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"A space station?!" cried the astrologist reeling back. "What in Faram's name is that?!"

"A colony," said Andrea peering through a telescope on the roof, "possibly a laboratory set in space to monitor things like gravitational flux on the planet or weather patterns or sunspots. We have a few of those back home."

"Goodness...I dare say this is your element then Andrea."

"It suuuure is." She leaned over towards Thomas with the smuggest grin. "SOOOoooo that means we're gonna have to-"

"Could you try to be professional and not lord this over me?" he said pushing her away. "I know what you're gonna say, you've been hounding me for months."

"This is the perfect chance, we HAVE to investigate this anomaly and the only way we can reach it is in space!"

"I know. We're gonna have to use the Petrie much as I don't want to since the Akkala incident but-"

"We're gonna be fiiiine," she reassured him with a squeeze to his shoulder, "we've handled demons I think we can handle some space aliens if we have to."

"Fine, let's get to the meeting room and sort this proper."

Above the prehistoric Earth was a small misshapen rock, the size of a small moon but the telescope revealed pockets of glassy domes that dotted the surface. Hovering in a gentle stasis people came to the telescope to gaze with wonder and surprise at the new anomaly. Despite mixtures of joy and hesitation, the base was kept on yellow alert with communication channels open, despite the fact their comms were far too short to reach such a distance.

Heading back inside, Thomas, Andrea and Haytham started making plans for supplies and crew needed for the Petrie, gathering their instruments necessary for any space expedition. Unbeknownst to Thomas they had been constructing their own tools for extra-terrestrial voyages in quiet hope that they would be needed such as zero-gravity digging machines; special-sealing capsules for keeping minerals and organic matter fresh; space suits with exceptionally-strong plastic helmets and easy-to-fit holes for oxygen tanks; and lastly special pens that could easily operate in space. A few hours later the plan was set with an army of six soldiers standing in the hangar before the Petrie with Chanoch chosen amongst them whilst the ship made its last checks heating up the engines.

"This'll be your first time on the Petrie right?" the general asked his recruit.

"Yes," said Chanoch. "I thought it was bigger."

"It can hold perhaps forty, maybe fifty at a push but we don't really need to expend that many of our troops, the base is more important to protect. Any questions to ask before you get on it?"

"Yes. Why did you choose me?"

"Because you're big and tough and I don't want to take chances when our chief physicist is going up."

"But," Chanoch demurred stroking his chin, "I am not experienced."

"Hundred-and-forty-years proves you wrong," said Thomas patting his back, "don't worry about it just get in line and follow your commander for the mission."

"Yes sir."

"TEEEN-SHUN!" Thomas stood before his soldiers as they all stiffened their backs and saluted. "This is our first interstellar mission so listen up. No matter what happens, your objective first and foremost is to protect doctor Andrea Dixon. She is armed and trained, but you do everything possible to keep her safe."

"[i]Yes sir.[/i]"

"Besides that, your orders are to interact with the locals if they are friendly and exist. If they are not friendly then you do everything to protect doctor Dixon as I said already. She is our head physicist and our expert in astronomy so whatever mission she requires to do up there you all help her with it."

"[i]Yes sir.[/i]" The soldiers bowed as Thomas turned towards one soldier.

"Townsend you're leading this, bear in mind our communications can't reach you up there so you'll be on your own until you return."

"Yes sir."

The lead soldier saluted him and then turned to her group, a surprisingly short woman with a fierce freckled face beneath her short auburn hair as she stared across the five-squad.

"Alright lissen up, from this point on you listen to me, you do as I say and you do NOT go wandering off by yourself. We stick together in a spread formation, we do NOT shoot first and I don't want any Han Solo bullshit, you got that?"

"[i]Yes ma'am![/i]" they barked together.

"We got three of us with bullets and three of us with lasers in case any Johnny Five robo-fuckers come and take a swing at us, so those of you with lasers'll be out in front, bullets stay in back, remember you may be fighting in pressurised cabins so watch your fire and do NOT shoot at any windows. I don't trust people to be smart enough to make things bulletproof."

"[i]Yes ma'am![/i]"

"Move out!"

Marching into the ship they went, whilst Haytham and Andrea checked over the last of their supplies in cargo as robots helped them push their crates onto the vessel. Two robots also joined them on the ship as machine translators, in case any non-organic entities were ruling the moonbase.

"Alright we got the food, we got water, we have our capsules-"

"And our pens lest we forget."

"Good. Alright, and our space suits?"

"Packed a good twenty of them in case we need spares INCLUDING the one you made for Chanoch."

"Hahahayeah I'm really glad I did that now," she smirked closing the case, "I mean I got his measurements already from that suit so why not just make it?!"

"Agreed," Haytham pushed one of the boxes into the ship, "so, that is one more other thing checked off the list-"

"Including how PUMPED I fucking am to be in space again, hmhmhah!"

"You have travelled the stars before?"

"Course I have, everyone at NASA has, at least some time or other, not too long but it was so cool."

"Then I am in your hands my dear stargazer."

He bowed and kissed her hand as she giggled before they leapt onto the ship. Dixon walked on first offering her hand to him as if helping him step over a puddle as he graciously leapt aboard, clenching their fingers together with a giddying excitement on the ramp.

"[i]M-MASTEEEERRR![/i]"

The sound of padded feet came flumping across the hangar as a blue-and-green figure came rushing forwards.

"OH, James there you are!"

The lemming staggered against the ship panting with shaking legs.

"H-haarryou, h-hah...h-hhh-...GUH!"

"Goodness lad calm down take a deep breath!"

"ARE YOU LEA-GHUH! Hhhhhh...are you leaving without me?!"

"What?! Of course not did I not tell you we were departing!?"

"NO! NO YOU DID NOT, you were just going to leave me here?!"

"No of course not I-i-i was just, I assure you! I was-...oh, my goodness." He clapped a hand to his cheek as something clicked. "Ohhhh my goodness James, I-i thought, my mind COMPLETELY slipped, I was planning to come tell you when I went to the restroom but I was so entranced in preparatories with Andrea I-...I-i do not know what to say."

"I cannot believe this!" he curled his lip bitterly. "H-how could you FORGET about me?!"

"James please accept my most sincere apologies," he bowed profusely, "I was...w-well, Andrea and I we were so caught up in a frenzy with ramifications of this trip that we had been chancing for months that...I have no excuse, please forgive me."

