Chuck grunted in disapproval. “What makes you suddenly a master of the human condition?”
“Them.” Bart said, pointing at Hiron. “It has been a most wonderous week. Suffice to say, a great many long-standing quandaries have reached satisfying conclusions.” Bart flopped back down onto a sofa. “I would hardly call myself a master, though. I know barely enough to know that I know nothing.” He glanced sadly at Chuck. “But that does not preclude me from lending my aid.”
Chuck stared blankly at Bart. “Maybe later.”
Bart bowed his head. “Of course.”
Chuck started the movie Fantasia.
1y10m3w6d BV
Outside Electronics Laboratory, Whitecrest Clan Enclave, Wi Kao, Gao.
Whitecrest Special Operative Ronovin
Ronovin pulled the device out of his bag. It consisted primarily of a small set of electronic components, but more than that he could not say. With a few exposed wires and empty sockets, it was unlikely to be in working order. This would have to be corrected; It would do no good to have a tool in his arsenal that did not work.
One of the consequences of having an arsenal as vast as his was a constant stream of equipment failures. Ronovin had always done his best to spread the work as wide as possible to minimize the chance of any one tech learning too much about his arsenal. Which is how he found himself here, outside of one of Whitecrest’s electronics labs.
After his ‘interview’ with Milt last week, he seemed a prime candidate to add to his rotation. Cowardly, flighty and quiet; forcing his cooperation should not prove difficult. The only question that remained was one of Milt’s technical competence. Unfortunately, as Ronovin was not skilled in this area, this one trial alone could not possibly prove conclusive. Milt’s assigned task may actually be impossible; He simply had no way to know. Regardless of the outcome here today, Milt would be given an additional chance to succeed.
Having successfully bribed or otherwise coerced each of Milt’s colleagues, he entered the lab. Milt sat alone with his back to the door, working on… something. Ronovin slowly advanced and tapped Milt on the shoulder. Milt jumped out of his seat, tripping over his chair in the process. Ronovin caught him, steadying the panicked Gaoian.
“Ronovin!” Milt called out, clutching a paw to his chest as he recovered his breath.
“Hello again, Milt. I need your help with a project.”
Milt took a moment to process his request. He glanced around the room before settling his gaze back on his ‘guest’. “What kind of help?”
Ronovin pulled out the device. “I’ve come in possession of this little toy here. I’m not quite sure how to turn it on. Do you think you could get it working for me?”
Milt accepted the device and studied it from a few different angles. “It doesn’t look too complicated, I could probably put something together. What is it?”
“Oh, just a little something I acquired in my travels.”
Milt ears fell flat as he stared at him. “Is… this is a copy of Sennar’s device?”
“It would be best if you did not ask that question.”
Milt wavered, pondering a response.
Clearly, Milt required stronger motivation. Luckily, Ronovin knew exactly what trail to lay. “This is an important project that may have implications concerning Chuck. It could prove essential for his future well-being.”
Milt’s ears perked as he quickly became much more interested in Ronovins conundrum. “Chuck needs this?”
Ronovin corrected him. “I may require this for Chuck.” This point had to be explicitly stated, or each future project could prove to be an uphill battle.
Milt turned it over a few more times, then turned back to Ronovin. “I can do this.”
“Tomorrow?”
Milt merely nodded as he hopped back onto his stool and began dismantling the device.
Ronovin grinned and left the lab. Well, that should get the device working. Now, he simply needed to determine what it did. The same contact that had informed him of the device’s existence had also provided the name of a subject matter expert. Ronovin began walking towards the maintenance bays.
He found this contact shuffling materials around in a storeroom. Scratching on the doorplate as he entered, he confronted his target. “Hello Sermil, I have a few questions that I’m hoping you can answer for me.” Ronovin closed the door behind him.
1y10m3w5d BV
Carpe Aeternum just outside the trade station Desolate Oasis
Hiron
Hiron’s datapad announced the arrival of a message, just as Chuck was setting the ship down. That’s odd. Generally these messages are delivered as soon as the datapad enters comms range.
A quick glance at the message revealed that it had just been sent a matter of minutes ago. The message was from Ronovin. As Hiron skimmed through the content, he rapidly reached two conclusions. First, he now had a new test for Chuck, and second, it had to be administered now.
