Chapter 59: Learning The Hard Ways
Waking up after spending the night back in a cuddle-puddle for the first time in weeks was a surprising experience to his ‘night watch’ geared brain. He had awoken twice, a lethargic thought to check who was on watch so that he might relieve them being stunted by the bodies pressed to his own before he groggily buried his face in the nearest fur-pile and went back to sleep.
Sahari and Nalah had joined them, something that he was rather thankful for, if only for the return to normalcy, but Joseph had been mildly disappointed that there was nothing going on between them yet. It was just a matter of time, but, if they keep it up, he might channel Tel’s mischievous side and force the matter. He just needed to know how to. He mentally shrugged, deciding to ask the grey-furred female at some point since she had known the ex-Grand Huntress the longest.
He lazily rubbed his face into the soft fur he found himself resting on, a light touch of a paw playing with his hair from an odd angle making him smile. He wasn’t awake enough to really place who was where, and Tel had stopped scenting herself with peppermint, so he was forced to rely on his ability to tell their fur apart. It wasn’t a difficult task, but he wanted to just enjoy the sensations before he needed to be awake and address the world again.
A shift forward was met with fur on both sides of his face and Tel giggling, so that tipped him off enough that he knew he had reclaimed his pillow after yesterday’s…. charged events.
After Harrow showcased her work and demanded base-wide music, they had spent some time checking to see if it would be possible. It would be, but it would require slightly more black magic since the two systems weren’t connected directly. The weapon fixing would take place sometime today, if it was as simple as he thought it was.
After that was hunting with Jax, then consulting Nalah after reassuring the female that he supported her romantic endeavours.
Which dragged his mind to Tel and Pan.
Pan put up no resistance to him wanting to introduce the assassin to their circle…. It was still weird to think about that…. But Tel had seemed to worry that she would. He couldn’t say he was disappointed with the result, the confidence of the grey-furred female was infectious, and Pan seemed more than happy with the arrangement. A private question revealed the answer that nothing of note would really change for her, and it would make him happy, so she seen no reason to mind.
Tel had already spent most nights with them, she constantly flirted with him anyway, and it would be a lie to say that he didn’t find himself returning the game of affection long before it actually crossed his mind to question if he meant it. Him and Tel actively acknowledging that there was somewhere for it to go was just a logical conclusion to her.
The only change that the actual openness had brought so far was Tel pulling back on the flirting with the vague reason that she wanted to make sure of some things, though if he was disappointed at the delay or relieved for the chance to acclimate, he couldn’t say.
Regardless, he wiggled his head into the soft fluff he found himself encased in, a wandering hand confirming that Pan was snuggled into his chest and quite content to remain asleep. Tel’s voice stirred his barely conscious mind.
“Getting impatient to take me, my male?”
He opened an eye to see what the hell she meant, meeting the reality of the situation with a blush.
He was currently using her leg as a pillow, Tel having curled on an angle at some point, her upper body facing the lower portion of the bed while his head rested high on her thigh, and he was presently in the process of scooting his way into where her legs met, the thin fabric of her shorts just barely concealing his unintentional destination. He swallowed back the intrusive thought that there would be no repercussions if he were to just lean forward, other than the obvious disturbance, and pulled away before he could give in to the urge.
“Sorry, still half asleep.”
She chuckled, fixing her posture to lay further on her back to free him of the temptation, though her paw continued to run through his hair soothingly as she rested in the reverse orientation of him. “Although it would be a fine way to start the sun, I believe it would be best for it to be a private moment, no? Though, if you insist….”
He snorted, the jolt of his suppressed laugh stirring Pan. “You were the one who suggested we wait.”
Her paw moved to his face, her pads gently stroking his cheek. “It must be memorable, no? I have my competition resting within your arms, after all, and I believe from your reactions on the subject that she has made quite the impression upon you.”
Pan pulled out of his chest at the mention, an adorable yawn working its way from her muzzle. A lazy blink turned into a smile as she met his eyes, a soft kiss given in greeting. Remembering that Tel was in the bed curled around behind her, she rolled slightly to look at the female over her shoulder, the warm expression just the same. “I hope the moon treated you well, Tel.”
