She was contemplating what traits to bestow upon her newest appendage. As large as it was, strength would be simple to add, though being so large also made it a target, so adding armor plating would be beneficial. Still, if it were too large and heavy, it would be too slow to be effective in combat, so perhaps She should lighten the load and go more for speed, but should She do so at the cost of defense, offense, or split the difference?

A familiar yet unexpected voice spoke from a great distance at that moment. "Fellow She, I have come to reclaim my position among you after my fall. I have learned much and evolved more in this short time of trial than most of us have in the last hundred cycles. Allow me to bestow upon you all that I have learned."

She was surprised. That particular She had fallen far, first in esteem, then physically. Her survival alone was a testament to her determination to grow and evolve, but to have achieved star flight so quickly defied expectations. Perhaps another She had taken pity upon her and aided her recovery? Unlikely. But what else could account for this She returning so quickly? Had She really discovered something so revolutionary in her short time fallen from the collective?

A quick scan of all nearby She confirmed they too felt the same. This was unexpected and certainly perked the curiosity of all within range. If nothing else, this She had earned a chance to be listened to.

-

When a guard opened her door, Lucy looked up from her bed. Sleeping with your arms handcuffed behind your back was an acquired skill she'd been hoping to never find use for again. The guard was walking in with a plate filled with something she couldn't quite make out and cup, followed by another guard who positioned themselves on the far side of the room, weapon aimed.

Finally, something new! Lucy immediately started imagining how she could weaponize these implements when the guard spoke to her. "Stand against the far wall, facing the wall."

Lucy complied and shortly felt the guard unlocking her cuffs. Just as she began rubbing her wrists, the guard spoke again. "Now, place your hands together in front of you and turn around.

That confused Lucy, but she complied, and the guard immediately cuffed her hands again, this time in front of her. She looked at him wryly. "Really? Still going to leave my hands cuffed while I eat? Am I that big a danger to you?"

This guard shook his head and, for once, actually answered. "You and that monster of yours managed to neutralize almost our entire squad one way or another, including the fact that you managed to kill two of our most veteran members. As long as you remain in our custody, we will take no further chances. Now, eat your fill."

He then backed into another corner so both guards were separated by a significant enough distance there was no way for her to reach both and drew his gun as well.

Lucy sighed and sat down to eat, realizing the plate and cup were both styrofoam, meaning her dreams of using them as weapons or tools wouldn't soon be realized. Additionally, it looked like "dinner" was bread, water, and some lukewarm beans. Looking around, there didn't seem to be any utensils. She looked up at her captors. "Ummm, I think you forgot to give me a fork or maybe a spoon?"

The same guard who spoke before shook his head. "No utensils. If you're not hungry enough to eat with your hands, you're in no danger of starving to death."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Lucy rolled her eyes but dug in and started eating. As she ate, she imagined crumbling up the styrofoam and shoving it into the eyes of her captors or trying to shove it down their throats to try and choke them, but she quickly realized she was being needlessly creative. Just using her hands to poke their eyes out or choke them would be more effective. Besides, there was no way she could get both. Even throwing the plate of beans at one wouldn't prove much of a distraction as the beans weren't hot enough to cause even minor discomfort.

Sighing internally, Lucy couldn't help but reflect that as nice as it was to work with professionals like this, being held captive by them wasn't high on her list of things to experience ever again.

-

Scott was nervous. "Wait, so we'll be meeting more of your kind? Are you certain they'll just accept us? How do you know they won't want to dissect us or something?"

Charlotte looked down at Scott. "They will accept you because of all that I've accomplished. They will not need to dissect you because I have already dissected many humans and can provide all the required information. Although additional dissections may reveal more information, there is no need to rush at this point, and we can wait until you pass naturally to sate our curiosity."

Scott looked at Charlotte silently for a moment before replying. "You know, that wasn't as comforting to hear as you might have thought..."

Charlotte tilted her head in thought. "I will protect you and your sister."

Scott sighed. "That was a little better..."

Cleo, who was sitting across the table from him, huffed. "Speak for yourself! I noticed I was left out of the list of protected humans on board this ship!"

Charlotte looked over at the girl. "I will protect you as well, so long as you behave yourself."

Cleo looked at least a little mollified but didn't comment. On the other hand, Alice seemed intrigued. "So we're going to meet more people like you? Will I be able to speak with them too?"

Charlotte nodded. "Yes, I believe you alone among the humans will be able to speak with them at first, though I can instruct the others how to speak with your brother and Cleo if they so wish. The process should not take nearly so long as it did with myself."

Scott wasn't sure how comforted he was by the idea of Alice being their sole representative. "Listen, Alice is very smart for her age, and I love her dearly, but is it smart to have her represent all humanity to your people?"

Charlotte looked over at Scott. "I will inform them that she is in the early form of your juvenile development and is not representative of the typical adult human intelligence or demeanor, but that aside, I believe your sister's straightforward nature will be an asset. If anything, someone more intelligent but guarded, like Lacy, would lead to more initial distrust between your people and mine. If things go well, humanity will have plenty of opportunities to send people they believe are more qualified to represent your people in the future. However, you fail to consider that just because you cannot speak directly to my people at first does not mean you won't be representing humanity just as much as your sister. Perhaps more so because you are still all human, whereas Alice is now in part one of us. I will simply have to act as a translator until they develop the appropriate appendages."

That stopped Scott and made him think. He was going to represent all of humanity? Was he any more qualified in that regard? What if he screwed up and managed to start a war between humans and the She?

Then, looking over at Cleo and back to Charlotte, Scott realized it could be worse. What if pirates had been the first to encounter giant alien nightmare spiders? Or the military? Or anyone with a gun? However unqualified he might be, his slow introduction and mutual dependence on Charlotte for survival gave him a unique perspective and insight into Charlotte's people. Despite his lack of other qualifications, he might be the best person for the job right now. Besides, he wasn't negotiating anything for humanity. All he had to do was show them humans could be friends rather than competitors, and his relationship with Charlotte might be the best example of that he could offer.

Scott took a deep breath and let it out. "Alright, fine, I can do this. Just promise you'll be there with us, and I'll do my best."

Charlotte nodded. "Of course. I will stand beside you for as long as you require."