Hiron scampered into the bridge. After checking that the Rrrrtk was absent -not that he would fit in here- he approached Chuck. “Uh, Chuck?”
Chuck glanced up from his display panel. “Can it wait a minute? I’ve just got a few quick protocols to finish up here.”
“One minute, yes. But not much longer.”
Chuck studied Hiron briefly, before returning to his shutdown procedures. After a few minutes, he returned his attention to his Whitecrest guest. “How can I help you?”
Hiron cleared his throat. “I’ve received another confidential transmission. This information cannot be…” Chuck was waving him on impatiently. Hiron sighed. “Whitecrest requests your services.”
Chuck grunted. “In what way do you need me to lie to my friends this time?”
Could… could Fyu grant him just one break? “…In exactly the same manner as before.” Hiron announced sheepishly.
Chuck responded with an unamused chuckle. “Well, spit it out.”
Hiron took a deep breath. “I’ve received word that Zilroy may have sabotaged more than just the blade he gifted to you. I need you to talk to Brrtklklk and convince him to allow me to inspect his ship. He must not know the reason why.”
“So you are asking me to lie to my business partner for the purpose of allowing a spy free access to his property?”
“…Yes.”
Chuck dropped his eyefur. “Why.” It was not a question; It was a command.
Fortunately, Hiron had the correct monologue prepared. “We have reason to believe that severe harm may befall anyone in the vicinity of anything that Zilroy may have touched. Whitecrest has invested a lot in our relationship with you. It is an investment we intend to protect.”
After a few agonizing moments, Chuck relented. “You best not be lying to me again.”
Hiron sighed. “I have my assignments. There are many places in which I am allowed to use my own personal judgement, but there have been some regrettable instances where I stood muzzled. Here.” Hiron sent several images to Chuck’s pad. “These are some examples of the devices I will be looking for. I have a small list of unmodified sections of the ship to inspect. I assure you, this inspection is critical.”
Chuck scowled. “If I find even a hint of subterfuge…”
Hiron set a paw upon Chuck’s shoulder. “I assure you, the deception in this endeavor is limited solely to your own assigned task.”
Chuck stared at Hiron a moment longer, carefully studying him. “Fine. I’ll talk to Bart.”
1y10m3w5d BV
Electronics Laboratory, Whitecrest Clan Enclave, Wi Kao, Gao.
Associate Milt, Whitecrest technician
Milt tapped his paws nervously. He backed his chair from the workbench, intending to take a quick walk outside to clear his lungs. But, as he turned to stand, a terrifying figure startled him. He yelped and fell out of his chair. Ronovin reached over and helped him to his feet, again.
“Hello, Milt. How’s my little project coming?”
Milt closed his mouth and swallowed nervously. He glanced around the lab. As expected when dealing with his ‘favorite’ operative, all his Brothers were now conspicuously absent. As calmly as he could manage, he spoke his pre-determined code phrase. “Ronovin, how glad I am to see you.”
“Oh? Did you have success?”
“I… made good progress.”
Ronovin tilted his head. “Is it ready?”
Milt took a deep breath. Then another. He closed his eyes and focused himself. “It could be ready at a moment’s notice.”
Ronovin flattened his ears and sniffed him. “What’s the holdup?”
The moment he had dreaded had arrived. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, preparing himself for the worst. Opening his eyes, he leveled a glare at Ronovin, ears held back in defiance. “What do you intend to do to Chuck?”
Ronovin perked an ear in amusement. “Like I told you, I need this device to protect Chuck.”
Milt flattened his ears. “No, you don’t.”
Ronovin stepped back in shock. “What are you talking about, Milt? You know what I am here for.”
Milt took another deep breath. “I truly hope that I do not.” He glared at Ronovin. “How do you intend to use this device to aid Chuck?”
Ronovin studied him carefully. “You don’t need to know. Hand the device over and I’ll keep Chuck safe.”
Milt snarled at Ronovin. “Keeda’s balls Ronovin! I will not let you send the Hunters after Chuck! I don’t even care if it’s ‘just for training’ or some other Bullshit like that!”
Ronovin had perked his ear just slightly at the mention of the Hunters, but he quickly re-composed himself. “Human profanity? I didn’t know you had that in you, cub.”