"Well, I am here NOW," the lemming sneered whilst crossing his arms, "and only because Jane told me that you and doctor Dixon were leaving for this expedition."

"I am really sorry," said Andrea hugging her arm, "we really did forget, I wouldn't have left without both of you together, it just wouldn't be right."

"She says as she stands on the ramp ready to embark."

"Hey, look, we're very sorry, this is something we've been planning for months, we got excited, you've forgotten stuff too when you were all excited about something right?!"

"No, I have not. But thank you for thinking after the fact."

He shoved his way past them into the ship as Haytham sheepishly looked to her. The physicist held his hand with a tender squeeze.

"He'll calm down, don't worry, once we get up there we can involve him in our experiments and wow him with cool space stuff."

"I hope so," he muttered rubbing his head, "I really should have remembered but we were both all a-tizzle with excitement that he well and truly slipped my mind!"

"It happens. Come on, let's just go and get started."

They all headed into the ship, sitting up in one of the cabins to share a bed together whilst James sat on his own miffed in another room, crossing his arms tightly to his stomach. They prepped for launch and soon the hangar doors opened with the Petrie taking off vertically, boosting the anti-grav jets that rumbled pleasantly underneath the crew's feet.

"Boy this sure is one for the books," said Ted the co-pilot, "never got to fly a space shuttle before!"

"Sounds like a sequel to our adventures," said Elaine the pilot, "you ever wanted to go to space Ted?"

"No, I hated Star Trek."

"WHAT?!" She reeled back in her seat. "...wow."

"Wh-what, what are you a fan?!"

"No just...never knew that about you until now this is just really sudden I mean, what else are you hiding from me?!"

"Well I...not a fan of cinnamon."

She gasped as if he had confessed to a murder, shaken to the core with confusing thoughts in her mind.

"Who...who ARE you?!"

"E-elaine, I-"

"No, don't speak." She raised a hand to him. "We have our mission, we can talk about this when we land."

Nervously shifting in his seat Ted went through the basic safety checks before they turned on the newly-inititated space-travel mode that the long-grounded Petrie had been dying to use since its inception. The crew braced themselves as the boosters took off, smothering clouds of dust sweeping through the hangar as the ship tilted its cockpit upwards and onwards into the great beyond. Higher and further they went from the grand blue ocean and the verdant continent of Oddclaw's home, the sky became darker from the windows outside as Chanoch stared in awe of the first reaches of space. Townsend was next to him smirking at his bewildered face and eyes widening from the infinite sea.

"Beautiful isn't it?"

He didn't look back, mouth agape at the stellar waltz of stars twinkling in their millions.

"I never been to space either until now. It's...amazing. Course travelling back in time's kinda made this less impressive for me but this is just-wow. It's almost like you can reach out and touch them huh?"

"Where is He?"

"Huh?" she leaned forwards to the window searching for He.

"Where is...Elohim?"

"I uhhh...I dunno, don't worry about it, just focus on your mission."

"But...mother said that He was always watching above."

"Well maybe he's like MORE above us, you know that space is infinite right?!"

"Infinite?" He looked back to her trying to twist his mind round it. "How is that infinite?"

"It just is," she shrugged with hands, "I dunno Dixon knows more about this stuff, I took biology so I dunno."

"Hm...this...space, is very big?"

"Yeah, like so big that we call it infinite because we don't even know where the edge of it is, like a big ocean and you're just a tiny fish."

"Ah. Yes." He nodded content. "A tiny fish in His ocean. That is right."

"Yeah sure, whatever big guy."

Chanoch stared on towards the endless abyss, his eyes scanning the beautiful void as they came upon the lunar base. The ship was surprisingly stable for its first venture out into space, as if remembering its past life many moons ago on its approach. Five domes spread out across the asteroid, each one a different colour that seemed to contain a sweltering garden within them in gorgeous abundance of green, red, pink, yellow and silver. They were not perfectly bubble-shaped however, rather formed from dozens of triangular patterns to further strengthen their viscosity and catch the light of the stars in a certain fashion. Hovering round the periphery, the comms crackled in the pilot's seat with a high-pitched voice speaking surprising English.

"[i]Unidentified vessel, come in. Please identify yourself, over.[/i]"

"OH, JEEZ!" Elaine cried almost getting hair in her mouth. "UM...wh-what do we say?!"

"Well let's identify ourselves," said Ted shrugging.

"But then we won't be unidentified, do we really want to spoil that for them?"

"I think it's worth the risk."

She tapped the send button and veered a little too close to the transceiver.

"This is the Third Energy Anomaly Research vessel Petrie, designation zero-zero-one, over."

"[i]Petrie this is the Reichell Lunar Base, please state your intentions for flying in this sector, over?[/i]"

"Roger," said Elaine moving back slightly, "your space station suddenly appeared near our planet, we came to assist if you have any problems over."

Silence came briefly as they gently gripped their controls, pondering in the space between worlds until the comms spoke again.

"[i]Zrog Petrie, please confirm you came from the planet we are now above, over?[/i]"

"Affirmative," said the pilot, "we are a research team, we saw you through our telescopes, do you need assistance over?"

"[i]Negative, unless you know why we suddenly got sucked through a wormhole over?[/i]"

"OH we do, that's our speciality over!"

"[i]Really?! ...your base studies wormholes over?[/i]"

"Affirmative!" She said proudly smiling to the comms unseen. "That's why we wanted to help, get you all back to where you once were over."

"[i]Zrog Petrie,[/i]" the squeaky voice replied, "[i]we are opening a landing pad on sector one, please land and meet with our security team over and out.[/i]"

"Roger wilco Reichell, hope to see you soon, over and out."

She clicked off the comms as they grinned to each other, seeing the silver base light up first with a large square indent opening up inside of the rock just outside the bubbled dome to reveal a raised platform they could land on.

"Wow they rolled out the red carpet huh?" said Ted.

"I feel like a movie star already," said Elaine guiding the ship in. "Think they'll take our pictures?"

"Oh god no, I don't wanna look fat."

Cackling at his words Elaine carefully set the ship down onto the pad almost perfectly as they now faced a long walkway to the space station's doors. Ted and Elaine decided to join the rest of the crew who were suiting up into space suits, Chanoch wearing his over his armour with some getting used to the reptile-shaped helmet that resembled a gas mask for dogs.

