Carpathia IV: Episode 278 - Cyto Tears
Space, NCCS Shadowdancer-A
Cytos everywhere. Too many to fit in just the atrium, so they spilled out in the corridors and other common areas. On any other day, this would pose an immense challenge for the crew, who would have to wrangle the rambunctious and curious cytos away from critical systems. Or any systems, really. This day, however, the cytos were far too melancholy to cause any trouble. Silence loomed throughout the entire ship, far less lively than it usually was, even with several thousand cytos on board.
The crew didn't fare much better. They had now witnessed first hand the destructive power of the Blood Agony. All wondered, whether they said so out loud or not, if Lazmaedia would do the same to any or all of the Carpathian planets. Still no word from the Admiralty of a weakness. Hope was beginning to slip away.
One crew member who was in a particularly nasty funk was Joust. However, as busy as everyone else was, with work and their own thoughts, nobody noticed. Nobody noticed that he sat in his chair, not hanging from the ceiling through his shift. Nobody noticed that he barely spoke except when absolutely necessary to tend his duties. Nobody noticed that he spent most of his time with his head down, staring at the floor. Nobody noticed, except Kit.
Kit kept to his work, shuttling back and forth between his console and Aire's ready room, all the while keeping his eye on Joust. After a few hours since the loss of Cytosia, Aire returned to his chair, with Hana by his side, and dismissed Joust, ordering him to rest. Joust gave a solemn nod and plodded to the lift. For the next hour, Kit had little to do. The Admiralty was quiet. Various department had the cytos' needs in hand. Finally, Aire dismissed him from the bridge, sending him for a rest as well.
Kit acknowledged and headed to the lift. Just before the doors slid shut, Hana bounced in with him for the trip to Deck 4.
Kit: I'm going to see Joust. Would you like to come?
Hana responded with two short hops.
Kit: I think he'd like to see you too.
The lift doors slid open on Deck 4, revealing an empty corridor, a contrast to the rest of the ship, which was full of cytos at every turn. There were certain critical areas of the ship were the masses were not allowed. Engineering. Senior officer quarters area. Bridge. A few of the only quiet places on the ship.
Kit stepped down the corridor with Hana bouncing along at his side, not too far to Joust's quarters. At the door, Kit tapped at the door chime. There was no answer. Kit tapped the chime again.
Kit: Commander, it's Kit. Hana would like to see you too.
A long pause, leaving Kit to wonder if Joust actually returned to his quarters or went somewhere else. When he was just about to leave, a mousey voice came over the speaker.
Joust: Come in.
The door slid open and Kit stepped inside, followed closely by Hana. Inside, the dim lights reflected brilliantly off the metal accents and glass accoutrements around Joust's quarters, accentuated by the darkness. Kit did not see Joust at first, but finally noticed a little teepee-shaped structure on the couch. After Kit's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized that this was a pair of bat wings. The wings parted in the center, only a couple of inches, revealing Joust's face inside.
Joust: Honestly, if it were anyone but the two of you, I'd have told you to go away.
Kit: We thought we should check up on you.
Hana signalled agreement by sliding his body up an down in a cyto-type nod.
Joust unfurled his wings entirely and folded them behind his back.
Joust: Hana, I'm so sorry what happened. How are you doing?
Hana's body dipped and he swayed on the carpet.
Joust: Of course that would be a horror for anyone to see.
Kit: Everyone on the ship is horrified by what happened, but Commander...
Kit paused for a moment and decided to dispense with the formalities.
Kit: Joust... You seem to be taking it harder than most.
Joust side and scooted a bit, closer to the side of his couch.
Joust: Come sit, or however it is that you make yourself comfortable.
Joust directed the second half of his sentence to Hana, who responded by what could only be described as deflating himself, shrinking, but also widening, himself down. Kit took the bipedal approach of sitting on the couch.
Joust: Did anyone tell you what happened when we were evacuating the cytos?
Kit shook his head, but Hana nodded slowly.
Hana: I heard that you tried to get Elder to escape.
Joust: I did. Hana, there's something you probably don't know. Lazmaedia destroyed the my people's homeworld in the same way.