“You aren’t giving me a choice!” Milt whimpered. “Please, don’t make me fight you.” He glared again at Ronovin. “But I will not allow Chuck to suffer because of my actions.” Having said all that he could, Milt settled himself back down and waited, staring at Ronovin with a mixture of defiance and dread.
Ronovin returned the glare for several agonizing moments before responding. “I made a few discoveries yesterday after dropping off this device. This device was on board the Silver Sailor, nestled inside a device planted there by the Corti. It was connected to a Corti receiver at the time. Someone else means Chuck harm.”
Milt suddenly felt relief… and horror. “Was this the only one?”
Ronovin grunted. “I intend to find out.”
Finally having a course of action, Milt immediately leapt to his hindpaws. He tore open his drawers and began pouring tools into his pouches. He had played through his encounter with the Hunters over and over again in his mind. He had considered every conceivable way in which he could have saved his charges, Every tool that might have helped him. All of them light enough to carry were now being carelessly shoveled into his increasingly heavy pouches.
Ronovin perked an ear, intrigued. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going after Chuck. He needs my help!” He took some time to arrange the tools in his pouches to facilitate further shoveling.
Ronovin growled at him. “I can’t let you do that. Someone will notice you missing.”
Milt hissed back at him. “That is not my concern. I will deal with those trivialities once Chuck is safe.” He moved to his console and began executing a few scripts, granting him access to a few systems that he technically should probably not have. He began to run out the door, but was stopped short as Ronovin grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled him into a chokehold. Milt struggled to escape. “Let me go!”
“No.” Ronovin growled, reaching out to grab and secure Milt’s flailing forelimbs. “I’m going to need you to calm down. Now.”
That outburst was enough to startle Milt into submission, but the importance of task before him was too great to allow himself to remain compliant. It was only a moment before he resumed his struggles. Though it was getting much harder to do so, as his blood-oxygen level began to drop. “Let… go…” His fight finally left him.
Ronovin eased off on his neck. “You still with me, Milt?”
Milt took a few wheezing breaths, before performing a few quick nods.
“Good. Now, I’m going to let you go. You are going to walk back to your desk and sit, calmly, in your chair. Got it?”
“But-” Milt yelped exasperatedly.
“No. I will lock you in stasis if I have to.”
Milt stopped to consider his options. There were methods of escaping stasis… but none that would be fast enough to matter in this situation. “…Fine.” Ronovin released him, carefully, and Milt staggered back to his seat, defeated.
Ronovin grunted. “Fine indeed.” He shook his head. “I can tell there ain’t no stopping you from running off after Chuck. I will be traveling to aid him. For the duration of this exercise, you are to remain with me.”
Milt carefully avoided letting Ronovin see his relief. If there were to be Hunters in his future, it would certainly help to have one as capable as Ronovin at his side. He wasn’t convinced that Ronovin had the authority to enlist him in this manner, but that, too, was a concern for later. “So, can we leave now?”
“No.” Ronovin growled at Milt. “We must prepare first. I’m not going to die because we rushed into an ambush.”
“But Chuck-”
“Will be fine for now. I have already contacted Hiron. By now, he’ll have swept and secured the Rrrrtk’s ship.”
Milt flattened his ears. “What do you intend to find, then?”
“Hmm?”
“You said you intend to find other devices in Brrtklklk’s possession. If Hiron already has it handled, what do you plan to accomplish.”
Ronovin tilted his head. “I… didn’t say that, but you are correct nevertheless.”
Oh, whoops. He must have learned that from his own research.
“The Corti responsible for this device has delivered equipment to Brrtklklk’s shop. I intend to inspect that equipment for tampering.”
Milt yipped amusedly while wearing a sly grin. “You need me for that.”
Ronovin sighed. “You ain’t wrong. Though I had intended to talk remotely.”
“Remote diagnosis isn’t good enough for this sort of inspection. You know that.”
“I have my methods.”
“Mine are better.”
Ronovin merely glared at him, a clear concession
“Good. Let’s go then.” Milt moved to walk out of the office again.
Ronovin grabbed his shoulder and, painfully pinching a nerve, turned him around. “The device, Milt.”
Milt sighed, nervously scratching his shoulder. “That is not important Ronovin, it can wait.”
“No, it can’t, I need to know what it does.”