"Sorry it's kinda weird," she said opening it from the middle, "I had to get a little inventive to make sure it fit proper."

"It is fine," the reptlie muttered as the helmet locked round his skull, "I wore it before."

"And now you know why I made it just for you, so you can have fun with us out in space!"

"I am not here for fun, I am here to protect you."

"I know, and I appreciate it. Hah, look!" She pointed towards James fitting his own similar-snouted helmet on. "You could almost be twins."

"Hmph."

"Are we all ready?" asked Haytham zipping up his own orange suit.

"Just about!" Andrea fitted her bauble-shaped helm with a locking twist into her suit. "Classic NASA, it never goes outta style."

"Indeed," he replied putting on his own helm with a clack, "pressurised nylon for elasticity!"

"Angular surfacing to deflect lasers AND with Kevin's special bulletproof sauce for that extra protection."

"As well as miniature audiovisual recording equipment on the front for posterity now, James shall we go?!"

But James walked on ahead of him, shrugging off his hand to march with the soldiers down the lunar promenade as Andrea rushed to the front to head up the group. The dome before them was a grand silver half-moon that rose a good 90 feet above their heads as the doors opened up with a vacuuming sound of air being sucked out into the endless space. Two creatures approached them from the airlock, armed visibly but surprisingly relaxed with weapons lowered as they strode forth. One resembled a pterodactyl with golden body and a black-frilled neck like a muppet, that walked on squat mechanical legs that clanked thickly underneath its slender body. Two winged arms with strong four-fingered hands carried a katana forged of some alien steel that shone a silver-blue, matching the scabbard that hung from a belt round his waist. The other was much more classically alien, a green squiggle with only a single eye atop its body and thin metallic pincer-arms seemingly attached like prosthetics halfway down its slugular body that wielded a large two-handed space rifle. Both of them wore black suits, the dactyl resembling a ninja with a velvet beak covering that deflated with its breaths, whilst the eyestalk had a little glass helmet covering its singular orb with toolbelts wrapped round both their waists.

"Well this is braw innit?!" began the pterodactyl with a voice that screamed for freedom. "Dinnae see any humans roond these parts fer years then a whole army of 'em show up all at once ken?"

"Uh, h-hi there!" began the scientist bowing gracefully. "My name is doctor Andrea Dixon and I'm the chief physicist of the Third Energy Anomaly Research base, down on that planet back there."

"OH, joyous relief has come upon my retina!" cried the eyestalk in a high-pitched voice of ermine coats and pearl necklaces. "And here I thought, that we were trapped above a shambling undeveloped world where dirt was the commodity and prime currency, thank the stars for that! I am the most eminent lady Shuffa and this is my husband Fleek-Gleek, we are part of security."

"Damn...you'll have to excuse us we uh...we don't normally meet extra-terrestrials round here, also I'm surprised that we understand each other so clearly."

"We are aware that your translatory technology was....how shall I put it dearest?"

"Auld as fuck," said Fleek Gleek tapping a small device at the base of his neck, "mah grandmither's ashes are younger than yer translation tech, ah mean when'd ya last giddit updated, the Ur-Quan war?!"

"Now now let us not be so disparaging," stepped forth Haytham clasping his Omnilex, "I would think we have done remarkably well to have understood you in the first place good sir."

"Aye, if it were YOUR technology that's makin' us understand ye, but fact is when we communicated yous, we fed a program intae yer systems to teach ya oor languages."

"Oh. I see, well, thank you kindly for putting your best foot forwards."

"I must hope that our impressions upon you are worthy," said the slug-like bowing her stalk to him, "for we do not normally have a chance to practice them in the deep dark of space! I am security officer Shuffa, and this is my husband ALSO security officer Fleek-Gleek. Please come with us, we have a waiting room for visitors before we can process your identifications."

Moving forwards as one group, the motley crew of nine humans, two robots, one former human and a lemming headed into the dome's airlock and waited for depressurisation to set in. James and Chanoch looked around nervously when the room sealed itself shut and the lights turned red, but with nobody else reacting they soon relaxed as oxygen pumped into the room with an ear-popping sensation before the dome's main entrance opened and they took off their helmets. A reception area welcomed them with a large desk to their left and a security station to their right where other guards sat off-duty. Not a single creature resembled anything close to a human being, the guards a mixture of anthropomorphic rhinoceroses and long-snouted cyclopean octopi playing card games with their tentacles. The reception was staffed by more of the one-eyed mollusks similar to Shuffa that typed into holographic consoles with their jointed pincers, all of which was being quietly recorded by the video-recorders on Haytham and Andrea's suits.

"WELCOME to the Reichell Lunar Base, where we grow a better tomorrow from today! How may we be of service today!?"

"This is the crew from the ship known as 'Petrie'," said Shuffa sliding her slugfoot towards the counter, "they are the ones our gracious communique flagged up and we wish to help them get acquiesced."

"AHHH yes yes, of course of couuurse Shoosee but I must insist that you have to guard them at all times whilst they are visitors!"

"Nae worries lass," said the dactyl leaning on the counter with a wide beak, "just gie us a reason to go a-roamin' roond the base fer auld times sake ken?"

"HAHA, I see I seeee very well then," the receptionist gave a blue pad with a silver pen attached to it, "please sign all your signatures upon this, but ONE EACH and please remember that some areas are off-limits! If you go astray from where you are required to go, you may suffer terrible consequences upon your persons!"

"Yer tellin' me that as if ah havnae been working here the past six-hunnerd days, where ya think ah been, fishin' oot Harliss from his arsehole?!"

The reception laughed with a cackling gabble like a stage performance as the newcomers lined up to write down their names registered to their ship. The two robots, a monkey and a moletank printed a digital readout of their names in binary to compensate but when it was Andrea's turn to write she looked up and asked:

"Hey uh sorry but, can you tell me what exact date it is?"

"WHY, is your ship's chronometer broken?!" asked a squiggly receptionist.

"Yeah we had an EMP problem for a few days and we couldn't sync it up again, plus one of our pilots is like a reaaaaal OCD-kinda person, if it's not exact time and date they flip their head."

"AH, I understand then allow me to bring up the human calendar for synchronisation!"

