6y 6m 0w 4d BV
John awoke slowly, reaching out to find Regalo’s sleeping body curled up beside him. He smiled with his eyes still closed and hugged the sleeping Gaoian. Basking in the intimacy for a moment, he sighed before relinquishing his furry friend. He yawned as he got up and scratched his beard, then went about his morning routine. It seemed the universe, however, wasn’t content with John’s peaceful morning. John had dressed himself in a simple blue shirt and his worn jeans, but as he put on his sneakers he found that the glue of his soles had finally worn out and the bottoms of the shoes were dangling off. “Well fuck you too God,” John muttered as he replaced the shoes in their little drawer. In fairness you got them from Oxfam so it’s not like they were new, his rationality chided him. John sighed as he walked barefoot to the common room, feeling the cool metal under his feet. He collapsed onto the couch, too put out by the sneakers to go practice, and turned on the TV in hopes that more terrible episodes of The Mistress would cheer him up.
Hegan woke with a shiver. She quickly shook the sleep from her body as she rose and looked to the bed across the room to find Vanima sleeping the sleep of the dead. Despite this, her pointed ears still flicked and twitched, listening for any possible threats. She quietly walked out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. Faint sounds drifted from the common room. The males must be awake. Going to the shower, she selected the Rauwryhr option and added an additional conditioner dust that was meant to strengthen hair and help it shine. She brushed out the powder with a fine comb, making sure to get every spot before returning to her room to put on her utility belt. As she exited, Hegan sniffed the air and was pleased to find it absent of the odorous extract. She walked with a slight bounce in her step. The claws on her feet clicked against the metal floor as she arrived in the common room.
“I know they meant a lot to you John. I’m sure if you let me look at them I’ll be able to fix them.” Regalo said as he chopped vegetables. “I’m a ship engineer after all. Gluing some shoe soles can’t be too difficult.” John let out a rush of air from his nose and smiled.
“Thanks buddy.”
“Good morning Hegan,” Regalo called out from the kitchen as he dumped the chopped vegetables into a pot and began stirring it. Hegan skittered to the couch and sat with John.
“Hello Regalo!” she replied spritely. John chuckled and reached out to scratch behind Hegan’s ear. She was about to recoil and berate John for his breach of conduct until she realised how good it felt. Oh yes that’s the spot. Just around… By the stars you are unbelievable. How can something so wrong feel so right? She knew John was pressing a primordial grooming button in the Rauwryhr psyche but she didn’t care. When she snapped out of the euphoria, Hegan spoke up. “Er… John? I was wondering whether we could play more Warren today?” she asked. John stopped his scratches. So long blissful eternity…
“Sure I don’t mind, but I was thinking we could play chess today. No offence, but warrens sucked.” Hegan was elated to play one of the human’s games. She was hoping to gain insight into what John would find amusing. “Regsy, how much time until breakfast is done?” Regalo scratched his chin and answered.
“It’ll be a good half hour if this stew takes any longer to boil.”
“A watched pot never boils,” John replied much to the confusion of the aliens. He and Hegan strolled down into the underbelly and made their way to the nanofactory. John began tapping away at the terminal, designing the board and the pieces, as Hegan looked on. Soon enough he had made a complete set. John held the pieces and Hegan carried the board. She looked at the checkered metal sheet and could see the resemblance to warrens. They arrived at the common room to find a drowsy Vanima sitting at the table while Regalo taste tested the stew.
“Accursed diurnal sapients… Why couldn’t you be nocturnal?” she yawned as she stretched her arms out.
“I thought you guys were day people,” John said as he set the pieces down on the table. Hegan took an instant liking to the odd looking creature one.
“We’ve forced ourselves to be ‘day people’ because no one else is nocturnal,” Vanima sighed as she fixed an errant strand of hair.
“Y’know what? I’ll stay up from dusk till dawn with ya. We’ll pull an all nighter,” John teased her as Regalo carefully set down the pot on the table. Hegan took a seat opposite John and observed the crew.
“John, I’d rather you didn’t stay up all night… but thank you for the offer.” Vanima smiled. She’s awkward around him… She’s fairly short of a Qinis… Lack of socialization maybe? Not used to friends. Hegan reached out and patted Vanima’s hand.
