There are humans that say that they are “Going feral” but then you have the case of the survivor found on crash site 487-B after 15 solar rotations alone. When first discovered communication was nearly impossible and he was covered in his own fur unlike what is usually seen in humans. Further, he was highly aggressive and by all accounts focused with instincts on survival. The medical staff have been with him for months now but progress is slow.
"How? How has one of the humans most talented youngling pilots... Devolved? Into this?" The Sarlan commander asked, his almost humanoid face contorting in disgust. Sarlan's have very expressive faces and are generally used as human envoys as a result of their similar build and looks.
"We don't know commander, we've been trying to revert him for days, but he was on that Deathworld for 15 years with no contact. No supplies and his implants have all been damaged by what I can only assume was the local fauna. It's a miracle he's even alive" Stated the medic, Ju'ut was her name, standing a full foot shorter than the commander as was common in Sarlan's.
"Get him into a reader and for gods sake, repair his translators before you do anything else" sighed Commander Etar "I'll expect a full report by the end of this solar cycle".
Ju'ut just nodded and gulped at the thought of trying to get the human anywhere near an operating room. There were far too many heavy and sharp objects in there. Still, she had to try. She remembered a word of advice from an old medic back in the war "If you find yourself face to face with one of these brutes, don't run, don't attack and definitely don't insult it. If you get the chance though, they all carry painkillers, use them on it as they will become a lot more docile".
Ironic really that this poor man probably ended up down there at around the time she received said advice, she thought as she made her way to the lower levels. What was its name again? Jamie? Always so hard to pronounce using audible communication, she mused, an annoyed wrinkle forming as she tested out the word on her tongue "J-eh.... Je-mae... Je'mei". She had always struggled with vocalisation.
As she reached the cargo bay doors where the human was being held, she took a small cycle to clear her mind and walked in, acting much braver than she felt.
The human, Jamie, turned at the intrusion and backed away slowly, eyes darting left to right, sizing up the newcomer.
That's what they've finally sent in to kill me? There must be more hiding somewhere or traps in the walls or something, Jamie thought to himself. "I kept myself alive way too long to lose to a midget like you, besides you took away Day Day, so you're going to die one way or the other" he growled as he circled nimbly to the right, testing the small purple Sarlan's reflexes.
"Je-mee?" she tried to say his name once more, hoping it would let him know she was not a threat, that she meant to help him.
Jamie froze for half a second, the effect of hearing his name crashing through his broken mind.
"How do you know my name? Where's Day Day?" he asked, a quaver of emotion escaping his lips as he continued to stay on guard.
"Plise Jai-mee" she struggled, wishing she'd paid more attention in her universal languages class "Come, fix" she gestured to her ear, as realisation spread across the man's face like wildfire in the bush.
He approached her slowly, still guarded gesturing at his ear and head. "You can fix my translator? Why?" He said shakily.
He still believes we're at war, she realised, he'll never allow us to take him until we can show him.
Using her greater speed she stuck him with the syringe of painkillers, originally designed for horses apparently, but sufficient according to the net to subdue an angry human. As she did so she danced out of the way of his powerful arms and hit the shield button just in time for the angry human to begin thrashing against it.
"So-Ree" she croaked.
The medics came in with the heavy duty gurny and took Jamie to the med bay, while Ju'ut followed monitoring his vital signs. She noted that it was incredibly lucky they had decontaminated him as he had no less than 15 simbiotic species of bacteria and creatures living on his body and literal millions inside him. This was going to be a long day, she thought.
They worked quickly as the dose to keep a human sedated was a massive drain on their supplies, fixing Jamie's translator and updating his commications core, but leaving it unconnected to the net. She felt that such a barrage of information might be a bit much even for a human.
Taking him back down to the cargo hold, Ju'ut waited outside the shield for the anaesthetic to wear off.
Jamie started to stir and recovering at an insane speed jumped to his feet and behind some cover that the medics believed would help calm him.
"Jamie?" she said, testing the translator link hopefully "I'm so sorry, but I had to do that to help you".
Jamie replied by poking his head over the makeshift stack of boxes, barely hiding his massive form and saying "I believed for a moment I could trust you... Wait..." he tapped his ear and his jaw dropped "I understood you, but didn't hear a thing, what the hell?!".
