Dear Journal,
I’m killing them.
I don’t know what to do.
I’m . . . scared.
Shit.
The experiments weren’t going well, at least that was what I assumed. After all, I’d been lying on this freakishly uncomfortable bed almost non-stop for what seemed like weeks now, and the scientists that were studying me didn’t seem to be doing anything different from what they had done the first day they started studying me. I think the grey Yoda was the lead researcher, and I think he was mad at me. Any injections I needed to be given were administered by him, and for a lead medical researcher he either didn’t know how to use a needle to save his life or he made it as painful as possible on purpose. My arm hated him. I didn’t give him the satisfaction of a grunt.
And despite all of their tireless work, little progress was being made. I’d fall asleep to their working in the lab and would awake to them doing the same thing. I don’t know much about research, but I think finding a cure requires more than just enjoying the show as the disease in question kills all the cells on your test slide. I guess we had more time than most situations like this one, but the researchers could have at least tried to look as though they were in a time crunch.
The reason we had more time had come as something of a shock to me. I had been in my special little room for so long I hadn’t really seen how the rest of the crew had been faring. I was finally allowed to stretch my legs, which was an arduous process as it required everyone to put on hazmat suits before I left my room, and I saw that nearly every single member of the crew were sealed in little pods along the wall. I didn’t need to be told what the pods where. I could see from the condensation on the lids that it was cold inside, and yet I couldn’t see any of my crew members breath. They’d been put in cryo to keep them alive while the cure was found. The only crew member not in cryo was Mama. Coincidence, that.
It was the sight of the condition the rest of the crew was in that gave me the will to lie still for hours on end as the mechanism in my bed beeped and whirred, gathering information on me of a nature that I couldn’t even begin to fathom. It also helped me scarf down the nutrient supplements they’d been giving me. I felt better, and I assumed that meant they’d figured out what my body needed, but they could have at least made them taste better, right? After the second week of virtually nothing happening, my worst fears were confirmed when Mama had a heated conversation with the grey Yoda. The tones suggested that Mama was angry at the lack of progress, or perhaps was accusing the Yoda of intentionally slowing down the process. I wasn’t as used to the Yoda’s tones as I was to Mama’s but I could tell he was denying it.
The research assistant to the Yoda, a white-alpha-giraffe (that’s what I called the not blue-giraffes that almost looked like blue-giraffes) seemed to stay out of the argument, but if I were a betting man – I actually am but that’s none of your business – I would have put everything on him being guilty. Then there was the other lab assistant. He was an oddly shaped fellow, with green scales for skin and six limbs: three legs and three arms. He looked like a lopsided lizard-ant crossover, hence the name I gave his species: lizard-ant. He was the only one of my researchers I didn’t trust. He had a shifty look about him if I’d ever seen one, and I whenever he was in my room alone he would work with machines I’d never seen the other researchers touch, but only when they weren’t in the room.
I know it’s odd to say that I actually trusted a Yoda over the lizard-ant, named Shifty, but it was true. Sure, Good-Yoda was a jerk, but he was an honest jerk as far as I could tell. He hated me because I had nearly bashed his skull apart. I could understand and respect that. After all, I couldn’t talk to him and apologize. Shifty, on the other hand, legitimately seemed to hate me, but he only expressed it in looks. I assumed they were threatening looks, as they made my skin crawl when he gave them to me and I was the only one I’d seen him use them on. I couldn’t really find a solid reason for why I disliked him, it’s just a vibe I got, but hey, I’d gotten a similar if more honest vibe from Severus and I’d been pretty spot on as far as I could tell, so I decided to go with my instincts. If they weren’t able to detect danger, then what were they good for anyway?
After what happened at that station I decided I should listen to my instincts more often.
“You aren’t even trying! You’ve done nothing but stare at your damn test slides since we’ve been here while my family is dying! You’re telling me you haven’t discovered anything of use? You have the most sophisticated equipment the galaxy can offer you and yet you can’t figure out how one little being’s immune system works despite having a machine that can literally give you live video of it doing it’s job??!!” Xkkrk knew she was shouting, but she didn’t care. She had discovered the true nature of these “researchers” work several days ago, although she hadn’t let on that she knew. In essence, the plight of her crew had been put on the back burner, if not completely discarded as insignificant, as the “security risk that this species represents to the rest of the sapient life in the galaxy is investigated”. Essentially, nothing had been done for her crew. The science crew of the “hospital” only seemed to want to understand how to make Cqcq’trtr bleed.