“I’ll keep you company Vani. We could spend the night researching!” she chirped. Vanima smiled and seemed to relax at the prospect.
“Vani?” Regalo queried as he poured enough stew in John’s monstrous bowl to feed her for a week. He really does have an absurd caloric need.
“Well… John calls you Regsy so I’ve decided to call Vanima Vani… If that’s alright with you Vanima,” she added, looking to the Qinis.
Vanima nodded and answered. “I’m most certainly alright with that.” There we go. Let’s ease you into the group.
“Fuck load better than Vee,” John said, speaking between slurps.
“I’m sorry my translator might be malfunctioning, but what does this have to do with mating?” Hegan asked.
“It’s a quirk of John’s language. The word ‘fuck’ is very versatile. Its meaning changes depending on context. I think this time it was used as an emphasis?” John raised his chin upwards briefly before slurping straight from the bowl again. A bit lacking in table manners, although I can’t judge an alien by my standards. Hegan watched as Vanima delicately sipped at her portion while Regalo took heartier spoonfuls. She then took a spoon slightly too large for her hand and began eating her own stew. The four of them remained silent throughout the meal. John had refilled his bowl a total of 3 times before he felt remotely satiated. There has to be a secondary stomach. I refuse to believe he can fit all of that in his stomach. There must be more stomachs than just the one Vanima found.
John patted his stomach. Man, I could go for some more stew. That was some good shit. He helped clear the table and started on the dishes. Regalo was content with sitting on the couch with Vanima and watching the news. The Gaoian leaned against the Qinis and John smiled. You’re gonna crash her system dude. By the time he was finished, Hegan had set the board and put the pieces in a cute pattern on the checkered tiles. Bless her. John reset the chessboard properly. “Alright the game we’re gonna play is my favorite game of all time. It’s called chess.” The Rauwryhr quirked her head downwards.
“Chass?”
“Chess,” John corrected before continuing “it’s a very old strategy game and I’m pretty good at it. Now the objective is to capture the king which is this piece.” He held up the two kings in his hand showing them to her. Hegan nodded. “Now we’ll start with how they move. This one is called the knight it moves in an L and-”
“What’s an ‘el’?” She asked. John paused as his mind tried to explain the concept of the letter L before simply saying.
“It means it moves like this.” He demonstrated with the piece. She nodded her understanding and he continued his explanation. Finally, he had finished and they began their game.
Hegan found it impossible to beat John. It was as if every move she made was anticipated, probably along with the next hundred she hadn’t thought of yet. Almost every attack she made was countered. She managed to catch him off guard with a few of her more unorthodox strategies but otherwise it was hardly a match. More like a massacre, she thought glumly as John declared checkmate 20 minutes into the game. “Could you read my mind? Is your species telepathic?” Hegan asked. Vanima was beside her in a flash with pen and notebook ready to write.
The men laughed loudly. “I’m not telepathic. You’re just really predictable,” John wheezed as he continued struggling to breathe. Regalo was done chittering long before the human was able to contain himself. Does he find humour and joy in everything? “I’m not telepathic. I’m just really really good at this game. I’ve played it with my dad since I was a kid and I could never beat him.” Hegan wasn’t surprised. Vanima’s notes indicated John was a fairly average specimen save for his musical talents.
“How good would you say the best human player is at this game?” She asked. John scratched his face fur before answering.
“Not gonna lie, I can’t remember for sure but I think the best chess player in the world was able to beat a super computer or something a bunch of years ago. I’m not sure about recently though.”
Hegan cocked her head in doubt at the human’s claim. Even the finest Warrens players couldn’t hope to beat a super computer. Although John is hardly the average Warrens player… Regalo rose from the couch and joined the women. “Let me try my hand at this game. I’m sure I can predict what John would do and beat him.” The human arched one of the furry patches above his eyes.
“Oh are you now?”
