The door to Kell's cabin would not open when Brooks asked for entrance.

He knew the being was in there, or at least had a very good idea of it. After leaving the Chain, the Ambassador had come straight back to his cabin - still bleeding - and spoken not a word to anyone. Dr. Y and Cenz had both tried to speak to him, but had been ignored.

And since going in, the door had not opened.

Brooks had no eyes in Kell's quarters. They did not have eyes in anyone's quarters, but sensors from other parts of the ship could sometimes pick up information - mostly the vibrations carried through floors of movement or talking.

But since Kell had come in here, they'd detected nothing.

Brooks did not know the extent of Kell's injuries. Was it the equivalent of a scrape on the knee to his kind, or was it serious?

Was Kell even still alive?

"Ambassador, please open the door. I need to speak with you."

It was the third time that he'd sent the message in. There was still no response.

He clicked the intercom again. "I need to know that you are all right, Ambassador. I will have no choice but to come in if I believe your life is in danger."

He felt a trickle of sweat go down the back of his neck. The Treaty of Tor was strict in such cases, and Brooks knew that he played a dangerous game. To violate the territory of the Shoggoths was more than simply an unlawful entry, in the treaty the words had left little question;

The Sovereign Territory of the Shoggoth People is inviolable, and unlawful and knowing violation of this right is considered an act of aggression by any being under any pretext.

While Kell was an ambassador, his quarters were considered the territory of his people.

But while Brooks would not actually risk entering, to simply say he would was not a breech of the treaty. He just hoped that Kell did not call his bluff.

"Captain," Cenz's voice came through his comm. "I am detecting large vibrations within Ambassador Kell's quarters. I believe he is moving."

Taking a deep breath, Brooks steeled himself as the door opened.

Kell was standing there, his expression neutral. There was no longer blood on his face or clothing, he looked impeccable.

"I did not expect such ignorance from you, Captain," the Ambassador said. His voice was cold, and there was an inhuman quality to it; a sort of echo, as if many voices spoke as one.

Brooks met the eyes of the Shoggoth. A shiver went down his spine and he felt as if he was facing his death.

He kept his eyes locked to Kell's.

"I had to know your life was not in danger, Ambassador," he replied. "Even if it was a violation of the Treaty of Tor, I would suffer the consequences."

"Why?" Kell demanded.

"To make sure you did not die," Brooks said. "You are under my care, and the Sapient Union chooses life."

"Not your own," Kell replied coldly.

Brooks did not back down. "If necessary, I would make that call."

Kell's head tilted ever so slightly. "Is this all you required to speak with me about?"

"It is the primary concern, but not the only one. I need to talk to you about what happened on the station."

Kell said nothing, taking a step back. Brooks was ready for the door to shut, but it did not.

"Enter," the Ambassador said.

Surprised, Brooks hesitated for just a moment before doing as bidden, and crossing the threshold into Kell's quarters.

It was dark in the room, almost as dark as a moonless night, and his eyes took a few moments to adjust. He had not seen the interior of the room since before Kell had joined the ship, and he looked around, curious just what kind of decor a being such as it would have picked.

To say it was Spartan was not doing it justice; the walls were bare, as were the shelves. There were no pieces of furniture, even the basic chairs built into the walls of each cabin were folded back up.

A large pool dominated the room; there were only a few meters around the edge that was not taken up by it, and besides that there was nothing.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

And it was cold. A deep cold that made his skin prickle, and there might even have been ice floating in the water of the pool.

Kell had moved to one side and was waiting for him to speak.

"Firstly, Ambassador - are you hurt?"

"It is nothing you need concern yourself with," Kell replied.

"I am afraid you being injured is my concern. Do you require medical care?"

Kell seemed almost amused. "When I say you do not need to concern yourself, I mean that I will suffer no lasting harm. Injuries do not concern a Shoggoth unless they are far worse than this."

"Do you need antibiotics, or-"

"No illness affects my kind," Kell interjected. "I consider this a private matter that is now closed."

Brooks studied Kell, and realized that he could not pursue the topic any further.

"Very well. Would you like to give me your perspective on what occurred?"

"No," Kell said. "I would not like to. But I will."

The being began to pace, circling the pool, his eyes gazing into it. He seemed to be searching for words, and Brooks gave him the time he needed.