She could foresee the use of such research in a coldly logical way, but it was wrong to do it without Cqcq’trtr’s permission and especially immoral when her crew was frozen in cryo so they wouldn’t die while these scientists attempted to find a vulnerability in Cqcq’trtr’s physical and immunological physiology. She could say without a trace of guilt that she was glad they were as frustrated on that front as she was with them. From what she could tell, they hadn’t managed to inflict anything but a mild response from Cqcq’trtr’s immune system, and physical scans had revealed that he probably could survive several shots from an anti–tank gun.
The memories of those discoveries brought a cold smile to Xkkrk’s face as the Corti explained to her why they really did have her crew’s well-being in mind, and how their work was essential to saving their lives. It had been near the end of the first ricta (1.5 weeks) when the entire research station had been shocked to find that Cqcq’trtr had bones composed of a mix of what the scientists told her was hydroxyapatite, calcium phosphate, and a protein they’d never seen before, but Cqcq’trtr seemed to have in abundance. The apparently a similar mix, except a different protein, had recently been proposed for use in the exoskeleton structure of a new generation of combat harnesses for use in the ongoing war with the Celzi alliance, but the idea had ultimately been rejected when it was discovered that the costs to actually find and mine that much calcium would have put the Dominion in debt. This creature seemed to have one of the proposed exosuits built into him, rather than the galactically standard skeletal system composed of silica based composite.
Not even mentioning his bone structure, his muscles were a study in compacted death hardened in high-gravity and then with a little chaos thrown in. Xkkrk hadn’t understand most of the things the researchers had been saying as they enumerated the destructive and defensive capabilities Cqcq’trtr’s muscles afforded him, but from what she understood they were laughably simple in their composition, except that this simplicity allowed them to be stronger than any living organism in the known galaxy.
From what she understood the only way his skeletal muscles could move was by contracting. Since this afforded an extremely limited range of motion, he required an astounding 650 of them just to give his body the range of motion of a normal organism, as opposed to the average number of about 150. Because they were so simple, however, and their movement so restricted, they were able to be composed of extremely rigid materials which aligned themselves into an interlocking polymer mesh that was nearly impossible to break, explaining Cqcq’trtr unfathomable durability. The potential energy able to be contained within them was astounding, and made Xkkrk wonder if he’d even been trying when he’d protected them from Ztrkx.
On the immunological front, the scientists efforts to discover a viral or pathogenic organism that Cqcq’trtr’s immune system couldn’t tear to pieces was also failing. Xkkrk didn’t think Cqcq’trtr had noticed that over the past two rictas (three weeks) he’d survived fifty of the galaxy’s most infamous plagues, usually more than three at a time. The first success the scientists had thought they had only showed them how far they had to go before they could find a biological deterrent for Cqcq’trtr’s species.
After infecting him with a cocktail of the Victen virus, Xilix plague, and Daz-5, a biological weapon outlawed in the peace accords of the Sassinal massacre . . . err, war . . . the researchers had been overjoyed when the onslaught of terminal illnesses were not immediately stifled by Cqcq’trtr’s overpowered immune system. His body flew into a fever and released the Hunter cells, but the trifecta of galactic antigenic superpowers held on, but only just. Then the researchers were introduced to what they would later call the Hunter helpers.
They started appearing after the fever was unsuccessful in slowing down the infection. Then they wouldn’t stop appearing. The smaller hunter cells began augmenting the Hunter cell’s attacks in any way they could, shepherding the protein markers to where they were needed the most, even halting the infections advance by sacrificing themselves to create a nigh impregnable physical barrier the infection could not pass without being blocked or consumed by the shear number of hunter helpers. Within two rics (an hour) the hunter helpers had become so numerous the scanner was having difficulty picking out anything of the terrifying swarm. After only one ricto (two days) the deadly cocktail had been beaten into submission with the elegance Cqcq’trtr had displayed while gifting off the pirates.