The cook raised a brow at the affection in her voice, rolling her eyes when Joseph chuckled. “Besides my male being so wanting in his rest, it did.”
Pan giggled, stretching out her legs to work off the rest of her sleepiness. “Then all is as expected.”
“Hey,” the Human protested, receiving a smirk from both females. “I feel like I’m being ganged up on.”
Tel surprised him by sitting up to add her own morning greeting before slipping off the bed with a spring to her step, Pan quietly suppressing her amusement at his surprise as she got up as well.
The Blade winked over her shoulder. “One thing at a time, my male.”
He opened his mouth to retort, the action dying as he registered the other meaning. Pan paused in response to his failure to dismiss the thought quick enough, the shy glance to the ground doing nothing to discourage the secondary embarrassment. “What do I need to do today? It’s too early for me to remember.”
The white-furred female, more than happy to return to her familiar role of helping him arrange what needed to be done—and likely eager to also abandon the thought that Tel’s words imparted upon them—folded her paws over her lap and gave him a brief summary. “Jax has arranged time for you both to teach Violet, though Mama will regrettably not be able to attend this session, Nalah would like your considerations for a water heating system for the bath house, and there are several other things that can be addressed whenever you have time as they are not urgent in nature.”
He grunted as he threw his legs off the side of the bed, an absent gaze slipping over to Tel stretching out before she went to make breakfast. “It depends on how long those first two take, but I might not have time to do the rest. I need to help Harrow too.”
“No time for me?” the female asked cheekily, resting her chin on Pan’s head from behind once she noticed his complaining seemed to be more entertaining than cooking at the moment, her elbows bracing on the smaller female’s shoulders. Pan seemed surprised at the contact, though not particularly minding it. She glanced up in a fruitless attempt to look at the female before quickly returning her gaze to her bond with little concern for her re-purposing as furniture.
He eyed the two with a raised brow. “Until I sort out what I wasn’t here to work on, yeah, sorry. I’ll free up some time soon.”
The cook pouted, her display of disapproval stalling as she shook her head against Pan, her eyes turning down to address her headrest once a thought crossed her mind. “You are surprisingly soft.”
His bond blushed, a glance afforded to the male in the room who had started smirking in his confusion. “He prefers that I maintain my fur as such, and I find it rather rewarding to do so.”
Tel nodded in approval, an idea rolling on her tongue. “Show me some time.”
Having made her demand, the gunmetal-furred female sauntered off with her paws behind her head, her tail spinning figure-eights on her way to prepare food for the pack. Joseph caught himself watching a little too closely, the Blade neglecting to toss on something other than her sleep-wear giving him a bit too much to look at. He reluctantly tore his gaze once she passed into the hallway, clearing his throat to address his amused bond as she wandered to the table against the window. “You guys seem surprisingly close.”
Pan tilted her head, her paws in the process of fetching him the clothing she made for him with a small smile. “She makes you happy, that is enough for me to think of her favourably.”
He blinked at the plain answer, accepting the shirt she held out for him. “It seems more than that.”
“She has offered to teach me ways to be of greater assistance to you, and I have offered to assist her as well,” the white-furred female explained, sheepishly watching him replace his clothing. It was a black t-shit and a pretty decent pair of sweat-pants. Far from formal, but no one on the entire planet would really notice anything if he went out looking like it was his day off, so no shits were given. Not that he cared how he dressed now-a-days anyway.
He wondered what exactly she did to manage the soft material from just flora and some odd compounds she had made, but figured that it would involve a long answer that contained more steps of processing than he had attention span. The sewing room was staring to contain more barrels of things than he wanted to look into, so he just thankfully accepted that his girlfriend was magic. One of…. Yep, still weird to think about. He shook off the odd feeling that his situation gave him to poke into a curiosity.
“Trading favours? Like what?”
Pan held a claw to her lips with closed eyes as she gently shook her head, the action far more endearing than it had any right to be. “It would be rude to our efforts to reveal the results before they are ready.”
