already passed along what he witnessed when he first arrived on board. These acts violate our treaties.¡±


    Eleya sighed, eyebrows pulled down low in annoyance as she drove the interrogation forward. ¡°He was unconscious. Stunned. There was no way for him to have altered what I witnessed. It is my right to do this, but I have still committed a violent trespass to experience the truth of who he is, to leave myself no room to doubt. To know what drives him, specifically to avoid this sort of situation. So when the security bulletins go out, and they say that I personally have seen him, and that he is trustworthy... Do you just ignore them?¡±


    ¡°No, Empress. I am up to date on the latest security bulletin.¡± He remained still, eyes swiveling around the room and finding little in the way of allies right now. A glance back to Alex yielded him nothing but a hard glare, and Deno simply avoided his gaze. He did not bother looking to Neya or Carbon. ¡°This... attempt at compromising ship- Empire security is p-proof that he has somehow managed to evade detection of his true intent.¡±


    ¡°All of this evidence laid out before you, and this is what you think? I am terribly curious as to what transpires in your mind, Lieutenant.¡± Eleya¡¯s sword did not waver as they spoke, a flick of the wrist away from decapitating him. ¡°Your behavior has been questionable the entire time you have been here. I am willing to overlook a rough path. Your accusations and insults towards the Prince, and putting a weapon in his face, these are things that I take offense to.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Empress.¡± He had resigned himself to being alone here, moments from death. Shoulders slumped, the red-furred Tsla¡¯o nodded. ¡°I am sorry, my actions were reprehensible. It will not happen again.¡±


    ¡°Do not apologize to me for these things. You did not curse me. It was not my head you pointed a gun at.¡± She shifted the blade, dropping it away from his chin to allow him to move again. ¡°I am not the Royal that will be deciding your fate.¡±


    His face dropped and he shook his head, aghast at the proposition.


    ¡°Young Prince.¡± She looked directly at him for the first time since she had stepped into the sterile field. ¡°How merciful are you feeling today?¡±


    ¡°Ah, dunno.¡± He did not smirk. It took every gram of conviction in his body to not let a shitty little grin creep onto his face and into his voice. He kind of wanted to, though. Let him twist in the wind for a little bit. That was a dark turn of phrase in this moment, wasn¡¯t it? ¡°I had been feeling a little uneasy until we got the Amp opened up and found out my own government has been using me as a vehicle for their little intel gathering project, no small amount of which is just my personal life that they recorded indiscriminately. Then some guy sticks a gun in my face because I was upset about that. Now that I¡¯ve said it all out loud, I have to say I am not feeling very merciful.¡±


    ¡°Oh, indeed?¡± She clicked her tongue, looking back to the Lieutenant and nodding her head at Alex. ¡°He has been very level headed. I have heard he is quick to offer a virtuous path, quite the noble trait. Rare even among our people. Perhaps there is enough mercy left if you do not dither.¡±


    The fact he was going to have to apologize to the guy he had just called a lot of very bad things did not sit well with him, clearly, but he did it anyway. The Lieutenant turned to face Alex and bowed deeply, nearly folding himself in half with his arms stiff at his sides. ¡°Apologies, my Lord. My words were callous and uncalled for, my actions worse. I place my life in your grace.¡±


    The insults felt like old hat to Alex. Everybody had run across a loud asshole at some point in their life, and he was no exception. Sticking a weapon in his face, that was a newer experience. Alex didn¡¯t believe this apology was sincere at all, he just got caught by someone willing to lop his head off. Still didn¡¯t want to see him die. That wasn¡¯t his jam. He played along with Eleya for the moment, though, and heaved a sigh. ¡°I need to calm down before I make any decisions. I am going through some stuff right now and I do not want to aim that ire where it does not belong and come to regret it. So, perhaps a few days in the brig while I get myself in order?¡± It seemed prudent. Certainly not unwarranted for what would have been an assault charge back on Earth, and he¡¯d have some time to consult actual legal doctrine. Or at least pass it off to a judge or something.


    Eleya¡¯s eyebrows went up and she nodded, approving of this outcome. ¡°Very well. My guard will escort him.¡± She lowered the sword and gestured, the combat-suited form of one of her cloaked security detail crackling as he stepped through the field and took hold of the Lieutenant¡¯s arm and marched him right back out.


    They watched him go before Eleya gestured for Carbon to join them. She was carrying the ornamental staff, now clearly the scabbard to the sword that Eleya had put into use. ¡°Thank you, dearest niece, for your restraint.¡± She held her hand out.


    Carbon set the scabbard into it, gleaming white lacquer adorned with silver and gold details that matched the theme on the blade itself. She spoke on Tsla for the moment. ¡°Yes, well... He fared far better than if you had not interceded.¡±


    ¡°I suspected as much.¡± She turned back to Alex as she sheathed the sword. The motion was smooth and automatic, evidence of decades of practice. ¡°I regret that I did not arrive sooner, Alex. This revelation has clearly angered you and I should have been available to assist you in navigating it.¡±


    ¡°Uh.¡± Not what he had expected from Eleya, ever. He glanced back to Carbon, who looked as surprised as he felt. ¡°Thank you, I appreciate it. Though I admit I am not sure how you would have.¡±


    ¡°Your government, likely just your ONI, has used your trust to carry out an act of espionage. I believe he was right. It violates our treaties. If I was not convinced of your innocence, it would carry the death penalty.¡± She set her sword on the surgical table Alex was still sitting on, and leaned in to him. ¡°They have carried out these acts indiscriminately, have they not? I saw the list of files. Scarcely a minute unmonitored. Your laws allow you some amount of privacy, correct?¡±


    As far as he was aware, the Confederation¡¯s charter tightly restricted things like wiretapping and electronic communications monitoring, particularly in private spaces, without intervention from the courts. He assumed that recording everything he was in the immediate vicinity of fell under that umbrella, particularly when in his own home. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s pretty clear about that.¡±


    ¡°So, a violation for both of us. To be candid, considering what we have spoken about... More so for you, and my dear niece.¡± She blanched, looking towards the ceiling in thought for a moment. ¡°Did you end up deleting the data, young Prince?¡±


    ¡°No, I was preoccupied.¡± The stunner in the face had been quite the distraction, but that half a second where he had been sure he was about to see someone¡¯s head get chopped off really put the brakes on his stated goal of deleting the files.


    Eleya closed her eyes and nodded once. ¡°I implore you to stay your hand for the time being. I understand you may find that request distasteful, but now you exercise full control over the machine, do you not?


    While Alex had found it grating to have people shouting no at him, getting implored actually made it sound better. Like there was a choice, even though he was very sure there was no actual choice here. But the illusion did a lot to soften that understanding to make it less distasteful for now. ¡°Well, yeah. We¡¯ll have to modify the init file. It¡¯s a bit of a process, but that¡¯s only a couple of lines of code.¡± It should be time consuming but trivial to carry out with his assistance, at least.


    ¡°Good. We will see to it that true control is returned to you.¡± She glanced over at the remainder of the agents from Electronic Warfare, who all appeared to be deeply engrossed in something at their workstations. ¡°Until that is completed, there is much to discuss. Opportunities to explore.¡±


    ¡°Opportunities?¡± That sounded like bullshit to keep him from deleting everything. ¡°In what world does this present us with opportunities? For what?¡±


    The Empress drew in a deep breath, slowly, savoring the moment as a sharp grin turned up the corners of her mouth. Bright blue eyes looked up at him with a strikingly predatory gleam. She was in her element now, The Butcher allowed to stretch her legs once more. ¡°For retribution, dear nephew.¡±

 Cloak and Dagger

    Alex was not enthused with the idea of retribution. He told himself that, very emphatically. That wasn¡¯t how he was raised, it wouldn¡¯t solve anything. It wasn¡¯t the kind of person he was. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, and all that.


    But there was a chance it might make him feel better. The thought did warm his soul, though the concept was extremely nebulous at the moment - easier to imagine it working out precisely that way, when it was just ¡®the bad guys get theirs¡¯ and that did not continue to ¡®you collapsed a branch of the military and now the rest of it thinks you¡¯re the bad guy¡¯ which were two very different outcomes that might exist on the same path.


    While Eleya would not expound upon what retribution meant while they were in an unsecured area, she did manage to talk him down from immediately destroying the collected files. The wonders a few calm and honeyed words could do when paired with some empathy. Alex would readily admit that it was strange chatting about the feeling of betrayal from your own government with the Empress of an alien Empire. She did have first hand experience with the subject, so when she said she understood the feeling he actually did believe her.


    Alex allowed them to back up the Amp. All the files, collected as a snapshot that could be used as evidence, or even cloned and returned to his Amp should they need it back in its original state, with the caveat that they wouldn¡¯t immediately go ahead and do whatever they wanted with it. Eleya¡¯s word was still suspect to him, but she put Carbon to work overseeing the collection and secure storage of it, which alleviated his concerns and seemed to relieve Carbon as well.


    She had been acting listless since the Lieutenant, presumably the one she had previously threatened to send to the furthest reaches of Tsla¡¯o space for his behavior, had been marched out of the room. Uncharacteristically quiet as he spoke to Eleya. Neya orbited her for some time until Carbon released her from her duties, the Zeshen¡¯s tasks here done for the time being. She had waited dutifully until Alex released her as well.


    Neya took her role seriously, more seriously than Alex took being a Prince. She could have left after Carbon dismissed her and he wouldn¡¯t have given it a second thought. He would have been lying if he said it didn¡¯t feel good to know that her acceptance of him, cautious as it may have been, appeared to be in earnest.


    His data was uploaded into something everyone was calling a Codex, which appeared to be a large stone obelisk, about the size of his forearm. A lot of their technology Alex could kind of grok just by looking at it - there are only so many ways to put a screen on a tablet, for instance - but this one was beyond his understanding. Just as soon as the transfer was finished, Carbon picked it up out of the weird pool on the desk that it had been resting in and tucked it into the crook of her arm, carrying it like a football and immediately hustling it away from the Intelligence team.


    Free from the Lieutenant, or perhaps more tightly restrained by the presence of the Empress, they did not react to that. Carbon keeping it was part of the deal. They did, however, immediately transition into getting the init file on his Amp fixed so it would not launch the virtual machine to emulate the Mark IV he was supposed to have, or activate the AI.


    ¡°So I know this-¡± Alex gestured to the makeshift surgical suite they were still sitting in. He had situated himself on top of the table, sitting cross-legged while the various teams got to editing a file that was intentionally onerous to edit specifically to keep people from fiddling with it after installation unless they really wanted to. Every time they changed something, even just a single word in the file, he had to approve it. The file was small, straightforward, and in very plain language. He did not question how they had programmers who were familiar enough with Human systems that they hadn¡¯t required a single correction so far. It was slow going, and the discussion had gotten a little philosophical. ¡°Is real because only one system has the throughput and power to present a realistic overwrite of my senses.¡±


    Eleya was sitting in the chair that Zenshen had brought in, her sword resting across her lap, and looked utterly mystified by that statement. ¡°Which system is that?¡±


    ¡°The AI interface.¡± He twisted his head carefully, pointing at the barely visible marks on his skin running down his neck. The actual near-field nodes were mounted in the vertebra, so the vanishingly thin lines that marked the protective EM dissipation systems were the only outward sign of his mods. ¡°With the right hardware I can use them for some small time stuff, but most of the system will be locked out. If I¡¯ve got a ship with matched encryption pads and an index module, I can directly interface with a navigation AI. Dip down into it.¡±


    Carbon was leaning on the surgical table, the Codex laid out on it before her, hands casually folded over the obelisk. She shivered at the mention of interfacing with an AI. Understandable, given how her one experience with it went.


    ¡°And how do you know that you are still not interfaced with that AI?¡± Eleya at least seemed interested in the subject, though there was a veneer of disgust creeping in.


    Alex held up a finger and completed another change approval check.


    ¡°The big difference is that the navigation systems only do navigation and general ship awareness. Sensors of all sorts. I suppose I do navigate myself through space still, but it lacks the usual indications of being in a machine. I don¡¯t intuit my velocity in meters per second, I can¡¯t orient to the nearest celestial object. No thrusters, no sublight, no waveride.¡± He shrugged. Sure would have been nice to have sensors when that asshole tried to stab him to death. ¡°Beyond that, long entanglement sessions with high integration interfaces leads to headaches, vomiting, seizures, and eventually death. I assure you, all my recent headaches have been naturally occurring.¡±


    ¡°Could someone have put you, ah, interfaced you into a different AI?¡± Eleya leaned in, swirling a hand in the air as she thought the rest of her question out. ¡°One meant to emulate a life, not simply direct a ship about.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I fuckin¡¯ knew you were going ask me that! Every time the interface comes up somebody tries to Roko¡¯s Basilisk me!¡± He slapped his knees and laughed with glee. He had the answers on deck already and launched into them immediately. ¡°One, no AI has the power necessary to simulate a life with the detail I perceive, and surely not one this weird. Two, even if it did I would still live my life in accordance with my values and morals. If I cannot perceive it to be a simulation, how is it different from not being in a simulation?¡±


    ¡°An interesting quandary.¡± She didn¡¯t actually seem to care for that answer. It wasn¡¯t particularly concrete, and left everyone around him being computer programs open for interpretation.


    ¡°Is it? People like to ask about that possibility like it¡¯s a super deep gotcha or something, but then you ask them how they don¡¯t know they don¡¯t live in a simulation, or how they can tell that they¡¯re not just a script to keep me moving down a specific path, and suddenly they don¡¯t want to talk about it anymore.¡± He had run into this line of questioning more often than he had expected in the relatively short length of time he¡¯d had an Amp. Twice in the same day when he had stopped in on Mars to see some friends from college. Mostly other people in the Pilot Program that were just trying to be dicks. Alex had stopped taking it seriously. ¡°So, I choose to believe this isn¡¯t a simulation. Reject the assertion right out. Computer, end program. See? Nothing.¡±


    Carbon mostly suppressed a laugh and shook her head, a subtle smile on her face for the first time in a while. ¡°If it were a simulation, telling it to end itself would be a command excluded from you.¡±


    It was good to see Carbon peeking out from the funk she¡¯d been in, her response clearly just teasing him. ¡°Very true, but have you considered: I don¡¯t care. Generally, I am happy with my life. It is perhaps more interesting than I want, but it¡¯s still a good one. I would prefer it to be real, and as I¡¯ve never seen a glitch in the matrix, I have no reason to even consider it being a simulation. That¡¯s another movie reference, it¡¯s a classic, we¡¯ll have to see it when I get access to my media again.¡± He directed that last comment at Carbon in particular.


    Though, if Eleya enquired he wouldn¡¯t be opposed to doing a showing for everybody. Cultural exchange and all that. After he¡¯d screened it with Carbon.


    Alex completed another change approval, and this time had to immediately do another one to save all changes. He looked over to the row of workstations. ¡°Hey, is this accurate? Is it done?¡±


    An affirmative came from the Corporal that Carbon had been working with.


    ¡°All right, all right.¡± He turned his attention back to the surgeon. ¡°Pull the PINs, I¡¯m done being on this table.¡±


    They came loose one by one, reversing the order from the second time that they had been run. Deno rushed back into the sterile field to mind the narrow wounds, dabbing blood from each insertion off the back of his head and giving them a little spritz of that numbing agent.


    While that was going on he rebooted the Amp. The power cycle took maybe two seconds, which was absurdly fast compared to his old Mark III. What the hell had they done to make the Mark IV so quick? He cleared the warnings one by one, ensuring that the changes made were actually the ones he knew about, and flipped his translator back on just in time for Eleya to start talking.


    ¡°We will retire to my conference room and discuss our plan of action regarding this.¡± Eleya gestured at the Codex. ¡°I have a few ideas, and I am sure the Admiral will have some input as well as he is more familiar with Electronic Warfare¡¯s exact capabilities.¡±


    Alex squashed a groan. Talk about this right now? Meet with an Admiral? All he wanted to do was eat an entire box of donuts at his very own pity party, then sleep for a day or two. He would get Carbon whatever she wanted too, because she wasn¡¯t taking this well either. Then they could get down to business.


    Actually, you know what? After today he had earned it. He rolled his eyes, slumped his shoulders, and tossed his arms up. Exuded raw petulant annoyance. ¡°Oh, come on.¡±


    Eleya¡¯s head turned slowly, regarding him with a stare that would have been withering if he wasn¡¯t already completely fucking done. ¡°This must be decided now, young Prince. We cannot delay considerations when the Oh En Eye no doubt expects its actual upload when we return you for the next meeting regarding the artifact. What they receive, or do not receive, cannot be an accident.¡±


    He sighed and crossed his arms and relented. She had a point, and it was a good one. That was probably when ONI would expect an upload, and if he didn¡¯t appear to toss a bunch of data up to their servers like he didn¡¯t know what was going on... At best they¡¯d think the hardware was bad and would want him to come in for a fix. Worst case, they¡¯d figure that the surveillance suite had been detected. Presumably there would be a penalty for this that he would have to pay. Being a spy sucked. He wasn¡¯t even actually a spy and he hated it. Alex unfolded his legs and slid off the surgical table. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go. Lead the way.¡±


    When Eleya said they would retire to her conference room, it was actually just a conference room in a workshop down the hall. The main room smelled sort of greasy, and sure enough, there was a decades-old Human made industrial printer sitting silent in the corner. Closer to the door that particular stink gave way to the ozone of cloaked armor, the indistinct forms of her guard flanking the entrance.


    Eleya handed her sword off to one of them as the door opened. The conference room had been hastily converted into a monitoring station, a row of tablets set up that were still showing what was going on in the surgical suite, several of the workstations mirrored on the holo display at the far end of the table. She had clearly been watching the goings on over there for some time, which did explain how she arrived so fast when things started to go off the rails. A curt gesture left the three of them alone in the workshop.


    Eleya went down the row of tablets and shut them off one by one, then cleared the holo before sitting down at the head of the table, tapping through a control panel built into the surface. A field popped on and she spoke. ¡°Room is secure, Obsidian protocols.¡±


    Carbon grunted in acknowledgement , setting the obelisk onto the table. She placed it into a rectangle demarcated on the surface, glossy white and lit from within, standing in stark contrast to the plain gray metal the rest of the table was made of. The Codex once again sank partway into the tabletop as Carbon picked up one of the screens and sank into a chair with nearly the same level of annoyance that Alex had just displayed.


    ¡°What¡¯s ¡®obsidian¡¯ mean in this instance?¡± He asked, sitting beside Carbon. He had a pretty good idea it had to do with security, given... everything.


    ¡°One of the higher levels of secrecy. What is spoken within Obsidian should stay within that, or higher.¡± Eleya studied him as she reached for one of the tablets as well. ¡°Wireless connections are disrupted by the field, there is a small envelope where the network in the table will function for distribution of materials.¡±


    Alex almost questioned why they would have that built into a workshop, but then recalled that this was the xenotechnology labs. They obviously didn¡¯t want anything getting out of here until it had somebody¡¯s seal of approval. ¡°Alright, so let¡¯s get down to business. What are our options for this?¡± He said, swirling a finger in the air, pointed directly at his head.


    Eleya shifted into gear immediately. ¡°First, retain a copy. This is done. We now have a package of data that indicates the Confederation was spying on us in violation of our treaties, using a civilian asset with intentionally compromised, implanted hardware. It is my understanding that those in your field - the scoutship Pilots - they are all given their implants at the end of their service?¡±


    ¡°Correct, we retain it unless expelled from the program. Trained, experienced pilots with pre-existing hardware are a staple of frontier colonies and their supply lines.¡± The Civilian Pilot Program fed pilots to the frontier, and the frontier gave a need to explore more space right back, the two things in a symbiotic relationship. Everyone else just ended up working for the Navy.


    ¡°So it would be reasonable to suggest that all scoutship pilots may have likewise been compromised?¡± She leaned in, eyebrow lifted in curiosity.


    ¡°No, not really. I only have the microphone network because of the immersion translator, which is what allowed the echolocation mapping to work. Audio from my ears shouldn¡¯t be able to produce such fine details.¡± Well, that portion of it wouldn¡¯t work, at least. ¡°It¡¯d be more limited, but there could still be some data collection going on. The III and IV aren¡¯t supposed to be able to skim audio or video data from the body interface layer - and everything we¡¯ve seen so far has been software.¡±


    That got him wondering, turning his visible interface back on for a moment. The window that popped up was translucent - every interaction with the Amp was supposed to feel obviously synthetic - and he dug around in the properties to find out exactly which version of the Amp Mark IV they had given him. The virtual machine had said it was a Revision B, with a Hardware Interface Layer version 32.5.1, which was in line with the 32.5 his Mark III had used.


    The thing he had in his head was denoted simply as Aurora, which wasn¡¯t at all what he wanted to see. Maybe, you know, Amp Mark V or VI, which he was sure didn¡¯t exist yet, would have been all right. This didn¡¯t even say it was an Amp. No revision data listed, either because it hadn¡¯t been iterated or they didn¡¯t bother to update it. Curiously the Hardware Interface Layer was sitting at version 29.8, so it must have been related at least. Maybe.


    ¡°So such spying would be possible? I only ask because having a host of similarly afflicted Humans would make this much more difficult for the Confederation to hide under a wine cask.¡± She said, unaware that he had been fiddling around with his implants.


    ¡°Hey, uh-¡± He cleared his throat, voice awfully close to cracking. Alex closed the properties window and glanced up at Eleya. ¡°Not to get off topic here but do you have a copy of the scan of my hardware? I gotta see something.¡±


    ¡°I do not have it, but I can have it released to us.¡± She turned her attention to the computer integrated with the holo display, tapping away at it. ¡°Should be coming through in a moment.¡±


    It was nice to have that sort of importance to swing around. ¡°Thanks. This thing doesn¡¯t have a designation I¡¯m familiar with and... I don¡¯t know what¡¯s up with that.¡±


    The console buzzed, and a few more taps later there was the top half of his body on the holographic display, translucent save for the prodigious amount of implants he now sported. Even from two meters away, the Amp - the not-Amp - was wrong. ¡°The hell?¡±


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    Carbon set her tablet flat on the table and brought the scan up, sliding it over to him without a word.


    Pinch and zoom worked just like he expected it to, which was nice. ¡°So uh...¡± He spun the scan around slowly, inspecting the hardware he had been toting around inside his skull.


    ¡°Is it not the right thing?¡± Carbon asked him, leaning over to rest a hand on his arm.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s huge. The Amp I had, the Mark III went to like, here.¡± Alex drew a line around the top of his head with a finger, sliding it down behind his ear and along the base of his skull. ¡°This one, it looks like they took an Amp and extended it.¡±


    He angled the tablet so that Carbon could see what he was pointing at. The one in the scan wrapped nearly all the way around the inside of his skull, long ¡®wings¡¯ extending forward past his temples and separated by a space no wider than the bridge of his nose. The original Amp had stopped before the brain stem as well, but the Aurora had a U shaped protrusion downward that partially encircled it.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Eleya enquired, annoyed at being left out after having gotten the data.


    ¡°Ok, so the III and the IV are basically the same, just with more extendability so it can have things like the immersion translator linked into it. They¡¯re almost the exact same size, the IV is a couple of grams heavier. This is nearly twice as large...¡± He rolled his head side to side, then back and forth, brow furrowed as it didn¡¯t feel weird at all even when he was thinking about it. ¡°But similar weight? Or the balance is just excellent. I can¡¯t tell that it¡¯s there.¡±


    Being brought up to speed at least eased her tone. ¡°And what does that mean?¡±


    ¡°I got a free upgrade, I guess.¡± All that extra hardware did explain how it had the oomph to run a virtualized Amp and do data collection at the same time. He dug around zooming in to the fine fibers that actually interfaced with his brain. ¡°All the connections look the same as my first implant, save for the pipeline for the translator. So the only new method of data gathering likely came through that... and the rest of this thing.¡±


    That got a grunt of recognition out of Carbon, but Eleya had more to say. ¡°Free? Consider the price you have been made to pay for it.¡±


    ¡°All right. A very expensive upgrade, that is now mine alone.¡± He offered the tablet back to Carbon, who took it and started inspecting the hardware closer than he had. ¡°I am under the impression that you¡¯ve got some experts in Human electronics here. Maybe they could take a closer look to find out exactly what all is in this thing.¡±


    ¡°A lot of processors.¡± Carbon muttered under her breath, looking his way for a moment.


    ¡°I will, though I suspect my dearest niece has discovered what they will find already.¡± Eleya gave a nod to Carbon as she spoke, blue eyes switching between the two of them sitting across the table from her.


    ¡°I may have, but the way they are put to use is open to supposition.¡± She closed the file and sat back up. ¡°A more familiar team would be able to tell us the exact intentions of the design.¡±


    ¡°So yeah. Have a more familiar team check it out.¡± He echoed Carbon¡¯s words, nodding in agreement. ¡°I can tell them a little bit about the hardware I expected to have, but not much in the way of exact details.¡±


    Eleya had gone back to typing on the desk. ¡°I will note that as well.¡±


    Alex leaned back in his chair and mentally checked out while he could hear Eleya typing. The soft pat-pat-pat of fingertips on the interface. It was strangely familiar, just like any Human he had heard typing, though occasionally punctuated by a click of a claw at just the right angle to make contact.


    He fired up the ARGUS again and cleared his throat, the overlay springing to life as he tested it out a little bit. He glanced over at Eleya, a surprisingly lean amount of information available to him. Full name as Tashen had said it, her role as Empress of the Tsla¡¯o Empire was listed. Relatives listed had her deceased husband, unnamed brother, niece Carbon Sorenson, and nephew by marriage Alex Sorenson. The box that had popped up with this information had a little arrow that indicated there was more. Maybe another time.


    He didn¡¯t look toward Carbon, didn¡¯t want to see something that he was sure would make him furious.


    "I wish this program hadn¡¯t been used in such an invasive way." The overlay refreshed again, apparently smart enough to use only his voice for mapping. There must have been an AI behind the scenes. Maybe a class 4, should have the power to be able to suss out complex math and file away new pertinent information on the fly, using only passively collected data. "Because this is actually kind of cool."


    ¡°Really.¡± Carbon looked over at him, dark lips pulled thin, somewhat less than enthusiastic about that description. She had put away the schematics of his Aurora and was checking out the files they had saved to the Codex.


    ¡°What does this mean, cool?¡± Eleya looked up from her console and leaned on the table towards Alex. She was taking a cue from Carbon and already disapproving of what he had said, the hint of a scowl on her brow. ¡°It is not to be taken literally? Yes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s slang, in this case it just means that something is great.¡± He held up his hands defensively as he shut it off for the time being. Really should have seen that coming.  ¡°Let me rephrase that. I can see how this would be very useful in some situations. Like, off the top of my head, mine.¡±


    That got a gruff noise from Carbon but Eleya seemed intrigued. She rested her chin on  an open palm, eyebrow cocked. ¡°Do not leave me wondering, dear nephew.¡±


    ¡°This thing seems to absorb names, birthdates, political affiliations, relationships... That I¡¯ve seen so far. I¡¯m pretty good at remembering stuff like that when I meet someone one-on-one. But you roll twenty or thirty people past me at one dinner and I¡¯ll be lucky to keep their names straight. Their weird, alien names.¡± His legs being in agony at the state dinner had not helped, but he had other past experience with normal Human names that indicated it wasn¡¯t actually an alien name problem.


    ¡°You performed better than you give yourself credit for, nephew.¡± Despite her interest, the Empress was sounding a little curt in her compliment.


    ¡°Okay, fine, you can think that. I do not feel the same way. I assure you at least half of the people I¡¯ve met have had their name forgotten.¡± He didn¡¯t particularly like admitting that. He¡¯d always had an easier time with faces, which did seem to extend to the Tsla¡¯o. ¡°That is really what makes it useful. Everything it has accumulated just spills out into my vision, as needed.¡±


    ¡°That would be beneficial.¡± Eleya was placated by his explanation. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared through the wall, lost in thought.


    ¡°Exactly. It would be good if maybe it wasn¡¯t set up to run all the time without the user knowing.¡± That was the real reason he was so uneasy about looking at Carbon with the system on. If it had been running as consistently as the timestamped files suggested, then it had collected every bit of information they had spoken out loud, including some rather intimate things. ¡°Just, you know, as a suggestion.¡±


    Eleya nodded sagely. ¡°There are times when it would be best to leave no traces.¡±


    Alex was pretty sure she was agreeing with him there, if not for the same reason. ¡°Yeah, little bit of personal privacy never hurt.¡±


    Carbon slammed the tablet down onto the table and stood with a snarl, her chair skittering away. ¡°I- I require-¡± She didn¡¯t finish the thought, whatever she had meant to say ending in a guttural growl. Carbon stalked out the door, crackling through the security field, jaw clenched in barely contained rage. The door slid closed, muffling the rather distinct sound of a table being flipped over.


    He¡¯d let her get that energy out for a minute.


    ¡°Curious.¡± Eleya reached for the tablet, moving an empty tea cup out of the way before she started to review what had set Carbon off. ¡°I usually have to go out of my way to provoke that sort of reaction.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe don¡¯t provoke that sort of reaction. Remember what I was talking about last night? Your relationship is improving so don¡¯t fuck it up?¡± He was sure her translator wouldn¡¯t get the swearing but Carbon always seemed to pick up what he was talking about despite the unreasonable flexibility of the word.


    Something in the workroom slammed into the wall of storage lockers.


    ¡°You will note I did nothing this time. The fault lies entirely with the Confed- What...¡± She tapped the screen a few times, changing the settings around as she arched an eyebrow at the tablet, perplexed by what she was looking at. ¡°What is a chicken?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a domesticated bird mostly used for food.¡± Last time they had chicken with his Amp on was at dinner with his parents. She had really enjoyed that positive family time, though, so he could dig how seeing it packaged for upload would be upsetting. Hadn¡¯t that been uploaded and cleared already? ¡°Where did you hear that?¡±


    ¡°The audio is transcribed and I am translating it. Why is it important that the chicken is a male? Oh. Oh. I see, it is slang as well.¡± Confusion turned to amusement, a toothy grin on her muzzle as she glanced at him over the top of the tablet. ¡°Aha, that is very educational.¡±


    ¡°Educational?¡± Alex blushed as he understood exactly what conversation she was watching, and lunged over the conference table to snatch the tablet out of her hands. The screen was mostly dark, the discussion about slang terms and the body parts related to them having taken place under a blanket, the confined space and soft surfaces preventing the sonar system from getting good readings. There was still the occasional flash of identifiable body parts, and it picked up the audio just fine. It even transcribed the other sounds they had been making. He cleared his throat. ¡°Like I said, more privacy.¡±


    Eleya gave him an unreasonably smug grin, utterly devilish, and tsked at him. ¡°There is nothing to be ashamed of, dearest nephew. I had hoped you would be able to fully experience all aspects of your relationship, and you seem to be doing so with some aplomb. Such confidence is-¡±


    The door shushed open partway through Eleya¡¯s statement, Carbon returning. She was still roiling, but had cooled down significantly. ¡°It is not your business what he does.¡± She pulled her chair back to the table and took her place beside Alex again and picked up another tablet.


    ¡°Desirable.¡± Eleya did not miss a beat. ¡°You should know well by now that everything is my business, and I will compliment the young prince as I see fit.¡±


    Carbon stared daggers at her but gave no other reply.


    Alex leaned back as far as he could go, even tipping the chair back on two legs, shaking his head no. His eyebrows lifted so high they threatened to leave his face entirely as he mouthed ¡®what the hell are you doing?¡¯ at her. Zero chance she could lip-read English, but the expression should carry it.


    ¡°But as it does upset you, I shall abstain from such comments in the future.¡± Eleya stood and stretched, retrieving a tea pot from an alcove in the wall along with a pair of plain cups. The Empress set them out and poured the two of them tea, then refilled her own.


    Alex got that there was more than just getting beverages going on there, which was unexpected. He didn¡¯t know what exactly that gesture meant, but the fact it happened immediately after Eleya yielded that little concession meant that it had to be one of those court things.


    ¡°So.¡± He announced that too loud, eager to move on to something a little less intimate and invasive. Though at this point, everything was bound to be invasive. ¡°We¡¯ve retained our copy of the data. I think the best idea is to just blow away everything my Amp has harvested and let me start from scratch with it. They¡¯ll want to ¡®fix¡¯ it, yes, but I can put that off for a long while. I bet I can string them along until after we¡¯re done with the artifact.¡±


    ¡°No. No, that will not do.¡± Eleya sipped her tea, face devoid of emotion as her eyes turned to Alex.


    It sure as hell seemed like the thing to do, to him. ¡°Why not?¡±


    She pondered that, watching him through the steam from her cup. ¡°String them along, that means... To lead someone astray? As though you fly them like a kite?¡±


    He had never considered it to be a kite metaphor, but... ¡°Yeah, misleading them deliberately over time. I suppose like a kite that you¡¯re lying to.¡±


    Eleya¡¯s bright blue eyes shifted away from him, a little smirk on her face. She got a chuckle out of that too, and didn¡¯t even try to hide it. ¡°That is well outside of your skillset, and as I said, it will not do. They must not know they have been discovered, so you will not interfere with the upload.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me? This is at least a third private stuff between me and your niece!¡± That brought him back to his earlier point: nobody could have that. Probably didn¡¯t have the right weight, though. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a bunch of state secrets in there, too. Who knows what everyone in earshot was talking about at the dinner. Those are your state secrets!¡±


    ¡°I am aware there may be things I do not want released, though I am well aware of the discussions we have had - we have not spoken of anything truly secret until now.¡± She paused to drink her tea, waving her free hand as though to call him down. ¡°There are expectations to be met and you must meet them, even if they are undesirable. To that end-¡±


    ¡°No. Hell no, I¡¯m not letting all of this get uploaded to... who the fuck knows where.¡± He looked to Carbon, expecting backup and not getting any. She had her nose buried in the tablet still, reviewing something else that he didn¡¯t immediately recognize, the transcription was in Tsla. The intensity on which she was focused made it pretty clear that she didn¡¯t want to be involved in any of what was going on, including his argument with Eleya. ¡°It¡¯s not right. You can¡¯t have our life and neither can they.¡±


    ¡°You really must let me finish my statements, young Prince. When we first acquired your hardware scans I set our xenotechnology group upon it. Now that we have a greater understanding of what it does, I turn our intelligence community loose. They are different ports in the same city, do you understand? One to research and adapt it for us, now the other to research and adapt us to it.¡± Eleya sipped her tea, again regarding him with a cool gaze. ¡°We have long expected some sort of intrusion, and guarded against it in many ways. We have also prepared for the day where we would desire to intrude in return.¡±


    ¡°Great, and?¡± It wasn¡¯t a big shock that they had been prepared to spy on the Confederacy, but it was somewhat surprising that the Confed hadn¡¯t. Which was a bit of a shock. Yesterday he¡¯d have balked at the very idea they were spying on their lone allies among the stars, which really did make him an excellent platform for the job.


    ¡°And they will do everything they can to make our loss into a gain. This will be distasteful to you... To you both.¡± She nodded to her niece, who had folded her ears as tight to her head as she could, staring into the tablet in her hands more than actually reading it. ¡°It is something that must be done. They will know it has been compromised if an upload is not completed next time you have access to a public connection.¡±


    That was still objectionable. ¡°No, fuck them. They can know that we made their game and they can go to hell.¡±


    ¡°They can not and will not, Alex. You do not consider any of the consequences.¡± There was a remarkable amount of force in her words, but no anger. She actually wanted him to agree with her, not to simply acquiesce. ¡°As this violates your privacy, it also violates our treaties. Other Imperials would have told you that amounts to an act of war. I am more understanding of the desire to know what is hidden. Beyond that, I am sure you are aware that we are in no position to get into a shooting war with the Humans right now.¡±


    Being excluded from his race rubbed him the wrong way, but he was distracted by the bigger picture he hadn¡¯t seen until now. They had the larger, more technologically advanced carrier... But Battle Group 1 was in Sol, Group 2 in Proxima, Group 3 in Epsilon Eridani. Two more beyond that could be recalled inside of a day. He didn¡¯t know how it would shake out, but he doubted the Sword was a match for that many ships. That didn¡¯t even take into account the damage Human assets in Tsla¡¯o space could do, or simply allow to come to pass.  ¡°Obviously not, that sort of fight would be a disaster.¡±


    ¡°It warms me to know you understand that. I will not oversee the subjugation or  extermination of my people, not after the hardship they continue to endure.¡± Eleya paused and mulled her words over. ¡°I ask that you give of yourself so that we have the opportunity to respond in kind. So that we might find who brought this upon us and reverse their fortunes.¡±


    Revenge did still sound very sweet, good enough to get him on the hook. ¡°Fine. What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°As I said, reprisal has been a possibility for some time. Admiral Olan will have more specific details when he arrives, but we have been developing an intelligent counterintelligence injection specifically to operate on Human-made systems. This has presented us with a perfect opportunity to put it to use.¡±


    Carbon¡¯s head snapped up at that. ¡°What do you mean, intelligent?¡±


    ¡°Smart enough to hide and avoid detection on its own.¡± Eleya did not seem as bothered by this. ¡°Restrained enough to prevent deviation from the mission assigned.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like you have been developing an artificial intelligence.¡± Carbon clearly was bothered by this, eyes narrowed as she set the tablet down and crossed her arms over it.


    ¡°We have. And before you ask, it goes beyond the synthetic intelligence regulations. Much care has been taken to ensure we do not achieve true thought, that no life is created. These are machines, and they will never grow beyond that.¡± Eleya was once again emphatic about this, eyes hard and leaning in to talk to her niece. ¡°Another place we have lacked parity with Humans, but this one is a work entirely our own.¡±


    Carbon again did not respond, grumbling to herself as she picked the tablet back up.


    ¡°Ok, so... What does it do?¡± This seemed very pertinent, given that it was an AI that they wanted to turn loose on ONI.


    Eleya was perplexed by that question. Counterintelligence was more familiar territory to her, it seemed. ¡°It infiltrates computer systems, skims information from where it has been, reports back to us, and waits for further commands.¡±


    ¡°That works on Human computers? There¡¯s no like, hardware compatibility issues?¡± He¡¯d seen Independence Day a couple of times, and that virus upload scene had always bothered him.


    ¡°I said it was specifically for Human-made systems. It is built entirely with a Human programming language. If the Oh En Eye catches it and unravels it, they will find code that could have come from any corner of their Empire.¡± Eleya was annoyed by his continuing questions, but proud of that achievement. ¡°We will leave no obvious trace.¡±


    ¡°And once it¡¯s done-¡± The fact they had prepared for this, and apparently had it ready to go right now bothered him. He had intended to sit on this, think about, not have to agree to cram a warhead in his brain and let the ONI vacuum it up right this instant. The ability for things to go wrong suddenly felt very real.  ¡°Look, I¡¯m hesitant about this. Retribution, revenge... These sound great. What I want is justice, but I don¡¯t know if I can get that. At the same time, I don¡¯t want people unrelated to this to come to harm.¡±


    ¡°This intrusion is, initially, a phantom. Meant to carry out the task of fact-finding, never being seen.¡± She sighed and leaned back in her chair, and the look in her eye said she understood what he meant. ¡°I give you my word, that is all it will be allowed to do without your permission.¡±

 Balance

    The conversation hit a lull before Admiral Olan arrived, clad in the same nearly-black military tunic the rest of the Intel personnel had been wearing - with a rank plate that had been covered in symbols and designs, most of them colored in. His red fur had started turning silver some time ago, and he wore a visible scar on his cheek. The ear on the same side had been split with a cut running nearly the full length, as well. It was strange seeing scar tissue a shade of pale blue. Once again clear that while there were many similarities, they were running on a different physiology.


    ¡°Empress, good day. Princess Sorenson... Prince Sorenson, I am sorry that we meet under these circumstances.¡± He had an unusually deep voice for a Tsla¡¯o, particularly for a male, nearly in the same register as a Human. The Admiral seemed very familiar with both the Empress and Carbon already, giving Alex a particularly formal bow before taking a seat beside Eleya. ¡°Also, I must apologize for the actions of Lieutenant Nalen. His behavior was out of line. He was taken to the brig?¡±


    ¡°He was, and it is accepted. I didn¡¯t think he was sent here with that outburst in mind. About his punishment... Empress, the Tsla¡¯o people do have a conventional judicial system?¡± Should he have known that already? Maybe. When would he have stopped to ask about it, though? The last time he saw justice get meted out it was through the barrel of a gun, with Eleya as the judge and jury.


    ¡°There is, yes. Though if this line of questioning is going where I believe, he would appropriately end up in the military courts.¡± She gave him a little nod of approval.


    Military courts. Well, the Lieutenant was still in the military. ¡°All right. I am assuming that as he came after me, I would normally be allowed to choose his punishment? Being a Royal?¡±


    Eleya gave him another little nod. ¡°Correct. I took the initiative from you when dealing with your assassin and his accomplice, but you were both indisposed at the time.¡± She tipped her head at Carbon, who, by Neya¡¯s explanation of things, hadn¡¯t been in the right headspace to make that decision.


    Alex was sure the outcome would have been the same, though as far as he knew Carbon didn¡¯t already have blood on her hands. Eleya already had people executed for treason, she had taken lives herself. Had that ultimately been a move to keep Carbon away from making the decision to kill, or doing the killing?


    ¡°Alright. Then I would like him to be tried as though I were any other citizen.¡± Okay, that was a good start. Now he just has to say something that makes him actually sound like he¡¯s taking this as seriously as Neya takes her job. ¡°As I have no experience with the Tsla¡¯o judicial system, military or otherwise, I think this would allow me an opportunity to grow that knowledge.¡±


    ¡°While it is unlikely you could truly separate your station from a trial, your request has merit.¡± Eleya definitely approved of this. She turned to the Admiral. ¡°He is your soldier, Olan. Where the Prince is quick to forgive, the court may not act so casually.¡±


    Right, they put heavier emphasis on the commanding officer being responsible for their soldiers. Alex had thought, until now, that Carbon had been exaggerating that because she had been ready to put Gladwell halfway out an airlock and cycle it. Something he was increasingly sure she would at least know how to do.


    ¡°They can review my communications until they can sleep on them, they will find nothing but echoes of your orders. Nothing that would have encouraged him to act like this.¡± He seemed pretty confident about that.


    ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll put in a word, Prince, and you may familiarize yourself with the process.¡± She nodded, eyes closed, and that was that. ¡°Now, the more pressing matter. Admiral, we seek your counsel on the matter of the Confederation spying using the Prince¡¯s augments.¡±


    He looked at everyone sitting at the table in turn and slid an unused tablet over to himself. ¡°I have not been fully apprised of the situation. The last update I received was that the Prince¡¯s Amp had stored recordings, and there was some question as to what should be done with them... I could use any other context that I have missed by not being present, as well.¡±


    They got him up to speed. Mostly Alex, with Eleya chiming in on occasion. Carbon had turned inward again, too worried about whatever was going on in her mind to join in. Alex shifted in his chair, foot sliding over to hook her own, the movement unseen under the table. It got Carbon¡¯s attention and her response was just as subtle, her face softening slightly with the briefest of glances over to him.


    The Admiral was one surprise after the next for Alex. Cordial and attentive to everything he said, without a hint of the distance that most of the other Tsla¡¯o wanted to keep him at. A consummate professional, and phenomenally easy to talk to. Of course he was. He was at the head of the Intelligence community, getting people too comfortable while chatting was probably half his resume. ¡°If you would not mind it - may I view some of these recordings? I would like to see this passive sonar system in action, preferably in a variety of settings.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah, of course.¡± It was nice of him to ask, unlike someone else sitting at the table. Alex picked up his tablet and pulled up a file from earlier this morning, one without any confessions or other particularly private moments. Just a nice, busy hallway. He shared the feed with the rest of the table. ¡°This was taken back near Engineering. Big crowd.¡±


    Olan started it and watched intently, flicking the viewer around to investigate the scene as it played. He turned the volume up, the small speakers doing a passable job of communicating the noisy environment.


    Alex gave it a watch, too, but didn¡¯t bother with the audio. It had been a busy scene, almost chaotic with streams of Tsla¡¯o going about their day in a main corridor, and the system seemed to have some issues with that. It only used his voice as the active transmitter, any time he wasn¡¯t talking enough or there were too many other people making noise, the resolution and range would suffer. It had managed to keep track of nearly everyone consistently, so it probably used some passive markers too - though the flags marking the many individuals in the hallway only rarely had any information attached. Most interestingly, it had spotted and tagged that massive impeller press for identification. Great, they¡¯d have to review everything now to see what else it was curious about.


    ¡°I am starting to see some limitations. Audio is excellent and tracks conversations well but does not appear to be able to filter them individually. In smaller, private settings I imagine it performs much better.¡± He closed the connection, looking back to Alex expectantly.


    ¡°Yeah, I have just the thing, actually. Same file, a few minutes later.¡± They hadn¡¯t discussed anything of significance, which was perfect about now. A little talk about breakfast, mimosas, saying hello to the random waitress he had met, some supposition about what Eleya was doing with towns inserted into her supercarrier... Nothing really private. ¡°Just let it keep rolling.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Olan opened it and scrubbed forward a few minutes until they were seated in the back room in The Hammer¡¯s Rest. He went through the same motions as before, intently inspecting everything the recording had caught. As expected, the quiet room allowed much finer details to emerge in false color. Their fairly banal conversation was caught perfectly, just like every other time.


    Alex watched along, the sound of his own voice being piped out of the speakers across the table so utterly weird. Did he really sound like that? His private disgust was interrupted as Haraya arrived, his greeting in Tsla earning a surprised look from both Eleya and the Admiral.


    He did find that kind of insulting. It was a single word, the most basic greeting! Of course he had learned that.


    More upsetting was the fact that the ARGUS system had Haraya tracked as well. Just her name, though it listed Adana as a potential cousin. That was a literal child, maybe four years old by Carbon¡¯s estimate. It shouldn¡¯t have been a surprise that the system was harvesting information on anything that looked alive, but seeing it in action turned his stomach.


    ¡°Ah, that is interesting.¡± He paused it, looking back up at everyone. ¡°It performs as expected. One item of note is that when you turn your visual translation on, it seems to scrape that data too. I have some suspicions that I would like to have put to rest - would you allow me to take a file for more in depth inspection? Whichever you are most comfortable parting with. The ARGUS program itself as well, to help understand exactly how these are made.¡±


    Alex rolled all the way back on the video - it started with him in the shower, which also played havoc on the system. A quick check found that ARGUS didn¡¯t bother rendering him aside from arms. Again, a little insulting, but he was just the vehicle for the payload here. Scrolling it all the way forward, it ended with him forcing a hard stop in Lyshen¡¯s office. Maybe a little more conjecture about what Eleya was doing than he necessarily wanted loose, but aside from that it was almost all in public and thus, nothing intensely personal. He reached over and nudged Carbon¡¯s arm. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Carbon glanced over at him and shrugged, just barely enough to move her shoulders. ¡°Whatever you feel is appropriate.¡± She muttered quietly in Tsla.


    Well. ¡°This one will do. You can take the entire file. There is nothing very personal in it, and as we¡¯ve seen, it¡¯s got a variety of locations. The program as well - the way you said that makes me think you have something in mind?¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He produced a small metal rectangle from his daman and placed it on the white spot next to the Codex. ¡°It is early to say, but I believe we should be able to at least replace some of the more sensitive sections, if not falsify some of it outright. It would be a matter of making sure the edits are not detectable. Optimally, we¡¯ll have the chance to let them carry a lot of dirt into their house.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t quite get that idiom. Is that- Is it the AI thing? I thought we were doing that anyway?¡± Alex tapped away at the tablet, finding the Codex that Olan brought, but not being able to transfer anything. He leaned over to Carbon again, setting a hand on her arm. ¡°It¡¯s locked to you, I can¡¯t move the files.¡±


    She was roused from her melancholy with a soft grunt, as though he had startled her awake. Bright blue eyes darting his way with a commensurate amount of shock, totally unprepared for that fairly simple statement coming her way. Had she listened to anything they had talked about? ¡°Oh, of course.¡± Carbon picked up her tablet and set to work on transferring everything on the Codex.


    ¡°Carbon.¡± Apparently not. He gave her arm a squeeze and she froze, tensing up under his fingers and looking back at him with fear. Alex smoothed his voice out, attempted to exude a calming presence. ¡°Just the last recording and the ARGUS software.¡±


    She nodded and narrowed down the file list, sending them on their way to the Admiral¡¯s Codex.


    Looking at the actual list of all the files and not just the ones she had made accessible to the table, he recognized the databases that it had compiled. ¡°Admiral, do you think you will need the database used to keep the data it scrapes?¡± He should have learned a significant lesson about trusting Admirals that worked in the Intelligence field, but there was a distinct difference in this situation between Argueta and Olan - it was sitting right next to the Tsla¡¯o Admiral.


    The Empress had an investment to protect.


    Olan¡¯s tone had shifted slightly as well, a little less formal - kinder and more familiar. Grandpa mode. ¡°It could be useful, yes. I hope that we will have at least soft emulation in the next few days, it would give us a head start on how they interact.¡±


    ¡°Could you-¡± Alex started, only to find that Carbon was already on it, having been at least partially drawn out of her funk. He patted her arm. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Carbon gave him a brief nod, and stayed silent.


    ¡°To your question, the idiom means giving someone bad information that has them make a mess in their own domain. A little intelligence that seems real and actionable, but is entirely made up to make them waste time and effort.¡± He explained it like this was a very common question.


    ¡°Ah, yeah. I can see it.¡± It did raise a question for Alex. Why did they have people who were good at this kind of thing? How many enemies did the Empire have within itself? Was this all just kept on the back burner in case they had to go to war with the Confederation? ¡°I know we had talked about getting into the counterintelligence injection earlier, Empress... But seeing that we will likely be reconvening to discuss the ARGUS and the work Olan¡¯s people are doing on it, perhaps now would be a good time to break for the day?¡±


    ¡°I agree. I have a meeting over dinner that I did not cancel and I could use some time to refresh myself.¡± Eleya, at least, seemed to pick up what he was getting at. She gestured at the holo and the data storage devices still sitting on the table. ¡°All of this is quite tiring.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Getting the data back to my teams is more important at this moment, the more time they have, the better.¡± The Admiral checked his tablet once more, ensuring the data had actually been transferred, and then shut it off and tucked his Codex back into his daman. ¡°Unless there is anything else, Empress?¡±


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    She gestured towards the door. ¡°No, your assessment is correct. Make haste.¡±


    Alex was sure that Eleya was just making that up. She hadn¡¯t seemed tired in the least, and he had the impression that this kind of bullshit was where she thrived. He was sure she was just going to back to her quarters and scheme. ¡°I think it would be best if we took our leave as well. Just have a quiet evening after all the excitement.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± She waited until Olan had departed and stood as well, giving them both a bow that was probably deeper than necessary. ¡°We will stay in touch, but you will have tonight.¡±


    Alex bowed back from his seat and she gave him a very serious look and a nod at Carbon before departing. Carbon had gone back to staring through the tablet, just gripping it in her hands and not actually doing anything with it. He gently pulled it from her grasp and shut it down. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s time to go home.¡±


    She was startled by this intrusion into whatever mental hole she had crawled into. ¡°Oh, of course.¡± Carbon barely sounded like herself, her voice as distant as her gaze had been.


    He slid his chair back and stood, holding a hand out to help her up. There was a frailty to her right now that was making the idea of retribution - or proper, disproportionate revenge - seem like a really good idea.


    Standing, at least, brought her back around. After a stretch, her eyes were once more engaged with the here and now, though she still seemed very lost.


    Alex picked up the Codex and hooked his arm into Carbon¡¯s, pulled her out of the conference room into the workshop. The scent of ozone still lingered, perhaps a little too strongly for all of Eleya¡¯s guard to have left with her. They had righted whichever table she had pitched over, though a bent stool sat next to a dented locker on the far side of the room. The hallway was empty. He had a pretty good idea of where to go. ¡°You were pretty quiet in there. Sorta.¡±


    ¡°I was.¡± Carbon had strengthened slowly as they walked, talking to him in English again as the depression she had been in lifted as they walked. As it went, a low simmering anger took its place.


    ¡°I expected you to have a little more input. That¡¯s our private life that Eleya wants to give away, even if Olan thinks they might be able to replace some of it.¡± He had expected her to keep up that table-flipping energy. They walked out into the common area and stopped in front of the blast doors, Alex toggled the controls and leaned in for the biometrics scan. As they started to pull apart, the growling of the machine moving the doors tipped him off to the fact that Eleya had left maybe a minute before them, but he hadn¡¯t heard this sound. She was still there. ¡°Even if Olan thinks they might be able to replace some of it. Or all of it.¡±


    They passed back into the ship proper, walking in silence for some time as he tried to thread them back towards where the maglev should be. When Carbon spoke again there was the slimmest change in her demeanor, visually imperceptible. She exhaled slowly through her teeth, a protracted sigh brimming with stress. ¡°I know."


    ¡°Dunno if you¡¯ve noticed this about me,¡± Alex smiled and leaned against her, tilting his head to make eye contact. He wanted to get what was bothering her out, but he wouldn¡¯t mind defusing her a little bit first. ¡°But I¡¯m pretty good at telling when you¡¯re upset.¡±


    ¡°I expected that from her, and I am willing to give up more my privacy in exchange for whatever we might extract from them.¡± Her jaw flexed and she sucked in a breath, gripping his arm a little tighter. ¡°I just... What we get back for this had better be worth the price.¡±


    ¡°I hope it is.¡± Once again the idea of revenge swam to the surface, but the lingering knowledge that the data cache could just get swallowed up into the apparatus that had set him up in the first place soured it this time. They could do all of this and there may still be nothing.


    ¡°Our electronic warfare specialists are well trained and have been working on human systems extensively for some time now.¡± There was a little hesitation in her voice, the knowledge that his implant might be recording everything still very close to the surface. ¡°I do not doubt our ability to pry secrets from their machines.¡±


    There that was again. Their machines. Pulled further into the fold, moved further from who he had been. ¡°Has this been a problem before?¡±


    ¡°Spying?¡± She asked, turning to look at him with a little shake of her head. ¡°If it has been, I have not heard about it. Certainly nothing this bold.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but I specifically mean breaking into Human computer networks.¡± Now he was doing it. Great. ¡°Isn¡¯t that spying as well? Violating treaties?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Carbon shook her head again. ¡°I have recently become aware that we have purchased sizable amounts of Human communication and computer equipment in the past.¡±


    That did explain the rather jank looking computer in Lyshen¡¯s office, the Berkmann, and all the tchotchkes in Amara¡¯s office. ¡°How sizable are we talking here?¡±


    She sighed and clicked her teeth, just annoyed this time. ¡°I am told we have gotten enough to build a small interstellar communication network for training and evaluation.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± He walked in silence, mulling that over. Acquisition of competing technology - be it legitimate or unlawful means - was common in Human history. Not surprising that the Tsla¡¯o would do the same to keep tabs on Humanity. ¡°Find out anything interesting?¡±


    ¡°I do not know.¡± She shrugged, indifferent to this line of conversation. "As I said, I have only just learned about this myself."


    An unexpected form of delight surged through Alex, her lack of knowledge catching him off guard. For once, they both hadn¡¯t known something. Before he could tamp it down, he chuckled under his breath, a strangely earnest smile crossing his face.


    Carbon took it the wrong way. Her eyes narrowed, brow drawn tight above a thin frown. "What is that supposed to mean?" She snapped.


    "I-" He sighed and tipped his head back, watching the structural ribs pass overhead while he organized his thoughts. "I got surprised when you didn¡¯t know something that I didn¡¯t know either. Something was news to both of us. It made me feel like we''re equal again, and that was nice."


    Carbon came to a complete stop, dumbfounded. "I do not understand. How could you not feel that we are equal?"


    "I''ve been the third wheel in every situation since I came on board? Except when we''re alone... Sometimes even then, too." He was still on the fence in regards to Neya. She was unequivocally useful, and seemed to be a good person. Alex still found himself ambivalent about that early morning confession, and the discussion it was bound to bring. ¡°It¡¯s nothing you¡¯ve done, you know, I just get pulled around in your wash because I don¡¯t have a choice in the matter.¡±


    ¡°You have-¡± Her mouth snapped shut with a click of her teeth and a low grumble. ¡°I see, I believe. You are not properly prepared for your new duties and authority?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s part of it.¡± Alex started walking again, turning down a passage to follow the sign for the maglev station. ¡°But it¡¯s not all of it. I guess there¡¯s stuff I¡¯m expected to do, responsibility I allegedly have now. I both do not want it, and also do not see it. It¡¯s like... Schrodinger''s responsibility. I show up and people act like they take me seriously, but aside from you, am I really anything other than a mascot? Look how nice and civilized the Humans are! Please use the things they sent us.¡±


    Carbon was silent, contemplative as they approached the station. The evening crowd filled it up for the commute to and from home. More than a few eyes turned their way. The combination of slightly disheveled Human wearing a traditional Tsla¡¯o jacket, carrying a stone obelisk, escorted in a very cozy manner by a regular old maintenance worker was understandably odd. Plenty of them realized who they were looking at, based on the split between people who kept gawking or immediately looked away.


    They still queued up like anyone else.


    Alex saw a couple of people take pictures as they waited, he was sure. While he acclimated himself to the scent of a crowd of Tsla¡¯o, which was remarkably similar to waiting for the funicular back in Berkley during commute time. A little more of what he would identify as shampoo in the air. This was fine until ozone caught his attention, a primal fear about being followed spiking in the back of his head. ¡°Do you smell that?¡± He asked, voice low so that only the ones who were obviously eavesdropping would hear.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Carbon replied in kind, but she did not appear as bothered by this. ¡°You are carrying something important.¡±


    ¡°Fair.¡± He still didn¡¯t like it. Unseen security following at a distance was basically indistinguishable from an unseen assailant doing the same thing. They came from the same group of aliens. This one just had a cloak, which was worse. ¡°You trust them, right?¡±


    ¡°The guard? Yes.¡± There was no hesitation in her reply.


    The maglev arrived, a few dozen people dispersing from it before everyone started to file in, nice and orderly. Standing room only, and very little commotion when their temporary security detail got made by someone bumping into them. Just something to be expected when you¡¯re in the same car as a Royal, apparently.


    Alex actually enjoyed the experience, despite everything. Another flash of normalcy, just standing on the train with nearly everyone doing their best to not acknowledge another soul. It wasn¡¯t until they had left the maglev and their station behind that Carbon started up again.


    ¡°I do not know how to make you feel your station. It is... Just something that is there.¡± She actually had some difficulty articulating that. She did have decades of experience with a title being ¡®there¡¯ for her, though it was not something she had pondered how to explain.


    All that got out of him was a shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to do that, either. I¡¯ve never had a station to feel, the closest thing I had to a title before now was Mister. That was mostly for when I was in trouble, or somebody was trying to sell me something.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about that, Pilot?¡± There was a hint of humor in her voice for the first time in hours, a faint smile on her lips.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. You and Ed were about the only people who called me that with any consistency.¡± He couldn¡¯t stifle the wistful sigh that came with that memory. Being a Scoutship Pilot was all he had ever wanted to do, and look where it got him. ¡°You think I could convince anyone on board to call me that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but only until the Empress found out, Prince.¡± Carbon laughed softly and hugged his arm tight against her. ¡°Is there anything that you think will help you acclimate?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t even understand what I¡¯m supposed to be doing in relation to that title.¡± The very concept was so nebulous that he couldn¡¯t get his head around how he would even begin to fit into it. ¡°So... Haraya¡¯s experience is mine. I¡¯ve only seen royalty through the lens of fiction. Princes are a concept more than a concrete idea, and the portrayal ranges from comically useless all the way to ruthless villain. The reality of it seems to be wearing fancy clothes and attending state dinners?¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± That gave her something to chew on as they arrived at the cabin, Carbon opening the door this time. ¡°So far there has been little in the way of actual responsibility. You have scarcely had the time to do anything. I fear you may be right - at the moment you are a mascot as far as the Empire is concerned. Do not think for a moment that you are anything less than *my* Prince to me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t.¡± He stepped in and set the obelisk on the little stool to doff his jacket. ¡°I don¡¯t particularly like having that validated, but at least someone else sees it.¡±


    Carbon waited until the door closed, shrugging her work jacket off as well. ¡°If you were able to see some responsibilities, to refine a concept into something more real - do you think that would help?¡±


    ¡°I assume it would.¡± He spent more time than he would ever admit just staring as she did that and hung her jacket up. She still seemed more confident wearing that utilitarian work gear, and he found that as desirable as his recent discovery of exposed midriff. Alex cleared his throat as she caught him watching. ¡°I just want to be able to do something other than get played, even if it¡¯s not something I¡¯ve ever wanted to do. You know?¡±


    That got a little laugh out of her, with a smile to match. ¡°I believe I am familiar with that feeling. You said the Empress had attached Sergeant Zenshen to you as a liaison, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m supposed to take a command, I guess.¡± He hadn¡¯t really thought about what the Sergeant had meant by that. He had inquired for more details, but had been more focused on the adrenaline in his system at the time. Something about being a proper member of the Royal family?


    ¡°Royals are expected to have a connection to the military. I already do, so you are being given a dedicated military unit to command. I think Princes usually have a battalion, but I would expect a smaller detachment as you are new and we are on a carrier.¡± Carbon nodded as she moved the Codex and took a seat, starting to work her boots off. ¡°Does that make things more concrete?¡±


    ¡°No, but it feels like a direction to travel in.¡± How big was a battalion? That sounded like it should be a lot of soldiers, and he was perfectly fine with having less people under his command. Preferably none, but if he was being pressed into this anyway... ¡°She said she was mostly there to keep me from offending anyone, but she should have some experience with leadership. Right?¡±


    Carbon mulled it over as she set her boots aside, stretching her toes out. ¡°Kaen said he often uses her as a personal representative. Given his standards, I should imagine she is able to provide sound advice.¡±


    ¡°That will have to do.¡± To his surprise, he didn¡¯t hate the idea of having a command. It did make him nervous, yes, in theory they were putting lives in his hands and he was having a hard enough time with his own life right now. Having a specific direction to focus in was already making everything feel like less of a charade.


    Carbon stood, a smile that was more than a little mischievous on her muzzle. ¡°I think it would help if you were to throw yourself fully into adaptation. I found my English proficiency increased massively when I came aboard the *Haultain* and was immersed in the language. I am sure that my understanding of your culture would have improved as well.¡±


    Maybe it would help him to shed that assistance for now, get a feel for what is actually going on around him and how to operate in Tsla¡¯o society. ¡°Sure. That¡¯s a good idea. As long as I can still get help when I ask.¡±


    ¡°That takes the fun out of it.¡± Carbon slid an arm around his waist and leaned against him, an obvious smile in her voice as she rested her head on his chest.


    ¡°Oh does it?¡± He asked, pulling her into a hug properly.