The worst part of the experiment, according to the scientists records, was that once an infection was successfully rebuffed, Cqcq’trtr couldn’t catch it again. His body remembered. They had started running out of biological monstrosities to infect him with and had started mutating their own so they could even continue. They were also unaware that Xkkrk knew of their activities, especially their immunological “studies”. She had to admit, it was sometimes advantageous to be a part of a species that was always discounted as unobservant and unintelligent. It may be true to a certain degree, but that didn’t mean she had been born yesterday. Since they had thought she was still buying their lies, they weren’t bothering to watch her. If they had, they would have seen her discretely copying their records every time they weren’t in the lab.
She hated what they were doing to Cqcq’trtr, but as of yet they hadn’t managed to do anything in the slightest to harm him, and she knew she’d only be able to help him escape the facility once before she was either declared infectious and shoved into a cryo pod, or perhaps merely killed. At first she had doubted the research crew were truly doing this out of malicious intent, and she’d been right. After one ricta and two ricto’s (approximately 2 weeks 1 day) she had found a message from none other than the Dominion Intelligence Agency. It seemed that they had been informed of the potential security risk and ordered the research station to investigate ways in which Cqcq’trtr’s people could be dealt with if they reached the stars and turned out to be hostile.
The only thing that had kept Xkkrk from rushing to Cqcq’trtr the instant she read the message and doing everything within her power to get him off the station was the end of the message which dictated that the research crew were still to try and find a way to cure the infected Vzk’tk, but for it to be a secondary priority. After all, they were people in need of protection and that was what the DIA aimed to provide, they just had to also consider the future, and the future was grim if Cqcq’trtr’s people found the rest of the galaxy’s sophants to be vulnerable in every way and fancied a galactic conquest.
That message had been tearing at Xkkrk for the past three rictos (6 days). The researchers who had been dedicated to Xkkrk’s family, who were admittedly the third string researchers on the station, still legitimately needed comprehensive scans of Cqcq’trtr in order for their research to continue. Without him, they wouldn’t have a cure. If she “rescued” Cqcq’trtr from those who wanted to find a way in which to hypothetically destroy him, that would spell the almost imminent death of her crew. She found herself damned if she did and damned if she didn’t. Sometimes sapience was real bitch.
“We have made some progress.” The Corti’s words snapped Xkkrk back into the moment. “We’ve just finished the development of an implant we can subdermally inject into . . . uh . . Cqcq’trtr’s . . . body that will prevent him from infecting other beings he interacts with. It is essentially a more permanent version of the front-line inoculation our zoologist give to potentially hazardous creatures.” Xkkrk decided to not point out the flaws in the Corti’s wording about his people use of their inoculation. She had to admit that this invention would be terribly useful, but she also knew they’d managed to make it after the first ricta (1.5 weeks) of studying Cqcq’trtr, and it had primarily been made to be inserted into kinetic projectiles which would prevent hypothetical Cqcq’trtr-esque prisoners from killing their guards by breathing on them.
“We would have already taken the liberty of injecting him with it, had it not been for his reluctance to allow us to approach him with anything other than minor injections.” Said the Robalin researcher. Xkkrk didn’t like him. He seemed slimy, and that wasn’t just because his skin naturally secreted a thin mucus covering over his soft scales. His entier personality reeked of ulterior motives, something she had learned to sense as a cargo ship crew member. She knew she shouldn’t distrust the Robalin. After all, their people had been brought into the Dominions fold after they had failed to create their apocalyptic bio-weapon, but something about this one just didn’t sit right with her. She wasn’t speciesist, was she?
“He seems to trust you, for reasons I still cannot fathom,” the Robalin purred. “If we could have but a single standard cubit of blood (50cc) it would aid our efforts enormously. Scans of his chemical composition can only achieve so much, and seeing how his blood would react to different stimuli outside his body would be invaluable.”
“I have already told you, Dr. UtMot,” snapped Dr. Triv, the Corti researcher, “It serves no practical purpose for us to have a sample of blood outside of his body when we have his body here in our lab. I don’t know why you are so insistent on this point.” He took a moment to consider Dr. UtMot, then seemed to snap out of his consideration and turned back to Xkkrk. “However, Dr. UtMot is correct in one respect, Cqcq’trtr does seem to trust you. If you could inject him with this permanent front line solution, it would allow him to walk about the station more often. He does seem to be rather restless.”