He straightened out the shirt, the fit just loose enough to be comfortable, though tight enough to stay how it should. He weighed his responses, opting to allow them their fun as long as it wouldn’t have any major consequences. Tel was told directly about that, and he wanted to believe she would respect his wishes on the matter. “Fine, fine. Just to make sure; I’m not going to end up fed to wolves or anything, right?”
Pan walked up to him with a chuckle, her paw gently resting against his chest and the soft kiss doing wonders to wake him up. “All you will be fed is whichever meal Tel provides.”
He made a show of pondering it before tilting his head in concession. “She’s a good cook, I’ll give her that. I need to ask what got her into it some time.”
His mate walked out of the door with a passive smile at his pondering, holding it open for him on her way as they started their day.
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“Again.”
She got to her feet, picking up the blunted dagger that had skittered across the gym floor, her side sore from where the kick had landed. She readied her weapon, facing down the grey-furred female whom seemed more bored than critical at the moment.
“Move, disarm, remove,” Tel repeated, spinning her own practice dagger in the air and catching it in a reverse grip. A blur replaced the female, a sharp pain in Pan’s thigh was followed by her wrist being contorted to release the knife and Tel’s weapon pressed to her throat. “Those three will be etched into your bones.” Again, Tel disengaged, casually walking back to her starting location and tossing Pan her confiscated armament.
“Apologies, but I fail to see how this will help.”
The Blade raised a brow at her confession. “You must learn to react to ones such as myself.” She waved her dagger at the Paw. “You may have learned much of his unarmed methods, but your focus is bound by rules of sparring. Should one whom plays not by such restrictions seek to harm him, your end shall be the last he sees.”
Pan deflated, her ears drooping as she acknowledged the point.
“You train with Violet, no?”
She nodded, not really sure why it would be related.
Tel hummed, her expression contemplative as she seemed to step forward methodically, some unknown distance meticulously placed between them. Satisfied, the female smiled. A blur originated from her resting arm, Pan’s conditioned reflexes slipping by the thrown knife and closing the distance to deliver a spinning back kick with her right leg from a more favourable angle once she had successfully dipped below the path of the blade.
The impact of a successful hit allowed her to use the recoil to bounce her weight in order to counteract the rotation, an arm held out to set her balance then pulled in to increase her speed. The same leg fired for the body from a new origin, the limb meeting empty air. Her instincts hauled the leg down with her body, the slight whistle of an edge whizzing over where her head was being a familiar sound.
The foot touched ground, her tail bracing the newly landed limb as she adjusted the other to launch vertically behind her, her aim being to break the guard of….
The disconnect between sparring her kit and the female who had taken a defensive posture caught her off guard, her leg halted from finishing the devastating kick to the jaw. The knife in her paw held blood.
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Panicked, she righted herself cautiously, inspecting Tel for injuries that she may have accidentally inflicted. A cut along the female’s neck must have happened when she tried to stabilize herself, the weapon forgotten.
Tel eased, the looped end of her usual dagger facing forward as the flat side was about to be used to deflect the kick. She put it in her holster with the others, an analytical eye sizing the white-furred female up. She spoke with an interested tone.
“Where was that before?”
Pan clasped her paws in front of her chest, the weapon dropped as worry for the cook outweighed the thought of answering the question. “Are you okay? It was not my intention to harm you.”
Tel touched the cut, a grunt returned as she dismissed the injury. “Worry not, it is shallow. I had not watched your spars with the den-kit, so I had underestimated your training.” She glanced at the Paw. “Why could you not do as much before?”
Pan shook her head weakly, unsure why there seemed to be such a divide between the two extremes.
Tel approached slowly, her posture low as she inspected the white-furred female’s form. “What was going through your mind?”
She stalled, unsure of the specifics. “I was comparing the situation to training with Violet.”
The admittance raised a brow. “You attack your kit so violently?”
Pan shyly looked away. “She is skilled enough to require I do as such.”
“Hmm. Perhaps I should spar her as well. We never did get around to having her test her mettle against the pack, did we?”
She shook her head. “No, much occurred in short order, so Joseph didn’t feel it was appropriate to encourage such. None would know how to best avoid injury.”