Ju'ut waited a moment, giving Jamie time to adjust and then patiently said "We helped you to understand us, but we don't have any right to expect you to trust us, we know that. But please know, one of your humans will be here soon, in the mean time, please eat" she thought to him as she gestured to a case of military rations set to one side near the shield.
Jamie tensed at the sight of the rations. "I've seen those before, your lot tried to poison us with em. Screw that anyway! Where the hell is Day Day?!" he roared, seeming to drop back into his single minded pursuit.
"Who is Day Day?" She asked, tilting her head quizically.
"Day Day kept me alive down there! He was my friend!" Jamie spat, the anger clear in his red face, his shoulder muscles twitching.
"Do you mean the Drachasaur?" She asked, a foreboding feeling gripping her.
"I don't care what you call him, where's my friend?" he said, still intent on getting the truth.
She looked down at the floor where she sat and realised that they had made an error when they dropped to the surface to rescue him "I'm sorry, we thought you were being attacked. None survived the encounter besides you" she thought across their link forlorn in her oversight.
Jamie roared, almost a howl, a gutteral, loud declaration of pain. Then he slumped onto the ground, his world shattered. "For years I was alone, then I had Day Day. Now I'm alone again" he sobbed, his tears mingling with anger.
"I'm so sorry, would you like me to leave? I know human grief can be complicated" she offered, her genuine tone seeming to take Jamie by surprise.
"No, just tell me what the hell you want with me" he said, his tone flat, like the life had been stripped from his voice.
"We need you to realise what's happened and where you are, can I show you a vid? It will be startling at first" she said, a nervous tone in her voice.
"Fine" he said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Okay, please don't be alarmed, I'm reconnecting you to the net... There we are, try to only think about us here... I'm connecting to you now to guide you" as she said this she connected and was bombarded with a maelstrom of emotion coming from Jamie, dragging her and Jamie through the net to the footage of that fateful day "No Jamie! Please stop, give yourself time!" she projected, but Jamie's fragile mind couldn't stop.
Their minds filled with the image of Jamie, bedraggled, fighting 5 Peresaurs and a Drachasaur. Jamie's emotions continued to whirl and overwhelm Ju'uts psy-connection control, seeming to relive the moment. When a Duragy burst out of the bushes and Jamie's emotions soared for a moment. The pilots voices became clear over audio. "Taking down hostiles, cannons engaged, danger close" a burst of fire and steel and all that was left was an unconscious Jamie left amongst a field of charred and bloody corpses. Jamie's control of the video focused on the top right, enhancing the image.
A suspiciously Duragy shaped tail seen disappearing into the undergrowth. Jamie relaxed a little and Ju'ut was able to bring them out of the link, panting like she'd run 100 lengths.
"He made it" Jamie said, a tear in his eye "Good boy".
As the human sat there, the rage seeming to leave him, ebbing away like the morning tide Ju'ut tentatively asked "So the Duragy was your friend Day Day?" a nervous look on her face, hoping this didn't spark another round of distrust "we could try and organise bringing them here, but it wouldn't be for a while as we would have to divert a lot of resources".
Jamie looked up, his tears still running into his long unkempt beard and from between matted curtains of hair framing his weather beaten face he simply uttered "He'll think I've abandoned him already or that I'm dead. Better he lives free down there than in a cage with you" and with that sloped off behind the boxes again.
Considering the circumstances Ju'ut felt that this was an incredible leap in the right direction, but made a mental note to bring whole meats down with her next time as she glanced at the untouched ration box. With that she decided to leave and get some rest, time would prove to be the deciding factor on whether the human would be able to integrate again and with such a dangerous species it was better to err on the side of caution.
Elsewhere on the ship Sarlan Captain Yent'aa addressed the commander leading the effort "So, do you think that this human is salvageable? It would do much to improve our relations with them to return one of their own that they had written off as lost so long ago" he said, a calculating gaze in his eye, typical of those at his station.
The Commander, Etar, replied simply "Only time will tell" with a shrug and a pained expression at being unable to give a more detailed debrief "humans are resilient in the extreme, but this is a mental injury caused by cycle upon cycle of loneliness and deeply imbedded distrust of the very species trying to aid him, who knows how long it will take or even if he will ever recover fully".
