Deag walked up to her door and gently pressed his paw against the touch pad. He knew it was early, but the situation was odd and she’d told him to inform her of anything. To be honest he was delighted she was taking her role as security officer so seriously. It was comforting to have a human protecting them, a well-trained human at that, if the few details he’d gleaned of her career before their meeting were to be believed.
As the door slid open with a mechanical swoosh, he found the barrel of what the Terrans called a “pistol” aimed directly at his head. Fear shot through his system. His paws were up immediately.
“Just me! Just, me…” he almost shouted, consciously making zero overt movements. He thought to bolt, to make a run for it, but dashing might only provoke its lethal instincts. Their eyes met and he couldn’t help another pang of fear rushing through him. It’s eyes were wide, wild even, pupils completely dilated.
By all the Holy Stars.
The human, laying in her bed, suddenly came to a realization of the world around her. Quickly, the gun moved in her hand, left side facing out towards her captain with the barrel pointed upwards and her finger off of the trigger. The adrenaline in her body calmed.
“Sorry sir… uh… bad dreams. I… I’m so sorry.”
The issue he’d come to her room with was gone, his curiosity peaked through as his fear calmed, “Dream?” He asked, doing his best to pronounce the word of a language not quite well fitting for his mouth. The word must have been Terran as it didn’t come through the translator changed in any way. Without a proper translation the program will simply leave the word as-is in the translated sentence.
“Yea… you know when you sleep?” The gun was being placed back under her pillow.
“Plenty of species sleep but ‘dream’ isn’t a word I’m familiar with. What does it mean?”
“Umm I guess its… well strictly speaking when a human sleeps our subconscious organizes and reviews all the extraneous data we pulled in from the day. It organizes and stores everything… or gets rid of it. But in that process for a lot of humans we… see things, experience things. For me it’s like I’m living in a movie, one I’ve seen before…” her voice trailed off. Deag was still working on figuring out which facial movements meant what, but he was pretty sure this one was fear… or maybe sadness?
“Are you okay?”
“Hmm? Oh, yea. Dreams can just be a bit vivid sometimes. And, well, they’re not always good. Some dreams can turn into what we call nightmares.”
“What was your dream about?” he asked, still trying to read her face.
She couldn’t see him anymore. She saw her dream, a memory in all honesty. She could see their faces, clear as that day. The popping, shaking, still rang in her ears.
“It was uhm… well it wasn’t fun. Anyway, what did you need?” her face quickly became a blank, professional look. The one she wore most often. He was beginning to think it was less an expression and more a mask, but he didn’t push. He’d been told humans react poorly to emotional support when its not requested. It made little sense to him but until he had a better grasp on their species, he wasn’t about to test things.
“Right… yes, there was an odd signal coming from a nearby debris field. Nothing we’d normally note, but you asked—"
“To be notified of anything yes, thank you. Ill join you on the bridge shortly sir. Just need a min’ to collect myself.”
“Of course, I’ll see you there.” He gave her a nod and as good an approximation of a smile as his species could muster, it was genuine though, and he moved out into the hallway and back to the bridge.
Hmm, dreaming… a collection of extant or to-be organized data. Does that mean those ‘nightmares’ are comprised of data the humans find scary? If so, then where was it pulling that data from? There’s no way she found any of us scary… what could even scare a human?
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Suddenly something she’d said dawned on him, “One I’ve seen before.”
Memories?
His mind drifted to his first memories of her, less a meeting and more an incredible showing of that fabled human strength.
***
Gareth and he had just made port at a waystation, *still* seeking an able being to take over as their first security officer.
“Look the more cargo we start hauling the more likely we are to get attention not just space-side but when we dock or land too. We need someone who can think tactically on their feet and knows how to handle those kinda situations”
“I know captain, and I agree, I just don’t think we’re gonna find that here is all I’m saying. Some po-dunk go-between isn’t going to have what we need. I’m telling you, Gorma prime. The Gorm are known for their tactical mind and ability to keep cool. Plus, they’re the nicest most polite and professional people you’ll ever meet.”
“Sure, and they’re only eleven jumps away, nearly 3/4ths a full fueling just to get there.”
“Well yes, but then we could be certain were getting someone good. By the void, getting someone at all!”
Their debate had been going for some time and it continued as they searched unsuccessfully around the docks for nearly an hour. Finally, defeated, they found themselves at the station cantina. Both of them too disappointed to uphold their end of the argument. Both of them sipping on something cheap.
Gareth was about to rouse his belabored point when the sound in the bar hiked up sharply. It looked as though two groups were starting to get at each other. Mercs of some kind by the looks of them and their patchwork of arms and armor. No one civilized society would be caught dead near. It seemed that one group had made… less than complimentary comments about the brood mother of the other group. The insectoids took offence to this and started to stand.
“No one speaks ill of the matriarch!”
“Ohhhh noooo, aren’t you just a drone or something? Surprised you can get offended.”
At this point the barkeeper, brave considering its size, stepped down off their stool and out between the two groups. Unfortunately, his words could barely be heard over the two rowdy bunches and they all but ignored him entirely. Deag and Gareth shared a look of concern, if this got out of hand it could be ugly. They watched the bartender slink past the groups and over to a corner table. Deag only now realized it sat a single patron, heavily cloaked and sitting next to a large bag. What he had thought was some tall cargo of some kind was actually a creature and the bartender was mumbling to them. They had to be asking for help.
There was a motion from the large thing and then more pleading from the barkeep followed by the same motion. Seemingly rebuked, the barkeep twaddled back to the groups and attempted once again to diffuse the situation. Again, though, they had no success. Less so in fact, as one of the insectoids palmed their head sending them sprawling to the ground as he inched closer to the other group.
“You will take back your words!” one buzzed.
“Or what?” came the response.
“You will pay” replied a different insectoid.
The bartender quickly got up and rushed back to the large alien. This time they were profuse in their begging. The lone being paused for a moment and then made a different motion from the previous time. The barkeeper then stepped a fair distance away and waited.
“Hey, settle down” came the clear words from the alien’s mouth.
Unfortunately it was ignored by the two groups who were nearly at each other’s throats and paid no heed to anyone else.
“You will pay with blood!”
“Are you going back that up bug-eye?”
“Hey! Both of you! That’s Enough!”
The creature stood and Deag’s eyes went wide. It had been sitting. And now, standing, it was more than twice his size. As she pulled back her hood realization struck both Deag and Gareth.
This was a Human.
And yet the two groups seemed oblivious to her as their hands started moving for weapons. The human let out what Deag would later come to know as a sigh. An expulsion of breath denoting exasperation or annoyance. For now, though, Deag was more focused on the humans fist slamming down onto the edge of their table with so much force that it went flying and spinning up into the air and crashed down with a resounding metal clang.
“ENOUGH!” the human yelled so loudly that some patrons winced in their own varied ways, Gareth's hands shot to his ears.
Utter. Silence.
She had their attention now. In fact, she had the rapt attention of every creature in the bar. Both groups went from “ready for a fight” to “seriously reconsidering life choices” as the realization dawned on them that a fight now meant going toe to toe with a human.
The first group, a motley crew of a number of different species, quickly left the bar altogether. The insectoids stayed but sat down and huddled silently together with their drinks. Not a one made eye contact with the monster in the corner.
Letting out another sigh, the human picked up the table with a single hand and set it right. With her other hand she grabbed her bag and made to leave with a curt nod to the diminutive barkeep who turned an appreciative hue and did their best to return the gesture.
Deag looked at Gareth with a familiar gleam in his eye.
“No”
“Think though, not a soul would try and mess with us with a human on board!”
“Respectfully captain, you’re fucking insane.”