Chapter 2: Chapter Two
Museum of Universal Biology (destroyed by the United Federation of Earth Alliance)
"All right everyone, plan is to raid this abandoned archive specifically, labelled Xenobiology of Archaic Era, and find something for the boss. Could be human, might not be! Keep an eye out, guns hot, and prepare for landing!" Oracle cried out, waking Akifa from his calming nap. He groaned low, shivering as his joints popped and his spine clicked, mentally reminding himself to look into the massage parlor back on the Maiden, knowing he was past due for a check up.
Akifa leaned forward to look out the cockpit windows, whistling low as he watched the hovering destroyed building, debris still falling in space as the museum's lights flickered and displayed various wings and displays. Place is huge... must've been widely regarded in its heyday, Akifa mused, moving Aaru to side along with his two companions as they landed on the destroyed flooring of the Xenobiology wing.
As the crafts opened up, Cam, Oracle, and Anubis came out with their boots glowing as they stayed on the floor. Oracle pulled up her handheld remote as it gleamed with a small screen, showing a point pulsing lightly.
"What we're looking for is that way!" She smiled brightly, heading over as Cam took down one of his larger rifles and cocked it ready, Anubis slowly taking out his pistols as they whined softly, showing full charge at the bottom of their ammo cartridges. Oracle moved through the dilapidated wing's floor, carved and formed in a classic black and white tiles with glass casing filled with various alien specimens throughout the Solaris System. Oracle scanned each casing, recording the specimens and their plaque downloading code for their information as Camulus mumbled in Gaelic under his breath, checking each dark corner and empty hall.
"It's too damned creepy, I hate this..." he muttered, mumbling fast and furious in his comline as Anubis chuckled, cloaking himself as he stayed beside Oracle. Checking inside each supply closet door, Cam and Anubis rifled through the junk and leftover material, filling out extra canvas bags that floated behind them in holding spatial fields to keep them hidden and safe. Oracle gasped, hearing the pinging echo faster until she came to stand in front of a massive metallic canister, somehow undamaged and pristine in its metallic condition. Oracle took out a jacking cable as she plugged it into the informational pedestal, downloading the information as two words gleamed: Spatien Iscerian. Oracle glanced down at the device, whistling low as Cam narrowed his eyes, looking over the metallic capsule closely as he kept his rifle aimed towards the door.
"It looks like it's frozen over... from the inside too. I'm no professional engineer, but how does something do that?" he asked, Oracle shrugging as Anubis walked over, skimming the details on the device.
"Says it's the last of its own race, mined out of what was believed to be a comet, but it turned out to be a glacier formed on his home-world. It was filled with members of its family, maybe tribe? A herd? Anyways, the scientists ran tests, found out this is the only one with a pair of wings, and that this race is powerfully telepathic, even had the ability to control water based liquids, ranging from ice to even steam. Damn..." Anubis whistled low as Oracle smiled wide, hacking into her device as she started opening the canister. Camulus swore in his native Gaelic, backing the three away as he kept a bead on the lid as it slowly opened. The thick layers of ice cracked loudly as the locks opened finally, the lid falling open loudly as a thin hand reached out into the light. Oracle held up her device, switching to a video recording as Anubis pulled out a pistol, aiming it towards the arm that flexed its long teal blue claws, held by sheer webbing.
"What the hell...? Did it have a picture in the file, Oracle?" Cam asked, turning to her as she shook her head, keeping the recorder trained on the alien. The hand flexed twice, the knuckles crackling loudly as it gripped the canister's sides, flexing hard as the claws scratched into the metal, pulling up the upper half of the body. Snow white skin coated the creature, leading up to pale blue fin-like ears that flexed and wavered, two eyes slowly opening wide with cat-eye pupils dilating. The face reminded Anubis of a dragon almost, semi-human but heavily angled with a mouth full of serrated teeth that shined in the darkness, flicking out a thin dark blue tongue. Long, thin tangles of pale white-blond hair flowed over its face and back, unkempt with signs of neglect and long hours of cryo-sleep.
