The newly named Captain merely righted the flat cap on his head once more, looking back towards his rather shabby crew. It was clear there was already a massive disarray in everything that was going on; Tesla was just about hanging off his leg, while Lily was in the fettle position. Swabbie turned his head, only to see Garrus yawning sleepily, acting like he had nothing to do and was about to knock off for some rest. Gritting his teeth in anger, Swabbie turned tossing the spare coat at Garrus before pointing finger at him and issuing the command.
“Garrus, I want you outside taking a look at the ship; my knowledge is basic at best. You’re the expert here so I want you to make sure everything that can be salvaged from this piece of scrap is. If this bird isn’t worthy to fly; we’ll make it a base of operations till we can either find some help or can create a way to send an S.O.S. up to Roshire.” Garrus and Swabbie then exchanged heated glances before Garrus sighed once, putting on the coat and pulling up the hood. Grumbling, he began walking back out of the pod.
“Well, I’ll give you one thing, you at least get shit done. Never could complain about that when you were the janitor; guess I can’t complain about it now that you’re the captain. Just don’t break my back alright? We’re still friends, even if I am looking out for myself; cause you know… aside from the ol’ Captain... you were the only person on that ship that would really talk to me.” Stating this, Garrus turned his head, with mild trepidation half expecting Swabbie to deck him again, instead, he found the male just shaking his head with a distinct distaste.
“Garrus, you tried to fuck me over, you’ve been a bitch since we got into this whole mess and aside from piloting, you’re about damn near useless. Still, bygones are bygones; you’re my friend, but sometimes I’ve gotta smack you around a bit or else your head would get too big for your body. Now then, get your ass outside and give me a damage report when I get back; besides, the exercise will be good for that body of yours that’s starting to get flabby. I swear sometimes I couldn’t tell the difference between you and Rorsh.” The pair laughed before Garrus gave Swabbie a playful jab on the shoulder. As the two had finished reconciling for the moment, the pilot spoke once again.
“Yeah, yeah, I get you. I’m getting fat, I’ll do something about it, you just make sure we stay alive you bastard. Now then, I have a ship to look at and you have food to gather; hmm…by the way, you owe me a beer as soon as we get to Roshire.” At that, the pilot merely turned about and proceeded to walk out of the ship; his body visibly straining for a moment when we exited, but he slowly fixed himself and proceeded to push through the pain.
“Sure, I’ll buy you a beer with my non-existent amount of credits.” Captain Swabbie snorted before looking down at Lily. She had been there for him in the past, now he supposed it was time to be there for her. Swabbie had never experienced much loss in his life, at worst he watched a few chickens die; nothing to get particular worked up about in his mind. So how could he respond to her in a way that wouldn’t seem offensive? Milling over those thoughts, he pushed a column of air out of his nose before pulling away from Tesla and waving her off. “Hey, Tesla, give me a few minutes and we’ll get ready. Make sure that Garrus doesn’t need any help at the moment.” Saying this without taking his eyes off of Lily for an instant, he found himself slinking down to the floor next to her. Already, he could see the shock of the loss was passing and it was hitting her that her adoptive father was dead.
The nearby door shut, the magnetic locks sealing the entry wall from all but those who knew the particular code. Which at the moment was everyone but Tesla; sitting down next to Lily, there was an awkward silence. What should he say and what should he do? It wasn’t as if he could just magically make all her pain go away; however, it was also true that if he didn’t say something she would likely be stuck like this for a while. Despite her claim to be able to cut anything they brought to her…if she didn’t calm down, she would likely make a mistake and that could be fatal. It was just something that couldn’t be tolerated at this point, especially since he would normally trust her with their lives.
“Lily…I…” Swabbie started, but before he could even get the words out, Lily raised her head slightly. Her lower lip was puckered out slightly, her eyes watering as she cut him off.
“Stop, I know what you’re going to say.” Her voice was already on the verge of breaking. Fighting back the urge to whimper uncontrollably, battling to keep rationality in her voice and losing. “You’re going to ask me to stop thinking about him, but that’s not possible! Sorison….he wasn’t my real dad. You know that, you knew that better than anyone. Yet, he was the only person that cared about me; he was the only person who gave enough of a damn to make sure I stayed alive. The only person who didn’t look at me like a piece of meat or a sex toy, which I’m already going to tell you, I won’t be for you. I may have agreed to do anything, but don’t think I’m just going to bow down and suck you off every time you bark the order. You’ve got the red headed skank for that.” She sneered, obviously making a joke to ease the pain, but it didn’t seem to work all that well.
Swabbie listened, letting her vent, though he was surprised at the off-color comment about Tesla. Letting out a small chuckle at her words, he looked back down at her. His mind was contemplating how to ease her pain. Nothing really came to him, so he held his tongue waiting for her to speak. When she didn’t all he could do was to tentatively speak and try to win her over. “Sorison…was a good guy. I really didn’t know him that well though.”