"I see, so you believe his mind to be damaged?" said the Captain thoughtfully "this is not good news, the humans dislike dealing with mental trauma due to its complexity" he ran his fingers along the rows of triangular bumps on his head, a common stress response. "Our facilities on this ship are second to none, I want no facility barred in our attempts to rehabilitate him and leave this young medic in charge for now, she seems to be naturally good with him" and with that he dismissed the commander.
Commander Etar showed the proper formalities, slapping his left shoulder and turned to leave, musing over what to do next. Dismissing any further thoughts on the matter he decided it was around time for dinner and navigated the hallways to the mess hall, coming across none other than Ju'ut on her way to the same place.
"Ah Ju'ut" said the commander in a friendly tone "I trust that wasn't too stressful for you? How do you think it is going?".
"He's obviously still distrusting of us and I intend to make headway on that tomorrow, but I appreciate your concern commander" Ju'ut said and uneasy shift in her stride as she thought about it "It still concerns me that his only friend is out there alone, however I think it would make it worse to bring them here".
"I think you're right and please, we're in the mess hall, call me Etar" said the commander brightly "by the way, the captain has specifically requested that you take the lead on this, you've obviously impressed him and also me" he turned his eyes downward in a show of respect "but please, I would still be more than happy to be involved and help as much as I can".
Ju'ut's face turned a deep shade of puce at the outward display of respect from a ranking male "Thank you... Etar" she said nervously "if you would like you can come with me? I intend to share breakfast with him tomorrow, to try and build trust. Maybe having an officer there would show good faith?" she said, unsure about how well the bold request would be received.
Etar thought for a moment "I think that's a fine idea" impressed with the forethought of the young medic "I will meet you here at 06:00".
"Thank you Etar, I just need to find a way to requisition some actual meat" She laughed.
I the morning the two Sarlans met in the mess hall and the went to the quarter master. After having secured some of the cargo, albeit dry frozen, they headed down to the hold with Jamie in it.
"How sure are you that he won't kill us or take us hostage? Just curious" chuckled Etar.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
"Um... I think it's about 50/50 to be perfectly honest, but please do as I say, I've practised a few basic human phrases" she said as the door opened.
Jamie sat next to his boxes on the corner, obviously looking around the room for any weak points in his enclosure, the ration box completely untouched.
"Plees each wir uz" said Ju'ut in verbal speech, taking Etar by surprise.
Jamie raised an eyebrow, obvious distrust on his face tinged with confusion, not moving a muscle.
Shit. Did I get it wrong? Thought Ju'ut "Plees. Food, fur eeting" she said holding up the vacuum packed bag of dry frozen meat.
Jamie perked up seeing the meat in the bag but still didn't move.
"turn off the shields please" Ju'ut communicated through to the security system.
Etar raised his eyebrow at her, clearly not happy with this decision.
Jamie immediately rushed them, roaring as he came.
"Hold fast!" shouted Ju'ut to the commander.
-------
"What in the name of Great Salar did you think you were doing taking one of my commanders into a room WITH A MENTALLY DISTURBED WALKING TANK?" projected the Captain at Ju'ut, his face contorted with rage, his skin a dangerous shade of lilac.
"I apologise most profusely Sir" said the medic, doing everything she could to look even smaller than she already was, avoiding his gaze as if her life depended on it, which to be fair it could. "It was a simple misunderstanding" she finished quietly.
"A MISUNDERSTANDING?!" the Captain roared through her mental implant "a misunderstanding is getting my mess order wrong or mispronouncing my name! One of my finest officers will need constant medical attention until we reach the substation as result of your carelessness!".
Ju'ut just stood and took it, how was she to know the human would recognise a stun stick? It was a standard piece of the Officers issued uniform and she hadn't paid it any attention at all "I thought his skills in negotiating and his knowledge of humans would be beneficial, he agreed with me" she finished, a last ditch attempt to salvage her position "If I don't speak to the human, he could revert back again, we've made leaps in communication in a couple of short days".
The Captain sighed rubbing his head nodules, procedures and thoughts rushing through his mind, wondering how this could be rectified without losing both the human and one of his brightest medics. "You will do only as ordered from this point on, you will run every single aspect of your rehabilitation plan past me personally and in lieu of that you will not be granted entry to the human at all, is that clear?".
Ju'ut merely nodded, all things considered, that was a very reasonable reaction.
Earlier in the day, in the cargo bay, the human rushed the two Sarlans.
