UCR - Ratum (Ouricel pt 2)

UCR - Ratum (Two Days Left)

Sprinting down the hall, I see the little yellow tail turn sharply into another hallway.

"Rahro!" I shout, "What are you hiding?"

Bouncing off the wall, I keep my sprint going, and finally getting close enough to the little yellow terror, I dive tackle the Kobold.

Curling around the object in his claws, Rahro keeps trying to get out of my grasp. Seeing as they had the strength of young kids, it wasn't hard to hold him in place.

"Please Crew... Abe. It's not dangerous. I know it." Rahro begs

"That's what you said when you tried sword swallowing," I say, reaching into the ball and grabbing the toy.

Pulling it free, I feel a sudden wave of embarrassment and have to drop the pale dildo. Forcing myself to double-check, I look it over again. It's painfully clear that this toy is an exact replica of my own penis. It recreated nearly perfectly, from the color to the hair on my balls.

Pulling away from me, Rahro grabs the toy and holds it protectively against his chest.

"I'm sorry." He says, "I should have asked, but..."

It's clear he doesn't want to say more but feels like he should.

"I'm not made, Rahro," I say and kneel so I am at eye level with the Kobold. "I just want to know why. Why me, and how did you even get that without scanning me?

"I asked the others for some pictures and was able to get enough angles that I didn't need a scan." He says, looking away from me.

"Ok, but why me? Surely, there are things you haven't tried yet." I say, still concerned about why he felt the need to keep it secret.

Hesitantly, he responds, "Telro... She misses you... I do, too."

Stunned by this, my jaw hits the floor.

Seeing my shock, Rahro looks down at the toy. "I'm sorry. I know you are no longer Crewmember Abe, but seeing what we could get away with on your watch has been so much fun. That and the kind way you teach us about your people's porn." Holding the toy out to me, "We all will miss you, but if you are uncomfortable with this. I will recycle it."

Feeling my heart break a little, I pull Rahro into a hug. "You little Terror. You know I don't mind."

Feeling his tail wrap around my back, I press him into my chest. Letting his cool body soak up some of my heat, I pull away and give him a little shove.

"What I do mind is that this is how you will remember me," I say, pointing down at the toy. "Dose everyone just see me as a walking-talking dick?"

"No, of course not," He says, then sees the shit-eating grin on my face. Turning his back to me, "You are MY walking talking Dick." He says, slapping his tail down in finality.

Giving his ass a hard slap, he yelps and almost drops the embarrassingly accurate toy.

"Go to your mate." I say, "And stop hiding things from me. You scare me half to death, you Yellow Terror."

Flashing his needle-like teeth in a smile, he runs away shouting, "Never!"

"If that was over something other than a sex toy, I would have called that cute."

Jumping at the voice behind me, I turn and see Ouricel standing there. How the hell does someone with hooves sneak up on me?

Having to look up to meet her eyes, I apologize to her. "Sorry Mam, I know I shouldn't have run off, but that one is dangerous when not being watched."

Smiling down at me, "No need to apologize. I heard the conversation. I know what a sword is, but why would you swallow it? A euphemism, perhaps?"

Chucling "Can be, but not with Rahro. He wanted to actually swallow a sword."

I need to start tallying how many times her jaw hits the floor.

"Surly even they can tell that is fiction!" She blurts out, "Swallowing a blade would definitely kill you."

Standing up, I look down the hall where Rahro just ran. "The problem is that it's not fiction."

Hearing her stumble back, "You're lying. That's not biologically possible."

Returning to the scared pink deer, "Oh, it is possible. It's been performed in front of crowds for thousands of years. There are still people who do it for money today."

"How? That should kill you?" she says, now just confused.

Rubbing my fingers on my throat, "First, you got to learn how to control your gag reflex." Seeing her nod in understanding, "Then you use a dull sword. Sometimes, it can be sharp enough to cut fruit, but that's more dangerous." Looking up, I draw a line from my chin to my stomach. "Then you slide it straight down."