Milt whimpered slightly, but gave no argument. He moved over to a small safe under his desk and pulled out the device. He set it on his desk, and walked over to the wall.
Ronovin tilted his head. “Dare I ask?”
“I took precautions.” Milt said as he tapped a panel and pulled out a small data card. He swapped the card with one in the device. “There. You can now remotely access this system.”
Ronovin pondered a moment. “What would that device have done if you left the first card in place?”
“Someone other than you would have remote access to the system.” Milt grinned slightly, glancing at Ronovin. “You told me that device was intended for Chuck. I had no problem inflicting on you whatever you intended for him.”
“Ah…” Ronovin blinked and dropped his ears slightly in embarrassment. “That… could have gone poorly.”
Milt stared dispondantly at Ronovin. “Let me guess. If this had been sitting on my desk, I would be unconscious right now, wouldn’t I?” He snorted a quick chitter. “It would have been your own Keeda-damned fault. Now, if you will excuse me, we have less than 10 minutes before the first message is sent.”
Ronovin tilted his head. “Message?”
Milt shook his head. “You threatened Chuck. I did not simply assume that I would not survive the day.”
Ronovin scratched his head. “It seems I have underestimated you, cub.”
Milt grunted then shook his head. “I’ve been through the Whitecrest rites, Ronovin; I know how to prepare for disaster.” He pulled out his stealthily duplicated stun gun just long enough for Ronovin to get a look. As he sheathed the device, he took another deep breath. “I’m sure I would never have seen you coming, but that’s no excuse for not being ready.”
“Keeda’s balls, does everybody have one of those now?”
Milt tapped his paws together and looked away from Ronovin. “Not everybody.”
Ronovin glared at him.
“Chuck’s bag was sitting unattended in his room while he was out! Don’t tell me you didn’t do the same!”
Ronovin growled softly. “As a matter of fact, I paid Chuck for his equipment. I assume you did the same.”
Milt dropped his ears sheepishly.
Ronovin shook his head. “Yet you accuse me of acting against his interests.”
Milt shrunk in on himself. “You’re right, Ronovin. I will need to make amends.”
Ronovin ruffled Milt’s crest. “There is time for that later. We have much to do before we leave.”
Milt sighed, no longer willing to resist. “Yes, Brother. What must I do?”
“You can start by handling that message.”
Milt’s ears perked, alarmed, and he took off running. Ronovin chittered softly as he stepped aside to let him pass. Milt ran down the hall, around the corner, and descended into the training range. After two quick paw scans, one for the control door, and one for a terminal login, he quickly canceled two message deliveries and set a delay on a third; There was no excuse for not retaining a backup plan.
He returned to his lab to find Ronovin in the middle of a call.
“No, Father, my ship is not… appropriate for this task. I will need to borrow a more suitable one.” He tapped a hindpaw while waiting for a reply. “Thank you, Father.” Ronovin closed the call and turned to Milt. “So, which ship is fastest?”
Milt thought a moment, then grinned. “It depends. Are you willing to take the Father’s personal ship?”
Ronovin returned the emote. “He did say I could take whatever ship I needed. Hmm, I wonder how hard i-”
Milt pulled a master key out of his pouch and showed it to Ronovin, opening up his grin wider.
Ronovin chittered. “Excellent, Brother. Let us prepare.”
1y10m3w5d BV
Hiron’s shop, the trade station Desolate Oasis
Hiron
Hiron stood tall and sniffed the air. It was good to be back at ‘his’ shop. He lifted a small box and moved it to his storeroom. He returned to the shop’s floor to see Chuck attempting to balance a crate on a barely-strong-enough table. Just how did Chuck expect him to work with that? Of course, he was grateful for the help -his newly expanded arsenal would take forever to move himself- but it seemed that every human interaction, every favor asked of them came at a cost. Fortunately, Chuck quickly realized his error and moved the crate down to the floor.
“Thank you for you help, Chuck. You have saved me a great deal of time.”
Chuck shrugged. “You were busy, gives me something to do. Speaking of, did you find any ‘re-manufacturing defects’ in the Silver Sailor?”
“The ship was clean. I found nothing unexpected.”
Chuck grinned weakly. “Well, that’s something.”
Hiron spoke timidly. “Chuck. There is one more question I must ask. Are there any other items in your possession that Zilroy could have manipulated?”