“Yeah, I remember when you showed up a month ago Swabbie. You looked like a scruffy kid. You were thin and it was obvious that you hadn’t been eating very well. It was clear you were desperate and would do anything you could just to get by. It…reminded me of myself back when I was five; the way he sort of just took his arm and wrapped it around you. It was like he was adopting another child….” Just listening at this point, the Swabbie nodded slowly catching every syllable that fell from her tongue as if it were a life line. He and Garrus were all she had left now, so this was the least he could do for her, considering Garrus never would.
“Lily…can you tell me about Sorison? I never knew him that well, he was always just my boss. Sure, we had a few conversations but in the end, he was just my boss. I never got to know the man behind the mantel of the captain.” Those words…where did they come from? They just seemed to escape his lips without any form of thought involved; an impulse which he was sure would get him slapped. Instead, she looked up for a moment, surprised before turning her head back to the ground.
“You’re just asking because you want me to function in the group, not because you actually care.” Those words felt like a slap to Swabbie’s face, the final stress at the end of the word care coming out particularly heated. As he sat there with his jaw hanging down, his feet pulled up slowly tucking themselves against his ass. Soon after, his arms descended looping around his own knees so both he and Lily were sitting in the fettle position.
“Actually…I would like to hear about him. Back when I was out job hunting no one would even talk to me; most of the employers were of different races than me. Not really surprising considering that humans only make up roughly three percent of the current universal population. Most of the species I encountered didn’t want anything to do with me. Some wrote me off for being human, others for my lack of work experience, others for not having finished college. In the end, I stood in the unemployment line over and over again; just waiting for someone to take me. Finally, I got an offer, Sorison needed a janitor and he wasn’t picky about who took the job. I was on the verge of giving up hope when he took me in; there wasn’t a day that went by this last month where I didn’t thank him.”
Swabbie’s face changed as a small smile formed upon it. His arms clutching around his legs tighter as the words slipped from his lips. It was becoming relatively clear that he was just a kid in reality; someone thrust into a situation he had no control over anything. Youth spreading over his face so it was clear that he was only about twenty or twenty-one, likely still having second thoughts about leaving his family behind; just barely old enough to be considered a full grown adult. Now with so much responsibility on his shoulders, one wouldn’t be mistaken for thinking he was going to crack. Letting out a soft sigh, he felt Lily’s head lean against his shoulder before his arm came up and wrapped around hers.
“Ok…since you really seem interested. I’ll tell you about him.” Looking up at him, there were tears still glistening lightly in her eyes; before she moved in a little closer. “Just…keep holding me like this till I’m done…ok? I know...,” She sniffled softly at that point, turning her head away from the swabbie. Sheepishly turning her head covered in short blonde hair back to the Swabbie. “I know you have to leave soon enough, but till then just listen and hold me; you and Sorison…you two were the only people who cared. Now…you’re all I have left. Garrus…he always treated me like a piece of meat, despite Sorison’s reprimands. I wish you didn’t have to leave me here with him, but I understand.”
Swabbie took a short breath and nodded, listening intently at this point. He remembered Garrus speaking teasingly and seriously about how he was going to bed Lily. It seemed to him to be nothing more than a fantasy regarding what was likely the only other human female for light years around them. The port he had visited saw Garrus leaving immediately for the red light district and returning piss-faced drunk with the dumbest smile on his face. Yet, he never expected him to only view Lily as a fuck-toy for the crew, especially considering she never slept with anyone. Those thoughts dissipated the moment she started speaking again.
“Sorison adopted me when I was five; the first time I saw him. I was enthralled, he just seemed like everything I used to see in the picture books or passing glances at holoplayers in the store windows. Crisp, clean and proud everything that a hero needed to be; I learned later that he wasn’t the hero I thought he was, but he was still always dad to me. He would put his ass on the line to make sure I was safe and stuck up for me when others wouldn’t. Though, if it hadn’t been for a bit of feistiness on my part, he probably would have never adopted me.” Giggling, she let out a soft sigh while the Swabbie rose one eyebrow.
“You, feisty? I can hardly imagine.”
“Oh you’d be surprised, Captain, I snuck on board the ship the ship and stowed away in the cargo bay. By the time anyone realized I was on the ship, it was too late to turn around. Not like I had anywhere to go anyway.” She laughed at this, but it was all too clear to the Swabbie that she was hurting deeply; breathing outwards, he slowly turned his body towards Lily’s and felt her push into the gap instantly beginning to weep freely against his chest. It had done her some good to release some of the pent up emotions that she had been hiding; he could already hear her sobbing: “Daddy, daddy.” Over and over again as she clutched tighter against the back of his coat, finally her voice went hoarse and cracked for a moment before she leaned in closer. Mentally exhausted from all the strain that had been put on her, she didn’t have anything left to give at the moment but a few more words.
“I’ll tell you more later…if you’re interested…I’m sorry I broke down like that.” Swabbie only shushed her in response, putting a finger up to his lips before stroking her hair. In silence, he lifted her almost completely limp form and carried her towards the center of the escape craft. Hitting a button with his butt, as he didn’t want to disturb the female in his arms, a release of air prompted a fold-out mattress to appear from the wall. Falling down from a latched in region, which could be clearly seen; it was large enough for most species to fit in comfortably and for people of average human size, about two to three before it got cramped. Laying Lily down in the teal colored sheet, resting her head against the white pillow before his hand slid up to her face.