    ¡°Indeed, Prince.¡± She pushed away, just far enough so she could lean up and kiss him. ¡°Now, what should we have for dinner?¡±


    ¡°Hang on, before we get into that.¡± Alex inhaled deeply, not wanting to broach the subject at all, but also knowing that putting it off would not improve the situation. ¡°There¡¯s something we all need to talk about.¡±

 Truths Told

    Carbon hit him with a raised eyebrow. ¡°That is not very specific.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± He sighed and pulled away from her, opening the inner door to the cabin proper. ¡°Neya talked to me about something this morning that directly involves you, and we¡¯re not going to sit on this discussion. Wasn¡¯t looking forward to this earlier and I really ain¡¯t now.¡±


    Alex muttered that last bit to himself as he stepped inside. He was sure they both heard it.


    Neya was there in the kitchen, still wearing the same blue jacket as earlier, still ready to go take care of the next thing they asked of her. Book in one hand, cup of tea in the other, and sitting in front of a new piece of art that had been placed in the middle of the kitchen table. Her posture said she had heard him talking, spine bolt upright with her ears and antenna lifted in alarm. Looks like someone else didn¡¯t want to have this conversation right now, either. Too bad for everybody.


    ¡°What does this mean? Neya? What did you speak of?¡± Carbon followed him in, confused and worried, and startled by Neya¡¯s posture. ¡°What is going on.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t start this off right.¡± Alex held out a hand. Mere meters from a bed, his body felt like it was giving up on doing anything other than sleeping. As much as he wanted to agree, this conversation needed to happen. He adjusted his course and headed into the kitchen. ¡°It¡¯s nothing bad, it¡¯s just different. It¡¯s change. People change, feelings change, and you two need to talk it out because of what she is.¡±


    Carbon gave up trying to get an answer out of him and turned to the only other source of information in the room. ¡°Neya? What is he talking about?¡±


    ¡°I... I told him something this morning.¡± She had set the book down and was busy tapping her fingertips together, eyes that had been turned towards Carbon darting away to inspect the floor.


    Alex had busied himself with some tea. Two cups from the cupboard, set out on the table, the kettle taken off the back burner to fill them and top Neya¡¯s up. He returned it to the stove and pulled the chair across from Neya out for Carbon before taking the next seat himself. ¡°She did, and these feelings are understandably difficult to talk about. But they need to be talked about.¡±


    ¡°Then please, say what you must.¡± Her confusion had turned to concern as she sat, placing the Codex on the table next to the other new piece of carved stone.


    Neya¡¯s gaze switched between any object that wasn¡¯t them rapidly, never settling on anything for more than a second or two. When she spoke it sounded like she was about to hyperventilate. ¡°I- He didn¡¯t make the tea right and I told him he forgot the sugar and bicarbonate.¡±


    ¡°While that did happen, you know that isn¡¯t what I¡¯m talking about.¡± His words came out curt through gritted teeth. Alex exhaled slowly, already worn down from the day. The urge to get short with her was very, very close to the surface. Another thing that might feel good in the moment but would immediately make things worse. She was afraid this would end everything for her, it was understandable she¡¯d be scared. He could relate to that, though not as intensely, having been kicked out of the program he had begun molding himself for as a teen. Alex took a moment to settle his temper before he continued. ¡°If you want me to tell her, I will, but I think you owe it to Carbon to tell her yourself. You will be fine. I¡¯ve got your back.¡±


    Carbon reached out and set her hands on Neya¡¯s, leaning in towards her and switching back to Tsla. ¡°This is clearly something you need to speak. Allow me the honor of hearing it.¡±


    Her arms twitched like she might recoil from Carbon¡¯s delicate touch. Neya swallowed once, a fearful whine in her throat before she managed to say it fast as she could, just above a whisper. ¡°I have developed feelings for you.¡±


    Carbon didn¡¯t react immediately, blinking as the concern on her face shifted slowly back into confusion. ¡°That is not unexpected, we do work closely together. I consider you to be a close friend in addition to my Zeshen.¡±


    ¡°Romantic feelings.¡± Alex assisted a little bit, now that Neya had actually said something close to the heart of the matter.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Carbon sat up a little bit, not expecting this sort of conversation. Wide blue eyes darting over to Alex. She was looking for his reaction to this information, worry creasing her brow.


    He got that, he hadn¡¯t been prepared for that tidbit of info either. The fact he was the driving force here should have said something about his feelings on the matter. He pursed his lips and gave her a shrug as though to say what can you do? Alex meant it very literally. He has no idea where to go in this situation, it was well beyond his experience in every metric he could think of.


    At least he wasn¡¯t alone out in this particular frontier.


    Neya, meanwhile, had started crying. She pulled her hands away from Carbon and hid her face, lips pulled back in agony as years of keeping this secret caught up with her. Everyone but Carbon had been taken from her, and now she was the one that would finish the job. ¡°I am so sorry, I could not help it. I love you and-¡± Whatever she was saying was obliterated as far as Alex¡¯s translator was concerned, words chopped up by sobs and terrified whimpers so badly it didn¡¯t even think that she was speaking a translatable language.


    Alex did catch some of it, his natural language processing more flexible than the hardware tucked away in his torso. She kept apologizing, raw fear in her voice now. He heard please frequently, usually followed by a few words he didn¡¯t understand, and then a go. He didn¡¯t need the whole phrase to get what Neya meant, not after she had explained to him that historically Zeshen were to be separated from their Aeshen in these circumstances.


    Carbon was stunned. She sat there with her hands unmoved, mouth agape and brain visibly locked up as she stared at Neya bawling across the table. A nervous admission of love that collapsed into terrified apologies was not what she¡¯d expected here, by any means.


    Alex hadn¡¯t expected the second half of that, either. Sure, there was the expectation that she was afraid of the consequences - Neya had given a half-assed attempt to have him dismiss her to avoid it, after all. So he was at least prepared for some of this, and had the wherewithal to nudge Carbon¡¯s arm with his elbow and jerk his head towards the pale furred Tsla¡¯o breaking down in front of them. He might have worked as a catalyst here, but this was about them. Neya didn¡¯t need comfort from him at this moment.


    It spurred Carbon into action immediately. Chair legs squeaked on the floor as she stood, kneeling beside Neya as soon as she was around the table and pulling her into a tight hug.


    Neya gave a few attempts to get loose from her embrace, a feeble push and some fruitless twists of her shoulders before she gave up and just sobbed out more apologies. ¡±I am sorry, I am sorry, I am sorry.¡± She was less panicked now, the translator picking up most of what she was saying clearly. Plea after plea to not send her away, to set aside protocols, punctuated with desperate gasps for air.


    Carbon held her, head resting against Neya¡¯s chest and shushing her quietly. A soft song hummed under her breath as she waited for her Zeshen to calm down.


    Alex wanted to do something - specifically, he wanted to help - and again found himself yanked in multiple directions. Would his presence on the other side of the table hurt or help right now? Should he just step out for a while and let them sort it out? That felt like a cop-out, having kicked this whole thing off. Would the wireless she was using to translate work right under that sort of emotional stress?


    He settled on waiting. This would still have happened if he hadn¡¯t been here, he was sure. Neya¡¯s feelings were pre-him. She clearly wasn¡¯t doing anything about managing them per the whole Zeshen way of life, as far as her confession early that morning indicated. Carbon had the experience, both in what Neya would respond to, and the intricacies of personal interaction with the Tsla¡¯o.


    Alex¡¯s presence had definitely made it worse, not that he or Carbon had any idea until this morning. Those two held their secrets tight, which when you mashed brains together frequently enough to start picking up each other¡¯s personality traits... Probably a must-have skill, despite the insistence that Neya was supposed to be her and would thus need to know all the details that made someone who they are. Maybe Neya would have been able to coast on never telling Carbon about it. Keeping that unrequited love a heavily guarded fantasy forever.


    It may have been a Human way to interpret that sort of life, but it felt like it would be a miserable way to live.


    Neya had run out of words, crying silently as she gripped Carbon like her life depended on it, tail curled around her like another arm. Maybe it did. Their discussion in sickbay had been just days ago, she had already trusted him enough to confide that she had been considering suicide - because Carbon trusted him and neither saw the other as entirely separate. As a Human, that was alarming. Completely wild, totally unhinged stalker behavior that was somehow mutual.


    It would be if they were Humans, anyway. This was codified into their society and laws, with their own special group rules beyond those. None of which he really understood, or had even had the chance to look into yet. The idea of being pushed into the deep end of a pool didn¡¯t convey the complexity he was looking at now, layers of a society he had a faint understanding of. He was in the ocean at the beach while people on shore tried to teach him how to swim, what to do about the riptide he was caught in, and some tips about dealing with that shark over there, all at the same time.


    Neya sniffed loudly, the sound strikingly wet, and Carbon spoke to her in a voice so soft he couldn¡¯t hear.


    Alex got up and went to rummage around in the dresser. The top drawer had lots of sundry items, including what he was sure had to be tissues. The little pictogram looked like a Tsla¡¯o blowing their nose, there was no way it was anything else. He returned to the table, sitting beside Neya and sliding them over to her and carefully petting her back.


    All the agonizing over whether petting them was denigrating or not was tossed out the window. His mother had rubbed his back the same way when he had been miserable as a child, and that hadn¡¯t been anything other than comforting... So here was hoping that she¡¯d interpret it the same way.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She mumbled out, voice frail as she picked the packet up and pulled out what was obviously a kleenex, but wide. Neya wiped her eyes and the deep channels the tears had cut into her fur, then blew her nose and apologized again. She made it about halfway through the word before it looked like the waterworks were about to turn back on.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right. You¡¯re fine, you are with people who care about you.¡± He patted her to reinforce how fine she was right now. It didn¡¯t make sense to him, but his arm was on autopilot and that was what went along with those words apparently. ¡°Nobody is getting sent away. No one will have to go. And we do need to talk this out because it¡¯s clearly not a situation that can just be ignored.¡±


    Neya settled on a quick nod, not trying to speak again just yet.


    ¡°Perhaps it would be good for you to explain what is going on, Alex?¡± Carbon looked up at him, a hint of an edge in her voice that carried over to her face, eyebrows pulled low and dark lips pressed flat. Alarmed and defensive, more than mad.


    ¡°Sure.¡± He sighed and mentally queued up the events of the morning. ¡°She had a nightmare last night, so I woke her up. While we were talking - mostly about you - she said that there was something she needed to say but wasn¡¯t sure if she could. I encouraged her to do so, because it was obvious it was bothering her. She tells me that she failed as our Zeshen, because she had fallen in love with you and wanted you as a romantic partner, and in turn was jealous of me. Worth noting that she thought telling me that was the least bad option available to her, even though she was also gambling that I would send her away so she did not have to make that decision. After all this, I¡¯m guessing the alternative to that discussion was a very permanent one.¡±


    Neya had been nodding along as he spoke, but agreed with that last supposition with particular emphasis.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Carbon had returned to her shocked state of being. She was still holding Neya close, though her eyes darted to and fro as she processed this information.


    ¡°Yeah, so we¡¯re not doing that. Nobody in this room does that. You two are too close for that to be anything but devastating.¡± There was a very selfish element at play here, too. Yes, they had been through too much already, and he didn¡¯t want to see Carbon have to deal with more pain heaped upon the rest. He also didn¡¯t want to have to help her work through something like that, not right now and hopefully not ever. Alex knew himself well enough to know that he¡¯d feel compelled to even if they weren¡¯t in a relationship. ¡°Sitting there at breakfast the other day, you guys looked like you were married. Entwined. I wasn¡¯t going to say anything about it for awhile, kind of let it simmer to see how I¡¯m going to interpret the way the two of you act around each other behind closed doors. The rapport you have, the easy affection, the gentle teasing... That was not what you had told me a Zeshen was. That¡¯s not how I¡¯d act with a second version of myself. I was a little surprised you didn¡¯t kiss her goodbye when she left to run errands.¡±


    Another revelation stacked upon Carbon did not make any of this easier for her, brow creased in confusion as her eyes settled upon Alex. ¡°But that is not our relationship. There is nothing to interpret.¡±


    ¡°Eh.¡± He waggled his hand from side to side. ¡°It kinda is. You don¡¯t see it from the outside. You don¡¯t even see it from the point of view of someone who¡¯s been in another relationship. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I don¡¯t think Neya has pulled the wool... intentionally mislead you, except in her concealment of these feelings. Which she knew would get her removed from the last person in her life. Am I right?¡±


    Neya picked up that the question was aimed at her. ¡°Yes, it is true. After the disaster, we... Became closer. We had both lost much, and the detachment I should have maintained fell away. I had not intended for these feelings to grow in me, I had initially tried to talk to the elders. There were two of them left and had little time to communicate, and I- I gave up on them. The council was destroyed, the village was destroyed. My true home, my friends, my mentors, my family, our way of life, all turned to ash. Carbon is the last thing that I have to hold on to, and I stopped caring that it was not appropriate even though I knew she would adhere to protocol. As much as I desire it, I do not care if it is ever reciprocated. It is a small pain to endure, as it is the least she deserves from me.¡± She took a shaky breath and managed a thin smile, resting her hand on Carbon¡¯s shoulder.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Some of that she hadn¡¯t told me.¡± Seemed a pertinent thing to add, given that things started to turn a little unhinged there at the end, even for aliens. Suffering makes people do weird things, and it was rapidly becoming clear that Neya¡¯s extensive loss had put a lot of weight on her that she hadn¡¯t dealt with in any healthy ways.


    ¡°Oh no.¡± Having been given a more solid timetable, Carbon was able to rapidly start putting together the puzzle pieces in what was going on. She pursed her lips and her jaw worked, sussing out what path to take before she started speaking in Tsla again. ¡°We will put aside the Council¡¯s protocols. As you said, they are gone. We will take the idea of outright dismissal from the table, do not even consider it a potential outcome.¡±


    Neya nodded quickly, a soft sigh escaping her as her shoulders slumped. Execution was off the menu for today, at least.


    ¡°Neya, I feel this is important to know. Have you been keeping up with your therapy?¡± Carbon stated that as gently as she could, looking up at her with no small amount of concern.


    There was a telling amount of hesitation. ¡°I am in contact with a therapist.¡±


    Carbon sighed. ¡°Before I left you were having appointments with one weekly. Tanoya, was it? Is that still the case?¡±


    ¡°I communicate with her frequently.¡± There was a telling lack of hesitation.


    She stifled another sigh, one corner of her mouth pulled down in disappointment. ¡°Neya.¡±


    ¡°I- I still check in with her every few weeks. She helped me with everything I can speak of, taught me all of the methodologies to take care of my mental well being. There are others who have suffered just as much who need her help more than myself.¡± Neya was at least resolute in that answer, almost defiant.


    ¡°I, uh- I call bullshit on that. You said, like a minute ago, everything but Carbon was taken from you and that you¡¯re willing to torture yourself for her sake. You used some nice sounding words to say it, but that¡¯s what it boils down to. Don¡¯t think she¡¯ll let that slide, either. She cares about you too much to let you harm yourself.¡± Alex wasn¡¯t particularly enthused to find himself taking the role of the bad cop here, but positioning Carbon as the voice of reason was probably for the best given that she knew fucking anything about how to actually get Neya pointed in the right direction. ¡°Like, that¡¯s gotta be one of the least healthy coping mechanisms I¡¯ve ever seen that didn¡¯t involve substance abuse. So maybe you can¡¯t talk about your feelings in regards to Carbon directly, but you can address having feelings you¡¯re not comfortable with.¡±


    ¡°But I am very comfortable with-¡± Neya stopped mid-sentence, mouth closing with a click of her teeth as what Alex said sank in. Her lips wavered and she sniffed again, wiping a fresh tear from her eye. ¡°I... I think I may see. This is unfair to Carbon, and to you, Alex. To have these expectations laid upon you.¡±


    Carbon had watched this exchange closely, bright blue eyes looking from Alex to Neya. ¡°I do not believe that is what he reaches for. Your feelings are yours, Neya. They cannot be right or wrong, but they can harm you. He is correct on that front as well, I do not wish to see you harmed, and I will not tolerate it. Not from someone else, not from you. These feelings you have for me provide you comfort?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She said with a nod, the most forlorn answer possible.


    She tilted her head slightly, patting Neya¡¯s leg to encourage her. ¡°What do they provide you comfort from?¡±


    Neya¡¯s gaze turned towards the ceiling, mouth clamped shut as she fought to keep herself composed. ¡°Everything.¡±


    ¡°Certainly not everything?¡± There was a hint of incredulity in her voice, a slight smile on her muzzle as she squeezed Neya again. ¡°Even myself?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The sheer amount of guilt in that admission was off the charts. ¡°When you came back to the hearth, I was so happy that I would be able to see you again. To be your Zeshen once more, not simply sweeping the floors. But you avoided me. I convinced myself you were busy. I allowed myself to pretend that it was because you felt the same way - that when you snuck into the cabin to get your comm while I slept and did not wake me, it was because you also feared that I would be sent away should your feelings overcome your decorum.¡±


    Oh, yikes. That was rough, given what he¡¯d heard about how their reunion went after his assassination attempt, a ¡®Hey I¡¯m back and it turns out the Empress has married me to this Human I love¡¯ must have cut incredibly deep. ¡°So, that... Didn¡¯t end how anyone thought it would. But Carbon¡¯s right, that¡¯s not a tenable way to live. We¡¯re both here, and while we¡¯re not your fantasy, we will help you. I said I¡¯m on your side and I meant it.¡± Neya¡¯s ability to maintain a professional front while she was sitting with him in the hospital was nothing short of monumental, and in retrospect really had felt like a more nervous Carbon. The sense of duty to another that must have taken was unreal.


    She probably could have killed him at any time when he was running an undersized heart and down a lung, too. Not that she seemed the murdering sort.


    ¡°I had not wanted to wake you, yes. I care deeply about you, but not in the same way you love me. You are my Zeshen, and that is something that is unique to you.¡± She sighed again, a faint wistful smile on her face now. ¡°Alex is correct once more. We are here for you. Do you remember what I told you when we first met? My first expectation?¡±


    Neya did not have to think about it, and as she spoke a little glimmer of a smile curled the corner of her mouth. ¡°That I am not to be a river, as you are not a sea. A statement that was quite a shock coming from someone who was supposed to be a strict adherent to protocol.¡±


    ¡°It was true then, and it is true now. The Council knows the weaving occurs, that we will change each other, but they pretended it would not bring a pair closer together in other ways.¡± She took Neya¡¯s hand in hers again and gave it a squeeze. ¡°You will not pour your life endlessly into mine and expect nothing in return.¡±


    ¡°I will not.¡± She nodded, again sounding resolute if not sad. ¡°I will begin speaking to Tanoya again. I will not hide in fantasy.¡±


    Carbon smiled and stood, leaning in to hug her properly. ¡°Good. You deserve peace, at a minimum. I would like to see you truly happy, not living in a dream of self-harm. I will be here for your journey. Alex will as well. I will drag the Empress into this cabal, if need be.¡±


    ¡°That may be a bit much.¡± A thin smile worked over her face as she uncurled her tail from Carbon, though her voice was heavy with regret. ¡°I have made such a mess, I am sorry. I should- I should have told you the first time I noticed it.¡±


    ¡°Do not apologize for such things. You were hurt and scared, you did the best you could and have still kept up with every task I have given you. That is an incredible testament to your strength.¡± Carbon cupped Neya¡¯s cheeks in her hands and leaned in to kiss her head between the antenna. ¡°It may take time but we will sort this out.¡±


    ¡°By your sight.¡± Neya closed her eyes and nodded in agreement. ¡°I think I need to clean myself up... If you do not mind?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± She stepped back to allow her space. ¡°You know you do not need to ask me such questions.¡±


    ¡°It felt appropriate, to cleave closer to protocols...¡± Neya said with a weary smile as she stood and retreated to the bathroom.


    Alex was the first to talk after the door closed behind her. ¡°That was a little more harrowing than I expected it to be.¡±


    ¡°Alex!¡± She hissed at him and smacked his shoulder as she walked past, ears and antennae pulled down tight, her jaw set and clearly frustrated. Carbon fiddled with a panel on the wall that cranked the airflow through the life support system up quite a bit, then went to pull some items from the bottom drawer of the dresser before returning to the table, starting to very quietly lay into him in English. ¡°That was possibly the worst way to handle that conversation! Blindsiding both me and her? It is fantastic that you had all day to ruminate on this, but I have not. Hells, did you even think once before launching us into it?¡±


    He hadn¡¯t been expecting that sharp a tonal shift, and it left him sputtering in surprise. Perhaps he could have set this up better. A lot better. Even a little bit better would have been preferable, now that he actually was thinking about it. ¡°Wh- No. Not with what else we¡¯ve been going through today. I got kinda sidetracked by the fact I¡¯m being used as a fucking delivery platform for a surveillance package. But, this is serious too so I didn¡¯t want to just keep putting it off.¡± As he talked Carbon set up a strange little air-freshener on the table, a glass base roughly as wide as his hand filled with dark blue liquid. She pulled a tab from the side and gave it a shake, the fan on top spinning up to force air through it.


    Her jaw worked as she gave him a sidelong glance, still simmering. The other thing she had brought out was a silver and red container of wet wipes. She ripped a few out and tossed the container to him, gesturing to the chair Neya had occupied as she started cleaning the table.


    ¡°What are these?¡± The box had a few pictograms that he didn¡¯t understand, and that was it. He did pick up what she wanted him to do, and cooling the situation seemed like the prudent course of action as he set to wiping down the chair.


    ¡°You don¡¯t smell- Nnh. No, you cannot.¡± Carbon gritted her teeth and tried to keep herself from sounding too harsh as she went over the entire top of the table, the Codex, that weird art piece, then started on the legs. ¡°She was terrified, and now reeks of fear pheromones. Her clothes, her chair, the table, the whole cabin. I am sure we do, too. The wipes and air freshener will neutralize them, and the air handling system will filter them out. We will need to shower and wash our clothes in a particular soap as well.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you ever told me that Tsla¡¯o have... pheromone stuff going on. It wasn¡¯t in the primer, that¡¯s for sure.¡± He scrubbed a bit harder, took a little extra care to ensure he actually got the entire thing. That explained what Eleya was smelling on him to determine who he¡¯d been sleeping with.


    ¡°Most of it is not so noticeable. We just have a particular... Un-scent. Adults do not produce many except during intense situations. Someone who is startled or surprised would not make anything like this. Under long periods of stress, perhaps, and under the belief that she¡¯s about to be cast out of the only life she¡¯s known and left to rot with nothing, well... You saw how she reacted. That is what will do it.¡± She finished the table legs and moved on to the chairs on the other side of the table, still annoyed but leveled out while she explains things to him. ¡°Fear in particular is bad. Smell is the wrong word, as it does not have a smell in the conventional way. Its presence makes me want to vomit, and it tickles the mind. Tries to convince you that this is a bad place and you should be ready to strike or flee. Before you ask, I do feel it, but I would still be mad at you without it.¡±


    ¡°Makes it worse though, right?¡± Alex could see how that could be useful as an evolutionary checkpoint, particularly before other forms of communication. Not so much when you lived on spaceships, but evolution didn¡¯t take things like that into account. He started to clean the chair he had been sitting in, so he wasn¡¯t just idly watching her clean up the mess he¡¯d made, unintentional or not. ¡°Well, guess it doesn¡¯t matter. I didn¡¯t think it through, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    She grumbled and went to work on the kitchen, starting with the top row of cupboards and working down.


    ¡°I am serious about helping her. You two mean a lot to each other and I don¡¯t want to get in the way of that.¡± Hearing her say that she didn¡¯t reciprocate Neya¡¯s feelings had not eased his ambivalence to the whole thing. Her previous actions still didn¡¯t hold up. Finished with the chair, he prepared to throw the nearly dry towel away and realized he didn¡¯t know where the trash was, or if they even had one in here. ¡°Ok, time out. Where¡¯s the recycler?¡±


    ¡°Last cabinet on the right.¡± She pointed to the one under the counter.


    He hadn¡¯t gotten to most of the lower ones when rifling through the cupboards this morning, and it was right where she said. He grabbed another wipe and started working on the dresser. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You are welcome.¡± There was still a fair bit of grumble in her, but even that was starting to recede. ¡°Thank you for recognizing that we care about each other. As you are unfamiliar with the Zeshen system, I was not sure how you would view our relationship.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well. You are aliens. I am at least a little mentally prepared for things to be inscrutable. I guess I still don¡¯t know how to reconcile it, but it¡¯s clear that you¡¯re more than friends or coworkers, and that your relationship predates me by a long time.¡± He started working on the other hard surfaces, namely the headboard on the bed. ¡°Are the sheets and stuff going to need to be washed?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s probably best to strip them and get a fresh set for tonight.¡± Carbon made short work of the counters and moved on to the lower row of drawers and cabinets, silent as she worked to obliterate traces of the pheromones from their home.


    Aside from the little cubbies and the items inside, the headboard was mostly smooth and Alex finished it in no time at all. They worked without speaking, the air handling system and the distant roar of the dryer in the bathroom filling the space between them. It ran for several minutes and shortly after shutting off he heard a frustrated groan, and the shower turned on again. Must be harder to get rid of when it had been coming out of your pores.


    Alex was no stranger to laundry. Both his parents insisted that their boys be able to fully take care of themselves. Maybe not skilled, but at least capable. He found the way sheets and pillow cases worked to be pretty much universal, no alien fastener systems at play - though as he pulled the pillows free of their cases he found them to be entirely too numerous. ¡°So which one of you two is the one who naturally has secret unrealistic fantasies, and which one got stuck with it from the weaving?¡±


    Carbon stopped scrubbing for a moment, only to continue with a sardonic chuckle. ¡°Who do you think?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m serious. I¡¯m guessing it was you, because every time I learn more about your childhood it gets worse.¡± He had folded the duvet cover in half and was using it as a tarp to hold all the other contaminated bits. ¡°I don¡¯t hardly know anything about her.¡±


    ¡°You are correct, I have shared many of the more fanciful delusions from my youth with her. She had a very pleasant childhood, actually. Family connections are maintained and the council elders are very involved with the youth. She said it was like having a hundred grandmothers who are all looking after you.¡± Carbon laughed and shook her head. ¡°I did meet her parents once. They were a delight, and so proud of her. Very much like your parents.¡±


    ¡°Damn. I wish I would have had the chance.¡± He meant that, despite having only just now even considered they existed. Neya was good people, her parents were probably the same way. Having a hundred grandmas sounded kind of amusing, too. At least she was still around to talk about these formative years.


    Carbon didn¡¯t reply, and it was about then Alex realized he could hear her hyperventilating over the life support fan. He glanced back and she was standing at the kitchen counter, leaning on her hands and staring at the backsplash. This took precedence over the next pillowcase and he covered the distance in a few quick steps, sliding an arm around her waist and keeping his voice smooth and soft. ¡°Nice slow breaths, even and deep. Fill your lungs all the way each time. Everything will be all right.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t been sure if anything would be all right for a few days, but it felt like something that wasn¡¯t particularly important right now.


    She did heed that advice, a few strained gulps of air giving way to slow deep breaths that still managed to sound shaky. ¡°She is right.¡±


    ¡°Take it easy, no need to rush.¡± He was intensely curious what she meant by that, a particular cold dread in his stomach that demanded more information now. He wrangled it for the time being, ensuring that Carbon wasn¡¯t about to breathe wrong until she passed out being a more pressing concern. He pulled her away from the counter and led her over to the table. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s sit down. Then you can say whatever you need to.¡±


    Carbon slid into the chair at his direction more than intentionally sitting. She leaned on her elbows and cradled her head in her hands, each breath labored as she blinked at the freshly cleaned surface.


    ¡°Keep breathing, nice and deep.¡± He rubbed her back now, gentle strokes along her spine, just like his mother had done.


    ¡°Alex, she is right. You are right. Winter taken, I do love her.¡± She looked up at him with damp eyes still near panic, the realization that she didn¡¯t have the relationship she had been so very confident of, had struck her particularly hard. ¡°And she is why I love you.¡±

 Reconciliation

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna need you to draw me a map here. Because, uh, how?¡± How, exactly, her love for Neya would lead to her also loving him? Alex couldn¡¯t see the logic behind that statement, and as a matter of fact it seemed somewhat contradictory. Generally these things were one at a time and did not lead into one another. He had found love to be a confusing, often irrational thing in his own experience, so there may have been no logic in it at all. Just a chain of events that lead Carbon to a realization that had left her shaken. Perhaps she was trying to shoehorn some narrative into her past again. ¡°I¡¯m just... way too far out of the loop.¡±


    At least his confusion took the sting out of it, for the time being.


    ¡°When I thought about her parents, I was surprised at how much they reminded me of your parents. They had been so kind, and were very welcoming. It was genuine in them, it was just how they were - I had been so used to false faces that it took me by surprise.¡± She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, steeling her mind before she looked back to him and continued. ¡°They had raised a Zeshen that was just like them. Earnest, kind... a little unconcerned with formality and rules. Impulsive on occasion, a bit but able to carry out their duties to perfection. Does that sound familiar?¡±


    When she described Neya¡¯s parents, it wasn¡¯t initially clear which set of parents she was talking about. That was generally how he saw his family, too. Worse, it took Alex a second to understand who Neya was being compared to. ¡°Oh. I suppose so, yeah.¡±


    ¡°Now I understand how I came around so quickly, once I began to actually get to know you. You fit into a shape I was already very much enamored with, it was so comfortable after so much strain.¡± Carbon didn¡¯t give him time to wander down mental paths that may bring him to the wrong conclusion. ¡°This is not to say that my feelings for you are false. They blossomed in a garden that had been well prepared, and have embraced my soul. But I have lied to myself for some time about what else grows there.¡±


    ¡°You did offer to steal a military shuttle for me. That says a lot.¡± He managed a weak chuckle, chest feeling more than a little hollow at this information. ¡°I mean... I dunno. I¡¯ve kinda been expecting something like this? More like actual ¡®we¡¯re all aliens¡¯ kind of incompatibility, so it¡¯s not hitting me too hard, I guess. I figured it might come down to me or her, actually.¡±


    ¡°Why would I choose between you?¡± Carbon actually sounded perplexed by that assertion, eyebrows pulled low and head tilted just slightly.


    ¡°I mean...¡± He gestured to the bathroom, the dryer running again. ¡°You fell in love with her first, right? I filled the space where she was supposed to go, you understand that now. You say that you love me - and I don¡¯t doubt that you have feelings for me - but we¡¯ve got months in this relationship, and you two have years. A decade. It¡¯s like, what happens when the honeymoon ends, and I¡¯m just that annoying guy who acted close enough to the one you actually love? You gonna drag me around for the rest of your life, or until Eleya kicks off and you can decree whatever you want?¡±


    As it turned out, Carbon did not like having the sincerity or durability of her feelings questioned. She stood abruptly, standing over him for once with shoulders squared, looking down her muzzle at him like her aunt did when she was trying to look Imperial. A commanding, forceful presence, if not a bit haughty. When she spoke it was resolute, a hint of defiance simmering in her words. ¡°You may have ¡®filled the space¡¯ that I had developed with Neya, but you are not the same as her. My love for her is not the love I have for you. Despite the difference in time, despite how these feelings are different, they are both just as strong. We have seen each other, we know each other where we cannot hide, and I will show you every thread of my existence to prove this to you. More importantly, we are entwined. This is a thing I desired, yes, in secret. I did not dare speak it, you know what I expected from the Empress. It was not this fulfillment. I know we will have our challenges, that is normal, and it will be harder because we are alien to each other. I accept that because of how I feel about you. So yes, Alex Sorenson, I will drag you around for the rest of my life.¡±


    Alex was wholly unmoved by the visual presentation of that speech. Having first gotten that look shortly after Eleya assaulted him had pretty much ruined its effectiveness, now it just made him want to fight. The earnest delivery and intent saved it. While he was quite sure that Carbon could hide things from him in a link, her being so adamant about what had been a cynical comment managed to wrangle a laugh out of him. ¡°Alright, there¡¯s no need. Me and her are different, and I can understand how you would have different feelings about us. So I guess if you¡¯re in, I¡¯m in. Challenges and all.¡±


    She sighed and her entire body shifted as she relaxed, taking his cheeks in her hands and leaning in to kiss his head. ¡°Thank you. You have come to mean so much to me, as short a time as it has been.¡±


    ¡°I told my parents, the first time I went down after we had gotten hitched, that while we came together in a very intense situation we still seemed to be a good fit for each other. I hope I¡¯m right. I hope the crucible we were in has forged us into something stronger than either of us.¡± Alex set a hand on her hip and pulled her into a hug, Carbon leaning on him and stroking his hair. ¡°So... What does that mean for Neya? How does she fit into things now?¡±


    Carbon had seemed just faintly exasperated for a moment, but that cleared up as she shook her head. ¡°We are entwined, she is our Zeshen.¡± She didn¡¯t pick up what he was asking, like that overly simple answer was actually going to take care of the question.


    ¡°Okay, the status quo that has gotten us all into these conversations tonight is not the thing that we need to keep doing.¡± He thought that was pretty straightforward, but he wasn¡¯t the one having these surprises sprung on him right now so he was not going to be pedantic about it. ¡°You said being in love with your Zeshen was forbidden by the council, right? Just the council, or plain old laws as well?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Being in love is not forbidden, precisely. It is that they would be removed from service of their Aeshen - the relationship expressly cannot be... It cannot be equitable. There will always be a power imbalance.¡± She stiffened under his arm, ears folded down tight as the realization of what he was getting at finally settled in. ¡°The council¡¯s protocols were never enshrined within the Empire¡¯s laws as it had to do with conduct within a group. So it is merely the council we will run afoul of.¡±


    ¡°I want to say there always is a power imbalance, even if they were able to leave when they desired and in doing so poison the entire system against individuals. But becoming entangled in a romantic relationship can make people do things that are out of character, or even bad for themselves. What good is the ability to walk away if they¡¯ve been manipulated into feeling guilty for even thinking about leaving?¡± The fact the first half of the Tsla¡¯o Kama Sutra for Zeshen had been writings about consent hadn¡¯t gone unnoticed.


    Carbon pulled herself away from him and sat back down heavily, thoughts about the morality of what she was doing now swirling in her mind. ¡°That is why the matching process takes so long. I linked with seven different agents. My mother and father and their Zeshen, and the Empress herself even linked with the council agents. They had normal interviews with nearly everyone I had known. Nothing is left to chance.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s one layer of protection. Just like the protocols are another layer. This is basic security stuff - I mean, you said they used to be considered property, but the practice was banned and they¡¯ve spent hundreds of years protecting themselves?¡± Alex was completely sure that having more than one way to keep psychos who would want to re-enslave you out in the cold was one of those easy choices to make.


    ¡°Yes, that- That¡¯s the filters theory of defense. No one stage will catch everything so there must be more ready to mitigate whatever gets through.¡± Carbon made a series of walls with her hands as she explained it to him, as though it was an entirely new concept for him. ¡°So it is about keeping the Zeshen safe from those who would do them harm.¡±


    ¡°I get what you¡¯re talking about, we call it the Swiss cheese model. It-¡±


    He paused as Neya finally returned from the bathroom. Clad in a long green robe, she lacked her usual level of fluff, and looked dejected as she surveyed the cabin with no small amount of guilt. Some sort of oily fur care product had been thoroughly applied, trails from the teeth of a comb visible in her fur from across the room. It left her with nearly as flat a coat as Carbon. ¡°Thank you for cleaning up, I am sorry about the mess.¡± She said it as pleasantly as possible while still sounding miserable, as she took her seat at the table again.


    ¡°Yeah, of course. I¡¯m sorry I just sprang that on you, too. I should have handled it with more care.¡± He had a long, stressful day, sure. Didn¡¯t mean he got to take it out on others without repercussions. Alex looked back to Carbon and tipped his head to Neya. ¡°Looks like she could use some cheering up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she could. What-¡± Carbon let out an annoyed huff and rolled her eyes as she caught herself before she could ask Alex why he directed that statement at her. Obviously, she had the big news. The Crown Princess of the Tsla¡¯o Empire took a moment to compose herself, smoothing out the fur on her face around slightly bloodshot eyes before continuing in Tsla. ¡°While you were in the shower, Alex and I had a conversation that enlightened me to some truths I have hidden. From myself, from him, and from you. Most important being that I have feelings for you as well, far beyond what I admitted to, and for longer than you have had the same for me.¡±


    Neya took this in and did not immediately react to the information. A hint of disbelief sparked behind her violet eyes before she looked to Alex with apprehension. She spoke slowly, tentatively. ¡°Is this something you have discussed in depth yet?¡±


    ¡°I mean, no, but the heart wants what the heart wants.¡± Alex got the feeling that was aimed more at him specifically, given that look in her eye, which... A little annoying given she was trying to get him to fire her last night. Sure, it was out of desperation, but she still tried. ¡°Mine wants Carbon, and hers wants to be an overachiever like the rest of her.¡±


    Carbon tsked him and lightly slapped his arm with the back of her hand, a hint of scorn in her gaze that didn¡¯t hold up to the smirk she couldn¡¯t contain. ¡°There is enough in me that I may love two. Such things have happened before, they will happen again.¡±


    ¡°Have they?¡± He did sound a little incredulous. Sure, he was perfectly aware of poly relationships. He¡¯d shared a dorm room with a member of one at Hellas. There was a decades-long running joke about the Proxima polycule, for that matter. One thing in particular united the ones he was aware of, though. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard about you all having polyamory, from any source. I¡¯ll admit to being very far out of the loop on how Tsla¡¯o actually do relationships, but¡­ is that something your society will accept? I feel like we just got me in with a technicality, so maybe I¡¯m being a little overly cautious here.¡±


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    ¡°If I interpret that word correctly, it used to be very common in the heartlands. As farms were nearly villages unto themselves, they had a tendency to have tightly interwoven communities and each would develop constellations.¡± Carbon seemed to be familiar with the concept after all, slipping back into that teacher-tone for a moment. ¡°While it is no longer a common practice, it is a well known one.¡±


    Neya had brightened up significantly, once it was clear Alex wasn¡¯t about to act all Human about this. ¡°I know you were reading Temptation of the Harvest Fields, how far did you get into it?¡±


    ¡°Chapter twelve, thought it was a good place to stop as the location changed.¡± He got the impression the book must have contained a constellation as well, even though up until that point it had just been the conventionally entwined hired help getting busy while the main character tried to run a farm. ¡°Well known doesn¡¯t mean accepted, though. Particularly where one party in particular isn¡¯t supposed to be involved in such things.¡±


    ¡°Ah. You are correct. We will have to keep this secret, at least for the time being.¡± She nodded, as if that discussion was now complete.


    ¡°Oh no, hang on. We were real cute about keeping secrets when we got back, but we suck at it. I swear Dae suspected something and we know Ed saw through us instantly. Eleya is like forty percent lies, so she will too.¡± Alex was sure he was actually okay at keeping secrets. His parents never knew, but apparently Carbon was practically swooning over him in front of some Admirals. Neya talking about how Carbon had avoided her when she returned to the Sword lingered in his mind, as well. Real cute, but a trainwreck. ¡°So we will keep this a secret for now, but we need to plan on how to make it not a secret. Because, to reiterate, we are very bad at keeping secrets.¡±


    Both of them looked like they were trying to suss out something, a little confusion written across their faces. Neya was the first to be done with it. ¡°I agree, a plan is necessary here. I can begin gentle inquiry with the other Zeshen I know. See where sentiment around this part of the protocol is. If others have formed these bonds, perhaps it is time to ease that restriction.¡±


    ¡°I had a thought about that, actually. The Swiss cheese thing, this is one layer of a system to protect their kin, in perpetuity. They don¡¯t want a return to the old ways, so they give themselves a lot of tools to keep it from happening.¡± It made sense to him, at least. ¡°Would you say all of the protocols fall into that category?¡±


    ¡°A good number of them, at least. As you said, romantic entanglement can cloud judgment, it can be used to manipulate or abuse.¡± Carbon, at least, seemed to be picking up what he was getting at. ¡°If one considers it as both a direction to the Zeshen to attempt to keep themselves free from those entanglements, and a tool to extract them from one...¡±


    ¡°Right. Because there¡¯s no way that these attachments don¡¯t form with people who were hand selected to be compatible with each other so they could rub their brains together really well, and also be allowed to have a sexual relationship with each other? In a society that knows about poly relationships and doesn¡¯t have a negative view of them?¡± If the document had been written hundreds of years ago, the original intent could have been lost, even with people who do brain-to-brain knowledge sharing. ¡°I think this is a trap that the Council can spring when they think something is going sideways, then point to the text of the protocols and say ¡®we said none of that, now go on get¡¯ and if it¡¯s bad they can destroy the Aeshen socially, and that flexibility has been forgotten.¡±


    Carbon seemed impressed with that, which was nice. ¡°Do you agree with that assessment, Neya?¡±


    Neya tapped her fingers together and sat silent as she pondered that possibility, eventually nodding slowly in agreement. ¡°While I was in Academy, there were two removals. Both were sequestered in the village for some time. I know one of the Aeshen was removed from eligibility, but I did not hear most of the details.¡±


    ¡°Removed from eligibility, that means their former Aeshen got kicked out? The social ostracization kind of kicked out?¡± Well, that was kind of proof that he - or she, Alex supposed - was doing something bad.


    ¡°Yes. I was young and did not concern myself with details at the time - though I may be able to ask for more information about those incidents. A request for historical documents might be a welcome reprieve for what remains of the council.¡± Neya¡¯s demeanor had eased up, only a hint of anxiety in her voice as they worked through this.


    ¡°Good idea. Just... try to be subtle about it.¡± He didn¡¯t know what subtle would be in regards to asking for documents about what may have been a very dark incident. It still seemed prudent. Alex turned to Carbon, wanting to keep this inertia up. ¡°You should start feeling things out with... Other Tsla¡¯o. Who aren¡¯t Zeshen.¡±


    ¡°That is what I expected to do, yes.¡± Carbon sighed and patted him on the arm with a bemused smile. ¡°And where will you be in all of this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still going to be trying to convince everyone that I¡¯m actually a cool guy who is not here to steal everything. Maybe use my newfound interest in Tsla¡¯o history to look more into the way of life in the heartlands and the concept of a constellation and probe how people feel about them now. They¡¯ll tell me what they think, unvarnished, because I¡¯m just a guileless brute.¡± He had been feeling more and more guileful lately. A little. Finding out he was the galaxy''s most gullible listening station had not helped.


    ¡°Very well, then we all have a direction to explore.¡± Carbon was pleased with that answer, handing out another one of those little nods that actually did fit this time.


    Alex was surprised to find that he mostly felt relief now. Everything between them, all of them, was spoken and on the table. It felt good to have something solid, even though it was strange, under his feet again. They had a plan, and not one that came from an Intelligence officer. He didn¡¯t even mind the duality of Carbon¡¯s affections. He¡¯d always known that her duty to her people would come first so it wasn¡¯t a big shift to think that Neya would also be stuck in second place with him. ¡°Alright. And just so we¡¯re all clear: I like you, Neya. I am happy to have you as an ally. Not in love with you though.¡±


    She laughed quietly at that with a wide smile on her muzzle, and she tipped her head towards him in assent. ¡°That feeling is mutual.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯m going to say this is the last absolutely disastrous event of the day. Nothing interesting happens until at least tomorrow.¡± He was going to be feeling guilty about how he¡¯d kicked this off for awhile, Carbon had taken the theft of their privacy very hard, and Neya had just had a breakdown. Interesting times could take a long walk off a short pier for the foreseeable future. ¡°Everybody else okay with that?¡±


    He got nods and sounds of agreement from both of them.


    ¡°I am incredibly hungry. Don¡¯t really feel like going out though.¡± He glanced at the clock, which was still in Tsla and he didn¡¯t have the visual translator on. Whatever, it was later than when they arrived. Well past time for dinner. ¡°Can we order in? Is that available on the ship?¡±


    ¡°It is. We are a bit far from the restaurants but not from the tram.¡± She dug her comm out of her pocket and started digging through it. ¡°What should we have tonight?¡±


    ¡°Something a little celebratory for you two. I don¡¯t know what that is, but you must.¡± It felt appropriate. Neya had been fearing this for years, Carbon had focused on it not happening so hard she¡¯d convinced herself it wasn¡¯t. He saw no reason that they shouldn¡¯t enjoy that for a little bit given that reality may still crush it. ¡°It¡¯s kind of a big day for you, right?¡±


    Carbon nodded. ¡°Yes, I suppose it is. A few revelations that are not awful would be enough at the end of a day like today, but this-¡±


    ¡°Steamed glass.¡± Neya cut her off with an enthusiastic if not perplexing interjection as she leaned in, addressing Carbon directly. ¡°I have not had it since you left because you enjoyed sharing it so much.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me that¡¯s just a weird translation. It¡¯s not actual steamed glass?¡± He could handle the alien spiders and the cabbage-potato, but glass would be a bit too far even for his curious palate.


    ¡°Steamed glass is actually a very accurate translation. It is a dumpling that turns translucent when steamed and you can see the filling inside.¡± She explained. ¡°And yes, I do enjoy it but rarely indulge as they are time consuming to make.¡±


    ¡°There is a shop that specializes in them in the central square. I have stopped by a few times, they have a machine that makes them, and it is mesmerizing to watch. It smells perfect and I have heard they are as good as handmade.¡± Neya had clearly been keeping this in her back pocket for the next time someone asked her opinion about where to eat. ¡°The Steam House.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that is where we will get dinner from, if they are still open.¡± Carbon stood and stretched, then walked over to Neya and pulled her up from her chair with a little bit of protestation before hugging her tightly and planting a brief kiss on her lips. ¡°I will place an order.¡±


    Alex was almost confused by how little that bothered him. Completely unfussed, as a matter of fact. He was sure there would have been jealousy or contempt in his heart if one of his past girlfriends had copped to already being in a longer relationship and displayed that affection in front of him. He hadn¡¯t yet decided on how it was different, but that he was happy for them marked it as being a significant shift. ¡°While you¡¯re doing that, I¡¯ll finish the bedding.¡±


    ¡°The deoderizer is dry, I should wash it off.¡± Neya added, wriggling a ridge of fur on her arm that had turned hard since she had left the bathroom.


    They all went about their business, the cabin nearly silent save for the rustle of sheets and pillowcases. Alex had been taking care of this kind of stuff for himself since he was a kid, so the motions were largely automatic even with a strangely shaped mattress. As he returned to putting the unreasonable amount of pillows back into their cases, he finally actually looked at the new piece of art on the table next to the Codex they had brought home. Initially he thought it was a wolf skull carved out of black stone and shot through with silver and gold marbling, which was weird. Who around here would have a wolf skull?


    On closer inspection, it clearly had two holes above the eyes. That was a Tsla¡¯o skull, which was more unsettling. There were two knives crossed and clasped in its skeletal jaws, if Alex had been a knife guy he would have said the blades looked like a seax. Admittedly, he wasn¡¯t very up to date on what normal decorating was for the Tsla¡¯o, but... this didn¡¯t feel like it.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up with the skull?¡± He inquired immediately after Carbon returned from the foyer.


    ¡°The skull?¡± She asked, perplexed by the question.


    ¡°On the table.¡± He nodded to it, cramming the second to last pillow into a case.


    She recoiled when her gaze landed on it. Apparently neither of them had looked at it since they had returned. ¡°That... Oh. It is another Codex. I requested some data from Intelligence related to the ship they found the keyed PIN parts in. Something about how we acquired it didn¡¯t sit right with me and I wanted to look into it further.¡±


    ¡°Man, Intel just picks the weirdest stuff no matter who they are. Related, what the hell is a Codex? I toted that thing halfway across the ship and I still don¡¯t know exactly what it is.¡± He tossed the last pillow back onto the bed and then proceeded to do the same with himself. Maybe he¡¯d just sleep through dinner, and the next couple of days.


    ¡°It is a secure data vault, with programmable unlocks. Traditionally it is placed in a container of some sort to allow it to be movable within an area, but difficult to steal. Modern material printing allows for that to be customized to every location.¡± Carbon said, climbing onto the bed as well and taking a seat on his lap.


    ¡°Huh, neat.¡± He said, stretching his arms before cracking a grin. ¡°Well, wake me up when dinner gets here.¡±

 Night Watch

    Carbon had pretended to be asleep for nearly an hour before she extricated herself from Alex and Neya, carefully climbing over her husband and then tucking the comforter down into place so it was like she¡¯d never gotten out of bed. She stood there for several more minutes watching them in the dark to make sure she hadn¡¯t woken them up, then very quietly turned the lights up to five percent.


    Alex had looked tired since before they had returned to Sol, but it had gotten worse since he came on board. He even looked tired when he was asleep, a very disconcerting feat Carbon had thought impossible. It worried her, as did Neya¡¯s... everything. Neya was a mess, emotionally. It was good she wasn¡¯t hiding her feelings anymore, and that she would return to getting therapy for the staggering loss she was keeping in her soul. Was it even possible to extricate something like that? Could a single person grieve enough in a lifetime?


    When would she grieve her own mother?


    Carbon shut that last thought out, not even bothering to fit it into the hole with all the other intrusive thoughts she¡¯d racked up today, simply attempting to cast it as far from her mind as possible. There were other things to worry about right now. She could get back to that once things were at least slightly more calm. Once Alex had better control over his life at their hearth. Once he wasn¡¯t in as much danger.


    That was the crux of this small deceit. That machine - those hateful machines, there was more than one now - lodged in his head, infesting his body. Unnatural. The fact that someone who apparently used the same hardware interface as him had been suffering neurological problems so severe that he was mutilating himself... This was not an outcome she would allow her husband to suffer.


    It was a burst of sentiment that had her rummaging around in his clothes by the light of her comm, pulling out a pair of his shorts and a dark red t-shirt, both too large for her. The tab on the waist of the shorts cinched it far enough that it didn¡¯t slide off her hips, and she tied the shirt like he had done months ago on the Kshlav¡¯o. It was comfortable and smelled faintly like him, which in turn made her feel a little bit more relaxed. A little safer. She knew it was just her imagination, but it felt like he was working with her on this task, even as he was getting the rest he clearly needed.


    The first step to solving any problem, was understanding the problem. Carbon set out collecting the tools she would need for this, a Codex interface and hardlinked tablet. Someone had put them both in the junk drawer, along with the data cable. She had only expected to find the cable in there, but wasn¡¯t going to complain about Neya¡¯s curious sorting as it had been expeditious. Not this time, anyway.


    She got it all laid out on the table. Getting it set up was easy enough. Plug everything in and set the Codex on the interface. The computer within it made sure it was where it was supposed to be, connecting to the local network and getting credentials from several places before allowing her access to the data. They had left a brief rundown on the ship and the logs stored within. She skimmed it, already very familiar with how Humans handled such things. According to the Confed registration, the CRS Serenity was on its fourth owner - a John Smithee - and classified as a light yacht, crewed by two with room for six passengers and a maximum of one ton of cargo. Folders had been labeled clearly. Black box recordings, navigation records, and then the security cameras. Bridge, main corridor, crew cabin, kitchen, common area, engine room, and cargo.


    Where was the sickbay? Teleya had said that gore covered needle was found in the sickbay. It was possible that she just didn¡¯t have much experience with the ship before Intelligence took it, so perhaps she was mistaken about that.


    Carbon opened the first main corridor file to start things off, and nearly dropped her tablet.


    The thing that was pacing up and down the main corridor only barely registered as Human to her. The shape was right. Two arms, two legs, a head. The first thing that drove a cold spike into her stomach was how it moved. Alex had a leisurely pace in nearly every movement he made. Sometimes almost aggravatingly slow. In contrast, the... He. The lack of shirt made it easy to visually determine this was a male. He moved like a startled forest spider, walking with a too-quick pace and twitching uncontrollably. His form blurring momentarily as he dodged around unseen obstacles and punched the walls with blows that were unnaturally fast.


    And those limbs. The pale skin on the torso ended at the shoulder, black prosthetic arms gripping the scars like parasites that had taken the place of the originals. They were longer than they should have been and spindly. Entirely too often gaps were visible where flesh should be. The left arm didn¡¯t even have a hand on it, just a socket where one had gone. Dark hardpoints pocked his torso in addition to a multitude of scars. When he paced close to the camera, she could make out similar mechanical horrors sticking out of his ragged pants legs. They were angular almost-feet, clawed monstrosities trying to dig into the deck with each step.


    The worst part was that his nearly bare head was wrapped in the same stuff. A ring of metal that covered his eyes and ears, the gleaming black surface far too close to where the living organs should have been for them to have remained. A half dozen beady lenses dotted the front in a mockery of a face, more sensor surfaces wrapped all the way around. Even some tiny stubs of comm antennas radiated out from the grotesque band.


    His mouth screamed, lips pulled back with too many teeth on display for a Human. She turned the volume up a little bit. There was no sound produced beyond a coarse exhale that could barely be heard over the metallic click of his footfalls.


    It turned her stomach. This wretched Human-thing was obviously disturbed, and with all of that done to it, how could it not be? She clicked that file closed. Maybe the bridge would be a better place to start. Whoever was transporting this... person, probably spent a lot of time in there, on the other side of a nice secure door.


    The same Human stalked onto the bridge and plugged that sensor ring on his head directly into the console at the pilot¡¯s seat. Carbon shuddered with an uncomfortable familiarity, having once been connected to the Kshlav¡¯o in a similar manner. Once jacked into the machine, screens and controls operating as though the ship were being controlled by a ghost, he stood stock still. As though whatever demon that motivated his body in the corridor had simply slipped down the cable. The slow rise and fall of his chest as he breathed was the only source of motion keeping the camera on.


    Was this the John Smithee on the registration? How had... How had that been able to purchase anything, let alone a registered spaceship? Carbon was sure she¡¯d never seen a Human with such obvious, grotesque modifications. A machine arm once, some synthetic eyes... All worn with pride she didn¡¯t quite understand - they could have them rebuilt with ease! Even Tsla¡¯o prosthetics pushed the boundaries of medical reason with implanted nerve interfaces, but they kept the form and function of the original limb, though they were often decorated to the owner¡¯s taste.


    Carbon closed that video too, set the tablet down, and went rummaging around the kitchen for some alcohol. Half a bottle of Lacan. She¡¯d sworn off it after vomiting on Alex, which he had handled with grace that she didn¡¯t think was possible from anyone. Even salvaging what had been a miserable day with an enthusiastic kindness she had not expected, and hoped to never forget.


    She would simply not drink half the bottle in one go this time.


    Now armed with a full glass of booze, she returned to the table, took her seat, and downed half of that in one gulp. There was hardly an hour¡¯s worth of video in the bridge folder. He would come in, plug in and set up the autopilot, then leave. That seemed to be all of it. She chose the crew cabin next. John came in and wrecked it a few times. Ripped the upper bunk off the wall, smashed the computer terminal and desk, carved gashes into the wall with his one hand. There didn¡¯t seem to be a reason behind this, just directionless fury and unreal strength.


    Cargo was more of the same. She thought he might have set up a... charging station or something in there, considering all the mechanical parts, but mostly he just paced endless loops around a single green crate strapped securely to the floor. There had been printing on it once, though it appeared to have been scuffed off intentionally. The common room folder contained hundreds of hours of video, more than the ones she had looked at so far combined. That was odd. She summoned all her fortitude and started the first one.


    John Smithee was tidying the place up, black metal hand wrapped around a delicate looking vacuum. From the vantage point over the door, it was clear that this room was what Teleya had called the sickbay. There was a couch and a big entertainment screen on the wall, but also a robotic surgical arm bolted to the carpeted floor next to what looked like an emergency stasis bed, if memory serves her correctly. His movements were mostly careful and methodical as he cleaned the area, normal if not for the fact he looked like someone who was in the middle of being turned into a machine.


    He carried a small computer over to the stasis bed and sat with it in his lap, jacked the ring around his head into it. The surgical arm came to life. Carbon recognized the PIN driver at the end of the conventional robotic arm, the one she had rebuilt for Alex. The needle was hardly a glint as it slipped into an unseen port in his left shoulder. She scrubbed through the video, the surgical arm repositioning around his shoulder a half dozen times before it did the same thing all the way down the prosthetic limb.


    The change was immediately visible. Once the surgical arm was out of the way he unplugged himself and stood up with almost normal movements. John walked over to the couch, sat down and cradled the arm that had been worked on like it was a child. He remained there calmly for several hours before getting up and walking out of the room.


    Horrifying as this was, it did alleviate most of her fears about Alex¡¯s implants. These were clearly not the same thing, despite using the same interface. Neurological problems seemed like a bad guess at this point as well. The extensive scarring said trauma to her, but such violently extensive prosthetics were clearly making things worse.


    Still, John Smithee had Human made machines attached to himself. There was no way that the wreath of metal around his head wasn¡¯t attached to his brain as well, given he was plugging it into computers. She had the data, she would check it while it was available to her. There probably wasn¡¯t a lot more information for her to pull from this, but it was better to be sure.


    Carbon scrolled down the list of files, jumping into the next month. Over three weeks by Tsla¡¯o reckoning. He appeared to eat constantly, sipping something from a food pouch. This was almost always followed by another session with the arm. What precisely was going on when he did this was unclear. Nothing was being injected, there was no physical medicine at play here. He was doing something to the hardware that left him comfortable, soothed the thing that drove him to destroy.


    It quickly became clear that the machinery was laced through his entire body. Carbon watched with growing unease as the surgical arm was used to access points all over his ribcage, spine, and even abdomen. Had whoever did this fitted him with synthetic organs? A revolting idea, but considering everything else, plausible.


    She should have been ready for it when he used the stasis bed, but she really wasn¡¯t. A stasis field and living creatures did not get along. Nerves would light up as the outer edge of the expanding field passed through them, which wasn¡¯t too bad until you got to the brain. Every neuron firing at once caused seizures more often than not, which relegated the time dilation technology to dire emergencies only. John Smithee set a timer on it, laid down, and the field popped on around him. The video ended as nothing was moving, not fast enough for it to perceive. Smithee was still alive, just experiencing time at a vastly slower rate.


    The next video was eight days later.


    She ran the numbers, sticking with Human time so she didn¡¯t have to flip it back and forth between their clocks. Eight days in a 1000:1 ratio field would be perceived as almost twelve minutes. If he wasn¡¯t having a seizure the whole time.


    Carbon finished her Lacan and started the next video. She wasn¡¯t sure what that would look like in a Human. He laid there for several seconds, rocking back and forth on the bed and gasping for air before his body went slack. John sat up and went about his day like nothing had happened, right as the eastern wind. Like he¡¯d been rebooted.


    She watched as his treatments became less and less effective over the next several weeks. The hours of calm turned into minutes, and he lashed out much more frequently, often hurting himself in the process now. He would pick at the spots where metal met flesh, flaying himself with sharp fingers before realizing that he was doing it again. Some of those wounds she knew should bleed profusely simply didn¡¯t, and he didn¡¯t bother to clean or treat them. More scars for the little living flesh that remained on him, a monument to agony.


    Overwhelmingly, Carbon felt pity for John Smithee. This was a miserable existence, frail skin stretched over an engineered frame of cancer. She had a very good idea that this could only end in his death. That he was to do so alone, in this state of obvious anguish was inexcusable. Who had made him this way? Why were they not made to stand by him?


    A monstrosity or not, he had lived. It was only right for someone to remain with him as he approached death. It would not ease anything for him at this point, but she would stay with him until the end.


    He eventually stops returning to the common area. Timestamps lined up with him staying mostly in the cargo bay. He alternated between pacing around like a wounded animal and sitting on his knees before that green crate. There he spoke to it, prayed to it, screamed at it. Slamming those too-long arms into the deck plates before it.


    On the last video from the cargo bay, he ripped the straps away from the crate and pulled the latches open, the side falling away to reveal more of that cursed black metal. John stripped off what little clothing he wore and stepped into one of the largest sets of combat armor Carbon had ever seen. The limbs that were wrong for his frame fit just fine once they were slotted into this final machine.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    It swallowed him up, closing around his body. The gaunt form hidden within an impenetrable fortress of angled metal. Only his head remained free.


    He had been turned into a killing machine, and she wondered if it had been with permission or not. Had they ever thought this outcome was a possibility? He was clearly alone and very badly disturbed. Maybe she would check the black box, it may give an indication of where he had been going. Was he trying for vengeance, did he seek forgiveness, perhaps he just wanted to be somewhere he wouldn¡¯t hurt-


    Her thoughts were interrupted by the video as John Smithee stood and reached into the crate he now towered over, bringing out a sword that gleamed in the overhead lights. The silver-white blade stood in sharp contrast to the dark metal that covered him, a juxtaposition he did not spend much time considering. With speed that couldn¡¯t be matched by the camera, he turned it on himself, ramming the blade up under the sensor ring and giving the hilt a sharp twist.


    Carbon yelled in surprise as the front chunk of the wreath was torn free and thrown against the far wall like a comet made of gore, impacting so hard it left a red smear and a visible dent. What remained of John¡¯s head slumped to the side, motionless, the armor keeping him standing upright.


    There was a bit of chaos in the room as Alex and Neya both sat up abruptly in the dim light, startled awake by the sound. ¡°What¡¯s going on, you all right?¡± Alex was the first to inquire, tossing back the covers and springing to his feet despite being mostly naked by his standards.


    ¡°What is happening?¡± Neya said in Tsla¡¯o, sliding over behind Alex. ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    Heart racing from that abrupt but predictably messy ending, and a little panicked by the fact that everyone was now coming to her aid, she set the tablet down. With the screen down, of course, and entirely too hard to make her deflection convincing. She took the gamble that he had his translator on already and spoke in Tsla since both of them were up now. ¡°I was just watching some videos and was startled.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t untrue, it just didn¡¯t contain a lot of context she wanted to avoid talking about with Alex specifically.


    Perhaps because he was still halfway asleep, Alex seemed to believe her. He slipped into the chair beside her and stretched. ¡°Since when do you watch videos in the middle of the night? Can I see?¡± He inquired, completely credulous as he reached for the tablet.


    Oh no, he did believe her. He really did trust her that much and just took her at her word as she held the slender piece of electronics to the table. ¡°It is work related and quite shocking.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t having you watch porn again, are they?¡± He was confused by her reaction, eyebrows pulled down as he stifled a yawn. ¡°That¡¯s ok if you are, I can probably put some context on it if you want.¡±


    ¡°No, that- This is very different.¡± This would have been so much easier if she had just snuck out to a secure location and had the data delivered there. But no, she had to think it would be fine to check out from the comfort of her own home. It had felt perfectly reasonable before seeing a ghastly husk of a Human rip a massive implant off his own face. ¡°It is unexpectedly violent.¡±


    ¡°Ah, huh.¡± He relaxed and withdrew his hand, eyes scanning the setup as. A hint of suspicion crept into his voice. ¡°You aren¡¯t doing something, you know... Harmful to yourself, right?¡±


    ¡°No, I am not.¡± She wasn¡¯t, right? She had followed John Smithee¡¯s final months on that little ship out of a desire to gather information at first, and then perhaps misguided compassion for someone who was already gone. It wasn¡¯t punishment, it was not intended to open up old wounds. Carbon had known this ended badly when she asked for these recordings, and while she might not ever forget that final moment it was not sought out.