“Very much so,” Regalo replied with a fiendishly unsettling grin. John reset the board and explained the rules again for Gaoian. As the two began their first match, Hegan could already see that Regalo was far better than her at the game. He managed to anticipate some of John’s moves and even trap him. It wasn’t a close game at all but she could see John sit up straighter, and observe the board more closely with those predatory eyes. The two played and Hegan began to note some improvement in Regalo’s method. She could see some rudimentary strategy forming in the Gaoian’s play. The women stood and watched as the men played match after match until John was struggling to maintain his winning streak. The more they played, the more Hegan could see the difference between them. John was much more willing to attack and make sacrifices. The human played his turns quickly and efficiently. Regalo pondered his every move and was more hesitant to endanger his pieces. The Gaoian prefered to counteract and sabotage John’s tactics rather than actually win, as if he was testing the full extent of John’s tactical abilities. The human never failed to impress as he won game after game despite each victory being closer than the last. Hegan looked to her coms and realised they had spent half the day simply watching the games play out.
“How?!” She squeaked. The other three snapped out of the game and looked to her in confusion. Each of them pulled out their thoughts and checked their coms.
“Well shit, I didn’t think we’d be playing for this long,” John chuckled as he and Regalo rose from their seats. “Alright crew, to the bridge!” The human led his crew through the long hallway. Hegan had never seen the bridge of the ship and was a bit disappointed by how simplistic it was. It had only a scanner, a basic nav unit, and a coms unit to accompany the all-important captains chair. John took his seat at the nav unit and Regalo manned the coms, while Vanima settled into the captain’s seat. Hegan lingered awkwardly in the doorway. She couldn’t help but feel like she was intruding on an ancient ritual she had no part in. After a moment Vanima gestured for her to come and sit beside her. Hegan skittered forward and sat on the Qinis’ lap.
“Your coat is very soft,” Vanima commented.
“You need to tell me the secret to that,” Regalo called out as he flicked a few switches. John pressed a button and pushed a lever forward. Hegan couldn’t feel it, but she could see the ship edging away from the station. John tapped at a console hidden behind the nav unit and a galactic map appeared in the center of the bridge.
“So with our current food stock the ship has calculated that we could travel all the way to a Guvnurag world without stopping to restock, but since it doesn’t factor in that I eat more than all of you would in a week, and that I get antsy, we’re going to stop over at this Domain world. The route’s long and indirect, but we’ll be traveling in patrolled space lanes for the most part… “ John gave a sigh as he looked to the ceiling.
“Which part isn’t patrolled?” Hegan asked. John tapped at the terminal again and the map zoomed in, highlighting their path. A winding red line spread from one point to another. A large stretch in the middle was colored blue.
“We don’t have enough supplies to get from here to the Domain system on patrolled routes alone but I’m not gonna risk getting caught in like, a pirate armada because I was in a rush so I’m playing it as safely as I can while still making good time.” John sighed again as he finished explaining. He cares greatly for our safety. How would he act had he been travelling alone?
“The Lost Minstrel to Station Control we are departing,” Regalo spoke into the coms. The ship faintly shuddered as its airlock disconnected from the station.
“What’s the Domain system called?” Hegan asked. John blanched at the question as he pulled up the name of their destination.
“Er… That’s not important. Bottom line, we can get there with the supplies we have.” John tapped at the terminal and angled the ship away from the station. He hit a large red button and got up from the console. “OH SWEET FUCK!” He roared suddenly, much to everyone’s surprise. Hegan squeaked and curled into a ball while Vanima flinched slightly. Regalo on the other hand seemed entirely unfazed by the human’s outburst.
“I told you you’d stub your toe. Come on now, let’s get your shoes fixed my friend.” Regalo slipped off his chair and led John by the hand off of the bridge.
“They make quite the odd pair,” Hegan commented.
“Indeed, you’d think Regalo would at least be a little afraid of him. I mean he is a deathworlder. He could easily injure him on accident.”
“Maybe he just trusts John to act safely around him.”
“To have someone trust you like that must be nice.”
Hegan reached up to stroke Vanima’s hair while she took a moment to formulate her response. “Give it time Vanima. The tallest trees can sprout from the smallest seeds.”
John was rather pissed at the universe. First it decided to rip his shoes, then stub his toes. Truly, nothing would satisfy it’s sadistic urges. “See, I could’ve easily put breakfast on hold to go fix your shoes.” Regalo chided him. “They’re from Dirt right?” He asked.