"Hold fast!" shouted Ju'ut.
"What?!" projected Etar, his hand slipping instinctually to his stun stick.
On seeing this reaction the rushing human immediately targeted the taller male, smashing into him with his shoulder surprising even himself at the force delivered, sending the Sarlan flying through the air. He then promptly rounded on Ju'ut, who was simply standing still, meat still in hand.
"Why?! Why have you brought weapons?" he spat, all thoughts of trust evaporating by the second as he grabbed her by the neck, ready to crush the life out of her.
Ju'ut struggled against his grip, the pain making her head swim. "I'm sorry, please, I didn't realise" she projected straight into the humans neural implant, unable to use her voice because of his grip.
This shocked Jamie, his grip loosening as the words rang through his mind, he staggered back, momentarily dazed from the unfamiliar sensation. "What do you want from me?!" he bellowed, recovering and glaring at the female medic, glancing at the unmoving male in the corner.
Massaging her neck Ju'ut remained on the floor, surprised to see as she looked tentatively at Jamie a single year running down Jamie's face. Was it a tranferrance of emotion from the synaptic communication she used? Or was he upset that he felt betrayed? Shaking from the violence of the encounter she asked "Why did you attack us? I brought you food" she threw the bag at his feet "I need to check on Etar".
As she regained her feet Jamie merely stood there, his breathing heavy and his pupils like pinpricks, clearly calculating her movements, also eyeing the meat, this must be the adrenal response she'd heard so much about.
Etar was in a bad way. The blow was no doubt close to the equivalent of being in a shuttle crash and it showed, blood was gurgling out of his mouth and his respiration came rapidly, he probably had some damaged organs along with a few broken bones. It was curious how their two species had evolved similarly in so many ways.
"Med team to temporary detention cell, cargo bay 5, emergency state 1, Officer down" she projected to the security team. They had about 30 seconds before the team got here and intended to use every second now that she'd had time to assess the situation.
"Listen. I must talk this way, for speed. There's no time, take the meat, it is safe to eat. Get as far back as you can and we will talk more later" she said, trying to stabilise the commander, her back to Jamie. "What you did might terminate our visits, so I suggest you just sit behind your boxes, eat and keep your strength up, I will try and explain what happened here" she said, sorrow filling her voice.
Jamie's body had relaxed a little and he realised the seriousness of the situation, long forgotten parts of his brain registered the fact that he had attacked someone that probably held rank and had clearly upset the female. "I'm... I'm sorry" he said, his shoulders dropping as he backed away, returning behind the boxes he now called home, hands held in a placating gesture, after all Ju'ut had never harmed him.
A few seconds later the doors opened and five more Sarlans in similar attire to the young female entered, flanked by 4 large males, all holding blasters, aimed at Jamie. Jamie watched as they managed to get the Commander onto a stretcher and floated him out of the room, followed closely by the soldiers. Jamie was alone once more and he looked down at the meat, he was starving but hated raw meat.
Well, at least I've got some damn food now. Thought Jamie as he looked around for a way to cook the meat, eyes settling on the ration box.
--------
"I'm sorry, but would you care to explain that last part one more time?" said the human medic, a thick drawl in his accent.
"As I said, our medics were attempting to communicate, apparently to share a meal with him to earn his trust and he viciously attacked my commander" stated the captain coldly, clearly unimpressed by the blasé attitude displayed by the human.
"Uh huh, I saw the vid on the way over and I gotta say, you were doing okay till he went in all stiff and armed. To be honest, that was kind of a mild reaction considering what the poor boy went through just to make it to adulthood" he stretched and yawned, scratching his head "Long journeys always make me tired though, so I'll interview the medic and get some sleep if that works for you guys?".
The Captain grimaced, he hated humans and their lack of formality "Fine. Do as you wish. But you only have until we have finished our 'shore leave' as you humans put it" his eyes harden at his next words "After that, he's your problem and we fully expect a public apology from a diplomatic envoy".
The human medic, Reggie, pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed "I'll send a message over the net before I conduct the interview, I'll update you tomorrow Captain", bloody stiff Sarlans, why did it have to be them? He thought to himself.
The Captain nodded and dismissed the human and ships medic. As they headed out the door towards Reggie's temporary quarters Ju'ut asked "So you watched the videos? Was there anything I could have done better?". Her earnest tone and expression taking Reggie by surprise.