"It's a show that makes people think you are in danger, but most of the time, if you do it right, it's safe." Looking away from her, I feel some shame about the next part. "That is not to say people haven't died doing it. Trying to outperform others makes people do stupid things."

Lifting her leg, Ouricel rubs her own throat. "I was going to say it was lunchtime, but now I am not sure I want to eat."

Placing my hand on her shoulder, I walk past her. "Don't worry. I will fix you something without swords or knives in it."

Sitting at the table opposite Ouricel, I watch as Ouricel eats her potato salad with a fork-like attachment to her hoof.

"I still don't understand how a Cargo Ship can afford a crew of almost fifty yet let them all have so much free time," Ouricel says between bites.

"It's a balancing act." I say, "You must have enough crew to load and unload the ship, maintain the cargo and ship, and provide for the crew member's daily needs. You can never have enough hands when loading and unloading, but as you said, the rest of the time takes nowhere near the amount of hands. So, if this ship had a hundred crew members, we could theoretically load and unload twice as fast. That would mean we could make money faster. The problem arises in transit. A hundred crew members would cost more to house and feed than we would make back."

Chewing extra long on her bite, Ouricel responds, "Ok, then why don't you hire people at the station to load and unload? Wouldn't that save you in the long run?"

Pointing at her and smiling, glade she caught on to that. "True. We would only need a crew of about fifteen to twenty if we did that."

"So why don't you?" she asks.

"A lot of Captains do," I say and take another bite of my ham sandwich. "We don't because we mainly deal in tech transport. Losing even one piece to some random person we didn't check properly would damage our reputation. Then the large companies would stop using us to transport their goods to customers."

"So it's to protect from thieves?" Ouricel tries to clarify.

"Not as much as protecting our reputation." I say, "Thanks to our near spotless reputation, we can charge almost double the amount per ton than other Cargo Ships, yet we still have a backlog of requests for our services."

"And that's why you are here?" she says, pointing to me. "The reputation."

Twisting my hand side to side, "Sort of. Thanks to the higher-than-normal income, the Captain could afford all the inspections, legal fees, and insurance needed to apply to get a Human onboard. Ultimately, it was up to luck whether or not her application would be accepted by the Human Ambasidor."

Shaking her head, "But that doesn't make sense. Why would a private ship spend all that time and money to have a chance of getting a Human? They are more or less just another crew member you still pay. I get you are new to the Community, but curiosity should only go so far."

Laughing at that, I poke back at her, "You say that like you also didn't fall to curiosity. I am working for you now, remember?"

Huffing through her nose, "That was the only punishment I could think of at the time that wouldn't discourage actions like that in the future. Curiosity definitely made me overlook some important details, but that is as far as it went."

Relenting, I hold my hands up defensively. "I get it. I get it, but that is not all they think about." Lowing my hands, I go back to a more serious tone. "Think about how long we have been a part of the Community. Due to social pressure alone, we are practically a protected species. That is why there are all the costs involved in just getting the ok to hire a Human."

Seeing Ouricel nod but not get where I am heading with this, I continue, "What do you think will happen to the reputation of a ship that actually hires a human? Even temporarily, like my contract."

Seeing her eyes light up in understanding makes my chest feel warm. I sometimes wonder if I should be a teacher. I love seeing people put all the clues together.

"It would skyrocket!" Ouricel says with such force she shakes the table. "That is undeniable proof that the ship is stable, safe, and commanded by a top-tier Captain."

"Bingo!" I say, but that gets a confused look out of her. "You are right. We have done three jobs in my time aboard this ship and made forty to sixty percent above what would be normal for each."

Looking to the door, I listen to the patter of clawed feet running to and from the fabricator as the Kobolds appear to already be preparing for tonight's escapades.

"The vice-captain also informed me that thanks to my oversite, productivity has increased by almost Thirty percent," I say with some pride.

Starting to eat again, Ouricel asks with a bit of concern, "That is wonderful, but what about now? Your contract is up, and you work for me right now. How does that work? If it was so hard for the Captain to get you aboard, why was the contract easily transferred, and what happens after you leave?"