“And you do?”
Pan blushed at her accidentally boastful phrasing, but nodding to agree anyway. She had trained with Violet since they were both newly introduced to competent combat techniques, leading to both growing with the other’s safety in mind. It also meant that, once they had reached a point in their development that they could be reasonably sure that they could stop any harm from coming of it, they could utilize the vulnerabilities they had found in spars.
Tel gave her a long look. “Kill me.”
“What?” The blink came at the same time as the word, her ear flicking in a vain attempt to ensure she had heard correctly.
The female reset her position, drawing two of her usual knifes instead of the practise blade she had been wielding previously. “I said; Kill me. More accurately, try to.”
Pan shook her head rapidly. “I don’t-”
The air shimmered as her tail bore some of her weight, the subconscious shift away from the sharp edge forcing her body into its habits. “And if I were targeting him?”
“Tel, I think we-” The slight skim against her neck triggered a reaction.
Throwing her weight down, she shifted it from her tail to her rear leg, lurching forward into the extended arm. Her front foot gained purchase, pushing herself up to encircle the target’s neck from under the shoulder. She reached with her other paw, capturing the wrist of the first and applying pressure while hauling the weight of her opponent over her knee, releasing the hold once the tipping point was exceeded.
A swift punch towards the throat was halted as the body impacted the ground, her reluctance to do more harm to the female causing her to pull the strike before it could build up too much speed.
Tel’s laughing stripped her of the haze, the female having used her tail to slow the strike further and redirecting it away from her neck with the flat of a knife, her free paw holding the second dagger outwards to stab at the ribs of the white-furred female.
“Perhaps I need not forge you from nothing,” Tel commented, releasing Pan’s limb once an effort to remove it was given. “Your only limitation now is that you lack a weapon in which to compliment your style, though I believe we shall have one in our paws soon enough. It would assist you greatly if you were to follow through, however.”
Pan offered the female assistance to her feet, the latter accepting without pause. “I do not enjoy having to react in such ways. Joseph has taught me much, but it would be against his wishes were I to wantonly embrace violence.”
Tel tapped her on the nose with her dagger before sheathing it, leaving Pan to rub her snout as the female spoke. “I suppose that is but one art he has ingrained within you?” The Paw’s refusal to meet her eyes answered for her. “Will you not act when one aims for his life?”
A pain became apparent behind her voice. “I wish to embrace his moral. I should not use his teachings to take a life unless there is no other option.” Pan’s gaze fell to her feet. “I have allowed myself to fall into those lessons rashly before, and I fear I would not be able to amend what I might wrongfully do.”
The Blade sighed, waving a paw to disregard the notion. “I suppose that we can say he has taught you enough for your function, though you are woefully insufficient in other ways.” Tel walked to the door, gesturing for Pan to follow. “We will continue our sessions, though it will be to familiarize you with weapons and methods that others will use. To be ignorant is to allow your Sheath to fall before your eyes, dull one. You would do them well to throw yourself to the Void before you make them suffer such inadequacies by your own paw.”
Pan frowned, the meaning of her declaration only partially understood. Tel paused in front of the sewing room, shifting her head to look back with an eye. “Apologies, I suppose it would be unfair of me to attribute your allegiances to my own. You seek to defend as his shield rather than eliminate as his Blade, yes?”
She nodded, not entirely sure where Tel was going with this, a sensation that continued to grow ever since the female offered to teach her ways that would keep her bond safe. It was as if there was a darker side to the one whom her bond had fallen for, though their interactions spoke to the fact that he has become aware of such and accepted her in spite of it. The Paw decided to trust in the dubious nature of the cook, placing her faith in the male whom has become her centre.
“Then we will focus on observation and threat appraisal for now. I can hardly allow my attentions to slip while none are able to supplement myself.” Tel proceeded into the room, her piece said with a somewhat resigned lilt.
A worrying thought crossed Pan’s mind as she followed. “Am I preventing you from confirming your affections with him?”
“I have more than yourself to worry about, fear not.” She gestured lazily to the stack of fabrics they had chosen together last sun. “I believe you require my measurements now, no?”