"Okay... who goes first?" Cam whispered, turning to the two as Anubis went forward, putting away the pistol as he held up his hands, turning on his helmet's loudspeaker as he came forward.
"Hey... salaam, as we say back on my home-world. Can you understand me?" He asked slowly, making sure to keep to the Universal tongue as the creature hissed dangerously, crouching low with its claws flexing against the metal in loud scrapes. Oracle gasped as a long black tail slowly rose from behind the alien, lined with a small needle spine fitted with a matching black sheer fin in between the needles. Akifa kept his hands raised, kneeling in front of the creature as he watched the tail, keeping his eyes on the creature.
"It's okay... It's all right, I won't hurt you." He took out both guns, showing them as he set them on the ground, pushing them to the creature.
"See? I'm unarmed now." Akifa slowly stood up, taking a step toward the alien as it stood up slowly, causing the three team members to raise their necks to meet his eye. Oracle snapped a quick picture as the alien suddenly leapt high into the air, pouncing on top of Akifa as Cam snarled, pointing the gun.
"Whoa, whoa, stand down, Cam! It's all right, nothing's broken!" Akifa barked, keeping still as the alien tilted its head, curled over to watch the pilot's every movement. It peeled back its lips, revealing the sharp teeth as it nudged against the helmet, growling and fussing as it seemed to explore the shape and contouring of the metal.
"Don't' move, Anubis, Cam's gun has a tranq loaded and he'll try to drug the alien. Just hold very still!"
"No, Oracle, tell Cam to back off! This fucker is tall, we don't know if it'll react to the drug! We don't want to kill it before bringing it back to the captain!" he hissed, sighing as the alien slowly moved off his chest, letting him sit up.
"There, see? We're okay." He held out a hand as the creature hissed, creeping forward as it seemed to sniff his palm, looking up at him with the strange, catlike eyes before looking up to see the other two.
"Guys... put that laser point away, it's not stupid!" Akifa hissed, looking to Cam who held the rifle steady at the alien but slowly lowered it as the alien crept towards them. Akifa winced lightly, seeing two knotted, black stubs on its back, flexing like a pair of wings from a bird as he groaned. They tore his wings... clipped them completely off, and he never grew them back in cryo. He growled low, mildly hoping the people that captured and threw the alien into the canister were eaten by Ammit and their souls forever lost.
"OK, well, mission accomplished, let's get it back to the ship!" Oracle announced, bouncing excitedly as the alien curled up like a cat, hissing low at her reaction. Camulus grumbled, taking point as the group started going back to the craft, Akifa gently touched the creature's tail.
"It's okay, we'll take you to a safe place," he whispered, gently petting the armored tail as the alien turned to watch him, slowly relaxing his finlike spine before following Oracle and Camulus.
"Well, at least they know what we're trying to do at least," Akifa sighed, following the group as he snapped his fingers, the guns glowing in response as they flung back into the holsters.
"Iron Maiden control, this is Oracle on the ground in the museum, we have acquired the artifact, please come pick us up. He's a little bigger than we thought," she giggled, looking up once they reached their ships in the foyer as Cam sat on the wing of his carrier.
"Now we wait... who knows how long that'll take," he grumbled, leaning back as he watched the space void for any sign of flashing lights or a distant wormhole unfolding in the distance. Oracle hopped into her craft, downloading the information she gathered as the alien curled up tight in a ball, the tail surrounding it almost like a protective barrier with its stubs pressed tight to its back. Akifa went over, sitting up on his craft sloped front as he watched the alien yawning softly.
"You got a name?" he asked, watching the creature open one eye to look at him, hissing softly as its tail tip flicked against the floor.
(It's Eiwren'Teiran... They called me Icer). Akifa jumped as he listened to the voice inside his head, cool and soft, like a gentle breeze at night in the desert back home. He glanced to the other two, both watching his reaction as he calmed, glancing to the alien.