“Yeah, I bought ‘em from the Oxfam I volunteer at. They were super comfortable and nice.”
“And durable. No shoe on Gao would be able to withstand what these have endured so valiantly.” Regalo comforted as he patted John’s back. They stopped by their room to pick up the shoes before heading into the underbelly. John had idly reached out and was stroking Regalo’s back fur when something made him stop in his tracks.
“What’s wrong John?”
John frowned and listened intently to the general hum of the reactor. He strained his ears and heard it.
“It’s flat,” he declared.
“What’s flat?”
“The reactor. The reactor is flat. It usually hums at a C# but now it’s humming at a C”
“Flat? It seems perfectly three dimensional to me,” Regalo teased as they walked through the endless hallways to the engine room.
“No, it’s flat! Like the opposite of sharp!” John sighed in exasperation as they drew closer.
“Well of course it’s not sharp! It’d be fairly hazardous for me to service it if it was sharp,” Regalo chittered.
“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you…” John sighed. Regalo chittered even more and reached up to scratch John’s hair. The two arrived at a door. Regalo keyed in a pass code and they entered the control room of the reactor. God is testing me. It took every ounce of John’s will to not press one of the dozens upon dozens of buttons or fiddle with any of the weird alien knobs.
“Computer, show reactor diagnostics,” Regalo commanded and a series of numbers, bars, and graphs projected from the screen. He observed them for a moment before saying “The auxiliary plating needs recalibration but diagnostics should detect it in an hour and calibrate it automatically.” John paused as what Regalo was saying sunk in. There was actually something wrong with the reactor? And the computer didn’t catch it yet?! John smiled broadly and smugly.
“I guess I should be the ship engineer now, since I’ve caught a problem before even the computer!” John huffed proudly as they strolled out of the room, and Regalo locked the door behind them. “You’re a lucky Gaoian Regsy. One lucky Gaoian.”
“Oh? Why is that John?”
“Because if I played any instrument other than the violin, we’d not have caught that possibly ship ending error. God have mercy on us if I’d played the bagpipes,” John chuckled.
“What is this bag of pipes?” Regalo asked.
“No no, not bag of pipes but bagpipes.”
“Well what are these bagpipes then?”
John scratched his beard as he considered his answer.
“I’ll put it to you this way Regalo. In the fiercest battle in the deadliest human war in all of our history, in a maelstrom of gunfire and death, one man walked towards the enemy line playing the bagpipes and the enemies refused to shoot him. They play when we go to war and when we welcome home the dead.” John murmured, spooking the Gaoian a little.
“John… Every time I think your species couldn’t possibly be any more insane you go ahead and say something like that,” Regalo sighed.
John burst out laughing and stroked his friend’s back. “What can I say. I love shattering limits.” Regalo chittered.
“You crazy humans.”
“You fuddy duddy Gaoians,” He playfully retorted. When they arrived at the nanoforge, Regalo took the shoes from John and selecting one of the forge’s many functions, used it to glue the soles back to the rest of the shoes. It wasn’t a perfect fix but it would work well enough. He also took a moment to make him a new pair of white socks. Soon the human was wearing his favourite (and only) pair of shoes once more. “Good as new.” John smiled, looking at his feet. “Can’t wait to get back to doing a whole lotta nothing.”Regalo scratched his chin before tapping at the nanoforge.
“Well we have a lot of raw material left… Who’s to say you couldn’t make more games?” Regsy you glorious creature. John stepped up to the terminal and thought about what other game he could make with the forge. Monopoly? Oh god no, I like having friends. After a moment, he settled on a deck of cards. The two strode back to the common room,and found Hegan and and Vanima busy discussing something about John’s biology. They sat down at the table, and John expertly shuffled the deck dealing out cards for himself and his friend.