    ¡°Well, what was it?¡± Neya asked as she took a seat across from them, just now finishing putting her wireless beads on. ¡°I do not recall the last time a video of anything got that kind of response from you.¡±


    If it wasn¡¯t for the obvious concern on Neya¡¯s face, she would have thought the two of them were triangulating against her. It was not a deceit on their part. They actually cared about her well being and it frustrated her that she had to keep telling herself that about the people she loved. Carbon knew they would stop asking if she kept insisting, but... Why continue to be evasive about something she had embarked on with earnest intent? ¡°I was looking into the source of the PIN and driver parts that Xenotechnology and Intelligence had. It came from a ship that we acquired, which I thought unusual as I do not believe these systems to be common.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s accurate.¡± Alex sat up, suddenly much more awake. ¡°Until that setup in the surgical suite, the most drivers I had seen in one place is three. That was only because that workshop had three stations with a single arm each. McFadden only has one as far as I know.¡±


    ¡°That is interesting, as there was only one surgical arm aboard this ship as well.¡± Carbon lifted the tablet up carefully, winding that last video back a good ten seconds so John Smithee was merely standing there in that metal, facing away from the camera before she showed it to him ¡°Do you recognize what has happened to this man?¡±


    He recognized it instantly. ¡°Oh shit, that¡¯s Hellbreaker armor.¡±


    ¡°You know what it is?¡± This did not sit well with her, after having managed to convince herself it was sufficiently different from what Alex had.


    ¡°Oh yeah. Probably the most recognizable ground vehicle from the Unification war. The precursor to modern boosted armor and drop troops. There¡¯s always at least one in any movie set in that era.¡± Despite how quickly this knowledge bubbled to the surface, he still sounded somber, the usual eager inflection in his voice tamped down. ¡°Banned at the end of the war. Probably would have stayed in use if not for what happened to that Chancellor¡¯s kid.¡±


    ¡°What happened to them?¡± She asked before she thought that answer was probably its own horror show.


    ¡°A lot of the details were sealed when I had my Unification war phase, but the short of it was the German Chancellor¡¯s son was in special forces, he got brought up into the Hellbreaker program, and at some point got dishonorably discharged for friendly fire. The Confed military zeroed him out and dropped him off at his parents home.¡± Alex paused, looking between Carbon and Neya to see if they picked up what he meant. Carbon certainly didn¡¯t, and Neya wasn¡¯t any closer to getting it. ¡°That is to say, they removed all his mods except the stuff that would have killed him. That guy you showed me still had the halo on his head, but they got arms and legs, and a bunch of other stuff done internally. He was basically a torso with half his face missing, dumped on the porch.¡±


    Neya leaned in, clearly horrified. ¡°Tell me that is not the end of it. This is... I do not know if I can conceive of a dishonorable action where that is an appropriate response.¡±


    ¡°If they had done that to some normal person, it probably would have been. Turns out the German Chancellor had a lot of sway because of their manufacturing base that the Confed military did not want to go away. Investigations found a lot of discrepancies in the program. The son got exonerated. He had complained to upper brass about some mods that were installed without program approval, so his CO got rid of him and tried to cover up a bad orbital strike with that discharge. Ended up being a rare instance where a lot of folks went to jail.¡± He shook his head and sighed. ¡°But, that was like a hundred years ago. Everyone involved is long gone.¡±


    The timestamps on the footage she had been watching were only four years old, this did not line up at all. ¡°They were retired at the end of the war?¡±


    ¡°Officially, yeah. I¡¯m more aware that the government doesn¡¯t always do what it says now, but the public outcry about the more invasive mods in the wake of the war made setups like that illegal. Kids coming home missing limbs and eyes because their own government took the originals to make them better soldiers, and didn¡¯t let them keep the military hardware for obvious reasons. They also didn¡¯t automatically replace what had been taken with civilian equivalents upon discharge.¡± He paused, cautiously checking Carbon and Neya¡¯s reactions to that before he continued. ¡°This was before mediboards, so they were issued prosthetics once the Confed realized how bad a look that was. Radicalized a lot of folks against implants, too.¡±


    So it could have been removed. Should have been removed! ¡°Is it possible that one of them... Fled the war?¡±


    ¡°I mean, yeah. They did a little bit of everything, depending on how they were equipped. Had a really nice cutter suite onboard. Systems intrusion, I mean. Hellbreakers were made to be unstoppable in a couple of different ways. Should have been trivial for one to just steal a ship at the time, military or otherwise, and then just fuck off to wherever.¡± His head tilted towards the paused video as he gave Carbon a sidelong glance. ¡°Like this guy, I assume?¡±


    She could share this with him. He was her husband, one of the few she truly trusted. It was ultimately about his health, as well. Carbon took a breath and allowed herself to relax that urge to guard everything too closely. ¡°Yes, but he - the ship registration says his name is John Smithee - was alive only a few years ago.¡±


    Alex made a very unbecoming sound of amusement, a tight laugh channeled through his nose. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s the fakest name possible. Lots of folks would just use John Smith, but Smithee really kicks it up a notch. Must be a movie fan. Was he wearing that armor all the time? I can¡¯t imagine it¡¯s hard to get reproductions given their ubiquity in war movies.¡±


    ¡°No, it is real, this was the only time he put it on, and he seemed very upset about donning it.¡± Then he killed himself immediately afterwards, so clearly had a reason to be upset. Carbon closed that file and went back to whoever this was claiming to be John Smithee standing in on the bridge. ¡°He was clearly fully modified as you described.¡±


    ¡°Huh, so he is.¡± Alex leaned in and watched him jack into the pilot¡¯s console. ¡°The ship is a KMG, pretty new marque. Well. It¡¯s a rebrand of the Kershaw-Massey Group after they had a string of motor detonations, but they only started production with that name, uh... it was after I was born. Had a reputation for making cheap junk, so I never paid that much attention to them.¡±


    The idea the Confederation would let companies that had manufactured several exploding motors continue making ¡®cheap junk¡¯ space ships, and that they hid it with an almost transparent name change, was mind boggling. At the same time, so very Human. She had been to a museum that was mostly about their utter lack of self preservation when it came to exploration. Delightful. None of them would ever set foot on another Human made ship without her having vetted it first. ¡°So it is possible that he was actually one of these Hellbreakers?¡±


    ¡°I guess, if he put himself in cryo for sixty years. Flew too close to a black hole, maybe.¡± He shook his head, then leaned back and shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m having a little trouble reconciling this, though. He should be dead, but he clearly didn¡¯t bother doing that.¡±


    ¡°He does kill himself, actually. That is what startled me.¡± Carbon¡¯s jaw tightened as she thought about swallowing the full truth of why she was reviewing this. It would be so simple to hide another thing, one more among the piles of secrets she already carried. That was not the relationship she wanted. ¡°I had been afraid that whoever had been using the same interface needles you needed had an Amp as well, and it had caused him to have problems so severe that he had begun mutilating himself. I am sure that this is not the case, now.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, that... that¡¯s fucked up. I¡¯m sorry you had to see that.¡± He reached over and wrapped his arms around her, practically pulling her off the chair as he drew her into a hug. ¡°I know it¡¯s anecdotal, but modern Amps are very safe. One of my teachers in the program had an original Amp, from before they started the mark revisions. Same piece of hardware for fifty years, guy was sharp as a tack. Heck, you met Ed. He¡¯s had his longer than I¡¯ve been alive.¡±


    ¡°I did not want to let some risk that you might-¡± She clammed up for a moment, a wave of fear that he¡¯d end up like not-John rising once again. Carbon leaned against him, the lack of insulating fur on him meant she felt his body heat faster than she would from another Tsla¡¯o. It calmed her down, a little. ¡°I do not like that your body is compromised by machines, and the idea that they might cause you harm in any way is... I will not allow that. It cannot come to pass. I do admit that it is good there is evidence yours is safe, and I take that into my considerations.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re in the best position to spot it if something happens.¡± He patted her back and let the embrace linger, chin resting on her head.


    ¡°I am.¡± That was true. She linked with him fairly frequently, and would continue to do so as an entwined pair. Brain damage and cognitive problems would become clear in the link well before they did face to face. ¡°I will be vigilant.¡±


    ¡°I know you will.¡± He kissed her head and released her, standing to go rummage through the stasis store. ¡°Anyone else want more dumplings?¡±


    ¡°No, thank you.¡± This had been far more eventful than she had expected it to be, but at least she had closure on this new fear. She closed down the tablet and unplugged everything, then moved the grotesque skull Codex from the interface. ¡°Neya... My tablet does not belong in the junk drawer.¡±


    ¡°I would like some, please.¡± She turned her gaze to Carbon and gave her a disrespectful flick of her fingers. ¡°If it causes you to be up in the middle of the night, waking everyone else up yelling about some horrors you did not have to subject yourself to, then it does belong in the junk drawer. Actually. It belongs in the recycler.¡±


    Carbon hadn¡¯t expected such a sharp rebuttal, and was momentarily stunned. ¡°That- ah, that is not what I meant. Just that-¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right, you woke us up because you needed to do all this in secret and ended up watching a guy commit suicide.¡± Alex set the last metal steamer tray down in the middle of the table and pulled the lid off. He immediately reached in to pluck one of them out, the purple and orange filling visible through the clear wrapper, and popped it into his mouth before sitting down again. ¡°That¡¯s fucked up and that tablet is going in the bin.¡±


    ¡°I was not doing this in secret.¡± She had been, of course, but she was having this little lie as a treat because hiding personal things was a reflex for her. Carbon closed her eyes and grumbled in frustration with herself. ¡°I was doing it in secret. I did not want to bring a concern to you unless I had evidence, particularly with everything that had been going on. I had to verify it for myself first.¡±


    ¡°Fair.¡± He reached for another dumpling, not really paying attention to which one he picked this time. ¡°Explains why you left all that out when I asked about it earlier, too. You should have brought me in though. It is about my health, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡± She folded her arms on the table and set her chin on them, very carefully not looking at anyone right now while she felt foolish for this entire endeavor. The desire to keep everything slotted into neat containers where they would not come in contact with each other unless she allowed it had brought her to a place that, in retrospect, felt incredibly stupid. She should have trusted her husband to take her concerns seriously.


    ¡°You know who else cares about my health?¡± Alex said around a mouthful of dumpling.


    ¡°You do.¡± Carbon mumbled in return.


    ¡°I was going to say Neya...¡± He had that sly grin she usually found endearing in his voice, and Neya chuckled quietly across the table. ¡°I suppose I do too. So, I appreciate your concern about my well being. Please get me involved next time. We can get traumatized together.¡±


    She almost cracked a smile. There was a moment where it felt close, at least, but she wanted to stay mad at herself for a while longer. ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He reached over and patted her shoulder. ¡°Nice outfit, by the way. Shorts are a really good look for you.¡±


    That derailed her pity party, ears pressed low as a blush heated her cheeks. ¡°Uh- I- Just wanted something-¡±


    ¡°Oh, finally someone is wearing them.¡± Neya blurted out, leaning down to look under the table. She hummed an appreciative note before popping back up with a smile that went from ear to ear. ¡°A bit provocative to be seen out and about in, but... It is a good look.¡±

 Fitness

    ¡°It is good to see you again, Prince. If it is not too bold of me to ask, when might I have the honor of having you as a patient?¡± Tanoya Kasia bowed and addressed him with a particularly formal sounding lilt in her voice as she had last time he¡¯d come down to her office to pick up Neya. She had the same blue fur as Carbon¡¯s mother, and dressed like she did physical work - a largely unadorned green vest rather than the decorated jackets Alex was used to seeing on a lot of folks who were in contact with nobility.


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t, uh, really thought about it. Probably not.¡± It sounded more like a question when he said it, which hadn¡¯t been intentional but he wasn¡¯t sure why she asked him that. Seemed like it was earnest, at least. ¡°Thank you for inquiring, though.¡±


    ¡°If you do change your mind, I will find time for someone so prestigious.¡± She bowed, and returned to her office.


    ¡°That¡¯s weird.¡± He said mostly to himself as he and Neya departed the currently empty waiting room. Carbon had been dropping Neya off at her appointments, and in turn he had picked her up. They trusted her to actually go to them, but it was more about the act of actually being there as support, the time taken from their day specifically for her. Making good on their promises.


    ¡°Is it?¡± Neya sounded absolutely incredulous as the door closed behind them, turning towards the maglev.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Why would he need to talk to a therapist? Things were a little rough, but the last week had quieted down a lot. Those seven days had been almost idyllic. Of course there was new work to be done - he was dressed in a portion of the military uniform that had been fitted to him right now, as a matter of fact. He had a PT session with his squad after Neya was dropped off. Gray pants with nearly as many pockets as the CPP flight uniform, and plain black boots that were far more comfortable than the dress pair that had tried to destroy his legs.


    They¡¯d even gotten him a t-shirt made of something with an absurd moisture wicking capability, almost too cold to wear while not physically active. ¡°I mean, I guess I am kind of having a hard time with the whole nobility thing. All the titles and stuff.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious? That is it? Oh, these titles are difficult?¡± She turned to look at him, violet eyes wide with disbelief as she continued with a distinctly sarcastic tone. ¡°Not something more like: I have almost died a lot in the last year, once to a violent assault, immediately after a different violent assault? The other to when the ship I was piloting was shot down and I had large portions of my body burnt off?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Had he actually forgotten about those? No, it was easier to just put it out of his mind so he didn¡¯t have to deal with it, pretend that all of that never happened and nothing bad could come of it. Not even the shootdown and the weeks he spent having a lot of his body rebuilt had come to mind, and that was how his relationship with Carbon actually started. Upon even a moment''s reflection, it didn¡¯t seem particularly healthy. ¡°When you bring that up, that uhm... Yeah maybe.¡±


    The discussion about his probably dangerous coping mechanism in the face of violence and situations he couldn¡¯t control fell to the side as they approached the station, rather personal things that no one else seemed to discuss when riding the maglev. Not that many other people had assassination attempts to talk about. Neya switched to his schedule. ¡°You have your training session after this, but you seem to be prepared for that already.¡± Their timing was impeccable today, a train pulling in just as they did.


    ¡°Yep, ready to go. If the time looks good I might just jog over to the gym, get a little warm up. That¡¯s not too weird, right? Pretty sure the path doesn¡¯t lead through any of the public areas.¡± He had been issued a squad, which was twelve soldiers total for the Empire¡¯s military. They would be filling a role as his personal security detail rather than be expected to deploy as an actual fighting force. He had only met them yesterday and forgotten pretty much all their names except for the one he was already familiar with - Specialist Amalu had been attached to the team due to previous experience with Humans.


    ¡°Everything you do will be weird because it is a Human doing it, but I do not think it is excessively strange in this case. You will be dressed appropriately for such things, this is a military vessel.¡± She stepped aboard, standing beside him as the train departed. ¡°As long as you are not jogging through command areas, it will likely be ignored.¡±


    ¡°I can avoid those.¡± He hadn¡¯t been to the bridge yet, or Eleya¡¯s war room, or even the flight command deck. He had toured a lot of the support operations though, the most boring day-to-day stuff that they could muster up so Intel had copious amounts of real ARGUS data they could splice with the fake data they were manufacturing. There had been a full two hour long visit to the hatchery where they grew all the bugs that the Tsla¡¯o liked eating.


    Forest spiders were surprisingly docile if you were careful with them, rather more like coconut crabs without the claws than actual spiders. With a gentle touch, you could just pick them up and stick them to pretty much any surface - walls, arms, top of the head - and they¡¯d stay out there without a fuss.


    He desperately hoped someone reviewing the files would be arachnophobic. It was mean, but also fuck them.


    They rode the rest of the way in silence - this was pretty standard on the maglev, the polite thing to do was not chat when it was underway, or to do so very quietly if you must, and Alex waited until they were back out of the station before he spoke again. ¡°So yeah, guess I¡¯ll be talking to Tanoya too. She¡¯s going to have a hat trick.¡±


    Neya gave him a sidelong glance, that faint hint of annoyance that Carbon got when he used a particularly impenetrable Human idiom echoed in her features. ¡°I will set up the appointment.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She hadn¡¯t handled too much for him in the way of getting appointments and what have you set up yet - he was railroaded into most everything by Imperial Intelligence right now - but the fact he could just ask her to do something and she would was so unreasonably handy that he was worried he¡¯d end up dependent on it.


    ¡°Of course.¡± She leaned into the scanner on the door and waited for it to retract, the short walk from the station done already. She bowed, a little smirk hidden on the corner of her mouth as she stepped into the foyer. ¡°Be well, Alex. Do not enjoy your training too much.¡±


    ¡°Hah, right. I suspect I won¡¯t.¡± He gave her a very short bow back, as was appropriate in the situation despite that little dig. The last outing to get himself back into the swing of physical exercise had felt a bit brutal after a long period of not having done any significant training, and he had complained about it all day afterwards. It was his stupid idea that doing training would help with unit cohesion, so Alex couldn¡¯t even blame someone else. He had bristled at the idea that he¡¯d have soldiers and just enjoy an easy life while they were expected to die for him, particularly as someone who didn¡¯t have the same cachet as Carbon. Putting in some effort while he got to know these folks felt appropriate.


    Alex waited until the door was closed, shook his limbs out, and turned the ARGUS back on. Now recording the whole world around him, he popped the little Tsla¡¯o communicator out of his pocket, turned his visual translation on, and figured out the path to the forward ¡®athletic center¡¯ and started his jog. It was 30 minutes away, by Tsla¡¯o reckoning, but the map assumed you would be walking casually with your great grandparents.


    He knocked it out in twenty, and wasn¡¯t even gassed when he shut the ARGUS off and scanned into the gym. Early, but better to be punctual with the military. The entryway split off into a variety of directions, the main door being the equipment room where they kept all the exercise machines. The co-ed locker room off to the right, some other aerobic and physio related stuff down a hallway to the left.


    Zenshen was there already, which was convenient, and dressed in the same manner as Alex. Though she wore a more traditional looking tank top in place of his t-shirt. ¡°Hey sarge, what do we have on the program for today?¡±


    ¡°Prince.¡± She addressed him in English with a nod, whipping out a larger tablet. ¡°You¡¯ll be doing the physical intake assessment, so we know where you are. Takes an hour and some. Bonus, you have a sparring session with Master Tenaha after that. Probably the most experienced hand-to-hand fighter on board, he was actually very interested in seeing what Human martial arts look like.¡±


    ¡°He knows I¡¯m not really a martial artist though, right? I just trained with a version of the MACS.¡± The Confed¡¯s Military Arms Combined Style was a hybrid of who knows how many martial arts, for when you were in punching range of somebody that you did not want to be a threat anymore. They had pared it down to empty fist and improvised weapons for non-military Pilots such as himself, not bothering with specific knife or gun training because they shouldn¡¯t have had them on the ship... not that Carbon had been notified. The half a year he¡¯d spent training to box as a teen likely didn¡¯t count anymore. ¡°Technically I¡¯m second Dan in it, but I have no idea how that would translate.¡±


    ¡°The first spar is always to allow the master to determine where the student¡¯s skill level lies, so it will be determined then.¡± She shrugged and gestured for him to follow her into the main equipment room. The two story tall area had the strongest AC on the ship, giving the room a gentle cold breeze. It was mostly empty at the moment save for a couple of treadmills in use and one guy doing squats. ¡°You want to get started now or wait for team one to show up? Two hasn¡¯t officially been transferred yet, so it¡¯s just them.¡±


    There were two rows of pretty standard cardio exercise equipment, just scaled to fit Tsla¡¯o physiology. The back wall was entirely weights and their related systems. It was still a surprise how much of this equipment he recognized right off the bat, like the treadmill and ellipticals, recumbent bikes, cage systems and what was clearly a Smith machine. Convergence in one of the places he had least expected it. ¡°Hell, might as well get started. What¡¯s first?¡±


    ¡°Opening run is twenty five ke- It¡¯s about... five kilometers. Twenty five trips around the running track, or an equal amount on one of the machines.¡± She fished a small device out of her pocket and tapped it to the tablet in her hand, then stuck it on his shirt over his heart. ¡°Not sure if the vitals scan will work on a Human, but it¡¯ll still track times. Tap once to start, once to mark the lap, and hold down till it beeps to finish. This isn¡¯t a speed thing, it¡¯s about finding out where you are in regards to endurance and consistency. Pick a pace you can maintain, don¡¯t overdo it.¡±


    He should have taken the maglev. ¡°Track is next floor up, right?¡± Alex had never tolerated stationary running unless there was something to watch, and he didn¡¯t really have anything right now. Being a military qualification he expected that would be forbidden anyway.


    ¡°Yup. I¡¯ll keep the crew in here for now, find me when you¡¯re done.¡±


    He gave her a nod and traipsed up the stairs. The track was empty, lined for five lanes and a sort of red dirt color, the walls covered in a sort of generic pastoral mural. The track material was a little springy under foot as he stepped up to the starting line and tapped the timer stuck to his chest. It beeped quietly and off he went.


    He didn¡¯t really push it, keeping what Stana had said in mind about this being more about consistency than speed. It checked out for him - soldiers had to get around, and there was no guarantee they¡¯d have vehicles or boosted armor to do so. He did increase the pace from the light jog on the way over, though..


    The mural gave him something to look at as he circled the track, and the subtle alien-ness of it started to sink in. Grasses were a mix of green and blue, with the occasional orange stalk shooting up, and purple-red trees in the distance made it clear this was Schon, back before the cataclysm. The sky was still blue, the snow on the mountains in the far background still white. It would have been a nice place to visit, to see sights like that.


    He set that depressing thought aside and focused on his run, and then on other tasks to keep his mind from wandering back. Pondered the next report for ONI. Alex had actually been doing the ONI job he officially knew about. Wrote up a nice, fairly accurate report about some of the more surface level ins and outs of Tsla¡¯o society, and sent it along to the Admiral like a dutiful employee who was totally unaware of what they did to him.


    Maybe the next one would be about food traditions. He¡¯d been learning a lot about them over dinner recently, which was more padding for ARGUS. They were going to learn so much about Tsla¡¯o condiments, and most of it would be real. He was going to tell the story about how he drank the eketa like it was a beverage so many times.


    The thought was funny, yes, but he was already starting to feel the familiar burn of exertion in his muscles and smirked at that thought briefly. Only twelve laps to go.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    He was actually pretty worn out when he finished, stomping down the stairs slowly and drenched in sweat. His shirt was positively chilly, though. Didn¡¯t take long to spot his team, down at the end of the row pumping iron. The Sergeant, Amalau, the woman whose name isn¡¯t Kenneth but sounded like it, and... and the rest. He¡¯d get there. He had a roster, he would practice them all tonight.


    Right now all he was getting was salutes. It was easy to spot him. ¡°At ease, carry on.¡± Half of them were wearing wireless to translate. Everyone figured it out quickly and they all went back to what they were doing, except Sergeant Zenshen, who started running him through the rest of the intake assessment.


    The main takeaway was that he wasn¡¯t too out of shape but actually had been skipping leg day. Pull ups were all right, same with sit-ups. Various lifts with a bar weighted to around 20 kilos was a little taxing, yes. Dragging a load to simulate moving an injured soldier - in this case they had made Not-Kenneth be the weight as she was the tallest of them - that one worked muscles he wasn¡¯t exactly aware of. Squats, which were a form of divine punishment, box jumps, and then pushups rounded things out.


    Then he got to cap it off with another run. Same distance, same intent, but his body was already feeling all that other exertion now.


    ¡°Okay. Whoev- Whoever came up with this was a sadist.¡± Alex¡¯s heart pounded in his chest, lungs burning, icy dread clutching at his mind as each breath felt like it wasn¡¯t bringing in enough air. He rested his hands on his knees, panting and dripping sweat onto the track before leaning against the wall and sliding down to sit. He had adapted to it pretty well, but the doctor who installed his translator had been right: exercise was more difficult with implants crowding his organs.


    The Sergeant bounded up the stairs a minute later, a little bit of worry in her voice. ¡°You all right? Sensor said you stopped moving.¡±


    ¡°Yeh, jus fine.¡± He waved her away, still very much out of breath but not exactly needing medical help.


    ¡°Alright.¡± She pulled up the tablet and checked his time. ¡°Huh. You actually beat the first run. By fifteen seconds, but you beat it.¡±


    ¡°Fuckin... Hell yeah.¡± He pushed himself up and wiped the stinging sweat from his eyes. He hadn¡¯t intended to do that. Being worn out before starting might have helped in that he wasn¡¯t focused on anything at all except just pushing through to finish it.


    Zenshen gave an affirmative grunt as she signed the file with a fingertip. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to see how you do in a combat load.¡±


    He managed a weak laugh and pushed off the way, walking a little to keep his legs from cramping. He plucked the sensor off his shirt and handed it back to the Sergeant. ¡°Oh, that sounds fun.¡±


    She took it delicately with two fingers, the little device still wet with sweat, and crammed it into the pocket furthest down her pants. ¡°Armorer should have your first line finished in a couple of days.¡± That was the load bearing and armor layer of personal equipment for them. You could wear just about anything under it.


    When he had first learned they were making him a set of combat gear in addition to the royal formal armor, he had earnestly considered popping into the ship¡¯s armory and telling them to take all the time they needed getting that custom armor finished up. Want to make sure the regulars are all properly equipped before he is. Wink, nod. Of course reality set in a few seconds later to ruin that plan: everyone else would be able to use off the shelf equipment. ¡°How long do I have until the appointment with Tenaha for sparring?¡±


    ¡°About fifteen minutes.¡± She tossed him a towel and a pod of water from a nook by the stairs and started down. ¡°He¡¯s already in the first fighting court, over past the ball courts.¡±


    He chugged the water and tossed the weirdly rounded pod into the recycler before drying his head off as they walked down the stairs. ¡°Level with me about this guy. Is he a real fighter or is this more like a character building martial art? He¡¯s not going to hit me with pretend energy blasts and expect me to fall down, right?¡± Alex had seen all three, though the last one had only been in videos online.


    ¡°Master Tenaha is a practitioner of Tsheno. He has won several tournaments, and is at least the most experienced, if not the best fighter alive right now. It is a real martial art, there is physical contact though sparring with a novice is not done at full speed. If you can keep up with him... I will be surprised.¡± She watched him and shrugged, lips pursed. She didn¡¯t mean to offend, he was just a much more accomplished fighter than Alex. ¡°But you are here to learn.¡±


    ¡°That I am.¡± First squad was down on the equipment floor, still way in the back toiling away at what appeared to be leg day forever. Well, this was supposed to be a bonding experience or something, and he¡¯d mostly been doing his own thing the whole time. ¡°Hey! You guys want to come watch me get my ass kicked? I¡¯m gonna be sparring with a Tsheno master so he¡¯s probably going to wipe the floor with me.¡±


    The six of them conferred with each other for a moment, looking a bit wary of how he had phrased that before Amalu shouted back, ¡°yes. We will put the equipment up first.¡±


    ¡°We will be in sparring court 1.¡± Sergeant Zenshen yelled down at them in Tsla before switching back to English as she headed to the door. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t take them long.¡±


    He followed her out. ¡°Gotta say, I am a little surprised they agreed.¡±


    ¡°Everybody likes watching their boss get tossed around.¡± She said with a laugh, turning down the left hallway. ¡°Hasn¡¯t been an exhibition match in awhile, and I know a lot of our guys are curious about what Human martial arts look like, not just Tenaha.


    ¡°Shoot, all right.¡± He mentally reviewed his MACS training, and reflected on footwork he learned from boxing. He was fine at it, but it should at least be interesting for someone with different legs. Even if he was getting his ass kicked.


    They walked down past a lot of other doors, even turned down a side hall before Stana hit the controls and they stepped inside. It wasn¡¯t a particularly big room, but it was long. At least thirty meters deep, but only ten meters wide and half as tall. There were three rings painted on the floor, with one light source over the middle of each one illuminating just the space for sparring. She stuck to the shadows and he followed her, noting that there was also seating along both walls, a few rows of elevated benches.


    In the furthest ring sat one very old Tsla¡¯o.


    Alex assumed this was Master Tenaha. His head and arms were nearly solid silver, only a few patches of dark blue still showing and he seemed to almost be swallowed up by his training uniform. He was motionless, hands folded in his lap and eyes closed. Meditating, or asleep? Either way, Alex was reasonably sure he had never seen another Tsla¡¯o that old, or in this case, elderly. He leaned over to Zenshen and dropped his voice. ¡°Is that him?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She glanced over at the master and spoke quietly to Alex. ¡°I do need to warn you to be careful.¡±


    ¡°Right, I¡¯ve seen this movie before. I go ¡®hur-dur old man, better watch out!¡¯ and then he smashes me into the ground with his pinky.¡± He hooked his little finger in the air and flipped his hand over to demonstrate what was about to happen to his face.


    ¡°No.¡± She shook her head, then reconsidered. ¡°Eh, yes, that as well. What I was going to warn you about is that he sprained his left ankle last week and you should avoid striking it. Exploiting an injury may be acceptable while fighting in competition, and preferred when fighting for your life, but in training it is detestable.¡±


    ¡°Oh, all right. That¡¯s fair.¡± He tossed her the towel and stretched arms briefly, loosening them up for the beating he was about to take.


    ¡°Stand at the edge of the ring, introduce yourself, thank him for sparring with you. He¡¯ll reply in the affirmative and then you step in. Starting position is halfway between the bounds and the center.¡± She dumped his towel directly into a recycler before taking a seat at the top row, sprawling out over one of the benches and setting back to work on her tablet.


    Alex¡¯s grasp of Tsla had improved, but only in a general sense. He knew three ways to order tea now. So he formulated a very formal sounding greeting and read the results back in a slow, almost passable Tsla to make it look like he was slightly more competent. ¡°Master Tenaha?¡±


    He stirred, eyes opening and regarding Alex. He nodded and stood, limbs unfolding with a spry grace that belied his age.


    ¡°I am Crown Prince Alex Sorenson. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to spar with you.¡± This would someday get him in trouble, but he just didn¡¯t want to look stupid.


    ¡°Please, take your position.¡± He gestured to the green mat in front of him, a thin line marking where opponents stood.


    Alex stepped up and toed the line, mirroring Tenaha¡¯s relaxed posture. The master bowed back to Alex, who matched that motion as well. When he returned to standing, he leaned over, looking past Alex, eyebrows creased with annoyance as footsteps jogged towards them.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s-¡± He started in English, catching himself and prepping a ridiculously short phrase in Tsla. ¡°My soldiers.¡±


    ¡°There. That one.¡± It was an older female voice he didn¡¯t know, commanding. Not one of his soldiers. Someone grabbed his shirt at the shoulder and yanked him around before he could actually look, a fist making contact with his cheek. Alex grunted and adrenaline spiked in his system. The blow was more surprising than painful. It hadn¡¯t been a very good punch, no real follow through. Still, the inside of his cheek was cut on his teeth, the coppery taste of blood coating his tongue.


    This kind of made sense. The ability to engage an unexpected attacker was important. Clever that they¡¯d just throw him into it, too.


    He leaned into his MACS training. With his height advantage, it was easy to sweep his elbow over his attacker¡¯s arm as he continued rotating the direction he had been pulled, making solid contact with his attacker¡¯s face. Alex threaded his hand down, pulling his assailant¡¯s arm against his ribcage and locking it there. He found himself face to face with someone who was definitely not a soldier. He was clad in an ornate red jacket, and a bit out of shape - it was the first time he¡¯d seen a Tsla¡¯o with jowls.


    This guy was pissed, though. The anger on his face was unmistakable, hate burning in his eyes.


    Alex took a second to reassess the situation. Going by the cut and decoration of his clothing, he was fairly important. He had brought friends, too, a couple more people moving towards them in the shadows. That¡¯s when he got punched in the jaw again. This wasn¡¯t part of his training.


    He was ready for a fight this time. MACS training was for dealing with hostile humans, learning how to beat the living shit out of people as quickly and brutally as possible to dissuade them from wanting to continue. There were a number of differences between the two races, but there were lots of things he could count on being the same.


    Alex feinted and twisted away, a quick jab aimed at his assailants throat. This guy had no idea what he was doing, had no guard and was off his balance already. So it was very easy for Alex to grab his head and knee him in the face a few times. Something in there gave way with a dull wet crack.


    The male collapsed with a keening whine, cradling his face. Alex was about to stomp on him a few times to ensure he stayed down, but there was a bigger problem right now, a gleaming silver streak smashing into the side of his face.


    There was a moment of time gone here. A fraction of a second that no longer existed where he had fallen to his knees, his mouth now filled with shattered teeth and copious amounts of blood. A lot of shouting had started going on around him, and Alex got his arms up just in time to block the second blow that came a moment later, what was clearly a cane being used as a mace, the heavy metal head crushing the muscle and cracking the bone in his left arm. Alex lined himself up with the old male wielding it and spit in his face, as much to clear his mouth as to throw his attacker off.


    It worked. The older Tsla¡¯o was horrified by the sudden gift of blood and teeth, taking a step back rather than keeping himself concerned with the fight he was part of. He never saw Tenaha coming, the elderly male stepping up and decking him with what looked a lot like a right cross.


    That seemed to work well enough as the second assailant bounced once and laid still. Sergeant Zenshen was up, a pistol out and shouting at the rest of the group that these two had come from to stand down. Where the Sargent had gotten the gun from, he didn¡¯t know. She wasn¡¯t even wearing a belt.


    Tenaha offered him a hand up. Still reeling from that blow to his jaw, Alex accepted. He retrieved the cane, its faceted metal handle glittering under the bright light. It really did look like a mace, and felt heavy enough for that likeness to be intentional. He surveyed the group, two more males and a female... No, a Zeshen. The same pale violet fur as Neya, the same amethyst irises.


    The similarities ended there. She was much more lean and there was no gentleness in her eyes. The jacket she wore was cut nearly as low as the ones Alex was supposed to wear, in a very rich shade of red... The dense brocade cloth belonged to someone roughly as important as him. Alex stepped towards them, the cane dangling loosely from his hand like the mace it had been used as.


    ¡°Alex. What are you doing?¡± The Sergeant clearly did not want him to get that close.


    ¡°I got this...¡± He was distracted by the sigil this one wore, ignoring the total disdain in her gaze. No, no. He was playing their games right now. The jacket said it was his gaze, so it would be. The Zeshen straightened up as Alex stopped in front of him to investigate the symbol, stooping a little and dripping blood onto the mats. A sword hidden in the sunrise over a planet, surrounded by a gear-star. Alex had seen this before and he knew who the Zeshen was representing.


    ¡°You know.¡± If that¡¯s really how he wanted things to be, Alex would play along. His lips twisted into a malign, bloody grin, adrenaline in his system still muting the pain he was going to be feeling as he met the Zeshen¡¯s gaze. ¡°I had really hoped we¡¯d meet under more pleasant circumstances, dad.¡±

 Kin

    Alex paced back and forth across the confines of the elevator, the cane he had appropriated clicking in time with his steps. Things had gone as well as could be expected since the fight. The two that had attacked him were being taken to sickbay, one with what amounted to a badly broken nose, the other with his eye swollen shut. Once released, they would be reunited in the brig with the two that had stayed with his father-in-law¡¯s Zeshen. Dear old ¡°dad¡± was flanked by Alex¡¯s soldiers in the back of the lift.


    He had a couple of hairline fractures, some missing teeth, and a smashed up face. Maybe a TBI, but the medic said there wasn¡¯t any swelling inside his skull. Not bad for having intercepted a mace with his jaw.


    He wasn¡¯t sure about a lot of things right now, most of them pertaining to this stand-in for Carbon¡¯s father. Alex didn¡¯t even know his name, let alone how he should actually deal with the Zeshen that was representing him. He knew the basics, but it was still pretending they were who they represented as far as he was concerned. He understood that there appeared to be much more to it than that, but it wasn¡¯t making a connection in his head. He knew who would know more, though.


    He stopped pacing and held his breath, then tipped his head back to very carefully swallow before he started drooling on himself again. The cut and badly swollen cheek, cracked jaw, and half a dozen stumps and empty sockets where his molars used to be filled his face with an unreasonable amount of pain. Alex was particularly careful not to grind his remaining teeth together as he liked to do when he was feeling agitated, and he really wanted to do that right now.


    The elevator chimed and the lift opened into the Eleya¡¯s opulent waiting room. The entrance to her bedroom was open, the translucent forms of her personal guards holding the heavy doors for them. Most important to him right now was the large Human medical kit Alex had requested be brought up currently resting in Tashen¡¯s arms.


    Alex wasted no time. He waved for his team to follow as he stepped off the elevator and picked up the medkit from a visibly startled Tashen with a nod, then stormed into Eleya¡¯s inner sanctum like he owned the place.


    ¡°You will not believe who showed up.¡± He slurred at her as he set the cane and kit on her bed and ripped the seal open. It was packed full of top shelf medical gear, enough for several people who had been through very traumatic events. He plucked the vitals node out first and pulled his shirt up to stick it to his chest over his heart, then fired up the scanner that would direct the nanites he was about to start injecting into himself. While that was syncing, he grabbed the cigar-sized tissue regenerator out and jammed it into his mouth like a toothbrush, holding the activation button down with his front teeth.


    ¡°I will believe a great deal when it appears before my eyes.¡± She was expecting them, of course, sitting in her chair and sipping a drink. Eleya hardly gave him a glance before she turned to her guard and the two soldiers that had come in with Alex, gesturing for them to leave. This was private business, and none of them ignored her order.


    Dad got right down to it, amethyst eyes hard as she looked to Alex with palpable disgust before turning to Eleya, voice strong and righteous. ¡°Sister, you must rescind what you have done. Return my daughter¡¯s rightful name, send this animal away and-¡±


    ¡°Hey, fuck you.¡± Alex said around the regenerator as he finished loading a magazine of injections into a hypo. His eyes darted over to Eleya as he pressed it to his damaged arm and squeezed the trigger, the gun-like device automatically pumping synthetic plasma and medigel into his bloodstream, then kicking the empty cartridges onto the floor at his feet. ¡°Fuck him, am I right?¡±


    That just got him a glare from both parties. Eleya turned towards him a little further than she had to so that Pops couldn¡¯t see a hint of a smirk curling the corner of her mouth.


    ¡°You must do what is right for all Tsla¡¯o, Eleya. This Human must be removed, and the royal lineage must be made whole again.¡± The righteousness Dad¡¯s Zeshen had started with seemed to swell as she continued, ramping up to a fever pitch with startling speed. ¡°The throne cannot be tainted in this way! My daughter cannot be tainted in this way! I will not let you bring about the downfall of our people!¡±


    Alex didn¡¯t say a damn thing, because his first reaction was to blurt out something incredibly crass that he was sure would make this conversation turn violent again very quickly. He slapped a painkiller patch on his arm instead. Really should have done that first.


    Eleya watched the pale lavender female nearly shaking with rage now, eyes as cool as ever and thoroughly unimpressed. ¡°Tell me, dearest Sharadi. You have not gone blind, have you?¡±


    The Zeshen scoffed, purple eyes narrowing. ¡°What stupid question is that? Of course I still see.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Good. Do your ears still hear?¡±


    There was not much patience to be found in dearest Sharadi. ¡°Again, what stupid question is that?¡±


    She set her drink down and stood, smoothing her pale blue jacket before coming face to face with her brother¡¯s proxy. ¡°Then you certainly know how thin a thread ties the Empire together now.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Sharadi threw her hands wide as she stepped up to Eleya like someone who¡¯s known her their whole life might when arguing, demonstrating a total lack of fear of her station. She tapped her chest, a snarl on her lip. ¡°I actually care about our people.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is it so? You are not truly here about them. I am not a fool, Sharadi, and you are as transparent as ever.¡± With that, she plucked the sigil from the Zeshen¡¯s jacket and looked it over.


    Sharadi, or whoever Sharadi was now, gave a start. The volume hadn¡¯t changed but the tone was already different, like a switch had been flipped. Still outraged, but it was aimed directly at Eleya¡¯s actions now. ¡°You cannot do that! The council-¡±


    ¡°The council is ash, Kaleta. All but two of them.¡± She slipped the marker into her pocket and sighed. ¡°They will side with me. This is not a matter of business, this is a matter of family.¡±


    ¡°It is about the whole of our race, Empress.¡± As she continued to cool down, Kaleta seemed strikingly different from Sharadi. Her mannerisms became less bombastic, movements subtle as she continued the conversation as herself. The anger was entirely gone, replaced by a strong voice that seemed legitimately concerned. ¡°Surely, you must see that.¡±


    ¡°It may be so for you, but he is delusional. ¡®My daughter cannot be tainted in this way?¡¯ Just as the throne cannot? Truly, is she a concept to him now, a mere abstraction? Or does he actually think her furniture that he might rearrange?¡± Eleya clicked her tongue with no small amount of scorn. ¡°Tsla¡¯o have never moved quickly by ourselves, Kaleta, with rare exceptions. You know this. We will fade and die unless a breath kindles the embers of our fire. While the source of that may not be agreeable to everyone...¡± She gave Alex a sidelong glance. ¡°It needs to be strong and true.¡±


    Kaleta was unconvinced. She shook her head, ears pressed low. ¡°He is an outsider, a Human! He cannot be like us.¡±


    ¡°You see far, but you have not traveled a step. You know that Carbon has never followed a traditional path, she was not destined to. Her parents wrote it on her birth certificate, signed it to her soul as a guarantee when they chose her name, did they not?¡± She lifted her drink with an amused little smirk. ¡°I do not think anyone could make her follow such a path now. She has grown far too bold for that, and needs a balance that I am not sure our kind can provide.¡±


    Kaleta considered that for a very long time as Alex once again held his tongue, running the medical scanner over his injuries to monitor their progress instead. Carbon had clearly been happy with Neya, but they were still on the research phase of ¡®find out how people react to Carbon being involved with Neya¡¯ and he was not about to drop that nugget in front of another Zeshen or Eleya. Certainly not after she just talked him up so much even if he didn¡¯t quite understand how he was supposed to work with the ember metaphor. While things were clearly hard, he hadn¡¯t gotten the impression that they were in truly dire straits. And what exactly was he kindling? Was it just trust in Humanity or was there some other plan in motion here?


    When Kaleta spoke again she was recalcitrant, somber. ¡°We may disagree on some points, but you provide an interesting view as always.¡±


    ¡°It is necessary for my station.¡± Eleya smiled and spread her arms, drawing Kaleta up into a hug. ¡°It has been too long since we have spoken.¡±


    Kaleta hugged her back, sheepish. ¡°It has. The outer colonies have been very busy lately, as you know.¡±


    ¡°I have heard about it, yes. That was the last time we spoke.¡± She laughed softly and clasped her hands around Kaleta''s. ¡°Please, give what I have said some thought. You may provide my brother with wisdom that he will not take from me.¡±


    She nodded, head dipping low. ¡°By your sight.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± The smile faded, Eleya just weary again. ¡°You know I must ask. What were you thinking, attacking the Prince? It is your right to decline actions like that.¡±


    ¡°Sharadi is a very charismatic person, I am sure you are aware. While on the way here, he... fomented a significant amount of anger at the- the Prince. Among his friends on board, and yes, with me as well.¡± She slipped her hands from Eleya¡¯s and worried them together, now avoiding the Empress¡¯ eyes. ¡°We became swept up in his crusade, and I took his place as their command at his request.¡±


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Alex was now quite aware that Kaleta hadn¡¯t looked at him once since the sigil had come off her jacket. Not even some side-eye! He found that a little rude, and curious as well.


    ¡°I would disagree about him being charismatic.¡± There was a subtle shift in Eleya in response to the Zeshen¡¯s withdrawal, a sharpness resolving in her eye. ¡°I see trouble in you, Kaleta. Do not worry - I have not forgotten the way. You acted as Sharadi, these are his crimes. A complete stranger could have walked in here with the Prince and I would have known they carried him from the very first thing said.¡±


    ¡°That is not why I worry. He- When he found out that Carbon had returned, that the Sword of the Morning Light was on its way, he offered his yacht but did not wish to go himself. I said that I should go in his stead. I carry him. I carry Nova and even Erai to an extent, may they find peace. I have known Carbon for half her life. I said it had been so long, someone must be there for her. He forbade it. ¡®Eleya is enough.¡¯ If Nova were alive she would have dragged him here, but I am not the same material.¡± She closed her eyes, hands spread. ¡°When his ship was readying to depart, I donned his sigil and it was trivial to convince the flight crew to allow me aboard. He did not notice I was gone for more than a day.¡±


    It took him a moment to realize that they were talking about Carbon¡¯s mother. Nova? He wasn¡¯t sure about the exact dates, but she probably would have been born around when they first made contact. Maybe Human names ran in their family.


    ¡°If Nova were alive she would have beat him senseless for leaving their daughter to me alone, even after all these years.¡± A sad smile crossed her muzzle as she shook her head, a moment of reminiscing passed by. ¡°I do find this disturbing, Kaleta. His reaction to finding that his daughter is married bordered on unhinged, but that he forbid you from visiting her and then used you to command another assassination attempt...¡±


    ¡°Another assassination attempt? Wait- Wait! We did not intend for this to become violent! The plan had been to simply acquire the Human, then use the personal shuttle from the Starbound to return him to Earth.¡± Kaleta panicked a little bit there, apparently unaware of the first time that Tsla¡¯o had tried to kill Alex.


    ¡°There have been security issues. They were dealt with.¡± Her ears shifted down, voice carrying an annoyed rumble. ¡°I have not seen the names involved, but I know who was supposed to be on that ship. Was it Hatae that took point? As well known for his temper as his drinking problems? Was he the one that approached the Prince first, after Sharadi spent a week whipping him up?¡±


    Kaleta let out a nervous little laugh. ¡°It- Yes, he was actually.¡±


    Her jaw flexed and she exhaled slowly, exasperated. ¡°Simply acquire the Prince, with a team of five - at least three having no military experience - on my flagship, with the tip of that knife being a drunk I have seen unsuccessfully fight trees. I hope that I will someday be impressed with the audacity of that, but right now I am closer to furious. I have already sent two of our kind beyond the veil for their attacks on the Prince. He is not so close to death this time and thus will make these decisions for himself. He has demonstrated more lenience than I, so perhaps there is hope for those five yet.¡±


    ¡°I too hope that they will be shown mercy. Sharadi has not- he drowns himself in his work so that he does not have to face the reality of what he has lost. I have tried to redirect him, but he has become vitrified by a sort of terror.¡± She sounded, and looked, earnestly scared about this. The way her antenna pulled down tight against her skull, brow raised and pulled together, she was either an excellent actress or actually afraid for him. ¡°He avoids assistance in nearly everything. It is like an ascetic plucking fur to even get him to link now. Then I abandon him...¡±


    ¡°I see. This is very disturbing, Kaleta. You should have brought his self-destructive behavior to my attention when you first noticed it. There are so many places to draw assistance from, particularly now, even though I do understand the desire to not look at what we have lost.¡± Eleya forced a faint smile onto her lips and shook her head. ¡°Do not blame yourself, and do not consider this abandonment. You have not forsaken him, you made the choice to see after his family when he will not. He will someday regret not having come here to meet Carbon again himself, but you have ensured that he and Nova are here. It is a gift he will appreciate, though I am not sure it is one he deserves.¡±


    That barely settled her. ¡°You do not think that this will be too difficult for him? Between my leaving and your actions to... entwine Carbon, I fear he may be near a breaking point.¡±


    ¡°It will be very difficult for him. But now that I have been notified, I will do my duty as his sister and intervene. He may not want help, but he will be receiving it. He is important to me, and his oversight in the frontier cannot be discarded. I know he can delegate work, I have seen him do it. He must be reminded of that skill.¡± There was a clear determination in her voice now, eyes narrowed slightly as though she were scrutinizing Sharadi across the lightyears that separated them. ¡°You should know, as well, that it was not a capricious mood that caused me to bring the young Prince to the hearth. You should speak to Carbon about him, about her experiences in the last few years. I believe it will be an enlightening experience. Do not neglect Neya, either. She could use more connections with her kind.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Empress. I had hoped to meet with Carbon, and I will be sure to ask as you have indicated.¡± She clasped her hands in front of her and bowed slightly.


    Eleya gestured towards Alex, standing there watching this exchange and monitoring his repairs. ¡°You must speak to the young Prince as well. He is somewhat coarse yet, but he has his charms. If my word is not proof enough, consider that Neya has accepted him.¡±


    Kaleta¡¯s eyes went wide, trying to bug out of her skull as finally looked over at Alex. ¡°Is it so?¡±


    He lifted an eyebrow at that reaction. Despite the change in demeanor, he wasn¡¯t inclined to trust Kaleta. He was still in their home court and would still play their game, even if he would keep a wary eye on her. He put on a big smug grin and stuck out his hand and got his best used ship dealer voice out. ¡°Oh hey, didn¡¯t see you there when I came in. Lord Alex Sorenson, Crown Prince. You may have heard of me.¡±


    Maybe he¡¯d be a shit about it, too.


    She did not know what to do with all of that, looking curiously at his outstretched hand and turning to Eleya for some sort of help.


    It was then that Alex noticed she didn¡¯t have a wireless on. She hadn¡¯t been able to understand a thing he had said. Of course not, why concern yourself with what an animal has to say?


    ¡°As I said, he is unrefined but improving.¡± Eleya pushed his hand down with a grimace. ¡°I wish that you will make yourself comfortable, Kaleta. You may have your choice of quarters and any meetings you desire will be arranged with my decree.¡±


    She registered significant surprise at that. ¡°That is very generous of you, Empress. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°It is the least I can offer you, Kaleta.¡± She gave a very shallow bow. ¡°I believe Tashen should still be present, he will take care of everything.¡±


    Kaleta bowed deeply and left without a bit of trouble. A single cloaked form returned to the room before the doors closed.


    ¡°Captain, a few directives: She is allowed anything she needs, but when she is not in her quarters she will be monitored by a guard. She will not spend a single night-damned heartbeat outside of containment without an eye on her. In addition, all her communications, every word she speaks, will be routed through intel, and have them pull anything related to her comms from the ship. Actually, pull all comms from the ship. Have them send me everything that came from or went to my brother.¡± Eleya seethed as instructions spilled out of her like she had them prepared for some time now. She retrieved her pad from the wet bar and started poking through it.


    ¡°Furthermore, she was not listed on the passenger manifest on the Starbound. I want every molecule of that ship scanned. Everyone who got on it before it left Tsla¡¯o space needs to be accounted for, every last bit of cargo tallied. If a bolt is so much as tightened to the wrong specification, we should know. Have Keru talk to the flight crew about the importance of having everything on their manifest listed accurately and how important that is for the Empire. Tell him to step on their toes as hard as he pleases.¡±


    ¡°So uh, this was unexpected for everyone?¡± Alex enquired. The scanner said his bones were done knitting, and most of the lacerations were healed up. While all those empty sockets where his teeth had been weren¡¯t bleeding, they still hurt a lot. He slapped another pain patch on his other arm. He wasn¡¯t about to climb onto a mediboard for dental work again, not after he had his wisdom teeth pulled by one.


    Eleya let out a frustrated hiss through clenched jaws. ¡°I knew the ship was on its way. Some senators and a few military personnel had not been able to link up with The Sword of the Morning Light before we departed. That my brother volunteered his personal yacht to bring them along. Do you know what really bothers me?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± He had no idea, but was confident that she would explain as she was clearly mid-rant.


    ¡°The Starbound left our space days after The Sword of the Morning Light was in Confederation territory, but before we reached Sol. The first thing Sharadi and his little retinue did when they came on board was go find you for a fight. I think the motivation for that is very clear - as is the timeline of when they had found out about it.¡± She grumbled and tossed the pad onto her bed, picking up her drink in its place.


    ¡°So... She was on her way before he found out that Carbon and I were entwined and had his little freakout.¡± The system was as done with his body as it was getting, so he pulled the vitals node off his chest and put it back into the case, then did the same with the scanner.


    ¡°Correct. I suspect that may have made his reaction worse.¡± She walked around her room at a casual pace, circling the sitting area, annoyed and gesturing wildly as she took another lap. ¡°That old untranslatable has been hiding these difficulties from me. I ask him every few weeks how he is doing. I enquire for specifics, so he can¡¯t get away with ¡®oh, I am fine¡± nonsense! And he lies to me... I should have gone through Kaleta.¡±


    He tried very hard not to laugh at the way she complained about him. Eleya was clearly mad about this, rightfully so, but the way she was getting it out of her system... He was sure he had ranted to his parents about Peter like that at least once, and assumed Peter had done the same about him. The stakes had felt lower when they were doing it. ¡°Go on, tell me how you really feel.¡± There was just the tiniest little chuckle there at the end of that statement.


    The way her head whipped around said she caught it, eyes narrow. ¡°And what, dear Prince, is that laugh supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°I was being a little glib there, but you aren¡¯t the only one in here with a sibling. I¡¯m sure you remember.¡± He tapped his head with the tissue regenerator before wiping it off with his shirt and tossing it back into the medkit. ¡°So I know a vent session when I see it. Go on, get it out.¡±


    Eleya regarded him with a hard gaze for a moment before a smirk curled the corner of her mouth, a hearty laugh shattering that tension a moment later. She sank back into her chair, draining what remained of her drink. The Empress sighed and rubbed her eyes. ¡°You know... If I took your meaning correctly, then I must agree.¡±


    Alex looked up from the empty medigel cartridges he was picking off the floor. ¡°Oh yeah?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She inspected her empty glass and shook her head. ¡°Fuck him.¡±

 Echoes

    ¡°Wait, really? You agree with me on that?¡± Alex nearly dropped the empty hypo cartridges he had been collecting. A few minutes ago there was quite a bit of anger roiling in him, so that explained his cussing perfectly well. On the other hand, swearing just didn¡¯t seem like Eleya¡¯s thing. Like it wasn¡¯t regal enough for her. Not becoming of her station and all that.


    For that matter, he was sure that there weren¡¯t swear words in his translator. Had it been translated? He had gone back to picking up all those empties when she said it so the usual feedback of seeing if the mouth movements lined up wasn¡¯t present. Did Eleya just copy what he¡¯d said with the assumption that it was appropriately angry?


    Eleya turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised. ¡°Have I not made that plain enough? He assembled the least capable team possible to have you captured and returned to Earth like a satalo being taken back to the wild. At least that¡¯s what he told his Zeshen. If I find out he told any of those idiots that they were supposed to assault you, but did not inform her... Oh, having her step away will be the least of his concerns.¡± She growled through clenched teeth. ¡°Again I say it: you are correct. Fuck that piece of shit.¡±


    He leaned back, startled by the mouth she apparently had. At least he got to watch her say it that time and could be completely sure: the whole thing had been in English. Pronunciation was actually pretty good, too. He wasn¡¯t one to talk, though, given his propensity for language his mother would disapprove of despite having learned most of it from her. So he¡¯d just let Eleya get that out of her system. ¡°Uh, ok. Are we still venting here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are still venting.¡± Eleya hadn¡¯t moved her jaw at all, teeth still set against each other as she boiled under the surface. Very much the Royal we there, despite the fact it was just her doing it. ¡°So you have a point of reference, he has not always been this... impossibly stupid. He was picked to handle treaties and trade agreements with the Confederation specifically because he does have a sharp mind and a very pragmatic approach to his dealings that let him work well with Humans and Tsla¡¯o alike. That was why I put him in charge of the very rapidly growing frontier. There are dozens of new colonies that must be balanced, and I know he has the skill to do it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I haven¡¯t heard much about him but didn¡¯t get this from it.¡± Carbon¡¯s memories of him had been a mixed bag, but Alex never got the impression he was inclined towards violence, just theater. ¡°You¡¯ve known him your whole life, what are the chances this is actually what she said - it wasn¡¯t supposed to be a hit... I mean, not an assassination attempt, not even an assault, they just thought they were going to show up and I would come along quietly so my presence could be erased from this timeline?¡±


    ¡°Normally I would say that they should have known better. This is my ship, you are Prince at my decree. There will be a thousand soldiers standing between them and their exit. They may have worked themselves up in a canyon, assuming their own shouts of anger echoing from the walls were representative of more allies. The fact they appear to have come with no real weapons does indicate that they had expected to just walk in and out undeterred.¡± Eleya had relaxed somewhat, no longer speaking through a clenched jaw. She rolled the glass in her hand, watching a rivulet of booze flow around the bottom. ¡°There was a time where I would confidently say that he is smart enough to never recommend violence against a Royal, whether or not he disagrees with them, or have even said something that could be construed as tacit approval. Scarcely an hour ago.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a resounding ¡®maybe¡¯ if I¡¯ve ever heard one.¡± He crammed all those empty gel cartridges into his pocket, not sure where the hell the recycler in here was, and flipped the medkit closed. The lid locked down, a yellow light surrounding the latch marking it as used and in need of refurbishment. ¡°That cane would have easily been fatal if aimed better. The pommel on that thing is solid metal.¡±


    ¡°Is it? Hm. Mateku has nerve damage in his leg that has prevented him from walking properly for nearly a decade, I believe he has used that cane the entire time. Never been a fighter, I can recall no time before when he has even raised a hand in anger.¡± She was staring up at the tapestry above the bar, tapping her chin thoughtfully as she reminisced.


    ¡°I guess seeing somebody punch his buddy in the throat and then knee him in the face until his nose broke was a bit motivational.¡± Seeing a friend go down would certainly have spurred Alex into actions he might not have originally intended to get in on. ¡°If him and Hatae were actually buddies, anyway.¡±


    ¡°They were both friends of Sharadi. Not as much to each other, as far as I know, though they have aligned politically several times in the past.¡± Talk of the fight piqued her interest, bright blue eyes turning his way. ¡°Is that what you did to him? It seems completely reasonable.¡±


    ¡°I almost curb stomped him, too. That¡¯s when Mateku hit me with the cane. Training is to take the opponent out of the fight and keep them from engaging again, permanently if you have to.¡± Alex shrugged and took the seat across the low table from her. ¡°Not exactly proud of it, but I guess some of the training stuck.¡±


    Eleya gave him a nod. ¡°Hatae attacked you, you defeated him. Mateku attacked you with a weapon, Master Tenaha defeated him. That was the sequence of events, correct? The initial communication about this was a bit light on detail.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± He shook his head, another tiny little chuckle escaping him. ¡°Tenaha¡¯s got a mean right cross for a guy his age.¡±


    ¡°He is a decorated combatant, and highly respected. That he stepped in on your behalf will speak to a great many people.¡± She reached for her glass, a frown crossing her muzzle as she remembered it was still empty. ¡°That will do nothing to convince Sharadi, but I am sure it is a lesson for the rest of them.¡±


    ¡°Probably not.¡± He shrugged. If dad was actually just consumed by his anger at this point, a parade of every living Tsla¡¯o telling him that Alex was pretty great, actually, still wouldn¡¯t be enough to change his mind. ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll try this again?¡±


    ¡°Even if he does, Intel will be aware of this incident and keeping a closer eye on his comms and movements. Once we get the communications from the ship, we will have a better idea of where his mind is. I sincerely hope he has not lost all his sense.¡± She rubbed her eyes, exhaling slowly before straightening up and giving Alex a particularly regal look. ¡°This may seem self-serving... No, that is a lie. This is entirely self-serving. I must request that you do not try to have Sharadi put to death, no matter what further investigations find. The response to this should be unified at our level.¡±


    There was a moment where he was just going to blindly agree to that. That this fight even happened was bad enough. Carbon had enough going on without her father piling more on. Neya was almost certainly going to be furious, which wasn¡¯t really something she needed right now. Alex certainly didn¡¯t want or need any of this, either, but he didn¡¯t have history with anyone involved acting as a force multiplier. ¡°Not even if he actually told one of them to kill me?¡±


    It took Eleya a few seconds to determine how to respond to that, an annoyed hiss through her teeth announcing her decision. ¡°If he said you were to be killed, you won¡¯t have to make that decree.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I wasn¡¯t going to anyway. The Tsla''o don''t need more death. I don¡¯t want more death, and I certainly don¡¯t want to start with my wife¡¯s father. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s processed her mother¡¯s death yet. We spoke about it once, very briefly, and it hasn¡¯t come up since.¡± He was actually completely sure she hadn¡¯t. The fact her mother was gone obviously weighed heavily upon her, and he suspected that when she got around to grieving that loss it would be very clear what was happening.


    It greatly annoyed him when he realized that dad was probably going through the same thing, and he automatically felt sorry for him. That asshole had to do something to earn those feelings from now on.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Eleya sounded actually appreciative for once as she stood and stretched, then headed back to her bar to refill her drink. ¡°I think I am done for the moment. Thank you for listening, it is earnestly appreciated.¡±


    There was definitely something different about Eleya today. He couldn¡¯t put his finger on what, exactly, but she seemed more inclined to talk at length. A little more informal, maybe, and not just because of the swearing. Whatever was off about her itched at the back of his mind, urging him to talk a little more to suss the difference out. ¡°Right. Hey. Carbon¡¯s mom... Her name is actually Nova? Like the bright exploding star?¡± He knew that wasn¡¯t the most technical description, but it would get the point across enough for most people.


    Eleya finished pouring her glass, then drank whatever was left right out of the shaker as she glanced over her shoulder at him. ¡°No. She was named after the little blue flowers that grew in the mountains. It is a common name for someone with her coloration.¡±


    That checked out, he was sure he had heard no and va in Tsla a few times, and a few other words that he had been sure were oddly pronounced Spanish or Japanese. ¡°Oh, all right. It just sounds like a word in English.¡±


    ¡°One of the tapestries in my antechamber has them featured prominently. It is the one with all the little blue flowers, you cannot miss it.¡± She smiled and laughed as she returned to her seat. As she spoke that mirth gave way to a more somber tone. ¡°I think that would be fitting for her. She had an intense ferocity under certain circumstances. I do think she would have liked you, and not just because you make Carbon happy. Nova was grounded, she valued family in a way that nobles rarely do. I know she fought very hard to retain those values as she rose in the court, to middling success. It is painfully ironic that she would have had a much easier time of it now.¡±


    Sounded familiar, just without the nobility. ¡°Based on what you saw, do you think my parents are like her?¡±


    Eleya nodded in agreement. ¡°It is not many points of data, but I would say there are at least similarities. As you are a product of them, I suspect that there will be more.¡±


    ¡°I just ask because she¡¯s been staying in touch with my mom better than I do. I think they¡¯ve been emailing back and forth like every other day.¡± It seemed like it had been a net positive for Carbon. And him too, as his mind counted it as them staying in touch with his parents. They were married, after all.


    Eleya stared into the wall, her jaw working silently. ¡°Good.¡± She packed a lot of conflicting emotions into that one word. It was heavy with understanding and the approval in it went beyond word choice, but it was still bitter with a trace of jealousy. ¡°That is good.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Probably shouldn¡¯t have brought that up. ¡°So. How are we going to handle your... My father in law.¡±


    ¡°Judicious choice of words.¡± She pondered that in earnest, claws drumming on her glass. Real crystal, based on the melodic clink each tap made. ¡°First, we need more information. What he has been telling his little retinue will shift how severe the response will be. He may yet get out of this with a hard slap, or perhaps we will pull a few teeth.¡±


    ¡°I get the first idiom, but not the second one. What is that, like house arrest or something?¡± A hard slap still felt like it would only be an inconvenience, though it did sound better than just a slap on the wrist.


