---Citadel---

---Tcakqaal’s perspective---

I perch atop Victor’s shoulder while he sits on Deck 0, surrounded by the Humans from the planet we visited most recently.

Jae and Yasmin are sat talking with the woman I recognise as the mother of the boy that first encountered the preliminary landing party.

They must be making the most of the last opportunity they’ll have to talk to any of these people about their culture and language.

Elsewhere, Fluffy, Sam and Qīnglóng are playing with some of the children, all three clearly aware of the need to take care with the smaller and (relatively) more fragile deathworlders.

Björn, the gigantic Ursus sapiens, is sat on his haunches, smiling, as more children use him as a climbing frame (though, he does occasionally wince as one of the children hangs just a little too much weight off of one of his hanks of fur(!))

“Attention all: we will imminently be arriving in the Citadel System. All who wish to see the moment of arrival please take position at a front facing window.” comes Twila’s voice, comprehensible via my translator though speaking Nowo Mazurski, rather than Galactic Standard, for the benefit of our guests aboard.

Many of the Mazurzy look around, as if trying to work out where the front of the ship is, before taking their cue from those that know and moving toward the bow.

Victor follows, myself still being perched on his shoulder, and we take position in the crowd of Terrans standing at the portside bow window.

The only things visible out of the window are the Bridge and Bridge crew quarters, in the head of the ship, at the end of the neck that connects it to the ship’s main body, up and to our right, the Swift Claw, currently flush with the ship, plugged into its mounting at the top of the ship’s sternum, and many stars, moving by us.

The stars are packed so closely together in the core that the planet we are about to arrive at effectively has no night, only a brighter day, when its own sun is up, and, when its sun is down, a dimmer day, illuminated by the light of the stars outside its own system.

The hum of warp ceases and, all at once, the stars stop in place, a planet having appeared before us.

Covered with a brightly illuminated, planet spanning city, the world is around half covered with shallow oceans that shape its land into an intricate maze.

Though not a cradle world to any sapient species, it is ideal for habitation by the overwhelming majority of Galactic Union members.

That fact, together with its position, so close to the centre of the galaxy, led to it being chosen, 1.2 million years ago, as the seat of the Galactic Parliament and Capital of the Galactic Union.

We gaze upon the most populous planet in the galaxy behind only Earth… 55 billion sapients call Citadel home!

Twila makes another announcement “We have now arrived at Citadel. Would all disembarking passengers and crew check their holopad for their boarding group number and make their way to the shuttle bay at the time specified.”

There isn’t space on the Swift Claw for all the Mazurzy to comfortably travel at once, so they have been divided into three boarding groups.

I check my holopad.

Victor has placed me in the last group, along with himself, but, nevertheless, we both make our way to the shuttle bay to oversee the embarkation of the first, supervised by Brunhilda and joined by Emiko and Ms Hunter, and, half an hour later, the second, supervised by Tuun and Xon…

When it is finally time to board, Victor steps forward.

“Everyone remember to be careful of the change in gravity as you board…” he shouts to the group, his voice being both translated and amplified over the rooms speakers “…I know it looks like a 30° upwards slope but, the moment your feet are on it, it becomes your new down!”

The crowd of people file on, with Victor and I being the last aboard.

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The prisoner is remaining in the Brig for the moment. He will be retrieved for transfer later.

From my perch atop the shoulder of the tallest person on the ship, I’m afforded a comprehensive view around the room full of Terrans who, until a little over a month ago, were sick, injured, aging, or caring for others that were, and had no idea that Terrans weren’t the only sapient creatures in the galaxy.

As the Swift Claw detaches from the Bright Plume and brings its nose down (relative to the orientation of the larger craft) I find Victor to have stood us beside the long, grey haired, clean shaven community leader, who had a wrinkled face and thick beard when he first came aboard.

“How’re you feelin’, Witold?” asks Victor, able to be a little more conversational due to the fact that the elder was one of the very few who we have issued a translator to.

“…Extremely nervous…” admits the man.

“What are you nervous of exactly?” I enquire, I hope kindly.

He puffs before answering “Meeting who I’m about to meet… representing my entire planet to a UTC, for whom we’ve been waiting to save us for 4 centuries, and a GU we just learned existed…”

I chitter and say “I can see how that might weigh on a person… Just remember, it’s not your job to impress them… it’s their job to impress you!”

