We can trace most of our greatest inventions back to Ancients Technology, either through inspiration or direct observation. In the medical field, we can find the best examples of this; we have roughly copied some of the Ancients' healing pods for our own use. The energy and material cost is prohibitive for wide-spread use, but we hope to remedy that in the future.
-Excerpt from the journals of See’lar Vixala.
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The foul stench of burnt flesh and hair filled the corridor. Alarms blared nearby, triggered by the detection of weapons fire in the ship and against it’s airlock. The lunatic human was trying to get in! “Lift off!” Ux’thu shouted into his communicator and waddled over to the fallen human girl. Why had the human attacked one of its own people? For that matter, why did the human girl try to get onto the ship? There was nothing for it here!
Unless it was trying to assassinate him?
No, that didn’t explain the lunatic who was even now firing on the airlock. The inner airlock telescoped closed on the burning hot metal of the station's entrance. And a calm voice echoed through the corridors. “External airlocks sealed. All personnel prepare for departure from Galaux Station.”
Ux’thu ignored the voice, bending over the human female, looking into her eyes. He automatically made note of her physical characteristics: green eyes, curly red hair, pale skin and freckles. A rare enough combination to be desirable, she would fit a slot he had been waiting to fill for some time, if she survived.
“Can you hear me?” He examined the wound, a gaping hole that went straight through her midsection. Whatever weapon the other human had, it was well over the legal limits of power. It had only left the girls bones intact, and he doubted that was intentional. The bones had a peculiar shimmer to them and there was the faintest tint of silver to the blood that even now seeped onto the carpet.
She didn’t respond, her eyes glazing over.
“Maggie!” The voice nearly made Ux’thu jump out of his fur, coming from the tablet she had been carrying. “Maggie! Damnit, you furry bastard, help her!” A human figure appeared in glowing blue light over the tablet. Male, his face etched with grief and fear. It flickered and warped as he watched it, and reached a glowing blue hand out to the body of the girl.
“And why should I help her?” Ux’thu asked curiously. Although he had already decided to. He wanted to know what all this fuss was about, and right now, the girl was likely his best lead. Although the hologram was fascinating in its own way.
The holograms face twisted, a grimace forming before it flickered out of focus completely for a second, reappearing with half its form blurred beyond recognition. “She’s a Key-holder! HELP HER!”
Ux’thu’s eyes widened, and he looked at the girl again. The silver tint to her blood and shimmer of her bones gaining new meaning with the holograms claim. A Key-holder? He tapped his communicator with one carefully dulled claw. “Medical personnel report to Airlock 3 immediately with human trauma kit. Tech Ger’al report to Airlock 3.”
Ger’al could handle the hologram and determine if it was simply a very convincing AI, or something different. He had never seen an AI show such genuine emotions before, but he had seen too much to dismiss the idea completely.
Ux’thu reached down to touch the girls neck, feeling for the pulse that he knew a human should have.
It wasn’t there.
Wait, wasn’t it? She was still warm, and he could feel the faintest of breaths from her lips. He looked down at the wound again. It seemed slightly smaller somehow, the organs just a little more whole.
But no, that had to be his imagination. He stood up as the medical team arrived, a human-sized stretcher floating through the corridor behind them. “Ambassador Ux’thu.” The lead Si’l Vala nodded her respect to him before turning to the human. “Get her on the stretcher. We’ll need to get her to the regeneration chamber and hope we aren’t too late.”
“Si’l Vala.” Ux’thu returned the nod. He watched as the team of Silvarians lifted the girl's body onto the stretcher. There was surprisingly little blood left on the floor, given the size of the wound. The Si’l Vala pressed a small patch onto the girl's neck, a screen appearing floating above it.
He lacked familiarity with the charts and jargon, but her scrunched nose and bared teeth revealed the Si'l Vala's displeasure. “Move! Get her to the regeneration chamber!”
The small group of medical personnel hurried down the hall, not quite at a run but still fast enough to nearly barrel over Tech Ger’al as he rounded a corner. Ux’thu bent down to pick up crystal tablet, one full corner melted off. He studied the cooling crystal, the holographic man flickering in and out of focus still. “Tech Ger’al, I want answers and information. See what you can glean from this device and it’s inhabitant.”
Stolen novel; please report.
“Yes Ambassador Ux’thu.” Tech Ger’al took the tablet, looking it over with a small frown. The tablet's design was clearly intended for a human, being too large for the Silvarian's forepaws.
“It’s inhabitant is right here, and has a name. I’ll tell you what I can, if you help Maggie.” The holographic man clenched his fists, and for a moment his form flickered into a much smaller version, before returning to its full size, towering over the Silvarians.
“I have already helped your friend. And you have yet to give me your name. I am Ambassador Ux’thu, of Seeleran. This is Tech Ger’al, also of Seeleran. And you are?” He kept his voice calm and patient. There was no need to antagonize the strange entity. And no reason to be intimidated either, despite its size. It might appear larger than either himself or Tech Ger’al, but it was only a hologram, and Tech Ger’al held its actual vessel, which was already damaged.