“I’m always interested. Get some rest Lily…this has been harder on you than anyone else.” Swabbie removed his hand quickly, then proceeded toward the exit of the ship. “I’ve already kept Tesla waiting too long…Garrus should just be getting into the analysis of the ship. So I’ll just hurry along with Tesla and gather up any food that I can while we’re out there; hopefully we can find a vegetable patch or some fruit. I’m not gonna get my hopes up for meat right now.” As he thought this, Lily’s weak voice called him back to reality, just as the doors in front of him were opening.
“Be careful out there.” She chirped almost too quietly to hear before her head hit the pillow. Already sound asleep, the Swabbie let a smile grow on his lips before pushing his fingers together and saluting her. A gesture that he had always used to mean: “Will do.” It was time to get serious now though, he had three people and himself to take care of and not a lot of time to do it. Grasping the velocity knife from the emergency cabinet as closely as he could; he proceeded to walk out of the ship, letting the doors close behind me.
“I was wondering when you were going to come out. I was starting to wonder if you two weren’t heating up the ship.” Tesla’s sultry voice sounded out from behind the Swabbie as she stood with her back against the hull of the escape vessel. Her libido seemed to have calmed down for the moment and she was much more serious about the entire situation, though there was a bit of an aura about her that told the Swabbie to stay on guard. “So handsome, shall we get going or are you just going to stare at the flowers under your feet all day?”
“Flowers, what flowers?” Speaking this before even bothering to look down, the Swabbie couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw that spreading out all around him, Tesla, Garrus and the ship, was a field of bright orange and yellow flowers; all of them glimmering dimly in the near pitch black darkness around them. He had assumed the lights around them were coming from the shuttle’s emergency beacons, but those appeared to have been turned to slag by the impact. Finding himself almost in awe of their beauty, he knelt down, cupping his hands around one of the flowers and gazing into it. As his face got nearer, he was suddenly yanked away by Tesla.
“No, no…Captain, you don’t want to get too close to these. While their pretty to look at and I’m sure you want to touch the pretty glowing flower, Garrus already found out what happens when you do. The petals of these particular flowers, the Dosrochire, radiate at about eighty-eight degrees Celsius when they feel threatened. Otherwise, they tend to stick around twenty degrees to keep themselves warm and to keep the ice around them constantly melting to provide water.”
“Uhh…thanks for the warning Tesla.” Swabbie uttered in thanks as he pulled back, shocked at how beautiful the plant was, but how deadly it could be. Standing up slowly, he turned his head around; noticing a nearby wooded area where a variety of florescent blue grasses were glowing dimly in patches surrounding a few sparse trees that seemed to made of fossilized amber. “Tesla, do you think that area would be our best bet for hunting and gathering?”
“Most likely Captain, though those trees produce a sap that when processed right can be consumed for most of the nutrients you humans need; mainly handling vitamins A, B, and some D.” Looking back over at the Captain, she tilted her head for a moment, quizzically inspecting his neck; causing the male to shift uncomfortably for a moment before walking towards the florescent blue of the woods about fifty yards away.
The sight could have been something out of an old Disney movement, the closer they got the more the lighting seemed to dim down; the colors growing vibrant and setting a mood. Swabbie’s eyes feasted on the scene around him; taking in every little note. He may have never been a survivalist or left out in the woods, but he knew how to read the signs of the land. Right now it was screaming to him that this place was being used by something as a hunting ground.
“Tesla, I don’t like this place.” Swabbie hissed lightly as he noted the female bending over and proceeding to pull an oddly shaped tuber from the ground. Each of them shaped like fist-sized octagonal prisms, small red dots revealing their eyes; Tesla was picking as many as she could and ignoring the feeling in the air that Swabbie had warned about. Pulling the velocity knife out of its sheathe on his chest; he felt the nylon grip comfort him. The hum of the blade in his fingers giving a bit more before it all dribbled out of him; what he saw next caused that comfort to dissipate.
Standing not ten meters away was a beast, its head almost level with Swabbie’s own as he noted three eyes lining either side of its head. A pair of dirty-yellow fangs hanging down at knife length from its lips, these curled back into a snarl as it exposed a double row of interlocking canines around. Swabbie swallowed as it prodded forward once more, body lowering down into a threatening stance as a flanging growl escaping out as the rest of its body could be seen. It was massive, at least nine feet long with six legs each tipped off in a paw that looked like it could tear a man’s head clean off. The guttural growls continued, white fur standing on end across its back as a single brown stripe became visible on the beasts grown.
“Tesla….” Swabbie hissed trying to get her attention, now seeing it crouching down, getting ready to pounce on the princess. Tail standing straight up looking more like a battering ram than anything else; Swabbie had never known fear like this. Yet, someone was depending on him and he had only three options at this point.
A. Charge the beast, giving Tesla time to run.
B. Run leaving Tesla behind.