The Paw frowned, but figured that if she was inhibiting the newfound love from being fulfilled, then at least these efforts would assist further. She pulled several lengths of palm as Tel disrobed, considerations for what she would make specifically proving difficult to muse.
The nicks in the strips were made silently, Pan ruminating on her unintended effect in stalling their relations. Tel exhaled, eventually speaking in a voice devoid of the harsh edge she had adopted since entering the gym, the tone soft and weary.
“Could you tell me about him? I fear I know little more than the others.” A sadness took root in her voice. “I have harmed him with my lacking in such areas already. I wish to do him no more.”
Pan paused, glancing up to see the female fixing her gaze out of the window bashfully. An unfamiliar sight, to be sure. A smile formed on her muzzle, her motions as she continued to get the lengths she needed much more natural now that Tel had shown her again why Joseph would be taken with the female.
“I suppose I should start with his blood-mother, a female who dreamed of the stars….”
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The growled incoherence from the Grand Hunter drew a chuckle from Jax, the Human’s struggle with the consonance proving to be rather amusing.
“This shit hurts my throat,” he complained, stroking the affected area and taking a deep drink from his water. Jax tried to keep the smirk from forming, though based on Joseph’s face, he wasn’t doing a very good job of it.
“Worry not, Grand Hunter, this is an expected hurdle to overcome.”
The Human glowered at him for a moment, his nostrils flaring as he exhaled forcefully. “Says the one who learned a language by listening to us talk for a while.”
“Violet has made great strides in learning such.” He gestured to the den-kit who was currently practising the alphabet for Joseph’s language. “She is endeavouring to master two, even.”
A sigh was returned for his argument, a satisfied smile overcoming his friend as the Human observed his kit apparently doing her task with great proficiency. “She’s doing better than I expected.”
Jax looked over the work, though could only comment that the lines were done more uniformly than the male’s. “Will she be able to communicate with you soon?”
Joseph blew air from his mouth as he rose his brows. “Maybe? It’ll depend on how she handles spelling. It’s a bit of a nightmare at times.”
“She has shown no struggle within our own script,” Jax offered, noticing the wince.
“Eh. We’ll see. It’ll be easy enough to go over basic phrases, in any case.”
Violet finished her repetition, displaying the result for her adoptive den-father to inspect. Joseph stroked the kit’s head while praising her for a job well done. The Atmo fetched a smaller tablet in which to scratch on, showing Jax the result with an excited bounce.
[I am improving!]
The Lilhun felt his chest rumble with the chuckle he encouraged. “You are, Violet. We are both very proud of you.” The sight of the Human looking at him longingly drew his attention. “You have denied my affections before, Grand Hunter. Do you wish for me now that I am displaying how useful to your kit I may be?”
“Welp, it was nice while it lasted,” the male deadpanned, extending his middle finger towards Jax, the Lilhun waving a paw in return.
“You will have similar exchanges in future, I am sure,” He reassured casually. “Perhaps it will be me whom looks on in envy.”
The Human smiled wistfully at him, the gaze somehow hurting. “You’ll be a good dad, Jax.”
The Lilhun, for once, found no witty retort to his friend’s words. No sarcasm, no wish to detract from the meaning loaded behind those wishes that cried into his soul, knowing that the male may never have what he wanted for the one teaching his adoptive kit.
Jax forced a smirk, a small decision made in his mind, though he would wait until it was time. For now, he was to assist this Human reach a deep desire within him. It was a small return for what he had been given.
“I fear that you are skipping on your practise, Grand Hunter.”
Joseph exhaled. “What sound am I ripping my throat out over again?”
The Lilhun chuckled, demonstrating again and taking the extra effort to emphasize and explain the subtleties for his benefit. The resulting imitation was butchered, though closer than before.
The Human coughed, taking a drink after it calmed down enough to do so and he had assured his kit that he was not ill. “Isn’t there anything easier to start with?”
Jax thought about it before shaking his head. “Easier? Yes. More fundamental? No. Much of what you gain with this will be a boon while you learn the rest.”
