Chpater 8: Moods [https://i.imgur.com/MkaULjn.png]

"That was the craziest thing I've ever seen," Sophia says, finally settling onto one of the unclaimed bedrolls laid inside the ship's bridge. She looks over at Nicholas, who is entering the room holding a metal crate. "How did you even do that?"

"Honestly? No idea. I just knew I needed to buy you guys time." Nicholas puts the metal crate down and holds up the arm equipped with the silver bracelet. He pokes and squeezes at it, but the only reaction from it is to reform back into its original shape once the pressure is removed. "It felt like my hand was burning. Thought I was going to lose it at one point. But then, it just built... whatever that thing was..." His hand doesn't seem to have taken any damage in spite of his claim.

Overhearing the conversation from the hallway, Tah-Kuell enters the bridge room, hands clutching one of the boxes they'd brought with them from the planet. "I know exactly what it is."

Nicholas and Sophia both look at him with eyebrows raised. "You do?"

"Yes. Those things are actually quite common in the galaxy." Tah-Kuell sets the box down and turns to them. "They're called omnitools. But the kind you have, I've never seen one quite like it. Where did you find it?"

Right behind him, Ava begrudgingly carries another box, larger and clearly heavier,  just by the heavy *thud* it makes when she carelessly drops it near their bedroll setup. Sophia chuckles as she sees her struggle a bit, clearly amused.

"In a metal container aboard the ship," Nicholas says. "There might be more, but we sort of had a panic attack after we realized we couldn't remove them."

"Well, omnitools are normally very expensive, and even then, they don't usually create weaponry." Tah-Kuell says reaching out to gently take Nicholas's arm to press and prod at the bracelet on his wrist. "This is different. Looks like very, very ancient technology."

"Our bracelet things?" Sarah inquires, stepping into the room with another metal crate, watching as the alien experiments with the bracelet. Though it's clear that in spite of his various attempts, Tah-Kuell can't figure out how to get it to activate.

Tah-Kuell offers a quick nod, slowly moving to sit down, pulling the box he'd carried inside closer so he can press two buttons on each of its sides. The top of the box opens with a soft hiss, revealing the bounty inside: several gently pulsating green fruit.

"From time to time, people out in the galaxy discover ancient artifacts. Some of them are so extraordinary in comparison to the things we already have, that they help jumpstart the technological level of a species by many generations."

Darius's approaching footsteps causes Tah-Kuell to pause his excited explanation, and the teenager appears, carrying the largest box yet. He sets it down near the door and reaches an arm up to wipe the sweat from his brow. "What're we talking about?"

"Your omnitools are very advanced." Tah-Kuell responds. "From how it formed that weapon on Nicholas's arm, it must be made of some living nanotech metal. If we had a laboratory, I would study them some more."

All four of the teens look down at their wrists, but only Ava lingers. The rest return their eyes back to Tah-Kuell. "They also seem to activate only when you're in danger." He pulls one of the fruit from his metal box, then takes a bite out of it. "Even to the point where it can create sonic weaponry. No one's figured out how to do that sort of thing yet."

"And here I thought they just looked pretty," Ava says, folding her arms beneath her breasts. Just judging by the look on her face, she seems annoyed, maybe even a little bit bored. "How do we get them off?"

"I'm not sure you can," Tah-Kuell responds. "They seem to be attached to your wrist very tightly. Like some sort of biometric seal. The only way to sever the connection would be to... amputate."

"Excuse me?" Ava says, appalled, and shaking her head.

"I'm sure we'll find a way to get them off," Nicholas interjects. "For now, they seem to be doing more good than harm."

Darius walks over to the metal box sitting in front of Tah-Kuell. He leans over and takes one of the green fruit, putting a bit of pressure on it. He stops, not wanting to tempt fate. "So, do we peel this thing?"

Tah-Kuell shakes his head, handing Ava and Nicholas a pair of the fruit, since they're close enough for him to simply lean forward. 

"You just have to split it like so," He grabs the fruit with both hands and breaks it apart, the insides look a mushy white. "It's called Tukchi fruit. It is greatly sought after because it generates a burst of endorphins in most species."

"So it makes you happy?" Sarah says as she grabs her fruit and examines it.

Tah-Kuell nods, bringing the fruit to his own mouth to take a bite of it. He munches. "Mmm."

With a shrug, Nicholas takes a bite. Darius, Sarah, and then Sophia quickly follow. Apprehensive of trusting Tah-Kuell, Ava waits for the others to take their bites before, reluctantly, she takes a small bite as well. 

"Hmm," mutters Sophia, trying to analyze the flavor.

"Not bad. It kind of reminds me of peaches," Darius admits, licking his lips and taking another bite. "Not the taste, but the consistency."

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"Tastes like fruit punch to me..." Nicholas licks the juice from his lip, using the back of his hand to catch a trickle rolling down his chin. "Actually, it kind of tastes like..." He takes a short pause to stare at the half-eaten fruit in his hand. "Like I've just come from school after a long day of tests, you and Sophia with me, and we're raiding the fridge."

Sophia lets out a giggle at Nicholas's reminiscing, looking the happiest she's been in a while as she leans forward, elbows on her knees. "Apricots. That's what mine tastes like." She takes another bite, as if she has to be sure in her assessment. "Yup. Apricots."

"Everyone experiences this fruit differently, but it's usually a pleasant taste." Tah-Kuell says, his smile growing as he leans back comfortably on his free arm, his other hand holding his own fruit in hand. "Zironians export this to nearly every corner of the Verse. It adapts to your tastebuds. For me, this tastes like the Alachia fruit, from my home system. Quite the treat!" 

