Lying flat on the white, plasticy bunkbed with his hands under his head, Andreas watched Ross snore in the bunk above. Though the position was uncomfortable and the accommodation unsuitable, it still surpassed sleeping on the floor.
However, sleep was not Andreas's most pressing concern at the moment.
He lacked a plan, the inevitable merely postponed.
Andreas’s face contorted into an irritated scoff as he recalled Ross's sudden exit from the shuttle. How that fool ever got a job at the warehouse, let alone any job, puzzled him. He’d surely bribed the undoubtedly corrupt recruitment officer to ignore his unfitness for the job.
Would've been a smoother day without these fur-draped fools interrupting, he thought irately, aware that a simple bullet could’ve solved Ross’s accidental involvement if his shuttle had reached the lads as intended. They probably thought he was dead now.
Andreas inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly, moving his hands from his head to rest on his stomach.
Despite the gravity of the circumstances, he noted a few positive elements:
Firstly, the aliens' conduct implied a lack of malicious intent, though feigned kindness remained a possibility. They had, thus far, avoided imprisoning him or worse, a fact that provided a degree of grim reassurance amidst the uncertainty of their situation.
Secondly, visible armament was thus far absent, and the alien known as Kaz had suggested that the ship's purpose was exploration, further implying the absence of armed personnel.
Thirdly and building on the previous observation, the majority of the aliens barely came up to his chest, and their lack of visible weaponry only bolstered his conviction that the situation held little potential for getting ugly.
At least not for me, he mused, a sadistic sense of satisfaction dawning as a small gloat appeared.
A tour of the ship, led by Kaz, the black-furred feline alien, was scheduled for the following morning. Fortunately, Ross would not be included.
Without further information, forming a cohesive plan remained impossible, a realization that frustrated him. Thankfully, his approaching time with Kaz promised to yield that info. As for Ross, disposing of that pathetic excuse for a being would need to be done quickly to avoid further complications in his plans.
Turning onto his side, Ross emitted a loud, obnoxious snore, his mouth drooling saliva droplets that landed on the floor next to Andreas.
Andreas recoiled at the sight. Preferably sooner rather than later.
*****
“Any area of the ship you’re itching to check out first?” the alien Agozi, Kaz's shorter companion and supposed lieutenant, asked Andreas as they walked the ship's corridors.
Starship operations were partially understood by Andreas, though this knowledge didn't stir within him any enthusiasm for the subject.
“I can’t say anything particular comes to mind.” He looked directly at her. “Lead the way,” he said, offering a friendly smile.
His inviting demeanor did not achieve the intended effect; although he couldn't interpret Agozi's expressions as easily as a human's, the movement of her whiskers and her eyes' look clearly indicated distress.
“Did I say something wrong?” Andreas asked, wondering if he’d screwed up by unwittingly violating some alien custom.
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“Your expressions,” Kaz said formally, speaking for Agozi before she could, all while avoiding eye contact. “Without meaning disrespect, they appear somewhat foreign to us.”
“Is that so?” Andreas said, briefly fixing his gaze on Kaz before shifting it to the corridor ahead. “What’s the peculiar part for you?” he asked, as they all made a left turn at the intersection.
“’Peculiar’ may be a misnomer,” Kaz replied. “It’s more the exaggerated quality of your gestures that puzzles us.” He paused. “You might’ve missed it, but you were unsettling a few of us back at the hangar.”
Andreas instinctively gave a brief stare in response to the stunning statement but continued walking without slowing his pace.
I was the one unsettling you? he thought to himself, baffled by why they’d be the ones to express such a sentiment considering the context of the present circumstances. Not wanting to compromise his veneer of friendlessness, he opted to not bring this point up to them. Just the same, Kaz’s words left him feeling seriously perplexed.
“That behavior right there,” Kaz said, evidently aware of Andreas's brief stare although he continued to focus on the corridor path. “Such conduct is unknown among the Mevik or any sentient beings we are aware of.”
“I mean, don’t get us wrong; we're not here to criticize or belittle your ways,” Agozi said, having now dropped in on the conversation. “It's just, your demeanor, it's—”
“Alien,” Andreas interjected. “Trust me, the feeling is mutual.”
Over the next few hours, Kaz and Agozi showed Andreas around the major areas of the ship— the bridge, the hangar, the engineering facilities, and more. While Andreas acknowledged its useful nature, the information imparted failed to elicit any degree of excitement on his part.
Two distinct alien species, he observed, populated the ship: Kaz's own kind, and some rather peculiar, mole-like creatures. A lack of visible weaponry was noted by him, yet he refrained from direct inquiry, hesitant to risk provoking a negative reaction.
He also adopted a passive approach in dealing with Kaz and his lieutenant – he listened closely, asked questions sparingly, and avoided smiles or similar gestures, recognizing they would be met with disapproval.
Just after they stepped out of the engineering facility through the checkpoint's sliding door, a bizarre quadruped resembling a giant brown ant with large, red, insectoid-esque eyes and short forelimbs, strode past them. Struck by the stunning sight, Andreas came to an abrupt halt.
“What in the cosmos was that thing we just saw?!” he asked, his voice betraying unease.
Agozi’s whiskers fluttered with moderate intensity.
“You mean to tell me you've never seen a Cisian up close before?”
“No…this is definitely a first for me,” Andreas replied, his gaze following the peculiar insectoid as it disappeared around the corner.
Agozi's whiskers and snout twitched slightly more; Andreas, unable to comprehend, speculated that she was probably mocking him in her species' unique way of laughter.
“No cause for alarm,” Kaz said. “They might look strange, but Cisians are as civilized as they come.”
“The most orderly people you'll ever find,” Agozi echoed.
Andreas regained his composure.
“Got it.” He paused. “What's on our tour next?”
“That's most of it covered,” Agozi said. “Only the recreational area remains, which I think you'll find rather fascinating.”
Right before resuming their walk, Andreas spotted something that made his heart nearly skip a beat, his eyes widening and his mouth slightly agape.
Five Mevik creatures, clad in tactical gear and carrying devices clearly recognizable as weapons, had just arrived through a nearby sliding door. Now gathered in the intersection's center, their leader spoke to the group, his words muffled by the distance.
Just as I suspected! Andreas thought. Civil appearances, yet everyone's packing!
Upon noticing Andreas’s alarmed reaction, Agozi took a moment to grasp its origin. Realizing it, she was thrust into what could only be described as damage control mode.
“I'll be right back, need to sort something out!” she told Andreas urgently, then quickly approached the armed Mevik company.
Watching silently, Andreas saw Agozi briefly argue with the squad's leader; although he couldn't hear the words, the squad soon left through the same door they had entered.
Agozi rejoined them.
“Apologies for that sight,” she said, her tone bordering on remorseful. “They really shouldn't have been here.”
“Can you clarify who 'they' are?” Andreas asked.
“You needn't trouble yourself with that,” Agozi said. “It's unimportant.”
Andreas had played the part of the innocent until now, asking only minimal and seemingly benign questions. With his worst fears now confirmed, he could no longer hold back.
“They were equipped with guns,” he said, his tone straightforward but not rude. “I can’t just pretend I didn't notice that.”
Agozi, and to a lesser extent Kaz, now appeared visibly uncomfortable and awkward. They exchanged a brief, concerned glance before turning their attention back to Andreas.