Victor nods his agreement and the grey haired man says “Thank you… That does make me feel a little better…”

We descend over a part of the ecumenopolitan planet that experienced sunset a few hours ago.

The place we’re aiming for is a hangar, on a coast, nearby to the Citadel ODR as well as the Parliament building.

We set down and Victor, who was the last on, becomes the first off, as the doors open and he strides down the ramp.

The crew and passengers who went in the first two groups are milling about the large empty space.

Emiko is stood, facing the craft, with Ms Hunter to her side.

With them are two people I recognise despite having never met.

One is a man only dressed in a pair of [shorts] whose powerful body is covered in a layer of thick black fur, bar a saddle shaped patch of silver fur, on his back.

Though currently standing on all fours, the handfeet on his shorter hindlimbs in a plantigrade arrangement, the hands at the ends of his long, thick forelimbs curled under in a knuckle walk, he still stands as the tallest member of the group of four Terrans!

He has a protuberant, prognathic snout and nostrils that, unlike a Human’s, point forward instead of downward.

His sclera and irises are both shades of dark brown, though clearly distinguishable from eachother.

His brow is more prominent than Thran’s and his cranium takes the shape of a blunted cone.

This Gorilla sapiens man is Gamba ‘Winston’ Zvaitika and serves as the bodyguard to the man beside him, the Galactic Union Parliamentary Representative for the United Terran Coalition.

Earthborn, though, I believe, with a father from Putiya Tīvu and a mother from Akhali Sakartvelo, the corpulent, medium brown skinned, dark haired Sapiens man with irises so dark that they almost can’t be distinguished from his pupils, stands around 180cm tall besides Emiko on the landing pad, smiling warmly and dressed in a black [suit] with blue pockets and [lapels], a blue [shirt], a green [tie] and green [shoes].

Locking his eyes with the grey haired man walking with us, the representative bares his teeth, extends his hand and enthusiastically says “Bzowy Witold! It is my sincere pleasure to finally meet you! Zurab ‘Peacemaker’ Mudaliar, at your service!”

The Bzowy extends his hand and the two men perform the Terran greeting designed to show that neither party bears a weapon.

“The honour is mine, Representative Mudaliar.” returns the grey haired man, tentatively.

Still smiling and grasping the Bzowy’s hand, Mudaliar continues “I received word earlier today that the first flotilla has departed Nowe Pomorze bound for your planet… a few weeks head start should be enough before we dispatch a ship to repatriate all your fellows here to arrive with or after the aid ships… In the meantime, we’ve cleared out some of the accommodations in the ODR for all of you. I hope it’s to your liking!”

“That’s excellent news, Sir… and thank you… I’m sure we will be quite comfortable.” returns the grey haired man, earnestly.

Releasing the handshake, Mudaliar turns to Victor and I and says “Captain Tcakqaal, 27th Daughter of Highspire Peak… It’s a pleasure and a delight to make your acquaintance. I’m sure that we will have much to talk about while you’re on planet. Mistress Miyazaki here has been regaling me with tales about you.” reaching up to proffer me his hand.

I reach down and grasp his index and middle fingers between my wingclaws, and answer “I am, likewise, delighted to meet you, Representative Mudaliar… I hope it was all good things you heard from Emiko(!)”

He laughs “All good things, I swear!… Other than that, the only entertainment while we waited was watching Mr Zvaitika here challenge Ms Hunter to an armwrestling match(!)”

“Who won?” enquires Victor, aiming his question at Thran.

“I lost…” answers the Gorilla man before Thran has the chance, his voice deep, gravelly, surprisingly refined and the tips of long canine teeth visible between his lips “…to be expected when challenging the strongest woman alive. I don’t regret taking the opportunity to do so, though.”

Thran’s cheeks flush pink in the visible and glow hot in the IR spectrum but, other than that, she doesn’t react.

At this point Mudaliar greets Victor “CSS Victor ‘Cuddles’ Taylor… I must confess myself a little starstruck!”

Victor takes Mudaliar’s hand and answers “That’s a funny thing to hear from the face of the United Terran Coalition(!)… Definitely an ego boost, though!”

The man laughs “It’s quite true, I assure you! Both of my children are very taken with you… I think even my husband is a bit of a fan(!)”

Victor’s shoulder shakes from mirth.

“Alright then…” says Mudaliar, clapping his hands together “…shall I lead the way?”