The eyestalk beeped open the computer and checked through a bewildering series of calendars marked for each species.

"Theeeeee TIME according to human standards iiiiiis 4:37 post-meridian and today would beeeee the fourth of May in the year 2278, anno domini."

"Thank you," said Andrea finishing her signature, "whoo, really appreciate that, saves me a headache down the line."

"NO problem at all good madame! And please, take "

After all the crew members had signed in, they were escorted to the next area which was much more accommodating for visitors in the form of seats, gentle muzak at an inoffensive volume and directions to both the restrooms and the cafeteria. In the visitor centre itself was a large holographic display pertaining to the Reichell Base, as well as VR arcade machines in the corner titled "[b]VIRTUAL FRUNGY[/b]" that one would sit in to become immersed in fictional realms.

[i]"Greetings, fellow carbon creatures!"[/i]

The true welcoming party came in the form of three strange plants resembling bladderworts that floated in circular silver orbs, their heads like praying mantises with leafy stems curling like fingers from their thin reedy bodies and gleaming eyes of Disney blue. Their voices were strangely calming in an autonomous fashion, like a phone's AI or a hospital announcement.

[i]"It has been many periods since we have seen humans here, how delightful! I am Sa-shi-ha, chief secretary, and these are my assistants Ji-nah-ji and Kuu-ni-mo."[/i]

"Thank you for having us," said Andrea bowing, "I'm Andrea Dixon, we come from the planet down below."

[i]"Oh yes, I understand from your ship's communication that you were able to help us with our wormhole problem."[/i]

"Yes exactly, having studied this region for the past twenty years we're pretty up on the anomalies here."

[i]"Excellent! We will arrange an appointment for you with the chief director of our base, but until then we hope that you enjoy your time on our bountiful research base, which I am sure as a fellow scientist you will gleam many wondrous ideas and enrichening discussions."[/i]

"Hahaha, I'm sure we will thank you!"

[i]"I must stress however that, due to the sensitive nature of our research, you will have to be guarded at all times by members of the security team. Also, as much as I understand your needs for personal protection, we cannot allow such a large group to wander together in the base."[/i]

"I understand," said Dixon nodding, "it's just precaution you understand, I only need one or two soldiers for escort."

[i]"We are very grateful for your understanding,"[/i] the plant-creature bowed as did the two assistants, [i]"please enjoy our facilities whilst we arrange an appointment with the director. If you require anything then please ask one of our security, or the reception staff."[/i]

"We will thank you."

The mantis-ferns left, their pods turning round to hover towards one of the exits as the group began to settle in with curious fascination. The soldiers kept guard with professional vigour whilst the robots and civilians wandered around aimlessly, playing the arcade briefly or staring upon the infomercial of the lunar base. From what it told them, the Reichell Lunar Base specialised in exomicrobiology, the study of bacteria in space environments in order to repurpose them for a variety of things. Haytham and Andrea stood watching the whole thing before it looped back again, giving an overview of four separate labs that dealt with three branches of medicine and one branch of architecture. The silver base was the one they were now in, designated as the public face to formally meet newcomers.

"Yanno fer a science team yer awfy well-armed," said Fleek-Gleek pressing one mecha-foot against the wall.

"We're technically a paramilitary division," said Andrea turning to him, "our main interest IS science, quantum physics mainly but our main investors are military."

"Zat mean you lot are designin' weapons fer an army?"

"No no our research is not being used for conflict, we just made a collaborative effort between our aerospace division and an intercontinental anti-war coalition."

"Ahhhh righ'," Gleek nodded turning his beak to her, "ah ken ya noo, fer the betterment of yer species an' aw that aye?"

"Yes exactly."

"Nae worries then. You arigh' there big guy?"

"Yes," said Chanoch standing with arms crossed in the centre of the room.

"Nice tae see someone else with a nice blade on 'em aye, dinnae need all that shite with guns an' such."

"I have one too, for long-distance."

"That's whut mah wife is fer," he gestured a wing towards her as she waved to him, "always been better with her haunds than me."

"That would be a compliment," said Shuffa, "IF you had hands and not vestigial limbs."

"Ey noo these wings are the first thing ya ever saw of me an' you never looked back!"

"Only because my mother disapproved of you highly! I still remember the day that she came to me and said 'Shuffa, dear sweet Shuffa, do you really want to waste your life away with such a rebellious starskimming reprobate, why not do something of a more beneficial duty and care for your sixteen-thousand siblings' to which I said 'BEGONE mother, I tire of being your first three-hundredth encrustling and nothing else!'"

"Hahahahaaaaa you SAID it girl!" cackled Andrea as she walked over to fistbump her pincer. "Hoooo good to see that families are all the same no matter where you go."

"Ohhh? Did you also have a tremendous argument with your maternal parent in the midst of your hive?"

"Something like that, I wanted to go to a rock concert, mom said no, I snuck out. It was fun, I got grounded, told a hard lesson about responsibility, just another chapter."

"Goodness!" added Haytham surprised. "You were an errant fledgling I see!"

"Hell yeah you know I was."

"Hmm. I remember my own father was most apoplectic when I took a career in the scientific pursuits rather than that of religious ministrations."

"Wait hold up, your dad was a priest?!"

"And a hard-nosed one at that, to the point he has quite envenomed my taste for religion, not of Faram himself but of the organisation."

"Damn."

"Yer da sounds like a real tight-arse," said Fleek pushing away from the wall, "religious types tend tae be, whinging oan aboot magic an' aw that shite."

"Well now, magic itself is another thing entirely."

"Pffft magic's just whut ya telt yer bairns so they dinnae lose their hopes an' dreams afore they're full-winged ken. Anyways, restroom fer me, Shuffa keep an eye oan them."

"I would rather not," she blustered waving her gun at him, "I only have one and I cannot spare it for any beast to keep!"

"Hahahahaha."

The pterodactyl wandered off whilst Haytham snorted with a sniff of his stache, tightening the book he held underarm whilst Shuffa tittered to herself.

"I dare say," muttered Durai, "a rebellious part of me wants to tell them of my Omnilex after that little boast they had."

"Iiii do not think that would be a good idea," said Andrea with a hand on his arm, "this place seems really scientific and bringing up magic with them would just kinda make it confusing."

"But your base were perfectly agreeable to it."