"Without the Human Ambasider's approval, the contract could never have been transferred. So, no worries there. As for what happens after, I will be interviewed by the embassy, and if I give a good review of my time on the ship, the Captain's reputation will go up more."

Nodding, she seems to understand but then gets stuck on something. "Wait! How did we get the Ambasidor's approval? We are in a separate sector from Human space. It would take days to get a message that far. We had the contract transferred only two days after the rescue. Half a day if I didn't think Captain Merix expected me to ask."

Taking a big bite of my sandwich, I mumble, "Can't say. NDAs and that stuff."

Seeing her glare at me only made me take another big bite.

UCR - Ratum (One Day Left)

Walking down the hall with the steaming tray, I had to carefully avoid several near misses with Kobolds running down the halls. Feeling one grab the back of my shorts, I stop and look behind me.

Seeing the deep purple scales and ocean blue belly, I smile. "Yes, Yuthra. What can I do for you?"

Sniffing the air, Yuthra asks, "Whatcha got? It smells good."

Dropping my smile, "Not happening. Do you want to be stuck in your room, throwing up your guts? Kathra would be pissed if I let you eat something like this again."

Trying to look cute, Yuthra wags her tail and flutters her big eyes. "Just a taste. I won't even swallow."

"Fine," I sigh, "but if Kathra complains, I will say you stole it."

Doing a happy dance, Yuthra closes her eyes and opens her mouth. Setting the tray down, I wipe some of the edges onto my finger and blow on it. Once it's cool enough for her, I place the little morsel on her tongue.

Nearly biting my finger, she snaps her mouth shut and starts mulling it around her mouth. Seeing her nose scrunch up and eyes begin to water fills me with a sick sense of pride.

Gaging, she uses her clawed hands to dig every speck out of her mouth. "How can something be so bitter and sweet at the same time? You sure that's not spoiled?"

Laughing out loud, "Of course, I am sure. That's what you get for being a carnivore that can barely handle salt and pepper. Cooked veggies are going to taste rotten to you."

Bristling at that, she turns and stomps away as hard as her little feet let her. "Why does everything you cook smell so good but taste so bad?"

Grabbing the tray, I stand back up and am about to start walking when I hear a crash behind me. Looking back, I see an almost entirely lime-green Kobold has tackled Yuthra.

"I smelt something. Yuthra, what did you eat? Did you eat it?" the lime Kobold yells into Yutha's face.

Pulling her mouth open, he uses his tongue to pull hers out and suckles on it. Hearing her happy moan, I start to think he is going a bit too long.

Pulling away, he hisses, "You did eat!"

Grabbing her by the legs, he starts to drag her away. "We are going to medical right now."

"Noooo, Kathra. I didn't swallow. I am fine," Youtha says well, fighting the pull.

Snapping back, Kathra says, "You always swallow!"

After a second or two, they stop and then laugh. "Yes, I do," Yutha says and stops fighting. Letting herself be dragged away while laughing.

Smiling, I turn and head down the hall. "Told you he wouldn't be happy."

Stepping into Ouricel's room, I can't help but be happy that she is finally letting Kobolds into her room and even talking to them more. I was worried about how she only left her room when needed for the first few days. I hoped that wouldn't be the entire trip for her, but I also understand the Kobolds can be a lot to get used to.

Setting the food down, I hear Ouricel end a call with the Pilot. Walking over to the table, she takes a big sniff of the steam and sits down.

"Abraham, this smells much more complicated than most dishes you bring me," Ouricel says.

"Yep," I say with pride, "I figure this is technically the last dinner I will make well working under you. I should go all out on it."

"Oh! So this is the best you got?" she says, giving it another sniff and smiling. "It's a bit sad that you won't keep cooking for me tho."

"Eh, I wouldn't say this is my best, but most of what I know uses animal products of some kind. So I am kinda limited by that. Also, don't worry. I will still be making your food until we get to the station. The ship's cooks have no idea how to work with veggies... or spices for that matter." Miming at gaging, "I have been cooking my own meals anyway. So I can also make yours."