“Why, Dr. Triv, I didn’t know you cared for our patients well being.” Xkkrk simpered in her most scathing voice. Dr. Triv huffed. A very dry huff.
“I don’t, he nearly killed me, but it makes it difficult to get a good scan from him when he’s shifting around on the bed.”
Fair enough. Xkkrk really didn’t need convincing that the permanent front-line solution was a good thing for Cqcq’trtr to have, she just didn’t want Dr. Triv to actually think he could get away with pretending he cared for him. Walking over to where Cqcq’trtr sat on the bed, she could see that he did look restless. He showed his teeth to her, which Xkkrk knew was the exact opposite of a threatening gesture despite all appearances. She attempted to copy the gesture, and Cqcq’trtr started giving his equivalent of a laugh. Xkkrk assumed she looked ridiculous.
Cqcq’trtr had become her only companion after everyone else in the crew had been put in cryo, and they had created an extremely rudimentary form of communication between them based off of gestures, body language, and tone of voice. She could see Cqcq’trtr’s face become the picture of wariness the moment she raised the subdermal injection apparatus in front of her. She quickly used the gesture that roughly translated into “It’s ok this won’t permanently harm you. You need to take it”, at least that’s how Xkkrk used it, and it got the results she desired, so she assumed Cqcq’trtr thought it meant the same thing.
He relaxed, and she placed it against his forearm, lined it up with his bone, and pressed the button. The apparatus made a loud click and Cqcq’trtr gritted his teeth in discomfort, but was otherwise still. Dang he had a pain tolerance. The apparatus had been made especially to get past his tough skin, and was strong enough it probably would have sent the transplant into any lesser being’s bones. She wasn’t as amazed as she would have once been however. It was somewhat comforting to be friends with a creature that could fight his way through everyone in this station. It meant that if she had to get him out for his own good, all she’d have to do was point him in the right direction.
“Excellent,” rasped Dr. Triv. “If your services are needed we will not hesitate to call for you. Thank you.” Clearly dismissed, Xkkrk left the room to grind her teeth in peace.
The events which would lead to my life’s third alien upheaval started during the night of in the middle of the third week. After that thing Mama had put in my arm I’d been allowed to move about the station without everyone having to act like I’d swallowed Uranium, which was great because I was feeling weak. My muscles were being destroyed by this weak gravity and I needed to keep my shape up. I’d started doing pushups, situps, and generally any exercise I could think of that didn’t require any equipment. I could do nearly twice as many as I’d been able to do on Earth, but I figured it was still a workout, although I wish I could adjust the gravity.
After my second workout of the day it was bed time. The station dimmed it’s lights approximately every eight hours I guessed, so that everyone could sleep – these creatures did that a lot, they got tired so fast – and I would usually roam around during these times, or exercise, or sleep, depending on what I felt like. I decided to sleep during this sleep period because I had exercised during the last one and again about an hour ago when they gave me a break from being scanned. I was suitably tired, and would have gone to sleep the moment I lay down, if the hairs on the back of my neck hadn’t stood on end the moment I entered my room.
You know that feeling, like someone’s breathing down your shirt, or maybe staring at your soul. It’s the feeling that makes you sure there’s someone right behind you waiting to take you wallet, if you’re lucky. I’ve felt that too many times in my life, and each one of those times I could have avoided something I’d want to if I’d only listened to it the moment I felt it. I listened to it this time. Lucky for me. Shift came dropping down on my from the ceiling – freaking lizards – and I only avoided him by dropping and rolling – I told you that was a good move. He leapt at me, but I was already on my feet and he’d lost the element of surprise.
I could see the panic in his eyes as he attacked me and I evaded him with laughable ease. I got a chance to see what he had tried to stab into the back of my neck when he’d dropped from above. He was holding a purple syringe of sleep. It was a syringe they’d only started using last approximate week. None of the sedatives they’d given me were working, until they came up with this new one which put me down like a horse. Why did he think he had to attack me to sedate me, and why did he have to do it now when no one else was around? I assumed the two were related, and looked at him to see if I could find any other clues. He had a belt on with two other syringes on it, one was empty. The other was the blue syringe of death. Ah.