    ¡°Pulling his teeth? No, we would have whichever teeth you lost removed from his mouth in turn.¡± She shook her head. ¡°What is your saying, an eye for an eye? We would not destroy sensory organs of course, it is not the first age.¡±


    ¡°Honestly not comfortable with that, either. Better than having him killed, but eugh.¡± Alex shivered. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I just don¡¯t like thinking about teeth getting removed. It¡¯s gross.¡±


    She regarded him for a moment, shaking her head. ¡°That is the point, it is very unpleasant.¡±


    Alex rolled his eyes. Of course a potential remedy here was pretend-ethical torture. ¡°Ok, well, yes. We¡¯ll put that away as a thing that could happen and stop talking about it.¡±


    ¡°Fine. We should have this information before dinner. Do we wait until after that to talk to Carbon about this?¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit. How do we know she''s not going to reach out to Carbon directly?¡± Maybe he was panicking a little bit. They needed to stay ahead of this.


    ¡°Formalities. I told her everything would be arranged with my decree, which means it will be handled through my channels, who will report to me before doing anything. Kaleta is also well aware that she is under house arrest, as you put it. She will likely prefer that over prison arrest, which is what will happen if she side steps those formalities.¡± She paused to sip her drink. ¡°The subtext laced into the language of the court eludes you yet, that is to be expected as a neophyte.¡±


    The fact she just excused his lack of knowledge so casually left him more stunned than all that swearing. ¡°Oh, all right. We should have more information first, that will inform how we approach her. I''m hoping that he actually didn''t do anything too stupid. How the fuck are we supposed to tell her that her dad actually tried to have me killed and his Zeshen went along with it and not have it crush her?¡±


    ¡°It is a wise choice, the one I would make.¡± Eleya gave him a little nod. ¡°If that is the news we must deliver, we will. A knife thrown into the air always comes down.¡±


    Alex got the distinct impression that Eleya asking his opinion was another little test. Of course they should have a better idea of what dad was up to first. He wasn''t so sure about that idiom though. Probably just tell the truth? Someone else dealt her this wound carelessly, they could only be there to help afterwards? ¡°Yeah, that sounds good.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°It is barely acceptable. This should not have occurred.¡± Eleya huffed, annoyed until she was mollified by more alcohol. ¡°How do you fare, young Prince? Your wounds have all but evaporated as near as I can tell, your medical equipment returned to its case.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, about as healed up as I can get with that medkit. Bones are knit, cheek is only a little swollen still but the damage is repaired. Had a TBI prophylactic shot, better too much than not enough.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Gonna need to see a dentist about these teeth though.¡±


    ¡°A dentist? Not your vaunted mediboard?¡± The Empress sounded very surprised by that.


    ¡°Look, it''ll do the job but... I dunno, I had my wisdom teeth out with one. They don''t do sedation for minor surgeries, just nerve disruption. The bottom half of your face stops feeling things right and then gel just kinda wraps around your head into your mouth. Felt like I was drowning in jello the whole time.¡± He didn''t bother to try hiding that shudder. ¡°I am told some people get that response, while most others do not.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Well, we have plenty of dentists on board, unless you wish to wait until you have an opportunity to return to Earth?¡± She asked, as though she actually considered both of those to be viable options.


    It was unsettling how pleasant Eleya had become. ¡°Onboard should be fine. I haven''t looked into the finer details of Tsla''o teeth, but things appear to be similar. Molars and bicuspids seem to be in the neighborhood, at least.¡±


    ¡°I fear the answer too much to ask how you have become familiar with our teeth, so I shall not ask the question.¡± She arched an eyebrow at him, a hint of curiosity still on her face. ¡°How does the rest of you fare? We speak of the body easily but have not yet mentioned the soul.¡±


    Alex made the single most noncommittal noise a Human was capable of. ¡°Eh. I¡¯m all right.¡±


    Eleya studied him over a mostly full glass of that green mixed drink she favored in private, the eyebrow she had arched at him before reaching its apex. ¡°Impossible.¡±


    ¡°No. I''m fine.¡± In all fairness, he didn''t even sound convinced to himself.


    ¡°I hear so much doubt in your voice, and so clearly, that I can scarcely believe our kind are unrelated.¡± She was very amused by that, too. ¡°Do you care to share the truth, young Prince?¡±


    ¡°I dunno.¡± he leaned back and stared at the ceiling, listless fingers drumming on the wooden armrest before he let loose a torrent of exactly how his soul was feeling. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what the hell I¡¯m doing here. I have my commitment to Carbon, yes, but everything else lately still feels like I¡¯m just pretending. I don¡¯t know shit about commanding troops or being a royal or fuckin¡¯ anything. I don¡¯t know anything. I¡¯m just here to be a sucker, too stupid to understand what¡¯s happening while I get moved around in someone else¡¯s war game. I spent damn near half my life preparing to be a scoutship pilot, and this is the second time I¡¯ve had that taken away, and... I don¡¯t know what anything is worth anymore, so I can¡¯t tell if sinking my life into it is a good idea or not.¡±


    ¡°That was a bit deeper than I expected.¡± Eleya sat up and cleared her throat, setting her drink aside and leaned towards him. ¡°If I may enquire, dearest nephew, how long have you been working at this? Being a royal, and all the related new tasks you find piled beside your hearth?¡±


    How long had it been? ¡°Uh, fourteen days? I was unconscious for a couple of them so they¡¯re just kinda... gone.¡±


    ¡°That is two of your weeks, correct? One half of - forgive me, it slips my reach - a mont?¡± She spoke the not-quite word in English, then paused as her bright blue eyes tracked across the ceiling in a moment of contemplation. ¡°Hmm. Month. One half of your month?¡±


    Alex fought to avoid correcting her usage of the word. The Empress was clearly making an attempt at being nice here, he wasn¡¯t going to fuck it up. ¡°Yeah, two weeks. Not even one and a half by the Tsla¡¯o reckoning, right?¡±


    ¡°Correct. I came up from a family that was only somewhat elevated within society. We had acquaintances in a few of the Houses, but had never been invited to their homes until I had very nearly become entwined with Navaren, himself mere steps from the throne. Then they saw the wisdom in strengthening those bonds.¡± She gave a derisive laugh, lip curled in disgust just enough for a flash of teeth to appear before the display disappeared. ¡°I was aware of the Court and had glimpses of it when I first began learning about how it actually works. How long do you suppose it took me to fully acclimate to it?¡±


    He got where she was going with this. ¡°Bet it was more than two weeks.¡±


    ¡°Correct again.¡± She closed her eyes and gave him a nod. ¡°It was years, and I felt a bit like what you described at first. What does a Baroness do if she cannot fly? Pick benches for a new park? Sit about pondering the view out the window, throwing parties for people who think it wise to look down upon someone with more power than them? If I knew how to flex power at the time I would have made far more enemies than friends, though I did keep a list of those who were particularly unkind. I will not say you should too, but it might do you well to remember the names of those who help you, and the ones who appear ready to push you into the fire.¡±


    ¡°You know, that¡¯s not a bad idea.¡± He wasn¡¯t going to be doing that. Probably. Tsla¡¯o names were a bit hard to tell apart sometimes, so he would need pictures and maybe a description of why they were on the list too. If he changed his mind. Which he certainly wasn¡¯t going to do. ¡°Thanks for that reality check. Things have settled down in the last few days but they¡¯re still full of responsibilities I had never considered before, some of which are very alien.¡±


    ¡°You are welcome. I do enjoy being able to provide something positive now and then.¡± She pushed herself out of her chair and swept aside one of the wall hangings that lined the room, a deep closet hidden behind it. She shrugged out of her plain blue jacket and slipped it onto a hanger, taking a moment to straighten it out and pick a few hairs from it before returning it to the row.


    Alex turned away as he was inclined to give people the same level of privacy he expected for himself, even if they didn¡¯t seem to care. He understood the base-layer wrappings Tsla¡¯o wore counted as dressed to them, but he still saw the bands of fabric as underwear.


    Still, he looked back when he caught something weird out of the corner of his eye. A narrow rectangle of the fur on her back was shaved down to the skin, just below her rib cage. There was a tiny gap on the back of her head, as well, a slender vertical nick in the fur that would be easy to miss if he hadn¡¯t been searching for it.


    The fluffy tips of her antennae weren¡¯t weighed down with wireless interfaces, either.


    ¡°That¡¯s how you were swearing.¡± He blurted it out as he made the connection.


    Eleya looked over her shoulder at him, an eyebrow raised and one arm stuck into a much more richly decorated jacket. ¡°Would you clarify your statement.¡±


    ¡°You got a translator. Installed.¡± He waved an accusatory finger at the small bald patch on her back. ¡°And an Amp too, I bet.¡±


    ¡°Did I? Nh, you are good with the obvious.¡± She shrugged the other sleeve on and placed the collar on her shoulders with a delicate shift to even them out as she returned to her bedroom, the tapestry sliding back into place on its own.


    Alex grunted his displeasure at that shot. ¡°It¡¯s not like you put a sign out or something. When did that happen?¡±


    ¡°Two days ago.¡± Eleya returned to the table beside her bed, carefully removing the plain stud earrings she was wearing and replacing them with the more eye-catching set with the chain that linked the three individual piercings along each ear. ¡°When I can, I lead by example, Alex. I would not expect others to go through something so invasive without stepping forward first.¡±


    He nodded in agreement. At least she was serious about that. ¡°How do you like it?¡±


    ¡°Those connectors have pulled my antenna down for too long. They are light, but not weightless. Having my...¡± She petered off for a moment, thinking better of whatever she had intended to say. No need to get too familiar. ¡°Having all of my connections all routed through the implant is very convenient. You sound much more pleasant this way, as well.¡±


    ¡°Hah, good.¡± He wanted to pry at what she had stopped herself for, but didn¡¯t particularly want to roll the dice any more. She was in a good mood, he still wasn¡¯t intent on looking for something to change that.


    ¡°Thank you, as well.¡± Finished with her piercings, she walked around to the other side of the bed and picked the cane up. Eleya rolled the angular pommel along her palm, smacking the heavy lump of metal into it a few times with an annoyed grumble before looking back up at Alex. ¡°You could have killed him yourself for the assault. It was your right.¡±


    He shrugged. The damage from Tanaha¡¯s punch hadn¡¯t been too bad, but he had crumpled and smacked his head against the floor too. It was something a mediboard could easily take care of, and the medical team said they were taking him to sickbay so there was no reason for him not to have made it. ¡°I thought about it. There was a moment where I thought I should just crack him in the skull with that. But. He was already down, Zenshen had a gun out, my team was filtering in. He wasn¡¯t a threat, it would have just been to make myself feel better which is a fucked up reason to kill somebody.¡±


    ¡°A very just line of reasoning.¡± A tiny smile crept onto her face. ¡°I am glad. I would have missed the old fool if you had done so.¡±


    ¡°Since I won, I get to keep the cane, right?¡± Alex pondered his own statement, then clicked his tongue. ¡°Or would it go to Tenaha since he was the one that finished it?¡±


    ¡°The attack was against you, unprovoked, so the spoils would traditionally go to you alone.¡± She held the cane out to him. ¡°It would be polite to enquire with Master Tenaha if he would like part of it as he did come to your aid, as long as you are actually willing to share. Though with this being a single item, it would be difficult to split.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m particularly attached to it, so if he wants it he can have it.¡± He lifted it out of her hand and gave it a spin like it was a sword. He¡¯d seen so many movies where people slung swords around in a manner that was probably very inadvisable with a real weapon, and he did manage a simple flourish without slapping it into his leg or head. Felt a bit less cool showboating in front of someone who actually knew how to handle a sword. Alex cleared his throat as he let the shaft slide through his fingers and set the ferrule on the ground like it was actually just a cane. ¡°You were saying there are dentists on board, right? I¡¯m up to my eyeballs in painkillers right now, so I¡¯m thinking this is the perfect time to get them looked at.¡±


    Eleya gave him a nod. ¡°Several, and I am sure they would all be honored to work on you.¡±


    About fifteen minutes after Eleya put in a request to find a dentist on board who wasn¡¯t busy, Alex had an appointment. He had insisted on not bumping someone else just because he was allegedly important, which is why it took so long.


    The Empress had taken some umbrage with his use of ¡®allegedly¡¯ when he said it. It was her word that made him important, after all.


    ¡°You think just saying that you wanted to meet with me ¡®to discuss plans¡¯ is enough of a cover?¡± Alex didn¡¯t bother hiding his incredulity. The conversation had turned to ensuring that Carbon would find out about what had happened in an orderly fashion as they walked to the medical complex next to the aft sickbay. Step one had been making sure that they had the time for him to get his teeth checked out. He didn¡¯t have plans after the training session with his squad, save for dinner later in the evening - there was the expectation that he would at some point return home before then.


    ¡°You act like it is a lie when it is a lightly polished truth. We are discussing plans right now, and have been nearly the entire time since you brought Kaleta up.¡± Eleya explained in a plaintive tone, giving him side-eye as they walked down the corridor. ¡°Do you pay any attention to the things you do?¡±


    ¡°I try not to.¡± Alex did, of course, but he hadn¡¯t really considered those things to be plans so much as damage control. Which was a form of plan-making, wasn¡¯t it? Well, things to consider for the future.


    ¡°Of course not.¡± She shook her head at him with a disapproving huff. ¡°We do not even need to tell her that much, just that I had required your presence. She would seethe at that, expecting that I am the one doing wrong to you. Working on a nebulous concept of ¡®plans¡¯ at least gives her a tether to keep her imagination from drifting.¡±


    That was an accurate, and more cognizant statement than he expected from Eleya when talking about Carbon. Things had continued to be okay between them, but there were still decades to work through and they had not been putting in much effort yet. Most of that was on Eleya as the one who had instigated everything, but Carbon hadn¡¯t expressed any interest in putting pressure on her to start. Not to Alex, at least. ¡°All right, working on plans it is.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± The corridor widened, the normal gray and red paint that covered most of the ship giving way to white and purple, long stretches of bright bulkheads marking that they had entered the medical area. Eleya stopped short, looking at the nameplate beside a wider than normal door. ¡°Ah. Here we are already.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thanks for the help with all of this. I don¡¯t know my way around all the Zeshen stuff, and...¡± He hesitated, glancing back at the barely visible forms of her escort. ¡°I don¡¯t know how Tsla¡¯o society really works.¡±


    ¡°Is it so? Instruct Neya to give you a thorough course in the formalities for working with them. It is important for someone of your station to know.¡± She looked a little annoyed that hadn¡¯t already happened. ¡°As for the rest of it... It will come to you in time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I suppose it will.¡± He sighed and gave her a nod before stepping into the dentist''s office. It was strikingly similar to what he would expect from a Human dentist¡¯s office. Plain walls, nondescript art of flowers, a young woman sitting behind the desk that was going through a variety of emotions in very rapid order as her eyes darted from Alex, to Eleya, and then back to Alex.


    ¡°Sir. Prince Sorenson.¡± She stood, very nearly jumping out of her chair as two thirds of the Royal family on board filed into her waiting room. She bowed so deeply she briefly disappeared behind the raised desk separating them. ¡°Empress. It is our honor to have you here.¡±


    Alex stepped up with a bow that was a little deep for someone as high ranking as himself, but he was trying to ingratiate himself with everyone on board. Carbon had assured him that it would be viewed as being humble. He had already queued up a brief greeting, too. Hadn¡¯t intended to use it on the receptionist, but she was here so why not? ¡°Thank you for being available at such short notice.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Prince Sorenson.¡± She bowed again, not quite as deep this time, though obviously still nervous. ¡°If you would follow me, Doctor Lehani is prepared and waiting for you in his office.¡±


    Eleya cleared her throat.


    The receptionist¡¯s attention snapped to her immediately. Alex followed a moment later, turning back to her. His gaze fell on her hand extended towards him, holding out a thin white box. He was quite sure she hadn¡¯t picked that up before they had left, one of her guard must have been carrying it. Wherever it had come from, he took it. Very lightweight, a slim screen and a handful of buttons on top, flanked by what looked like speaker grills. ¡°And this is?¡±


    ¡°A translator, for the doctor.¡± She gave Alex a very small bow that partially concealed a smug little smile. Eleya knew perfectly well he was getting phrases to speak from his translator, just like she had been doing. ¡°Your Tsla improves but I suspect you may find terms that are less common here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sure he will appreciate it.¡± He gave her a little wave with the translator and turned back to the anxious young woman. ¡°Shall we?¡±

 Relics

    Doctor Lehani escorted Alex back out to the hallway just down from the waiting room, another bow after saying his final goodbye. Alex bowed in return and hustled his ass out of there, translator tucked under his arm and carrying the cane in his hand. Not bothering to affect a need for it anymore. The door slid open for him, and he did not wait to make sure it closed, breezed past the receptionist into the waiting room.


    Alex distantly registered the fact the young Tsla¡¯o was sitting very still at her workstation, staring intently at the holographic display with her hands resting just in front of the control surface. He almost froze mid-step when he saw Eleya was relaxing there in the waiting room. ¡°Why are you still here?¡± Something was missing. He sniffed the air, notably lacking the smell of ozone that the cloaked armor generated. ¡°Where¡¯d your escort go?¡±


    ¡°So many questions.¡± Eleya had never looked so casual before, leaned back with her legs crossed, one ankle resting on her knee. Her foot tapping along to the quiet instrumental music being played from hidden speakers. She looked up from the tablet that she was picking away at, giving him something that looked a lot like a genuine smile. She produced a stack of clothes from under her tablet and held it out to him. ¡°I cannot take an interest in my dearest nephew¡¯s health?¡±


    ¡°Sure you can.¡± Like anyone would tell the Empress that she couldn¡¯t. He received a clean shirt and a jacket in a particularly dark shade of red, decorated extensively with silver and gold thread in that sea-and-star motif. He had bled all over his current shirt, but whatever it was made of didn¡¯t feel dirty at all. Didn¡¯t even smell bad even though he¡¯d been sweating profusely in it before he got his face smashed in.


    He set all the stuff he was carrying down on the reception desk, peeled the old shirt off and pulled on the new one - apparently the exact same thing - and then donned the jacket. Perfect fit on both, which should have stopped being a surprise some time ago. Tailored clothes were a fact of his life now, whether he wanted them or not.


    ¡°I had hoped you would say that.¡± She clicked her tablet off, sitting up in her chair while maintaining that casual air. Eleya would have looked remarkably ordinary if not for the fancy jacket and jewelry. ¡°How did you fare?¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Alex shrugged. It had gone well enough. The dentist was certainly capable, removing his remaining broken teeth and using a Human dermal generator brought over from the sickbay to plug the holes. A temporary fix, just until they had some implantable teeth for him made by the mediboard. That is not to say the whole visit was without issue, though. ¡°The work was fine, but everything else was weird.¡±


    That piqued her interest. ¡°Oh? May I ask for specifics?¡±


    Where to start. ¡°Lehani¡¯s office was, uh, I think the floors were dirt.¡± It looked like compacted dirt, and didn¡¯t feel like any surface he was more used to walking on, at least. ¡°The whole office was a facade of like retro pre-industrial buildings, maybe? Dark adobe and rough-hewn wood beams. It didn¡¯t seem hygienic.¡± Knowing the Tsla¡¯o, it probably was.


    ¡°Yes, that is a historic building style. Very pastoral. I can¡¯t imagine the floors were actual dirt.¡± She shook her head then brightened, turning her attention to the receptionist. ¡°Excuse me. Kataha, was it? Can you tell us what the flooring is made of in the doctor¡¯s office?¡±


    Wide brown eyes swiveled towards them before the rest of the receptionist followed. ¡°I am sorry, Empress, I do not know what the floor is made of.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not really her thing, right. Right?¡± He glanced back at Kataha, briefly making eye contact before she looked away. Who expected a receptionist to know what the floor was made of? ¡°More of a customer service sort of job, less building materials?¡±


    He hadn¡¯t bothered translating any of that, so she had no idea what he had said.


    ¡°Ah, so it is. Having Tashen at my side has spoiled me, he has such a wide range of knowledge.¡± Eleya didn¡¯t seem to notice or care that he¡¯d been talking nonsense to the lady behind the desk. She stood and stretched, then tucked her tablet under her arm. ¡°The doctor is not far, we can just ask him directly.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Alex said that a little more forcefully than he needed to. Dressed in the same light purple surgical jacket the doctors in sickbay wore, Lehani had seemed perfectly competent, with a confident smile that was just too wide.


    Eleya recoiled, eyebrow raised as she stepped up to him. She picked the translator up and slipped it into a pocket inside his jacket, then straightened it with a critical eye. ¡°Very well. Is that all that troubled you?¡± It almost sounded like she was chiding him.


    ¡°Look, Lehani was weird. Did good work, but I¡¯ve never seen anyone so interested in my mouth.¡± Alex briefly recalled the inquisitive noises and excited humming coming from Lehani as he worked and immediately tried to shut them out of his head. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure my teeth stubs are going to end up on his mantle or something.¡±


    She smiled broadly and clasped his upper arm. ¡°That is wonderful!¡±


    ¡°What.¡± He had intended for that to be a question but didn¡¯t quite manage to get all the way there, the enthusiasm Eleya had for his teeth bits ending up in this guy¡¯s pocket more than a little startling.


    Eleya was beaming with pride, not making this revelation less unsettling. ¡°Doctors and medics sometimes keep tokens from Royals they have worked on, it is an honor. If he kept something, it clearly must have value to him. They may become an heirloom in time.¡±


    Alex had never seen her this enthusiastic, so he was sure she wasn¡¯t putting him on. He really didn¡¯t like the idea of someone coveting his teeth even if they had already been removed. Now he really needed to check on what had happened to his heart and lung. ¡°Great.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It has been an auspicious day for you, young prince.¡± She gestured toward the door and took his arm, apparently tired of standing around listening to him complain.


    ¡°Oh yeah. Found out my father-in-law actually does hate me, got my face smashed in, bled all over the place, met the creepiest dentist in the whole of the universe.¡± He gestured widely with the cane and bloody shirt as he stepped into the corridor, empty in both directions as far as he could see. ¡°Superb.¡±


    ¡°Your ability to see the negative is astonishing.¡± She rolled her eyes as they walked down the wide hallway, opposite the direction they had originally come from.


    Alex stepped away and tossed his old, disgusting shirt into a recycler built into an intersection. ¡°Well it¡¯s been kind of a shitty day, for all those reasons I just listed.¡±


    ¡°And that is no reason to ignore the positives that have arrived in turn.¡± She gave him a glance as he returned to her side, the chains on her piercings swaying with each step. ¡°Master Tenaha sided with you. This may seem insignificant, but I assure you it will be noticed. You handled being assaulted very well. A fantastically tempered response, given what you were within your right to do and what some would expect from Humanity. Carbon¡¯s interest in you becomes more and more clear! I only wish there had been more people present to witness it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you got me with one of those. I didn¡¯t expect Tenaha to step in, it was a pleasant surprise.¡± The rather theatrical framing of Carbon¡¯s interest in him being tied to his ability to exercise restraint in hard situations was¡­ less of a pleasant surprise. Not entirely inaccurate, but he didn¡¯t like having it laid out like that. ¡°Not enamored with the idea of a bunch of people having been there. Dad might be on my shit list right now but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a great idea to put crosshairs on him. You will recall: he is my wife¡¯s father.¡±


    She waved a hand dismissively at him. ¡°That information will eventually get out. I have requested that all involved treat it as secret, but there are already too many people involved for it to remain that way for long. If Sharadi did not want this to be known, he should not have embarked on this path. If you did not want it getting out, you should have killed them. Cadaver teams do not speak as widely as medical personnel.¡±


    ¡°Right. I guess I¡¯ll keep that in mind for the future.¡± Alex found himself gritting his teeth again. Why was death always presented as a viable solution for everything?


    ¡°I am sure.¡± She turned down a side corridor, towards the center of the deck. ¡°Your actions have made some impression with the Captain of the Royal Guard as well.¡±


    ¡°No shit?¡± Despite the knowledge that Eleya should have excellent guards, he wasn¡¯t sure how much of a compliment that was supposed to be given how easily Carbon overcame them.


    ¡°No shit.¡± The Empress was very amused by that turn of phrase. ¡°You asked once but have not enquired again. Do you still wonder where my escort has gone?¡±


    He gave the air in the passageway a deep sniff, this area lacking the ozone smell as well. They had been out of the office for at least a few minutes already. ¡°Yeah. Where did they get off to? Not gonna lie, this feels somewhat dangerous.¡±


    ¡°You are my escort, young Prince.¡± That information came with a sublime smile.


    ¡°Is that good?¡± It wasn¡¯t the most reassuring bit of information he¡¯d ever been given. Being able to take a couple of hits from someone who clearly wasn¡¯t a good fighter before breaking their nose was not what Alex would consider great qualifications. Particularly not when including how things went when a weapon got added to the mix. ¡°Is that safe?


    ¡°Indeed it is, on both counts.¡± Eleya nodded in agreement as the clean white walls of the medical complex gave way to the standard red and gray of the rest of the ship. ¡°I did not hear a single note of disapproval when I gave him orders that included leaving my security in your hands. I have rather missed that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but how is that safe?¡± Alex was not entirely convinced. He did allow himself the thought that a hint of pride was justified at being accepted as not just safe, but capable. That was good.


    ¡°We are proceeding to a specific destination and I am taking a specific path that, you might have noticed, is currently secure.¡± She gestured widely at the corridor, which had been entirely empty so far. ¡°This is my ship. My guards are not far, but they do not cling to me like a shadow for a moment. It is nice to pretend I have actual freedom.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have freedom? You literally changed laws to make it legal for Carbon to marry me.¡± Seemed like it, at least.


    Eleya laughed and patted his arm. ¡°You have so much to learn, young Prince. Do you have freedom?¡±


    He started to say that yeah, of course he did. Alex only managed to get out ¡°Ye...¡± before he fell silent again. There were many expectations laid upon him right now, from a variety of people who could end his life, be it literal or metaphorical. Some of them probably didn¡¯t even view him as anything but military hardware to be expended. Could he even leave the ship without asking for permission? He probably couldn¡¯t return to Earth without permission from the Confederate government because there were no Confed registered ships on board. ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is it so?¡± She was so aggressively smug about that, a toothy smile directed his way, blue eyes alive with mirth. They softened before she continued, as did her attitude. ¡°It is a hard revelation the first time. I gambled on that law, dear nephew. It was not freedom that allowed me to act, but power. All of the aid Humanity has sent and rendered is still widely viewed with suspicion. People set in the old ways have hindered that aid at nearly every step, trying to brush fur over a gaping wound while our people suffer for it. As they stand in the way of aid, they stand in the way of evidence that Humans act in earnest. That they came to assist us with joy in their hearts at the prospect of helping, and sincerely do not wish to see their distant allies suffer. The incident on Zeshela began to crack that, but it became clear that a much more visible example was needed.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Eleya huffed, annoyed at the series of events that had led here. ¡°This gambit is just beginning to show signs that it may pay dividends, but it may yet fail. So I would recommend you continue to impress those you meet, for our sake. I believe that you are capable of rising to that challenge, or I would not have made that bet.¡±


    They arrived at a bank of elevators, one sitting open and waiting for them. Eleya didn¡¯t slow down, just walked in and waited for Alex to follow.


    This was turning out to be a rather chilling conversation. He was on autopilot as he boarded the lift behind her, processing this information. That feeling that there was more going on than just being a token to get Carbon to come around was now feeling extremely concrete. This was a calculated risk, he was part of those calculations, and even Eleya thought that they were not guaranteed to succeed. ¡°Well.¡± He laughed, a little nervous now. ¡°With any luck, I¡¯ll live up to those expectations.¡±


    ¡°I would appreciate it if you did.¡± She typed a deck into the control panel and the doors closed behind them and the lift began to rise. ¡°Our people will appreciate it, though they do not yet realize that.¡±


    Alex had just been thinking about the expectations laid upon his shoulders and here was probably the biggest one yet. Ironic that it had been there since he had come aboard, he had even sort of understood it was there. He simply hadn¡¯t comprehended the scope of it until now.


    All he had to do was get the Tsla¡¯o people to trust Humanity. Easy. Just rise to the challenge. Simple. Just so crushingly vast in scope it was giving him a headache despite the pair of painkiller patches on his arms.


    Alex wasn¡¯t going to think about that for now. Dwelling wouldn¡¯t help him, he knew that and he was going to use that knowledge to his advantage. He would maintain some forward momentum, keep his head clear and do right by himself and those he cared about. It was so easy to think all that, at least. ¡°Where are we going, anyway?¡± He was going to have some real shit to talk to the therapist about. At least she probably understood the scope of what he might be dealing with before he tossed something like this at her.


    The Empress didn¡¯t look away from the display, decks clicking by about one per second. ¡°Dinner.¡±


    Oh, come on. Assistance with the forward momentum would be nice. ¡°Where at?¡±


    ¡°The Hidden Bloom.¡±


    ¡°Is it good?¡± He was pretty sure he hadn¡¯t heard about that one.


    ¡°I consider it the best on board. It has private rooms.¡± The lift drew to a stop on deck 80, the doors opening automatically. Eleya stepped off and turned towards the aft again. ¡°I will be hosting you, as well as Carbon, Neya, and Kaleta.¡±


    That seemed unwise. ¡°Oh, we¡¯re just jumping into this?¡±


    ¡°There are times when waiting is prudent. This is not one of them.¡± She unlocked the tablet and brought up a report, handing it to him. ¡°Machine analysis of the communications to and from the Starbound indicate that Sharadi clearly insisted that you not be harmed to all involved parties. He wanted you gone, but feared reprisals from the Confederacy. Interestingly he did not fear reprisal from myself. Only a fraction of the communications have been reviewed by living eyes so far, but as of yet the analysts agree with that. He was angry, sometimes furious, and prone to long rants about you, how he felt about you, and the multitude of ways you were... harming Carbon.¡±


    ¡°Not what I expected, but I guess he hasn¡¯t gone off the deep end at least.¡± He turned the visual translator on and scrolled through the report. There were dozens of hours of video calls to be reviewed, roughly as many emails, and thousands of instant messages. Common themes scraped by the machine included the savagery, filth, and degeneracy of Humans. Those sounded familiar for reasons he did not care for. Also a concern was the lack of Human culture, and the potential damage Humans could do to Tsla¡¯o culture.


    Alex did think that last one was kind of fair for reasons that Sharadi was likely not aware of. All of this was pretty rich for a guy he¡¯d seen introducing his child to Human ambassadors, and having a laugh with. Had a real hard time working with the barbarians back then, huh Dad? Then Alex got to a few choice quotes that were specifically about him. ¡°Damn. Maybe a little bit off the deep end.¡±


    ¡°Yes, his analysis of you is inaccurate and remarkably unkind.¡± She was reading over his shoulder, watching how far into the document he got until he had scrolled several pages in. Eleya set a dark furred hand on it, thumb on the screen to keep it from going further, and lifted it from his grasp. ¡°There are more inflammatory things you do not need to read right now. You will be furnished with a copy if you desire, but at this moment I need you sharpened into a proper weapon for the task.¡±


    That turn of phrase got her a quizzical look. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Sharadi¡¯s idiocy has stranded his Zeshen here, with us. She has been tainted by his prejudice, and now she will bathe in the truth and be cleansed.¡± She stopped and looked him over, nodding to herself. ¡°You may not be Tsla¡¯o, but you embody many things we consider positive and slip into our ways with ease. Too casual for someone of your station, yes, but considering you were a commoner... Your growth has been nothing short of exceptional.¡±


    Were those real compliments? They sure felt real. ¡°Making her sit at a table and share a meal so she can see how badly Sharadi missed the mark?¡± It seemed like a reasonable plan. Exposure therapy worked, he had heard.


    ¡°Yes, and she will do it in front of people who she cares about. She adores Carbon, she learned that from Nova. I see her in Kaleta sometimes.¡± She exhaled a sigh loaded with regret. ¡°I do not care how bitter it makes her food. She will be a witness to the truth of your relationship with Carbon. The smile it puts on her face when she looks at you, how easily her words come when you talk. If she truly carries Nova, and Sharadi before he became lost, there will only be one outcome here. She will understand that this is not a falsehood. This is what Carbon wanted.¡±


    That was a nice thought. ¡°And if she doesn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°You build a bridge when you need to cross a river.¡± She shrugged, and stopped in front of a nondescript door.


    There was ozone in the air here, her guard nearby. It only took a moment for Alex to spot the telltale wavey form a few meters down the hall. ¡°This it?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± She held out a hand and a much closer guard he hadn¡¯t spotted set a small case in it, and her tablet disappeared in turn. ¡°Kaleta was escorted here and is in the gathering lounge. She does not have a translator and is not wearing wireless connections. It is fortunate that you normally have both on hand because you are very considerate of others and wish to ensure that you always communicate clearly.¡± Eleya smiled at the reasoning she had forged and held it out to him.


    ¡°You know, that¡¯s actually a good idea. I¡¯m going to start doing that. The translator at least.¡± He flipped the container open, a pair of connections just like what Neya wore resting inside, though this unit had a white shell that matched the translator tucked in his pocket.


    ¡°Good, I will ensure you have a few on hand.¡± She reached out and waved a hand over the control panel, the door shushing open for her.


    Standing in the corridor it looked surreal, almost disorienting, as plain military bulkheads gave way to a heavily decorated hallway. The walls were gloss black, painted over in glittering gold and the occasional small detail in red. A detailed repeating pattern ran from the floor to about halfway up the wall, giving way to a vibrant city at night. The ceiling was the only major source of color, a rich red with indirect lights every meter or so above a polished wood floor.


    Eleya walked in like she¡¯d been here before. She probably had. He followed and didn¡¯t even let the ferrule on the end of the cane touch the finish on that floor.


    Alex lingered, taking in the work of art adorning nearly five meters of wall. He wasn¡¯t really an art guy, but it was captivating. It looked like it was actually painted, or someone had gone to a lot of effort to make it look that way. ¡°Is this a real city?¡±


    She stopped and turned back. ¡°Ama¡¯o.¡±


    Ah, the first city. ¡°May it rest.¡±


    Eleya made a curious noise, something between surprise and approval. ¡°May it rest.¡± She echoed before she stepped out of the far end of the hallway.


    He could hear them talking already, so he hurried along. He knew this place existed now, he could come back and gawk at it any time. Would they really tell the Prince that their hallway was off limits?


    The lounge was more of the same, though the detailed cityscape was replaced with a simple geometric design. Chairs and low tables were scattered around the small room, with a few benches filling out the corners. All the furniture retained the black and gold motif, the only exception being a gleaming silver cart laden with what Alex assumed was booze.


    Eleya and Kaleta were standing in the middle of the room. Kaleta had changed into something that Alex thought was a dress at first, though it was clearly just a jacket that was very long upon further inspection. Almost emerald green and not heavily decorated. Curious choice of color. She was apologizing to Eleya again and stopped as Alex approached, violet eyes shifting towards him with no small amount of suspicion.


    He was feeling the mission here, though. Had a simple greeting queued up just for her. ¡°Kaleta! It is good to see you again.¡± Alex followed that up with a bow that was a lot more than he thought he should be giving her, because she was on his shit list so she shouldn¡¯t get any bow at all.


    Now she was suspicious and surprised.


    ¡°The young Prince stopped to admire the artwork in the hall.¡± Eleya explained, an easy smile on her graying muzzle as she turned, waving him over to join them. ¡°He has thrown himself into understanding our culture with a delightful vigor.¡±


    The Empress being social like this was weird, but he appreciated it because Kaleta clearly found it even stranger. He returned that smile and leaned into the schmooze. ¡°It is so.¡± He stopped himself in what was, to him, an overly dramatic manner. Back stiffening as he pretended to realize his error, Alex held up a hand to indicate they should wait. He stayed silent as he made a big show of setting the cane aside and retrieving the translator and wireless from his jacket, holding them out to the Zeshen with an apologetic bow.


    Neither of them spoke as she took the equipment from him. Eleya gestured for her to use what he had given her, letting Kaleta sit in the spotlight between them while she put them on and paired them to the translator and tucked all of it into her coat. ¡°Thank you, Prince.¡±


    She sure didn¡¯t sound happy, but it wasn¡¯t openly hostile. He¡¯d take that for now. Just to make sure he was sufficiently formal sounding, he kept the usual contractions out of his voice for now, too. ¡°Of course, it is my honor to provide it. I apologize for not having one earlier - I had been training with my security team and was not carrying my usual set of equipment. I will ensure that someone keeps a spare unit at all times in the future.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it is... It is fine. I am sure I was unexpected.¡± She stammered out what Alex thought was the understatement of the year, all of that overwrought apology he didn¡¯t really mean enough to throw her off.


    Eleya had repositioned herself facing Alex at Kaleta¡¯s side, about half a step back. Close enough to be in her peripheral vision, but as she was focused on Alex she didn¡¯t notice that little smirk or the approving nod.


    ¡°You were. It is unfortunate that we were not notified, I understand that Carbon cares for you quite deeply. She would have been overjoyed to be there for your arrival when the Starbound docked.¡± Fuck it, he was going for the heart. ¡°You were involved in selecting Neya for her as well, were you not?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. Yes, she does.¡± Kaleta nodded, unsure what to make of this version of Alex. ¡°I did assist in Neya¡¯s selection. I interviewed several Zeshen at the request of the agent.¡±


    ¡°Well, I must thank you for that!¡± He smiled wide as he stepped up and gave her a big hug. ¡°Neya is a delight. Very much a curious sort, which has helped so much. She¡¯s just wonderful to be around, the perfect foil to Carbon and I both.¡±


    Kaleta flinched and squeaked, likely expecting retribution for the assault earlier. Once she realized what he was actually doing it didn¡¯t make her any more comfortable.


    Alex let her go and leaned in close, his voice low but retaining that friendly tone. ¡°I am sure you and I are on the same side when it comes to Carbon¡¯s happiness, even if we might not have the same views. Am I right about that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± She agreed, though remained wary of him.


    ¡°Good. I just want you to know that if you do anything to hurt her, I will do everything in my power to make you and Sharadi suffer for the rest of your natural lives. I might not know how to do that, but I know someone who does.¡± Alex tilted his head and his eyes darted towards Eleya. ¡°Are we clear?¡±

 Crystal

    It took a second for the gears behind Kaleta¡¯s violet eyes to start turning after that threat, a glance down at the cane in his hand before she nodded in agreement. She got it, understood what he was getting at. Alex would exercise restraint to an absurd length when it came to himself, but there was no such limit to be found when it was his wife being harmed.


    Eleya took that opportunity to play the good cop. ¡°Perhaps you would like to take your seat while we wait for the rest of our party.¡± She said, a hand coming to rest on Kaleta¡¯s shoulder and gently directing her towards the only other door in the room. The Empress gave him a tiny nod as she ushered the Zeshen away, just enough of a smile on her face to let him know she approved. ¡°Have a drink, if you desire it. The selection here is extensive, the barkeeps unparalleled.¡±


    There was a staff member waiting on the other side of the door, the room beyond decorated in the same gold paint over black lacquer as the gathering lounge, though it appeared to have scenes of mountains with a few more touches of gem-toned color. The waitress - clad in something like black silk from the neck down - bowed deeply and walked Kaleta to the lone circular table in the room.


    Alex waited until the door was closed and unceremoniously planted himself in one of the heavily padded chairs, resting the cane in the crevasse where the armrest met the back. It was a little shy of his grandpa¡¯s overstuffed recliner, but he still found it plenty comfortable. Even wide enough that he didn¡¯t feel like he was wedged into it. ¡°Going to come back for these, too.¡± He muttered to himself as Eleya walked over to the drink cart.


    ¡°What was that?¡± She inquired, pouring something amber into a short glass tumbler.


    ¡°These chairs are great. I actually fit.¡± He patted the armrests to emphasize how great they were. ¡°Nearly everything around here is just big enough for me most of the time.¡±


    ¡°If you need furniture that is more appropriate to your stature, you can easily acquire it. Clearly, there are already plans for such things available, and simply making a chair larger should be trivial.¡± She poured a second lowball and returned to where Alex was sitting, handing him one and taking the seat to his right.


    ¡°I mean, I know.¡± He did know, right? Sure, he had thought about it. ¡°I can¡¯t just be like: hey Carbon we¡¯re replacing your furniture because every seat is like I¡¯m sitting on a stool that¡¯s a little bit too small.¡±


    Eleya turned to look at him, eyes squinting slightly as a barely audible chuckle turned into a laugh, a very realistic facsimile of someone who was entertained by a joke... Or she actually found that funny. She shook her head. ¡°Carbon does not have any furniture, it was all destroyed in the Cataclysm with her home.¡±


    ¡°Yeah she does. It was there when we moved into the cabin. Neya¡¯s, I guess? I think they wear each other¡¯s clothes fairly regularly, I don¡¯t see why they wouldn¡¯t share furniture.¡± Both of them wore his clothes fairly regularly too, though that had to do with Humans not producing scent the ¡®right¡¯ way and societal expectations of how an entwined couple - or a Zeshen - should smell.


    That was not a conversation he was having with Eleya.


    ¡°Is it...¡± Her eyes turned towards the clear crystal fixtures on the ceiling, tapping a claw on the drink in her hand as she tried to recall something. ¡°The main table is a very light wood, thin legs, fully unadorned. The chairs match that. There is a low bench, dark wood, two blue pillows and a green pillow?¡±


    That was incredibly specific, and accurate except for the pillows. They also had a red one. ¡°How did you know that?¡± His mind instantly went for the worst possible outcome: she had their room bugged. This was in turn shut down by the rational thought that Eleya wouldn¡¯t cop to an intrusion that would wreck her attempt to repair her relationship with Carbon. Certainly not so obviously, and not to someone she knew could be recording her. More so than just recalled memories, which would be damning to the Tsla¡¯o anyway. So Eleya was definitely not admitting to that where anyone would hear it.


    ¡°That is the standard furniture for long-term staterooms. She does not have furniture, it is what was installed there.¡± The Empress swirled the drink in her glass and took a sip, leaning over to him. ¡°As you are married, you probably should be considering what your furniture will be like. Some prefer to split the designs from room to room, or to let a particular feature be chosen by one - Navaren had excellent taste in art and lighting, but he tended towards the most garish furnishings. All of those tapestries in my chambers were selected by him. The gold filigree bed was relegated to a room that we only used when people I did not like visited.¡±


    That did make sense, theoretically you were getting furniture for a lifetime. When had his parents gotten their furniture? They still had the same dining room table, and he¡¯d been napping on the same couch since he was a kid. ¡°Pretty much the same for Human families, I think. In my culture, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Is it so? I feel I have been remiss in learning about you, dear Prince. I have seen scant flickers of your life, but nothing truly substantive.¡± She reclined and worked on her drink, waiting for him to reply to that.


    He really didn¡¯t want her to know anything substantive about his life. Absolutely not. She was technically family, yes. Technically. But not family like Carbon or Neya, or any of his family on Earth, even the distant relatives he didn¡¯t really know. He¡¯d probably even put Amalu and Sergeant Zenshen ahead of her, and they were literally his subordinates now. ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s really much to say.¡±


    ¡°Not much to say? As an alien from a culture that is overwhelmingly still veiled to my understanding? Such modesty.¡± Eleya said this with a knowing smirk, able to pick up that he didn¡¯t want to talk about himself and amused by his ham-fisted deflection. Better than the alternative. ¡°Perhaps you will indulge my curiosity about a different subject?¡±


    That question was how Alex found out that Eleya really liked cussing. A veritable connoisseur of the terms, but her job prevented her from swearing pretty much all of the time. Keeping up appearances and all that. Can¡¯t have the Empress absolutely losing her shit at somebody with swears, no sir. Just a little beheading or some torture though, that¡¯s fine.


    Alex led with Carlin¡¯s seven, which he thought was a pretty good place to start until he just casually dropped what was now a slur against the Tsla¡¯o specifically. She took it in stride, finding his reaction more humorous than any offense she might have taken. Eleya had asked about these, after all. Three of those were already at least partially familiar to her, and he advised that she should avoid using one of them unless it was around people from the Commonwealth, Cygnus, or Gliese. This lead into various ways to compound fuck into other swear words, how intonation shaped its meaning in the moment, and the general utility of it specifically.


    He was pretty sure that while this conversation was strange but ultimately benign, it was evidence that she trusted him implicitly.


    ¡°Now how about... Mm, how about pen- No wait, that wouldn¡¯t be in your dictionary.¡± Alex leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. He had been avoiding things that were just outright slurs and had slipped into a foreign language by accident.


    Eleya gave a disgruntled laugh. ¡°Surely it should be.¡± She had been enjoying testing the limits of her translator implant, and so far it had been batting a thousand.


    ¡°It¡¯s not English.¡± He shrugged and sipped his drink. It was a lot like whiskey. A little spice, a hint of stone and earth despite not having come from Earth. There were only so many ways to distill grains.


    An exasperated grunt, a roll of the eyes. She and Carbon were definitely related. Eleya swirled her glass, an accusatory finger extended at him. ¡°How many languages do your people need?¡±


    Alex cleared his throat. He had written a paper on the language crush and revival that had come with space colonization. ¡°We¡¯re up over six thousand again.¡±


    She leaned forward, incredulous. ¡°Six thousands, not hundreds or tens? You are shitting me.¡± Once Eleya had grasped what that meant, the saying delighted her. The Tsla version was much longer, but her antennae perked up when she spoke it and a smile crept into her voice despite her skeptical tone.


    ¡°Absolutely not. That¡¯s current living languages, by the way. I don¡¯t even want to guess at how many dead languages and dialects we have.¡± Alex would not admit this to anyone, but he was starting to enjoy talking to Eleya.


    ¡°Dead languages?¡± Her words dripped with disdain and a healthy side of confusion. ¡°How could anyone let that happen?¡±


    ¡°A lot of them are spoken by a very limited group. A few hundred speakers could see a language gone in just a generation or two. Maybe faster if there¡¯s outside influence.¡± He hadn¡¯t been, but there was a language museum in K?ln that contained Earth¡¯s copy of the ¡®word vaults¡¯ built throughout Confed space to help avoid another crush. ¡°There aren¡¯t any languages the Tsla¡¯o have left behind?¡±


    She dismissed the idea immediately, waving her hand for emphasis. ¡°No, certainly not. It is unthinkable.¡±


    Alex was pretty sure that was unlikely, even for what was allegedly a monoculture. Even for one whose name indicated they were the living embodiment of their language. Standardized for a long time? Sure, he would believe that. ¡°All this time and you only have one language? ¡±


    She rolled her eyes with an annoyed noise. ¡°Do not be dense, we have three.¡±


    ¡°What? No.¡± He double checked himself. No one had told him about two other languages the Tsla¡¯o spoke, not even Carbon. Could she be putting him on? Did she do things like that? She was in a particularly good mood. ¡°All right, so Tsla is one, right? What are the rest?¡±


    ¡°Correct, Tsla is the core.¡± She pantomimed squeezing something in her hands, alcohol sloshing in the glass she didn¡¯t bother to set down. ¡°Then there is Ei-Tsla, obviously.¡±


    Alex shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is.¡± His translator caught it as a name, which was nice. Hadn¡¯t heard that particular prefix before, unfortunately, so he couldn¡¯t even really guess at its meaning.


    Her ears and antenna lifted, surprised by that and a little confused. ¡°Is it so? I am sure you recall feeling them in our link, even if you did not understand them. Certainly you must be very familiar by now because of Carbon and Neya? You are linking with them, yes?¡±


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Oh. So it¡¯s not a spoken language?¡± The link was a big part of their experience, having a sort of specific way to talk about it made sense, though this seemed more like she was talking about the feelings within the link. Which they would naturally have spent a long time getting specific with. He¡¯d file how often he was linking with them into the big folder of things Eleya didn¡¯t need to be privy to.


    ¡°That is correct. There are definitions that can be spoken, but they are best and truly learned by experiencing them.¡± Eleya had taken on the countenance of someone who thought they could be a grade school teacher, sounding like she was trying to saw big concepts down into little bites so he didn¡¯t choke on them.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they are.¡± He was a little surprised she didn¡¯t press him on the link thing, but didn¡¯t bring that up. ¡°And the third language?¡±


    ¡°Ahn-tsla.¡± There was a distinct shift in her tone when she said it, her voice pitched down a little bit. The word was low and luscious, rolling off her tongue like smoke and less sibilant than normal Tsla words.


    Once again he recognized the root but hadn¡¯t heard that prefix. Or that pronunciation, for that matter. Alex shook his head, shoulder lifting in apology. ¡°Nope.¡±


    She arched an eyebrow at him, disapproving of this information and letting it fill out her voice. ¡°Surely you have learned some of it by now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± He sure as hell would have remembered hearing something with that delivery out of Carbon or Neya... Or anyone, for that matter.


    That got him an indignant snort, Eleya¡¯s eyebrows pulled down ¡°Did you not read the books I gave you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve flipped through them.¡± While Alex had looked at the page Carbon had shown him - and was reasonably sure he had become familiar with some of the contents through other means - even that was a stretch.


    ¡°Flipped through one?¡± Eleya interrupted as her eyebrows went down further, now at full disapproval. ¡°Those are hand-copied, one does not flip through a book like that.¡±


    ¡°Really? Someone has an interesting job.¡± He laughed quietly, a sly smirk hidden as he looked at the booze cart. ¡°That¡¯s a little inaccurate, actually. I read it for the articles. The essays in the Zeshen special edition are actually a really interesting look into Tsla¡¯o philosophy.¡±


    ¡°If you have only taken one thing in those books seriously, I am glad it is that.¡± She grumbled, unable to be annoyed at his interest in keeping an inherently unbalanced relationship from becoming harmful. Eleya then leveled a finger at him. ¡°You will read those books, starting at the first page and ending only at the last. You are to be a thorough husband, you will speak Ahn-Tsla as though it is a part of you. I am sure both Carbon and Neya will be able-¡±


    She stopped, ears twitching up and arcing towards the door to the hallway.


    Alex didn¡¯t consider himself to be very prudish, and he felt like he had some pretty good evidence to back that up, but it was really weird to have his aunt lecture him about reading the Tsla¡¯o version of the Kama Sutra, so this was a welcome change. ¡°That them?¡±


    Eleya shifted her ears back down, though the one pointed at the door remained lifted for the moment. ¡°Indeed.¡±


    He could just barely hear the door close now that he was listening, quiet footsteps coming down the hall. Carbon emerged first, wearing one of her more fancy looking coats in her preferred shade of blue, like a dark sapphire. Neya followed in the jacket that was technically his - deep red and carrying the stars and sea motif should she need to represent him, tailored to her frame so she didn¡¯t look like a teen wearing her parents clothes. That attire was going to be rough for Kaleta.


    They both carried a very distinct look of apprehension, too. Suddenly summoned by the Empress to a private dinner, probably with no explanation as to why. Not exactly the way a good time starts. While that wasn¡¯t wrong, they were left to figure out why on their own. Alex figured that ¡®dad showed up for a little kidnapping¡¯ was not on the list, but ¡®actually that relationship is forbidden¡¯ was.


    He stood up abruptly, set his glass down and marched across the small room with a smile that came easily to him. He was actually glad to see Carbon, her presence lifting his spirits in a way that he hadn¡¯t expected. She hadn¡¯t expected it either, just starting a greeting when he picked her up in a bear hug that transitioned her words into a startled squeak. ¡°I have had a hell of an afternoon.¡± He said that very loudly. He had. That was true. Alex continued very, very quietly, now that his face was basically next to her ear. ¡°We¡¯re fine.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry...¡± She relaxed when he told her that, though her feet still twitched like she was trying to get purchase on the ground. ¡°What has happened?¡±


    ¡°Quite a bit, actually.¡± He set her back down and straightened her jacket out, stepping aside to let her into the room properly. Carbon walked past him and he repeated that greeting with Neya, just with more decorum. She didn¡¯t get picked up, though the same message got delivered. ¡°Probably grab a seat, there¡¯s some stuff to discuss.¡±


    They did, taking the chairs on either side of Eleya, Carbon sitting in the one that he had just vacated. There had only been three around that table, facing the small room for easier socializing. Now they were sitting there staring at him like he was about to give a lecture, or possibly take an order. He looked to Eleya, there in the middle. ¡°Would you like to get us started?¡±


    ¡°I was not there for most of this incident, dear Nephew.¡± She took a sip of her drink, still working on the first glass. ¡°You are better equipped to relay it.¡±


    ¡°I suppose.¡± Ugh. He really didn¡¯t want to do this, but here it goes. ¡°Earlier today the Starbound arrived in Sol and docked with the Sword. While your-¡±


    ¡°My father¡¯s ship is here?¡± Carbon cut him off, glancing at the door to the dining room, apprehension creeping into her eyes already. ¡°That is impossible, the drives are not that fast.¡±


    ¡°It left Tsla¡¯o space a few days after the the Sword did, carrying senators and personnel who were not able to get on board it before it left.¡± He wasn¡¯t there for any of the stuff he¡¯d said so far. That was kind of annoying. ¡°It was in transit when the Sword arrived in Sol.¡±


    Carbon squinted as she ran the numbers, nodding slowly. ¡°Yes, that... is reasonable. That is how fast it should go.¡± She didn¡¯t exactly relax, there was too much secrecy surrounding things for her to not know that something bad happened.


    ¡°Right. So, your father declined to come with them. He requested...¡± That was a lie, per what Kaleta had said. Yes, he had said it to protect Carbon from the truth of what had gone on, but what had Sharadi done to earn having any of these blows softened? ¡°He forbade her from coming as well. She snuck on board anyway.¡±


    ¡°Kaleta is here?¡± Neya interjected, surprised and excited. Carbon looked a little hopeful, as well.


    ¡°Hang on.¡± He held up a hand, hoping to get their hopes down to a level where it wouldn¡¯t hurt as bad when the actual goings on of the day landed. ¡°While the ship was en route, we were married, and Sharadi... Flipped out. He apparently spent most of the trip whipping up Kaleta and a few of his friends on board to remove me from the Sword and return me to Earth, then convince Eleya to reverse what she¡¯d done.¡±


    He looked at the growing unease on Carbon and Neya, and Eleya gave him a little nod. ¡°She, you know, took his place.¡± Alex made the motion of putting a sigil on like Neya did when she represented either of them. ¡°And lead a couple of them to arrest me or whatever they thought they were going to do.¡± He petered off there, watching Carbon¡¯s gaze shift down to her hands in her lap as concern gave way to melancholy.


    Eleya set her hand on Carbon¡¯s arm, patting it softly. ¡°The whole truth, Prince. I may have asked for leniency in your response, but they deserve none in the telling.¡±


    Alex sighed, a little annoyed that she was right. All of this would come out. He would rip the bandaid off now. This time it was the appropriate choice. ¡°They found me in the gym, in the fighting court to spar with Master Tenaha, which was lucky for them. Senator Hatae comes at me swinging, punches me in the face a couple of times before I figure out it¡¯s not a training exercise and respond. Mateku follows him and hits me with his cane pretty hard. Tenaha stepped in, just knocked him out cold before he could take another swing at me.¡±


    He did not point out that Carbon was sitting with her elbow almost resting on the cane that had been one or two blows away from killing him.


    Maybe he didn¡¯t want to keep it.


    ¡°Zenshen and a couple of my guys were in play at that point and whatever they thought they were trying to do was over. Hatae and Mateku are in the sickbay because they got wrecked, and they¡¯ll be joining the other two in the brig. I collected Dad and a medkit, and we went to visit Eleya. He was still unhinged, but Kaleta seems to be willing to consider that I¡¯m not some kind of barbarian defiling h-¡± Ok, he would pull one punch right now, mostly for himself. If he finished that sentence he actually was going to want to have Sharadi¡¯s teeth pulled. ¡°The Throne.¡±


    Carbon looked up at him with doleful eyes and lips pressed thin, nodding slowly. She didn¡¯t try to speak, shoulders slumped, defeated by this violent retaliation over who she loved by her remaining parent. People who she loved, who were supposed to care about her, once again choosing their own desires over hers.


    Just on the other side of the Empress, Neya was diametrically opposed in her reaction. Her gaze hardened and posture stiff, leaning forward with her jaw set and ready to act, the tip of her tail switching back and forth in a manner Alex hadn¡¯t seen before. There was hate in her heart, both the people she cared about harmed by this idiocy, and she was ready to sharpen it into a weapon.


    ¡°That is where I come in.¡± Eleya finally deigned to join the conversation in a more material fashion. ¡°Early forensics on his communications indicate he did not want the Prince harmed. He was angry, but he has not fully lost his senses even if he did send a violent drunkard as his vanguard. I have asked the Prince to be lenient with him. He fills an important role right now and... He is my brother. This is partially my fault. I know what he is going through, I lost my love through senseless circumstances as well, and I have not been present for him. I believe he can be swayed by Kaleta and those she carries, which is why we are to have dinner with her tonight.¡±


    That little admission had not been part of anything that they had talked about before now. He was as sure as he was getting that Eleya was earnest in her desire to fix her relationship with Carbon. She wouldn¡¯t be bullshitting about something this serious, though she might bend the truth a little. Taking on any culpability? That was entirely unexpected. ¡°I think getting your dad on board with us is the best idea. I don¡¯t want to see you lose any more family. I don¡¯t want more people dead because of me. Kaleta is our way forward. Where your father was furious, she was worried about you. Where Sharadi shouted, she listened. If she truly carries your mother, it will show.¡±


    Carbon stood silently and slipped her arms around his waist, holding him tightly and listening to his heartbeat. ¡°I will try. I do not want to lose more family either, but-¡± She paused and her jaw worked for a few seconds. ¡°I will if it must be done to protect what I wish to last.¡±


    That was heavier than he expected. Alex glanced over at the peanut gallery. Neya had softened just a smidge, but she still looked mad. Eleya actually appeared a little uneasy at Carbon¡¯s statement. Alex¡¯s warning that she would actually, finally shut her out and walk away made all the more real now that her own father was on the same chopping block. She had expected this to be a slam dunk. Let¡¯s all pitch in so we can keep the family together! A wake up call could be good for a person, now and then.


    The door to the dining room chimed, a fine little bell in the handle announcing that it was about to be opened from the other side. Everyone turned to watch as the handle twisted a few seconds later and the door swung open just enough for the waitress to slip through, the sound of Kaleta wailing in anguish following her before she closed the door. ¡°I am very sorry to intrude, Empress. Prince. Princess.¡± She said, bowing deeply for each of them and then once more for Neya even if she didn¡¯t get an honorific. ¡°I regret I must inform you that your other guest is deeply out of sorts and we are summoning a medical team for her.¡±

 Malady

    There was a moment of hesitation. The waitress¡¯ incredibly polite notification that an emergency medical team had been called, coupled with Kaleta¡¯s obvious anguish in the next room, was a bit more dissonant than anyone was really prepared for. Neya moved first, the waitress dancing out of her way as she scrambled for the door, her anger forgotten as she rushed to help someone she still considered a friend.


    Alex let everyone else go ahead of him. Carbon and Eleya both knew her as well as Neya, and none of them had threatened her in the last half-hour or so, which he was starting to feel a little guilty about. Just a little. Even if he hadn¡¯t done that, he expected that his presence probably wouldn¡¯t help Kaleta much.


    He was still going to follow, of course. A mix of curiosity about what the hell was going on, and plainly not trusting Kaleta. She had willingly acted as Sharadi to lead a botched abduction after all, which she could have just not done according to Eleya. But first, a little information gathering of his own. He peeked into the dining room, Kaleta sitting on the floor leaning on a chair, still ¡®out of sorts¡¯ but surrounded by people that cared about her.


    Okay, Eleya did look annoyed, but had positioned herself where it wasn¡¯t obvious to the one having the breakdown.


    ¡°Pardon.¡± Alex paused, about to cue up a nice, formal sounding question when he noticed the waitress had a translator clipped to her belt, black to match her uniform. Well, that was a nice change. ¡°May I ask, what happened?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Prince.¡± She turned to him, sharp brown eyes meeting his. ¡°She had started drinking wine, and went through a few glasses... quickly. I suggested a light hors d''oeuvres, she agreed, and when I stepped out to get that she acquired a bottle of lacan from the cabinet and started drinking it.¡±


    That was the stuff that he and Carbon had been drinking on the Kshlav¡¯o, shortly before... a variety of things happened between them. Very strong. Whatever else was in it did a great job at masking that, like it had been made to get people shitfaced at an alarming speed. ¡°That is not great.¡±


    ¡°No. She drank part of the bottle while I was out of the room but slowed down when I returned. She had been quiet before, contemplative. Her mood turned morose after that.¡± Very matter of fact delivery here, but she seemed to be used to dealing with people that had titles and power. ¡°I was concerned about the amount of alcohol being consumed by one person so quickly, though we have had guests who can tolerate that. It quickly became clear she was not so inclined. I notified the floor boss to summon medical, and then notified the host.¡±


    ¡°Well, thank you. Gets things a bit more clear.¡± He gave her a short bow and joined the rest of his family. Kaleta was stretched out on the floor now, staring at the ceiling with her head resting in Carbon¡¯s lap. Neya was crouched beside them, tail wrapped around her feet, the three of them talking quietly. Kaleta at least seemed to be more composed, though a fearful glance was cast his way when she noticed him walk in.


    He ignored that. Gave Carbon a smile when she looked over and skirted around the table to go visit Eleya, seated out of sight across the table from them and already working on a glass of wine. ¡°Waitress said she drank a bunch of lacan." He said helpfully as he took the seat with his name on the place setting, clockwise down from Eleya and separating her from Carbon. There was also half a bottle of it still uncorked by where Kaleta had been sitting, which made things pretty obvious. It had the same hexagonal-shaped bottle he was familiar with, the same pale green glass, but appeared to be smaller. Maybe five or six hundred milliliters. Their server had followed him into the dining room, and after decanting him a glass of wine, took the bottle and all of the alcoholic beverage related glasses from Kaleta¡¯s place setting.


    ¡°So it is.¡± She still looked miffed as she slid the plate of appetizers over to him, keeping her voice low so they would not be easily overheard. ¡°Sounds as though she regrets that she allowed herself to be carried away by something that would end up doing harm to those she cares about. Extinguishing her shame with alcohol was unsuccessful.¡±


    ¡°Oh really.¡± He perused the selection, a neatly arranged array of cured meats and vegetables, both fresh and pickled. Thin ribbons of flatbread. Reminded him of antipasto, more than anything, and he recognized maybe three things on the platter. One of which was little raw shreds of that awful cabbage-potato. He had just opened his mouth to speak when the EMT¡¯s arrived, hustling over to where Kaleta was still laid out. He waited until they were actually working on her to continue. ¡°Who could have foreseen that outcome?¡±


    The corner of Eleya¡¯s mouth quirked up for a moment, accompanied by a very quiet, very brief chuckle. ¡°Who indeed? It appears that some less critical faces have improved the situation. She needs those connections, they are as important for her soul as they are for our ends. Those two will be upset with her, likely for some time. This is fine, it is the way of family that favor will ebb and flow. We will see to it that our boats are not left in the mud.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get that one.¡± He picked up a tiny little fork and laid a few slices of what was effectively an olive the size of a peach onto a piece of bread and topped it with what was definitely some kind of cured sausage. ¡°The mud thing. I assume it¡¯s bad?¡± Sounded bad. Who wants a muddy boat?