“Alright we’re gonna play an earth game called Go Fish.” John said before launching into an explanation of the rules. When he had finished they began to play. John won the first game as Regalo grew used to the rules, but soon their chances of winning were in the hands of Lady Luck. John sighed contently as he looked over during one of their games. The girls were now sitting together on the couch watching what John assumed was the space equivalent of funny cat videos on the TV. I wish it could always be just like this. John grimaced as Regalo told him to go fish for the umpteenth time that game. When they ended their Marathon Regalo was winning 23-20, and they decided to join the girls with whatever they were doing. John peeked over the couch to find them both asleep with Hegan snuggled in Vanima’s arms.
“Awww. Vani made a friend,” John quietly cooed. Regalo smiled a little and together, they watched the adorable pair for a moment before he spoke up.
“How do we get them to their beds?”
Oh fuck…
“Ok we do it one at a time uh… We’ll do Hegan first then we’ll somehow… Carry Vanima.” John sighed as he carefully walked around the couch. Vanima’s ear’s twitched and both men froze on the spot until the twitching stopped. Hearing like a fucking bat… Scratch that. it’s better than the bat’s. Slowly, John lifted Hegan and carried her in his arms. The dozing Rauwryhr curled into a tighter ball in John’s arms, basking in his warmth, and John’s heart melted into a puddle. Who the fuck gave you the right to do that? He silently strolled to Hegan’s room with Regalo following. The Gaoian opened the door and John walked in and paused.
“Regsy, which one is her bed?” He whispered.
“How should I know?” Regalo murmured back. Hegan stirred and both of them were instantly silenced. It’s probably the smaller bed… Fuck they’re the exact same bed. Eeny meeny miny mo, catch the tiger by the toe, if he hollers let him go and you are Hegan’s bed! He thought, gently placing her in Vanima’s bed. When they returned for Vanima John slipped on one of the steps leading down to the common room. Both of them flinched at the resounding thud as John caught himself.
“John is that you?” a sleepy voice called out. Both of them sighed.
“Yeah, You gotta sleep in your own bed buddy.” John called back. A moment later Vanima appeared at the bottom of the stairway and trudged towards her room. She briefly glared at the human for interrupting her beauty sleep before continued on her way.
The men finished making their way down and settled at the kitchen table. “You hungry John?” Regalo asked.
“Is that even a question at this point?” The human joked.
“Only a formality,” Regalo chittered as he got up. “What’re you craving?”
“I could go for some sweet dough dipped in that mirino sauce you make.” If he closed his eyes he could almost taste the combo already.
“Honestly, I don’t know how you can stand something so sweet. Even most cubs would gag at that much sugar.”
“Ah yes, but those Gaoian cubs didn’t grow up with skittles.” John retorted. Regalo shook his head as he prepared the dough. When he had placed them in the oven he started making the sauce. John liked to watch Regalo cook for him. Feels like home.
Regalo grabbed his mittens and took the dough balls out of the oven, placing them on the table. He drizzled the sauce over them before settling beside John. John waited until they had cooled before he began devouring them, with little pause between bites. “I know you like my cooking, but this is just savage,” Regalo commented.
“Well Vanima and Hegan aren’t here so I don’t have to pretend that I have manners.” the human reasoned. Regalo conceded the point and pilfered a bite or two from one of the dough balls that had yet to meet the ceaseless hunger that was John. He patted his stomach when he had finished his meal and sighed contently. Top shit right there. “Y’know what I miss the most from Earth?”
“No, do tell.”
“I miss eating meat. I miss bacon. I miss ribs. I miss burgers, and philly cheese steaks, and fucking bacon chili cheese dogs. Sweet mother of God bacon chili cheese dogs.” John closed his eyes and could remember that blessed day when he had discovered that one restaurant near his university in London that made bacon chili cheese dogs.
“Why didn’t you say you missed meat? We could have bought meat when we resupplied!” Regalo exclaimed. Are you fucking kidding me…
“I thought you guys were herbivores and you’d freak out if you knew I ate meat!”
“So why did you say it now!”
“Because I’m really desperate now and I know you wouldn’t freak out!”