I hadn’t given this freak my blood, because I wasn’t giving these scientists anything until Mama proved to me that it was okay, since I was starting to get the feeling they weren’t really working on a cure for the rest of the crew. I’d felt sick a few times after they’d given me some injections, and every time I started feeling better they started freaking out. I didn’t like that, but I hadn’t quite figured out why. It’s not like they were trying to get me sick. I didn’t think Mama would let them do that.
That left this guy. He had tried to get my blood on multiple occasions when no one else had been in the room, and each time I’d taken the empty syringe from him and thrown it against the wall. He’d gotten the picture pretty quick. It looked like he’d decided to stop asking me. Thankfully, it really didn’t matter one way or the other what he wanted.
He saw my eyes alight upon the blue syringe of death and turn dangerous. That made him freak out. He started running for the door. I caught him in after about a meter. Why does no one jump in this low gravity, it works so much better than running. I picked the blue syringe of death from his belt. “Now I’m pretty sure I know what this is, but I could also be wrong. A blue syringe is just a blue syringe, and I don’t know much of what you guys are doing. If you’re supposed to be here, then I doubt you were ordered to kill me, either they’d have brought an army with the biggest guns they had and waited until I was asleep. But, on the off chance you’re just doing your job, I’ll let you try this syringe out first. If it’s not what I think it is, you’ll be fine and I’ll let you go get another one and I’ll inject it myself. If it isn’t . . .”
I stuck the needle into his arm and he started struggling harder than ever. Didn’t really bode well for him. It looks like I was right, because ten seconds after I injected him his struggles became less and less, then finally his breath stopped. I had left a little in the syringe so that I had an explanation as to why I’d done it, but I doubted he was here on orders. That started my wondering. Why hadn’t he just waited until I was asleep. I usually slept when everyone else was asleep, just, only every other sleeping period they took. This move of his spoke of illicit action combined with a time crunch. Why would he have needed my blood so soon?
My thoughts were interrupted as the door opened once again. I leapt to it’s blind side and waited to see who was entering. It was the Yoda. I snarled. Coming to see if his friend had been successful, had he? He heard my growl, and I prepared to leap at him.
“I was not responsible for his actions, and if you kill me your Vzk’tk friend will die along with everyone on this station.”
My jaw dropped. It had been so long since I’d heard another recognizable voice other than my own that it took me a moment to figure out what the Yoda had said. “You can talk to me?” I spluttered. “How? Why haven’t you done it before? Why just you? Can the others understand me?”
He held up a hand. My questions ceased. “My race is perhaps the most unethical sapient species among the stars, but we’re also one of the most intelligent. When the searchers, excuse me, zoologists find an up and coming species that will soon reach the stars, we abduct several of their number and study them for a number of reasons. First and foremost so we can create common galactic items fit to their physiology, but that wouldn’t really require an abduction of more than one of two people. The other reason we abduct a large number of the species in question is so that we can learn their weaknesses so that, if we’re ever threatened, we can exploit them. Such experimentation is difficult when the species is a recognized sapient, so we do it before legal matters interfere with our self-preservation. Our advanced understanding of other species and our prowess in cybernetic implants have allowed my kind, and my kind alone, to implant a two way translator into the language centers of our brains, along with a device that allows me to download any pertinent research conducted by my kind regarding any known species I should happen to encounter, or perhaps escaped research subjects that should be dead,” he coughed and looked at me pointedly. ” I and others like me can understand you. If I wanted to I could even act as a translator between you and another, so long as I could understand both. I refrained from doing such as it was advantageous for me to withhold this information from everyone on board. After all, if you could talk, I would have had to ask your permission before I continued my people’s work on you. You gave them quite a bit of trouble, didn’t you?”
“You son of a-“
“Actually my mother was quite normal, thank you. The researchers who abducted you were quite entertained once they discovered what that little saying meant. I’m not here to gloat, though, I just need you to understand that I ‘hold all the cards,’ and also so that you can know why the unfortunate Dr. UtMot,” he motioned to the dead lizard-ant on the floor “attempted what he did. He is of a race known as the Robalin. Approximately twenty of your years ago they attempted to create a biological weapon capable of destroying any organism that displeased them. Thankfully their ambition was greater than their intelligence and they failed. They were quickly defeated and assimilated into the Dominion, of which my people and the many others you see here on this station are a part of. Then you show up at this station. A member of the a species that is a gun pointed at the head of the galaxy. You are the only race my people has not yet been able to find a satisfiable exploitable weakness for, you especially. Your immune system is extremely good, even by the measure of your kind, in case you were wondering.”