    ¡°When the tide goes out, you do not just let the boats come to rest on the mud of the bay at random. You tend to them so the keel does not get stuck, or other damage befall it. You put in effort, like a relationship that you wish to last.¡± She gave him a curious look. ¡°I know your people sailed, you live on the coasts. How do you not know that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been on a boat. Like a real one on the water. I grew up looking at the bay, sure, but we were still kilometers away from it.¡± He shrugged and popped the little open faced sandwich into his mouth. The sausage was actually pretty good. Probably Rakaro meat, heavily spiced. Nice heat to it. ¡°So no, didn¡¯t make it into the lexicon. Not to say we don¡¯t have nautical references. Rising tide lifts all boats, liking the cut of someone¡¯s jib... I can probably think of a few more if you want.¡±


    Eleya shook her head, pondering what he¡¯d said. ¡°I am sure I will be fine.¡±


    They sat there in silence, listening to the medics talking to Kaleta. She relayed almost exactly what they¡¯d ascertained through other means, though it was distinctly sanitized. She had merely been drinking excessively because of personal troubles, and was overcome by grief. The two EMT¡¯s both commiserated with her, understanding how things can spiral out of control while advising her that this should be considered a warning about her alcohol consumption. It sounded like this was a common occurrence for them.


    There was a lot of pain to go around, even if you weren¡¯t party to the attempted kidnapping of your sort-of daughter¡¯s Husband.


    They gave her a wide spectrum anti-intoxication injection and helped her to her feet, one of them handing her an actual printed card and again advising that she should be careful with alcohol, that there were people who could help with the challenges of uncontrolled excessive use. Sounded like a very gentle way of saying ¡®we think you¡¯re an alcoholic, please get help¡¯ to Alex.


    Kaleta bristled at that insinuation, but she was the one who didn¡¯t want to talk about why she¡¯d chugged half a bottle of hard alcohol. Not that she was going to be having a choice in the matter after everyone was seated.


    Which was just about now. The medical team packed up their bag and departed with a particularly deep bow aimed at everybody in the room. Carbon immediately hugged Kaleta, squeezing her so hard she grunted - that look of fear came back, too. Tail stiffened and antenna raised, fully expecting this to be a reprisal for the events of the afternoon.


    All she got was reunited with someone who had desperately missed her and the echoes of those she now carried. ¡°It has been too long, Kaleta. So much has changed, but so little is different.¡± Carbon held her hands and smiled, genuine and earnest, despite the news of what she had involved herself in.


    Alex understood it. That was someone who was parent-adjacent to her, and carried facets of her mother and Erai, who Carbon had spoken well of in the past. Yes, even her father, despite being on his shit list, Sharadi was still important to her. There was more than just one person wrapped up in Kaleta. All of that made this situation a lot worse for her.


    That was fine by him.


    Kaleta hesitated, her body staying stiff as anxiety swept in to take the place of the fear that Carbon had just dispelled. ¡°So much is different. You look h-¡± The corners of her mouth twisted down and quivered, lips pulled tight as her voice hitched. She swallowed another sob and sniffed. ¡°You look happy. It has been too long since...¡±


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    Carbon patted her shoulder and gestured to her seat, allowing that sentence to simply not be finished. She knew exactly what Kaleta meant. Everybody at that table did. Even Alex, who hadn¡¯t known her for very long comparatively, remembered how cold she had been the first time they had met. The severe look that hadn¡¯t left her face for weeks, only giving way to a sort of professional indifference.


    She almost always looked happy, recently. Even now, though her fa?ade faltered as Kaleta turned away, sadness creeping in around her eyes.


    Kaleta took her seat, as did Carbon and Neya. The waitress returned from standing so still in the background that Alex had forgotten about her, decanting wine for everyone but Kaleta as they sat at their assigned seats. Eleya gave her a little gesture, a simple swipe of the fingers, to indicate that the first course should be brought.


    It was that green space crab soup they had at the first state dinner, though this time it came in a more conventional bowl. A particular quiet had fallen over the table, no one wanting to start talking first. Alex suspected Eleya was waiting on him. She¡¯d never had trouble kicking things off before, and he needed to be crafted into a better, more functional Prince. Alright, he could do this. Where could he start a conversation that was going to be moving them towards their goal of swaying Kaleta to their point of view? Maybe something that was actually of interest to him, that he could have useful input on. ¡°So, I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ve been out working with the new colonies. Must be kind of exciting, out on the frontier pushing the boundaries of the Empire.¡±


    ¡°It is not. Life there is difficult and hardship is all but guaranteed.¡± Kaleta was still a bit chilly, but at least she was talking to Alex now even if she never looked directly at him. ¡°There are threats there that arise almost daily.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that is a rather Human way to look at things.¡± The soup was good, but eating it was annoying while he was missing so many teeth. Eating anything was probably going to be annoying. At least he was up to his eyeballs in painkillers thanks to the akimbo patches he had slapped on, which seemed to be taking the edge off of everything. ¡°I hope that things are at least improving?¡±


    She stirred her bowl, her dislike of having to talk to him starting to surface. ¡°Slowly.¡±


    ¡°Better than the alternative.¡± Never hurt to look on the bright side, right?


    Kaleta made a disgruntled noise and set her spoon down. For a moment it looked like she was just going to leave, until Eleya cleared her throat. Wide violet eyes swiveled towards the Empress, catching the harsh glare directed her way. The look was sharp and subtle, barely extending past her eyes, carrying a promise to make good on Alex¡¯s threat.


    Neya hadn¡¯t spoken at all since the medical team had left, but the scorn radiating from her was palpable. Those two shared a home, a history, a way of life that had been all but wiped away. No longer concerned about Kaleta¡¯s immediate well-being, her disdain for the actions her fellow Zeshen had taken were allowed to run free.


    Faced with that much disapproval, she thought better of it and stayed put. Instead of leaving she picked her spoon up and arranged it across the top of the bowl to indicate that she did not wish to eat any more. Her reply was terse and this time directed more towards the table than Alex. ¡°It could be worse.¡±


    Carbon sighed, not oblivious to what was going on around her. ¡°I understand there has been some resistance to using supplies donated by the Confederation.¡±


    ¡°There has.¡± She at least looked in Carbon¡¯s direction, even if she didn¡¯t seem to be up to making eye contact right now. ¡°The refugees can hardly be blamed, everything is so very strange.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like they¡¯re aliens or something.¡± Alex got a smile out of his joke as he took a sip of wine, then realized he probably shouldn¡¯t be drinking alcohol while otherwise medicated. Shit. Too late now.


    ¡°They are aliens.¡± She didn¡¯t appreciate his humor. Nobody at the table had, really, so she wasn¡¯t alone this time. Kaleta glared at him. ¡°You are an alien.¡±


    Oh, that¡¯s what it took to get her to actually engage? ¡°Just saying, everything was new. Maybe not fresh out of the factory, but it was all unused.¡± He had skimmed a partially redacted report about the aid mobilization while preparing for the Kshlav¡¯o expedition. Most of it was old stock that had been filling out disaster response warehouses. Prefab housing, humanitarian rations, basic food and water dispensers, heavy equipment, tools, construction drones, palletized vehicles of all sorts. Things you could house and feed a refugee with, then build an actual place for them to live. That was just the prepackaged stuff, too. Sitting in containers ready to be slapped into a Trailblazer.


    She scoffed. ¡°They have tiny square domiciles. Most of the structures did not even include plumbing, or cooking areas. That is hardly useful.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s called the Emergency Modular Housing System to clearly describe what it does. You know, emergency housing.¡± Alex got very close to taking a snide shot at her, nearly dropping a little ¡®for when your planet explodes and kills your family¡¯ as an example. He¡¯d be damned if he was going to be the one being that mean in front of a bunch of people who didn¡¯t deserve to hear something vile come out of his mouth.


    He mentally skimmed what he remembered about how an EMSH worked. Prefabbed units clicking together like toys to create an apartment complex. ¡°It¡¯s about giving people a temporary, secure place to rest. Each housing block only has one kitchen unit and one washroom unit. Because, you know, emergency versus permanent.¡± He switched to water, taking a drink to give himself a moment to cool down, annoyed by how flippant her response was. ¡°Yeah, not having a bathroom en suite is inconvenient, but it sure as hell beats living under a tarp until a real building gets made.¡±


    Kaleta stared at him, eyes narrow as a scowl darkened her face. ¡°What do you know of the situation on the frontier? How many of our planets cannot support such a fragile system?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know shit about the frontier! I¡¯ve been doing this for like a week. I do know the EMSH was proofed on Venus.¡± That didn¡¯t mean anything to anyone else at the table. ¡°The surface of that planet is like being in an acid storm at the bottom of an ocean that¡¯s hot enough to melt lead. If you had read the documentation, you¡¯d know that it¡¯s perfectly capable of operating on most grade one, two, and three planets, and even on moons.¡±


    ¡°The frontier settlements overwhelmingly fall into grade one or two by the Human measurement.¡± Eleya added, a spoonful of soup poised in front of her. ¡°Several are moons.¡±


    ¡°Well there we go.¡± Alex gritted his teeth, what were left of them anyway, and exhaled slowly. ¡°And just so we¡¯re clear, I don¡¯t expect you to know this. It isn¡¯t your job. I sure as hell expect Sharadi to know, though. He¡¯s involved in distributing these supplies, correct?¡±


    ¡°He is, yes.¡± That scowl was still there, but it was twisting, giving way as the anxiety started to work its way back in.


    ¡°He knew about how the EMSH works, right? You¡¯re just pushing my buttons when you say this because you don¡¯t like me. Right? You¡¯re trying to piss me off.¡± For fucks sake, if they were denying people housing because somebody didn¡¯t read a manual... ¡°I can understand that.¡±


    ¡°I do not know.¡±


    That was unsatisfying. ¡°So which is it? Are they too strange, too fragile, or you don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°I do not know!¡± She snapped at him, mad again, but the intensity had flared. It wasn¡¯t about just him being a Human, or being involved with Carbon. There was something deeper at play here. ¡°I do not know what Sharadi does anymore!¡±


    The table went silent, everyone focused on her.


    Carbon spoke, voice soft and concerned. ¡°What do you mean, Kaleta?¡±


    ¡°He has...¡± She stopped and glared at Alex again, jaw set for a moment before she turned back to Carbon. ¡°He has withdrawn himself from me. We do not link anymore, and have not for some time. Primarily I perform secretarial duties, and rarely represent him.¡±


    Carbon and Neya exchanged worried glances across the table, and Eleya hissed a curse under her breath at her brother¡¯s actions. Alex was slightly out of the loop here, the exact implication of this withdrawl being lost on him, but those reactions were very clear. ¡°Why the hell did he do that?¡±


    ¡°Shortly after Carbon departed to work on the Kshlav¡¯o, he...¡± She chewed on the inside of her cheek, working up the courage to divulge this information, specifically avoiding looking at Carbon as she did. ¡°He had a brief dalliance, which he insists was an affair.¡±


    ¡°A dalliance?¡± Eleya sounded utterly incredulous.


    ¡°Yeah, what?¡± Oh no, dad had a rebound relationship after his wife died. That¡¯s never happened before. He still glanced over at Carbon to check on how she was taking this. If anything, she looked a little less surprised by the news than the rest of them. ¡°People are complex and pain makes us do weird things.¡±


    For the first time, surprise crossed Kaleta¡¯s features at something Alex said. ¡°I told him as much, which was the thing that drove the first wedge.¡± She had settled a little bit, quiet as she recalled this. ¡°Still, he maintained it was infidelity. He took the loss of Nova very hard, and he has not tried to recover from it. Hiding himself in work and libation as though that could be enough.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry he¡¯s going through that, and he needs to work on himself.¡± Alex looked over at Eleya. ¡°You said you were going to get him some help, right? Do you have like... special forces for mental health you could deploy on him?¡±


    ¡°You do not understand.¡± Kaleta was looking at Alex specifically again, her voice dripping with guilt as she clarified things for everyone. ¡°She was a Human.¡±

 Persistence

    ¡°That¡¯s what all this is about?¡± Alex erupted, hands thrown wide. ¡°He fucked somebody from the wrong species? That¡¯s why he¡¯s treating Carbon like shit? Putting-¡± His words devolved into a snarl, lips curled up in near-incoherent rage as everything he¡¯d tamped down to keep his shit together since he had come on board slipped loose of that confinement.


    That piece of shit had actually yelled at his own daughter for something he had done. Sharadi was actually, literally sanctimonious. A hypocrite of the highest order! It wasn¡¯t even the same! There was no ¡®dalliance¡¯ here. There had been no point where Alex would have used such a trifling, floral word to describe anything happening between Carbon and himself.


    Sharadi had hurt her, and Alex was ready to return the favor with the same gentle touch that the Tsla¡¯o had bestowed upon him several times already. He¡¯d start with a knife in the-


    He stood up abruptly, his chair tipping and clattering to the floor behind him. He was so very close to just boiling over, fantasizing about murder for the second time that afternoon. ¡°I¡¯m gonna... Be out there. For a minute.¡±


    Alex would like to imagine that he had swept out of the room smoothly, despite the fact he was seething. Instead he had wrenched the doorknob so hard something in it broke before he tossed the door open, slamming it into the furniture on the other side and stalking down the narrow hallway back to the ship corridor. A little bit of what had become normal to him, plain gray bulkheads and the stink of ozone in the air.


    He wanted violence right now. The realization sent another surge of adrenaline through his body, and he inhaled sharply at the prospect. The potential. How good it would feel to just make this problem go away with a couple of punches. The swing of a cane with a suspiciously heavy pommel. A firing squad.


    It solved everything this afternoon, right?


    No. No. That wasn¡¯t who he was. He hadn¡¯t grown up to be a killer. His parents hadn¡¯t raised one. He hadn¡¯t enlisted as an actual soldier, he wanted to explore. To help others through that endeavor. Safe planets, mineable asteroid belts, accurate maps. Yes, it had been for Humanity at first, but he readily extended that same desire to assist the Tsla¡¯o. He wanted to help people.


    But he had been ready to kick Hatae¡¯s face in. Just as a matter of following through, a quick boot to the skull. The SERE trainers had been real specific about that. Putting someone on the ground and curb stomping them was something you did to kill. Sometimes it was necessary so they didn¡¯t kill you.


    Hatae had been on the ground, out of the fight. Nothing near a threat at that point, but hindsight was 20/20. How long would it have taken for Alex to lift a foot and cave his skull in? A second, maybe two? Would he have done it again if the first one didn¡¯t look like it had worked?


    How would Alex handle being a murderer, if Mateku hadn¡¯t gotten there when he did? He could tell himself it was in self defense, and he was sure everyone who mattered to him would echo that sentiment. Eleya could say it was his right until she was blue in the face...


    But he¡¯d know.


    He¡¯d remember looking down at somebody who was curled up on the ground, crying about getting his nose broken, and then making the decision to snuff him out.


    And he earnestly considered killing a few more people after that.


    ¡°That¡¯s not who I am.¡± Alex repeated that mantra quietly to himself a few times, sitting down in the corridor, leaning against the cool metal of the bulkhead. He said it as though that would make it more real. That he would believe it right here and now.


    Carbon crouched down next to him, setting a hand on his knee so gently that he barely felt it. ¡°Alex?¡± Her voice was unusually soft, cautious. Scared. She sounded so scared. Even when faced with dying out in the middle of nowhere in a ship with half a working engine, she had never sounded like this.


    Alex did that to her. This was his fault.


    ¡°I just need a minute.¡± Alex unclenched his jaw and exhaled, nice and slow. He could put this back together. Get his shit straight.


    Her ears twitched and she gave him a little nod. ¡°May I stay with you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Alex was hard pressed to imagine how bad things would have to be for him to tell her no. Maybe if he had actually put his boot through-


    He banished that particular thought, settling in to doing some breathing exercises they had taught him back in the CPP. Exert control over his body to regain control of his mind. It had sounded stupid at first, and he still felt silly doing it, but that shitty little voice that wanted blood for blood was already more distant.


    Carbon slumped against the bulkhead, sitting shoulder to shoulder with him. Present but silent as he worked this out. It was nice that she understood him well enough to know that he processed things quietly, working through them in his head. He appreciated that.


    He appreciated her.


    One last deep breath, and a slow exhale to build his courage up. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you everything about what happened when Kaleta... Sharadi showed up.¡± Why was that so hard to say?


    Carbon gave him an affirmative noise and another nod.


    ¡°Things happened like I explained, I glossed over how I reacted to all this.¡± That was a lie, of course, he had hardly thought about his reaction to almost getting brained at the gym. ¡°I guess I haven¡¯t even really processed it. So.¡±


    She waited for him to continue, bright blue eyes watching with no small amount of concern. Carbon slipped her hand into his and laced their fingers together. ¡°I will be here for you.¡±


    Would she? When she found out that he was ready to murder her fellow-


    Alex grumbled softly and closed his eyes, doing another set of breathing exercises before he continued. ¡°If it had just been Kaleta and Hatae, I think I probably would have killed him. He¡¯s not good at fighting. I broke his nose, put him on the ground. That should have been the end of it, but I was ready to curb stomp him. I almost did. Training, you know? If someone hostile is on board, they need to be stopped. Permanently if need be. I almost did.¡±


    Carbon let him say his piece, squeezing his hand while he spoke. ¡°I imagine there is more?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He didn¡¯t like how long it took to organize his thoughts on this, but it had turned out to be a complex moment. ¡°We... we threaded the needle here. If Mateku hadn¡¯t arrived when he did, I probably would have killed Hatae. At the same time, if he wasn¡¯t an old man with a bad leg, he probably would have killed me with the first blow.¡±


    Morbid curiosity brought his hand up to where the cane had impacted, just above his mandible. It was fully healed, had been for a while, but he was interested in distance right now. Alex measured the space between ground zero and his temple with his thumb and index finger, just about ten centimeters. He held them up for Carbon to see. ¡°He was that far from landing a fucking mace where my skull is thinnest.¡±


    He didn¡¯t figure there was really a good place to have a mace to make contact with your skull, but that seemed like it was the worst spot.


    Carbon sighed softly and set her head on his shoulder. ¡°I am glad he did not.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± He got a half-hearted chuckle out of that. ¡°I¡¯m thinking about it now and I can see so many ways this could have gone even more out of control. The people who have been tasked with my security are allowed to use lethal force, right?¡±


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    She nodded. ¡°They would defend you with any means at their disposal, yes.¡±


    ¡°Right. Sharadi didn¡¯t know Tenaha would step in, that I had half my squad on their way, that Sergeant Zenshen had a gun. Even if it hadn¡¯t happened there, I¡¯m sure Eleya would have had them killed. I think she entertained having Sharadi put to death for this, before the first report on his communications came back.¡±


    Carbon didn¡¯t respond to that, just giving his hand another squeeze.


    ¡°The thing that really gets me, though... There was a good second or two where I really thought that killing was acceptable! I was ready to do it. I had a weapon in my hand and I was this close to ending her life.¡± He held up his finger and thumb again, much closer together this time. ¡°I was ready to go back and finish off Mateku. And the worst part?¡±


    He sucked in a terse breath through his teeth.


    ¡°If other people hadn¡¯t been there to see me do it, I would have. It wasn¡¯t some better part of me staying my hand. Not the fact I don¡¯t want to be a murderer, or how immoral I find the idea of killing, particularly for retaliation.¡± Alex boiled silently, grinding the teeth he had left together as he got himself in order again. ¡°It was witnesses.¡±


    ¡°For this, I am glad. While I am mad at Kaleta... She is important to me. She carries the last echoes of my mother, and the father I may not have anymore.¡± Carbon reached over and drew idle circles on the back of his hand with a warm fingertip. ¡°While you say it was not a better part of you staying your hand - are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Another deep breath, another sigh that felt like it was on the edge of a breakdown. ¡°At that moment I knew I had almost limitless power. One step from the throne, right? Eleya finally convinced me of something, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Then why did witnesses override that?¡± She tilted her head to look up at him. ¡°You had power beyond reproach, did you not?¡±


    ¡°I mean, I guess.¡± Where had his mind been in that exact moment? His head was a constellation of pain, despite the adrenaline dulling it and making his hands shake. Blood blotted out his sense of taste and smell. The urge to act, to expend the energy that was flooding his body. ¡°I wanted someone else to hurt, you know? I wanted these attacks to stop, once and for all, and putting that cane through someone¡¯s head felt like the way to go.¡±


    There had been his snide comment to ¡®dad¡¯ followed a heartbeat later by the realization that he could impose a reprisal with as much violence as he desired. A warning to the next guy who thought putting a gun in his face was a good idea. He had gotten the cane to about shoulder height, halfway up the backswing. Right there was the point where it stopped, the surge of madness quelled by his squad arriving. Soldiers all, and all younger than he is.


    ¡°I saw Amalu coming in with the rest of my detail. He looked straight at me and just froze up...¡±  Amalu had been in front of the group. He¡¯d been looking at Kenath just behind him and laughing about something. He was the first one to see Alex. The way his face shifted from an easy smile to horror crystalized in Alex¡¯s mind. Riding that surge of adrenaline and distant from reality, Alex had assumed it was because he knew what was about to happen, as though Amalu could see the violent intent that had swirled in his mind. In retrospect it was more likely that Alex standing there with his face smashed up, blood all over his mouth and neck, was a surprise he hadn¡¯t been prepared for.


    ¡°But why did that stop you?¡± Carbon enquired. ¡°They are yours to command, they could have assisted you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, because I¡¯m not a psychopath?¡± Amalu was actually an adult, sure. After Carbon had pointed out he still had fluff that marked Tsla¡¯o youth, Alex couldn¡¯t stop thinking about him like he was too young to be a soldier. Too young to kill, to die for somebody¡¯s title. Mentally filing him into the same category as his nephew. ¡°He¡¯s a good kid. Fuck, that would be like asking Jason to hold somebody down while I beat them to death.¡±


    She made an affirmative hum. ¡°So was it really witnesses that stopped you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Carbon had managed to get him to talk himself down off that ledge, which did really fit for her chosen field of study. ¡°And a little yes. Their arrival interrupted the fury in me long enough for me to realize what I was doing. I still got lucky. We still threaded the needle.¡±


    ¡°These are not incidents you could have known you were going to experience.¡± Carbon looked up at him as she set her hand over his heart. ¡°They are not normal for anyone. Luck may be the best we can hope for, there is no way to train for situations that are all but random.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m tired of this. I want to be with you, but it¡¯s becoming clear that this is needlessly dangerous. This little incident could have wiped away what¡¯s left of your family, and...¡± It was so easy to say that he was all in with this relationship when it was just him in the crosshairs of some terrorists. Only his life on the block, and relatively sure that Eleya actually meant to protect him. Even when he had doubted his place in Carbon¡¯s life, or had the occasional run in with alien cultural sensibilities, that was quick to turn around.


    The math was starting to look real complex when things like ¡®the last vestige of Carbon¡¯s parents¡¯ became part of the ledger. What kind of damage could that do, particularly if it was by his hand? All the resolve in the universe didn¡¯t matter if he ended up poisoning their relationship with something like that. Yes, this was unlikely to happen again, but the fact it had happened at all worried him more than the entire first assassination attempt.


    For now, resolve would have to do. ¡°And I really need to talk to a therapist.¡±


    ¡°Neya has not had the time to notify you verbally, and I suspect you have not checked your comm, but you have an appointment with Doctor Kasia tomorrow evening.¡± A wry smile curled the corner of her mouth, a faint laugh. Her ears shifted, tension she¡¯d been holding in starting to release. ¡°Though I suspect she would rearrange her schedule further for something of this scope.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t checked his comm. It hadn¡¯t so much as beeped at him all afternoon... was it on silent? He did actually consider asking about having the appointment pushed up. Nothing in this situation felt good, but he was sure that nothing would get worse in the next day. Famous last words, perhaps, but the rest of tomorrow¡¯s schedule could get fucked. It was all Intel meetings and line readings anyway. He would simply not leave their cabin without a full escort. ¡°No, I think I¡¯m good enough to wait.¡±


    ¡°You are more than good enough.¡± Carbon stretched up to kiss him, a soft peck on the lips. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Like shit. Better, but still like shit.¡± He wasn¡¯t a bundle of barely restrained anger storming around anymore, so that was an improvement. ¡°What the hell are we going to do with your dad?¡±


    ¡°I... Do not know. You said Eleya has a report on his communications?¡±


    ¡°Eleya started an investigation just after Kaleta left her quarters. The AI scrape said he told them not to use force. Insisted I not be harmed, just removed, as he was afraid of retaliation from the Confed. The amount of planning that went into this was minimal. I guess I was just supposed to be convinced to go with them and they¡¯d take me back to Earth.¡± Easy as that, if their pointman wasn¡¯t a violent drunk.


    Carbon was silent for a few seconds, and confused when she spoke. ¡°That is it? Take you back to Earth?¡±


    ¡°I guess!¡± He tossed his free hand into the air and shrugged. ¡°Doesn¡¯t make any sense to me, either.¡±


    ¡°I may understand it. His first reaction when he was notified was that this was all Eleya¡¯s doing, a bit of theater to make Humans more palatable to our kind. My insistence and Eleya¡¯s assurance that it was not just made him more furious. I think he might have held onto that first assumption. Reasoned himself into believing that you could be talked into leaving, or simply told to go.¡± Carbon exhaled softly, shaking her head. ¡°He has worked with Humans in the past, he knows you are sensible people.¡±


    Alex got a chuckle out of the idea Humans were sensible. Maybe some of them, but he personally did a lot of stuff that didn¡¯t fall into that category. ¡°He¡¯s not entirely wrong, part of this is to make Humans - well, Human assistance - more agreeable. Strikes me as a very threadbare understanding of how Eleya plans things, and I¡¯ve just met her. Anger does have a tendency to make complex things look real simple in the moment...¡±


    ¡°So I have heard.¡± There was a soft smile on her muzzle as she looked to him again. ¡°All this is supposition. Once the inquiry is complete, the fog should be lifted. We will not know the exact path, but we can begin a plan that is more than guessing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I just... I don¡¯t want any more death. Particularly not from what little family you have left.¡± Alex tipped his head back against the bulkhead, the metal wicking heat away from him as he rubbed his eyes. ¡°And I sure as hell don¡¯t want to be the one responsible for it if there¡¯s some other way to handle the situation.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. He may be a hypocrite, but I do not wish to discard him. Not yet. We will see what else Kaleta knows. She rests close to his heart.¡± Carbon patted his chest and looked at the ceiling, punctuating that statement with an annoyed huff. ¡°She used to, at least.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re taking this news pretty well. Better than I have.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I am not a hypocrite.¡± She paused, a rueful laugh echoing down the corridor. ¡°He is in the middle of his life. Forty or fifty years is a long time to spend alone, and I would not want him to for my sake. I made peace with that thought not long after the Cataclysm, that she was gone and there was much unknowable ahead of us. We will hold tight to what has survived, and cherish whatever we find borne from the ash.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s deep.¡± Alex laughed in earnest at his reaction. ¡°I will certainly cherish you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no...¡± Carbon waved a hand and grumbled, annoyed. ¡°I took that line from a speech Eleya made.¡±


    ¡°Still gonna do it.¡± He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.


    ¡°I will allow it this time.¡± She smiled and kissed him back. ¡°Shall we return? I do not know if they are waiting for us, or if Eleya has begun interrogating Kaleta herself...¡±


    ¡°Suppose we should.¡± He pushed himself up and held out a hand to help her up as well. ¡°Otherwise we¡¯re just going to be sitting here making out in front of the Guard.¡±

 Depleted

    Alex led them back into the private dining room, the door to the lounge far more damaged than he realized. It was still on the hinges, yes, but as he pulled it open it was clear they were in need of replacement.


    Inside, Eleya had started the inquisition without them, but it sounded amiable so far.


    ¡°The first Trailblazer ship had arrived in system at Katala just a few weeks after the Humans reached Na¡¯o.¡± Kaleta paused as Carbon and Alex returned, violet eyes turned their way. She was wary now, caution taking precedence over fear.


    He stepped aside to let Carbon in, and pulled the door as far closed as it would go. Na¡¯o was the name of their home solar system, basically the same thing as Sol being named after the star at its center. He even recognized Katala, a separate system with extensive mining operations and their first venture into terraforming.


    ¡°Please, continue.¡± Alex gestured as he returned to his seat. They couldn¡¯t have missed much, and he was sure he would be getting the rundown from Eleya next time they spoke anyway.


    Kaleta looked to Eleya, who gave her a little nod.


    ¡°The Trailblazer¡¯s captain asked for a place to hold a celebration. Just a section of shuttlebay, somewhere to land and meet with the command crew of the station. They had apparently participated in an anti-piracy action while in transit and their victory required this.¡± Her gaze had crept back over to Alex as she spoke, like he¡¯d understand it.


    Fortunately for everyone at the table, he did. ¡°Yeah, TB¡¯s aren¡¯t a ship of the line or anything, but they are ready for a brawl. Real nasty point defense, most of them have at least six snub fighters on board, usually a dozen. Lots of time to tinker so they¡¯re all shined and stropped, and the pilots are itching for contact. Their thing with the celebration is because they were attacked but completed the haul. They¡¯ll bring a ceremonial item - usually booze - to hand deliver and then do a little partying with whoever was getting the delivery.¡± He didn¡¯t get it the first time he heard about that ritual. Having been shot down, the whole thing made way more sense. Alex sure as hell would have cracked open something expensive if he had tangled with the Eohm and been able to continue their expedition undeterred. Hell, even having been able to limp back under their own power would have warranted it. ¡°Nice to see they¡¯re treating everybody equally.¡±


    The reaction to this information varied greatly, everyone picking something different from that statement. Carbon was bemused by the whole thing - every part of what he said was exactly the stuff she expected from Humans now. Neya tended that way as well, curious more than anything. Even Eleya seemed to approve, a little smirk on her muzzle.


    Kaleta, on the other hand, was appalled. ¡°They had armed fighters aboard a cargo vessel, and it was allowed into Tsla¡¯o space?¡±


    ¡°Allowed, with my decree. The Confederation was very clear about the ships they were sending and their capabilities.¡± Eleya responded, though the question had not been directed at her. ¡°I recall this exact event. We had been having trouble with piracy on the lanes closer to the frontier and this ship... The name evades me, but when they were supposed to depart with an escort, the captain offered to act as bait. Have the escort ships leave and then appear to go alone. Everyone wanted to strike at these parasites, so we verified with the Confederation military that this was a reasonable course of action. It was, as they carry their own escort fighters.¡±


    Eleya leaned back in her chair and took a sip of wine. ¡°I approved of the plan, though I did not oversee it. I am told the captain had a very coarse exchange with traffic control over an unsecured comm about how they were offended by the mere insinuation that they needed a military escort. We ¡®relented¡¯ and they left, a heavy cruiser picked up their wake a lightyear outside Na¡¯o. It turned out well, the entire event netted ten fighter kills, two captured freighters, and even an outed operative in traffic control.¡±


    ¡°You let them kill our kind?¡± Kaleta ratcheted up to horrified, betrayal written across her face.


    ¡°Our kind? A bold assertion.¡± Eleya¡¯s tone dropped as she leaned in, ears and antenna pulled down and voice razor sharp. ¡°Tell me about our kind. Be specific about the ones that turned their back on the Empire to steal food from the mouths of our citizens. Those that skulk around in the shadows to take their homes, their children, their very lives. You gave me the report about what happened to the Hastu Amara. Tell me you see these neck-cutters as one of us, that those tears were for show. Please. It will simplify things so much.¡±


    As Eleya was making her feelings on that turn of phrase clear, Carbon bumped Alex¡¯s foot to get his attention, shaking her head very subtly. He assumed that meant something like ¡®don¡¯t get involved here¡¯ or maybe just ¡®don¡¯t ask about what happened to the Hastu Amara.¡¯


    He could look it up later.


    Kaleta had withered under Eleya¡¯s focused attention, quickly stammering out a weak but angry reply to rebuff the Empress. ¡°I did not mean that the pirates deserve quarter! Just that no Tsla¡¯o should die by a kava- A Human hand.¡±


    Carbon sighed softly beside Alex, but the way Neya looked over at Kaleta with narrow eyes and her dark lips curled in disgust was much more informative about what she had stopped herself from saying. While Neya did not care for its use in this situation, she clearly did not want to involve herself in this discussion.


    The room remained deathly quiet as Eleya regarded her brother¡¯s Zeshen, hackles literally raised despite her voice being cold and flat. ¡°How many people were on the Hastu, Kaleta?¡±


    Kaleta understood just how dire the situation here was for her now. ¡°Six hundred and seventy-three, Empress.¡±


    ¡°How many of our kind did they take?¡±


    ¡°Two hundred and ninety-seven, Empress.¡± She looked directly at the table as she spoke, what little outrage that had lingered in her voice tamped down into very formal inflection.


    ¡°It is good you have not forgotten. How many of those were children?¡±


    ¡°A hundred and thirty six, Empress.¡±


    ¡°There was a very special one among them. A sister to you and Neya alike. Is that correct, Kaleta?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Empress.¡±


    Cold blue eyes bored into Kaleta as Eleya let her twist in the wind. ¡°What was her name?¡±


    Kaleta¡¯s voice cracked as she spoke. ¡°Ema Tolona, Empress.¡±


    ¡°Where are the children now, Kaleta?¡± She leaned in. ¡°Where is Ema?¡±


    ¡°I do not know, Empress.¡± The tears Eleya had inquired about fell heavy onto her jacket, eyes squeezed shut as though that would be enough to avoid this line of questioning.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Correct. You do not know.¡± Eleya gritted her teeth, a snarl curling her lip. ¡°You denigrate our allies to keep shit from getting mud on it. Those allies? They do know where Ema is. They returned her to us, and nearly a hundred more. It was not even their military! Mere merchants. The clan believed those vulgar stereotypes you do not seem to mind, and offered them all the slaves they could want. Adults, children, even an infant. The first Zeshen born after the Cataclysm. A product to be sold. It is thanks to them that she is free once more.¡±


    ¡°Why...¡± She looked up and Eleya, still crying and now bewildered. ¡°Why have we not been told?¡±


    Eleya had eased back from the height of her anger, her point made, but no less stern. ¡°The task is not complete. The news of one child, of even a hundred, returning to the hearth is not worth giving away what we have learned. You may wish to inform your sisters, but this information does not leave the room. It does not leave you. We are afforded an opportunity to strike the heart of one of the clans, and they cannot be allowed to slip loose because someone spoke out in a moment of shared joy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course, Empress.¡± Kaleta nodded quickly, wiping her eyes. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I am not the one you need to thank. I did nothing to facilitate her recovery aside from allowing Humans some leeway within our borders.¡± Eleya sat back with an annoyed grunt. ¡°When you speak of them, do so with more respect.¡±


    She bowed her head. ¡°By your sight, Empress.¡±


    ¡°Just so we¡¯re all on the same page here: that situation is fucked. It¡¯s kind of cool knowing that we¡¯re actually doing something positive out there, though. I mostly just hear about how nobody¡¯s using the stuff we sent and the general dislike for Humans despite how much we¡¯ve tried to help, and the multiple attempts on my life.¡± Alex picked up his bowl of soup, now cold, and took a long sip from it. ¡°Trying to give me a complex, I swear.¡±


    Eleya turned to look at him, the faintest hint of amusement crinkling the corner of her eyes. ¡°This operation calls for fine instruments and those take time to get into place. The Confederation has been kind enough to bolster our specialist units. You tell them there are pirates and they perk up, mention slavers and they get a particular gleam in their eye and suddenly they are ready to ship out everything you might need.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve had a rough history with that, but did settle on the ¡®slavery bad¡¯ side of things. Everybody likes having something that¡¯s morally black and white to deal with once in a while.¡± He was not surprised the Confed had jumped at the chance to help with that particular problem. The quickest way to put a win on the board was mopping up somebody who trafficked in people.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Eleya looked back to Kaleta. ¡°Now. This crew requested some space at the station¡¯s shuttle bay. I assume that it was granted.¡±


    ¡°It was, yes.¡± Kaleta was hesitant to continue speaking, but given that she was still on the spot she mustered the courage necessary. ¡°I was on my way back from Kama¡¯o when this happened, so much of this is second hand to me. They invited the command crew of the station and the cruiser that had helped them specifically, but also stated anyone could come. The Humans brought a large amount of alcoholic beverages and some food, and freely shared it all.¡±


    ¡°See? I know those guys. Not them specifically, but how those crews act.¡± Alex chimed in. Sure, they were kind of weird and standoffish to Navy contracted pilots, but they were consistent.


    ¡°It is so. Most of the command and some of the crew at least visited. Sharadi was among them. At the time he had been drinking heavily, and according to what I have heard, he did not care what company he drank with. The Trailblazer crew were there for half a day.¡±


    ¡°Half a day?¡± Eleya interjected, initially surprised before a moment of introspection. ¡°A ship that large would take some time to offload. Days, perhaps, unless they simply dumped their cargo to the void.¡±


    Alex held his tongue. He did know all about how those ships worked but did not presume that everyone wanted a lesson about cargo loading and unloading procedures in areas that did not have dedicated cargo handling facilities, or in this case used an alien cargo handling system.


    ¡°They were in-system for nearly four days.¡± Kaleta sighed and continued. ¡°When I arrived it was still early in the evening, so I returned to our... his quarters, expecting to deliver a brief report about the expansion of the colony on Kama¡¯o. I enter and there is a jacket I do not recognize on one of the chairs, with writing that is unfamiliar to me on it. Some kind of bird I do not know stitched on the back. I knew Humans had arrived in system and they sometimes give gifts, so I did not think it that strange - he was a diplomat to them at one time, and fond of the work he had done. I had actually thought it good that he was engaging with something he had enjoyed again.¡±


    ¡°Then I heard someone singing. It was soft, like a lullaby, and obviously in a Human tongue as I could not comprehend a single word. I had not been informed we were to have guests, and I was certain there should be no children present, so I approached the rooms as quietly as I could.¡± She paused here and steeled herself, winding up the courage to continue as she wiped her eyes again and smoothed the fur on her face. ¡°The door to his bedroom was open and the singing was coming from it. When I looked in, there was a black-haired human female laying on the bed with Sharadi curled up beside her, resting his head on her chest. She hadn¡¯t noticed me and continued her song, petting him while he slept.¡±


    Kaleta looked around the table, confused by the blank stares she was getting in return. This did not land as heavily as she had expected it to.


    Alex was the first to give up on waiting for more information. He was currently the one with the most experience having relationships with Humans at the table, and singing a lullaby to someone who was sleeping on you did not fit with things he¡¯d call a dalliance. ¡°That¡¯s not exactly what I was expecting. I really do not want any salacious details, but just to get this straight... He was asleep and they were cuddling?¡± The way she had initially talked about it, Alex was under the impression that Kaleta had caught them having sex, or at least making out.


    ¡°Yes!¡± She said it emphatically, like it actually was a big deal.


    Eleya hissed through her teeth like a deflating tire. ¡°Was there anything licentious occurring? Should we expect this to arrive as blackmail at an inopportune time?¡±


    Kaleta had to think about it, which did not bode well. ¡°No, I do not believe anything of that sort had occurred by the time I arrived. It certainly would have been in the air, and they were not nearly disrobed enough.¡±


    Alex leaned on the table with both elbows, etiquette be damned, and steepled his fingers. ¡°They didn¡¯t even get naked? She just sang him a song in bed while he slept? Is that even bad, I thought Tsla¡¯o did communal sleeping?¡± If they didn¡¯t, both Carbon and Neya were going to have a lot of explaining to do. Separately.


    ¡°Not with a complete stranger! That sort of physical contact with someone you have just met is scandalous. If I am to understand the ways of Humans, it is also denigrating to him! Treating him like your livestock.¡± Despite the recent reminder that Humans were helpful, actually, she was creeping back up towards outrage over Human related things. It was going to take more than one close encounter with Eleya asking if she was a ready for a trip out the airlock to straighten that out, apparently.


    ¡°First off, Humans pet everything. Even each other, because it¡¯s relaxing. If she was singing him a lullaby, she was doing it to soothe him. So cut her some slack.¡± Alex tapped his fingertips to his lips, annoyed that he had spent so much time worrying about accidentally petting Carbon when apparently somebody else was just sending it. ¡°You got me on him inviting a stranger back to his place, though. That is odd. So what happened with her, anyway? They still doing the relationship thing, or does she have a Tsla''o in every port?¡±


    ¡°There is no relationship!¡± She exclaimed, face dropping a moment later when she realized that she hadn¡¯t been involved in his life enough since this happened to actually know that for sure. ¡°I believe. The Human, she noticed me looking around the edge of the door and stopped her song. She seemed happy to see me? Wriggled out from under Sharadi and said quite a lot. I think she was drunk as well, as I did not have a translator but she did not seem to notice. She grabbed my hand, spoke a few more times, and then she left.¡±


    ¡°Hang on.¡± Alex stood and picked his chair up, carrying it around to her side of the table and scooting Neya out of the way to sit beside Kaleta. ¡°Lemme see that, I gotta fucking know what was going on and you don¡¯t have any idea despite having been there.¡±


    ¡°I cannot.¡± She was offended, which was fair, and a little bit taken aback. ¡°Humans cannot link.¡±


    ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake, Kaleta!¡± Eleya growled that out in English, at the end of her rope with the Zeshen¡¯s behavior. She clicked her teeth and switched back to Tsla. ¡°They can and do. He has linked with everyone at this table. No harm will come to you, he is a paragon of restraint. As you are aware.¡±


    ¡°A paragon.¡± He grinned as he tried that descriptor on. Pretty nice, actually. Felt good. ¡°I am told I¡¯m very honorable in general, and I¡¯ll have you know I¡¯ve got over twenty years of experience interpreting Human culture and language. I did the immersion learning thing.¡±


    Pressed into a corner by Eleya''s outburst, Kaleta relented, a decidedly gloomy look taking over as her ears pulled down even as she whipped her antenna forward. "Very well."

 Healing

    Carbon had coached him a bit more to be more functional in the link. His thoughts spilled out less, and he no longer had that laser-focus she liked unless he actively wanted to do it. Right now he didn¡¯t. He wanted this to be as comfortable an experience for Kaleta as possible and that did not include trying to bore a hole in her mind.


    Kaleta pretty obviously didn¡¯t want to link with him. Which was unfortunate because she¡¯d been instrumental in starting so much shit that everyone else in the room was mad as hell at her. Alex was reasonably sure that the waitress was, too. He¡¯d never worked in a restaurant but was sure that the customer that steals booze and drinks so much you have to call for paramedics was not your favorite.


    And since Eleya, Carbon, and even her fraternal sister Neya were visibly upset with her behavior, he got to be the good cop. Everyone here can vouch for my ability. Let¡¯s get what happened sorted out.


    Her discomfort was even more obvious in the shared mental space. Kaleta¡¯s presence radiated anxious spikes in all directions, a nervous hum filling the imagined area out like cosmic background radiation. It was just there. Something that he¡¯d never experienced with anyone else, though none of them had expected him to be some sort of barbarian.


    ¡°Ad akai-na, Kaleta. Sa meha tetsh.¡± Alex started with a reasonably formal greeting in her native language, bold but not forceful. This was showtime. Everyone was having a bad time and he was going to make it way worse for Kaleta with professionalism and courtesy and she would never know that was completely intentional on his part.


    The greeting turned everything into a staticky, sickly surge of alarm. That escalated quickly, stinging metallic threads laced through them both, the shared mental space dissolving into a gravityless howling blur before she got herself back under control.


    When it was just that initial surprise, Alex had felt pretty smug about her reaction. He had even concealed that feeling like he knew what he was doing. Suppressed it and maintained a smooth, soft presence without missing a beat. The very image of self control. Like he had been trained by a professional.


    That selfish enjoyment had drained away quickly as Kaleta spiraled into something destructive. The shared space had almost stopped existing for a moment.


    Carbon and Neya both had a lot going on. Neya was a bundle of hurt that felt abandoned and had been considering suicide for some time. Carbon was a mess of repressed... everything. Neither of them had done anything like that in a link. Not even close to it.


    What the hell had just happened to Kaleta?


    ¡°Kaeten?¡± He inquired if she was all right with a much more gentle affect.


    Kaleta had coalesced into a bundle of incandescent-hot razor blades tied together with barbed wire. The answer was hasty, as though she¡¯d just realized he had spoken again. ¡°Te.¡±


    Yes? Yes, she was all right? That was unmitigated bullshit. Alex did not bother keeping the skepticism he felt a secret. That reaction was not fine. At least he was sure the only damage Kaleta could do in here was saddling him with some emotions he didn¡¯t want to deal with.


    ¡°Te.¡± Kaleta insisted, again, more effort behind it as she gathered herself up into a more disciplined form. Those anxious spikes returned, blunted with careful control but now dripping resentment.


    He ignored that. It was probably about him demonstrating proficiency at something that was supposed to be Tsla¡¯o only. Even if that was wrong and he was just being full of himself, it was very clear she did not need any more prodding at whatever delicate structures were keeping her psyche held together. Alex crafted the concept of beginning a task and shared it into the space between their minds, heavy on the inquisitive feelings.


    Kaleta understood what he meant, her presence still evening out as she went to work selecting the memory. It was arranged quickly, no surprise there as she had just been thinking about that event, and presented to him. It slipped down into Alex¡¯s mind.


    It started out with Kaleta standing in a compact kitchen that was akin to the one he was used to now, with nicer furniture. The chairs had legs that had been carved, the countertop a white sparkling stone of some sort. Kaleta¡¯s eyes turned to the jacket hanging off one of the chairs. Brown leather bomber style, the patch on the shoulder marking it as belonging to someone from the Void Abyssal. The bird on the back was a stylized raven, wings outstretched in flight and red eyes stitched in metallic thread.


    Kaleta recognized the style wasn¡¯t Tsla¡¯o, which landed her on the obvious answer: it was Human made. Her inspection of it carried a feeling of relief, a weight lifted as she looked it over, leaning in to inspect the stitching. Even a bit of hope creeping in.


    This moment was shattered as someone further in their home cleared their throat and began singing softly. Sounded feminine to Alex, though he was initially confused as he couldn¡¯t understand what was being said. It wasn¡¯t in English, maybe Dutch or German. He only knew a couple of words in either but it- Yep, that definitely sounded like an ¨¹ber alle he just heard, so yes: German. Weird.


    She set her pad down and retrieved a knife from the drawer, gripping it tight as she crept out of the kitchen area. This was a more conventional apartment as Alex would understand it, Kaleta skulking quietly down a short hallway that did smell faintly of alcohol, following the sound to what she thought of as their bedroom. Heart hammering in her ears as she peeked around the corner, nerves on edge and already afraid of what she might see.


    It was the most benign thing Alex could imagine in this situation. A Human woman was indeed sitting on their bed, reclined on a pile of pillows and still fully dressed by both Human and Tsla¡¯o standards. Long black hair in a ponytail as described, pale skin, maybe in her mid to late thirties. Dressed in a black tank top, olive drab pants, heavy tan work boots, one of which was still firmly planted on the floor. A red stripe running down the side of the pants marked her as part of the medical team. Sharadi was still dressed as well, missing his jacket but otherwise presentable in a casual setting. Snoozing away, curled up beside her with his head resting on her chest, getting a serenade and some gentle petting along the top of his head. Same black fur as Carbon, though carrying more silver than Eleya had.


    The woman noticed the movement and turned to look, a smile on her face when she spotted Kaleta gawking. She extricated herself from Sharadi and pulled a blanket over him, switching to English with just a hint of an accent. ¡°Hello, you must be Kala? The personal assistant?¡± She asked with what Alex found to be a friendly smile, while approaching at what Kaleta found to be an alarming speed. ¡°He said you would be here later, and you certainly fit the description!¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Kaleta managed to get that out around the swirling mix of dread and surprise as she shifted the knife in her hand, flat of the blade pressed against her arm and concealed behind her.


    So far this lady was pleasant, bordering on charming, and while there was a distinct smell of alcohol in the area she did not appear to be intoxicated in the least. The Human stepped into the hallway, Kaleta¡¯s eyes widening as she did because this lady was also really dang tall and that tank top showed off the physique of someone who spent a lot of time in the gym. ¡°Apologies. I¡¯m Lena Weber, one of the Medical Officers from the Void Abyssal. Sharadi hit the tequila pretty hard... He hit everything pretty hard. We cut him off about an hour after he started. Switched him to electrolytes while he hung out and helped with the barbecue, but he is still very drunk. He¡¯s going to feel that tequila in the morning, so make sure he hydrates more when he wakes up.¡±


    Kaleta nodded, all her previous training and experience that stretched beyond her own life brushed neatly out the door by the giant Goth woman that she couldn¡¯t understand. She sure understood those biceps, her gaze lingering on them before her eyes turned to Lena¡¯s delts, taking a detour on the way to gawk at her chest first. ¡°I, ah- I do not-¡±


    ¡°He is fine, just asked if I would stay until you got back. Couldn¡¯t just ditch him since he got drunk at our party. On a more serious note, please make sure he gets into therapy. I am sure you already know, he needs a lot of help. Real sweet guy, but he¡¯s obviously still very broken up over his wife and carrying around some serious hurt.¡± She smiled sadly and took Kaleta¡¯s hand in hers... A handshake, though Lena did pat the back of her hand. ¡°I am sorry to just dump this on you. I need to get back to the ship, my shift started over an hour ago. I am sure station medical is perfectly capable if you need any assistance with him.¡±


    Lena left her standing there, very much confused by all of this. The Human had probably assumed she had a translator like all the other Tsla¡¯o she had run into that day, who knew they would be meeting Humans. Lena turned back as she pulled her jacket on, calling from the kitchen. ¡°I hope it is not too unusual a thing to say, but you have gorgeous fur. I have never seen anything like it.¡± With that, she departed and the memory faded from his mind.


    Kaleta did not waste any time severing the connection.


    ¡°So. That was Lena Weber, a Medical Officer from the Trailblazer Void Abyssal.¡± Alex blinked in the lights. Pretty good name for a ship that size, honestly. ¡°Sharadi had gotten drunk at their little shindig. She helped him back to his quarters, and stayed with him until you arrived because he asked her to.¡±


    ¡°That is all? There was no entanglement?¡± Eleya¡¯s annoyance about this entire situation was not relieved in the least by this information.


    ¡°That¡¯s the boiled down version. He was napping on her, he was getting petted, but they were clearly fully clothed and not doing anything else. He got the soft kitty treatment, Weber said he was a ¡®sweet guy¡¯ who helped out at their barbecue even after they stopped serving him alcohol, and then asked this one,¡± he nodded at Kaleta, ¡°to make sure that he got into therapy because he was in dire need of it. Said Kaleta¡¯s fur was beautiful, and then she bounced because she was late for work.¡±


    ¡°How was I to know what was said? A machine does not work in the link, there was no way to translate!¡± Kaleta immediately jumped to her own defense, ears and antenna pulled down low with embarrassment.


    ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t want to hear it. You had four days where there was a pile of Humans, including the one who talked to you, who looked out for your Aeshen when she could have just dumped him on station personnel, still in the system. They were probably parked like, right there.¡± Alex gestured at a spot right in front of him with both hands, anger flowing freely now. ¡°You could have given any one of them the most generic description and I bet they would have known exactly who you were talking about. Black hair, female, red stripe on the pants? Even if there were ten people that fit, it would have taken a single email to sort out who it was. So don¡¯t give me, or Carbon, or anybody else that bullshit. You decided not to find out what was said.¡±


    Kaleta gasped softly as she raised her hands to her face, covering her muzzle as she stared into the middle distance.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even think about that, did you?¡± Alex kind of wanted to throw the chair he was sitting on, but it really wouldn¡¯t have been productive. He was sure it wouldn¡¯t actually make anything better. Everything here looked expensive so he¡¯d definitely feel bad after wrecking it. Might feel good for a couple of seconds.


    She shook her head.


    ¡°Fucking hell.¡± He wiped a hand down his face and dragged his chair back to the other side of the table. A little bit of distance between them was a good idea right now.


    ¡°How did he come to think that was an affair?¡± Neya got to the question before anyone else. She had tempered her voice, the disdain she had exhibited towards Kaleta smoothed out for the time being. ¡°It seems more like a doctor taking care of a patient. In an unorthodox manner, but that is to be expected from aliens.¡±


    ¡°I do not know!¡± Kaleta shouted, distraught. ¡°He has refused to speak to me about it. About anything that happened that day. Whenever I ask, he storms about and usually retires to his office. Sometimes sends me away. I have asked others who were there, and they said nothing of his behavior was unusual aside from being jovial and drinking a lot of neon-colored Human drinks. He said he felt betrayed that I had gone around behind his back to find just that, but he had left me no choice. How can I help if he will not listen?¡±


    Carbon leaned on the table, fingers laced together and staring at her hands and she spoke quietly. ¡°Why have you not let him go, Kaleta? This sounds like torture.¡±


    ¡°I- I cannot. He is too important to be allowed to rot. His role in the recovery of the disaster could be filled by others, but how long would that take?¡± She inhaled deeply and wiped her eyes again. ¡°And I know your mother would not want you to lose another parent to the Cataclysm. Of all the things I try to hold him together for, you are the most important. I had earnestly thought that you had been pressed into this marriage. I know of the things the Empress said to you. I thought this needed to be undone, for you. That it might let him see I can be trusted and he can begin healing.¡±


    Kaleta paused for just a moment and let out a reedy laugh. ¡°All I find is that you appear to actually care for each other. He comports himself so well I could not tell he was Human in the link. He seeks to protect you, to aid in the resolution of this despite what has transpired...  and I have attempted to put a spear through that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well. I¡¯m still mad about this afternoon, but being mad doesn¡¯t fix problems.¡± Alex had found that it did provide some nice propellant as long as you were focused on putting it to use, though. ¡°So he¡¯s being a petulant shit. You know him pretty good, how do we fix this?¡±


    ¡°The methods I have used so far have been what should have worked on him in the past. He refuses to speak on anything that is not work related, will not link with me. He will not take advice from medical doctors.¡± Kaleta set her hands in her lap, the stack of failures she had racked up weighing her down now more than ever.


    ¡°All right. Everyone who knows him better than I do, input on this? Eleya? He¡¯s your brother.¡± One of them had to have some insight here.


    The Empress leaned back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest. ¡°This is out of character for him. I have complained about his lack of fortitude in the past, particularly when compared to Nova, but if he has been like this for more than a year with his Zeshen attempting to help him the entire time... It is something that struck him very deep. I believe Nova¡¯s death is involved, he was so enamored with her and that wound is clearly still open. Had he sought any sort of therapy before this, Kaleta?¡±


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    She shook her head again. ¡°I had advised him to speak to a professional about what he was going through. I listened and counseled where I could, though I lack experience in such matters. Mostly he drank.¡±


    Eleya hissed through her teeth again. ¡°You should have told me, or at least reached out to Lema or Tanse. They would have acted immediately.¡±


    ¡°You could have told me as well.¡± Neya added with a little shrug, barely loud enough to hear. ¡°I may not have been useful for getting Sharadi help, but I would have been pleased to speak with you.¡±


    The silence that followed that was profound. Carbon reached over and set her hand on Neya¡¯s shoulder, while Kaleta realized she¡¯d let her fellow Zeshen rot alone for a year.


    ¡°I should have. I should have but I was scared. Everything is gone and...¡± Kaleta gritted her teeth and choked back a sob. ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s water under the bridge now. We can only work on changing the future, so let¡¯s focus on not making the same mistakes again.¡± Alex wished he had a boss he trusted back in the Confederation because they could really use a transit shuttle¡¯s worth of therapists. ¡°So he¡¯s understandably still got a lot of damage about Nova dying. It doesn¡¯t sound like he was making moves on anyone at the party, particularly since his own people would have noticed and told you. They would have told you, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, if not directly then there would have been gossip about it.¡± She nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Where the hell did this leave them? Had Sharadi just gone off the deep end at some point? He looked over at Carbon, still quietly consoling Neya, and something that had happened between them on the Kshlav¡¯o came to mind. ¡°Oh, man. No. No fucking way.¡±


    That got everyone¡¯s attention, all of them turning to him with varying levels of alarm.


    ¡°Eleya. How does he really feel about Humans? Like the first time he got tapped to work with us?¡±


    She raised an eyebrow in curiosity. ¡°He was operating under the same assumptions many of our kind do. His attitude changed with exposure, but there has always been an undercurrent of arrogance whenever they came up.¡±


    ¡°All right, all right.¡± That wasn¡¯t a big surprise, a lot of people took their sweet time when it came to changing opinions, particularly when they could get away with just acting friendly every few years. ¡°Theory: He got treated very well by people he thinks are beneath him. I¡¯m coming back to Weber saying that he drank so much they switched him to electrolytes - those neon drinks Kaleta mentioned - but he still hung out and helped with their barbecue. He was jovial. She called him a real sweet guy, knew that his wife had died and he was not doing anything to take care of himself. He was speaking so freely after knowing these people for a few hours, and they integrated him into their ship-family without a second thought.¡±


    ¡°I do not... Hmm.¡± Eleya rubbed her teeth together as she pondered that. ¡°I do see where you may be going. This was not physical infidelity, it was emotional.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. I know people in this family have a hard time accepting acts of compassion.¡± He did not intend to but his eyes darted to Carbon for a moment. ¡°So this might not just be about Nova, though anything involving her would cut deepest. If he forgot about her while he was drunk, or felt an attraction even if he didn¡¯t act on it, I¡¯m willing to bet that he is in a bad enough place where that would feel like he betrayed her. Shit, even forgetting he was supposed to be miserable might do it.¡±


    Nobody missed the fact he had glanced over at Carbon. Eleya in particular was surprised at that little glimpse of information, and Neya slightly perturbed. Carbon looked like a guilty deer caught in the headlights, not expecting that incident to have come up right now.


    ¡°If that is true - and I must say, it certainly seems like something my brother would do - I understand how those feelings would extend to someone who carries Nova. It took me half a year to become comfortable with the idea of linking with Navaren¡¯s Zeshen after he was killed, and another half a year more to work up the courage to actually do it. I was afraid of what I would see and feel.¡± Eleya finished her glass of wine, ruminating on the subject as she gestured to the waitress for a refill. ¡°If I felt like I had betrayed him as well? I am not sure I would ever have done it.¡±


    Well, that was heavy. ¡°Now we have a motive. How do we get it through his thick skull to actually knock that shit off? Kaleta can¡¯t do it because he¡¯s probably afraid of being in contact with her. He¡¯ll act like everything is fine until he collapses into a black hole if you call him up. Just leaves me and Carbon. You think I could push him enough he¡¯d-¡±


    Carbon cleared her throat. ¡°I will do it. I will give him a chance to make things right.¡±


    A quick glance around the table found pretty much everyone in agreement with that, though Eleya looked uneasy again. This was another indication that Alex¡¯s warning about how little patience Carbon had left for her was accurate.


    ¡°Are you sure? That¡¯s... I saw how you were after the last time you two talked.¡± Alex didn¡¯t want to just say no, you can¡¯t do that. It was her father, after all, and she was an adult. He also didn¡¯t want to just sit by and let that fucker abuse his wife.


    ¡°That had taken me by surprise. As I am aware of how he is now, while it may be difficult, I will be prepared. I would like him to realize what he has done, the harm he has caused.¡± She drummed her fingers on her leg, nervous energy spilling out. ¡°To be willing to help himself. But if he will not, I am prepared to put that part of my life behind me. Mother would be appalled- she would be furious that the Cataclysm continues to claim our family, but there is so much left to do that we cannot coddle him.¡±


    ¡°All right. I honestly don¡¯t know how I would have convinced him to do anything by wheedling him about how shitty a parent he¡¯s being in the hope that he¡¯ll have a breakdown... and that somebody who¡¯s there could put him back together. So I¡¯m guessing you have a better plan of attack than that.¡±


    ¡°I do not, yet.¡± Carbon exhaled through her teeth, steeling herself for what came next. She looked to Eleya. ¡°I would like to request your assistance in that regard. You know him as I do not, I believe you can provide knowledge that would give me a tactical edge in this endeavor. Insights I would not be familiar with.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes, of course.¡± Eleya was momentarily shaken by that turn, her expectations for being tapped as an advisor to this endeavor had clearly been sitting at zero. Her recovery was quick, composure returning almost immediately. ¡°I would be pleased to assist you.¡±


    Alex suspected she would have inserted herself into it anyway had the question not been asked.


    Carbon nodded. ¡°Thank you. As I said, I do not know where to begin. I could help someone through crises like this, but convincing them to allow that to happen is something I have little experience with. Particularly not with someone close to me.¡±


    Eleya¡¯s eyes darted around the table as her mind was set into motion. ¡°Is it agreeable for us to part ways for the evening? I require a clear view of what Kaleta has tried so we do not double back on paths already tread, and that process cannot begin soon enough. We can reconnect in the morning, hopefully I will have a better timetable then.¡±


    ¡°I see no issue with that.¡± Carbon looked to Alex and Neya respectively.


    Neya simply nodded her agreement in return.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Alex had slightly more to say about this idea. ¡°Man, I was looking forward to dinner here. Their soup was really good.¡±


    Eleya regarded him, stony-faced, and shook her head. ¡°I will have it sent to your cabin.¡±


    ¡°Oh, best of both worlds. Say no more.¡± Getting to just go home and have fancy catered dinner? Perfect. Couldn¡¯t do better after today. Hopefully it¡¯d be on dishes that could just go straight into the recycler so nobody had to clean them.


    ¡°Good. I will arrange that and retire to my quarters. Kaleta? You will accompany me for the rest of the evening.¡± Eleya stood and waved the waitress over, discussing the distribution of what had been planned for the meal.


    Kaleta gave her a short bow and got up as well, staying quiet, apparently having accepted the fact that she¡¯d been enlisted to help unfuck this situation right now. She looked sullen, yes, but had just absorbed a series of blows to her world view. The Zeshen was still likely to be getting what she wanted out of this should Carbon succeed.


    ¡°How are you doing? This is... It feels like a lot.¡± Alex stood and helped Carbon with her chair, though she did not need it, and held his hand out. Still felt polite to do.


    ¡°It is. It is also something that must be done. For my sake, and for the Empire.¡± She took his assistance, turning to watch Neya rise from her seat and go to speak to Kaleta. Carbon slipped her arm around his waist and leaned against him. ¡°For my mother¡¯s memory, and my father¡¯s life yet unlived.¡±


    Neya seemed to be giving her a pep talk, given how Kaleta brightened immensely after it was clear she wasn¡¯t about to get chewed out. She could probably stand to have one.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m here for you. I know exactly zip about the guy,¡± he could make some assumptions based on what he had seen in that memory but he didn¡¯t want to ever know things like that about his parents so he was not going to share it with her. ¡°But if you need to bounce ideas off me or just want to talk about him making stupid decisions, you know. I¡¯m available.¡±


    ¡°I do know where you sleep.¡± A smirk curled the corner of her mouth, a hint of mischief in her eyes. ¡°I suspect I will be talking about him making ''stupid decisions'' a lot.¡±


    ¡°I hope the invitation to discuss your father-in-law¡¯s poor choices extends to me as well, I suspect we will find a fair number more to ¡®vent¡¯ about before long.¡± Eleya joined them, the bottle of wine they had been drinking corked and tucked under her arm.


