-Naarviix-

"So, there is something I don't understand. If it is so problematic that humans are interacting with other species and making inroads and relationships with them... Why haven't they just flat out banned contact? It seems like that would be the best option, wouldn't it?"

Naarviix lay back and purred softly in thought, her ears flicking alternately. They were currently sitting on conforming couches in the manor's garden, and she had just surrendered herself to the comfort of her couch. They had come here often over the past few days as they got Conrad ready for his new job. The clean air worked wonders for keeping them from getting overwhelmed with the mental fatigue of the training. The fact that it rarely rained here made it even easier to stay outside and enjoy sunning oneself while they worked.

Ruufarrl was off playing uncle to the cubs and Huurnsul was, sadly, back to work, but she would still get to see him every night. The others had immediately hailed off back to their jobs, and Ruushaan had gone back to basically living at the Clan Chambers. She hadn't seen him since their meeting after the Confirmation Ceremony and didn't expect to see him again at least until his wife and child returned from their "trip".

"I would have to say that it is mostly a matter of politics and timing, with a fair bit of policy woven in. You spoke before of how your species met GalCom, yes?"

Conrad nodded, "Yes. It was mostly by chance, we jumped into an inhabited system after building drives to carry us across the Gulf and investigate a signal. There was some confusion on first contact, but we found a way around it."

"Found a way around it indeed," she laughed. "Your people moved quickly. They translated some of the local system's language and sent in a drone, a neutral and safe alternative to a full-on ship equipped to deal with any problems it might find. From there, the discourse started. Your people found out about the application process to become a part of the Galactic Community, and immediately began the process required for it, hoping to find allies and partners out in the stars."

"Well, yeah is that so surprising? We are a social species… well, mostly. Up until then, we had thought we were alone. Of course we would jump on the chance to seek out new things and people, technologies and sciences, cultures and worlds. We have always been explorers, and this was a chance to basically get a guided tour of things we had never seen or experienced before. A fast track to new developments and resources that up until then we had no idea even existed."

"This is true, and your earnestness put you in a strange position. Because you had moved so quickly and so publicly, there was no other option but to entertain your application. They couldn't reject it off hand because you already had a reputation. This meant that they had to allow some contact. Provisional Community members are allowed limited trade, travel and other such things in the spirit of creating a place for them in the Community. They also don't prevent people from travelling wherever they wish. If someone wants to risk exploring unknown sectors of space and peoples, then that is entirely up to them. They could hardly stop it. Can you imagine trying to prevent single ships from crossing your interstellar territory's borders?"

She watched as he absently shook his head as he seemed to consider just what kind of material and manpower would be required to put a blanket blockade over the vastness of space. There simply was no calculating the numbers properly, she knew. "If there were defined jump points or warp gates or something like that, I suppose it would be possible. Well, remotely plausible at least. For now, it is mostly just "That" direction is where people come from. It just happens to be easier for us thanks to the stellar topography. Come to think of it, I've never really looked it up. How are there never accidents? I get that space is vast, but surely there must be some points that get congested enough to cause jump accidents."

Naarviix shook her head and chuffed at him. She hesitated a moment to think about what course the conversation might take but chose to elaborate anyway.

"I am not a physicist, but my understanding is that it has something to do with how the Jump drive follows a pre-connected path that shuts out local interference within a certain range, even "pushing" local obstructions out of the way, in the way that only multi-dimensional space can. It would kind of be like having a piece of taut fabric with a ball that moves inside or underneath. Something attached to the fabric would move, relatively, whenever the ball passed by it. If that ball had a hole to come out of, anything near the hole itself would be... "moved" aside before the ball exited the hole, all without ever actually having moved in our dimensional space. But if something is bigger than the ball, the hole gets "pushed" to the closest safe place along the chosen route instead. It’s all... Mass, Energy and Gravity and Quantum Tunneling of some sort, the component parts of which are why we can't jump in too close to a planet or star, we just get shunted out early if we try. The bigger the ship or synchronized jump group, and thereby the bigger the mass and energy signature, the bigger the safe area on arrival. Your people used a different method of jumping to reach it, but the end result was the same. The Physics will not be denied, even when the physics themselves break the known laws."

She waved her hand somewhat dismissively as she talked, it really was beyond her complete understanding, and she had given him the best visualization that she could offer. "It is also the best that I have heard anyone come up with. Visualizing space beyond the third dimension can be mind-breaking and is usually left to the computers. But a few people can do it well enough to give us a 'close enough' approximation. A curious mind is a good thing, but it is time to bring this back to the topic at hand."