"What is in that chamber should not be," Kell finally said.

"In what sense?"

"Any," Kell replied sharply. "The man known as Michal Denso is gone, and what now occupies that space is an abomination."

The Ambassador's eyes raised from the icy water to meet Brooks's. "I do not use that word lightly."

Brooks could not hide his surprise. "Nevertheless, we must aim for a positive outcome."

"That is impossible," Kell replied. "At least in the sense that Michal Denso will never exist again as was once known."

"He's dead?" Brooks asked.

"He is something else," Kell answered, his eyes going back into the water. He had paced around the pool and was now opposite Brooks, where he stopped. "What, though, I do not yet know."

"Except that it's abominable, apparently," Brooks said. "Can you give us any useful information on what he is? You've said before that I can't understand these things - but we must try. And there are few places in known space where we could do a better job of trying to understand."

Kell said nothing, only looking into the water.

"The words do not come to me to even attempt to try, Captain. Understand that I do not intentionally keep you in the dark. There are simply limitations to what I am capable of imparting to you through words."

"Through words," Brooks echoed. "Does that mean there is another way you could impart them?"

Kell looked up at him again, and something flashed across his face. Amusement? Mocking?

"How did Denso crack the glass?" Brooks asked. "Can you describe that?"

"By hitting it," Kell replied.

"But you saw that it broke in places he didn't touch - even where he hit it, it broke after his hands struck. Several moments later."

"That is not what I saw," Kell replied.

Damn it, Brooks thought. He was certain of what he'd seen; he'd reviewed the footage. But Kell had apparently seen something different.

"How aware do you think he is?" the Captain asked.

"I cannot answer that," Kell said. "He does actions with intent, but I do not know what - or how much - he perceives."

"What do you make of him asking to go home?" Brooks asked. "Denso was from the Neo Solaria system, do you think he is aware that we can't take him there? Or do you think he meant the ship he had served on, the Sunspot?"

The ship which, as far as Brooks knew, was still floating derelict in the Terris system - if it was lucky. More likely it had already suffered a matter failure and ceased to be.

"The being that you continue to call Michal Denso has a connection to something deeper than a place," Kell replied. "Its home is not a physical location as you think of it."

"What do you think it means, then?"

"The place where he was born."

The answer made no sense to Brooks, and he almost asked for clarification, but then it suddenly clicked in his mind.

"The Terris system itself," he breathed.

Kell nodded. "That is where this being began. Where it was . . . created. I believe it wishes to return. Why? That I cannot begin to answer, so do not ask. But more than anything else about this being, I am certain of this."

"So if he felt he had been 'born' in the location that the Sunpot happened to exist in . . ."

"Then it may consider that space to be adjacent to its home, yes," Kell replied.

Brooks went quiet, and Kell turned away, touching a panel. The plain wall turned into a view of the stars beyond the ship, and Kell began to pace again, crossing and re-crossing the far side of the pool, while gazing into the void.

"Why do you think he responded to you as he did?" Brooks finally asked, breaking the silence. "It seemed to be outright aggression, not simply . . . excitement."

Kell unclasped his hands, letting them fall to his side. His mouth curled slightly, but it portrayed no happiness, no pleasure. It was a mocking, baleful grimace that went even into the eyes of the being as it stared into Brooks. Through him, in a way, into a place that Brooks knew he could never understand.

"One abomination recognizes another," he said.

Brooks found he could not speak. He took a few moments to compose himself. In the dark room, something seemed to stand out against the dark; not Kell, not the shape of man he presented himself as, and not even the . . . mass that he had seen in deep space when they'd encountered the Leviathan.

No, it was the eye. Again, the shape of it, burned into his vision.

"I see," Brooks finally managed to say. His voice sounded hoarse in his ears. "And . . . and what do you think we should do?"

"Kill him," Kell said simply. He turned, facing towards the wall screen that showed the stars. "There is no other choice. Good day, Captain."

Brooks tried to thank Kell, but his voice had failed him. He offered just a nod, and turned towards the door.

The Eye seemed to be there, too, on the wall. It was not until the door opened into the brighter hall that it was washed out - or gone. He could not know which.

Brooks realized that his hands were shaking.