Looking down, Ouricel taps her hoof. "Thank you. I would hate to get sick because a chef didn't understand how to cook for a strict herbivore."

Grabbing my plate of food, I chuckle at what just happened. "Ya, but it goes both ways. I can't cook for them either. My food is too complicated for their tastes. I have made them sick more than once by sharing food."

Picking at the food, an uncomfortable silence falls between us. Ouricel seems to like it, but I am surprised she hasn't said anything about the food.

After we are about halfway done, Ouricel finally speaks up, "What is the name of this dish? It's delicious and something I would only expect a high-level chef to be able to make."

A warmth fills my chest at that compliment. I am so glad she likes it.

"It's called green bean casserole. I had to make changes to get it right, but this is as close as possible. I'm sure a chef could do better than a hobby cook like me." I say with a smile.

"Just how talented are you then? If this is a hobby level of cooking, I wonder how good you are at your profession?" She says without looking at me.

Shrugging nonchalantly, "Pretty good, I guess. I was a shift supervisor at a grocery store before I signed up to join the Ambassador program. So watching over the Kobolds is practically the same thing."

Dropping her food, she looks shocked at me. One more for the tally.

"You're an Ambassador?" she says. "Why didn't you say anything? I would have..."

Stopping her, I say, "I'm not an Ambassador. I am a part of the Ambassador Program. It's what we call the Humans who have joined Community ships. APs for short. I have no authority or anything, just a citizen who was allowed to travel on a non-human ship."

Picking back up her food, "Still, I could have used the name alone to remove the punishment altogether. You would have had no reason to serve me like this."

"Like what?" I say before I think about it. Getting her to look questioning at me, I decide to continue. "I don't really feel like anything has changed. You call off my serves so early in the evening that I still do my rounds at night. I would still be the one cooking for you. I would still check in on you if I wasn't contracted to. The only changes are I haven't been able to serve the Captain like I used to because I am no longer a crew member, so Metha took that over, and the Kobolds have been surprisingly calm this past week, too."

Taking another bite of casserole, "It's been kinda easy. So thanks for that."

Saying it out loud made it hit home how much it hurts that I have only been able to see Merix in passing. We have barely even spoken this last week, and I miss her. Even tho she is just down the hall... I miss her.

"Yet, you seem sad about that," Ouricel says, pulling me out of my thoughts.

Shaking myself, I look up at her. "I wouldn't say sad. It's just that now I am a passenger, not a crew member. I can't see the Captain like I used to. Rules and procedure stuff. I need appointments to talk to her now, and they are a headache to deal with, so we haven't spoken in a while."

"You miss serving the Captain?" she asks. "Why? What work did you do for her?" Realization dawns on her when she thinks about what I do for the Kobolds. "Never mind. I don't want to know."

Laughing at her embarrassed face, I try to calm her down. "It's not that. It's more that I would talk to her and help with her work almost every day for a year. Then not being able to makes it feel like she's a friend I haven't talked to for a while."

"I can understand that," Ouricel says and takes a slow bite. "Traveling like I do, I leave friends behind often. It hurts not being able to talk to them."

Seeing tears forming in her eyes, I reach across the table and grab her hoof.

"Are you ok?" I ask and start to softly pat the back of her hoof.

"I am ok," she says shakily. "I am just so sorry for taking a friend away from you. Even if it's for a short time."

Seeing the tears begin to fall, I know that is not what this is about.

Moving around the table, I softly stroke her pink fur. Feeling my touch, she leans her head against me and begins to sob.

Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her closer and let her cry into my chest. Feeling the warm tears run down my chest, I resolve myself to help her. I don't care about the contract or the rules of it. I want to help.

Thinking hard about it, I piece what I know together. Ouricel doesn't talk about herself, just her people. She broke when talking about a friend. Could it be that she has someone more than a friend that she misses? Maybe she was going to meet them, but...

Feeling a sharp pain in my stomach, I feel sick. How did I never put it together till now? Was I just so happy that she was alive and I wasn't going to prison that I didn't notice? No! I just didn't think about it.