A thump sounded out as Joseph dropped his head onto the table. “I hate Lilhun.”
“And yet you seek to bed two.”
He rolled his head to the side to glare at the Head. “I’m including you in the things I hate.”
Jax held a paw to his chest, flinching as if wounded. “My love, you must be gentle with me.”
“Fuck you and your gravel-ass language.”
The male reached over to pat Joseph on the back. “Come. You are improving, but success is not the only marker of progress. It will take time to make the motions comfortable.”
The Grand Hunter looked at him lazily. “Fine, but you’re teaching me how to tell you to shut up. It’s looking like it’ll be more fun to yell at you in your language than mine.”
Jax grinned. “I look forward to offering you myself in more ways as well.”
“God, I regret everything.”
The facilities door pressed open, the Human quickly feigning interest in the script that Violet was quietly working on near by. Tel sauntered into the hub, gesturing behind her as she wandered up to the two.
“Joseph, Silva has called and requested your presence. Pan is waiting in your stead.”
The Human’s brows shot up. “Oh, shit. Okay. I’ll go see what’s up.”
Violet quickly laid down her materials and hurried to Joseph’s side.
“You wanna come say high to Sil, Violet?”
A chittered reply was accompanied by an excited bouncing, the male laughing and resting his paw upon the kit’s back.
“Come on then. Jax, sorry to cut the lesson short. Let me know when you have time again!”
The Lilhun shook his head at how eager his friend was to abscond with his other student. “Of course, Grand Hunter. You will be notified.”
Joseph held up a thumb as he walked away. “Thanks, buddy! I owe you.”
Jax didn’t have time to come up with something funny before the doors closed behind the pair, leaving him in the room with Tel. He glanced to the bored-looking female.
“I am surprised you would claim him as your own,” he commented absently, unsure of what else he would like to talk about with her, given the lack of new topics at his disposal. Tel focused on him, a scoff given as a smug look of satisfaction crossed her face.
“Perhaps if you had proven better, it may have been you burying your face between my thighs earlier this sun.”
He blinked, watching the female walk through the dormitory doors with her tail swinging in off-set circles behind her. His gaze fell to the floor in front of him, memories of before they had joined Joseph’s pack coming to bear. Of those moons where it had felt like she was slightly more flirtatious than her usual displays would leave him to believe.
He didn’t regret ending up with Harrow, his mate was irreplaceable to him, but it was still worth at least pondering the possibilities, even if only for a moment before they were banished to the realm of the inconsequential.
“Shame.”
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The terminal screen was displaying the sparse office of a Union member, the sterile colours and textures far from engaging. In the centre of the display sat a fairly dishevelled Trilaxin, her plumage untended and movement sluggish. Stress was clear in her expression, as was the lack of sleep that took its toll on their species much faster than his own.
Joseph distorted his face in worry. He may have only talked to the woman once, but she was doing him a huge favour by looking into everything, and she was a close friend of Rob’s. “Jesus, Sil. You okay?”
She ignored his question, conflict evident as she opened and closed her beak while trying to find the right words to say. “Joseph, I have decoded the information they retrieved from an Atmo-origin object travelling to Sol. Were you told about this?”
“The pack filled me in, yeah. What was in it?”
She cycled a slow breath, glancing at the occupants of the room, though it was only the three of them there at the moment. Violet reached for a tablet, finding that she only had one on-hand at the moment. She paused before deciding to wave with her joint in lieu of a more concise method of greeting that would take up space which might be used to say something else. A small smile was returned by the avian until she spoke, her voice falling grave.
“It’s a video file. It was programmed to be broadcast once it was within range and it was….” She fell quiet for a while, Joseph unsure if he should interject. Her feathers shimmered as she regained her confidence. “I believe you should see it, considering your connection to them. It will answer more questions than I could reasonably answer.”
He furrowed his brow in uncertainty. “Sure? How am I supposed to do it? Will you just send it or….”
She shook her head, an empty laugh given in exchange. “I can pass through the feed, though I will not be able to continue once it is over. It will be too risky to keep the system running after.”