Ava holds up her fruit, where she's only taken a bite, and she shakes her head. "No, thanks."

Ignoring Ava's plight, Sarah smiles, having finished hers before any of the others. "Mine kind of tasted like a mix of apples." She says.

"Apples are good," Sophia chimes in, shifting her eyes a bit as if remembering something. She smiles, having found the memory. "Candy apples! I used to love getting them at carnivals when I was younger. Remember, Darius?"

After a few long minutes of pleasant reflection, the group gets quiet. 

The mood, originally pleasant, quickly grows more somber. Smiles disappear one by one, replaced by frowns, as the reality of their situation comes crashing back to them after a merciful reprieve. 

"I miss home..." Sophia says quietly, her mood completely changing. She takes a deep breath and lays down the fruit on her blanket.

Sarah lifts a hand to gently rub Sophia's back, trying to comfort her. "Don't worry, I'm sure there are people still looking for us back there."

"Yeah, but they're not going to find us, are they?" Ava whips back irritably. "They probably think we're dead."

Darius snaps back to attention, looking over at Ava. "Hey. Stop it."

For a moment, the group grows quiet again, the realization dawning on them of what their loved ones must be going through.

Peering about at the others, noticing the depressing vibe, Nicholas clears his throat, visibly mulling over his next words. "You know... when I was a kid, I got lost in the woods near my house one time. I think I was maybe seven or eight. I had never gone that deep into the wilderness before. I thought I'd be able to find my way back, mostly 'cause I was in the Boy Scouts." He leans forward, trying to get everyone's attention in doing so, resting his hands on his knees. "When I realized that I was lost and alone, I panicked, got desperate, and sad... kind of how we are right now."

There's a short pause, before Nicholas continues. "Then I realized that, I had everything I needed to find my way back. You know... just basic survival skills, like knowing what moss growing on the north side of trees meant, or the position of the sun. It took some time, but... I made it home." He lets out a smile, his gaze turning to everyone again. "Mom was worried sick. But she was also proud of me that day. Proud that I had found my way back all on my own. The point I'm trying to make is, we're still alive, and we've got a spaceship. We just need to figure out a way to use it to our advantage. If we can survive the cave, we can survive this."

Realizing what he'd done, and that he'd completely misunderstood their situation, Tah-Kuell frowns and gently clasps his hands in his lap. "I apologize. Here I thought you were all here voluntarily, that this was your ship. I should have figured it was all out of your hands."

"Did we forget to mention that when we talked the other night?" Nicholas says, looking back toward Tah-Kuell. 

"No, no, you didn't forget. I was the one that forgot." Tah-Kuell shakes his head, looking up at the boy. "If I can get an idea of where this ship's navigational computer is, I can probably guess where we're going, and how to get you back to your home planet, but this technology... I've been looking at it since my arrival and it's beyond even my comprehension. I've never seen anything like it. I want to look further and see if there's anything I can do, but—"

A loud rumbling outside of the ship is followed by a great tremor, the sudden shift in the bridge sending the boxes, and most of the occupants, tumbling across the room. Nicholas grabs hold of the base of one of the chairs, but the ship corrects itself before any of them can move far or get hurt.

"What the hell was that?" Sarah cries out, visibly concerned as she stabilizes herself by grabbing onto a wall. The lights on the bridge go from their usual consistent white to a slowly pulsing bright red. With some kind of alarm now triggered, an annoying beeping sound repeats and echoes all throughout the ship.

"We have visitors," Tah-Kuell motions toward a nearby monitor, which shows a live feed of another vessel. Large and intimidating, the craft is a jet black that almost perfectly blends in with the dark void of space. If not for the distant sunlight glinting off the hull, it'd be difficult to detect. "It appears we're about to be boarded."

Nicholas looks around the room at the monitors all lighting up with the same image of the ship approaching. "Is this sort of thing common? Do people just board other people's ships out here?"

"No." Tah-Kuell says. "I think we may have been followed by R'rith. I don't know how. I didn't think he had ties to..."  

Another rumble, followed by another sudden shift.  

Nicholas and Darius stand up at nearly the same time. "Ties to what?"

"Marauders." Tah-Kuell says, turning to them with a worried look on his face. "Mercenaries of great reputation."

"Great. We don't even have any weapons..." Darius says, trying to remember where he'd left his lengthy pipe, quickly moving to the corner to pick it up. "How the hell are we going to defend ourselves?"

Tah-Kuell begins to fidget around the consoles, his eyes looking around at the monitors relaying the status of the ship. The live feed still shows the other vessel pulling itself in closer. Suddenly, three energy beams shoot out from the dark vessel and pierce the caveship's hull, rotating to create a perfectly round hole. The actual process of penetrating into the ship doesn't seem to cause any sparks; like a hot knife through butter, the dark vessel cuts away a part of the ship and pushes a metal tube in through the thick plating. The metal tube begins to rotate and grow larger on the outside until it creates an air-tight seal.

On another screen, several heavily armed aliens can be seen piling into the room the tube has led them into, R'rith among them, the Blith much larger than the rest of the aliens alongside him. Each of the armed aliens seem to be wearing spacesuits that look more like battle armor.

"The doors won't likely open for them, so they'll have to break through each one to get to us. I'll search the ship's logs for anything we can use against them. Maybe this ship has defenses." Tah-Kuell speaks, more to himself than anyone else, as he moves to settle into one of the seats. He begins to press buttons on a console that lights up at his command. "Go, I'll stay here and find ways to delay them."

"Okay." Nicholas nods, fingers clenching into fists as he tries to pump himself up. He looks over at Darius. "I guess we have no choice."

"The alternative sounds like death," Darius says. "So yeah. We fight."