"Yeah because we've SEEN some shit, like before you came around we saw a lotta strange things but I don't know what these guys have seen."

"Hmmm ashamed of magic over science," muttered James passing too close, "that sounds familiar."

"Wha-..." she turned round fast to him, "what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means what I say it means doctor," he kept walking with his book open in hand, "what do you think it means?"

"Okay I'm putting a stop to this right now," Dixon power-walked to him and stood in his path, "I'm sorry that we forgot about you, I truly mean that, but I am not going to have you pouting like some kid whilst we are busy doing important work!"

"Important work, but not important enough to require a good assistant." He closed the book shut with a leering eye to her. "May I ask you something doctor?"

"Sure."

"Do you see me as a scientist?"

"Wha-...what?"

"Am I speaking in tongues today or is master Durai's tome not functioning today for you to not understand me?"

"Okay you don't get to talk back to me like that," Andrea lowered a hard finger to his snout, "I am one of the two HEADS of the T.E.A.R. base whereas you and Haytham are both guests at our leisure. You get special privilege to come back because of your abilities, but that does NOT give you the right to backtalk me like a fucking prima donna."

"I recognise your authority yes," he pointed back harder, "so why do YOU not recognise my question?"

"James enough!" Durai stepped in alongside them with a disapproving scowl. "I understand you are upset still of my grievous error and I have made no attempt to cease apology for it."

"Oh no I understand, she said so herself, magic is not considered equatable to science."

"I did not say that," Andrea countered, "I was trying to say that we should be cautious and not show off everything we have."

"And why not?!" he protested with wide sleeves. "I am sure your wondrous astronomy can explain everything away about BASIC sorcery, not like the reverse where I am but a simple mage who can only DREAM of grasping your oh-so-complicated theorems."

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" barked Haytham with a firm stomp. "James cease thy petulant bickering, your problem is with me not Andrea!"

"NO NO, it is fine!" the lemming backed off with hands raised in taunting defeat. "I have seen what side your bread is buttered, MASTER, please forgive this simple-minded scribe who only spent the last fifteen years filling up books with twaddle that YOU taught me to perfect!"

"JAMES, JAMES COME HERE NOW!"

He marched off uncaring, or at least trying to show how much he did not care with a brisk step that tried to dent the steel floor underneath him. Shuffa slithered forwards with a wary eye upon the lemming's back.

"Is there going to be a confrontation of which I should be aware of?"

"No," said Haytham raising his hand, "let him be, he will calm himself soon enough. Apologies, my pupil and I are at an impasse concerning-"

"I do not require every gleam of information," she replied with a pincer smacking the air, "but I only request that you keep your emotional conflicts under check, I did not leave my family just to babysit another collective."

"Of course, I understand."

She bowed with drooping stalk and trundled off to her post near the wall, keeping a wide view of all the newcomers meandering around.

"Augh JEEEEZ this game is hard!" muttered the monkeybot at the arcade.

"Oh what your fingers not good enough now Chuck?" joked the moletank poking his midriff.

"You wanna try this then, I bet you can't understand how the heck this game works!"

"Pffft sure, lemme try."

The drill-armed robot jumped seat as he put on the virtual goggles and fell into the world of Frungy, a universe-wide sport with teams using equipment to win championships for the pride and adulation of the galaxies. This is the best expanation anyone has ever given to Frungy in the history of the universe, for to play Frungy is to understand Frungy, and in order to understand Frungy, one must play Frungy. The moletank soon found himself hitting a high score within minutes to the shock of his friend.

"OH WHA-COME OOOOON!"

"HAH, wow this is easy!" cried the tank playing another round. "I guess your joints were too sticky cuz there's no way you coulda sucked this bad."

"Sh-SHUT UP NASH!"

A small crowd gathered around the arcade whilst Dixon and Durai went with the pilots to the cafeteria feeling hunger set in. Chanoch however stood in front of the beaming infomercial screen with a quiet disdain on his face to read as much as he could of the base's structure. James eventually caught his eye upon it too whilst wandering aimlessly, and stepped up beside the lizardman focusing half on the screen and half on his own thoughts rolling around in his head.

"What do you think?" he asked once the screen started looping.

"I think you are jealous."

"WH-...WHAT!?" he gasped turning towards the lizard. "E-exCUSE ME?!"

"You are jealous that your master spends time with doctor Dixon."

"TH-THAT IS A-...YOU...h-how [i]DARE[/i] YOU!"

His outburst attracted 80% of the room including Shuffa who tightened her trigger, watching the lemming squeeze his umbrella handle in a flash of rage.

"How...dare you accuse me of such pathetic spite!"

"You asked what I thought."

"A-ABOUT THE BASE ON THE SCREEN NOT MY PERSONAL QUARRELS YOU FLAT-FOOTED CLOD!"

"Keep your voice down, we are guests."

"STOP! STOP IT, I am not a child, do NOT speak down to me like that!"

"You are shorter than me, I have to speak down to you."

"S-SO YOU ADMIT IT! S-SAVIOUR'S MERCY YOU, Y-Y-YOU...[i]AAAARGH![/i]"

In a burning red haze he suddenly tried to push Chanoch with one arm slamming against the armoured waist. But the lizardman stood firm unimpressed and frankly disappointed in watching James pushing against him harder with soft-shoed feet slipping underneath him like an ice hockey player.

"Y-YOU...NNNNRGH-A-AAAGH!"

Jarogniew shoved him back with one hand thrusting his palm against the lemming's forehead as he went falling to his back. James looked up wounded with bitter gleam in his verdant pupils as he sucked back a breath of anger.

"I-i...I thought you...considered me a friend."

"I do," said Chanoch calmly bending down to his knees, "which is why I do not lie to you. You are being jealous and it is not fair to them."

"H-how, how is it POSSIBLY unfair?!" he cried pushing himself back up.

"You spend time with me," the lizard replied standing up in turn, "the year I came here, you were always with me and not your master."

"Th-th-that, that was a duty I put upon myself, to help you settle in you ungrateful ass!"

"Did your master ever complain?"

"NO, no he did not!"

"Then why do you complain about him with the doctor?"

"B-BECAUSE I-...I-"

"You said he does not respect you because he does not involve you in his science."

"YES EXACTLY!"

"But he respects you by not demanding you stop helping me and do work for him."