“The girls and I know you’re omnivorous John. We just thought eating meat was taboo in your culture or something because you never brought it up, so we just kept getting vegetarian food! Are you telling me that we could have had meat for meals? Are you telling me that I could have been gorging myself on nava paste and you wouldn’t have cared?” John burst out laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. Oh sweet Jesus this is too much. The laughter was infectious and soon both of them were wheezing for air. John wiped away the tears from his eyes and looked to his friend then reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“When we land, you and me are gonna eat every last bit of meat on that god damned planet. You with me buddy?”
“For now and always you lunatic.” Regalo chittered.
“That’s the kind of thing I like to hear!” Regalo shook his head once more at John’s antics, as the two ambled back their room and settled into bed. Regalo snuggled into his usual ball and John curled an arm around the Gaoian as the two drifted off to sleep.
6y 5m 3w 1d BV
John was violently shaken awake causing him to fall out of bed. “Fuck me. what was that?” He groaned. Regalo unfurled and was on his feet in moments.
“John get up. We’ve dropped out of FTL.” Regalo barked. John froze as he felt his heart skip a beat. Oh fuck. “Up John, now!” Regalo ordered again and the human snapped to attention. John burst out of the room to find Vanima in her nightgown, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “John, what’s going on?” She yawned as a drowsy Hegan trudged up behind her.
“We’ve been forced out of FTL,” John hurriedly answered as he stalked with Regalo towards the bridge. That clearly woke her up and soon they had arrived, and were all standing around nervously. Please don’t be Hunters please don’t be Hunters, John mentally chanted as Regalo took his seat at the coms and he manned the nav unit. “Navigation says we’ve been grav spiked.” John declared as his mind raced with possibilities. He looked for any other references to the ship from his controls. “It’s not Hunters, but we do have pirates.”
The coms came to life. “Prepare to be boarded by the Rexoma Pirate crew! You can beg for all the mercy in the Galaxy, but you’ll find none here.”
“We’re trapped. It’ll be a half hour before they dock with us.” John announced.
“Well John, I’m sure you could just fight them. In armor and with the weapons you’d be unstoppable.” Vanima said.
“But I’m not… I don’t know. They’re people! It’s wrong to kill?” John half-heartedly asserted. But they’re going to kill everyone here… Could I scare them away maybe?
It pained Regalo to see the conflict in his brother. The Galaxy is not suited for such a peaceful soul. “Well, clearly they aren’t exactly plagued by the moral dilemma of killing.” Vanima retorted.
“John, I know it’s not in your nature to be aggressive or violent, but this time we need you to use that deathworlder brutality.” Hegan added.
“John, you’re going to have to fight them. I know you hate fighting but we can’t help it. You can’t play your way out of this one.”
Regalo could see John struggling with his statement, until suddenly something changed. John’s eyes grew intense and seemed to be looking at things none of them could fathom. What idea will you spring on us this time?
“Oh my God, Regalo, I could fucking kiss you right now.” John said as he suddenly shot up from his seat. “Ok, we gotta really hurry for this to work so hop to it. We gotta get you guys to the common room.” he ordered as he marched out of the bridge. They followed him to the boys’ room where he took his violin case.
“John what are you planning on doing?” Vanima asked worriedly.
“I’m gonna get them to rethink their life choices.” John declared with a hint of mania, as he ushered them all to the common room. He quickly slipped into his suit of armor and retrieved Ancil from the wall. Oh please come out of this alive. Regalo knew any amount of worrying he did was useless. Nothing short of the vacuum of space or a plasma cannon would stop John unarmored, but in his metallic shell, Regalo wagered John was like his God, all-powerful and impervious to everything short of a Hunter broodship. He took down Guardian as well and handed it to Regalo. “I know it’s silly, and you’re probably gonna tell me it’s silly, but keep this. Use it to protect yourself in case I somehow die.” John’s slightly robotic said from inside his helmet.
“If you die I’ll kill you.” Regalo keened a little as he held the sword. It sword felt wrong in his hands. It was too long for the Gaoian to wield effectively, but wield it he would. By the Fathers I will defend my Clan. John pushed the couch up against the stairwell as a makeshift barricade, then unpacked his violin. He was about to leave but paused for a moment.