    ¡°My father-in-law. Cute.¡± He rolled his eyes as Carbon straightened up beside him, close but no longer holding onto him. It was kind of funny. They had an inside joke now. ¡°You got to vent this afternoon and that¡¯s reserved for my wife for the time being. I hope you can manage.¡±


    ¡°I will figure it out.¡± She looked Carbon over from head to toe and smiled warmly, pulling her niece into a brief hug and whispering something to her before stepping back with watery eyes and giving her a formal bow. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. Of course, you are welcome.¡± Carbon was startled by that but did not push her away or even seem particularly bothered. A little bewildered, perhaps, as she returned the formalites.


    ¡°We will talk again in the morning.¡± She smiled again and looked over her shoulder. ¡°Kaleta? Let us depart, there is much to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Empress.¡± Kaleta hurried over, tail swaying behind her in a manner that was almost relaxed, and followed her out of the dining room after the waitress pulled the broken door open for them.


    Alex watched the two go as Neya joined them, waiting long enough for them to be in the hallway before he inquired about what was on his mind. ¡°What did she say?¡± He watched the waitress return to her spot by the other door. Standing and waiting for them to get gone, too. He gestured for them to follow and headed out, pausing only long enough to pick up the cane from the waiting room.


    ¡°She said had missed being...¡± She clicked her teeth and tilted her head as she thought it over, following him through the narrow, richly painted hallway. ¡°There is no direct translation, but it is like ¡®the one who has the honor of listening¡¯ which is what someone would normally say to her.¡±


    ¡°Seemed pretty happy about it, at least.¡± Eleya out here defending her title as the most cryptic person Alex knows even when nearly moved to tears. He turned towards the lifts once they hit the corridor.


    ¡°Yes, but it does not make any sense. We converse regularly. It is not often on good terms, but it is a common enough occurrence. I do not understand why she would seem so moved by this botched dinner.¡± She looked at Alex thoughtfully as she walked beside him. ¡°I suppose I have not asked her for assistance in... decades.¡±


    ¡°The Empress was not wearing her wireless tonight.¡± Neya added, following close enough to practically be squeezed between them.


    ¡°She was not? How did she understand what Alex was saying?¡± Carbon cocked her head to the side, eyebrows furrowed as she dredged through her memories of the evening. ¡°I have not seen her without those in... I do not remember the last time.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, you guys weren¡¯t there for that discussion. She got an implant. A couple, actually. AMP and a translator.¡± Alex tapped his head. ¡°Tsla¡¯o version, I assume. Her dictionary is way more complete than mine. Kind of annoyed by that.¡±


    Carbon was disturbed by this information, but given her track record concerning the existence of Alex¡¯s various implants, that was to be expected. ¡°No, she would not do that to herself.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s either that or she became fluent in English and shaved parts of her back with the express purpose of jerking me around.¡± Eleya had not struck him as the prankster type. Certainly had the resources to pull off just about anything, but it didn¡¯t seem like her style. ¡°Royals lead, right?¡±


    She considered that and nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes, I suppose that would be a reason for her to engage in such things.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t the wireless hurt after a while?¡± Alex inquired. Neya in particular had been very specific about not wearing them for more than a few hours at a time without breaks.


    Carbon spotted the banks of lifts and bumped his arm with her elbow, pointing to a side corridor before turning down it. ¡°They do, yes... The added weight and less stable transmission both cause different problems.¡±


    ¡°If she hasn¡¯t taken them off in forever, she¡¯s probably just in a good mood because she stopped having a permanent migraine.¡± He followed, of course. Seemed like she knew where she was leading them. ¡°I mean, as good a mood as possible after all of this.¡±


    ¡°No, it was not simply a good mood. She had tears in her eyes as she said it.¡± Carbon tilted her head and clicked her teeth together in thought. ¡°The meaning is more reverent. It would normally be spoken to an Imperial, or someone of much higher station.¡±


    ¡°Well, all I know is she seems to like talking to me now and really liked hearing you say like ten sentences.¡± He shrugged as the sounds of people in the distance started to grow louder. It smelled like food, too. Damn, he really was still hungry. ¡°I¡¯m just glad for that.¡±


    Neya gasped, bright violet eyes turned towards Alex. ¡°She asked about your experience with a mediboard, did she not?¡±


    He did not get where she was going. ¡°Yeah. Told her it patched me up just fine. It¡¯s basically a requirement for getting a brain implant, it¡¯d take a team of surgeons forever to do the work. Then there''s a recovery time difference.¡± He didn¡¯t even know how long it would take to recover from manual cranial surgery, but it was probably more than the hour wait he was used to.


    Carbon looked up as they stepped out of the corridor into an open promenade, a wide town-like area. The ceiling was three levels above them and speckled with artificial stars, the ground floor itself lit by shop windows and street lights as though it were night.It wasn¡¯t particularly busy, and the people there largely went about their own evening without paying them any attention. ¡°She must have been planning on getting one when we found out what-¡±


    Her train of thought was derailed by an undignified yip of surprise, with a matching grunt coming from Alex, as Neya poked both of them in the ribs. She was so annoyed. ¡°You are thinking too analytically. She was moved. This is something precious to her, not merely a successful implant.¡±


    ¡°Alright, so what happens in your romance novels?¡± Was that a low shot? Maybe. Maybe she shouldn¡¯t go poking people in the side because they didn¡¯t immediately pick up what she meant.


    Neya hissed through her teeth at his comment but continued after poking him in the ribs again. ¡°She was in a car that got hit by a missile. Consider which sense is involved in listening, and would be most damaged by an explosion going off.¡±


    They walked in silence as what she was getting at clicked into place for both of them. Carbon looked back at her. ¡°You believe she has had hearing loss since the assassination attempt?¡±


    ¡°If not deafened immediately. She has been using the wireless interface to make it appear that she was not so severely injured.¡± Neya closed her eyes and nodded once, her guess at what Eleya¡¯s deal was now fully understood by all of them. ¡°She used the mediboard to regain what she had lost, in addition to getting the implants.¡±


    Carbon was shaken by this possibility, eyes wide as she looked to Alex. ¡°Is that sort of damage repairable?¡±


    ¡°It regrew all of my limbs.¡± More than a hint of incredulity crept into his voice.


    She held up a hand, realizing that was a foolish question. ¡°I should know, I was there.¡±


    ¡°So she hasn¡¯t actually heard your voice in thirty years.¡± The motivation behind Eleya¡¯s statement made a lot more sense with that puzzle piece in place, and it explained why she had been so talkative in general as well. ¡°Just whatever it sounds like when someone is piped through a microphone.¡±


    ¡°That would make it something precious for her. Worth a statement so formal. To be moved by.¡± Carbon sounded like she did not know what to make of that. She drew to a stop in front of a bakery and sat heavily on the bench out front, eyes again turned up to look at the ersatz sky. "I have not thought her capable of such feelings in a very long time."

 Gifts

    When your days were busy, time would do one of two things. Pass by at an extraordinary pace, or grind to a standstill. There was no inbetween, not that Alex was familiar with. The previous two days had fallen into the former group. He had already been busy with the run-up to the first meeting with the Confed about returning to the Artifact. Imperial Intelligence was getting his falsified ARGUS data all lined up, and it was looking good enough that he wouldn¡¯t be able to tell it had been manufactured if he hadn¡¯t been there for a ton of recording.


    That had been most of what was on his calendar, originally, until Sharadi pulled his little stunt landing four people in the brig and one under the watchful eye of Eleya¡¯s guard that he had to do something with. Imperial Intelligence was helping with that, too, as was the fairly limited justice system on board. Data analysis of the communication logs and some gentle interrogation had yielded the original plan: bribe him to leave. Only Senator Mateku and Hatae had been informed of this. Sharadi had intentionally kept Kaleta out of the loop about that part, probably because neither she nor Nova would have approved of such dealings when it involved Carbon if she had time to think about it. Hatae had just flown off the handle before the deal could be brought up.


    The bribes were also the why behind Mateku¡¯s cane being weapon-heavy. There was a concealed compartment in the pommel that had been housing a roughly 800 gram ingot of manufacturing-grade rhodium. Proof that they were serious, with several more kilos of other expensive metals for Alex on the Starbound if he would disavow the entwinement and allow them to drop him off at any location in the system he wanted.


    That one ingot alone was probably worth a hundred thousand dCred, if he could find someone willing to buy a lump of high purity rhodium from a guy off the street at market value. Nobody in Sol, let alone on Earth, would believe for a second that he had a backpack full of rare metal to sell because he¡¯d been bribed by space aliens, even if they were right there in orbit. Alex couldn¡¯t imagine what the taxes on something like that would be, for that matter.


    He kept it, of course. And the cane too.


    Sharadi¡¯s crew ended up getting themselves a real sweetheart of a deal anyway. They all received a trip back to Na¡¯o in the brig of one of the Sword¡¯s frigates, for the low price of pledging fealty to Alex. To understand the fact it was his sense of honor, his willingness to forgive people in a terrible situation making mistakes... once. And that a step out of line, an unkind word, or anything but absolute obedience would see that protection taken away. They all took the pact.


    It was a gamble, yes. But he now had video of all of them swearing their allegiance to Eleya, Carbon and himself, and the throne. All witnessed by Admiral Olan and one of the military¡¯s Chief Adjudicators. Alex felt kind of bad for Tenol and Savane. Cousins from a mid-tier Noble house that was now overwhelmingly dead. Sharadi had tried to hype them up: it was going to be easy. Flash the cash and the Human would walk. Base creatures, after all. They would be there for this triumph, their names alongside his as they helped restore the Empire.


    They weren''t prepared for the fight, or for Sergeant Zenshen putting a gun in their faces. Or solitary confinement, or interrogation at the hands of Imperial Intelligence. Basically the entire experience after Hatae took a swing at Alex had left them shaken and ready to capitulate on anything and everything. Tenol had broken down crying and thanked Alex when presented with the opportunity to avoid execution, without even hearing the terms. Olan believed that Alex had actually made disciples out of those two, however useful they would be.


    Former Lieutenant Nalen would be on that ship as well. He would be spending a year in prison back in Tsla¡¯o space for what was basically assault, his future after that currently up in the air. He had experience the military couldn¡¯t afford to throw away at the moment, but if they retained him he would likely find himself somewhere very far out of the way. Maybe that listening post that Carbon had threatened him with.


    Speaking of Carbon, she had two meetings with Eleya in as many days. Both times with positive outcomes, though having a goal they were both working towards for once likely helped. It had been decided that simply calling up Sharadi would not have the right weight - he would just end the call like last time they had spoken. To penetrate the shell he had put up would require something he could not simply switch off. She would be going to speak with him in person.


    Alex might be tagging along for this, depending on how the meeting this afternoon went, what the timeline going forward would be. If there wasn¡¯t enough space for the trip, the plan was to request enough time before a joint operation to the Artifact starts, so that the esteemed Lan Tshalen could return to Na¡¯o for a few days. They would even like to bring the erstwhile Pilot along as a goodwill visit of sorts, if possible. Confederation intel would know some of that is bunk, though there was a long and detailed conversation about a new class of Lan being brought up in the salted data he was about to upload.


    Today, though... Today was moving at a glacial pace. Alex had gotten up at three ship time, which was totally unreasonable, and hauled his ass down to the Xenotech lab so they could finalize all the data that would be uploaded, including the intrusion software. Verify everything was in place and ready to go one last time, and then set a very small script to start up the ARGUS so it would begin recording right at the end of the last fake chunk. He didn¡¯t even have to be awake for that, which was part of the plan.


    Also part of the plan? Stopping in at sickbay to get his teeth crammed back in. He didn¡¯t like it but the mediboard did a great job, and the attending doc was kind enough to furnish him with a mild, Human-safe sedative to use once he got back to his cabin. Which he did because he was very awake at that point and he needed to be convincingly asleep within the hour.


    When the alarm in their cabin went off at six ship time, everyone was on the same page: he was once again recording live. Neya had put on a guise of formality, acting more like the personal assistant Alex had once thought her to be. Carbon didn¡¯t change her morning routine, the ONI already knew they were married and doing married people things. If anything, she lounged on him longer than normal, held him a little more possessively.


    Carbon skipped breakfast and left for the station early. She had plans with his mom, which ONI was also likely aware of as all of those emails had gone through military servers. Neya also bowed out not long after, having little to do and taking the day for herself. Alex spent some time reading a book that the library on board had translated into English for him - a kind gesture that was also funny because if he didn¡¯t turn the visual translator on, there was no data saved on what he was reading. The print wasn¡¯t thick enough for ARGUS to catch, only going down to about a tenth of a millimeter resolution. Could have been a whole file of state secrets. He didn¡¯t know that was what happened. He was just a rube trying to learn about their culture for his little reports, so they¡¯d have to deal with an extra two hours of him humming in interest.


    But there was that meeting to attend to, which was why he was now sitting in Eleya¡¯s antechamber waiting for her. They were carpooling. He checked his watch, a chunky retro model clad in shock-resistant black rubber armor, and did the math to convert it to ship time... She was a minute late. Wait, no, he was still three minutes early.


    Ed had managed to impart the importance of showing up early, particularly when dealing with government types, which Eleya definitely was. If five minutes early was ¡®on time¡¯ to them - a lot of Confed Navy Officers subscribed to that idea - show up ten before that. Make them arrive second. Power move.


    Didn¡¯t work as well when the place you were meeting was basically their house. She lived there, after all, she had been there since yesterday for all he knew.


    The Empress was right on time, the doors to her inner sanctum swinging open silently on well oiled hinges. Dressed in a new, less ornately decorated jacket with a slightly more Human-conventional collar design, she looked... like his aunt. Eleya was just in that zone for him now. He wasn¡¯t going to tell her that, but she was. She had become a relative in his mind.


    Alex still hopped up out of that chair and gave her a bow like they had a much more formal relationship. ¡°Empress. Good morning.¡± He was wearing his most formal t-shirt and work pants, even had his external translator. Every bit of clothing on him and all the electronics in his pockets - save for the Tsla¡¯o communicator he used to find his way around the ship - were Human made objects he had brought with him. Keeping up appearances.


    ¡°Good morning, nephew.¡± She looked him over with a small amount of disappointment, then scanned the rest of the room, quite empty save for a few Guard still stationed out here. ¡°Where is Carbon?¡± That sounded like an actual question, and she looked a little bit perplexed.


    ¡°She went over this morning.¡± Carbon had specifically told him not to tell Eleya before she left. It wasn¡¯t a surprise that Carbon hadn¡¯t told her. They may have been getting along better in the last few days but there was a long way to go. It was specifically a mom and daughter event as well, no mention of other relatives. Sure, he could have invited himself along but... He just had the feeling it was something Carbon needed for herself.


    Eleya chuckled as a sly little smirk grew on her face. ¡°Ah, that is funny. She is waiting at the transport, yes? She does like to do the preflight inspection herself.¡± She turned to her private elevator, a subtle hand motion indicating he should follow. With her back turned, it was easy to spot the wireless nodes on her antenna - pretending that she only had an external translator hidden on her person somewhere, as well.


    ¡°Why would I joke about that?¡± He followed along, brushing a few silvery gray hairs from his shirt, maybe from Tashen or senator Lehata.


    The doors slid open and she stepped inside. ¡°Why would she do that? The meeting is not for several hours.¡±  The very idea seemed distasteful to her.


    There was ample room in the elevator but he stepped to the side anyway, the floor shifting as a couple of armored guards filed in behind him. The ozone smell was still there, but he only noticed it when they crammed into such a confined space. Interesting.  ¡°She was going to meet my mom for breakfast, and then they were going shopping.¡±


    ¡°With your mother?¡± She drew that question out as she dialed in their destination, as though she expected it to be a bad translation.


    Alex rolled his eyes and used the voice he reserved for small children, enunciating clearly and carefully. ¡°Yes, that would be the one.¡±


    She gave him a sharp look and buried an elbow in his side with a grimace. ¡°There is no need for such condescension.¡±


    Eleya really had gotten more comfortable with him. ¡°Just saying, there¡¯s not a lot of options in the mother department for her.¡±


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°There are not.¡± She relented, watching the decks click by on the display. ¡°Did she take security with her?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, standard team of four.¡± This was now considered the normal detachment for each of them while in Sol. Two on the ship, two with them. ¡°They¡¯re trying out the new uniforms I suggested, too. A little more subtle than full battle gear.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they should not have been deployed with that equipment in the first place.¡± Details of that little hiccup had eventually made it back to Eleya, who had requested Alex make some suggestions to the tailors to ensure that future excursions were a little less militaristic looking. ¡°She... Carbon actually went shopping? Willingly?¡±


    ¡°Right? Kind of didn¡¯t see that coming.¡± Her brief interest in Human clothes at Uncommon hadn¡¯t really stuck in his mind, even though that little smirk she got when he asked if she wanted one of the dresses she was looking at still put a smile on his face. ¡°She was really excited though. It¡¯s nice to see her like that.¡±


    ¡°That is good. It is good they have a relationship like that.¡± Eleya wilted a little as she spoke, shoulders slumping with an almost imperceptible sigh.


    ¡°They¡¯re working on it.¡± Carbon had been concerned that Eleya would invite herself along, or do something that would put Alex¡¯s mother off in some other way. That was a reasonable concern, even though Eleya¡¯s behavior had been much better recently. Old habits die hard. ¡°Mom is staying on the station overnight, you should meet her after we''re done with all the other stuff. She was very excited to hear you¡¯re Royalty.¡±


    That was a gamble too. It was after Carbon had the entire morning with Audry to herself, and as it was going to be in the evening at that point there should be less time for things to go sideways before they would want to depart. His mom was good at picking up signals most of the time. When she wanted to. Maybe they¡¯d hit it off, a prospect Alex was immediately uncomfortable with.


    ¡°I would like that.¡± Eleya nodded once as the lift dinged and the doors opened, looking over her shoulder at him as she stepped out into a shuttle bay. It was a smaller one, barely cavernous, a row of three ships being prepped right now. ¡°Tell me something, Alex. Do you keep your threats as well as your promises?¡±


    That statement didn¡¯t quite jibe for him at first. He hadn¡¯t really made her a lot of threats that he immediately recalled, the closest being that he would help Carbon through her problems however she wanted, even if it meant shutting Eleya out. Promises, though... He did sort of agree to making sure that he¡¯d drag Carbon to request asylum with the Confed if the Empire collapsed. Suppose that counted. ¡°Of course I do.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± She stopped and turned, heading towards a large archway that linked this shuttle bay to another directly beside it.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going-¡± Alex gestured towards the shuttles. ¡°You know, in the space ships?¡±


    ¡°I have something for you, first. I had intended to save it for Winter¡¯s Nadir, but today feels auspicious.¡± She waved him along. ¡°It is just over here, I am sure you will like it.¡±


    There was one ship tucked away at the back of the hangar that did not fit the Tsla¡¯o aesthetic. It was about the same size as one of their shuttles, sleek and low on the deck, all sharp angles and lean curves gleaming in the overhead lights. The paint was as black as space itself, tiny flecks of mica shining like stars and fiery red lines tracing back from the dual nose that pulsed slowly. ¡°A Masamune shuttle, one of the GX series. I thought it would be nice for you to have your own ship, something you could use around the system in comfort. If you approve, we could take it today.¡±


    Alex approached it with no small amount of caution. It wasn¡¯t that it was dangerous, though the tremendous power those engines produced would let you do some very stupid things. No, it was because he had wanted one of these since he was a kid and didn¡¯t want to get his hopes up until he was sure it was real. ¡°It¡¯s not a shuttle.¡±


    The Empress was confused by that statement, squinting at him before looking back at what was clearly a shuttle. ¡°Yes. It is.¡±


    ¡°No, while the Masamune GX8 is in the same size category, it¡¯s a Burner. Look at the size of the engines compared to the central frame. And it¡¯s got the triple-doubles!¡± He did not consider for a moment that she wouldn¡¯t understand hotrod culture slang coined a hundred years ago. Two engine packs, with two intakes each, and two hydrogen compressors in each intake. He inspected the lower intake on the port engine cluster, a pair of compressors gleaming in the darkness. ¡°They don¡¯t make them like this anymore.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± The confusion was gone. She was either actually well versed in early human stellar spacecraft or very good at acting like she was always in her element. ¡°I have often lamented that, myself. The past often has a pleasing aesthetic that new designs cannot match.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, I mean- Well yeah, it¡¯s a gorgeous ship, but it¡¯s illegal to build them like this now. They don¡¯t have any forward thrust and just enough gravitics for landing. Safety features and all that.¡± Alex waved a hand at the split nose as he moved forward, past a row of small viewports. The ship was mostly wing and engine, dotted with maneuvering thrusters but nothing that could obviously be used to slow it down. ¡°It¡¯s an atmospheric ship first. The wings are the real deal, you know?¡±


    There was a particular sort of caution in her voice, as though the idea of using it was much less enjoyable now. ¡°Why is there not a proper amount of thrust available to the pilot?¡±


    ¡°Saves mass, you can just flip it and use the mains to do a deceleration burn. That¡¯s why the cabin seats rotate all the way around. Once you¡¯re in the atmosphere it runs like a normal aircraft.¡± Eleya¡¯s questions made sense to him after having discussed spacecraft with Carbon. The Tsla¡¯o iterated vehicles very differently and hadn¡¯t used conventional aircraft in centuries. He moved on towards the split nose, fingers running down one of the fire-lines. ¡°Can get a little dicey landing it in enclosed bays like this, coming in hot and pointing the wrong way is how most of them crash.¡±


    ¡°Is it so.¡± Eleya cleared her throat and still sounded less than excited.


    ¡°Is this the original paint?¡± He laid hands on the side of the nose and tried to wiggle it. There was no give, which was good. Allegedly. He¡¯d never had the chance to touch one before, but wiggly and spaceship didn¡¯t generally go together.


    ¡°I was informed it has only received updates to the navigation and sensor systems before acquisition, the rest is entirely as it was built and fully functional. Carbon herself inspected it when it arrived, knowing who it was to be given to. She upgraded the comms as well, so it can attach to our networks.¡±


    ¡°Nice. I suppose she told you I wanted one of these?¡± He walked under the nose and did a brief check down the starboard side, taking a look at the enormous thruster pack around the back. If Carbon had checked it out, he was happy with that. Alex returned to the front, locating the fold-down hatch behind the cockpit. ¡°Looks good out here. Shall we?¡±


    ¡°She did.¡± Eleya took a very casual step back from it. ¡°I think it would be best if we were to take something less unusual.¡±


    Alex had the locking lever pulled free and he cracked the door open. It extended slowly, lowered to the ground on thick hydraulic cylinders, cool air scented with leather and wood flowing out of the portal as the overhead safety lights came on. He turned back and gave Eleya stink eye as the stairs unfolded. ¡°Less unusual? Like Tsla¡¯o military shuttles? Sol is just awash in those, huh?¡± Like any child with a new toy, he really wanted to play with it.


    There was a dangerous silence coming from Eleya. She folded her arms. ¡°There are far more of them than there are of these.¡±


    He put one foot on the steps. ¡°How many do you have onboard?¡±


    ¡°Forty.¡±


    ¡°Well, no problem then! There are 562 of these left in operation. Seventeen crashed and another fifteen are museum pieces.¡± It had always been his very favorite ship.


    ¡°Museum pieces?¡± He was not doing anything to convince her this was a good idea.


    ¡°This is a classic design. Have you seen many ships this striking? A bunch of frames got used for racing, too.¡± Another foot up. He could almost reach the cabin light switch...


    ¡°I know what a museum is.¡± Eleya sighed and conceded. ¡°Very well. I cannot imagine Carbon signed this off if she did not believe it was safe for her beloved.¡±


    Alex refrained from clapping with glee, but he was into the ship in a heartbeat. He didn¡¯t even give the cabin a second glance, taking the steps up to the flight deck two at a time. He skipped the navigation and officer¡¯s stations and slipped into the pilot''s chair at the front of the deck.


    Eleya huffed up the steep stairs behind him, the translator implant she received a few days ago still giving her some trouble. ¡°You have flown one of these before. Correct?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Not a real one, I mean. Just sims.¡± Alex clicked into the harness and cinched the straps tight. A quick glance told him he still knew exactly how the cockpit was laid out, all of the screens and controls on either side of him with a wide gap between the consoles. He glanced over his shoulder at her with a big smug grin. ¡°I never crashed or anything.¡±


    Eleya collapsed into navigation¡¯s seat with a regretful groan that didn¡¯t particularly suit her station. ¡°Give me a moment, I-¡± She paused, out of breath. ¡°I will take my normal shuttle.¡±


    ¡°Hey. I¡¯m a good pilot, I¡¯ve been flying similar craft for over a decade now.¡± Entirely true. He flipped up the cover for the power mains and twisted the handle one click to systems on. Arrays of switches and screens lit up around him, a cursory glance showing all green. ¡°There was that thing where I drove your niece around for half a year, too. She seemed pretty happy with my skills.¡±


    ¡°So she was.¡± Eleya stepped up beside him, leaning on the seat and scanning the controls and consoles with keen eyes as her breathing returned to normal.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Alex would have flown over by himself, but he was glad to have company... No point in showing off if there wasn¡¯t someone to see it. He reached up and clicked main power over to engines, a quiet hum filling the cabin as the reactor spooled up and the thrusters came online. ¡°Your guys on board?¡±


    She turned and looked down the stairs into the cabin. ¡°Yes.¡± Eleya had her focus back on the controls immediately afterwards, more familiarity in her eyes than Alex expected to see.


    Systems were still showing all green, hydrogen stores up over ninety percent, all eight thrusters working down their startup procedures. ¡°See something you recognize?¡±


    ¡°A few things.¡± She tapped her teeth together in thought before nodding at a few items as she listed them off. ¡°Speed indicator, compass, power distribution, engine outputs... Seems a bit austere. I am left wondering where the rest of the controls are, as well. Unless you plan on pushing buttons the entire way there?¡±


    ¡°Nobody told me you were interested in flying.¡± He was actually surprised by that. She hadn¡¯t mentioned this at all, but she was a larger bundle of secrets compared to her niece.


    ¡°I used to be a pilot, a life ago.¡± Eleya stood up and crossed her arms over her chest, leaning on the back of the navigation console instead of the pilot¡¯s chair. ¡°That¡¯s how I met Navaren, I flew his dropship. He tended to pace about and give awful motivational speeches to his command while we were in the air and I fu- did not particularly care for that. Dressed him down a few times.¡±


    ¡°Oh really.¡± Alex was a little interested in hearing about that. They had a minute while the systems check finished anyway. ¡°Kind of wondered how you two met.¡±


    She hummed an affirmative. ¡°He was very cavalier about it all, didn¡¯t take my concerns seriously until I notified him that I would rather not accidentally dump a handsome young man out of my dropship.¡±


    ¡°Love blooms in the strangest places.¡± He fiddled with the seat, adjusting the back, strapping in, and then sliding it up to the flight position. His feet dangled over a gap in the floor, pedals coming up to meet his shoes, ergonomically angled control sticks sliding out to his hands. There was one last thing... He punched a button over his head and the cockpit lights dimmed as the canopy armor began to retract. Alex didn¡¯t bother to try to contain his grin.


    ¡°Windows on a spaceship.¡± She was annoyed by this information, but did not sound surprised at all. The little portal windows for the cabin apparently didn¡¯t count.


    ¡°It¡¯s perfectly safe.¡± The hangar floor stretched out from beneath Alex¡¯s feet, the ceiling overhead. Holo arrays flickered to life, a comprehensive HUD resolving before him. A few switches flipped and the cabin door sealed, gravitics pulled them up from the deck and landing skids retracted. He spooled the reactor up all the way and tweaked the throttle for a little forward motion. ¡°You told ¡®em we¡¯re taking this yet?¡±


    ¡°I had notified flight control that there was a possibility.¡± It sounded like she wished she had waited until never to give the shuttle to him as she took a seat at navigation and strapped in.


    ¡°Great, you should let them know for sure.¡± Alex spun the throttle pre-chargers under his thumbs and eased it towards the gaping bay entrance. ¡°And tell the rest of the ships to keep up if they can.¡±

 Conspiracy Theory

    Alex carefully crept the GX8 along the flightline, right up to what he assumed was the launch marker on the ground, and brought it to a stop. Hovering there on the gravitics while waiting for the very impenetrable capital-ship class shielding that currently obstructed the shuttlebay exit to be lowered.


    ¡°That is correct, we will be taking the Masamune. No, send my shuttle along as well, better to have it should we wish to depart at different times.¡± Eleya had figured out the comms quickly, holding a headset up to her face with the earcup tucked partway into the fluffy triangle of her own ear, and was now getting them clearance to depart. ¡°Keep the security detail on there as well. I have my guard, but this will be a good practice. We will take advantage of that.¡±


    He had slightly jumped the gun. Set off a lot of alarms when he lifted off, which as it turns out was something you were supposed to ask to do first. Which he knew. It was a stupid mistake driven by excitement that he should have managed better, particularly while in command of a ship, particularly with the fucking Empress sitting behind him. Lesson learned, no harm this time.


    Based on what he¡¯d heard so far, their escort wasn¡¯t ready, so he went ahead and landed again while they waited. Used low-ready on the landing gear since it didn¡¯t sound like they¡¯d be disembarking. It was a neat feature that was largely not found on modern ships, which just put the exterior doors in more convenient locations so the struts didn¡¯t need multiple settings.


    Gave him time to actually dial in the destination, too. Not like he had a line of sight on McFadden. It wasn¡¯t even a speck, a hundred and ten million kilometers away, and he was facing the wrong direction. Navicomp said they could do it in two hours, if they pushed the envelope of the inertial dampers. It didn¡¯t even have kinetic buffers, which now that he was sitting in the cockpit of a real GX8 that could theoretically turn him into a very fine paste if not for a host of safeties, felt like a big issue. That seemed like something Carbon would have a fix for, or at least an idea on how to improve.


    ¡°Excellent. Would you verify the speed limits on the diplomatic lanes? Yes, very good. It is quite the distance, that will make it much more tenable. This channel will be open, let me know when we have clearance to depart.¡± She clicked the mic off and set the headset down, brushing the fluff in her ear out.


    He had a pretty pertinent question waiting for her. ¡°Hey, uh... how many g¡¯s are Tsla¡¯o capable of handling?¡±


    There was a long pause. ¡°That translation comes through as a question about how many of the seventh letter of your alphabet we can manage. Given it is a single letter, I imagine it is quite a few.¡±


    Got him pretty literally there. Suppose it could have been worded better. ¡°How many gravity of acceleration?¡±


    ¡°Gravity, as in the gravitational constant?¡±


    ¡°No, a ¡®gee¡¯ is the gravity of Earth. Denoted as a lowercase ¡®g¡¯ in physics, while the constant is a capital of the same letter.¡±


    ¡°Of Earth. The planet I am not from and have never visited?¡± Eleya had gotten a little snippy about the alarms. ¡°I would just happen to know the mass of it and thus be able to calculate the local gravity so I could compare it to the gravity of a planet I am more familiar with?¡±


    He waved her off. ¡°Alright, jeeze. I get it.¡±


    She rolled her eyes as loudly as possible, a huff punctuating her annoyance. ¡°Tell me you have some other metric to calculate acceleration rather than, what is that, a multiple of how fast something falls on your planet?¡±


    ¡°How about meters per second squared? Translator like that one more?¡±


    ¡°Is that a Human second or a Tsla¡¯o second?¡± She asked, absolutely deadpan before a hint of humor curled into her words. ¡°Those are more standard, I should be able to calculate the difference without much trouble.¡±


    He listened to her unlock her comm and start tapping away at it. Even if they didn¡¯t push the engines past what the dampers could manage they¡¯d be there in plenty of time. Alex locked the controls and slid the pilot¡¯s seat back from the ready, twisting around to look at Eleya.


    She glanced up at him for a moment then returned to tapping away at a conversion calculator.


    He¡¯d been going back and forth on the idea of the intrusion package for the last few days in the few moments of free time he had. Not so much about the legality of it, as something like this was likely just as illegal as the monitoring software that the ONI had planted in his head. Just the morality of it.


    Alex turned away, sitting back in the seat as he pulled his own comm out and sent her a message. <I¡¯m not sure I can upload the intrusion.> They had gotten English in the system remarkably fast, a text translator becoming an optional module. The included keyboard looked nothing like the one from his phone - the key layout was based on their keyboard - that Imperial Intelligence had checked for further intrusions, but it was the exact same color scheme. He suspected that was related.


    Eleya didn¡¯t react to his message but the reply came quickly. <Is there an issue with your hardware?>


    <No, I¡¯m just wondering if this really is the right thing to do.> Where did he draw the line between what he and Carbon had lost, and the potential harm this could do to the Confederation? It was all guesswork. Yes, Eleya - The Butcher - promised that she would use it with the utmost care. Surgical information gathering, not a strategic destruction of what they all assumed was ONI.


    <I may be the wrong person to ask.> She cleared her throat, ¡°it seems to be about fifty meters per second squared, before you get into requiring special equipment or dampening.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s well within the envelope.¡± That was right around five g¡¯s, so they could squeeze a little bit of fun in. <Yeah, I know. But you¡¯re here, and you¡¯ve got the most life experience of anyone I can talk to covertly right now.>


    Eleya locked her comm unit and slipped it back into her daman, idly poking through the computer at the navigation station.


    How the fuck was she doing that? Did she get a comm link implanted too? He checked who he was sending messages to, and yes, it was Eleya. <A moral issue, yeah. I mean treason as well, but moral quandary first. I feel like I¡¯m well into treason territory from everything else already.>


    <Curious. How? Was enough not taken from you and your beloved? I saw a fire in you once in regards to this theft, has it gone cold?>


    He had been heated about this, sitting there with all those interface needles laced into his head, ready to fight about who got to keep what until somebody put a gun to his head. It still rankled him, absolutely, and thinking about it rekindled the flame easily. <I just don¡¯t know if this is right. I¡¯ve always been reasonably happy with the Confederation as a government. I know it¡¯s not perfect but I guess I just feel like I¡¯m betraying them.>


    She laughed and continued exploring the local system map on the navicomp. <Are you serious?>


    Alex didn¡¯t react to that. He really wanted to, but he kept himself nice and orderly, save for an annoyed sigh. <Of course!>


    <That is what you worry about? Betraying a government that has gravely betrayed you already? I do not know each grain of sand that you have lost, but Carbon¡¯s reaction speaks loudly. Some of it was intensely personal. For what? The chance you would stumble upon a secret worth stealing for them? Perhaps a little leverage? Though I suppose they could view your betrayal of your kind as the original motive.>


    He could see her scrolling through nearby systems on the HUD, none of which they could reach without a ferry if they wanted to be there in a reasonable amount of time. <What¡¯s that supposed to mean, betrayal of my kind?> He typed that really hard.


    ¡°Who in the hells are you talking to?¡± Eleya inquired, probably covering for his sudden burst of emphatic thumbstrokes. <Humanity, dearest nephew. You pursued and won over an alien instead of one of your own. You lie in bed with her, apparently in every sense of the phrase. It is not like your kind are lacking in numbers, but you have turned your back on them.>


    <That¡¯s not the same, at all.> This was annoying because he was now sure that Carbon probably saw their relationship as some sort of betrayal of the Tsla¡¯o and was just keeping that hidden from him. ¡°I¡¯m explaining to Amalu how wrong his opinions on Oceanside Quartet are.¡±


    <Are you sure it is not? Had you not desired this connection, you never would have been seen as a conduit, potentially one that is disposable. You would have gone along your life as a pilot or whatever you might have decided, unburdened.>


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    <I care about my people! I am a Human, for fuck¡¯s sake. Just because I fell in love with someone who isn¡¯t doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ve turned my back on them. Just as Carbon hasn¡¯t turned her back on the Tsla¡¯o.> He tried to dial himself back a little bit, reel the emphatic typing in to ¡®disagreeing with a friend¡¯ levels. He tapped out an addendum quickly. <I was just a pilot. There are hundreds eager to take my place in that role. Humanity will be fine without me scanning planets for them, it will keep on going with or without my involvement.>


    <You feel you may damage something important?> The reply came, then a statement out loud. ¡°I just found out it was a movie before it was redone as an opera.¡±


    <Yes! The Confederation isn¡¯t perfect. Nothing can be perfect, but it keeps the majority of Humanity safe and I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s right for me to threaten that for a trillion other people because I¡¯m pissed.> Well, that got to the heart of it for him, anyway. Maybe Eleya was a reasonable person to ask after all. ¡°I¡¯ve only seen the movie. How¡¯s the opera?¡±


    ¡°I enjoyed it. The twist was expected, but it came together well at the end. Kanas¡¯ falsetto was legendary, may she rest.¡± She clicked her way out of the navicomp and adjusted the straps on her harness. The radio chirped and her hands returned to the controls, lifting the headset to her ear again. ¡°This is the Masamune. Cleared, third in line? Excellent, thank you.¡±


    <I will leave the choice to you, Alex. If your conscience demands it, you know where the file resides. Destroy it, and I will trouble you no more about that potential vector. I still feel it is possibly the only path forward if you wish to truly know who has done this to you.> She set the headset down. ¡°Did you hear that?¡±


    ¡°Third in line, yeah.¡± Alex watched the outer shielding dissolve, leaving only the ship-permeable forcefield keeping the atmosphere in. <If it does work, if we do end up with a back door to ONI or anyone else, for that matter, do I have your promise that it will not be abused?>


    ¡°Good. There are no speed limits on the way there, by the way. The only limitation is that no FTL may be used.¡± She set the headset down and checked her harness again. A real vote of confidence. <I said before I would not. I will state it again so that it is clear: nothing will be done without your prior approval. It pains me to say that, so I hope you appreciate it.>


    The first shuttle launched from the other bay, proceeding out at a lackadaisical pace. Alex slid the pilot¡¯s seat back up to the ready position and fired up the gravitics, retracted the landing struts, popped the shields on and waited patiently as he tapped out one last reply. <I do, thank you.>


    He clicked the screen off and slipped it into a cargo pocket as the second shuttle rose from behind the GX8 and glided over them, turning down to slide under the belly of the carrier. He minded his manners and waited until it was 500 meters away before nudging the throttle forward and easing it out into space, following the same path they took... though he did get a bit fancy with it.


    Alex let the ship glide out straight for a hundred meters, well past the Sword¡¯s shields, and rotated it using just the maneuvering thrusters. Pointed the nose down 90 degrees and spun it a full 180 at the same time so the cockpit would be pointing ¡®up¡¯ in relation to the carrier when he turned under. The safeties were on, of course. Alex couldn¡¯t actually turn them off without disabling the ship, so they never experienced more than three g¡¯s of force. Eleya still grunted behind him as she was slid around in her chair.


    This was a high performance ship and by god he was going to have a little fun with it.


    He goosed the throttle for real this time, jetting away before switching the flight assist on and burning around the underside of the Sword like he was flying in atmosphere. Nothing too wild yet, he was playing nice with Tsla¡¯o airspace.


    They slipped away quickly, a kilometer and then two clicking by as he aimed it into the diplomatic lanes that would take them to McFadden, dismissing warnings that this was only for diplomatic craft and they could be fined or arrested for using them without proper authorization. Despite the desire to just crank the throttle all the way open, he stayed the course.


    The Tsla¡¯o shuttles were technologically five generations ahead of the GX8, if not more. They¡¯d have no trouble matching his speed in space, or exceeding it. A bit of a letdown, yes, but blowing past the escorts was a stupid idea, and he wasn¡¯t really in a position to do stupid stuff anymore. Selected the second shuttle and set the navicomp to follow it at safe distance, locked at a mere one g felt acceleration, then closed the cockpit armor. Nothing much to look at right now.


    He slid the chair back and plucked the pilot¡¯s eyes from the little storage nook in the seat and slipped them on. A slightly macabre name for what was just a wearable hud. Classic tech that looked like a pair of glasses, giving him a handy way to keep an eye on things without having to actually be in the chair the whole time. Maybe it was just a trip to the head, maybe you wanted to go mingle a little during the multi-hour jaunt.


    Theoretically, this ship could be piloted by a single person and sent sailing across the solar system if you wanted. Be a long trip, though.


    ¡°Is that projecting into your eyes?¡± Eleya inquired as he turned around and stood up, leaning against the acceleration.


    He shrugged. ¡°Yeah, basically. Told you, this thing is a classic.¡±


    ¡°Turn the ship around, I will take my shuttle.¡± She unbuckled and followed him into the main cabin. ¡°More seriously, I understand that there is a bar in here, allegedly stocked with Human made alcohol. I must admit, I am curious as to what Humanity produces.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s find out what they left on board.¡± The wet bar was quite obviously straight at the back of the cabin. Eleya¡¯s guards were sitting in the first two seats, cloak off as they were buckled in. The juxtaposition of those luxuriously plush, white leather seats and the military hardware sitting in them was funny. ¡°Hey guys.¡±


    It was pretty much what he expected for powered armor. Gray armor plating over a black undersuit, full helmets that echoed the shape of their heads. Thin slits for the eyes, green glass surrounded by a network of sensors. They did not seem particularly bothered by him, at least.


    Alex crouched down in front of the cabinet and popped the doors open. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be.¡±


    ¡°I am unfamiliar with that saying.¡± Eleya leaned over his shoulder, looking in at the rows of neatly restrained bottles.


    ¡°It¡¯s an exclamation of surprise. Looks like they stocked this thing up before it was put into your custody. All of these bottles are new. Well, unopened at least.¡± Several of them had been aged decades, and the oldest bottling date he could see so far was within the last ten years. ¡°Good selection, too. All the famous spirits... Someone sent along the most expensive sampler I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±


    ¡°Ah, delightful. What should I try first?¡± Eleya sounded quite interested in this.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see... How fast would you say those drop ships you flew were?¡± Every group of pilots had a stereotypical go-to liquor. It was split along the military and civilian divide, as well as fast and slow categories of ship - generally broken down by the amount of acceleration the ship¡¯s frame can handle. Fast military tended towards bourbon, while slower ships went whiskey. Fast civilian was tequila, slow vodka. There were a thousand variations of course - the Scoutship program preferred rum for reasons unclear, and apparently every Trailblazer had its own moonshine setup, if not a more proper distillery.


    Eleya mulled that over. ¡°Not particularly fast, they were not intended for anything more extensive than troop deployment. Seven hundred kilometers per hour, in atmosphere.¡±


    Slow, then. He patted himself on the back for not saying that out loud. ¡°Whiskey it is.¡± He pulled the bottle of Jameson and stood, rummaging through the drawer for a corkscrew. A few moments of messing around with that and he had a half-full lowball held out to Eleya.


    She took it and sipped away. ¡°Hm. That is unexpected.¡±


    Alex crammed the cork back in it and set the bottle back in the rack, closing the doors. Everybody else on board was doing a job right now, no point in asking around. ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°It feels remarkably familiar. I have not had this, but it is not alien at all.¡± She took another sip and swirled it in her mouth, ruminating on that.


    ¡°It¡¯s distilled grain aged in a cask.¡± That was most amber liquors, to his understanding. ¡°Whatever that stuff you gave me at the restaurant was reminded me of this.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Grain water, yes. I can see the similarity of the two.¡±


    Alex blanched at that probably very literal translation, and then shrugged it off. Wasn¡¯t like he did a lot of drinking nowadays. ¡°Well, if you want anything else, feel free to explore. I¡¯m gonna go bask in the warm glow of those antique monochrome holos.¡± He said, sliding past her and heading to the cockpit again. There wasn¡¯t anything to do, aside from monitor things on a much bigger display, but his mind was wandering back to his earlier dilemma.


    Was this moral. Was it right, was it even the threat he imagined it could be?


    He slipped into the pilot¡¯s chair and put the glasses back in their nook. Nearly an hour and 45 minutes to their destination, and they were still accelerating. Alex laughed. The shuttles were probably having to go easy on the power so they didn¡¯t leave him in the dust. Sure, it could do a ton of stuff they couldn¡¯t in atmo, and looked cooler even standing still, but the advance of technology had left the GX8 behind.


    He still loved it. It was fantastic, and the little bit of playing around with it he had done felt just like he had expected. That he¡¯d been gifted a ship that he had always wanted, that cost more than his parents house, the day he was supposed to deliver a intrusion package to his own government itched at the back of his mind.


    Yes, she said it was supposed to be for Winter¡¯s Nadir, their Christmas-like holiday. Just given early. Which, fine. Eleya has been acting differently since she got her implant, and probably at least her hearing fixed. Who knows what else she had been hiding. Whatever the extent of her healing, she was legitimately more pleasant to be around.


    She behaved more like how Alex thought a family member should. The brief snippets of his family she had seen wouldn¡¯t have been enough to inform her of that. Could it have been a front? Certainly. He thought Eleya had the control to do that. But what would it gain her?


    Alex knew Eleya wanted to go back to being the aunt that doted on her niece. He believed her, and knew that she couldn¡¯t. Nothing would turn back what had happened between them. Perhaps the trust could be rebuilt.


    Perhaps she would settle for doting on her nephew for a while. He would be enthused by those easy things like ships.


    That felt reasonable to Alex. It¡¯s not like this gift was free from strings, either. He was still the backup plan if the Empire fell. If the GX8 had kinetic buffers and modern inertia dampers, it would be a proper beast in space. Outrun just about anything.


    All of this felt like enough evidence that Alex was willing to believe the ship was not actually some sort of bribe to encourage him to keep the upload where he might have reconsidered.


    Carbon hadn¡¯t spoken much about what they were giving away, or the intrusion. She was annoyed that they had built an AI for something like this, but that hadn¡¯t made her say anything about not going through with the upload. His wife clearly didn¡¯t like that they had uploaded so much unwittingly, and she very much did want to know who was behind it.


    So did he.


    When they arrived on McFadden station, the ONI would get everything they wanted and more.

 Prepwork

    It had not occurred to Alex that showing up in a rare classic ship, escorted by six alien ships would generate interest. But as it turns out, gliding up with four shuttles and two things that had been transports but were obviously for interdiction based on the racks of missile pods and very large point defense cannons that were taking up space where the cabin would normally go... That sort of thing turned a lot of heads.


    He landed it like a champ, at least. Followed the landing protocols exactly. Rotated it at five kilometers, shut down the four inboard engines and used the remaining four to gently decelerate, gliding into the hanger bay in reverse. Anyone who wasn¡¯t familiar with this style of ship would probably assume he was showboating, or getting ready to leave after a robbery.


    All it took from there was a handful of taps to the maneuvering thrusters bringing it to a stop, and gently easing the gravitics back to set them down right on the pad he was assigned. All that sim time had paid off.


    Eleya let him open the hatch. It was his last chance to delete the intrusion package, but he was too far in at this point. The betrayal by the ONI was too big. He still considered himself a nobody, despite all the titles. Just some kid from the Arc who managed to get lucky a few times and land his dream job. If they¡¯d do it to him, he assumed at this point, that they would do it to anybody.


    A few moments after he cracked the exterior door, the ARGUS software that he was absolutely not aware of detected a public wireless signal and started up r_probe, which began trying to connect to that wireless network. Empire intel had figured out how it worked despite not having a proper wireless system, receiving signal with the threads that ran to his near-field connections, and resonating those same connections in concert to transmit.


    It was actually a very impressive feat of engineering. No indication it was possible until the system was actually in use.


    Another thing that had not occurred to Alex was that all that interest would actually translate into people showing up. Part of that was things that made sense to him immediately: the station commander, a guy from Diplomatic Security Service, and a bunch of regular station security showed up to greet Eleya specifically and him as well because he was standing behind her. It was nice to be the pilot again. They barely even looked at him, just scanned his ONI badge. They got a very polite ¡®please leave the guys in power armor here in the hanger, but do bring as many of your soft security as you need.¡¯


    The Royal Guard posted up at the stairwell into the ship and waited.


    He was roughly aware of the existence of paparazzi until now. An annoyance for famous people. The observation window a floor above the entryway to the station proper was currently packed with people, and there were a lot of lenses pointed their way. Several of them were clearly focused on the GX, which he understood at a very visceral level. That had been him in the past.


    The rest were interested in all the aliens and that guy that popped out of that weird old ship with them. He assumed none of them were ship-heads, the most unfortunate slang term Alex had been called by his brother for being a big spaceship nerd, and would not recognize a classic when it landed in front of them.


    Alex kind of didn¡¯t care for that level of attention. Maybe he should have dressed a little nicer. Unless they all just thought he was a pilot, like some kind of chauffeur. Came with the ship. Probably wouldn¡¯t have an ONI badge, though, or continued into the station. Was nice to sail through customs, at least.


    It was way more normal when they were in the station proper. Eleya¡¯s personal security team had opted for clothing that was more traditional military - kept the gray tunics, pants, and what have you, but shed the combat hardware. He assumed there was loads of armor and shielding hiding in their clothes anyway. They were covering him right now as well, as they were all headed to the same place.


    The corridors had been cordoned off, a bank of elevators reserved to take them up to the conference room. There was more security up here, starting with the Diplomatic teams in conspicuously bulky business suits at intersections, and eventually more Tsla¡¯o mixed in that had come over with Carbon¡¯s flight this morning.


    They were a solid thirty minutes early when they arrived. A DSS suit and portions of that early contingent were already there. It was a very nice suite. Spacious, brightly lit, nice wide table to keep everyone from fighting with each other or something. A spread of snacks and beverages off in one corner, too.


    All the Tsla¡¯o inside snapped to attention when they stepped in, the handful that were sitting down jumping up immediately. Rigid spines, fist clutched to their sternum. The Empress dismissed this with a wave of her hand and they mostly went back to doing whatever they had been engaged with, though Colonel Lehnan made a beeline for them.


    ¡°Colonel. Updates have been coming in clear, I assume that you have not had any issues since the last?¡± She tipped her head at him.


    He bowed in return. ¡°No changes in readiness. After the initial perimeter setup approximately three hours ago, all scans and comms have remained clear.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Thank you.¡± She gave him another nod and he returned to the armored laptop he had been sitting at when they arrived.


    Eleya turned her attention back to Alex. ¡°And how do you fare, young pilot?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to be back. I appreciate the hospitality, of course, but... There¡¯s just something about the familiarity, you know?¡± Alex knew better than to assume they could have a private conversation here. No way. Not just what was being recorded by the ARGUS, but the room must have had recording facilities - both covert and overt - so he wasn¡¯t about to start talking about what they were actually talking about. Maybe Eleya and all her Intelligence personnel were starting to rub off on him. A week ago he would have started talking about any damn thing without a second thought.


    His real reply to that question was him casually nodding along in the affirmative as he spoke. Yes, the upload was underway. While it was a very elegant system, it was not a very fast one. About two-thirds of the way done now.


    She gave him a nod back, just as she had done to the Colonel. ¡°I believe I do. While this space does not feel truly alien, it is... different. Little things pull at my senses. It seems to be a recurring theme today.¡±


    ¡°That is a very succinct way to put it.¡± It was, in his estimation. The biggest changes were the smells and the colors. They were not so technologically different that corridors on ships were unusually built, Human machines had fabricated parts for the Sword without issue. ¡°The use of red on the support ribs always throws me off.¡±


    ¡°Is it so? It is a classic naval color for the Tsla¡¯o.¡± She seemed actually interested in that.


    ¡°Yeah, we stick with very light grays, cream, off white... That sort of thing.¡± He gestured at the walls, a very generic off-white. Eggshell? Maybe. Sported that blue stripe most Navy ships had running everywhere. Though here it was at about shin height, making room for paintings of famous naval-related ships and events.


    ¡°This color, it is a bit... Macabre, is the phrase? Grim. Walls of bone. It does have a nice shade of blue.¡± She pointed out the stripe.


    He hoped that the ONI was enjoying this conversation. ¡°The stripe is supposed to be calming, for some reason. Never understood why. Doesn¡¯t make me mad looking at it, at least.¡± Alex shrugged.


    ¡°Reminds me of the sea.¡± Eleya stared at it intently before looking to a dark painting of an old sailing ship in tumultuous waters. ¡°Another thing our kind have in common.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Was it sea related? Who knows. Alex pondered the list of things he could talk about, as Eleya perused the paintings. Everything felt like it was a secret now. ¡°So... Got any plans after the reception?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She had moved on to a painting of an Aircraft Carrier. ¡°Nothing aside from returning to my flagship.¡±


    ¡°Last time Carbon was on station, we were having dinner with an old friend - a mentor, really - that got cut short. It¡¯d be nice to finish that. And if I come back on station without at least saying hello, he¡¯ll kill me.¡± Alex found a smirk curling the corner of his mouth, paired with a faint chuckle.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    She turned to look at him slowly, just a faint dusting of confusion on her face as she determined that was not literal. ¡°Are you... Attempting to include me in this?¡±


    Was he? Sure seemed like it. ¡°Yeah. I am. He¡¯s a good fellow, I¡¯m sure my mother would be up for it. If Carbon was having any problems with her I¡¯m sure we would have heard about it by now. You can meet some of the people who have had a hand in shaping me.¡±


    Eleya¡¯s desire for normalcy surfaced in her eyes for a moment. Sitting down with family members without pretense, even ones who were pretending to just be doing outreach, was something she obviously missed. ¡°Is there an appropriate dining facility here?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure.¡± There had to be some kind of dining room for brass and dignitaries. He had only been to the commissaries and Noonan¡¯s... and as much as he wanted to go back to Noonan¡¯s, that was not a joint to take the Empress. Even if she probably would have wanted to go there. Alex did find himself amused by the idea of dragging her into the retro sci-fi pastiche of that tourist trap restaurant. ¡°I assume. I¡¯ll ask around.¡±


    ¡°Very well. If arrangements are made, I will go.¡± She turned to Alex and gave him a single nod, her word final. Her attention was quickly drawn away, leaning to the side with brows furrowed as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing behind him.


    ¡°Oh, well look at this motherfucker!¡± That was Sergeant Zenshen. Shouting in English. In the hallway.


    Alex turned to look. Sergeant Zenshen was in fact standing in the hall, and he saw her standing toe-to-toe with someone who was clearly a Confed Marine, based on the green camo BDU¡¯s and very close cut hair. Stana gave the Human woman a shove, arms tossed out to the side and glaring hard, daring her to take a swing. They were exchanging words that were very much something Eleya would love to learn about as the Human stalked back up into her face. ¡°Oh shit hang on I¡¯ll be right back.¡± He blurted that out as a single word as he hustled his ass to try to divert this impending disaster.


    About halfway to the door he realized that the flow of cussing from both sides also included an extremely involved handshake, and that both of them were now grinning as they insulted each other in a more conversational tone.


    ¡°Sergeant. Looking sharp, I must say.¡± The Marine spoke as she pulled Zenshen into a friendly hug, slapping her back carefully to avoid the antenna.


    Zenshen had opted for the uniform update that he had suggested. She was part of his security detail, and could slot into Carbon¡¯s if needed. She had recognized the name of the films he had dropped when making those recommendations as well, so her adoption of the charcoal three-piece suit was not surprising at all.


    She went with the black shirt and tie. Even had the silver collar bar. It did look sharp, which had been the point. Less military invasion, more individuals that you don¡¯t want to mess with. Real Baba Yaga shit.


    ¡°The green suits you.¡± Stana was still smiling as she turned to Alex. ¡°Mister Sorenson. This is the Marine I¡¯ve told you about, Lieutenant Williams.¡±


    ¡°So it is.¡± Alex could tell that they were already familiar with each other now, at least. He bowed. Fuck. That¡¯s not how you greet a fellow Human. ¡°Nice to meet you, Lieutenant.¡±


    ¡°Likewise.¡± Williams smiled as well, dark skin crinkling around deep brown eyes as she extended a hand, not calling attention to his faux pas. ¡°Alex Sorenson? I¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡±


    He shook it, of course. It had been awhile since he¡¯d physically interacted with another Human and that realization was actually more unsettling than having someone he¡¯d never met already knowing about him. ¡°Hah, really? All good things, I hope.¡±


    ¡°Good enough.¡± The Lieutenant sounded like she meant that as a compliment. ¡°If you both will excuse me, I need to make sure everything is prepped before the Admirals arrive.¡±


    Williams parted ways, leaving him standing there with the Sergeant. ¡°How¡¯s the uniform working out?¡±


    ¡°Base gear needs some work, got a lot of technology tucked away in here that is not as comfortable as it could be. They reworked a bunch of stuff because, you know, new threads mean new layout. Thermals are good, lots of pockets. The vest is growing on me. Visually? Badass. Humans love it. I¡¯ve had to scoot more folks away because they wanted pics than because they were encroaching on the diplomat.¡± She was pretty pleased with that, fiddling with the top button on the waistcoat.


    ¡°Well, you wanted something less aggressive. Maybe we overshot a little bit.¡± If people were approaching the security teams specifically, that would present a very different problem than the one they were originally trying to solve.


    ¡°It does seem so.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m keeping this suit either way.¡±


    ¡°Williams was right, it does look sharp.¡± The eetaleeahn cut suit, from the waist up anyway, was actually very handsome even outside of the movies. It was growing on him.


    ¡°Thank you. Ah, speaking of the diplomat...¡± She nodded down the hall to Carbon, Amalu and Tenar in tow. Those two had opted for the white shirt and wore a refined version of their armored combat goggles over their eyes, a suite of sensors giving them more information about their surroundings than plain old flesh and blood could. It was still a good looking outfit.


    Maybe he would consider a tie. If Carbon liked it.


    Maybe.


    ¡°Lan Tshalen. Good to see you again.¡± He smiled pleasantly and gave her a little bow, fighting off the urge to greet her in a far less formal manner. They were keeping up appearances of just being something more like friends, after all. ¡°I hope my mother wasn¡¯t a bother?¡±


    ¡°As I expected, she was a delight. Very informative about the finer details of Human clothing, as well.¡± She grinned, bowing in return.


    ¡°Oh, well that¡¯s good.¡± Why did that make him anxious? Was it the grin? Yeah, just a little too toothy for her not to be leaving some details out. It was also weird to be talking to her like this.


    Man, he was not cut out for spy stuff.


    ¡°Indeed it is. I may require a trip to somewhere with a wider variety of stores in the future. I have been apprised of the fact that there are many fashion capitals on Earth.¡± She said, looking into the meeting suite and changing the subject. ¡°I assume the Empress is here as well?¡±


    Oh no, was she getting into fashion? Had she been into fashion before but he didn¡¯t know anything about Tsla¡¯o fashion so he had been completely oblivious to it? Shit. Neya would know. Neya would love it if she was. ¡°Yeah, I left her in there when I thought Zenshen was out here picking a fight.¡±


    Carbon turned back to him with a raised eyebrow, a hint of alarm in her voice. ¡°Why would she be doing that?¡±


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t. The Marine she had worked with is here too and... Human military personnel greeting each other can get a little out of hand. Clearly she picked that up.¡± He shrugged. Took all sorts to make a military run.


    ¡°Ah. Curious.¡± She put the eyebrow away and relaxed. ¡°If you will pardon me, Pilot Sorenson, I should check in with the rest of the delegation.¡±


    ¡°Of course. See you inside.¡± He did the formal bowing thing again. She returned it and the security team followed her in.


    He went to get a snack. Breakfast had been too damn long ago, and some mediocre food that he already knew sounded like it would hit the spot. The platter of Danishes left him with a strange sense of melancholy, perfectly baked and gleaming in the bright overhead lights. He missed Human stuff, and the flakey crust on the pastry he set on a little china plate taunted him.


    Not going to be seeing the likes of me very much from now on, are you?


    Alex got a cup of coffee with a splash of cream and circled back around to the Confederation side of the table, his mere Intelligence Specialist rank leaving him at the end of the table next to Williams. In good company at least, according to the Sergeant. ¡°Excuse me, Lieutenant... Have you heard if there¡¯s a name for this operation yet? I¡¯ve been a bit out of the loop so far.¡±


    ¡°As of this morning, it is being called Shadow Steppe.¡± While she did not roll her eyes at that, there was a certain tone in her voice that intimated it. ¡°Like a prairie, not walking.¡±


    He recalled the rolling hills and hundreds of acres of grasslands that had greeted them on the other side of the portal onto the artifact. That wasn¡¯t obvious at all. ¡°That feels a little on the nose. Like somebody got their thesaurus out and just sifted through words until something sounded kinda spooky.¡±


    ¡°Better than the first two I heard floated.¡± She finished that under her breath as she stood to salute the arrival of Admirals Argueta and Serrat.


    Alex did not join her, being a civilian and all. He had no idea how his integration into an alien society would change that reaction, effectively being a dual citizen now. Probably would be the same, though.


    Neither Admiral seemed to mind, dismissing the Lieutenant and giving him a nod. Alex watched the two of them, in their crisp dress whites with a tasteful amount of ribbons and medals, approach Eleya.


    Both of them bowed, about as deep as he would expect from one of the Empire¡¯s own Admirals, though Serrat¡¯s was deeper and more crisp. They could have gotten away with less, but had no doubt been coached to ensure they weren¡¯t being insulting, particularly not on the first meeting. It was Argueta that spoke first. ¡°Empress Tezhan. Thank you for coming here in person. It was a surprise to find that you wished to take a direct interest in this project, but we are pleased that you have.¡±


    Eleya waited a beat, before she gave the Admirals a nod in return. ¡°Given the importance of the task, it was clear that I should be personally involved. Particularly when one considers how our previous joint effort yielded such an unusual outcome.¡±

 Status

    The meeting was strikingly boring. Colonel Lehnan was the lead on the Tsla¡¯o side - officially at least - and Admiral Serrat was his counterpart for this operation. Not much new information had come about in the last ten days or so. Everybody had thrown all the normal sensors and less-destructive testing at the portal ring sitting a few dozen astronomical units above the north pole of Sol, and even the more experimental things they¡¯d tried had yielded basically nothing new about it.


    Serrat proposed setting up a forward base in the ¡®parking garage¡¯ the Kshlav¡¯o had been landed in, in preparation for moving into the artifact itself. This would require a detachment of Tsla¡¯o personnel, as the ring only activated the portal when approached by a mixed crew. Initial testing indicated that it didn¡¯t care how the group left, but if there was just one race left inside it''d close again. There were guesses about this behavior, most of which pointed towards some sort of intelligence setting these parameters. Not one that was Human or Tsla''o, obviously. The money was on some kind of AI, or VI, or thinking machine, as there was currently no indication of a living space as anyone at the table could define it.


    The Empire had planned for this next step, as it had come up as a possibility at the last meeting. There was a group ready to go, a mix of military and scientists, many of whom had at least some experience working with Humans. Both personnel and vehicles would be placed at their disposal.


    The ramp up was going to be a bit over a month. Everyone was happy with that. Carbon would do her thing with the new class of Lan - and also hopefully pound some sense into her father - and as Alex was really only needed once they actually returned to the artifact itself, they didn¡¯t seem to mind if he went along. Enhance cooperation and cultural exchange between allies. Admiral Argueta seemed particularly pleased with that.