“I eat my vegetables.” I said through clenched teeth.
“Very wise of you. The reason I tell you of this is that Dr. UtMot appears to have been a part of a faction within the Robalin that are still looking for their illusive ‘dooms day bio-weapon’, at least I hope it’s just a faction. The important outcome of this, however, is that an old Robalin class-4 biocruiser has just decloaked 300 of your kilometers from the station, and has been sending comlink requests to Dr. UtMot every fifteen ‘minutes’ to check on his progress. I do not believe he will be able to make his next check in, do you?”
I looked at Shifty’s – what kind of name is UtMot – body. I think Dick Yoda here had the right of things. “So why are you telling me this? What do you want me to do?”
He looked at me, apparently annoyed that I wasn’t getting his drift. Dick. “They are here because it is time for them to pick up the last installment of Dr. UtMot’s delivery. It appears he has been attempting to develop a bio-weapon by himself. I have become increasingly suspicious of his activity as of late and so I assume, being frightened that I was on to him, he called for an extraction, which is waiting outside. Even if UtMot is dead, it is too much to hope that he had not already sendt all his work to his friends. With him dead, however, they will know that he has been compromised. That will mean they have a good deal of clean up to do. If the Dominion learns of this, any hope these Robalins have of this plan succeeding will be crushed. They’ve been jamming communications for an ‘hour’ now. With UtMot’s untimely demise, they’ll need to kill everyone on this station and abduct you. They’ve no doubt been informed of your . . . tenacity . . . and will most likely take advantage of the compartmentalization of this station and obliterate all of it except your room, which they will then drag into their cargo bay, cut into it from multiple directions at once, and then fill it with anti-tank fire. You will be subdued. I know this because that’s how I’d do it, and the Robalins are better than I am at strategy.”
“Wow. Nice pep-talk. You should really try coaching t-ball, you’d do wonder’s for those kids self esteem.”
“At least they would be able to shut up and listen when I’m talking to them, now . . .”
“I doubt it. Did you download any files on human children dude?” Dick ground his teeth. I smiled. Taking a deep breath he continued.
“The only way we can prevent your capture and the death of everyone on this station is if UtMot is successful in his mission.”
“You’re not making me feel any better.” He ignored me.
“If he was successful, then he would have dragged your unconscious body – probably with a transport bed from your cargo ship – into one of this stations shuttles and taken you to his friend’s ship before anyone was the wiser.”
“Why not just eject this room and then let his friends pick that up?”
“Because that would sound a containment breach alarm which would wake everyone up.”
“Do they really think people aren’t going to start wondering why Dr. UtMot and myself are missing when they wake up?”
“Of course we would. If they’re successful in abducting you they’ll still destroy this station, but it’s significantly easier to do so with you off it and everyone asleep. If a containment breach was sounded the computer would go on high alert, and if anyone fired at the station it would detect the shot before it hit and raise the shields. Biocruisers aren’t known for their weapons, and if the shields were raised they’d never get through, so they’d just run away with the information they have so far, hide from the Dominion, and resurface a century later, possibly with their completed weapon. But if everyone is unaware of their presence, they can just use the shuttle UtMot stole to board the station and kill everyone in their sleep, then destroy the station and make it look like a reactor breach.”
“This is ridiculously complex.”
“You tend to make things that way. Also, this station was made to be resistant to the main forms of weapons the Robalins use. This is probably the safest place to hide from them.”
“I still don’t see how I’m going to stop the imminent death of everyone on this station”.
Dick smiled. “I’m thinking we should send UtMot back to them, and give them what they want. The only difference is you’re armed with knowledge and UtMot is somewhat less than healthy. They’ll will not be expecting UtMot to have been so heavily compromised. If a shuttle approaches they’ll allow you to enter, and they shouldn’t be ready for you. After that, do what you do best.”