"Now, to finish your question... I think the biggest limiting factor, even today, is that not everyone has refitted their ships with the engines capable of crossing the Expanse. Otherwise, you would likely be seeing far more cross over than you have. Only the larger trade and tour vessels have found it worth doing... in the public sector at least. I would not be surprised if my people and the other military arms have completely refitted their ships with the appropriate engines, just in case. It would hardly be fitting to sit back on our haunches while a potential threat has demonstrated that they can do something that you cannot. That can reach you when you cannot return the favor, now would it?"

"Some may think of that as giving secrets away, but it is hardly anything more than common sense. A few moments of consideration is all it would take for someone to come to the same conclusion."

"Yeah, that makes sense... And if we wanted to be in free contact with the Community, there is hardly any way that we couldn't have shared those drive plans either. That would be an awfully one sided and awkward relationship."

Naarviix smiled to herself, "See, just simple common sense. If only people thought more these days instead of yapping mindlessly."

"To return to our original path, this ship is going to be far smaller and different than the one you are used to. The crew is smaller and more closely knit. They depend on one another fully, especially as they all serve as security in addition to their other jobs. You are also going to have another responsibility on top of those assigned to you on the ship. That responsibility is to represent your people in the best possible manner you can. There are three species serving on this ship, not including yourself. All of them are people who are quite capable of fighting and who serve as part of the Military Arms of the Community. Making a good impression on them is going to be paramount for amicable relations in the future.

Now, as the ship's cargo space is more limited, so the downtime is longer between jobs. There is less... make work to be done. Captain Lorthaal has deigned to include a fitness module in his ship for this extra downtime, one that can adjust the gravity panels to stronger or lighter levels. He trains his people hard, and they often spar with one another to keep themselves sharp. This would be a good place to make your capabilities known, bond with your crewmates and learn the capabilities of those around you.

The crew will not shun you like your old crew did. They only care that you can do your job. To be entirely fair, you might well already be a minor celebrity on the ship by the time you get to it. Don't think that the display of evidence during your Blooding Ceremony stayed there. They will be curious, and eager to test you."

His crestfallen look amused her, and she couldn't help but laugh at his expense, "And now you know why I never accepted the offer of Claw Sister. It is simply no one else's business what I did to earn it. If I want to train in the old ways of the Night Manes, research patterns of crime in my home region, use it to track a hiding band of Broken Fangs and hunt them down, that is my business. The less others know about me the better. It isn't any fun if you can't surprise people when it counts., and a lady has to have her secrets, after all."

"Oh, don't worry, I am sure you will meet their expectations... eventually. It is kind of hard to live up to being a Matron Killer after all."

He looked up at her sharply, "Please tell me they aren't actually calling me that."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

She gave a wan shrug and wave of her hand, but her ears still flicked back and forth in amusement, "Too early to tell. But it is an accurate assessment though, is it not?"

The human dropped his head into his hands with a loud sigh. She couldn't hold back her grin and started purring in response to his chagrin. "Oh, you make it too easy to tease."

The sound of an approaching air car signaled the return of her Uncle and her children. They both looked up to follow its progress around the Garden and down to the open car park. She sighed contentedly and looked over at her charge, "It looks like our lessons have ended. Do not fret, you will do just fine. Uncle will be with you on the ship to guide you, not that I feel you will need it. You are quite adept at picking up on what is going on around you and seeing to the truth of matters. I doubt that it will be too much removed from what you have already experienced."

"Here is hoping. There is a lot more riding on this than there was before, and my last crew wasn't watching my every move and judging me for the future of both our species."

She gave him a coy grin and called to him over her shoulder as she stood up to go meet her family, "Are you sure of that?"

She couldn't see his reaction because her back was turned by then, but she could feel his eyes on her back and hear the sudden stillness of his apprehension, unsure of whether she was jesting with or warning him. She was informing him that there was always more than meets the eye, but if she was going to be honest with herself, it was mostly the former.

"Too easy."

____________________________________________________

-Conrad-

"She has to be messing with me again. Right?"

He watched Naarviix scoop up her cubs and swing them around, eliciting excited mews and laughter. Even Ruufarrl gave a contented smile as he waited to report on their days' activities. But his own thoughts kept him distracted and a little removed from the display and events.