Hana squeezed his eyes shut tight and his face lowered to the floor.
Joust: When I was out there with Elder, I sat next to him. Until then, I was focused on the mission, but then, for one moment, when I realized that he definitely wouldn't come, I felt calm. Sad, of course, but calm. That was the moment I realized that everything that I saw around me was the same as what they saw.
The longer the story went on, the glassier Joust's eyes became. By the end, he struggled to get his words out.
Joust: That was... the last... thing... any of them... ever saw...
Joust could no longer continue as he disintegrated into a puddle of sobs. Before Kit could do anything, Hana bounded onto the couch between them and, after producing an arm from his body and wrapping it around Joust, squished himself tight into him.
Joust: I'm sorry. You just now lost your world and here you are comforting me.
Hana: They are going to Carpathia next?
Joust: They are.
Hana: And they will do the same?
Kit: We don't know. We're sure that after they deal with Carpathia, they will come for my world next.
Hana hopped down from the couch, his expression grave.
Hana: May I speak to Captain Valro again?
Kit: I'll check, but I'm sure he'll...
A beep from Kit's communicator.
Aire: Kit, is Hana with you?
Kit: Affirmative, Captain.
Aire: I would like to see him if he's willing.
Kit: In fact, Hana would like to see you too.
Aire: Good. Meet me in my ready room.
After ensuring that his bar was tidied up and everything he needed to make drinks set within easy reach, Aire stepped to the point of his lounge and gazed out of the window to watch the stars pass by. Stars. How many ships would Lazmaedia need to destroy the planets. Could she destroy an entire star? Based on what he saw, it seemed plausible. At the very least, she could destabilize one. If Cytosia proved one thing, it was that they were fighting not just for themselves, but for all sentient peoples, known and unknown.
The door chime sounded.
Aire: Enter. I'm in the lounge.
Aire turned away from the window as the door opened. From the pass between the credenza and office, he watched as Kit and Hana came in. He waved them through and Hana bounced into one of the chairs while Kit took the other one.
Aire: Drink?
Kit: Just water, Captain.
Hana: Water for me.
A simple request, and one that only took a few seconds to fulfill. Aire presented each with their glasses and, in normal cyto fashion, Hana stuck the entire glass into his body, ingested the water, and then ejected it while Aire sat on the couch.
Aire: Thanks for coming, Hana. Honestly, I'm not sure how you go about selecting a leader, but perhaps we can call you the liaison for now?
Hana tipped from side to side, looking a bit confused.
Hana: Li... ai... son?
Of course, Aire thought, this would be a word he did not know.
Aire: Ah, yes. A liaison is a person who communicates between two groups. In other words, You can tell the other cytos what I say and you can tell me what they say.
Hana gave two hops in his chair.
Hana: Li... ai... son. I understand.
Aire: Thank you, Hana. We have some news. We finally got a count of how many cytos are on the ship. 5386. Only about 12% of the population.
Hana: More than I expected. We thank you for coming. I know it was very dangerous.
Aire: I'm just glad we were close enough to help. Later, Ramei will take you to Engineering. We have some things to help you out on your new planet, like scanners to help you learn what's safe to eat. Unfortunately, there will be no asteroids to play with. Your planet, with all the rocks, is the only one like it we've ever seen.
Hana: I will tell the others. There is something I want to ask you.
Aire: Ask me anything.
Hana: I talked to Kit and Joust. That ship is coming for you next? I think our new planet won't be safe.
Aire: We can't be sure, but you can squeeze underground in ways that we can't. We can give you things to help you keep hidden.
Hana: I want to help you. I know a few others will want to help.
Aire didn't respond right away, so taken aback that he was. He finally composed himself enough to give a response.
Aire: Well, that is a surprise. I will speak with my team first and I'll have to get permission from the Admiralty, but I think we might have a place for you.
Hana: Thank you.
Aire: Before you go to the atrium, I'd like to give you some information about the technology we will give you.
Hana made two hops in his chair again, ready for the discussion. From there, a relationship that began as a code violation continued to blossom into a friendship.
Commissioned art in this episode from:
AvareonArt
Zelbunnii
Less_End
Colourbrand
Falke2009