Chuck stood lost in thought for a while before he replied. “My datapad.”
Hiron’s ears flattened, mortified at what he must now do. “I’m going to need to quarantine that, Chuck.”
Chuck handed the device over, after a brief hesitation. The human was clearly upset. Hiron had seen this frustration grow over the past few days, an obvious response to the tests that he had administered. But Chuck did not openly express this anger. Instead, he kept it to himself, becoming more terse, and more cryptic; A truly alien response. That was far from optimal, but what really scared Hiron was just how closely Chuck’s current emotional responses mirrored those of his first encounter with the Hunters; That did not end well for those who had upset him. This was obviously completely unacceptable. Somehow Hiron would have to relieve Chuck of this buried anger.
He had been in similar situations before with his earlier contacts. Maintaining the will of assigned contacts was paramount to preserving their continued service. While Chuck was not ‘technically’ a contact, Hiron’s current role as Whitecrest’s contact for the human seemed close enough to justify bending the rules slightly. Thus, Chuck’s wellbeing was now his responsibility. But what could he do?
Contacts typically received compensation for their services. With some subtle maneuvering, that rule could be made to apply to potential contacts as well. But what would the compensation package contain? The most common form of compensation was a simple favor. But a favor -especially one that would not be redeemed immediately- would be unlikely to alleviate his current situation. Counter a lack of trust with a promise? That hardly seemed appropriate.
Financial compensation would likely prove only trivially more suitable. Chuck already had a ship and he technically had money. Sure, tools and equipment were always a possibility, but Hiron had no idea what Chuck required. With a sigh, he realized that he may just have to sacrifice something important. He excused himself and made his way to his storeroom.
As rummaged through his bags, his eyes fell onto his flask. He had bought this for himself soon after he was assigned to the Human Investigations Division. It was suspected to be an original human item, originating from one of the earliest human abductees. Its age, as confirmed by dating tests, numbered in the hundreds of years. It was a beautiful item, solid silver with intricate engravings and stampings. He stared at it for a while, already lamenting its loss, before realizing the obvious; Why would an alien want to be given a relic of his own homeland? Dejected, he opened the flask and absentmindedly took a swig. His ears perked as he stared at the object in his paw. Of course! He nearly fell over as he bolted towards the door.
Hiron ran back to the front of the shop. “Chuck!” The human glanced up. Hiron grabbed a glass from behind the counter and poured a small amount into it. “Try this.”
Chuck took the proffered glass. After giving the glass a quick sniff, Chuck’s eyefur raised. “What is it?”
“It’s a distilled ethanol beverage. An attempt at a human inspired talamay variant.”
With a shrug, Chuck drank the beverage, wincing as it went down. “It’s a bit rough, but not terrible. Where did you get it?”
Hiron chittered happily. “I distilled it myself!”
A single patch of eyefur was raised this time. “Really?”
Here it is! He had found his path! “Oh yes. You see, I was bored one night here in the shop. I decided to assassinate two birds with one stone by researching humanity while searching for entertainment. Imagine my surprise when I found that humans considered a beverage of all things to be entertaining! A quick pounce over to the ‘Wikipedia’ data node, and…” he pointed to the glass.
“Its not real beer. I couldn’t even find what hops are supposed to taste like.” He began pacing. “I must admit, I’m still not sure how drinking this is supposed to be entertaining, but making it?” He chittered happily again. “At least this batch is palpable.” Hiron thoughtfully tapped his forepaws together. “The point I’m trying to make here is… I want to build you a still for your ship, if you desire one. A gift in appreciation of your assistance.”
Chuck thought a moment before nodding.
Hiron sighed in relief. “It shall be installed tomorrow morning.”
“That fast?”
Hiron chittered. “I know a guy. I’m not starting from first principles here, your still will simply be the newest version of my own design.”
Chuck smiled. “I think I can wait a day.”
“Excellent!” Hiron took a moment to study Chuck. He finally seemed to be in the proper mindstate for some sparring. Good. He had hoped that this opportunity would present itself before Chuck had to leave; It may be quite a while before he saw Chuck again.