In the end, he decided that there was nothing he could do about it anyway, "No point in dwelling over what may have been. Just be aware of it in the future, not that I couldn't be at this point. But maybe that is what she was trying to get at. Every interaction with humans becomes a lens with which the other species view us. No matter how insignificant the interaction. What was that weird old phrase, The axe forgets, but the tree remembers? We are still rare and new in Galactic space. Their people are working off rumors and suspicions when dealing with us, so it all reflects on us as a whole. I knew that before, deep down. But confronting it openly in this context is something else entirely, and what I needed to do after the whirlwind that my life has been after the attack. I'm no longer just a guy trying to do a good job and let that be my legacy. Now there is so much more that I have to admit to myself and meet face on...

Damn, she is good. She would be a far more terrifying politician than either Ruufarrl

or Ruushaan. They deal with things in their own way in the open. Her... Her they will never see coming... Probably a good thing she stays away from politics as much as possible... Ahh Hell, at some point I am going to have to go back and report on all this to someone, aren't I? Man is that day going to suck."

He looked up to new squeals and saw that the cubs were playing hide and seek with their mother, who was chasing them about the garden. The young ones had gotten used to his presence and weren't as shy and reserved anymore, so they felt comfortable enough to play around him, and sometimes even on him. He smiled to himself as he went to join the others and debrief with Ruufarrl on what they had gone over that day.

"That day is going to suck... but it is not today."

_____________________________________________________

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully. They had gone inside to conduct final preparations for Conrad, which mostly consisted of him packing what little he had on him into his travel bag and go over the boarding procedures for Ruulothi vessels.

Their ship-based procedures largely reminded him of human maritime traditions, which was different to the Galactic Standard on trading vessels. There the Captain dealt solely with the operation of the ship, and the personnel matters were handled by subordinates. It was rare for a Galactic Captain to involve himself with crewmembers beyond the Command Staff.

For the Ruulothi it was run more like a military ship. All respect was paid to both the ship and the Captain and they, or their Second in Command, would directly meet non crew at the ramps and give final authorization to board only after the proper decorum of asking permission to join the ship and crew was seen to and identities verified.

Given that Ruulothi ships often armed their crew and had an Armory on board, and were themselves armed in some fashion, it made plenty of sense to ensure they had the right people on board.

After that they waited for Huurnsul to return home and had dinner. Then it was off to bed before launching off on yet another part of this wild journey of his.

____________________________________________

Thanks to his foresight in packing the night before, they were able to make the Shuttle Port with plenty of time to spare. While going through their customs and waiting in the lobby areas, he noticed a few distinct differences between Human and Ruulothi ports. He hadn’t even seen the inside of the public port on his trip down, as he had been immediately shuttled over to the Night Mane’s private port.

Now that he was here, there were some glaring differences that took him a minute to identify, as the idea of them was so alien to him that he was chasing his mind in circles trying to figure out just why his senses were going off.

First was that it was far quieter in the Ruulothi port than it was in a Human one. There was a low drone of quiet conversations and the occasional general notification of boarding, but none of the music, raised voices, and clamor of a public place related to humanity. He understood now why Ruufarrl had been a little disoriented on his arrival to Nueva Rios.

The Ruuothi shops were tailored solely to conveniences for travelers. They sold necessities, information and wrist link programs and updates for various locations, with only a couple shops selling food for those that waited. Noticeably absent were larger, more varied commerce places, food courts and souvenir shops.

He didn’t really need a souvenir, but he thought it might have been interesting to see what they considered to curios and collectables. As a Bloodclaw, he kind of already had the ultimate souvenir in his Mantle, but maybe something to display at wherever he decided to settle down would be nice.

“Speaking of homes… I am going to need to figure that out eventually. It wasn’t something I really needed before, living on the ship as I was and with Mom and Dad willing to let me crash there in between. But now it looks like it is something that will need to become a priority, depending on how this all turns out. I will need to be able to be found.”

Conrad caught movement coming towards them, and recognized Lorthaal weaving his way across the commons area towards them. Conrad got Ruufarrl’s attention and indicated to him the imminent arrival of their new Captain.

“But, for now, another ship.”

Both Conrad and Ruufarrl were standing and ready when Lorthaal arrived. He gave them a quick appraising look and nodded with a grunt, “Good, follow me.”

They trailed Lorthaal for several minutes. He took them through and past several checkpoints that separated the travelers from the workers and into the back halls and loading areas.

Their trek ended at an open bay, where crews were loading cargo containers into the forward bay of a wicked looking ship. It had a clear predatory feel, with forward swept lines and wings which had engines slung under the shoulders, and an angled, split tail that rose around a twin bayed engine with vectoring nozzles.