“Um… Vanima, Hegan, I need you to block your ears. I don’t care with what, I just need you to just cram whatever random shit you can in your ears and block your hearing or whatever. Bottom line, you’re not gonna wanna hear this.” Vanima clasped her hands around her ears and Hegan pulled hers flat against the side of her head. John checked the clock before announcing, “Ok about 20 minutes until they dock with us. See ya on the flip side.” And with that the human was gone. I hope the flip side is this side… Regalo thought grimly.
“What do you think John is going to do?” Hegan quivered. Regalo looked to the stairway. I like to think he’s going to come out of this alive and unharmed.
“I’m not sure, but if his plan fails he’s a deathworlder. He’ll probably still come out of this completely unscathed.”
“You’re still worried about him aren’t you?” Vanima asked.
“At this point, that’s a given.” Regalo sighed. The ship quivered slightly as they were forcibly docked. Regalo tightened his grip on the sword and readied himself for combat the best he could. Suddenly an ear splitting noise stabbed through his head. Regalo’s flinch at the sheer volume and pitch of the screech that thundered from above caused him to drop Guardian. He looked to the girls to find them writhing on the floor with their hands clenching their ears, adding to the horrific cacophony with their own agonised screams. The inharmonious clamor, squeals, and screams went on for what felt like ages until suddenly there was silence. I will never ever take silence for granted ever again… The girls! Regalo scampered to their sides. Hegan was laying on her side with a bit of blood dripping from where her ears were clenched shut. Regalo turned her over and put his ear to her chest feeling some of his panic ease when he heard her heartbeat. Vanima on the other hand was still awake, sweating and panting.
“I… am going to… kill… John….” She managed to wheeze out between breaths. Regalo took her hand. The human popped up from over the barricade with a smile that quickly faded to horror as he saw the state of his friends.
“Oh shit. You guys ok?”
“Fucking… fantastic…” Vanima spat as she regained enough strength to prop herself up. Both John and Regalo retreated a bit. The stars quiver in fear of an angered Vanima.
“Uh… Perfect! I’ll just go to my room and crap myself in abject terror.” John squeaked.
“No you…” Vanima panted, trailing off as she slumped unconscious. John slowly climbed over the couch and put away his violin.
“John what exactly did you do?” Regalo asked.
“Well, the violin sounds beautiful if you know what you’re doing. If you don’t know how to play it it sounds awful and screechy. If you know what you’re doing and are trying to sound awful and screechy, then it’s like Satan screaming into your ear through your ass and having the sound waves tear your body apart.” And now we add this to the list of things I should not have asked. John moved the couch back to its original spot before picking up Guardian and hanging it back on the wall along with Ancil. He eased himself out of the heavily armored EVA suit, and let it drop to the floor with a loud clang before moving towards the girls. He hoisted Vanima over one shoulder and Hegan over the other. “A lil help Regs?” Regalo nodded and helped John carry Vanima by holding up her upper body. Together, they climbed the stairway, and as they made it to the top Regalo could finally see signs of the battle. There was blood splattered and smeared on the floor but from the spread Regalo was almost certain that the shooter came from among the pirates. Friendly fire? They arrived at the girls’ room and gently placed them in their respective beds.
“You go ahead and see how the ship’s doing. I’ll take care of Hegan’s ears.” John instructed him as he rummaged for the med pack that Vanima kept in the room. Regalo nodded and made for the bridge. When he arrived he pulled up the ship’s diagnostics along with radar. The FTL Drive will need maintenance after that, but that can wait until we get to the planet. All systems functioning within normal parameters if a bit below average. Hmm… If we go 60 Kilolights instead of 80 we should be able to avoid any risk of the FTL crapping out on us. Oh… The grav spike is gone and sensors show a ship doing a hundred kilolights… and the ship is out of range. Regalo instructed the computer to resume their course and soon the stars were lazily moving by on the windscreen once more. Regalo returned to the quarters to find John exiting the girls’ room.
“I’ll handle the mess up there, don’t worry.” Regalo said putting his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You’ve done enough today. Go rest John, you’ve earned it.” John’s relieved smile told Regalo exactly how much John had looked forward to the task. Regalo watched as John entered their room and closed the door behind him. You’ve seen enough John. No need to remind you of what you’ve done. And with that, Regalo set about cleaning the ship.