"Y... you only talked to me?"
(I don't know the other two... big one seems stupid. Little, thin thing scares me, too much like my captors. Too delighted at my pain) Its voice echoed inside Akifa's mind as he sighed softly, leaning back to listen as he hummed.
(You're not from their places. Their minds are too open, too loose. He misses his family, fat, screaming children, scary woman. She is... weird, I can't track her thoughts, scattered everywhere. Yours are... calming, full of beautiful night sky, deserts, always by yourself. Why?) It asked, watching Akifa with its head raised as he chuckled softly, shaking his head.
"Damn you're good... I don't have much family back home, they... didn't approve of what I wanted to be. My mom is good, but... well, it's a long story, and I'll ask you to keep that to yourself. And on their behalves too, please don't look into our heads without permission," he explained, watching the mismatched blue eyes carefully for a reaction. He felt a distant sigh in his brain, shuddering with what felt like the alien breathing down his neck right there as he crossed his arms, clearing his throat.
(I'll keep it to myself... but I'm only communicating with you. What will they do to me?) it asked, shuddering lightly as it seemed to curl in tighter.
"Breathe... it'll be okay. We were told to bring you to the Iron Maiden, our captain's ship, and our home. I've been there for only a couple years on contract, but the others have been there for a longer time. Our captain told us to explore the museum and to pick up an artifact she missed sorely, which apparently turned out to be you. Once we're picked up by the ship, you'll likely be taken to the medical ward, if only to make sure you're not carrying something that will endanger all of us, and that you're clean. Oracle downloaded some information, but it probably barely has anything really useful. You've been inside that metal canister for... well, according to the information booth, about 500 years, give or take?" he asked, holding up a holographic screen over his wrist, showing the current date as he knelt close to the alien. It watched the screen, flicking its eyes over the information as it reached up to touch the screen.
(How...?)
"It's a hologram, it's not a real screen, but it's an easy way to pass information. Used to have to be inked in with barcodes, lined with your information going back generations and your home-world," Akifa explained, closing the hologram as he sat next to the alien as it chirped softly, making a series of small chirps and rattles in its mouth.
(Interesting... I've lost touch with most of the modern world. My species can survive for thousands of years, hardly touched by Time's hungry power, but it can leave us ignorant and oblivious to other races advancing quickly. I lost my home to a star exploding, cracking our world into pieces during our hibernation period. We can control water, as a whole pod, we form a thick glacier to protect ourselves to let us hibernate in peace. Apparently, we were picked up, and the clumsy rats melted our glacier down to take our water, ignoring the fact they were killing elders who had survived for thousands of centuries, while babes just hatched were murdered without knowing why. I was to be the next Alpha, the leader of our civilization, similar to a king, hence my... well, what was once my wings. They pulled them out to the spinal column, wrecking the joints connecting the wings, but cryo-sleep helped me grow the stumps back at least. Unfortunately, it's a good chance I won't be able to fly again...) The alien seemed to tear up, whining softly as it tucked its face into the black tail, sniffing loudly as Akifa shuddered. He couldn't imagine the pain, let alone the existential pain of a telepathic race suddenly cut to one sole survivor. The alien was lucky it didn't lose its mind, able to only listen to the silence brought on by the genocide of its race. He held up a hand, gently petting the sleek long hair as the alien flinched lightly before relaxing, closing its eyes fully.
"I'm sorry... it might've been someone from my system, but I can't help but say I'm so sorry. You never deserved this wake-up call, let alone this shell of a life, but I promise, you will have time to heal and recover once we get you aboard the Iron Maiden. Hell, I think the medic technicians have a tank they can put you in that'll help realign your wings and help them grow back. Might take a long while, but it's a possibility. Gods know, I've regrown a few fingers and toes over my last couple years flying with this ship. It's an idea though," he added, petting the long hair as the alien hummed softly, echoing deep in the empty foyer. Akifa glanced up to see Oracle filming the two as she grinned, waving to the two as Akifa raised his middle finger, huffing.