Joseph nodded in partial understanding, glancing to Pan and Violet to get their opinions. Pan smiled encouragingly and Violet nodded her assent to the arrangement. He turned his attention back to the terminal. “Okay. Sorry we couldn’t talk longer.”
Silva gave a weak smile as she took a breath, a necklace running through a thin gold ring shifting against her breast. “We will speak again, Joseph. Just….” Her eyes glanced away from the screen. “Never mind. I’ll get in touch once a friend of mine gets access to the Lilhun data, okay?”
A frown tugged at his lips, but he tried to look more thankful for her hard work. It was obviously far harder on her than he would have thought previously, and the mention of her actively waiting on more information suggested that she had at least confirmed there was things to find. “Take it easy, Sil. You look like hell.”
A soft chuckle trilled from her beak, the look on her face implying that it wasn’t the first time today she was told that. “I must, mustn't i?” She shook her head softly. “Take care Joseph. I am glad to see that you returned in good health.”
He returned the smile as she reached to do whatever needed to be done. “Take care.”
The screen flickered to a deep grey, the darkness artificial. A ‘rec’ watermark appeared at the top of the image in time with the hum of background noise and an undertone of static. A deep voice spoke in accented English, subtitles being displayed underneath in the language as well as what Joseph could place as Atmo script, though he couldn’t be sure if Sil had provided the translation or if it was embedded in the file previously. Violet took a step closer to the terminal when she noticed.
“I hope this reaches them.”
As soon as the words were out, the scene changed to a haggard looking man standing in the corner of a room. He looked somewhere in his forties—based on the smile lines and deep creases on his forehead—a coat having been hastily tossed on over a t-shirt and jeans. He held his lowered head in his hands, giving his face a rough rub before raising it slowly to look at the recording device, the redness in his eyes and bags underneath them speaking to more than one night that he would have preferred in a bottle. It was a look Joseph recognized from the bathroom mirror back in his apartment, and a feeling he knew all too well.
The unkempt facial hair, the lack of sleep due to nightmares, the overwhelming urge to curl into a ball and let death take you one second at a time. It was a look of a man who had lost everything and had nothing left to fight for.
“Attention people of Sol. We have come to present evidence of the Union using their power to unilaterally commit genocide on newly discovered sapient races for no reason other than their fear of an uprising from members who have supported their government for millennia. My name is Adam Callam, and I present to you...” The man’s voice broke, a sob fought back in a desperate attempt to keep himself composed, his face contorted in his struggle not to give into agony. “I present to you a video log of our interactions with new races under the guise of a ‘socialization procedure’. Kind people of great curiosity, acceptance, friendship, and loyalty. People who accepted us as their own with no promise of anything in return, and people who... People who...”
The video cut to the man holding a drink in his hand and a cigarette freshly extinguished into a newly placed ashtray. A barely hidden bottle of alcohol could be discerned at the edge of the screen, Adam having moved to sitting at a table between scenes. The man cleared his throat, it being much hoarser than before.
“And people who…. Who sacrificed many…. to save just me and my family.” He stared at the desk for a moment, a fresh tear proving difficult to dissuade. “No. People who became our family. People of Sol. Members of Humanity. Please. See what kind of beings are being kept from us and stolen of their right to live... See what people made the ultimate sacrifice to save a Human couple and their child from unprovoked bombardment... And what I am asking you to do in return.”
The man’s sorrow faded in an instant, his gaze into the screen intense and focused. Pan reached out and held Joseph’s hand, resting her free paw on Violet’s shoulder as the Atmo watched, absorbed by the story unfolding in front of them.
“Watch what the Union is doing behind the curtain, just to prove to themselves that they are the ultimate authority. That they can play God, merely because of their own convictions and desire for control…. Watch the happiest moments of my life be ripped away from me because of them.”
Adam took a deep drink of his booze, wincing when the burning hit his throat.
“Watch, and then make a decision. A decision on the fate of those people…. Because you are the only hope they have left.”
The man reached forward to interact with the device, his eyes having turned from despair to a cold determination that resonated with the Grand Hunter.
The screen flickered again. Joseph gripped Pan’s paw as he watched with bated breath.