"I... Uh... You did fine" Reggie smiled warmly to reassure her "I'm surprised you took to trying to rehabilitate him so wholeheartedly, no offence but Sarlans and humans have a complicated recent history" he said with a raised eyebrow.
Ju'ut shifted slightly, clearly uncomfortable, but replied "Well, initially I was just fascinated by human's - I mean your people's - resilience. Then when the opportunity arose I couldn't resist, I had to see it for myself".
Reggie's brow furrowed but he merely smiled as they walked.
"How do we get some food in this place anyway?" said Reggie, suddenly aware that he hadn't eaten in some time.
"Oh just order through the net on the out of hours service, saves heading to the mess hall" smiled Ju'ut.
"Awesome, well we appear to be here" said Reggie with a tired flourish towards an unremarkable door. "Let's get this interview underway, I'll just order that food".
As the two of them chatted over the details of the last couple of days, Reggie took notes while eating the Sarlan's best effort at a sandwich, he had to concede it wasn't bad. The interview went on as Reggie probed about body language, specific timings and wording used.
They ended up chatting once they were done with the details, exchanging jokes and stories, enjoying each other's company until Reggie yawned wide and sleepily mumbled "Oh god, I'm really sorry, but I'm gonna have to call it there, it's been an absolute pleasure chatting but I really need my beauty sleep".
"Oh of course! I'll leave you be, I'll petition the Captain to allow us to see Jamie tomorrow" she stood and left, leaving Reggie to get some much needed sleep.
The next morning came and the ships auto-weather roused Reggie with a simulation of birdsong. As he groaned and stretched, heading for a shower he started to think over the details from the previous evening, thinking hard about what kind of approach to adopt. My training is practically useless in this situation, Reggie mused as he washed.
Once dressed and fed Reggie headed up to the bridge, arriving just in time to catch yet another disapproving glare from the Captain. "Good morning Medic Orden, I take it you're also in favour of this meeting?" clearly referencing Ju'ut's proposal the night before.
"Of course, I'll take him some decent chow and hopefully that'll soften him up for a chat" replied Reggie brightly, with a smile.
"Shall we get moving then?" said Ju'ut, with a determined look on her face "May we take our leave Sir?" she directed to the Captain.
"You may, try not to get yet another officer almost killed" replied the Captain curtly.
Ju'ut and Reggie turned smartly to leave, paying compliments in their respective ways to the captain as they turned to leave.
"So what's the game plan today then young one?" said Reggie, his face showing mild amusement "As he said, he doesn't want me getting mashed up".
"I... Uh... Kind of thought you'd take the lead from here" she said, her face the absolute picture of shock, her body language deferential.
"Oh no, I think you're doing a great job! You're knowledgeable and keen, which is the best anyone can really ask for when dealing with an emotionally damaged individual! A new face will hold no trust for him even if I am also human" he said, a warm smile on his face and nodded to her.
Taking the cue, Ju'ut thought for a second about what she'd planned to do before the human medic arrived "Well I'd thought that I could practice my human English with him and maybe build a rapport? Share some food, hopefully gain a little trust" she admitted, a little shy, her skin flushing.
"You speak human? Actually speak it?" Reggie replied, his turn to be shocked. "But Sarlan's don't take to it easily and there is no need to use it when we all have implants" he added, the surprise and confusion evident on his weathered face.
"Yes that's true, however, it fascinates me, like a lot of your culture" she said shyly, with a small laugh.
"Now THAT is fascinating" replied Reggie, impressed with how much the young medic had done already and now very sure he'd made the right choice to let her take the lead.
As they traversed the corridors and lifts heading towards the cargo hold, Reggie thought back to one of his first tours as a medic, he was much younger then, still tall at 6'2" but much slimmer, without any of the grey in his hair. He had been assigned to an infanteer who was suffering from PTSD, his experiences twisting his view of the world until he was almost a shell of a man with no hope left. He didn't last long and Reggie knew that he couldn't have done much more for him, but still blamed himself.
They soon arrived at the cargo hold Jamie was being held in. Reggie instinctively knocked on the door, to a strange look from Ju'ut "Uh... What was that?" she asked as they heard a disgruntled "What do you want? You don't normally bother to knock" from the other side.