I found her in a Life Pod. Her ship went down, and hers was the only pod we found. Just how many friends will she never be able to talk to again?

Wrapping her tighter, I feel my own eyes begin to water. How do I help with this? I have never had a friend die before. What can I say? Should I say anything?

Feeling her hoof tap me, I release my embrace and pull back.

"I am sorry for that pitiful display," Ouricel sniffles. "It's not right to do that in front of my guard.

"and servant," I say, reaching up and wiping a tear out of her fur. "I am here to serve right now. If that means letting you cry on me, cry as much as you need."

"I don't want to cry anymore." She says, placing her wet nose against my chest. "I thought I was done crying in that pod. I thought I accepted that I would never see my sister again."

Seeing the tears starting to flow again, "But in the end... How do you accept that?"

"I..." Starting to talk, I stop. What can I even say? "I don't think accepting and being ok are the same thing. My family is still alive... so I don't know for sure, but if I did lose them, I know I couldn't accept it."

Hearing Ouricel start cooing, I wonder if I am doing the right thing.

"You are alive, so you must move forward, but that's not what I think accept means. Accepting it is being ok with it happening. I don't think that's good. Live. Live as if she is still by your side. Then, one day, you may find it doesn't hurt so much. That is when you will be ok. It will still hurt, but you'll be ok. It is unacceptable, but you will be ok."

Resting her antlers on my shoulders, Ouricel begins to cry again. Her sobs shake my body and break my core. It hurts so much that all I can do is kneel and let her cry on me. I wish I had some magic word I could use to make her pain go away, but nothing like that exists. So, instead, I just let her cry and hold her until the tears dry.

Feeling her tears slowly come to an end, Ouricel gently pushes me back. Without looking at me, she whispers, "Thank you. It's getting late. I should let you go get your rounds done."

"Nah. They will survive a night without me. I'll stay." I say in a silly tone.

Hearing her chuckle, "Who knows, one of them may try asphyxiation."

"To lait and I already band it... wait, how do you know about that?" I say, pushing her back a little and looking down at her.

"One of them told me?" she says more like a question.

"You have been sneaking a look at the database, haven't you?" Proding her a bit.

Now, looking embarrassed, "Ya, I have. Should I have asked? It didn't have any protection filters on it."

"Don't worry about it. I am just surprised you looked at it. You act so strait-laced that I never expected you to." I say and stand up.

Failing spectacularly at standing, I feel pins and needles start to shoot through my legs. God, how long have I been kneeling?

Looking up from my fallen position, I see Ouricel standing over me.

"Abraham! Are you ok? What happened?" Ouricel's voice was filled with so much worry that I couldn't help but reach up and pet her.

"I'm ok. My legs just fell asleep, is all. Knelt too long, and it cut off blood flow. Now my legs are angry at me for that." I say with a laugh.

I know this is uncommon for most races. They can't usually bend in a way that would cause this, and if they do, it's incredibly uncomfortable. So they are rarely in that pose long enough to have a limb fall asleep.

"Grab on to me," Ouricel says, bending her front legs. "Let's move you to the bed to rest."

Wrapping an arm around her neck, she helps me get to my knees and crawl to the bed. Using her antler as a handhold, she helps lift me onto the bed.

"You are staying here tonight." She says and lays the thin blanket over me.

"Are you sure an Ambasidor should let a strange Human sleep in her bed?" I tease

I don't think she took it as a joke.

Glaring down at me, she says, "You are not a strange Human. You are Abraham, and you work for me right now. That means it is my responsibility to care for your health."

Holding up my hands to block her burning stare. "It was a joke. I'm sorry. Just give me a few minutes, and I will be fine. "

Crawling on top of the blanket, Ouricel lays down and rests her head on my chest.

"No..." she says, closing her eyes. "You will stay here tonight."

Accepting my fate, I gently scratch the fur between her antlers and relax into the bedding. Looking down at the sharp points now facing me, I pray to whatever god listens to spacefarers that she doesn't get startled.

Feeling her breathing slow, I look down again and see that she has actually fallen asleep. Looks like she was right. I am staying the night.