    The reception after the meeting? Argueta was less pleased with that. It went smoothly, several diplomats from various Confed states and organizations had come out to meet the Empress. Eleya was at maximum schmooze, putting on a friendly, sociable attitude. She apparently recognized a few names and made it a point to thank them for all of the assistance rendered. The Empress even had jokes. She appeared to be having a good time, but that could easily have been part of the front.


    Argueta¡¯s problem was that Alex gravitated towards her - she was his boss, after all - and he would not shut up about novel Tsla¡¯o minutia he had learned. Insufferable, boring facts. She had excused herself about halfway through his explainer on how most homes and restaurants had three spices on the table, but they were usually liquid. One was sweet, one salty, and the other a spicy vinegar. It reminded him of a very basic hot sauce. There were other spices around of course, and sometimes certain sauces were... Well. It was all in his second report!


    Alex was a little disappointed to find out that Gladwell hadn¡¯t been invited. Diplomatic Security nixed him. He had a whole bit about bathroom design for the Commander, but apparently that wasn¡¯t in the cards.


    On the up side, the snacks - hors d¡¯oeuvres, actually - were fantastic. Canap¨¦s and other stuff that he didn''t know enough French to name. Very fancy. Didn''t care for the champagne though. Always tasted weird to him if it wasn¡¯t mixed with something.


    He was able to rope one of the Diplomatic Security Service guys into getting him a sufficiently secure dining room. Mister Santos was actually very happy to help. Best part? There was one actually attached to Noonan¡¯s. Kind of. All the restaurants on the station - even the kitschy Roswell crash site themed diner - had a secure dining and meeting room. That feature had been in the plans before they had finalized what was going where.


    It was a bit of a letdown, apparently. The theme didn¡¯t carry over at all, save for some potted cacti they usually had to remove because of the spikes.


    Once again feeling at ease in his natural environment - apparently a subdued ballroom that was about 50% security personnel - Alex had forgotten one particularly important thing: making sure everyone was actually on board with this. He didn¡¯t even know if Ed was on the station.


    He flagged down Carbon first, peeling her away from Williams and Zenshen for a brief conversation. She was a little hesitant to include Eleya, understandably, but game to go along with it to hang out with his friends and family some more.


    Alex excused himself and started making calls in the hallway.


    It was really weird to be calling his mom in front of a dozen security guards. It made him feel like he was in trouble or something just because they were all standing around watching him. Even dipping around the corner didn''t help. There were more guys there.


    His mom was glad to hear from him. Had a lovely time with Carbon and her security folks. She joked that she would need to clear her calendar this evening to make time for it, but would love to come along. He¡¯d text her the location details when he had them. It was nice to talk to her again, even if they were intentionally avoiding some things.


    Eventually the time would come where they wouldn¡¯t have to pretend that Carbon was just a good friend of his who wanted to know more about Humanity. There was a lot of unknowns in there for him and unease seeped into his heart as he hung up the call. For the most part, everyone had been accepting of them. There were a few outliers, sure, and no way to know who was just holding their tongue because the Empress loomed over his shoulder for the moment.


    Gladwell¡¯s reaction, and the way Pete¡¯s wife sort of clammed up at dinner stuck in his mind as well. He had known this would be uphill, and had told Carbon as much when they came back to Sol. They had a start.


    Alex shoveled as much of that out of his mind as he could and dug up Ed¡¯s number.


    It rang twice before he picked up. ¡°Hey Alex, how¡¯s the GX?¡±


    ¡°Doing g-¡± Ed¡¯s question caught up with him. ¡°How?¡±


    He laughed, hearty and friendly as always. ¡°You¡¯re on the news, unnamed Navy pilot.¡±


    Fuck. ¡°Oh, fuck. How bad on the news?¡± People who worked for the Civilian Pilot Program tended to split news reports into either good or bad. There was no inbetween for them. At least he was unnamed for the moment.


    ¡°Good, I¡¯d say. Not doing a lot of traffic as far as I can see - it¡¯s a novelty for people who want to see aliens more than anything, you¡¯re just standing in the background. Lots of folks in the dugout recognized you though. It has raised some eyebrows about that ONI transfer. Unrelated, thank you for reaching out promptly this time.¡±


    The dugout was the informal term for the training decks. All the briefing rooms and simulators were there, and where the trainers like Ed had their offices. New pilots and those waiting for a redeployment spent a lot of time in the dugout. At least he was well recognized and apparently his involvement elsewhere wasn¡¯t enough to make the news bad. ¡°I¡¯ll take it. I actually wanted to know if you were interested in grabbing dinner tonight. Carbon and my mom are here, and Eleya.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    Alex took the shot. ¡°My mom, the woman who gave birth to me and raised me?¡±


    ¡°I know what a mom is, jackass. Who¡¯s Eleya?¡± He was annoyed but still laughing about it.


    ¡°The Empress of the Tsla¡¯o Empire.¡±


    The connection got very quiet for a good ten seconds. ¡°Are you fucking with me? Hey Ed, you want to catch up over dinner? By the by, the Royal Sovereign of an alien race is going to be there, too.¡±


    ¡°Nope, I am completely serious.¡± He was. Yes, Ed was unaware of the new familial ties, which probably would have made this seem less completely out of left field. Admittedly, he wasn¡¯t even sure it was a good idea. ¡°She¡¯s an interesting character. Fairly down to earth despite the whole royalty thing. I think she could stand to be around more people who are not deeply harmed by the cataclysm, too.¡±


    Well, slightly down to earth. Now that he¡¯d had time to get to know her. She had been acting more personable lately in general.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to convince me, I¡¯m just making sure you¡¯re not putting me on. So where are you guys going, The Mothership?¡± He chuckled. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Man, I thought about it. Carbon knows somebody there, I guess, but I got one of the DSS guys to reserve the executive dining room by Noonan¡¯s. The decor there should actually translate to their sensibilities pretty well.¡± Also he was not hyped about any of the restaurants on the station except for Noonan¡¯s. Maybe the coffee shop, their ice cream is top notch.


    Ed was surprised by that. ¡°I didn¡¯t know Noonan¡¯s had one of those. Since DSS is involved, have them send me the details and they can get working on my background check.¡±


    ¡°Alright, will do.¡± He hadn¡¯t realized that DSS was going to require further information for things like security checks. Santos asking him for a list of people who were coming made a lot more sense now.


    He got Santos the list. Really only Ed and his mother, as all the Tsla¡¯o were already cleared. Everyone would be escorted over at five PM station time, which wasn¡¯t too far away, and exactly when the the reception was supposed to draw to a close.


    In the meantime, he joined up with Carbon again. Met a government official from Arvaikheer II, which was the last Human settlement of good size before the Tsla¡¯o Empire¡¯s borders and had become the gateway for trade in and out of their territory. It was still a long trip in a hauler, apparently, but that¡¯s the tradeoff for pushing cargo. Physics could be bent, but not broken entirely.


    Arvaikheer also had the largest community of Tsla¡¯o in Human space, who were in a very weird position. Refugees for the moment, but while the Empire was growing its livable space as fast as it could, it was also constantly bringing more people off the surface of Schoen, so they likely would not be able to return to their homelands for years. If they decided they wanted to stay and join the Confederation, that may actually be impossible. The Confed simply didn¡¯t have any immigration laws. The entirety of Human space was inside the Confederation and all the aliens had kept their distance, at best, so there had been nowhere to emigrate from for the last century.


    It had come up, but bureaucracy was slow moving on a good day and a couple of hundred aliens in a bind at the edge of Human space was not something that people eagerly crafted legislation about.


    Leaving the Empire was equally as problematic as the Empire didn¡¯t currently allow relinquishing citizenship. That was a punishment, and they would not consider banishing citizens without good reason. They also didn¡¯t recognize dual citizenship, which was kind of news to Alex. What the hell did that make him?


    That question could wait. He wasn¡¯t exactly a refugee at this moment, but he did know who needed to be looped into this conversation. It only took him a few moments to locate Eleya, who seemed to be a little bored by whoever she was talking to, some guy dressed like he was in a James Bond film.


    He had the feeling he was about to make Mr. Gantulga¡¯s week, given how passionate he was about doing right by these refugees, as he flagged Eleya down. She disengaged from the dude she was talking to as quickly as possible. An introduction later the Empress was fully engaged in this discussion, the gears behind her eyes turning as she got to dip into a problem that she might actually be able to do something about.


    While they talked, he got to peel Carbon off and chat for a while before Santos and a couple of DSS suits pulled up to collect everyone.


    Before they left, Eleya dispatched Sergeant Zenshen to get Mr. Gantulga¡¯s contact information and more details about how the Tsla¡¯o had gotten to his planet. The fact that refugees had made it to Confederation space was news to her, and making sure that things were being handled as clearly as possible was a priority.


    Having never really left the CPP section of McFadden, Alex was actually unaware of just how big the ¡®third largest station¡¯ in Sol was. Everything he had dealt with was tightly siloed, and thus he had never really walked around much. So the thirty minutes of travel by foot to the executive dining suite was a surprise. Yeah there was a ride on a lift, and several security doors, but the amount of walking was unexpected.


    Ed and Audry were already seated. They had earpieces in as well, DSS really putting in legwork here that he had not really thought about.


    ¡°Hey, mom.¡± He hugged his mom first, of course. Priorities. It felt like it had been months since he¡¯d seen his parents last, and it hadn¡¯t even been two weeks yet. Plus, everyone there would have never stopped giving him shit about it if he said hello to Ed first, and Ed would have been the first one to start.


    ¡°Alex, it¡¯s so good to see you again.¡± She hugged with the force of someone twice her size, squeezing the breath out of him.


    ¡°Good to see you too.¡± He said after he¡¯d caught his breath. ¡°Ah, hang on, introductions. Most of you know each other already but let me run it down.¡±


    He went around the little group, Ed, Audry, Carbon, Eleya. They had left most of the security team in the antechamber, DSS putting a pair of Tsla¡¯o security in the service staging area as well, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about his mom making them part of the family this time.


    His mom bowed to Eleya. A little more than necessary, if he was being honest.


    ¡°Please, do not bow so deeply.¡± Eleya gestured for her to stand, apparently agreeing with Alex¡¯s estimation of how far she should be bowing. ¡°Your son has proven to be a tremendous ally to the Tsla¡¯o people, and more honorable than many I have met. No doubt a reflection of those who raised him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course.¡± Audry was a little confused before Eleya continued speaking, briefly extolling her son¡¯s virtues. A decidedly proud little smile crossed her face, ¡°thank you for saying as much. He was a handful growing up, I¡¯m glad to see that he¡¯s doing right by so many.¡±


    ¡°Was he? I would certainly like to hear more about that.¡± A smirk curled the corner of Eleya¡¯s mouth as her gaze turned towards Alex for a moment. ¡°Perhaps we should be seated first?¡±


    There was no arrangement of seats, which initially perplexed Eleya, who was quickly placed between Carbon and Alex to buffer everyone else from her. Just to be on the safe side. It was only five people, and an extremely informal event despite the setting - the room was easily large enough for five more tables of this size, which could probably actually seat six. Right now it was empty save for them.


    It looked exactly like Noonan¡¯s. Thick green carpet, rich dark wood everywhere, floor to ceiling. Warm, cozy lighting. Like someone had lifted the design and turned it into a small dining room. Even had the regular menus waiting at each seat. It left Alex with a strange sense of nostalgia, despite having only known about it for six months. He had enjoyed hanging out there.


    Their waiter arrived not long after they sat, and took drink orders. He was equipped with a translator as well, which made sense. Also seemed a bit more put together than the crew at Noonan¡¯s, actually dressed like the guys who brought up room service from Gardien de Phare now that Alex was thinking about it. Who had DSS clearance to enter the diplomatic suites. It made sense.


    Things were going pretty smoothly. Ed had a lager, Alex went for his usual porter. Carbon tried the brown ale that they had recommended to her last time. Audry had a Last Word, which brought Eleya¡¯s attention to the drinks list on the back of the menu. She ordered a Titan Tea.


    The Titan Tea was just a Long Island Iced Tea with a silly name because they were in space. Alex though it was probably the least Eleya sounding item on the menu, but the Tsla¡¯o did love their tea. He would have suggested an Old Fashioned, or maybe a Martini, if she had asked.


    The conversation bubbled around him as he surveyed the menu again. Maybe the last time for a while, if not the last time ever. He already knew he was getting a double bacon cheeseburger, there was no other thing on the menu he was interested in. He still read it while his mom regaled everyone with the story about the time he ran into the funicular¡¯s door at full tilt. No injuries, thankfully, other than a knot on his forehead and bruised pride.


    He had come to laugh about that, in time.


    The drinks came. Alex had forgotten that they put Titan Teas in a pint glass, and the bar had a tendency to pour very strong. Eleya seemed to hold her liquor well, and he had only seen her have two drinks so far today. Shouldn¡¯t be an issue.


    He thought that until he noticed that she was speed running it, drinking what was nearly half a pint of booze like water.


    Ok, he¡¯d definitely steer her towards something less alcoholic if she tried to get another drink.


    ¡°Yes, when he was about five, he had just decided that space was his favorite thing. Collected space ships, learned about planets. He wanted to visit every planet and moon in the system.¡± Audry smiled, wistful as she recalled a somewhat less embarrassing fact about him.


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t changed much in that regard.¡± Ed added, looking at Alex over the top of his menu. ¡°First time I threw him in a simulator, I shut the pod door and by the time I was back to the monitoring station, he had accurately charted a course out to Cassiopeiae on the Superlight network. Had to remind him that protocol involves checking the map first, and that would be on the test.¡±


    Excitement had gotten the better of him in the moment. ¡°Yeah, I sat down and started getting to it. I had just been brought back into the program and it was the first time I had been allowed in a real Scoutship simulator. Felt like I had something to prove.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean that¡¯s unusual. Most people don¡¯t have the jumps out of Sol memorized, let alone enough knowledge to intuit a well optimized trip. If you will recall, you had five segments programmed when I gave you that warning.¡± Ed laughed, very much amused by this. ¡°I did six runs and I probably can¡¯t make it past Proxima without double checking the charts.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Proxima is literally the second line.¡± It wasn¡¯t that hard. He just visualized the network really well.


    ¡°I know my limits.¡± Edwin found that pretty amusing too. ¡°How would you get to Gliese 687?¡±


    ¡°Conventional wisdom is to go through Struve 2398, as it¡¯s nearly a straight line.¡± It wasn¡¯t very far away but there wasn¡¯t much going on at 687 other than mining, so it didn¡¯t have a direct link to Sol. Early hopes that one of Struve¡¯s planets would be terraformable fell through, but it ended up with several industrial stations and a Superlight beacon as a stepping stone. ¡°But as it¡¯s only cargo rated lanes going through there, speeds are limited. You can take a high-speed link to 61 Cygni, which also has a high-speed to 687. Probably save ten hours.¡±


    Alex was conspicuously aware that everyone was staring at him by the time he finished saying all that. At least they looked impressed.


    Ed grinned. ¡°I rest my case.¡±

 Tanked

    Alex had been formulating a hypothesis about Eleya. Originally, he thought that she had a drinking problem. Before the whole clusterfuck with Sharadi, Sergeant Zenshen confirmed that alcoholism also affected the Tsla¡¯o, her own father included in that count. Surprising no one, it had experienced a sharp increase after the cataclysm as more products had returned to the market. Having attended a few social functions with the Empress had allowed him to refine that.


    ¡°I believe he mentioned that he has a brother once, yes!¡± Eleya was practically beaming at this confirmation. She had seen when she picked his brain against his will, but it had actually been brought up in conversation after the whole thing with Sharadi. ¡°Though he has not told me anything about him.¡±


    She appeared to drink a lot at formal dinners. As with everything Eleya did in view of the public, and particularly the political class, there was some sleight of hand involved. She appeared to, but she did not. The wine glass she used at these functions was different. It filled too quickly and a handful of sips emptied it. So while it looked like she was hitting the wine pretty hard, having three or four glasses at a meal, he was quite sure at this point that she never even drank a whole serving. It was a layer of illusion for her to play with.


    He wasn¡¯t sure what the illusion was supposed to be, and Carbon didn¡¯t know when he asked about it. She had suggested that it may just be to imply that she was able to tolerate a lot of alcohol, or that the less informed might be tempted to try and put something over on her while they think she¡¯s slightly inebriated. Maybe both.


    ¡°Yes, Peter is his older brother.¡± Audry looked to Carbon, trying to figure out why this was a big deal to Eleya. ¡°He¡¯s married already, and has a son of his own.¡±


    Carbon shook her head. She had no idea what her aunt was on about, either.


    Alex couldn¡¯t speak to Eleya¡¯s alcohol consumption when alone, but when it was just family, she actually did drink. Actual glasses of wine. Those sour citrus mixed drinks she liked, or just a lowball of liquor, neat. He wouldn¡¯t call it excessive drinking, exactly, but it tended to be heavy. It appeared to relax her, eased back the carefully built fa?ade for a time. Her words came more quickly, less carefully considered. Carbon had said it reminded her of when they were younger, before Navaren had been assassinated and she had taken up the role of Sovereign alone.


    Alex surmised that the root of Eleya¡¯s behavior was that she wanted to have a family again. While she hadn¡¯t explicitly said this, all her actions pointed to it. She risked a lot, possibly everything up to and including the Empire, vetting Alex and bringing him into the fold just to appease Carbon. He could have easily turned that introductory assault into something that withdrew Human aid from them, if not that kicked off that hot war that she wanted to avoid. Alex believed that she wanted to be able to shrug off her duties, sit around a table and enjoy being with people she cared about, who cared about her. The main problem there was that after decades of gripping the reins of the Empire by herself, the only way she could manage that now was to be in an altered state of mind.


    Eleya clearly considered this dinner to be one of those times where she wanted that. In this quiet moment, she was sitting here with her niece, nephew, and the closest thing Carbon had to a mother now. This was a family dinner, even including the stranger Alex brought along.


    They hadn¡¯t even ordered food and she just finished that Titan Tea, setting the empty pint glass down on the coaster with a thump. ¡°Good, good. What does he do? Is he also a Pilot?¡±


    His new, refined theory? Getting slightly drunk surrounded by the people she trusted implicitly was the closest she could get to being vulnerable with them. The only way she could feel close to someone anymore.


    ¡°No, Peter is an architect. He¡¯s been with his company for about a decade now, right out of college.¡± Audry was obviously proud of Pete¡¯s accomplishments, and rightly so. He had busted his ass to excel and the owner of the company recognized that.


    ¡°Is it so?¡± The gears behind Eleya¡¯s slightly glazed eyes turned, antenna lifting just a little bit as she schemed. ¡°A creator with a young family and devotion to a cause. Yes... That is very good.¡±


    The table drew silent, no one sure what to make of that comment. Carbon turned to Audry, interested in moving the conversation somewhere else. ¡°I have been negligent in my inquiry today. How are Peter and his family doing?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re doing well. Gaspari is gearing up for a new project and he¡¯s stressed about that, but that¡¯s just how Peter is. The bigger the venture, the more it weighs on him. He was like that all through school.¡± She took a sip of her Last Word, the drink barely touched compared to Eleya¡¯s. ¡°Jason¡¯s going to be starting pre-k soon, he¡¯s actually excited about it.¡±


    ¡°I am pleased to know that.¡± Carbon bowed a little bit. She had a tendency to swing towards more formal as Eleya became more drunk. ¡°Next time you see them, would you send our regards and be sure that they are still at ease about the accident with Jason. I know he had no ill intentions.¡±


    In that moment where Carbon and Audry spoke to each other so easily, Eleya looked like she was in pain. It was brief - even getting drunk she had impressive control over herself - but there was a moment of sorrow clear in her eyes. The relationship she had given up and so desperately wanted back, right there in front of her.


    Alex felt bad for her, but she had dug that hole herself. At least 30 years down the line, she was starting to fill it back in.


    ¡°What is this accident? Who is Jason?¡± Eleya inquired.


    ¡°Jason is Pete¡¯s son. He got over excited and came running at Carbon as fast as he could to hug her. You might say running into things is a bit of a family trait.¡± Alex was very mindful to not mention that Jason unintentionally and very enthusiastically dropped a slur. Nobody expected a four year old to be a diplomat.


    ¡°Who is Pete?¡± She asked immediately after he got done speaking.


    Oh yeah, Tsla¡¯o didn¡¯t really do nicknames the same way. ¡°That¡¯s just a short way of saying Peter.¡±


    ¡°Ah. It is only one letter shorter?¡± She puzzled that out, shaking her head slowly until she noticed the waiter, Derek, return. She clapped at him. ¡°Server. This drink is empty, I require another one immediately.¡±


    The reactions to this varied significantly around the table. Ed was about to start dying, hiding a barely restrained smirk behind his pint. Alex sucked in a breath through his teeth and he was pretty sure Carbon did the same. Audry was shocked, which was fair. No one really expects that sort of behavior, particularly when the person doing it hadn''t seemed so petty.


    Alex wasn¡¯t going to let that slide. ¡°Hey, we don¡¯t do that here.¡± You could tell a lot about someone based on how they treated waitstaff. Normally Eleya didn¡¯t order anyone around like that. Normally she didn¡¯t drink like this around people.


    ¡°You do not do that.¡± She chose obstinate as the way to respond. Great. Drunk Eleya was getting downgraded from pitiable to annoying right this very second.


    ¡°We do not.¡± All right. Picking a Royal We fight with the Empress was probably not the best idea in the world, but he had some protection on his side. A lot of her plans had him as a central component now, and he could not be easily replaced for several of them. Carbon was within striking range, as well. In less violent options, Eleya¡¯s insistence that Alex pay attention to things he didn¡¯t care about had taught him a few things about her. ¡°Is that the example you set for your people? For those who may someday take your place? Clapping at a professional who is clearly working alone, to get a drink a little faster?¡±


    Invoking leadership was something she did all the time, and the Tsla¡¯o took the chain of command very seriously. Alex framed himself as the subordinate in this case, which he was as the Crown Prince. Making her look at plainly disrespectful behavior over something as petty as getting a refill, from a different point of view. Coercing her military background into the picture. Asking her if this is really how she wants him to treat random Tsla¡¯o when he wants something, without saying it directly.


    It was unsettling that he felt like he was channeling Eleya when he said all that, though.


    Eleya glanced up at his ears where the piercings marking his station would normally reside as she thought that over, slowly rubbing her teeth together. ¡°No. Perhaps not. You are wise beyond your years, Pilot. Your council is appreciated.¡±


    She turned to Derek, giving him a shallow bow. ¡°I beg your forgiveness. My behavior was needlessly rude, unfitting of my station and your dignity alike.¡±


    Derek was caught off guard. The situation had turned on a dime, and he was clearly not used to belligerent people coming around so fast. He looked to Alex, who was trying to get him to bow in pantomime. Derek picked that up and returned the bow. ¡°Thank you, you have my forgiveness.¡±


    Alex gave him a discreet thumbs up. Perfect.


    Derek was also ready to get this behind him. ¡°Are you all ready to order?¡±


    Turns out they were. Alex and Ed both went for the double bacon cheeseburger. Classic, couldn¡¯t go wrong with it. Audry had been about to order the Irish stew when they both jumped to warn her this place was Irish pub themed. She got a cheeseburger as well. Carbon tentatively asked if it was possible to get the ribeye, rare, from Gardien de Phare as they were not actually in Noonan¡¯s. Turns out it was possible. Eleya ordered what Carbon was having, and another Titan Tea.


    ¡°Hey, maybe you¡¯d like to try some other Human specialties while you¡¯re here.¡± Eleya with a few drinks was fine. Eleya with half a pint of spirits after who knows how much champagne was already annoying and it probably hadn''t even hit yet. ¡°Maybe a Shirley Temple? It''s got several kinds of fruit. Centuries old recipe, as well.¡±


    Another little bit of manipulation he¡¯d learned from Eleya. She did actually like old things. History interested her. It was baby steps compared to what she did, but it was effective.


    She looked from Alex to Derek. ¡°Is this so?¡±


    Derek nodded. ¡°I would say that is an accurate assessment. It is a very old recipe, and makes effective use of grenadine, cherry, and citrus to produce a bright, effervescent drink.¡±


    ¡°Cherry is like tamaks, they are both a sweet pit-fruit.¡± Carbon added, intuiting what Alex was doing.


    ¡°Very well, I will try that.¡± She relented, and Derek departed with their order.


    Eleya turned her attention to Audry again, getting back to their original conversation. ¡°This Jason, he is a small child? Four years, was it?¡±


    Alex excused himself to use the restroom.


    Not that he was going to use the restroom, he just wanted to talk to their waiter. He dipped out the service door, the room beyond it actually nearly as large as the dining room itself. Suppose they might be staging food for dozens of people sometimes.


    The security crew inside stopped talking and turned to look at him as one, which was impressive for two separate groups who had never met before. He couldn¡¯t be sure but it sounded like they had been discussing their issued equipment before his trespass had been noticed. ¡°Hey, uh, did you guys see the waiter? I need to talk to him.¡±


    The closest DSS suit jerked his head towards the back door. ¡°Down the hall, left is the kitchen, right is the service bar. If you leave the secured area, we will have to scan you on the way back in.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I can dig that.¡± Derek had just taken orders, so the kitchen would probably be the first stop. Alex went left, peeking in the window on the swinging doors. Busy, but no waiter in sight. He turned around and nearly ran straight into the guy coming back from the service bar. ¡°Ah hey. I just wanted to apologize for that scene. She doesn¡¯t get out a lot.¡±


    Derek once again looked surprised. ¡°Accepted. I must say, it was very mild even before her apology. Diplomats tend to think extremely highly of themselves and it comes out in some interesting ways, and they do not reverse course so readily.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s- Sorry to hear that. Just, whatever she orders from now on, get her an alcohol free version of it?¡± That was the real reason he was back here. Keeping Eleya from getting more drunk. ¡°And could we get an appetizer platter? Biggest one they can make.¡±


    ¡°Will do. Anything else?¡± He was the definition of professional about all this.


    ¡°Yeah, can I give you my card and get this paid for without bringing the check out?¡± They couldn¡¯t be spending that much, and he had hardly bought anything since he got back.


    ¡°DSS has it expensed already.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit. Okay. Well, I¡¯ll stop holding you up then, thank you.¡± Alex stepped out of Derek¡¯s way with a shallow bow and headed back up the hallway. Apparently he was going to continue not buying anything.


    Scans only took a couple of seconds, even with both teams doing their own.


    While he had been gone for only a few minutes, the conversation had moved on to Ed. ¡°No, you¡¯re right. My background isn¡¯t too different from Alex¡¯s, with a few notable exceptions. All my runs in the Scout program ended with very little fanfare. I do have one planet being terraformed under my belt, but that¡¯s the big one. Otherwise it¡¯s lots of natural resources and a couple of interesting gas giants.¡±


    ¡°And you have spent fifteen years engaged in training the next generations of Pilots after that?¡± Eleya had leaned in, resting her chin on her knuckles as she dug into what Ed had been getting up to until now, bright blue eyes alight with interest despite looking a little more drunk than before. ¡°It may be forward of me to ask - and I understand that this question is more appropriately taken to those in control of the program as a whole, I am merely gauging your interest at this moment - would you be willing to impart some of this experience unto the Tsla¡¯o Empire? Even with the expedition cut short, the yields exceeded our usual exploration returns.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°I don¡¯t-¡± He stopped talking as Derek returned, dispensing a platter of fried food to the table and a glass of vibrant red liquid for Eleya. Sharp gray eyes tracking their waiter until he was out of sight again. ¡°I don¡¯t mind the idea at all. I¡¯m biased, of course, but I find the program to be a good use of money - both in material returns and as a testbed for technology. I do have a trainee right now that I would prefer to see to the end of their course first, but this doesn¡¯t sound like something that will be set up overnight anyway.¡±


    ¡°No, bureaucracy moves at its own pace.¡± Eleya tried her Shirley Temple, giving it a curious look that turned into a sidelong glance aimed at Alex. Obviously not drunk enough to miss the lack of alcohol. ¡°I will see to opening channels about another partnership. Even without such deals brokered, if you have time available, I bid you to visit The Sword of the Morning Light and tour our training facilities. They are aimed more at maintaining and improving skills rather than teaching, but wise words are always appreciated.¡±


    As he perused the selection of deep fried goods in the middle of the table, Alex wondered how he would covertly notify someone that if they got their hardware upgraded, the ONI would absolutely be fucking with it. Not just blurting it out like he wanted to do right now. ¡°Don¡¯t spend too much time over there or Section Seven is gonna poach you too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they can try if they want to make an actual enemy out of the CPP. It¡¯s tolerated when they rustle a pilot every now and then, but I am in way too deep. I¡¯ve seen Admirals sweat when I talk about retirement.¡± He reached out and plucked a fried ravioli off the plate, not talking while he eats it. Always was a stickler for not talking with his mouth full. ¡°I would actually very much like to see your ship and facilities. Alex seems no worse for wear from his time in your care, and I¡¯ve heard generally good things coming from friends in the Trailblazer community.¡±


    No worse for wear. Alex did not laugh at that, knowing it would have been sarcastic and strained. A couple of meetings with a therapist did not undo multiple near death experiences, or any of the manifold other things he had been working on. He just let them talk and pointed out the crab rangoons to Carbon. She was aware of crab and the other large sea bugs that forest spider reminded him of, but hadn¡¯t had a chance to try yet. He went for the mozzarella sticks. Nostalgic, more than anything. Hadn¡¯t had one of those since he was a kid.


    It was good, it just didn¡¯t land the same as an adult.


    ¡°I will formally extend an invitation when we return to the ship.¡± She nodded once, the statement made and to be carried out with the authority of the Empress. ¡°I assume the young Pilot will be able to assist me in spelling your name correctly, I suspect it does not translate well to Tsla.¡±


    Everybody had a chuckle at that except Carbon, now stuck between rigid formality and curiosity about the little packet of fried food Alex had indicated she should try.


    ¡°Even if he couldn¡¯t, I¡¯m the only Edwin in the CPP training department so it won¡¯t be hard to track me down.¡± He gave her an affable smile and went for another ravioli.


    ¡°Speaking of visiting places... I was recently invited along to Na¡¯o, the Tsla¡¯o home system. Carbon is meeting with the first class of Lan to graduate since the Cataclysm, and not a lot of Humans have had the opportunity to visit there as guests.¡± By his estimation it was zero. No Human had actually ever been allowed into Tsla¡¯o space without a specific reason, and he wasn¡¯t actually an outlier here. He was doing Prince stuff, like escorting prisoners. ¡°Just a quick trip. With transit time back and forth there¡¯s enough time for a few days there before we have to be back in Sol for other ongoing business.¡±


    ¡°I expect pictures.¡± His mother took that pretty well, all things considered. The idea of Alex jetting off to distant parts of the galaxy was old hat to her now. ¡°Maybe a new mug.¡±


    They both got a laugh out of that, no one else at the table privy to the fact that Alex had been buying his parents novelty tourist mugs from pretty much every place he had gone to off Earth. Having a souvenir from the seat of an alien Empire would be one of those things you trot out whenever the annoying neighbors start boasting about having been all the way out to New Austin or something. There would be no way to top it.


    ¡°At least a keychain, if I can find one.¡± That actually got him wondering... He looked to Carbon, just now tentatively biting into that crab rangoon. He was not going to interrupt his wife while she was eating. Eleya was still perusing the options, so he aimed the question at her. ¡°Do the Tsla¡¯o have souvenirs? Like keepsakes or mementos from places that have been visited?¡±


    ¡°Yes, though it is often less functional than a mug. Small art pieces, usually reflecting the local culture in some way, were the most common.¡± She settled on a fried ravioli, inspecting it as she continued. ¡°Telucten, the province I am from, was known for its livestock and used a sleeping Rakaro as the base for its traditional memento. Pictures, paintings, carvings, little stuffed toys for children. I am sure it would be easy enough to find an artisan interested in ceramics to make something specific.¡±


    Having something custom made kind of defeated the purpose of the souvenir mug, but he would certainly ask for some kind of visual pun. A joke that was incomprehensible to a Human would actually fit the novelty mug genre perfectly, at least. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to ask around once we¡¯re in the area.¡±


    ¡°I can put you in contact with a few people.¡± She popped the little fried square into her mouth and seemed to enjoy it.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± He would still ask around.


    The conversation stayed light as the appetizers disappeared. Three of the people at the table were aware of the full level of the deceit being engaged in at the moment, a fourth just keeping the fact Alex and Carbon were married on the down-low for now. Ed was completely unaware of anything other than them not being able to discuss the ongoing work with the Confederation.


    Eleya got the full explanation of what a research librarian was, which as it turned out was close to what they called Conservators. A librarian with specialized knowledge or experience. This was also met with earnest approval by the Empress. There were dozens of Conservators in the employ of the royal court, though much of their work now focused on restoration. The palace library had been fully destroyed in the Cataclysm, and many other libraries that survived are not expected to be evacuated until they¡¯ve run out of living survivors, which probably meant they¡¯d be considering digging them out of collapsed cities in fifty years.


    A bit of a downer to reach as dinner arrived. Eleya ordered a Last Word as she had finished the Shirley Temple.


    ¡°This is from a cow, correct?¡± Eleya inspected a slice of ribeye stuck on the end of her fork, pink through the middle and still dripping juice. ¡°It is a larger livestock animal?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think some of them get up to like a thousand kilos. Most are probably not that big.¡± Alex was entirely unfamiliar with the process of raising cattle and the exact details of such, but he had written a report on cows in grade school.


    ¡°A thousand...¡± Her eyes widened slightly, looking back down at the slab of grilled meat otherwise untouched. ¡°That is enormous. More than five Rakaro. Do they serve any other purpose aside from being used for meat?¡±


    That third grade report was getting a workout today. ¡°Used to be used to pull carts or plows, they produce milk, hides can be tanned for leather... Those are the biggest traditional uses, at least.¡±


    ¡°Very similar in use to the Rakaro, just massive.¡± She popped the slice of beef into her mouth and savored it. ¡°Quite a lot of fat, too. What an interesting creature.¡±


    ¡°The fat striations - it is referred to as marbling - create a flavor profile that is generally not found in Tsla¡¯o cuisine.¡± Carbon was a third done with her steak already. While she was speaking in a very formal cadence right now, she was not waiting to finish eating before she started sharing this with Eleya.


    ¡°So it is. We will have to revisit this at some time, I suspect the chefs will find many interesting uses for it.¡± Eleya seemed just as sold on beef as Carbon.


    ¡°Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but this is the first time you¡¯ve had Human food?¡± Alex was almost certain that was a yes.


    ¡°It is. I leaned on Carbon¡¯s knowledge of your cuisines, and she has certainly led me down an agreeable path.¡±


    ¡°Everything we had from Gardien while in debrief was excellent.¡± It was, but it wasn¡¯t Alex¡¯s sort of thing. Too fancy. This time the steaks came with broccolini and truffled gnocchi. He wasn¡¯t even sure what broccolini actually was.


    His burger had garlic fries on the side. That was perfect for him. It was familiar and comfortable and still made him feel homesick even though they had never had garlic fries at home.


    ¡°Wish they would have put me in the diplomatic suites for debrief at least once.¡± Ed grumbled into his burger. There was still mirth crinkling the corners of his eyes, the complaint all in fun.


    ¡°Careful what you ask for.¡± Alex shot back with a chuckle. Getting sent up there was a security thing, and had come after a week in quarantine. He wouldn¡¯t say that exactly balanced out.


    The conversation hit a lull there, everyone eating in silence. It was strange. Normally, any combination of this group would be fairly talkative. Things had changed a lot in the last few months.


    It would have been nice if his dad had come along, even though the trip originally started as a girls day out. It would have just left him sitting around most of the day or acting as a third wheel, both of which Alex knew he didn¡¯t particularly like. There would be other times, other meals shared. He¡¯d see to that.


    Ambrose also had a ton of stories to tell that didn¡¯t involve things that they were keeping secret as well, which would have been nice right now. Everything Alex could think of to talk about inevitably had to be heavily censored or simply not spoken of. Carbon was in the same boat and frankly he was a little worried about what Eleya would say if he tried to get her to keep talking about something. Audry loved engaging people in conversations, but usually shied away from just talking. Ed, on the other hand... ¡°Hey, Ed. I am reasonably sure no one else at the table has heard about the Easy-E.¡±


    He held up a finger, hands still gripping his burger as he was mid-bite. This was his favorite story. ¡°Ok, ok. My first outing was on an original first generation Scoutship, right? The last one that was in service, the Ernest Shackleton. It was named before they started letting Pilots name them, they were on this kick of explorers who hadn¡¯t killed a bunch of people with disease and war. Shackleton was perfect for that, absolute legend for what he went through to keep his crew alive. Keep that in mind. It had the nickname Easy-E, because it was not easy to work with at all. Fully and intentionally ironic, nothing ever worked exactly right...¡±


    That got them through dinner. Ed¡¯s bombastic retelling of the various things that plagued his first expedition and how close they had gotten to having to request a recovery on the ship was actually pretty entertaining. Alex was sure he was embellishing it a little bit, but all of it felt reasonable. He had just gotten to the point where the primary sensor bus caught fire while on approach to an F-type main sequence star when dessert arrived.


    Apple pie ¨¤ la mode. It didn¡¯t really make sense for Noonan¡¯s to be a bastion of pies, but somebody in the kitchen absolutely knocked it out of the park every time.


    By the time Alex was done with his coffee, Ed and Vikas, his engineer, were limping the Easy-E home at a quarter of maximum speed to keep the Waveride array from collapsing itself.


    ¡°It was great seeing you guys again.¡± He hugged his mom tightly, and gave Ed a slap on the back. ¡°When we get back from Na¡¯o, I¡¯ll be sure to find some time to catch up, all right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bother Carbon about it until you do.¡± His mom smiled, always a troublemaker at heart.


    Carbon got a laugh out of that as she leaned in and gave Audry a hug. ¡°I will gladly bother him until he does.¡±


    ¡°See you, man. Take care and have fun, right?¡± He shook Alex¡¯s hand, and put a little bit of jive on it.


    Having fun wasn¡¯t really on the itinerary in Na¡¯o. ¡°You know I always take care, time will tell about having fun.¡±


    ¡°It was lovely to make both of your acquaintances.¡± Eleya bowed to both Audry and Ed, who bowed back.


    His mom held her arms out to Eleya, eyebrows raised, and gestured for her to bring it on in. Audry was perceptive, always had been. If Alex had noticed his aunt-in-law feeling left out once, she had probably seen it three or four times.


    There was a moment there where Eleya looked nervous, a brief flicker across her features before it was quashed. She went for the hug.


    It was short, of course. A quick squeeze and friendly pat on the shoulder, and they were done. Just like when one of Alex¡¯s regular aunts visited on holidays. Carbon was staring, wide-eyed with surprise the whole time.


    DSS escorted Audry and Ed from the dining room, and the trio left gathered their own security agents before heading back down to the hanger. Alex stood between Carbon and her aunt, keeping the pair physically separated. He wasn¡¯t sure if he inserted himself there despite how well things had gone, or because they had gone well and he now expected some sort of fuckery to occur.


    ¡°Would you allow me to accompany you back on the Masamune? I assume you will be piloting it, Alex, as we do not have anyone else trained on it.¡± Eleya spoke softly as they passed through the still-secured halls. ¡°I direct that question to both of you.¡±


    ¡°Fine by me. Carbon?¡± He had stopped drinking after that one beer, which had been over an hour ago now, specifically because he had intended to fly it back. He also knew that question was actually aimed at Carbon. Mind getting trapped in a wee little can with the aunt you¡¯re on questionable terms with for a few hours?


    She actually thought about it, several meters of hallway passing by before she spoke. ¡°I agree, it will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Despite having retained her usual level of self control after the Titan, Eleya sounded surprised. ¡°It was...¡±


    The Empress hesitated there, and then went silent as they approached the hanger. The Royal Guard were still there by the hatch to the GX8, and a little hive of activity fired up as they approached the Tsla¡¯o ships. A gesture told her security team which ship she was taking, all of the guards splitting up as necessary, only the pair in power armor coming into the Masamune with them.


    Eleya waited until the hatch was closed before she spoke again. ¡°A moment, please. It was nice to spend time with you both, without the pretense of the court. Thank you. Alex, your mother is a treasure, be sure you treat her as such.¡± Her voice was still soft and felt as though she was still ruminating on the evening, devoid of the usual imperious tones that she was fond of.


    Neither Alex or Carbon had really been prepared for that, exactly. Alex found his reply first, ¡°of course, you¡¯re welcome. I wish we could have been a bit more open about everything, but... Agreed, it was nice.¡±


    ¡°Yes. We are in agreement. I would like to speak as family more.¡± Carbon was surprised that those words had just come out of her own mouth.


    Eleya looked happy. Strange as it was, a smile that appeared genuine and even continued up into her eyes was plastered on her face as she gave them a little bow. ¡°I will be seated. I assume you do not require assistance with handling Human traffic control, young Prince?¡±


    That did get a short chuckle out of him. ¡°Yeah, I got them.¡± He turned to head up to the flight deck. Should get the thing fired up sooner rather than later. It was a two hour burn.


    ¡°Alex, before it slips my mind...¡± Eleya stopped him with a hand on his arm. She held up her index and middle fingers. ¡°You owe me two real Human drinks.¡±


    He sighed. Can¡¯t pull one over on a professional drinker. ¡°Fine. You can avail yourself of the bar on the way back.¡±


    She clicked her tongue. ¡°I will, but I am owed two mixed drinks. One of them must be the one your mother had.¡±


    Alex rolled his eyes. Well, the Berkmann could do that easily enough. Just have to determine what absurd other drink she was going to end up with. It had to have an extensive list. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll figure it out. In the meantime, I gotta get this ship underway.¡±


    Up the stairs he went, half expecting to hear Carbon follow him. No dice, but he could hear the two of them talking as he slipped into the pilot¡¯s chair. He slid a finger under the row of switches to bring the ship to life, the hum of the engines peaking before settling to a low, distant drone.


    He grabbed the headset and pulled it on, the last thing he heard from the cabin being Eleya asking Carbon to sit with her and discuss something long overdue.

 Wellspring

    Once again, having diplomatic access paid off. Alex had never left a station so quickly before, with the exception of the launching of the Kshlav¡¯o. The Scoutship program had dedicated hangar bays and approach lanes, and a ship coming or going was planned days in advance so there was no overlap.


    The GX8 still handled like a dream, and Alex took third position in the convoy of Tsla¡¯o ships back to the Sword of the Morning Light, setting it up to follow the ship in front of him just like on the trip there.


    Alex made note of the time and shut off the ARGUS. Having to think about what he was saying in front of both the ONI and Imperial Intelligence was tiring. Then he went to do a little eavesdropping of his own.


    Sliding the pilot¡¯s chair back, he slipped on the remote hud and crept silently as possible back to the stairs, crouching down to peer into the main cabin. The two royal guard were in the first row again, the dichotomy between alien armor and plush white leather chairs still weird. He gave them a little nod. They nodded back. That felt pretty good. Actual recognition.


    Carbon and Eleya were all the way back on the right. Carbon had turned her seat around so they were facing each other. He had heard them talking while they stood in the entryway to the ship, but now a good ten meters away he couldn¡¯t hear anything they were saying, just the sound of voices. At least it sounded copacetic. A little tense, which was about as good as he could imagine if they were having the conversation he was expecting to hear about later.


    Alex parked himself sideways in the navigator¡¯s station, leaning against the armrest and tapping his feet in the aisle. It was their conversation, one he had been very particular not to put himself into so far despite Eleya''s attempt at getting him to spill some details for her. While he was interested in what exactly Eleya was saying, he was relieved that it seemed to be going well enough that there had been no shouting, or attempted murder.


    He suspected that a discussion of that magnitude would take more than the entire flight back. Man. This was going to be worse than listening to Eleya sip a drink at the bottom of the cabin stairs because he wouldn¡¯t let her bring an alcoholic beverage onto the flight deck.


    Eleya had understood why he had stopped her from bringing it up, and even approved of his steadfast insistence that it remain in the cabin. The Tsla¡¯o had similar rules about intoxicants and operating vehicles. It did not make her stop drinking as passive-aggressively as she could to be annoying.


    He wished he had brought something to drink up here, though. Alex was sure that even creeping down to the head to get some water would be a distraction. He looked back at the cabin, the plush cream carpet at the bottom of actual wood stairs standing in sharp contrast to the utilitarian gray floor plating in the flight deck. Wait. The GX8 was originally a luxe shuttle, the intrasolar equivalent of a private jet. This area wasn¡¯t necessarily meant to be seen by the passengers. There was even a sliding door to close so you could be sure that those passengers wouldn¡¯t have to bear witness to employees.


    One of the down sides to having nearly all of your experience with a ship being in a simulator is that you traditionally start off in the pilot¡¯s seat. There¡¯s no interacting with the rest of the ship, save for glancing back at the CPU navigator. Alex¡¯s preferred GX8 variant in a sim were stripped racing models, usually with the Italia livery. He only knew where things were because he¡¯d seen videos of the interior without all the luxury bits taken out, before a crew came in and stripped out every unnecessary gram of weight. Which included a whole bunch of what he had thought were just computer racks that took up the left side of the flight deck, across from the navigator¡¯s station.


    If they were going to put a pilot and navigator up here for eight or twelve hours at a time...


    The two furthest back were obviously server racks. Rows of blinking lights and little displays telling anyone who would read it what was going on. Even navigation systems that didn¡¯t handle FTL were not exactly compact, and these were fully loaded from floor to ceiling. The three remaining were just lightly decorated pressed metal to carry the motif of server racks. He popped the first one open, pressing the door inward to unlatch it. Coat closet and luggage storage. Ok. fair. These were not turnaround trips.


    The middle one hid a kitchenette. Score. A little fridge, a sink, recycler, and a microwave. The forward-most locker was mostly emergency gear, but two shelves were stocked with snacks and prepack meals, and a third with some cups and dishes. Now wasn¡¯t the time for snacking, he was still very much full from dinner, but if there was something good in the fridge...


    It too was fully stocked, though not as extravagantly as the wet bar. A few of the usual sodas, juice, water - both still and sparkling because people on the flight deck are very fancy apparently - and the thing he reached for almost instinctively when he spotted it: a can of Vietnamese coffee.


    The next question was how was this supposed to be eaten. There was no extra room up here and holding a packet of food over the controls of your expensive ship was not generally approved behavior. Alex looked over the Navigator¡¯s seat, as it was convenient. Sure enough, there was a tray table in the arm rest and a button to make the chair rotate ninety degrees so none of the console was directly in front of where you would set food and drink.


    He hopped back up into it and cracked open the coffee, then scanned the hud on the eyes he was wearing. They were still accelerating, forty minutes until they would have to turn it and start the deceleration cycle.


    While Alex was very enamored with the ship, the reality of using it to scoot around the system was starting to set in. There was a lot of down time and he had not prepared for that, though there was little to be done in this case. Carbon or Eleya sitting around up here would have been more than enough company. Next time he¡¯d have to make sure Neya came with, or snag somebody from his security team. Zenshen and Amalu would probably be cool with it, but for the rest of them it would literally be their boss telling them to hang out.


    He sighed, the worst case scenario having arrived. Alex pulled out his phone and started playing games.


    Two hours and three cans of Vietnamese coffee later, they were once again aboard the Sword of the Morning Light and parked back where the GX8 had started earlier that day. Eleya and Carbon were still talking. They had nearly thirty years of trouble to walk through, so condensing it down into just a two hour flight was unlikely. Condensing it down into a single conversation was unlikely.


    The Royal Guard were just standing there at the stairs to the hatch when he finally departed the flight deck, the ship fully shut down save for auxiliary power. This was probably not a very common occurrence. Alex continued down the short, luxuriously appointed cabin.


    They stopped talking as he approached. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m sure you guys noticed, we¡¯re back. I don¡¯t know if you want to move this conversation somewhere else, or would prefer to keep it going here.¡± This was no doubt a fantastically important conversation. The incident and the fallout from it had been eating at both of them for decades, so now that it was happening, he would do what he could to facilitate that forward momentum.


    The two of them looked up at him, surprised. No, they looked up at him drunk. They both had lowball glasses and that bottle of whiskey Eleya had opened earlier was resting next to her in her seat, now past half empty.


    Carbon looked at him and then to Eleya. ¡°We have arrived?¡± Now she was surprised, turning to look out the little window a little too fast and swaying in her chair. ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°So it is.¡± Eleya was pleased, a sublime sort of smile on her face. She looked more relaxed than Alex had ever seen her. ¡°I had not even noticed the landing, so talented is the young pilot.¡±


    ¡°So it is.¡± Carbon echoed her aunt before turning back to Alex, bright blue eyes focusing on him after a moment. Her ears and antenna raised before she spoke, working fairly hard to keep that focus from straying. ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°Do you guys want to continue this conversation elsewhere now that we¡¯re home? You don¡¯t have to stay on the ship.¡± The amount of concentration she was putting into that was kind of cute. ¡°It¡¯s up to you, I get the impression it was fairly important.¡±


    ¡°It is, yes. Long overdue.¡± Carbon nodded, staring hard to keep eye contact with him as she spoke and switching back into English. ¡°I feel it may be a good idea to continue it tonight? It is not very late yet.¡±


    She was right, it was only a little after eight. Several hours left in the evening before they normally went to bed. ¡°You up for that, Empress?¡±


    Eleya perked up immediately. ¡°Oh, I am! There is still much left to discuss.¡±


    Alex was momentarily taken aback by the raw enthusiasm in her voice. Eleya was in fact ready to get this done. ¡°All right. Where are we going? Or, I suppose, where are you going?¡±


    ¡°You pick your words carefully, young Prince.¡± Eleya approved of that, whatever exactly she meant by it. ¡°This is a matter between the Princess and I. We will retire to my quarters. If that is acceptable to you, Carbon?¡±


    ¡°Yes. My husband, she is correct. These are words between us that do not have the same weight to you.¡± Carbon held up a hand. ¡°I know you would accom- acc... follow me anywhere, and I am grateful, but this is a matter that only she can solve.¡±


    It was nice to have his drunk wife appreciate him. ¡°Alright. Keep me in the loop about how things are going, ok?¡± The idea of letting her go anywhere with Eleya alone, particularly when they both had been drinking, did make him uneasy. If the Empress had not exhibited a consistent change in behavior - she hadn¡¯t been shitty to Carbon recently, and their sober meetings to decide what to do about Sharadi had been good for Carbon.


    For now, he trusted that Eleya wanted her family back more than anything.


    ¡°By your sight.¡± Carbon smirked and stood, steadying herself on him before wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him into a hug. She nestled down against his chest for a moment, humming happily before stretching up for a kiss. Wasn¡¯t a quick smooch, either. No, Carbon lingered on it before breaking away, looking utterly smitten as she held onto him before letting her hold on him slip as she headed for the exit. Yep, she had been drinking whiskey.


    All right, it was nice to have his drunk wife being affectionate too. Maybe a kind of weird place as it was right in front of her aunt and the Guards, but he wasn¡¯t going to bring that up.


    ¡°We shall take our leave and depart your burner, Alex. I will be sure that she does not stay out too late.¡± Eleya had less trouble getting up, the bottle of 18 year single-malt whiskey tucked under her arm like she was used to absconding with other people¡¯s booze.


    ¡°Uh-uh. Gimme.¡± He pointed out the alcohol and held out a hand. ¡°That came from the ship¡¯s bar, so it stays. I¡¯ve seen your liquor cabinet, don¡¯t pretend like it¡¯s running dry.¡±


    ¡°You are no fun.¡± She huffed as she set the bottle in his hand. Eleya was amused by this, though, stopping beside him and tilting her head to look up with a sidelong glance. ¡°But you are an admirable husband, Prince.¡±


    She shoulder checked him as she continued down the aisle, her and Carbon departing with the Royal Guard. Alex suspected that was about the highest praise she would impart upon someone at a personal level.


    He returned the whiskey to the wet bar and searched through it for something he was a little more interested in. A familiar looking bottle he had spotted on the bottom rack earlier, frosted black glass with a subtle black and red label. Demerara rum from Guyana, 27 year oak cask aged. A popular one around the Scoutship program. He tucked it under his arm, shut the aux power off and sealed the hatch.


    It was his ship. He could bend the rules on it.


    Alex had gotten the hang of the Sword and could reliably get himself around now. Hardly took a half hour to get back to the cabin, since he preferred taking the regular transit. Didn¡¯t get as many weird looks as he was expecting.


    ¡°Hey, how goes?¡± Not having to hang up a jacket really sped up the process of coming home, particularly given how small the Tsla¡¯o made the fasteners on those things.


    Neya was stretched out on the bed, about three quarters naked, sitting up on a pile of pillows and reading. ¡°I have done nothing of note all evening, it was delightful.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± He started rummaging through the kitchen drawers for a bottle opener. They had one somewhere, he¡¯d seen Carbon and Neya open wine with it before.


    She just now looked up from her book. ¡°Where is Carbon?¡±


    ¡°She...¡± There it was. Last drawer, of course. He grabbed a pair of glasses and returned to the table. Alex looked straight at her as he started to peel the dipped wax seal off the bottle. ¡°Is talking to Eleya.¡±


    The silence coming from Neya was so profound Alex could hear her blinking in alarm. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°They are having a conversation. I have not been privy to it, but it seems to be about the last few decades.¡± Alex gestured widely at everything, and then set about getting the cork out. Took forever to wind the corkscrew in, and it was not interested in coming along easily.


    ¡°Is that... How does she fare?¡± More than a trace of anxiety was clear in Neya as the pale-furred Tsla¡¯o scooted off the bed, her book abandoned among the pillows. She was wearing just the daman right now, almost as revealing as a two-piece swimsuit, and she stood across the kitchen table from him. ¡°Is it safe to leave them alone together?¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°I think it is. I really do.¡± The cork finally came out with a subdued pop and Alex poured himself a tot - an eighth of a pint. It was not known who in the Scout program decided to go full British Navy when it came to drinking, but Rum and archaic measurements were already entrenched when he got there, including the ridiculous little metal cups. He held the bottle up. ¡°You want?¡±


    ¡°You really think it safe to leave them alone?¡± She asked, confused about that as she leaned over to smell it. ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rum. Fermented, distilled sugarcane molasses.¡± Alex did not look down her daman as hard as he could. He knew Carbon would have told him, again, that it was fine if he did because Neya is very particular about what she wears around them so anything he saw was never going to be an accident. Old habits die hard. ¡°And I do. You know better than I how much Eleya has changed lately. I think she¡¯s finally turned a corner, and I think dinner tonight accelerated that change a lot.¡±


    Neya pondered that as she sniffed the bottle again. ¡°I will try it if you explain what you mean.¡±


    ¡°Alright. So Carbon had a girl¡¯s day with my mom, right?¡± He poured her a tot as well and slid the glass over.


    ¡°Yes, I was here for that being planned.¡± She picked it up and sniffed the glass, violet eyes glancing into it with surprise before taking a sip. ¡°With the word sugar in the name, I expected it to be much sweeter.¡±


    ¡°Fermentation turns the sugar to alcohol.¡± Alex hadn¡¯t been into rum at first, but had come around to the idea that turning molasses into rum was the only good use for molasses. ¡°So that went well. It looks like they had a great time. At dinner, Eleya had a front row seat to my mom treating Carbon like she was family. And it hurt her. She didn¡¯t react much, but I saw it in her eyes a few times. A little surprised to be saying this, but I respect that she channeled that pain into productive action.¡±


    ¡°I wish it were not surprising. I have known Eleya as little more than a source of dread for Carbon for the last decade. I am pleased that she is making these strides.¡± Neya tasted the rum again, pondering it before taking a larger drink. ¡°I wish I did not have a reason to be happy about it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, same. At least she¡¯s getting her shit together. She asked for permission to fly back with us, and they talked the whole way over - two hours! Never raised a voice. Not a punch thrown.¡± He chuckled and put a little water in his. Not enough to make grog, just open up the spirit a little bit. ¡°They were actually having drinks by the time we got back. Eleya complimented me, and it wasn¡¯t backhanded.¡±


    ¡°I fear it may take me some time to get used to this.¡± She downed the rest of her rum and went to wash the glass. No more for her right now. ¡°Thank you for sharing that. It is interesting, may I try it again when I do not feel as though my world has tipped over?¡±


    ¡°You know you don¡¯t have to ask.¡± Alex was sure that there was a formality in the Zeshen system he didn¡¯t know about, where the conceit that the second soul is the same as the first and can thus take their place broke down a bit. Neya would wear their clothing without a second thought, but anything else always seemed to require a polite request. For better or worse, Alex had found himself going all-in when it came to possessions. If it was his, it was also hers. Just don¡¯t hog stuff.


    The unease on her face every time he said that was just more confirmation. ¡°I am aware.¡±


    ¡°Are you?¡± He dropped it after that. Finished his drink and set the glass on the counter before flopping down onto the bed. It did feel good to take a load off after a day that hadn¡¯t been that busy, but had been stressful. He pulled a... A t-shirt from the pile of pillows that Neya had been laying on. One of his, of course. Operation Make Alex Smell Right was still in effect. He grabbed a pillow the second time around and stuffed it under his head.


    Neya joined him, nestled up on the side Carbon preferred, draped her arm and leg over him like Carbon did. It had been uncomfortably weird to Alex the first time she had done that, the movements and positioning so close that if not for various physical differences, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell them apart without looking.


    It was still a little weird.


    ¡°You want to hear about what all we got up to, or wait for Carbon so you don¡¯t have to hear a bunch of it twice?¡± He reached up and massaged her head around the base of her antenna.


    ¡°Wait for her.¡± She sighed and relaxed, the similarities starting to diverge. Neya tended to stay tense longer, even as she settled in. Carbon was already very comfortable with him. While Neya did a good job acting the part, it was clear she wasn¡¯t quite at the same level yet. ¡°Did she say how long she would be?¡±


    ¡°No. I figure they¡¯ll hash enough things out for a few more hours. Told her to keep me in the loop, and Eleya said that she wouldn¡¯t keep her too late.¡± None of it was concrete, of course. ¡°They¡¯ve got a lot to work through.¡±


    ¡°I hope it is not long. I miss her, and knowing that she will be leaving for a few weeks makes me miss her more already.¡± Neya grumbled quietly, setting her chin on his shoulder. ¡°I would like to go but I may have to represent her here.¡±


    ¡°Might have to represent us both, actually. There¡¯s enough time in the ramp up that I can go as well.¡±


    Neya grumbled again. ¡°It is good that you will see Na¡¯o and Schoen. Important. Good for Carbon as well, she will need your support when dealing with her father. Perhaps him meeting you will also be beneficial. To learn the truth of you when he cannot simply hide.¡±


    Alex thought it sounded like she was listing reasons not to be mad. He almost said as much when the door chime rang, a tune that was far too jaunty for this time of night. ¡°Ah, what the hell?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get it.¡± She pushed off the bed, plucking a pair of blue pants out of the drawers beneath it before Alex could tell her that he would go take care of it, since he was still fully dressed still. Neya had pulled the pants on and was close enough to fully dressed for the Tsla¡¯o a moment later, tying the waist as she went to check who was visiting so long after dinner.


    Well. She¡¯s got it. Alex almost went back to relaxing before his phone started ringing. Not his Human phone, which had no reception here, but his Tsla¡¯o issued one. When it rains it pours. He fished it out of his pocket and hit answer just as his brain registered what the flowing Tsla script of the contact information said: Eleya. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Young Prince. You must begin answering calls with more decorum.¡± Eleya still sounded happy.


    That was still strange to hear, and unfortunate that it was strange. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll work on it. What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°See that you do.¡± She hesitated, just for a moment. ¡°Your dearest wife has fallen asleep. I loathe to admit it, but I do not know her well enough to determine if it would be better to let her sleep here, or wake her and send her home. I want... whatever would be best for her.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Uh, probably send her home.¡± Hadn¡¯t expected a question like that. ¡°Wait. Let her sleep, I¡¯ll come get her. That way she¡¯s not wandering the ship alone while tipsy.¡±


    She bristled at that. ¡°I would send an escort with her.¡±


    ¡°Royal Guard? So she¡¯d be walking home drunk with some invisible guys tailing her?¡± Sure, it was nice to have them, but they had been escorted by the Guard before so he knew what was going down.


    ¡°I have guards who do not wear armor who would have assisted her.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Alex doubted that, the part about guards without armor. He hadn¡¯t seen them. He looked over at Neya as she returned from the foyer, carrying five, six... eight shopping bags. He recognized all the logos, and a couple of them were full. They had gone to every store on the station, and Carbon had clearly arranged some sort of currency exchange because she had purchased everything. ¡°Look, we¡¯ll be there as soon as we can. Leaving right now.¡±


    ¡°Very well, I will await you.¡±


    Alex hung up. ¡°I gotta go pick up Carbon, you want to come along?¡±


    Neya heaved everything onto the kitchen table. ¡°Has something happened?¡± She didn¡¯t sound alarmed, but the way her tail stiffened behind her betrayed it.


    ¡°Nothing to worry about, she just fell asleep.¡± Should have led with that. He shook his head and got out of bed, peeking into the largest bag. Everything was wrapped in paper. There were stores that fancy on McFadden station? He had never gone off the main promenade and clothes weren¡¯t really his thing, so maybe there are. He could snoop more after they got Carbon back. ¡°You don¡¯t have to come with if you don¡¯t want.


    She didn¡¯t even think about it. ¡°Let me get my boots and I will.¡± Neya got fully dressed in the length of time it took Alex to pick out a jacket, casual boots laced up with practiced hands and a subdued vest thrown on over her daman.


    Alex regaled her with the boring minutia of his day on the way over, the things that he could talk about that didn¡¯t have a security clearance or privacy concerns, at least. Narrowed it down a lot since he was still trying to avoid making her listen to the same stuff twice as well.


    He started with the GX8. It was a pretty big deal to him, and the entire fucking Confederation knew he was scooting around in that thing now. Then Alex found out that Neya had known about the Masamune as well, which was fine. It was fine. Everyone had been in on that little conspiracy to hide the ship he had always wanted from him, ostensibly because it was a present and you¡¯re not supposed to just tell the recipient what they¡¯re getting.


    That was cool, he was completely cool with it.


    He mentioned the scuffle between Zenshen and Williams, and how it turned out to just be their secret handshake. And now he was out of things to talk about, so he brought up an item that he had come in halfway through - the fact there were a few hundred Tsla¡¯o loose in Confederation space now. It was a surprise to Neya too, and she was of the mind that they ought to be brought back to the hearth, if they were willing.


    Eleya was waiting for them, as she had said. Curiously, she was sitting in the antechamber, drink in hand, the doors to her quarters waiting open for their arrival. ¡°Alex. When we parted ways I had not expected to see you again so soon.¡± She gave Neya a little bow as well. ¡°Neya.¡±


    ¡°Empress.¡± She returned the formality.


    ¡°So, she just nodded off?¡± Alex inquired, noting that his wife was not in the room with them.