"TH-THAT IS DIFFERENT CHANOCH IT IS NOT ALL ABOUT YOU!"

"No. It is not." He crossed his arms to let the pin drop. "It is not all about you."

"I-...I-i-i-i-"

"The year I have been in their base, I never see you talk about space or try to talk with doctor Dixon who is your master's lover. You make no effort for their work, but you expect them to make effort for you?"

"You-..."

He tried to point his finger with such potent force as if trying to put a curse on him. But he could only stutter and feel his wrist start to falter before tears stung his eyelids and he dashed to the restrooms with muttering bile under his breath. The pterodactyl swerved past him on leaving the same place with a tutting shun.

"Rude wee bastard ain' he?"

"Do not call him that," said Chanoch, "he is upset because I told him a truth."

"Oh aye you the therapist of this wee entourage?"

"No, I am a soldier. Captain."

"Ahhh. Yanno ah wuz wantin' to speak to ye cuz thassa fine blade yer carryin'."

"It was my father's." The reptile nodded respectfully. "Your sword is impressive, I do not recognise the make."

"Oh this?" Fleek-Gleek swung it out carefully to his side to reveal its gleaming azure sheen. "Hi-tech vibroblade, uses ultrasonic vibrations to tear wounds in any bastard that come runnin' at me, coated in a cortosis-weave tae block an' parry energy weapons."

"Hmm. Mine is made of steel." He raised his sword before him with scriptures of an ancient tongue. "Blessed by Elohim to protect me and vanquish evil."

"HAH! Ahahare ya serious?!"

"Yes."

"Hhhheheheheh, alrigh' pal, whutever helps ye," the winged officer sheathed his vibroblade into its sheath where it hummed gently, "can it deflect an energy blast?"

"Yes."

"Really?! Cuz normally steel doesnae!"

"It is protected by Elohim," said Chanoch sheathing his blade in turn. "Nothing can penetrate His light."

"Mmmmm alrigh' if ya say so, tis a braw weapon either way, let's hope you dinnae hafta use it."

"Yes."

"Yer nae much fer talkin' are ya?"

"No."

"Thought that alrigh' then, take it easy big guy."

Eventually Dixon and Durai returned from the cafeteria oblivious to the argument despite feeling the air change in the room stiffly. They decided not to ask, sitting down and waiting until they were finally summoned by the floating plant-creatures once again.

[i]"Greetings again doctor Andrea Dixon. Please, come with us."[/i]

"Thank you," she stood up with Haytham and indicated to her group as the flora raised their leaves.

[i]"We apologise for the inconvenience, but we must insist on a small group of at least four visitors for security reasons."[/i]

"Oh, no of course well then um...Haytham of course and uh...Townsend?"

She turned towards the commander who was waiting in a queue for the Frungy machine.

"We're meeting the director, we'd like you or one of the soldiers to come with us."

"Oh?" The chief rubbed her chin briefly looking round her troops. "Yanno, hold that thought, I'd rather be here with the rest of us in case anything goes on sooooo-"

"We shall be accompanying your group," said Shuffa, "not for the lack of trust we have in newcomers of a seemingly-barren world but rather for the sake of duty you understand."

"Aye jus', duty calls ya ken?" said Fleek-Gleek patting her back. "Security post is jus' doon that ways so if any yous start actin' funny then they can come runnin'."

"That's fair," said Townsend looking over her group with pensive finger on her chin. "Hmmmmm...Chanoch, you go instead."

"Yes commander." The soldier stepped up to salute and walked to Haytham's side.

"Can't offer up myself, but I can offer you the biggest brickhouse we got so if ANYTHING can get through him, then we're all fucked basically."

"Hah, alright that's fair," said Dixon looking up at the monolith, "you don't mind right?"

"I have my orders," said Jarogniew firmly nodding.

"Then in that case I insist upon taking James," said Haytham looking about leaning on his toes, "uhhh, where is he?"

"He is in the toilet. Shall I get him?"

"Would you please? I feel you are more tactful than I can be."

"Hmm."

The bathrooms were unusual to say the least, having three separate doors for male, female and non-gendered species, each room having six separate stalls with a list on each door detailing which porcelain throne would fit each relevant species. James was sitting in the end stall for humans with fingers clasped tightly round each other in deep breaths, calming himself with steady paces and trembling mutters until he heard a knock on his door.

"O-occupied!"

"Forgive me," said Chanoch, "we are meeting with the director of the base, mister Durai wants you to come."

"He...h-he does?"

"Yes."

"...alright, just, give me a moment."

The reptile walked out of the bathroom and waited just outside its entrance. Wiping his eyes clear with one deeper breath, the lemming stood up and wiped his hands out of habit before leaving with umbrella firmly in hand to march with Chanoch over to Haytham and Andrea's side.

"You alright?" she asked.

"I am fine, shall we go?"

[i]"This way please,"[/i] said the plant-secretary with spreading leaves, [i]"please follow me and do not stray from each other."[/i]

The group of four set out with Shuffa and Fleek-Gleek on either side of them, led by the arboreal administrators that gently hummed within their silver pots, wandering through sleek pristine hallways that demonstrated by and large what purpose the facility served. All along the walls were grandiose displays and a soothing voice translated through audioviral technology that calmly explained the layman's terms of studying bizarrely tiny organisms that would be altered or dissected to provide greater medicinal care.

Most of the rooms they passed however were all data filing and management, as plant-based organisms typed away with long leafy stalks rapidly skimming across holopads with expert precision. Sometimes a drone or robot would fly past them, hovering on anti-gravity with a gentle blue shimmer beneath their bodies monitoring the hallways, ranging from trapezoid-shaped flyers to large-armed brutes that scanned them once and moved on once Sa-shi-ha shooed them.

"I admit that microbiology is not a field I know much of," said Haytham, "but I daresay I am intrigued even further by these vignettes."

"May I ask," began James raising his hand, "why the deviation into architecture? It seems quite the sidestep from medicine."

[i]"Our studies into microbiology have delivered new potential fields of structural strengthening,"[/i] explained Sa-shi-ha, [i]"we initially began research on skeletal refortification techniques to combat brittle bone disease, but then we found means to alter the same microbes into other materials that proved useful for architecture by the same principles."[/i]

"Oh...goodness that does sound useful."