“Drink beer”? He gave me a flat look. “I’m really good at that you know.”
“You didn’t seem like it when we first picked you up,” he shot back. Ouch.
“I still won that contest, the other guy was just really good too.” Dick snorted. I became serious again.
“How many are there on that ship.”
“A traditional class-4 biocruiser can hold 75 Robalin.”
“Great. What if I can’t kill that many.” Dick reached into a pocket of his garb and took out a small white capsule.
“This is what your species use when you suddenly take the urge to self-terminate. I believe you know it as a cyanide-pill. If you feel you are about to be captured, take this. It has a little something extra which should dissolve you from the inside, making it nearly impossible to study your corpse.”
I put the pill in my pocket where I still had the first blue syringe of death I’d fist taken from Dick here. “Heck if you have something that can dissolve me then I think you found your weakness.”
“It only works if you ingest it, and I don’t believe it would be a good battle strategy for my species to need to walk up your soldiers and try to force something into their mouths.”
“Good point. If I succeed, how will I come back?” I asked.
He paused. “We’ll figure that out if we get there.”
“If I don’t make it back, will you still be able to cure the crew of the cargo ship”? He gave me a long, considering look.
“You actually care for their well being?” he asked, incredulous.
“Yes. They were good to me, even though they didn’t understand that I was sapient -” he snorted in derision, “and I don’t want them to die on my account. I’m doing what you suggest because not doing it would end in their death, I don’t give a shit about you.”
“It will be difficult, but we may be able to complete a cure for the various diseases they have contracted without your immune system actually present. I give you my word. We do not have much time. If we do not start soon we will not be able to-“
“What that fuck is going on- [unintelligible clicking]?!” Mama burst into the room. I think she’d heard me talking. Dick had turned off his precious little two way translator though, and I was back to hearing nothing but clicking as Mama moved her mouth in anger. I would have punched Dick in the face if he hadn’t been right in what he had been saying right before Mama interrupted us. It would take too long if we had to explain everything to her. Sorry Mama, I hope Dick explains to you why I did what I’m about to do.
I grabbed the purple syringe from Shifty’s limp hand and leapt at Mama. My weight bore her to the ground, and I hated myself as I inserted the needle into her arm and I injected the smallest amount of sedative that I could. It worked. She fainted mid-click, but continued breathing.
“Thank you. I would not have been able to do that myself and we are pressed for time.” Screw him. I threw the syringe at him, hitting him in the face.
“Mature. Follow me to the shuttle, and bring Dr. UtMot with you.”
“Wait.” I said. I grabbed the empty syringe from Shifty and found a vein. Heck I was better than Dick here. I drew a full syringe of my blood and placed it next to Mama. “So she knows I didn’t just abandon her.”
“How chivalrous of you.” Dick sneered. “Now come, we must hurry.” I picked up Shifty and followed Dick through the station. After a quick jog we entered a cavernous room with several small ships in them. Dick opened up the nearest one and started punching orders into the console. “I’m setting the ships course to the correct location. Once I open the shuttle bay doors, hit that red button to lock the course and the ship will do the rest. Once you land, you won’t have long before they realize something’s amiss, so I’d advise attacking them sooner rather than later. You have the pill?” I showed it too him. “Whatever you do, do not allow yourself to be captured, or else we gave them everything they needed. This is our only chance to destroy any hope they have of ever succeeding. If we mess it up, they’ll still have the research UtMot was able to already conduct.”
“I know, you’ve already said all of this”. He smiled.
“Just don’t want your nerve failing you and forgetting what’s at stake.”
“Believe me, I know exactly what’s at stake,” I said, thinking of Mama, Dink, heck, even Severus; bastard.
“Excellent. Don’t let me die,” Dick said with a greasy smile. Fuck him. Too bad I couldn’t save everyone but him. The shuttle door closed and he walked into a room and closed the door. I could see him at a console through the large window that composed nearly an entire wall of the room he’d just entered. He pushed a couple buttons and the cargo bay door began to open. He stopped it when it was open enough and then pointed at me, which I took for a signal. I pressed the red button, and the shuttle lifted from the ground. I hope Mama would know why I left. Really I wasn’t abandoning them. They were safe, right? Why do I still feel guilty?