Hiron had thought long and hard about his conversation with Ronovin, about what the elder Gaoian had suggested. He finally concluded that this coming engagement was all but unavoidable. Ronovin clearly thought Chuck was worth the effort and, in the short time he had known Ronovin, Hiron had come to trust the distinguished operative in such matters. Even so, he never would have guessed that the correct approach would be wrestling. He could not, however, fault the results; Chuck clearly enjoyed the brute’s company.
Hiron carefully approached Chuck and set his forelimbs upon the human’s shoulders. Chuck had likely become rather adept at Gaoian combat during the time he had spent with Ronovin, but Hiron was still confident that he could show the human a thing or two. He would make this a fight that Chuck would never forget.
Chuck’s expression had changed quickly from one of surprise, to one of anticipation; He certainly seemed ready and willing. With one final, controlled breath, Hiron leapt into the air and contorted his long, slender body, wrapping his hindlimbs behind Chuck’s and pulling inwards to trip his stout opponent.
Chuck began to laugh, completely shrugging off Hiron’s attacks. “I was wondering when you were going to try something.”
Sure, Hiron had expected this to be a tough engagement, but no response at all? Embarrassing. Chuck stood there, smug, as Hiron tried a number of other controlled-form takedowns. Each and every attempt was thwarted. The strongest reaction out of Chuck was a small step to the right to widen his stance against one of Hiron’s more aggressive attempts. Well, so much for an elegant pin. As Chuck stared at him with intrigue, Hiron stepped back, coiling his muscles for a good old-fashioned pounce. With a flick of his tail and an excited yip, he leapt.
It was at that moment that he realized that he had just made a grave miscalculation. There was a Keeda-damned good reason for using the controlled-form techniques; They were controlled. This… this was not. He was now trapped in flight for the next few seconds; Far too long against a competent Gaoian, and an absolute eternity against such a well-practiced human.
In the shortest moment after he left the protective grasp of the ground, Chuck leapt into action, his well-practiced maneuvers irrefutable evidence of Ronovin’s influence. Within a half second, Hiron’s pouce-target was missing; Chuck had thrown himself to the ground towards him. Another half second later, Chuck lay directly underneath him. With frightening speed, he plucked Hiron from the air and hug-smothered him into one of those nasty choke-holds.
“Got you!” Chuck snarled in a dominant, though friendly voice.
Hiron waited for the inevitable darkness of unconsciousness to arrive, but come it did not. Chuck held him tight but, unlike Ronovin, had left his airway clear. Hiron struggled briefly, just to see how tightly Chuck had him pinned.
“What do you think, Hiron? I think I like this one. It lets you think you can escape.”
No, it really didn’t. His limbs were free, but his torso was well secured; He wasn’t going anywhere.
Chuck adjusted his grip to free one of his two massive forelimbs. Ah ha! An opportunity! Hiron twisted himself in an attempt to escape.
That was when it all went wrong. Chuck rubbed his free paw against Hiron’s flank directly over a nerve. Hiron’s hindlimb involuntarily kicked out. Keeda’s balls…
Chuck spoke playfully. “You like that, Hiron? Just a little something I discovered during my time with Ronovin. It seems to be a solid way of keeping a Gaoian right where you want them.” Chuck continued playing with Hiron’s hindlimb as he spoke.
“So it seems.” Hiron muttered, mildly annoyed. “Though, I’m not letting you off that easily, Chuck. You’ll have to work for this victory!” With a carefully timed twist of his torso, he used the momentum of the limb-jerk to pull himself free of Chuck’s grasp. He collapsed a few meters away, as his hindlimb gave way.
Hiron pulled himself to fourpaw, his Keeda-damned hindlimb sore from Chuck’s tampering. He realized his tactical mistake as he quickly directed his gaze away from his worn-out limb back to his opponent. Annoyingly, the Fyu-damned human was just standing there with a sly grin on his face. Hiron had given Chuck the perfect opening, and Chuck had the audacity to let him recover? With a howl, he charged on four-paw, bowling into Chuck’s hindlimbs. Even though he jammed his shoulder in the assault, he did finally a manage to fell the monstrous Deathworlder.
Unfortunately, the mountainous wall of muscle fell on top of him. Well, not directly on top of him; Chuck had braced his forelimbs to arrest his fall, but still, Hiron was hit hard enough to disrupt his concentration and definitively end that particular maneuver. Chuck pounced on the opportunity, wrapping himself back around his sparring partner.