Conrad could see a series of blisters, one under the nose and one in the middle of the spine, and a couple more on either side, both top and bottom. He suspected that the nose and spine blisters were retractable gun turrets, while the others were sensor pods. He could also see a rolling boarding ramp snugged up to a hatch behind one of the wings.

The ship rested on four heavy landing struts that terminated in multi-wheeled feet. It was about a hundred and fifty meters long and the body was about thirty meters wide. As far as cargo ships went, it was on the larger size of the small haulers and about at the size cap for planetary landings. All told it was about an eighth of the size of the Dark Meridian that he had previously served on.

The cargo bay ran the length of the ship’s belly, with the majority of anchor points running along the outer sides of the hull, and Conrad could see the crew organizing the containers to account for ballast

Lorthaal waved to another Ruulothi, a large orange and cream-colored male, who approached and gave him a Ruulothi salute of a claw across the chest and his chin to the sky, exposing his throat. “Captain. We are on schedule and will be ready for lift off in twenty minutes.”

“Good. These are the new crew members that I spoke of the other day. Gentlemen, this is Voorkar, my second in command. Treat his instructions and orders as though they came from me. Voorkar, please see to their boarding, I will take over here.”

“Understood, sir. Come with me, we will take the boarding ramp. Once inside I will show you to your quarters. We will gather all crew in the meal hall to give you a briefing after we reach orbit.”

Voorkar was more talkative than Lorthaal and explained things as they walked.

“The two of you will be bunking together. Our berths are simple two bed bunks, with nine berths around a single common room, of which we have four, plus the Officer’s quarters closer to the control center of the ship. There is a single central hall that is under the spine, but it dips and rises with stairs depending on the section of the ship you are in. It does this for both convenience and access to ship areas, and to create chokepoints for defense.”

He paused at the bottom of the ramp to make sure they were listening and ready to board. “There is also an armory in the crew section, if you have any personal firearms, they will be stored there. You may keep a small blade on yourself if you desire. DO you have anything that needs to be secured?”

They both gave him a negative answer, and he grunted in response.

“Very well. This here is the only airlock into the ship, so any attempted takeover from the outside will occur from here, remember that should the situation arise. Now, please, go on up and head in. I will follow.”

The entryway airlock was simple and barren, and the room beyond was more of a gear hold than anything else. It held eight Ruulothi enviro-suits contained inside of lockers, with some gear boxes underneath and little else of note. The corridors, rooms and containment doorways were cramped for a Ruulothi, but were comfortable for Conrad, an unexpected benefit.

“I apologize, but we have no Environment suits for humans just yet. We hope to remedy that issue at a later date.”

“That is entirely understandable, this was all rather quick notice after all.”

Voorkar nodded in appreciation at Conrad’s latitude to their equipment issue, then continued to lead them through the ship. He pointed out the various sections of the ship as they went, until finally they reached their room.

“This is your room, get yourselves situated, and be strapped in for takeoff in… fifteen minutes. You don’t want to be rolling around loose while we are accelerating and maneuvering in atmosphere. I will come to get you for the meeting when it is time.”

Once he was gone and the door shut Conrad took a deep breath and began putting his things away. “Well, this is a cozy little ship. A nice layout that is easy to remember.”

Ruufarrl chuffed at his observation, “Indeed. The simplicity may not make sense to others, but few would be willing to cross a Ruulothi warrior in such close quarters, so it works for us.”

He stopped to dig around in his pack before handing a small case to Conrad, “Before I forget, this is for you. It is traditional to award a new Bloodclaw with a personal blade on approval, but I noticed that you had some difficulty wielding weapons that were created for us, so I asked to have something custom made. I used some of the research I did using the books I bought, your human network, and the weapons in your Fighting Studio during my visit to have this crafted, I believe it is called a Karambit?”

Conrad opened the case and found a beautiful, curved blade made in a fusion of both Ruulothi and Human design. The handle was made of a dark red wood and had the typical ring associated with karambits and finger grooves for retaining control. The inside of the blade was a smooth curve around to the point, where it swept back into the more angular Ruulothi edgework, with the front third of the back edge being sharpened as well.

Conrad pulled it out and gave it a few experimental twirls, finding it to be quite well balanced. He didn’t dare to test the edge with his finger, as it had the telltale sheen of a mono-edged blade.

“This… is an incredible piece. I honestly don’t know what to say.”

Ruufarrl grinned at him, “There is no need to say anything. We can’t exactly have a Bloodclaw that doesn’t have any claws, now can we?”