    ¡°She did. I was making us another drink and when I turned around she was asleep. It seems she does not hold her alcohol as well as I do.¡± Eleya stood and gestured to her guard by the entry to her bedroom, the barely visible form opening the door. She tilted her head into the room. ¡°Thank you for coming. I feel we have made much progress today, so I am wary of anything that might walk it back.¡±


    Oh, he should go first. Yeah, that makes sense. Right. ¡°I can dig that.¡± It was dim inside, lit by the warm flickering light of the false hearth, which was also warming the room up significantly. Hell, it made him want to go to sleep. Carbon was sitting in one of those old wooden chairs, an empty glass before her on the table. Her ears were splayed out in different directions, head tilted back, mouth agape, and very much asleep. That couldn¡¯t have been comfortable.


    She was still wearing the dark blue jacket she had put on that morning. Alex crouched beside her and gave her shoulder a little shake. ¡°Hey, Carbon. It¡¯s time to go home, all right?¡±


    She stirred, visibly out of it when she sat up. Carbon smacked her lips and she licked her teeth, eyes bleary as she zeroed in on him. When she did speak, it was in mumbled Tsla. ¡°Oh, husband. Where is us?¡±


    He did not laugh, not even the tiniest smirk graced his face. Just a warm, friendly smile. His self control was impeccable. ¡°You fell asleep at Eleya¡¯s place, and now we¡¯re going to go home. Sound good?¡±


    Carbon leaned over, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned on him, fuzzy face pressed against his neck. She just hummed in agreement.


    That... that wasn¡¯t really an answer. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to get up, ok?¡±


    She released him and pushed herself to her feet with a grumble, steadying herself with the heavy wooden chair. ¡°Yes. We will.¡±


    ¡°We sure will.¡± He didn¡¯t know what she meant there, but stood up and moved to support her... Alex¡¯s experience with drunk people was to put their arm over his shoulder, but with the height difference that was kind of impossible.


    Carbon was not considering things in such depth, sliding an arm around his waist as she latched on to him, kissing him before resting her head on his shoulder in a surprisingly open display of affection. Blue eyes surveyed the room now that it wasn¡¯t moving as much and locked on to Neya. Carbon gasped, the sound tiny and delighted. ¡°Oh, wife! I require a hug. It has been a good day, and I must tell you about it!¡± Her free arm reached out to Neya, beckoning her closer.


    There was a moment of panic shared between Neya and Alex. She was standing behind Eleya, at the very least, so the Empress did not see her violet eyes grow wide, or her antenna life up in alarm. If Carbon had come to think of Neya like that, she hadn¡¯t told either of them explicitly.


    The Empress raised an eyebrow in his direction.


    For his part, Alex kept himself composed. He furrowed his brow and looked down at Carbon, confused. ¡°Honey, that¡¯s Neya. Your Zeshen.¡± You know, the one you¡¯re not supposed to be talking about having a very not-Zeshen relationship with?


    ¡°Our Zeshen.¡± She corrected him and continued to wave Neya over.


    ¡°That is correct. I am in service to both of you now, Alex.¡± She had recovered reasonably well, a very gentle verbal poke keeping up appearances as she came to give Carbon that hug she desired.


    The Princess shifted most of her weight into that embrace. Neya staggered back with a quiet cry of alarm as she fought to remain upright, Carbon squeezing her tight with no regard to their safety.


    ¡°Whoa hey, let¡¯s be careful with the hugs.¡± He wrapped an arm around Carbon and pulled her upright, his wife returning to leaning against him. Maybe he should have just let her sleep it off here, even if they needed to finish packing in the morning.


    ¡°Very well, dearest husband. I will give more to you.¡± She returned her arm to his waist, clinging to him again.


    ¡°Carbon. Do you think you can actually walk home?¡± He asked, not sure if she could at this point. He looked up at Eleya. ¡°Do you have any of that anti-intoxicant lying around? The stuff Kaleta got?¡±


    ¡°Of course I can.¡± Carbon insisted, still leaning heavily against him.


    ¡°No, it is a controlled substance so it is not used to cover up drug abuse or actual crimes.¡± Eleya shook her head. ¡°But it is trivial for me to have some brought around.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Of course she could get some. Before he started asking people to inject his wife with drugs he assumed were safe but otherwise unknown to him, he would propose a quick test. ¡°Let¡¯s see how it goes. If we¡¯re not under our own power by the time we¡¯re at the hallway, we will reevaluate this idea.¡±


    Eleya tipped her head at him and stepped aside, giving them a clear shot to the exit, maybe twenty meters away. ¡°Very well.¡±


    ¡°All right Carbon, let¡¯s get going.¡± He patted her shoulder and gestured out of the Empress'' quarters.


    She was still pressed against him, but by the time they had reached the doorway it was clear Carbon was doing that because she wanted to, not because she needed the support. Her steps were confident enough, and her initial lack of coordination seemed to be tied to having just woken up drunk. Now that she was awake-drunk, it was good enough.


    Eleya had followed them, keen eyes watching her niece¡¯s progress. ¡°Carbon. Before you go, I must thank you for this evening. I have treated you poorly for too long, for reasons that I do not know are truly forgivable. That you have offered me another chance is not a gift I take lightly, and I will prove your trust is not misplaced.¡±


    Carbon regarded her for a long moment, nodding slowly. ¡°By your sight, it is on you to prove it good. I know you have the strength, the willpower. But before tonight I have never seen...¡± She paused, eyes searching as she tried to find the right word before she continued. ¡°I have never seen humility in you. I hope you do. I- I look forward to it.¡±

 Baggage

    The walk back to the cabin was quiet as Alex once again placed himself between Carbon and someone that she should be kept separate from while in public. Unlike when he had done this with Eleya a few hours ago, he wasn¡¯t worried about a fight. Quite the opposite, actually, given how Carbon clung to his arm and leaned on his shoulder.


    Neya looked shaken. Her eyes were open wider than normal, her ears and antenna still lifted up in alarm. Her tail lacked the usual sinuous motion behind her as she walked, the movement there but muted, the appendage itself puffed out and rigid, the grace it usually showed set aside for now. Their Zeshen had not spoken a single word since they left Eleya¡¯s quarters. Not made a noise. If she could have been more pale, she would have.


    Well. Alex and Neya were quiet, Carbon was a fountain of generally affectionate sounds. She wasn¡¯t talking more, at least, but the closer to the cabin they got, further from public areas where impropriety would be noticed, the more handsy she was getting. Alex hadn¡¯t had anyone else put their hand in his back pocket in a long time, and it was pretty clear what Carbon had on her mind as she groped him and giggled about it.


    She really wasn¡¯t reading the room.


    Carbon was not so drunk she needed help getting her jacket off, but Neya did assist her with getting it on the hanger and then herded Carbon into their room proper even as she tried to continue her affectionate but very tone-deaf molestation spree.


    Alex closed the door to the foyer behind him. He didn¡¯t bother taking his jacket off. He hadn¡¯t buttoned it up in the first place, so it was just an extra shirt to him at this point. ¡°Alright, family discussion time. Everybody at the table.¡± Damn, he sounded like his dad when he said that. Twenty-six was too young to be turning into his father.


    Neya sighed softly as she aimed Carbon at the kitchen table, getting her seated before taking all those shopping bags off it and setting them beside the bed. She circled around to the side Alex normally sat on by himself and took the seat beside his. She did not ease into the chair, sitting rigidly with her tail curled around her waist, petting it quietly to self-soothe as she stared into the distance.


    Carbon leaned on her elbows, grumbling about the call to talk the entire time. ¡°Can this wait until the morning?¡± She inquired, very much not interested in doing anything that required a discussion right now.


    ¡°No.¡± Alex was not going to sugarcoat this. He was surprised to find just how spicy that word came out, more annoyed at her behavior now that he wasn¡¯t keeping his own reactions locked down to avoid further public discussion of what Carbon had said. The thing they had been trying to avoid in front of the person that they probably wanted to avoid saying it in front of the most. He plucked some cups from the cabinet and poured them all a nice, tall glass of water and distributed them to the table. He did not stick around, turning back to put a pot of water on to boil. It felt like a tea kind of night. Probably some food, too.


    Carbon huffed and rolled her eyes. ¡°There will be plenty of time to pack in the morning!¡± By the time she finished that sentence, she was singing, teasing.


    ¡°Ah, no. We¡¯re not waiting until the last minute to pack.¡± Oh no, he was turning into his dad. Alex set the kettle down and poked around the stove controls until it came on with a beep, the little display he thought of as a throttle lit up all the way. ¡°That¡¯s not what we¡¯re talking about either, wife.¡±


    She let out an annoyed groan and drank her water. ¡°Fine. What is it that we must discuss?¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Alex didn¡¯t bother restraining the irritation in his voice this time. He had moved on to rooting around in the fridge, half a bowl of some kind of cold spread from last night about the only thing that was ready to go. He plucked it out and retrieved the bag of bread that went along with it from the cupboard, setting everything down on the table with a little more force than necessary.


    Neya looked over with alarm - she had begun to relax, antennae that were nearly down at their normal height once again aloft.


    Alex slid into his seat and patted her shoulder. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Carbon was still too deep in the drink to understand what was going on here. ¡°Well, what is it that we must discuss?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember anything about what happened at Eleya¡¯s place?¡± He was pretty sure she didn¡¯t, but maybe getting her talking about it would jog the memory.


    ¡°We went in, she mixed up a drink as she does. Kalaatan. A bit sour for my preference, but perfectly fine in moderation.¡± She reached out and opened the bread, eating a finger-sized piece dry. Not having her memory jogged very much yet. ¡°We had been talking about my mother. The fact that Eleya regrets that she will never have the chance to attempt to make up for what she had done to her as well.¡±


    ¡°Ok, that¡¯s... That¡¯s good.¡± It was good. There was more remorse to be found in Eleya, she was not just fixing this one thing to feel good about herself. ¡°How about after you fell asleep?¡±


    She looked at him, dumbfounded. ¡°I did not fall asleep.¡±


    Alex raised his eyebrows. ¡°Yeah, you did. Remember when I just appeared out of nowhere? Telling you that you had fallen asleep?¡±


    Carbon had picked up a second piece of bread, scooped some of the dip out with it, and now held it in front of her mouth as she concentrated very hard on what Alex had just said. Her head tilted, brow furrowed, ears shifting as she ran down what she remembered. ¡°So you did. That, and it was time to go home.¡± She nodded and popped the snack into her mouth.


    ¡°Right.¡± Ok, so the memories were in there, slow as they were to be dragged back to the surface.


    ¡°And we have come home!¡± She said cheerfully, a wide smile crossing her muzzle as bright blue eyes slowly focused on Alex. ¡°I still do not understand why this requires a discussion, boyfriend.¡±


    The last word was piped through his translator, Carbon calling him atalna again. Cute. Alex exhaled through his teeth. ¡°What did you call Neya?¡±


    Her eyebrows knit together. ¡°What?¡±


    Guess he was just going to have to drag her directly to the point. ¡°When you were waking up, do you remember what you called Neya? In front of your aunt?¡±


    ¡°No. Was it bad? I do not...¡± She looked to Neya, concern finally starting to rise in her as she petered off. Her eyes widened and she slowly reached up to wrap her hands around her muzzle and laid her head down on the table facing away from them with a muffled whine.


    There we go. At least she remembered it and didn''t have to be convinced of having called Neya her wife in front of the Empress. ¡°Right. That¡¯s why we¡¯re having this conversation.¡±


    Carbon groaned in an entirely different way this time. ¡°I am going to throw up.¡±


    Alex¡¯s first instinct was to slide his chair back, which he did. Once would be funny eventually. Twice was setting a precedent. ¡°Hang on. I believe we covered well enough, and you¡¯re kinda drunk... So I assume it¡¯s plausible you could have just said that because it was the first word that was close enough to what you wanted.¡±


    ¡°I do not drink this much.¡± She was annoyed again, directed inward now. ¡°I should not have agreed to the Kala.¡±


    Neya nodded in the edge of Alex¡¯s vision. ¡°I knew several Zeshen who did drink often, and they sometimes had a hard time with speech even when not obviously drunk.¡± She added very quietly, addressing her cup of water more than either of them.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Alright. So we¡¯ve retained plausibility.¡± Hanging out with Intelligence was starting to show up in the weirdest places. ¡°We will do our best to avoid a repeat of this going forward until we¡¯ve collectively decided to share this information.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Carbon released her snout and buried her face in her hands, breathing hard and just on the edge of hyperventilating.


    The kettle boiled behind them, Neya springing up as the little chime they used in place of a whistle started to ring. ¡°I will take care of it.¡± The usual charm was gone from her voice, replaced with terse, clipped words.


    ¡°So. Hate to drop this on you like that, but we all have to be more careful. Like I said, we are very bad at keeping secrets. I think she bought that you were just drunk. Hell, she called me to tell me that you were asleep and asked my opinion on what to do with you.¡± Alex found a brief laugh in him despite the fact that the jig could very well have been up in regards to Neya and her non-standard relationship with them.


    ¡°She did?¡± Carbon sat up, surprised, eyes turning towards the clock on the wall and narrowing as she scrutinized it. ¡°Oh. It has not been long.¡±


    ¡°Nope. Still early.¡±


    Carbon smoothed the fur on her face, elbows once again resting on the table and still hiding behind her hands. ¡°I find it interesting that she sought your counsel.¡±


    ¡°She said she didn¡¯t know you well enough and wanted whatever would be best for you.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Probably the most humble thing I¡¯ve heard her say.¡±


    ¡°Yes it... It has been a strange day with her. Asks my permission to share a space. Apologizes for old wrongs. Speaks on her feelings, and even welcomed some harsh things I had to say-¡± Carbon stopped and really thought about how she wanted to describe it. ¡°Like she was the sister I once thought her to be.¡±


    Neya returned, a trivet and three mugs in one hand, pot of tea in the other. She set everything out in the middle of the table with practiced ease and poured them all a steaming hot cup before returning to her seat.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Alex moved his mug from the sort of central location of the table to directly in front of himself. Still way too hot to drink, the informal setting required claiming a mug. The little formality taken care of, he looked to Carbon. ¡°She wants her family back.¡±


    ¡°She has her family, we are right here.¡± Despite the serious turn, Carbon was still at least two sheets to the wind as she also took a mug of tea.


    ¡°Is that how you really feel about me?¡± Neya inserted herself into the conversation without warning, again staring at the table and talking at the two untouched beverages in front of her. The words were loud but her voice very tenuous as her fears of losing Carbon and being shipped off to distant corners of the Empire for violating what a Zeshen was supposed to be were freshly renewed.


    Alex and Carbon were both caught off guard by that. They both understood who it was directed towards, at least.


    Carbon worried her fingertips together, gathering herself up and switching to Tsla to speak to her directly. ¡°In the past few days... I have considered Alex¡¯s statement that the first morning he saw us interacting as we normally do... That he thought we behaved like a married couple. Upon reflecting on that, I am inclined to agree. We did act as such, though at the time I did not see it.¡±


    It felt like he was being thrown under the bus. ¡°I did say that.¡± Not much to complain about as it was factually true. Not yet at least.


    ¡°He told me, as well. I have never been married, but I have long suspected it to be similar to what is presented as married in my stories. When I consider that, I find that I have unconsciously used those to inform my interaction with you. But I had never-¡± She was looking at Carbon now, morose as she fiddled with the piping hot mug of tea in her hand. Neya heaved a sigh before she continued, ¡°I had considered you like that. A fantasy cast out each time it returned. I knew it was not something for me, or for us.¡±


    ¡°Why does it appear to have hurt you so?¡± Carbon asked, confused, and clearly wishing she hadn¡¯t been drinking so much. ¡°If it was something you desired?¡±


    ¡°It is! I wish it to be true!¡± She leaned in, emphatic, practically shouting. ¡°But I did not want to hear it recklessly spill out, standing at an arm''s length from someone who can destroy everything we have!¡±


    ¡°Ah. I see.¡± Carbon continued to worry her fingers together while staring down at them, dark lips pursed tight as the realization of what she had done settled in.


    ¡°Hey, credit where it¡¯s due... You did recover from that really well. Played off me like nothing happened.¡± There had been a moment where he wasn¡¯t sure Neya would manage it. She would freeze up, or slip further into panic and end up hyperventilating and begging to not be shipped out.


    ¡°Thank you. Seeing you react as you did, it helped. I felt such panic in that moment but you just kept talking to her.¡± Neya smiled faintly at him, shaking her head. ¡°Carbon has been very specific about not letting anyone refer to me as just her Zeshen, and when I heard what she said, that reply just came to me like I hadn¡¯t been ready to run away a second before.¡±


    ¡°Pilot training involves a lot of practicing in situations where things are unraveling around you. Even with an atmospheric license, I had to learn to keep my head about me if the engines cut out or I lost instruments. I guess there¡¯s some crossover.¡± It made sense. He was finding himself in more situations where reacting to surprising information would give away something he did not want to communicate by accident. No sense in losing your head, just run down the checklist until you regain control of the ship or it impacts something.


    Alex did not enjoy that revelation.


    Carbon squeaked from across the table, drawing their attention to her. She was watching them with big wet eyes, tears carving damp trails in her fur, lower lip quivering. ¡°I love you both so much! I am so sorry I did this!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It was an accident. A little too much truth slipped out.¡± Alex reached over and patted her hands, still wrapped around her mug. ¡°Love you too.¡±


    ¡°I would like to have heard it in a different situation, perhaps somewhere more private, but it makes my heart light.¡± Neya wasn¡¯t quite back to normal, her brush with those deeply seated fears still too fresh, but she did manage to direct a smile at Carbon.


    This just kicked the waterworks up a notch, Carbon bawling into her tea.


    ¡°So, uh... You want to take first shift comforting our drunk wife until she can be involved in a conversation, or should I?¡± Alex looked from his mess of a wife to Neya. He suspected what they needed to talk about - that Carbon had spilled their secret in front of Eleya just about scared the skin off Neya in the process - was done at this point. Carbon got it. She wasn¡¯t a regular drinker so this was not likely to be something that happened again.


    A hint of a blush crossed Neya¡¯s face. ¡°If you wish to continue to describe her like that, I can be convinced to do so. Otherwise, we will need a coin.¡±


    ¡°Should be easy enough.¡± He laughed and stood, drawing Carbon up into a hug and wiping her tears away before releasing her into Neya¡¯s care. Alex wasn¡¯t surprised at all that Carbon felt that way, it had been obvious since that first morning. This was so far from what he had expected to be doing at any point in his life that any previous ¡®normal¡¯ plans he had were already tossed into the bin and he¡¯d been at this marriage thing for a whopping two weeks.


    He sat back down and sipped his tea, watching them sit on the bed, Carbon¡¯s interest in shopping suddenly renewed as she noticed the bags and began to enthusiastically talk about all the stuff she had done with Audry.


    Maybe the intensity of what had gone on between them on the Kshlav¡¯o had done a bigger number on him that he thought. There had been jealousy in him at one point in his life, a little bit at least. But what was there to be jealous of? Not only did he currently have what he wanted, he had more. Yeah there was a lot of stuff he was not fond of, every single Intelligence agency he was in contact with could fuck right off for starters. He did not want to be a pawn in anyone¡¯s game.


    He would allow himself to get moved around the board a few times if the classic ships kept coming in, though. Not too proud to admit that.


    Alex was lost in thought until Neya made a noise that sounded particularly interested in something. He glanced up, one of the bags now partially unpacked on the bed. Oh look, Carbon bought a bikini. Hm. That was interesting.


    He was sure he¡¯d get the rundown on everything she had gotten. If not when he tagged in so that Neya could handle Carbon¡¯s packing, then when they had weeks of free time while on their way to Na¡¯o. To be frank, Neya was going to be handling the Tsla¡¯o side of his packing as well. He still hadn¡¯t learned to wrap the daman right, let alone how to tell which piece did what without laying everything out first. He could handle the pants, t-shirts, and underwear no problem, at least. He just knew there would be at least one dinner where formal wear would be called for.


    Alex rose and stretched, and went to rifle through the pile of baggage that Neya had arranged by the bench no one used. They were scheduled to board the Starbound late in the morning and be underway that afternoon, but they were still expected to be somewhere in the morning. No point in rushing around if you can avoid it.


    The two suitcases were pretty self-explanatory. Brand new, black cloth trimmed in what he had come to define as ¡®their¡¯ colors - he grabbed the red one and opened it up, already partially packed with all those folded up lengths of cloth that would become his base layer for formal events. Well, good to see someone was thinking ahead.

 Outbound

    They slept in a bit the next morning. Neya had been tucked in the middle when they had finally gone to sleep the night before, soaking up the affection. She needed it more than any of them, Alex and Carbon would be together while Neya was left on the Sword by herself for thirty days.


    Neya had already done a lot of packing. The first wave of luggage had been loaded on the Starbound - Natasake if Alex¡¯s translator wasn¡¯t on - the day before while they had been off at McFadden doing spy stuff, official business, and being a family. The rest of the luggage was just whatever personal items they wanted to bring. Their security team had moved those bags and themselves onto the ship earlier that morning, an extra layer of protection though the entire crew had just passed Intelligence¡¯s inspection.


    She was sad when they left, yes, but this was the appropriate choice for a Zeshen of the Crown Prince and Princess. Right here where she could interact with nearly any part of the government if need be. She would also be passing along all communications they had with the Confederation as the Starbound didn¡¯t have an encrypted link to the Human mil.net, just their standard comms.


    Alex had never seen a ship as large as the Starbound landed in a hanger in person. It even had dedicated landing gear! He knew it happened, of course, but seeing it in person was a different thing entirely. Same with an open-air gangway to board a spacecraft of this size, extended up from the second floor of the hangar.


    The internal frame was maybe four or five decks, based on the location of the side-mounted airlock that was currently sitting open, and the arrangement of escape pods dotting the hull. The hull design was not particularly creative, just a long cuboid that narrowed in the front. The top end of the bow extended out further, giving it a classic boat profile, though the bulbous sublight engines mounted at each corner to the aft did not carry it through at all. Sure, they smoothed it out nice and painted it a very rich shade of blue... but it was a rotund brick. It was also dotted with mild looking point defense and a frankly underwhelming number of sensor clusters.


    From the bow to the end of the Waverider array shroud looked to be in the hundred and twenty to thirty meter range, probably a hundred meters of usable space inside the hull. A solid thirty meters of beam and forty in height, not counting the landing gear. Curious choice for a ship that didn¡¯t look like it was meant to enter any atmosphere, but it appeared they were happy to park it inside so maybe it had gravitic motors tucked away somewhere.


    Eleya had shown up to see them off with Kaleta in tow. Having been excluded from the more damning pieces of Sharadi¡¯s plans prevented her from getting stuck in the brig of their escort like Mateku and Hatate. Admiral Olan and a handful of other personnel from Intelligence also made their way up the gangway ¡®to see them off.¡¯


    The entire bridge crew had come to welcome them aboard, the ten of them standing just inside the largest airlock that Alex had ever seen. There were twenty people in here, and it didn¡¯t feel cramped at all. The crew stood at attention in white vests over black pants, the Captain¡¯s clothes decorated with bold colored bands that matched the hull. Alex was quite sure the Starbound¡¯s Captain started sweating when he saw the Empress. Her presence wasn¡¯t necessary, it was just a tacit threat.


    The interior, by Alex¡¯s estimation, did not match the exterior. the hull bordered on basic. Well maintained, but plain. The two story tall saloon the ship used as an entryway was an almost grotesque level of opulent. White marble parquet floors, gleaming amber wood on the walls, overhead lights hidden in a sea of glittering crystal. Light fixtures were gold, and there were more gold accents everywhere. All the furniture was in the same wood as the walls, the seating made with rich red and gold upholstery.


    He used to think Eleya¡¯s quarters were lavish. Guess we know who actually got the genes to be extravagant in the family.


    The rest of the crew had turned out inside, lined up and standing at attention. Another forty people. He did not recognize the uniforms, aside from the all black outfits that the kitchen staff wore and the purple of the lone medical person, but the number struck him as excessive. Given the decor... excessive was entirely on brand.


    Eleya made a big show about sending them off, the importance of their work to the future of the Empire. She did this in front of all the help. Again, an unspoken threat. These people are important to the Empress. Don¡¯t fuck it up or you, the lady who does the laundry on this wee little boat, will be answering to someone who earned her most infamous nickname after she personally spent an entire afternoon chopping heads off bodies.


    Alex also felt this was excessive as well, particularly knowing that Intel had this place crawling with their own people for days. They were well aware already. Her heart was in the right place, but it was way too much.


    Eleya did not raid the bar before she and the rest of the muscle departed, which was a surprise. The airlock sealed - the floor of which was also marble parquet - and the first officer led Alex and Carbon up to the VIP suite while they got underway. They had been offered the owners cabin, but both found the idea of using it kind of gross.


    The entire ship had marble floors. Every centimeter that Alex had seen so far, at least. The saloon was on the lowest deck, also where the dining rooms and galley was. The second deck had amenities - another lounge, the exercise room, a pool, wellness room, and a theater. The third deck was all staterooms and cabins. These three were linked by a central grand staircase that was open through all three floors. There were lower decks with the bridge, crew quarters and common areas, and access to the engineering section, and a half-deck below that with the shuttles. They were only told about that section after Alex inquired about the location of the bridge. Human ships tended to put them near the top, but there was no clear way to go up from here.


    ¡°Hang on. It¡¯s only five days to Arvaikheer II? From Sol?¡± While he wasn¡¯t a pilot anymore, exactly, he was still interested in the job, the process. So if the only way he was going to be a pilot was in his little GX8 or by proxy through the people actually driving the ships, well... He¡¯d take it. ¡°That¡¯s absurdly fast.¡±


    ¡°I am sure you are aware our Waverider drives are superior to those the Confederation manufactures.¡± The first officer stated that in an incredibly diplomatic manner, leading them down the central hall towards the bow. He looked over his shoulder at Alex with an easy smile. Bridge crew ranks below Captain were marked with stripes stitched over the shoulders on the vest. The First Officer had four. ¡°We have also been given special dispensation to travel off traffic navigation beacons once outside of Sol, as long as the route is filed with and approved by the Confederation Navy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been sitting on them before. Fast as can be.¡± Pretty rare for the Navy to give out passes to drive around faster than light anywhere in Confed space. They didn¡¯t even let Scoutships off the Superlight network until halfway to the frontier. Not a big surprise they¡¯d limit it to outside Sol, though. ¡°Hey, would you mind if I popped in to see the Bridge at some point? I¡¯d love to check it out, maybe talk shop.¡±


    Even if it was ¡®just¡¯ five days to the edge of the Confederation, and a week to Na¡¯o, there was going to be a lot of downtime for him and Carbon. It¡¯d be the perfect time to annoy people who are also stuck in the ship with questions about how they do their jobs and how those jobs differ from how Humans do them.


    The older male smiled again, genuine based on how his gray eyes squinted as he turned to look at Alex. ¡°I am sure a visit can be arranged. For the time being, we have arrived at the stateroom, your grace.¡±


    He had expected some pushback, but maybe this guy actually wanted to share his experiences or was very good at keeping up appearances when the Empress was breathing down everyone¡¯s neck. Either way, Alex was happy with that outcome.


    ¡°Thank you, Officer Alano. I believe I would enjoy a tour of the entire ship at some point as well. I am sure you have heard I have a particular interest in engineering - this ship was retrofitted with a Deno 6600, was it not? I worked with the 6200 extensively during my apprenticeship, I would love to see what has changed on them.¡± Carbon spoke in Tsla to him, giving the first officer a bow that Alex joined in.


    ¡°Reach out to anyone on the bridge crew when you desire to, Princess. It will be arranged with the Captain¡¯s command.¡± Alano bowed to both of them, one at a time, before turning and leaving them at the door to stateroom number two.


    Carbon cleared her throat. ¡°Before you go - it has been some time since I traveled upon a private ship, let alone this one... Is it still customary for the ranking passengers to offer the crew leeway?¡±


    Officer Alano stopped and turned, an eyebrow raised. ¡°It is. Duke Tshalen traditionally does not allow it unless we are moored and unscheduled to depart, and his guests did not during the last voyage.¡±


    ¡°Given the length of time we will be underway, I imagine the crew could use the space. I would like to extend the offer, should the Prince agree.¡± She looked to Alex with a subtle nod.


    He had no idea what she was talking about. But between his personal rule to go along with whatever thing Carbon was doing because she really did know her way around Tsla¡¯o society and that little nod, he went with the flow. ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. They will be glad to hear it.¡± He bowed again, a little deeper this time, and departed quickly.


    Carbon had their keys, and slotted one into the cabin door controls. It was weird to see a simulated lock in the wall instead of the door. But as the door slid aside into the bulkhead, it made sense. A sensor misread could lead to a pinched finger or worse, as the keys and door frame both appeared to be metal. There were likely more sensors in place to prevent that, but why take the chance? Once he stepped inside and closed the door, he asked the question that was on top of his mind. ¡°So what did we tell him they could do?¡±


    ¡°Giving leeway just means that the crew can use the rest of the ship when they are off duty. There are limitations - they still eat and sleep in the crew decks, for instance. But we are just two people, most of these amenities will go unused. It feels cruel to insist they remain confined for so long.¡± She sounded annoyed, a lot of weight on that last sentence no doubt aimed at her father, Mateku, and Hatate. ¡°And I know that once you learned of these rules you would have immediately disliked them and insisted that they be circumvented.¡±


    Alex wasn¡¯t from the sort of people who owned yachts, or took cruises. The idea was almost alien to him, though he was confident that Humans did this as well. Sure, the crew had their job to do, but intentionally keeping them confined to the lower decks for such a long trip for the express purpose of not being seen did rub him the wrong way. ¡°You got me there.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± She smirked and leaned in for a quick kiss. ¡°I suspect you will get along well with the crew. I fear I sound like my aunt when I say this, but more of our kind seeing who you truly are is good.¡±


    The stateroom was more of the same. The parquet gave way to plain old marble tiles and thick rugs with dense geometric patterns in that same gold and red motif. The door opened into a seating room, some chairs and a table, a desk in the corner and a digital wall that gave the impression of a floor to ceiling window. It was currently showing the Sword slowly receding as they maneuvered to safe distance. The ship¡¯s theme carried over to the rather Human looking bedroom as well. This section reminded Alex of a pretty standard hotel room, in layout at least. More rugs over the marble tiles, dressers against the wall and a chest at the foot of the bed in lacquered wood, matching nightstands flanking a strikingly conventional looking bed. More of a square, but large enough for them. Large enough for them and Neya, for that matter. Every millimeter of fabric was patterned in gold and red, and the bed did not escape this. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can sleep in here, the bed is too loud.¡±


    It took Carbon a second to get what he meant, a chuckle coming from her as she checked the closet, all of their luggage already stowed away in it. ¡°It is a lot. It has always been quite overwhelming.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect your dad to be into...¡± Alex gestured at everything around them. ¡°All of this. You¡¯ve got a more subtle sense of taste, so I¡¯m guessing you got that from your mom?¡±


    She laughed again as she peeked into the en suite bath. ¡°It came this way. He was enamored with the rugs in particular. The hexagons. It was some time ago and I was very young, but I do recall Navaren being equally excited by all of the more ornate details, and thus the interior was never overhauled. The mechanical aspects of the ship were updated about five years ago.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Eleya had mentioned Navaren making bad decisions as far as aesthetics were concerned, so it kind of fit. ¡°I kind of didn¡¯t expect this sort of, uh... lavish decoration from any Tsla¡¯o anything. It strikes me as ostentatious, at least, as far as a Human would define it.¡±


    ¡°It very much is. You have a limited view of our architecture and designs, mostly utilitarian military, and a small bit of civilian spaces meant to reflect historical designs and project a familiar space, when possible.¡± She stood in the spacious room, hands on her hips and scanning the excess they would be spending the next twelve or so days immersed in. ¡°It belonged to a Duke from an older House of the Court before Sharadi got it. The sort that desired to show off their wealth and hold it over your head. Father assisted him with a few very large favors and took this in exchange. He did not appreciate the irony of someone else having something to lord over him.¡±


    ¡°Well, can¡¯t argue with that price.¡± Alex tested the bed, stretching out on it. Damn if it wasn¡¯t just about perfect. ¡°I¡¯m going to need some help getting this mattress off the ship when we leave.¡±


    Carbon followed suit, laying down with her head beside his. ¡°The beds are excellent. Even mother liked them, and she hated this ship.¡±


    ¡°Saw that coming.¡±


    ¡°More the person who had owned it before us, than the ship itself. Though she did not like how extravagant it was, she still used it. We... I even have some fond memories aboard.¡± She sighed softly, turning her head to rest against his.


    It was rare that she spoke about Nova. By Alex¡¯s estimation, this may have been the most she¡¯d ever said all at once about her in his presence. ¡°Care to share?¡±


    Carbon laid silent beside him, folding her hands over her stomach. ¡°It was the little things. Having time to watch something with both of my parents, or just sit with them. Floating in the hot baths. Commandeering the kitchen with my mom- my mother.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she would mind if you called her mom.¡± That list was cute and sad at the same time. Two of those things had been a weekly occurrence, minimum, in the Soreneson household when he grew up. Never floated much, except when they went on vacation in Honolulu and the Arc there had a water park. He didn¡¯t figure they had innertubes on board.


    ¡°She would not. She would welcome it, in fact. Consider my name.¡± Carbon sighed again, a rueful little laugh following. ¡°Your mom insisted I stop calling her Audry as I am part of the family and none of her kids call her that. As you most often call her mom, I chose to call her that as well. So I keep the two words separate in my mind.¡±


    The description of his mom made him grin, he could hear her saying that. Might have actually heard her tell Milly that once, as she had called both of his parents Mr. or Mrs. Sorenson until after her and Peter got married. ¡°Fair. I¡¯m glad you two are getting along.¡±


    ¡°As am I. She has welcomed me with joy in her heart and... I did not know how much I needed that.¡± Carbon reached over, patting around the bed until she found his hand, lacing their fingers together.


    ¡°Good. You deserve to be happy.¡± He would probably be telling her that for the rest of her life, but as long as she was making progress he would do it without complaint.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She gave his hand a squeeze and sat up. ¡°Would you like to see the rest of the ship? Not simply be told what is on each floor? I suspect I do still know my way around the passenger section. The interesting parts, at least. As a child I was not allowed into the crew areas or the forward lounge.¡±


    He didn¡¯t have to think very hard about it. ¡°Let¡¯s go break into the forward lounge. I gotta know what they were hiding in there.¡± They had hours until dinner and even less to do than normal. A little breaking and entering would probably fill a good portion of the afternoon. Not that he expected them to actually break into it.


    Carbon was, to his surprise, actually very amused by that. She grinned and pulled a key from her daman and tossed it to him. ¡°We will not need to ¡®break in¡¯ to anything as we have full access to the ship. I admit that the girl I had been is still very curious as to what is in there. As an adult I suspect it to be very boring.¡±


    He caught the key, a rustic-looking metal stick with a surprisingly plain bow, just a flat span of metal to grip when you turned it. He expected everything to do with this ship to be ridiculous, and this was kind of a let down. Not even a single jewel. ¡°Well then, lead the way.¡±


    It had been awhile since he had seen Carbon look so sly. They weren¡¯t sneaking around or anything as they traversed the ship, down the central stairs and forward towards the bow on the second floor. There was an energetic bounce in her step, a rare eager look in her eye. An old mystery about to be solved, even if it was probably going to be boring as could be.


    ¡°You want to do the honors? It was your childhood taboo, after all.¡± The doors to the forward lounge were actually different from all the others on board, the usual amber wood inlaid with a sort of art deco pattern in a much darker wood. Even the lighting here at the end of the hallway was different, two overhead spotlights making the forbidden door seem to glow. ¡°Gotta say, telling a kid not to go into the only room with an interesting door is a recipe for disaster.¡±


    ¡°If I had known then what I do now, I assure you I would have bypassed the lock.¡± She looked at the door control panel and for a moment there was just enough mischief in her eyes that Alex thought she might bypass it anyway.


    She used the key, the doors unlocking with a heavy clunk, and pushed them open.


    The room inside was cold and very dark. The air was fresh, so the life support was functioning, and it carried a robust mix of leather, wood, and incense out to them. Carbon cleared her throat and spoke in Tsla. ¡°Lights, on.¡±


    The hallway chirped behind them, the lights out there were already on.


    Alex stepped inside, the bright lights of the hall illuminating the lounge as his eyes started to adjust. It was a big room, and seemed to eschew the overbearing opulence of the rest of the ship. Not nearly as much glitter. The gleam of steel and brass stood out here and there, and a wall of glass bottles caught his eye. As did a manual light switch box mounted just inside the door.


    Three heavy clacks later and the lounge was living up to that name. The overhead lights bathed it in warm, dim light. A bar took up one side of the room, made up of gleaming mahogany-dark wood and matching stools, across from it was a raised stage, a few steps up from the main floor, currently bare but backed up by green and gold curtains.


    Green and gold was the theme for the room. The walls all painted a deep shade of green, painted with murals in glittering gold. It reminded him of the way the walls were done at The Hidden Bloom on the Sword of the Morning Light. Mountains, little birds on the wing, misty valleys. Nature, nothing constructed. All the chairs and stools had green leather seats.


    The floor was mostly open save for a few tables up by the stage, a wide gap between them and the bar. Room for dancing, fighting, or just poor distribution of tables. Looked like the place could seat twenty as it was, nearly half of those at the bar. Double that if there were more tables. ¡°So what is this, some kind of speakeasy?¡±


    Carbon followed him in, looking over the bar before turning her attention to the stage, walking over and padding up the stairs. ¡°I do not know what that is.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like an illegal bar.¡± Alex found the liftgate to get behind the bar and let himself in. Everything back here was reasonably familiar to him, despite having never worked behind a bar. Cups and glasses, mixing shakers, cutting boards and sinks. Every last bit looked manual, save for a soda gun and what looked like an ice maker. Some things were just too convenient to give up, even though they appeared to have been shut down for some time.


    ¡°No, I think this might be a ilusanau.¡± She slid the curtain open and looked around back stage. ¡°Yes, there is quite a lot more than just wardrobe back here. Does explain why they did not want a child present even if it was not in use.¡±


    It unsettled Alex a little bit when Carbon didn¡¯t know a word in English and it didn¡¯t translate, but he had finally gotten the settings to the point where it almost always passed the word along to him. Sometimes he recognized a root word and could suss out the meaning. Didn¡¯t recognize this one at all. ¡°That¡¯s not in my dictionary.¡±


    ¡°A place where you would hire sanau...¡± Carbon pulled the curtain back into place and then tossed her head back with an annoyed sigh, realizing that he wouldn¡¯t have that translation either. ¡°Ah, people who engage in companionship and sexual acts in exchange for money.¡±


    ¡°Sex workers. So it¡¯s a brothel?¡± His voice went up an octave asking that question, pausing his rummaging through the plethora of alcohol on the back wall. Some of it looked old, and everything was a little dusty. ¡°Why does your dad¡¯s yacht have a brothel?¡±


    ¡°I believe it was part of the original design. I am sure Sharadi did not have this added.¡± She hopped down from the stage, joining him at the bar. Carbon stayed on the customer side, wiping the dust off a stool before sliding up onto it.


    ¡°This feels very retro. Like, manual light switches, right? There¡¯s almost nothing automated back here. This isn¡¯t just a replica for the atmosphere?¡± He wasn¡¯t too surprised that they had sex work, it was clear they were getting it on for reasons other than procreation. Had a whole series of books about it. ¡°Unless the first guy actually ran a... ilusanau?¡±


    It raised some questions in his mind. The crew on board was large for a ship this size... as far as he was concerned at least, but diverse based on their uniforms. Had they been expected to pull double duty, or was there originally a dedicated bunch to keep this place operating? Maybe just hired when it was convenient? Brought along from a ilusanu that he frequented?


    ¡°It is very antiquated, but based on the rooms in the back, it is not just for the atmosphere. Likely plied anyone he needed to impress with absurd luxury and whatever was necessary to quench their various desires. There are even a few gambling tables in the aft...¡± She stopped and swiveled the seat around, scanning the empty space in the lounge. ¡°They used to be in here. The design matches this room, not the rest of the ship. I did not notice when I was a child.¡±


    Alex perused the bottles of alcohol on the back wall, not bothering with the visual translator. He wasn¡¯t looking to learn about each and every item right now, just looking at labels while he chatted with Carbon. ¡°Real den of vice, huh? Booze, gambling, and sex, all in one room. Fella had something for everyone.¡±


    She stood up on the foot rail of the bar to grab a rag, and began to dust the area directly in front of her seat. ¡°If they had sanau aboard in a business capacity, there would have been specific licenses for them to perform, and inspections to pass. Their guild was very particular. It would also explain why father simply locked the doors and forgot it, as he only used the Starbound for business travel and the occasional family trip. No sense in spending those fees and the cost of retaining an ensemble if they were just going to sit for weeks on end.¡±


    He picked up a bottle with a particularly cool looking label, a drawing of the ostrich-like Rakaro on the front, but it was on fire and only seemed annoyed by that fact. ¡°How do you know so much about this stuff?¡±


    ¡°Shipmaster Kesasta¡¯s parents were sanau. He was part of my cohort during our apprenticeship, and invited all of us to his family home any time we were on break as it was in the same town as the campus.¡± She leaned on her clean spot on the bar, reminiscing. ¡°Very kind people, they welcomed all of us like their own children. His father in particular enjoyed discussing the business aspects of running their own ilusanu. May they rest.¡±


    ¡°May they rest.¡± Alex had gotten into the habit of echoing that sentiment any time he heard it. Hadn¡¯t steered him wrong yet. This little window into her past was fascinating, at least. ¡°So how¡¯s this forbidden secret being revealed treating you?¡±


    ¡°A bigger disappointment than I could have imagined.¡± She laughed, a brief snort of amusement. ¡°The Kesasta¡¯s was better. We would slip in now and then, take a booth in the back corner out of the way if there was a live musician. It was darker, warmer. More intimate. I will reconsider what I said earlier: this is a gambling hall that happened to have sanau working in it. I am glad Sharadi closed it.¡±


    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll stop pretending to be a bartender then.¡± He said with a chuckle as he set the bottle back on the shelf and turned towards the still-open liftgate.


    Carbon tutted him, waiving him back with one hand. ¡°I did not say it was without potential. Perhaps a few more tables, a talented musician, a handsome manager... It could make an interesting place to pass some time.¡±

 Showoff

    ¡°I do not think he is as weird as you say. He comports himself well, everyone says he is kind and friendly. Yes, his accent is strange. But it is clear, and he speaks more Tsla than I expected. I have heard he mixes a good drink, too. If any Human is a paved path, he is.¡±


    Alex didn¡¯t recognize the voice that came from the washroom that led into the baths. It was young, probably female, and he probably hadn¡¯t met her at the lounge he and Carbon had been running as a bar for the last three days. Didn¡¯t recognize that turn of phrase either, but it sounded positive.


    It was still early in the day. Carbon was off being a menace in engineering, and he was relaxing in the pool with just a bottle of water to keep him company. The ¡®pool¡¯ that the ship had was actually a simulated hot spring. The absurd luxury of the common areas didn¡¯t extend past the showers - aside from the fact it was a hot spring on a spaceship. This area replicated a rustic wooden building over natural hot springs that reminded Alex of a Onsen. All of the walls were digital, and so he currently overlooked a heavily forested valley in a state of perpetual sunrise, which did fuck with his sense of time. He had found that sitting on a rock, chin deep in hot mineral water was an easy way to lose track of it anyway.


    ¡°You were not there. You did not see him in my galley.¡± Another young voice, just a hair higher pitch than the other one. Possibly male. The chef, apparently.


    ¡°Chef¡¯s galley.¡± The first voice said, authoritative and a few steps closer this time.


    The guy who wasn¡¯t the chef exhaled hard, annoyed. ¡°Very well. He was in Chef¡¯s galley. Standing at my prep station with a notebook and every spice we have on hand neatly laid out. And he was just eating them, one by one, and making notes about them.¡±


    Alex had been doing that yesterday. Staying up late had become normal almost the first night onboard, as most of the crew were on first shift during the ¡®day¡¯ and the forward lounge had been cobbled together into something a little more lounge-like after reducing the gambling house and sex den vibes, mostly by stealing furniture from other parts of the ship. Kaleta had grumbled about it, but had not attempted to pull rank with Sharadi¡¯s sigil. She was also spending a lot of time there chatting with Carbon so it couldn¡¯t have bothered her too much.


    He had a key to the ship, so letting himself in to the galley wasn¡¯t an issue after it had closed, but apparently the actual galley staff had access too even if he hadn¡¯t heard the guy.


    ¡°That... That is a little weird.¡± She relented, splashing quietly as she stepped into hot water. ¡°But all of it must be new to him. Perhaps he is a cook as well?¡±


    Alex was a cook, to an extent, but only of Human food. He didn¡¯t know how all their base ingredients went together, and spices were the first place he figured to start as they were important to making things taste good. He understood a lot of Human spices. Garlic was a known quantity. He knew what it tasted like, how to use it, and that most recipes that called for it didn¡¯t add enough.


    Tsla¡¯o spices were still sort of unknown to him. Alex had talked about them with a few people, and tasted a bunch by now, he was sure. Weeks of eating nothing but Tsla¡¯o food meant that was guaranteed. Then there was stuff like the tin of Tolau Kamokoste he found in the galley¡¯s spice cabinet - a powdered tree resin that tasted like pine, lime, and cilantro. He would have remembered eating that. Would those flavors stick around when fried, or boiled in a broth? Could he make something sufficiently similar to Mexican with it? Who knows.


    Ok, the guy about to get into the baths did. Maybe his friend, too. Alex might ask later, but the opportunity to surreptitiously listen to people talk about him was too enticing to just pop up, introduce himself, and start grilling them about Tsla¡¯o cooking.


    Alex had parked himself at the far end of the pool - there was a large, fairly deep channel that ran nearly the length of the room, with a bunch of alcoves that provided a semi-private seating area. They varied in size, letting you pick the number of friends you wanted in your immediate vicinity. He had taken a medium size one, because he expected Carbon to join him once she was done terrorizing the chief engineer.


    ¡°He is a pilot. I do not know that I have ever met one who was also good at cooking.¡± The second voice hissed as he stepped into the water, followed by a soft curse.


    ¡°It is the same temperature as last time.¡± The woman chided him with a barely suppressed laugh.


    ¡°I have told you, my pads are sensitive to heat. It takes me time to adjust.¡± Somebody didn¡¯t like getting teased about not tolerating the hot water. ¡°Speaking of that: Computer, adjust scenery. Winter snow, night.¡±


    The overhead lights dimmed, the baths lit by lanterns that had sat unused during the sunrise simulation. The digital walls adjusted from perpetual morning to light winter snowfall at night. Same valley, covered in a thick layer of snow now, but a distant town was more readily visible now that it was lit up.


    It was pretty cozy, actually.


    ¡°Ah, Keta. You are a romantic.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well... I know you like the mountains. It should be snowing now.¡± He grumbled, the water moving quietly before he sucked in a sharp breath. ¡°Are you sure it is the same temperature?¡±


    ¡°It is always this temperature. I do not think it has ever been another temperature except when we shut it off for maintenance.¡± She was still amused by his sensitivity to heat.


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Keta groaned, annoyed. ¡°Do you think it is possible to turn this down, perhaps ten degrees?¡±


    The reply came with a hint of playful disdain. ¡°You could relax in a tepid bath?¡±


    ¡°This makes my skin prickle, so yes, I could.¡±


    ¡°Even if I did turn it down, it would take hours to cool. These are real stones, and they hold heat forever.¡± Her statement was punctuated with the quiet smack of a kiss. ¡°You are always so much more relaxed once you soak for a while, or I would not keep suggesting it when the baths are available.¡±


    ¡°Is it so?¡± He wasn¡¯t annoyed anymore, just a little confused.


    ¡°Aye. You have not noticed?¡± Likewise, she was confused.


    ¡°No.¡± Keta did a good job sounding completely flummoxed in just one word. ¡°I thought you just liked coming up here.¡±


    ¡°I do! I like seeing you at ease just as much.¡± There was genuine fondness in her voice as it quieted, slipping into an alcove of her own. ¡°You stand a little straighter, your shoulders are not so tight. You return affection much more readily. It is a good look on you.¡±


    Keta made an affirmative grunt, the conversation between them settling into a lull for some time. He sighed, and when he did speak again it was laden with regret. ¡°I wish I had met you when there were still mountains to go to.¡±


    ¡°They are still there. The ash cannot fall forever, and when it stops we can reclaim what is ours... They found other planets we might someday enjoy, too. Tatena follows all that, and he was saying that the Humans have actually terraformed several planets to the point where they can support life on the surface. The planet we¡¯re due to stop at is one of them.¡± She sounded surprisingly hopeful for someone discussing their home planet¡¯s destruction. ¡°If it came down to it, we seem to be on better terms with the Humans than ever, I am sure they must have a mountain we could borrow for a day or two.¡±


    The planet they were due to stop at? This was news to Alex. While he was pretty sure that frontier planets didn¡¯t have public networks the same way that core planets did, he would have to make some calls about that, and a meeting that had gone on way too long may have mentioned IP ranges. He didn¡¯t have the ARGUS properly loaded with fake data, and they did not have the facilities onboard to make that happen, so he would have to be careful approaching this.


    That got a chuckle out of Keta. ¡°Perhaps the Prince would lend us one his family owns? He seems agreeable enough.¡±


    ¡°Did you not hear? He is a commoner like us.¡± There was a hint of surprise in her voice.


    A pause. ¡°Is he? That does explain... Most everything, I think. Except how he was chosen for such a prestigious assignment. Surely they would have sent a Royal, or at least someone from a noble house.¡±


    Alex almost laughed at that. Oh, buddy. There was such a story there. Not a lot of royalty to choose from in the Confederation as well, though some of the member states were aristocracies.


    ¡°I do not think they have royalty. He is supposed to be an exceptional pilot anyway. They probably just chose on merit.¡± Someone had been paying attention to the... However the Tsla¡¯o learned about the Confederation. Alex was unfamiliar with their educational system and how news was disseminated. Another thing on the stack of stuff to learn about.


    ¡°Really? How curious.¡± He had a tone to his voice that said he didn¡¯t understand how it would work.


    ¡°He might know how we could get access, at least. Perhaps there is a program that allows visitors? I wonder what their buildings look like in places like this.¡±


    Alex actually knew the answer to that, on Earth at least. Different planets had different requirements, but on Earth you usually had to apply for visitor permits for the more wild areas. There were still plenty of retro vacation spots that were just tourist towns and vastly less likely to kill you. Nature doesn¡¯t care about your well being, but the hotel sure does.


    ¡°Do you suppose they would take set?¡± Keta asked in return, a quiet laugh. ¡°What do they even use for money? How much would visiting one of their planets cost, anyway?¡±


    ¡°I do not know. They have quite a lot of traffic around their home star, certainly they must have various methods of transit between their claimed systems. Another thing we might ask the Prince, should we have the chance. I do not think he would know specific details, but even a general view of such things would be informative.¡±


    ¡°You sound like you really want to travel to Human worlds.¡± Master of the obvious, this one.


    ¡°This trip has piqued my interest. I know that technologically they are not as advanced as us, but they clearly have a lead in other fields. You have seen the ships they brought to Na¡¯o? Their... I forget the name, it was a space dock.¡±


    ¡°I saw one of them, the weird inflatable ship they brought.¡± Keta chuckled to himself about the absurdity of an inflatable ship, no doubt. ¡°What is so special about a space dock? We have those already.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Three things were of note.¡± Alex couldn¡¯t see her from where he was relaxing, but he sure did recognize the excitement that came with someone talking about a subject they were into. ¡°First was the size. It was large enough to be used to retrofit the Sword of the Morning Light without outside assistance, and work on other vehicles at the same time. A ship that the Starbound was just landed inside, if you will recall.¡±


    ¡°That is very large.¡±


    ¡°It is. The second thing was that the refit had been mostly built on the space dock while it was in transit. I cannot fathom the production facilities that they must have sitting ready in it. Third? It is Waveride capable.¡±


    Keta made a little curious noise, not getting why that was worth noting.


    A frustrated grunt. ¡°They made a space station that can service our largest space craft, with enough fabrication onboard to build structural pieces as large as a frigate that meet our standards, while it travels faster than light.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± He didn¡¯t really seem to get that it was a big deal. ¡°That is very impressive.¡±


    ¡°It is. We do not have such a thing. They were willing to send it halfway across the galaxy to help us. To me, this indicates that they have several of them. I would not send something so capable away if I only had one.¡±


    ¡°Clearly, they did not want to get on the wrong side of the Empire.¡±


    ¡°Keta.¡± She was, in fact, annoyed.


    ¡°Yes, Desaya?¡±


    ¡°You know I love you.¡± She said it in a way that made Alex think Keta didn¡¯t pick up what she was inferring most of the time.


    ¡°I do, and I am very glad to have your affection because I love you as well.¡± It sounded like he meant it.


    ¡°I do not think they are concerned about what side of the Empire they are on. They have done us favors because it did not trouble them. Consider that we have spent nearly four days traveling and have not reached the edge of their space, but when we left Na¡¯o it was only three before we reached the gulf between our empires.¡± Desaya was the brains of the operation here, clearly.


    Another long pause as Keta sussed out everything she had been talking about. ¡°Ah. More territory requires more ships, more people, more equipment and supplies. They have so much that when we were in need, they did not hesitate. They did not even appear to show restraint.¡± There was a distinct unease creeping into his voice at the end.


    ¡°You always find what I mean.¡± Another quiet kiss. ¡°I think it clear they consider us allies. It was not a military force that came to Na¡¯o, but shipping vessels and construction equipment. There were a few smaller warships, but nothing that could stand against the home fleet.¡±


    ¡°Do you think they would let some commoners just... travel to their planets?¡±


    ¡°That is why we are stopping at Av- Aravarakeer? The planet just before the end of their frontier. Some Tsla¡¯o already live there. They have apparently been welcomed.¡± Desaya sounded very enthused about that. ¡°If they are allowed to live in a place, what is a mere visit?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps... Perhaps the Prince will know more. I will visit the lounge tonight, and I will ask him about such things. Traveling within the Human Empire. He was a pilot, certainly he will know at least the basics of such things.¡± Keta was picking up her enthusiasm.


    ¡°Just do not tell him you find his spice eating habit to be weird.¡± She laughed.


    ¡°I may have overstated how unusual it was. While one can follow a recipe without understanding the ingredients, it cannot truly be mastered without that knowledge.¡± Keta quickly backpedaled his earlier statement with a chuckle.


    ¡°See? I am sure he is well rooted, everyone speaks about him like-¡± Desaya stopped and sucked in a breath, water swirling as she moved suddenly. ¡°Princess. Hello. How are you this morning?¡±


    Alex hadn¡¯t even heard anyone come in, but he had been fairly engrossed in the ongoing conversation. Carbon didn¡¯t make a habit of announcing herself when she entered a room anyway, and she knew where Alex was going to be so there was no need to call out to him.


    ¡°Please, there is no need for such formality. Certainly not in the baths, you will dip your nose.¡± Carbon said, a pleasant laugh following, her voice growing closer as she spoke. ¡°I am well, and I hope your day is pleasant.¡±


    Had they tried to bow at her, in a hot spring? Seems like a bad idea just on the face of it. Sure, Alex was sitting neck-deep in said hot spring water, but he was wary of the idea of putting his face in it. Consciously he knew it would be fine, it wasn¡¯t hot enough to do damage. Some particularly dumb recess of his brain was also sure it would instantly cook his eyes if he dunked his head in it.


    ¡°Hey.¡± Alex finally announced his presence. He had hoped that those two love birds would depart before Carbon arrived so he would have gone entirely unnoticed, but no such luck today.


    ¡°Hello.¡± She sang as she waded into view, the water chest-deep in the middle of the pool. Carbon had taken to wearing that bikini she bought on McFadden when they went to the hot spring. It was a tie-side job in vibrant blue, almost matching her stripes, and frankly Alex did not mind looking at her wearing it. Those little bows on the hips absolutely did something for him and he was kind of afraid to let Carbon know. She would exploit that without hesitation, and he was an easy enough mark for her as it was.


    The standard outfit for a Tsla¡¯o visiting the hot spring was naked, because of course it was. They just disrobed whenever because lack of clothes didn¡¯t count. Carbon had gotten him a swimsuit as well, which was probably good. It was very European, and did not leave much to the imagination, but nobody was getting a surprise Human anatomy lesson.


    Carbon enjoyed seeing him in it, which was the most important thing.


    ¡°How was work?¡± It was barely work for her, but he still liked to ask. Keeping up appearances, particularly with his adoring public just a couple of meters away.


    ¡°We finished the five thousand hour inspection on the number three sublight engine. The engineering team has been doing a fantastic job on maintenance, just one pre-compressor vane with stress fracturing needed to be replaced.¡± She said cheerfully, pulling a wooden bucket filled with ice and bottles into the alcove, taking a spot on the rock next to him. ¡°It is being fabricated now.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Alex inspected the bottles, lifting one out of the ice. He recognized it as something that was pretty common order in the lounge that he hadn¡¯t tried yet. Sav-something. ¡°Bit early to start drinking, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It nears time for lunch. Besides that, tsavak is very weak, just three percent alcohol.¡± She explained, picking out a bottle and giving it a shake before twisting the cap off. Carbon shifted around to set her legs on his lap and leaned back against the rock wall. ¡°It is nutritious and has electrolytes. Perfect for someone who has spent an hour in the bath and not touched his water.¡±


    They certainly weren¡¯t getting drunk off three little bottles each of that, and he hadn¡¯t drank a single thing since settling in here, so now was the perfect time. ¡°Well, bottoms up.¡±


    Carbon snickered at that turn of phrase, which she did every time he said it now.


    The tsavak was... Sort of a very pale unfiltered beer. Just a hint of carbonation, sweet citrus, bready, and plenty of whatever it was made of left floating in it. ¡°Maybe not my first choice, but it¡¯s drinkable.¡±


    ¡°Good. It is apparently the beverage of choice for a hot spring. Most would have their own brewery.¡± She shared that bit of trivia with him, draining her first bottle.


    They should set up a trivia night. Before he just blurted that out, Alex shifted to a slightly more urgent matter. ¡°So, what¡¯s this I hear about us stopping at Arvaikheer on our way out?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes!¡± She returned the empty to the ice and picked up his bottle of water in its place. ¡°I just got the message from Eleya. She wants us to check on their well being and ensure they do not feel they have been forgotten by the Empire. Apparently the planetary government is happy to let them live there, as they consider themselves to be children of refugees.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about Arvaikheer except for the fact it¡¯s one of the early terraforming successes, and it¡¯s way out there.¡± It had fallen pretty far out of his purview until now. He found that he was actually kind of interested in meeting this group, finding out how they were adapting to what was likely to be a very different culture. ¡°They could well be. The distance probably matters a lot less if you don¡¯t have anywhere else to go.¡±


    ¡°I suppose it would.¡± She drank his water, ruminating on that thought as she watched the fake snow fall.


    ¡°Unrelated to that, I am concerned about, you know.¡± He tapped his head. ¡°Calling the mothership.¡±


    Carbon shook her head no, lifting her shoulders slightly. Didn¡¯t get what he meant at all.


    That was too obscure for her. ¡°I don¡¯t know what Arvaikheer looks like from a public connectivity point of view.¡±


    Her eyes widened slightly in understanding. ¡°I see. That could present an issue, and I would hate to leave you on the ship... I will put in a query to Intel, see what they think a reasonable path is.¡±


    ¡°The ship has a Confed navicomm, right?¡± The First Officer hadn¡¯t specified they did, but if they were working with the Navy without a dedicated encrypted military channel, they must have gotten one. It was a competent, readily available comm package. Just plug it in to some antennas.


    ¡°Yes, but it is not available ship-wide, just on the bridge. Would that be a problem?¡±


    ¡°The navicomm isn¡¯t a public access point. It will facilitate text and audio comms, even bandwidth-limited internet access during a Waveride.¡± He took a sip of the sort of beer before he continued. ¡°So I can probably connect my phone to it and make some inquiries with Arvaikheer about their public network. I suspect that since it¡¯s all the way out on the raggedy edge it doesn¡¯t work like in the core. Everything will require a login of some sort because superluminal data costs money.¡±


    ¡°Which leaves a trail.¡± Carbon finished off his water and went back for another tsavak.


    ¡°Right.¡± A less open network would stamp the data with an entry point and account name that would follow it every step of the way back to Sol. Every comm beacon along the way would increase the chances it would be noticed or left in a buffer, or intercepted by someone illegally sifting data.


    They probably shouldn¡¯t even be discussing this near the civilians, who had gotten awfully quiet. Everything had been left fairly open ended so far, but the details could wait until they were properly alone. ¡°You know, if the navicomm works, I could order some stuff to pick up when we arrive. Get some fresh food in the stores, maybe a little Human alcohol to try out in the lounge. How did that idea about getting my datastick working on the theater projector end up panning out?¡±


    Carbon shrugged again. ¡°I would not call what I have found so far positive. The computers on board are somewhat limited, so while I did manage to import the files they refuse to recognize them as anything but corrupted data.¡±


    ¡°Guess that¡¯s not too big a surprise given, you know, completely different computer systems.¡± Had to trade something for all the opulence. In all reality, secret military hardware that was human-computer compatible probably wasn¡¯t ever in consideration for installation on this ship. ¡°I bet they have at least one electronics dealer. Fabricating a power adapter isn¡¯t too hard, right? Is that something they could whip up in engineering?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is trivial to create an adapter for a variable power supply module. We would just need to know what the device expects to receive.¡± She swirled a finger in the air as she explained just how easy it would be.


    ¡°Good. Looks like I¡¯ll have to call in that bridge visit today, we don¡¯t have a lot of time to get this sorted.¡± He finished the first bottle, not exactly eager to get started on these tasks just yet. ¡°You think our escort will be sending people down, too? It¡¯s a frigate, right? What¡¯s the crew look like on one of those?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they will send a few people from the command staff, probably the Captain and Head of Medical. The refugees'' health is a priority, but it sounds like there has not been any malnutrition, at least.¡± She gave him a particularly curious look as she took a pull of her second bottle of tsavak. ¡°It is a frigate, I would say the usual compliment is a hundred and twenty, perhaps a hundred and forty. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°You know how I am. I¡¯m not going to be loading up a shuttle with food and drink in front of the folks looking out for us without making sure they¡¯re taken care of.¡± Mom had definitely gotten him into that habit. He inhaled and sighed. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to be buying a lot of steak and ice cream in the next day or so. Do they have a freezer or a big stasis store? I swear I saw one in the galley here.¡±


    ¡°They should have several stasis lockers.¡± Carbon¡¯s curiosity had turned incredulous, but she was amused by that. ¡°And if you insist on sending them ice cream, be sure to include the lactase supplement.¡±


    Alex had found out the hard way that Tsla¡¯o adults didn¡¯t process lactose without assistance. It made perfect sense in retrospect, what with them not having livestock that produced milk. Fortunately the Berkmann that had printed the tiramisu that caused the problems also could print up lactase for just such an occasion. ¡°Alright, maybe just sorbet. Doesn¡¯t hit the same, but less potential issues.¡±