[i]"This way please, we are about to embark upon our lunar tram."[/i]

At the end of the halls was an oblong room with curved roof reminiscent of a train station. Columns of blue shimmering glass and a perfect white floor reflected the grand skylight above them of triangular opaque, warm light of the sun beaming through the UV-protective surface that lit up the floor all around them. A long track spread out in both directions before them as the secretary tapped a button on a stand next to her two assistants, whilst Chanoch looked up grimacing at the fractured roof.

"This place is too exposed. Easy to spy on your weaknesses."

[i]"This base was not built with military strategy in mind,"[/i] explained Sa-shi-ha, [i]"most of our employees require photosynthesis through natural sunlight for optimum productivity."[/i]

"Photo...you are living plants."

[i]"Hmhmhmhm, did you not realise good sir, are we the first Supox that you have encountered?"[/i]

"Yes," he said nodding once, "forgive me."

[i]"We do not mind, we understand the natural curiosity of those beyond our home for our development."[/i]

"I was going to ask," muttered Andrea rubbing her head, "we actually uhm...we've never met any of your species, like ANY of you before, so I hope I'm not being rude."

"I would not think so," said Shuffa crawling up one of the columns with her sluggy foot, "you have yet to ask me an intimate personal question, or attempt to seduce me with inappropriate touches."

"Wh-what? No, s-sorry I wanted to ask, and please tell me if I'm going too far but-"

"Did I mention my husband is the fine strapping Yehat with the bionic legs and gleaming vibroblade over yonder?"

"You did," she looked over once to the Yehat giving the finger-gun with his wing, "and actually glad you mentioned that because now I know he's a 'yey-hat' and so I wanted to ask..." she clapped her hands together nervously, "can I ask what your species is?"

"Oh!" Her eyestalk shot up like a palm tree before she jumped off to the floor. "Well...now I do not know whether to call you being rude or just confused, have your retinas never bore witness to that which is the Spathi?!"

"No, I...no, sorry we live in a very isolated region and we haven't had any real contact with any uh...other beings."

"Ahhhh now I see clearly your plight, you are one of those human researchers that wandered off into your own little pens, just like the hero of the Ur-Quan war!"

"The hero?" asked James squinting.

"Around one-hundred years ago, a human captain with the aid of their vessel built from ancient Precursor technology, returned to the homeworld of your species to find it enslaved by the most dreaded of enslavers, the fearsome unrelenting Ur-Quan!"

"Your husband mentioned this Ur-Quan before, what were they exactly?"

"OHHH!" Shuffa slipped a smooth leathery tentacle round Andrea's shoulders. "To be so ignorant of such terror is truly a GIFT for your species I say, for you see the Ur-Quan are a vile psychopathic race of all-consuming slavers who planned to bring all sentient species of the universe and a few non-sentient ones too, to bring under their whim in the pure and vain hope of never becoming themselves enslaved again!"

"Wh-what?! ...that...that sounds-"

"Pretty fucked up if you ask me," said Dixon sucking her teeth.

"Aye it wuz," continued Fleek-Gleek strolling up to his wife, "many worlds includin' oor ain fell to the thralls o' the Ur-Quan hierarchy an' forced us tae fight in their name."

"My kind were well-renowned for cowardice," said the Spathi scratching her open eye, "and pleas of tomorrow to always come would be but the anthem of my home until that human saviour came!"

"What did they do?" asked the lemming leaning up against the wall.

"The human captain, I forget their name conveniently for the sake of this story, encouraged my kind to fight back under the New Alliance of Free Stars that they gathered and built into one significant army to defeat the Ur-Quan, and so free all of the universe from their dreadsome tentacles!"

"Wow...damn that sounds incredible, how long did this war last?"

"Itself it lasted around four years, and since then the new alliance has been gathering to repair bonds and renew trades of friendship between many species. To answer your blissful ignorance, doctor Dixon, I am a Spathi, Fleek is a Yehat, and the heads of this base are known as the Supox."

"Thank you," she said bowing, "sorry I know this is weird just we've been so cut-off from everything tha-"

"Oh do not fret and flitter so," she waved her tentacle dismissive, it is nothing you can help with the exception of perhaps your ancestors who so chose to live in complete isolation from all developing civilisations and somehow avoid the eternal gaze of the Ur-Quan's wrath, think nothing of it! But I will gladly answer more questions of an elementary grade concerning most if not all the species that currently reside on this base."

"I would love that Shuffa, thank you."

"TRAM'S 'ERE!"

The Yehat's cry alerted them to the rumbling sound of something from their left, a speck of light that grew to a bursting star that transformed into a long silver sword that flashed before their eyes almost blinding them. The tram was shaped like a blade of grass reflecting the starlight from above as it opened up its three doors at the front, middle and rear to show a line of seats in various heights and shapes for various species.

"Good FARAM!" gasped Haytham. "Such a magnificent carriage!"

"Looks like a goddamn bullet train," said Andrea walking in, "does this thing run on electromagnets?"

[i]"It is powered by the sun,"[/i] said the plant-secretary floating past her, [i]"all the technology in our base was built to be evercharged without any fear of losing power during important tests."[/i]

"Solar power huh? Must be a hell of an efficient system to make this thing run."

[i]"Our generators are powered by chlorolectric cells that we designed ourselves, storing both sunlight and moisture to be repurposed as energy."[/i]

"Chlorolectrics," muttered Durai following after, "I heard tales of electricity back home but to derive it from plant matter is extraordinary."

"You get heat from compost," said Chanoch stepping into the tram and finding a seat, "does not sound that different."

"That is true!" replied James sitting opposite of him. "Methane gas yes?"

"Yes."

"Really?" asked Haytham. "Is that a thing now?"

"My captain studied farming, told me about it. You gather dead plants, let them rot an-"

[i]"AH-HEHEM!"[/i] Sa-shi-ha trilled nervously from the front. [i]"We would appreciate if you not speak of such subjects in our presence, please."[/i]

"Oh. Forgive me."

[i]"Please apply your safety restraint devices before we depart."[/i]

They looked round each other mutually figuring out their own seats' restraints as they pulled out seatbelts made from a hard-light that gleamed solid yellow warmly against their chests, before the tram started to move forwards. From the windows of the speeding vessel they saw the surface of the asteroid zooming past them in a blur of pale dunes undulating like stone serpents, the glare of the sun high in the starry sky turning the lunar scape into a white-gold desert. The passengers could not help but gasp in delight at how the light skimmed across the mountains of space, catching the tops of domes to transform them into lighthouses, guiding ships lost in the astral sea.