(Strange thing...)
"No, just her..."
"Incoming, I see a wormhole. Iron Maiden is coming in," Camulus announced, pointing as a tiny burst of light opened up in the distance. A hulking, long figure emerged from the light, gleaming with bright silvery metal lined with neon blue lights, flickering and streaming along its contoured body. Akifa chuckled softly, watching the ship pull up close, the belly of it covering the museum in shadow as a hole opened above, beaming a shaft of light as three more beams came upon the crafts.
"It's okay, they're mag-beams, able to pick up our space crafts and pull them into the hangar for repairs and refuels. It was a long trip to get here," Akifa replied, chuckling as he watched the alien's wide eyes, trying to understand the strange ship overhead.
"Here comes Roger!" Oracle smiled, hopping off her floating craft as a long pole shot down into the foyer floor, spooking the Icer as it snarled, snapping its teeth at the pole before a tall, sleek robot landed next to the pole. Bowing its sleek, metallic body, the face held minimal expression with two halogenic blue eyes and a smooth coat of plastic to form the face and curves of its body.
"My name is Roger, at your service. Pilots, please announce your call-signs and verify your ID with me before ascending to the Iron Maiden. If you are accepted, your following craft will be pulled in for refueling and repairs," the robot explained as Camulus chuckled.
"Our captain does love her old British twats as her servants. I'll show the newcomer how it's done." He marched up to Roger, flashing the holographic ID as he barked, "Camulus of the Mad King, mercenary tank and weapons specialist. Home-planet: Gaulbane." Roger flashed green in his eyes as Cam took a hold of the pole, a green light flashing temporarily as it slowly started to ascend, pulling the pilot with him as Cam wrapped his legs and arms around the pole, more out of a fear of vertigo. Oracle hopped over next, smiling brightly as she showed her ID.
"Oracle, navigator and tech specialist, and my home-planet is Nihonja!" she answered happily, smiling as she took a hold of the pole, watching upwards as Cam's form slowly disappeared into the ship. Once cleared, the pole flashed white before forming the same green light on Oracle's hand, lifting her upwards quickly to the ship. The Icer glanced to the right as the beams pulled up the Mad King and the Kawaii-hime in all its hideous pink and green glory started their own ascents to the belly of the Maiden. Akifa gently tugged on the alien's shoulder, helping it crawl over as it watched the pole beam white before setting out another green light.
"You want to go in front of me?" Akifa asked, letting the alien stand slowly to its full height as its tail twitched nervously. It slowly stretched out an arm, the webbing in its hands glowing almost crystalline against the glowing lights of the pole before wrapping its long talons around the pole. The tail flicked lightly as the pole started to move, the alien hissing low as Akifa gently petted the tail.
"It's all right, just breathe..." He smiled softly, nodding to Roger who changed the color to yellow, slowing the speed of the pole as the Icer slowly lifted its way up to the ship. Akifa stepped over, flashing his ID as Roger turned, almost shaking its head clear.
"Sorry... never seen one like that before."
"Yeah, he's new. I think he'll fit in just fine," he added, smirking as he watched his craft being lifted up to the hangar.
"He, sir?"
"Yeah... I have a feeling it's a he, definitely. Doesn't seem all that feminine to me," he added, watching the pole clear white before reaching up to grab onto the green light. Raising his head, he took a deep breath before getting pulled up to the ship's hangar, Roger latching onto the end of the pole as he heard, "Pilots and crafts are secure, prepare to move out in 3...2...1!" Akifa grunted, getting tossed onto the hangar bay floor as he coughed, Roger landing almost perfectly with the tip of the pole in his hand, closing the door beneath him. That hurts every damned time... Akifa grumbled, taking off his helmet as he coughed, standing up slowly as he realized he and the Icer were surrounded by the medical technicians in their long white robes.
"Oh yay... decontamination."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone