---Reembarkation---

---Victor’s perspective---

I lie in the bed in the embassy, where I’ve spent the majority of the time since I took two monster fangs in the neck, becoming the first and (very briefly before Thran became the second) only person not from this planet who’s been injected with vrakhandoid venom.

It’s definitely not an experience I’d recommend to the curious!

Considering that shock kept me from really feeling it that time my hand got sliced off, I’d say that sting was a strong contender for the single most painful thing I’ve ever felt!

And, following it, my single longest ever period of being laid up.

The venom did pretty significant damage to my muscles and organs and the bedrest after has only meant more wasting.

I feel weak…

Weak in a way I never have before. Weak like I barely have the strength in my arms to lift them up, even not holding anything!

I never really liked using regen through my twenties.

Whenever it was needed, I was very clear with Gato that I wanted to keep all my scars.

The time I had a lifetime’s scar tissue wiped away and made into something I didn’t have to worry about anymore led to me going a bit regen crazy after my loss to Thran.

Now, I’m absolutely desperate to get back to the Bright Plume’s medical ward and get myself back to fighting fitness!

A wide head rests on the right side of my bed, an enormous pair of amber eyes fixed on me, sympathetically.

I lift a feeble hand to give Fluffy a stroke between the ears.

Cường and Niyol didn’t want to let her in here while I was recovering, in case she hurt me by playing as rough as usual. After enough of my begging and pleading, they relented and put a translator on her to explain that I was fragile right now and she needed to be careful with me, which I’m not sure was necessary.

She’s not sapient… but she’s about as close to the line as you can get without crossing it.

I think she’d’ve understood from context that she can’t be too rough with me at the moment.

She’s spent most of the time between when I woke up and now in here, keeping me company when Tuun was out on excursion with Samus.

“Sorry, sweetheart…” I rasp “…I’m really sorry I ain’t been able to play with you properly all this time… I’ll make it up to you when we’re back on the ship, I promise!”

She stares blankly back at me, understanding nothing except my tone, still not liking to use translators.

“All this time you could’ve been runnin’ ’round forests, huntin’, findin’ int’restin’ things to eat, havin’ fun with the Twigg… and you been stuck here with me, ain’t you(!)” I smile.

Right then, the door slides open and the love of my life steps inside.

“It’s time, Victor.” she smiles, walking to my left, extending her lower left hand to place it against my abdomen and her upper left to stroke through the beard I’ve grown on this planet “It’s time to reembark. Everything else is ready, we’re just waiting for you.”

“Alright…” I answer, placing my right hand on the back of hers and pressing it against my cheek through my facial hair “…could you hand me my crutches?”

“Are you sure you want to walk? It’s further than you’ve gone since…”

“It’s a few hundred metres, total… Here to the shuttle (where I can sit down), shuttle to the lift, lift to the ward… It’d hurt my pride to need to be hovered there!”

She gives a breathy chuckle and answers “I think I’d prefer your pride getting hurt to the rest of you(!)”

“I’ll be fine, baby!… I’m gettin’ regen right away… Right?”

“Alright Victor.” she sighs, reaching out with her right hands to grab the two walking aids (that’ve really only been used to hobble to the loo so far) and handing them to me.

“Thanks baby!” I smile, sitting myself up and pushing my way over to the edge of the bed, propping the pads under my armpits and declaring “First thing I’m gonna do after regen, have a nice shave!”

“I wish you’d reconsider…” she pouts, standing in front of me to push me backwards in case I start to topple forwards “…the beard really suits you! It makes you look so rugged and handsome!”

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“So I look soft and ugly without it(?)” I tease with a wry smirk.

She rolls her glowing eyes and says “You know that’s not what I mean! Being a pogonophile doesn’t mean I dislike men with no beards! I just think the beard suits you is all!”

“Aesthetic’ly; can’t disagree… but how itchy and uncomfortable it is sorta overwhelms that(!)”

“Well, I can’t really argue with that, can I.” she sighs as she stands aside to let me start hobbling forward.

I stop and turn to Fluffy, still lying by my bed with her head on the mattress.

“Come on, girl… we’re goin’.” I smile, causing her to instantly spring to standing and streak to the entrance.

She disappears around the corner as soon as the door slides open but, once me and Tuun have made it round, I see that she’s only made it a little way down the hall before she stopped and looked back for us.

Reassured that I’m right behind her, she takes off down the hallway in the direction of the embassy’s exit.

Even just the amount of exertion necessary to hobble along on crutches is quickly wearing me out.

Still, better than leaving on a hoverstretcher, like I’ve had a bloody leg blown off(!)

Me and Tuun step out into the main hall and I see a few hundred eyes all turn to us.

There’re hundreds of Twigg here and, interspersed with them in a way I haven’t seen before, dozens of Vrakhand.

On the right of the aisle I’m making my way down stand the five people who are about to become the only offworlders on this planet: Ambassadors Yeshe and Ong, Soo, the journalist, wrapped around Cường’s torso and Niyol, his triplet of Twigg girlfriends all clinging to his back, their cheeky faces visible over his shoulders and the top of his head.

Getting near the centre of the room, I feel like I really need to acknowledge the sendoff somehow but really can’t imagine not collapsing if I stand around giving hundreds of individual goodbyes for the next half an hour, so, with force of will, I raise my hoarse voice loud enough that I think everyone will be able to hear and shout “Goodbye everyone! Thanks for everything!” as I pivot on my crutches to look at as many faces as I can.

An incoherent cheer answers me, some people wishing us a goodbye in return but enough saying other things that all that comes across is a generally appreciative roar.

Me, Tuun and Fluffy manage to make it out the doors into the bright early Autumn sun.

I see Cap and all the friends who hadn’t already gone up to the Bright Plume, standing outside the Swift Claw.

Reassuring them all that I’m fine and can handle it as I pass them, I shamble aboard and make my way to one of the seats.

Tuun takes my crutches for me as I awkwardly lower myself down to sitting.

Mouse walks up to Tuun and takes one of the crutches she printed, standing it up next to herself.

“It’s insane to me that you needed them this big!” she declares, pointing to the prop with an incredulous expression “This thing is as tall as me!”

“Yes… I’m quite tall and you’re quite short(!)” I chuckle in answer.

“Heeeeey!” she answers, feigning offence.

“Oh, I’m sorry… did it become uncool to comment on other people’s height between when you did it to me and when I did it to you(?)” I smile, wearily.

“Whatever, lanklet(!)” she shoots back, goodnaturedly “With the Twiggs’ arrival on the galactic scene, now is the dawning of the age of the shortstack(!) We short shawties will be oppressed no longer(!)”

I frown but Samus beats me to the punch “Not sure I’d call Victor a ‘lanklet’, Dormouse… Don’t lanklets need to be skinny?… And, come to think of it, don’t shortstacks need to be busty… or in some other way ‘stacked’?”

“You see(!)” smirks Mouse, pointing up to her girlfriend “You see the disrespect we face(!)”

We all laugh as the shuttle begins to lift into the air.

“Everyone wave.” instructs Twila.

Everyone turns to look out of the portside windows behind me and smiles, waving goodbyes to those not coming with us.

I turn around in my seat in a way that instantly intensifies my headache and see the crowd that’s spilled out of the front of the embassy behind us, watching us go.

I’m able to spend about 3 seconds waving before the pain forces me to stop and turn back around.

I see Cap making her way over to me.

She mounts the chair beside mine before nestling down onto it and turning her head to me.

“How are you feeling, Victor?”

“Ain’t gonna lie… felt better(!)” I answer, smiling down at her “Lookin’ forward to regen… assumin’ that’s allowed(!)”

She scoffs “Yes, I think I would judge it to be medically necessary in this case, Victor(!)”

I smile then, more seriously, ask “The Twigg who got bitten still doin’ OK?”

“They’re fine, Victor…” she reassures “…the creature gave them a dosage of venom optimised for keeping them alive. The combination of her being startled by the attack and unfamiliar with Humans seems to have lead to her going massively overboard with the dosage she chose to give to you!… You should be flattered(!)”

“Yeah…(!) The ego boost of her overestimatin’ me like that was definitely worth the month of bedrest(!)” I answer, wryly.

She chitters a laugh.

Feeling my energy ebbing, I exhaustedly ask “You seen ’em yet?”

She responds with a Terran headshake answering “Not yet. They went up still in stasis.”

“You lookin’ forward to it? Or’ve you enjoyed the peace and quiet(?)”

She bursts out chittering and says “Victor, I must warn you that when you tell jokes like that, it makes you sound like a [500 year] old R’qali woman(!)”

“Does it?” I smile.

“Indeed it does!… So many older women’s humour revolves around insulting their lifemate that it’s a wonder we didn’t die out from how awful they apparently all found lifebonding(!)”

I laugh but offer no response as I see the sky going black and stars outside the Claw’s windows.

I don’t get a look at the outside of the Plume before I feel us clamping to it.

Probably for the best; don’t know if I’d like the look of my home for more than a decade with the damage I’m sure it must still have.

Even repaired, I’m guessing it’s not pretty.

Tuun hands me my crutches.

Fluffy, Tuun and Cap walk with me as I make my way to the entrance of the home I’ve not been aboard in months.

The apparent 30° upward slope of the differing gravplate angle is a little daunting but (with some help from Tuun and Samus) I’m able to make it over without faceplanting.

“Tcakqaal!” comes a familiar voice that I’ve not heard in a while.

Cap strides forward to wrap the iridescent rainbow of feathers in her wings.

Tapping her beak onto the side of his in a R’qali kiss, she says “I’ve missed you, sweetfruit! I’ve missed you both so much!”

In response, he laughs “I wish I could say the same, my okla… Only, from our perspective, it’s been hours, not months(!)”

His contented wife releases him from the cuddle, allowing me to get a good look at my unstasised goddaughter clutched in his wings.

“Victor…” he chitters “…why am I not surprised to see you in this state(?)”

“Good to see you too, Qorrie!” I chuckle.