The holograms face darkened in what Ux’thu read as a blush. Embarrassment? Or anger? He supposed it could be both, human emotions could be hard to read. “Robin. My name is Robin. Is she going to be okay?”
“I am not a Si’l Vala, I wouldn’t begin to know. I know that humans can take a remarkable amount of trauma before perishing, but they are still only mortal. Tech Ger’al, can you transfer what is contained in that tablet to another vessel? This one appears to be damaged.”
Ger’al stared at the tablet with its melted corner for a moment, then looked to Ux’thu, one furry eyebrow raising in a very human expression of incredulity. “Yes Ambassador Ux’thu, I should have something in my workshop that would be suitable.”
“Good. Run some tests while you’re at it. I trust you to know which ones are necessary. Robin, I will speak with you again soon, I’m sure.” Ux’thu turned and dropped down to all fours, a much more comfortable way to move through the corridors and tubes of the ship. “For now I have other business to attend.”
“Yes Ambassador Ux’thu.” Tech Ger’al turned to waddle the other way, although Ux’thu could just barely hear him mumbling. “Appears to be damaged? It’s missing a whole chunk off of it!”
Ux’thu let the comment slide, his whiskers twitching in amusement. He supposed he should scold the tech for his impertinence. But he could afford a little bit of humor at his own expense. He was one of the highest ranking Ambassadors in the Alliance, with a considerable amount of achievements under his proverbial belt. He prided himself on some of the more progressive achievements, such as promoting a human to captain of his own ship. Not all reactions to that had been positive, but it had been a step in the right direction for keeping the humans from revolting.
At least, for keeping more humans from revolting. It was a pity so many saw the Silvarian’s protection as oppression. There had been rumors that Galaux Station held a nest of those terrorists, but Ux’thu had had his doubts. He had toured much of the station, and had seen nothing out of the ordinary.
Until now.
He smoothly raised onto his hind paws as he neared the bridge, the tall door sliding open to admit him. “Captain Theodrakis, any news from the station?”
The tall, lanky human turned to look at Ux’thu, his short brown hair showing a streak of grey. His face was set in grim lines, hands folded behind his back. He was ignoring the captains chair, preferring to stand more often than not. “Ambassador Ux’thu, no news yet. We have demanded the person who fired upon our ship be taken into custody, but they are claiming she has escaped.”
“Escaped to where I wonder? Have any other ships left the station?” Ux’thu waddled up to the captain. This was one human he could read the emotions of, having nearly raised the lad himself. The furrowed brow and lines of his frown indicated stress and displeasure, maybe even anger? Yes, anger. Ux’thu nodded slightly.
“None that had not previously filed departure plans with the station, and none that were close enough to our docking bay to provide the terrorist escape.” Some of the tension left Theodrakis’s face, and he gave a small nod to Ux’thu, his voice softening. “I am glad to see you unharmed. But who was harmed? You called for medical, with a human trauma kit no less.”
“I’m not sure who she is yet. A human girl, perhaps a Key-holder even. I’ll be going to the medical bay soon to check on her condition.” Ux’thu reached up to lightly pat Theodrakis’s arm with a paw. “Don’t stress so Theo, we may have well found what we were looking for. A nest of terrorists, and a Key-holder! We may have even found more than we were looking for. It’s rather exciting, don’t you think?”
“Exciting is one word for it, Ambassador.” Theodrakis sighed and looked over the bridge, green eyes scanning over the tactical, piloting and communication stations curved in front of the large viewscreen. Only the pilots station holding another human. The other stations were occupied by Silvarians, hand-picked by Captain Theodrakis. He might be human, but he had an excellent eye for quality crew.
“The best word for it.” Ux’thu let out a chittering chuckle, slanting a glance up at Theodrakis. “Send word to our support ships in this system, we’ll order a more thorough examination of Galaux Station. For now I think it might be best to get this girl and her Key, if she has it, as far from the terrorists as possible.”
“Yes Ambassador Ux’thu.” Theodrakis said.
“Captain, a message is coming in for you, marked urgent and private.” The communications officer said, looking over their shoulder at Theodrakis. “Should I patch it through to the bridge?”
“Urgent and private? Who is it from?” Theodrakis’s frown returned. He strode to the communications station, leaning over the smaller Silvarian.
“A Si’l Vala Tomas Rodriguez.”
Both of Theo’s eyebrows shot up, and he straightened as if stuck with a pin. “Patch him through to my office. Commander Kel’vis the bridge is yours.”
The Silvarian at tactical nodded, unnoticed as Theodrakis hurried through a door to the side of the bridge.
Hasty young lad. Ux’thu couldn’t help another little chitter of amusement as he turned and headed off the bridge towards medical. But Si’l Vala Tomas Rodriguez? Interesting that he would reach out to little Theo now of all times. He had been listed on the station roster, but Theo and Tomas hadn’t talked to each other since Theodrakis’s wife disappeared. And that was years ago! What could he be reaching out for now?
Well, Ux’thu would find out eventually. It wasn’t like Theo to keep secrets from him.