"Oh... Do you not normally knock?" whispered Reggie, to a shaken head from Ju'ut. "We're here to talk, is that okay?" called Reggie through the door, the implants helping them hear each other.
"Come in I guess" came the reply as Ju'ut opened the door.
Jamie stood in the middle of the room, hands up as he saw the mismatched pair. The small fragile Sarlan, her bluish-red skin almost glowing in the light. Next to her a large human male, slightly pudgy, greying hair, his face slightly pointed despite the rounding that comes with age. However, in spite of his fluffy appearance Jamie could tell that he wasn't one to be trifled with. The way he carried himself betrayed years of training and combat.
"Who are you" said Jamie defensively, growing noticeably tense. Ju'ut stood looking between the two hulks, unsure of what to do to ease the growing tension, until she finally replied "This Reggy" gesturing towards the man with her, English still a little difficult for her "He ju'ut's friend".
"This your idea of security?" sneered Jamie, assuming a crouched position.
"No... This..." Ju'ut said as she tried to find the adequate words "is same as me, maydeek" she said, coughing slightly from the effort of the unfamiliar words.
Jamie's eyes seemed to soften momentarily at Ju'ut's words and efforts to speak in his tongue. "Fine. What you want then?" he said eyeing Reggie suspiciously.
Reggie looked at Ju'ut for approval, trying to infer that she is in charge. She nodded and he said in his thick drawl "I heard you haven't had much in the way of decent meat or cooking facilities, would you mind if we chat while we smoke some meat?" he smiled, the warmth of it making his face crinkle.
Jamie's eyes betrayed his excitement at the prospect of properly smoked meat, his mouth salivating, even if he merely grunted in response.
Reggie nodded as he communicated to the cargo team to bring in the smoker and haunch of Centauri Sow, so named because of its Centaur like proportions and also it's home planet's proximity to Alpha Centauri. Apparently humans have a weird sense of humour when it comes to naming things.
As the three of them sat on boxes as makeshift stools waiting for their pork joint to cook, the smells emanating over to them causing them all to salivate Jamie broke the silence.
"So you a traitor then?" he huffed at Reggie "I can see the crap they've put into this chip in my head, I've had lots of time. But could be a trap" he narrowed his eyes at the human medic.
"No bud, no tricks, none of it is false" Reggie said placidly "I lost plenty during the war, but in the day and age we find ourselves in we have to be able to adapt, we can't hold on to stuff like that when there are worse things out there" he glanced at Ju'ut, wondering if he should continue, but thought better of it.
"Sounds like something a traitor would say" said Jamie with I dry chuckle, still obviously dubious, but seeming to be becoming more conversational "What did you do in the war then? Cause last thing I remember about it I was flying a ship around a completely unremarkable planet and got hit with an orbital mine".
Ju'ut stiffened slightly, knowing that this could be a tough conversation for Reggie, but Reggie replied without even so much as a pause "Well I'm a medic, I was a combat medic back then, did my share of missions both planetside and aboard ships. People died no matter where I was, so when the war ended I tried to get into cross species exchanges. I didn't have to look at people that reminded me of the boys I lost" he said with a sombre tone "guess I was fooling myself, cause I eventually specialised in mental health triage and initial treatment which brought me straight back to the lads... Kept losing them too though".
Jamie sat and listened intently, clearly gauging the medic's body language and story, his own body language beginning to soften slightly, when at that moment Ju'ut was walking back over with a plate of freshly roasted Centaurian Sow shoulder. The two men jumped slightly, neither had noticed her leave during their conversation.
"Sorry, I... I was trying to not intrude" she stammered, setting the meat down on the makeshift table between them.
"It's fine" said Jamie, his momentary drop in his defences clearly unsettling him "Thanks I guess".
Reggie glance at Jamie and said "I'm gonna cut the meat, that okay?" as he motioned to his pocket.
Jamie merely nodded, but eyed him suspiciously as Reggie pulled a knife from his pocket "Unless you'd rather do it? I'm sure you've had plenty of practice over the last 15 years" he chuckled as he offered the knife to Jamie.
Jamie looked at him dubiously before slowly reaching for the knife, clearly still not trusting Reggie. As he took it, he paused looking around, then picked up the fork that was on the plate that Ju'ut had used to take it out of the cooker. Deftly slicing the meat into manageable amounts he put some on each plate and for a moment they all sat and ate in silence.
Once Jamie had finished he took a closer look at the knife, something stirring in his memories, like a memory of a memory. As he inspected it he saw the words "Per Mare, Per Terram" etched on the blade.
"Is this...?" Jamie seemed to almost remember and Reggie said "It was a gift, I was never a marine, but one of the boys I lost was and he gave that to me, had I made special for me".
Jamie felt the weight of it in his hand, it was perfectly balanced and fit his hand comfortably, every curve on the handle feeling so natural it could have been made for him. Knowing that this clearly meant a lot to the medic Jamie handed it back to him.
"Seemed to fit you better than it does me, maybe hold on to it and we can share a bit again tomorrow?" said Reggie, a raised eyebrow and a shrug.
"I'd like that" said Jamie, still looking at the knife, contemplating everything that had just happened, looking almost childlike despite his hulking mass and wild appearance.
As the two got up to leave, Jamie called to them as they reached the door "Beef tomorrow?" they both nodded and smiled as they headed back out into the ship.
Elsewhere in the ship there was pandemonium of a kind very different to the brand that Jamie had elicited so far. Logistical, as every ranking officer on the ship stood in a deadlock with the customs and immigration officers on the outpost.
“What do you mean he's not registered? We bloody well know! He's likely pre war registered!” bellowed the Captain, showing a lack of restraint that seemed to bring some concerned looks from his fellow officers.
The Taleaen seemed completely unmoved by the Captains outburst and merely replied “any entity must be registered with their homeworld office, assuming it has one. Should this not be the case, the being must remain in transit until the identity for said entity can be verified or created at the head office of said homeworld. If the entity lacks a homeworld please apply to Central registry to have one assigned and take the entity to the assigned Office.” the Taleaen droned this out like a practiced speech adding only “I this case, I would recommend taking this human to their adopted homeworld and applying for their ID on the way there. Safe travels.”.
The Captain seethed with rage, garnering more concerned looks from the officers around him. This was most unusual. Not the intergalactic customs being douche canoes, that was pretty standard. The levels of emotion from a Sarlan though… that was unusual.
The Captain finally admitted defeat and just turned on his heel gesturing for the other officers to follow “Shore leave will be ending in a few days, new course to be set. Terra Nova.” he hated bringing this to his own front doorstep, but what choice did he have?
“What is the status of Commander Etar?” asked Pilot Y’vre “will he recover before we leave?” the concern in his voice almost expected of such a young Sarlan.
“He will be fit to travel, he will be monitored though to ensure his recovery leaves no blemish” replied the Captain coldly.
As the officers re-entered the ship, they passed what could only be described as a 7 foot tall, walking dragon wearing a mech suit. “Greetings of your kind, Captain. I hope the negotiations were fruitful?” it said, through a vocal interface.
The Captain sighed and replied through gritted teeth “They were decidedly not. Also, Dorian, I've told you before that your vocal translator is buggy. It keeps saying ‘greetings of your kind’ because we Sarlans to not greet with words, please endeavor to calibrate this the next time we meet.”
The Dracorlix sighed heavily and replied “My deepest apologies Captain, I must have been low on Ox when I donned my day suit. Please excuse me” it bowed placatingly as it turned to leave.
“That guy needs to take a day off” Chuckled Dorian. His feet clanging as he headed into the Outpost, the scanners identifying him as he crossed the threshold. As he wandered he thought about the Captains behaviour of late, his wings flapping slightly as he did until he reached the vendors stalls, searching for the Dracorlix who served him before.
Spotting the stall over the heads of the other shoppers, he forged forward, apologising almost every second step due to the bulk of his suit and the confined space. “How's it going? Got any new flavours in today?” he asked the stall owner brightly.
“Oh you're really gonna like these bro, honestly never tasted anything like it! Best neyar fruit flavour this side of the dark spots!” replied the shopkeeper brightly, a slightly slow cadence to his words, toking on an apparatus that seemed to expel pink mist “Also got some new feed bugs, fresher the better right?”.
Dorian chatted with the shop keep a while and eventually walked away having spent far too much on far too little he sighed and headed back to the ship, toking on his own pink nebuliser as he went.
By the time he got back to the ship the place was in uproar.
“Dorian! There's a parasite on board! Get to your quarters quick!” yelled the human medic Reggie as he sealed the doors.