"So tell me more about your people," Andrea asked the Supox at the front.

[i]"What do you desire to know, doctor?"[/i]

"Well, how long have you been around for, what stuff can you eat, do you guys have a government or some sort of ruling electorate?"

[i]"We have long existed for millennia upon our homeworld of Earth."[/i]

"E-earth?!"

[i]"Yes, OUR Earth, the name for our home is the same as yours human."[/i]

"Oh that's cool!" She leaned forwards with hands between her knees. "Alright what about food?"

[i]"As we said before, we mostly nourish ourselves on sunlight and water. But in times of greater need we eat insects."[/i]

"Ahhh like venus flytraps, cool."

[i]"OH, we have arrived!"[/i]

The tram slowly began to wind down, making the sound of a reverse vacuum before the air-brakes surged beneath them to rumble gently at the next stop. The doors opened as they stepped out into a similar-looking station from before, but this time it had green strips painting the walls as Sa-shi-ha led them through the next hall to a resplendent garden of jade that burst before their eyes in a verdant tapestry of life encased behind the laboratory windows. It was a rainforest the likes of which they had never seen before, strange plants with twisting leaves that seemed to spiral outwards in patterns like unfolded origami. Sometimes they swayed with an unseen wind, others would snap out and devour insects floating on the breeze of the ventilation. The workers were almost indistinguishable from the flora as pale green and azure beasts crept through the jungle, watering the plants and testing the soil with their own roots sneaking out of their floating pots.

"Is this but an apothecary?" asked Haytham peering through the glass.

[i]"Indeed,"[/i] replied Sa-shi-ha with a leafy grin, [i]"this dome is the Pharmaceutical Branch, or the Phanch Dome as we like to call it."[/i]

"Haha, nice," muttered Andrea, "what kinda treatments do you get out of these?"

[i]"Mostly in muscular tissue regeneration, the plants here contain oils that can restore supple tendons to stave off atrophy, as well as swiftening the breakdown of lactic acid. Hospitals across the galaxy use them for bedridden patients that cannot move their limbs."[/i]

"Oh that's cool, that's a thing a lot of people overlook during treatments."

Turning a few paths further in, Sa-shi-ha's two assistants veered off with a farewell to other duties as the newcomers came upon the prestigious-looking doors of the director's office. A large silver circle that resembled a vault more than anything as its pneumatic seals untwisted to flower outwards in petal shards all around them. A reception desk sat in a small empty room with sharp angular corners and clinical white everywhere they looked, except for the second door ahead of them beyond the desk where there laid only a swivel chair untouched and a holo-computer whittling away to itself.

"[b]Welcome., Sa-shi-ha and guests.[/b]"

"WH-who is there?!" gasped James.

"[b]Please do not be alarmed, your appointment has been logged since your arrival, James.[/b]"

"It...i-it knows my name."

[i]"This is the director's personal secretary,"[/i] said Sa-shi-ha walking over to the desk, [i]"how are you today MORHA?"[/i]

"[b]I am well, thank you Sa-shi-ha.[/b]"

The four newcomers approached still seeing nothing there, but the voice seemed to come from every corner of the room. Shuffa and Fleek stood either side of the door like toy soldiers watching with a smirk at their confusion from the deep eminent voice.

"[b]You are five-percent-less hydrated than your usual amount today.[/b]"

[i]"Well,"[/i] tittered the plant-greeter, [i]"my schedule was interrupted slightly but I will make sure to correct that soon."[/i]

"[b]Please do, it would be detrimental to the operation of this base if you were to dehydrate at a crucial moment of your tasks.[/b]"

[i]"Oh you are kind."[/i]

"Am I right in assuming this computer is this Morha?" asked Haytham pointing at the screen.

"[b]I am not the computer,[/b]" said MORHA's disembodied voice, "[b]I am operating the computer as a separate program by which to operate my capacity as the Director's personal assistant. I am MORHA, the Managerial-Observational-Reichell-Handler-Assistant.[/b]"

"The pleasure is mine," he replied bowing whilst looking everywhere around him, "but, forgive my impertinence in asking where is your main body?"

"[b]I am afraid that is classified, Haytham Durai. I am not permitted to answer that unless you have Sol level clearance.[/b]"

"Ah, then my apologies, I am...not accustomed with such a presence."

"Well uh it's nice to meet you MORHA," said Andrea rubbing her skin, "I take it you're the personal assistant huh?"

"[b]Exactly, I manage all the Director's ministrations including the operation of this base.[/b]"

"What like, control everything?"

"[b]No, I do not. A singular AI running everything across five stations was seen to be less effective against attempts to tamper or infiltrate its systems. I control only this branch, doctor Andrea Dixon.[/b]"

"Well that's comforting to know, and you got our names from reception of course."

"[b]I am sensing a nine-percent rise in cortisol within you, I apologise if my presence has caused you some distress.[/b]"

"No no it's fine, just uh...never really met an AI before as advanced as you."

"[b]The Director is waiting for you.[/b]" The door beyond the desk opened up. "[b]Please proceed, and have a nice day.[/b]"

"Thank you."

[i]"I will wait here,"[/i] said Sa-shi-ha, [i]"I hope you can assist us in our new predicament with the Director's advice."[/i]

"Count on it Sa-shi."

She gave a fingergun to the greeter before her group walked in with the two guards following after. The next room was also surprisingly devoid of any colour within it, including the desk where behind sat a Supox inside a plastic bubble.

[i]"So...you are the ones from this planet below us."[/i]

"Yes," said the chief physicist, "my name's doctor Andrea Dixon and I-"

[i]"I already know your name human, have you not met MORHA before me?"[/i]

The Director was a thin-looking creature of grey eyes and the palest green they had ever seen, almost white like a blade of grass left upon the sands of the Serengeti. The bubble contained a thick underbelly of the finest soil they had ever seen, silted like grains of brown rice where they saw a myriad of roots twist and creak like pulsing veins inside of it. The voice was androgynous but weak, rasping with efforts through the stem that slightly diffused its colouring from green to white.

"Are you...alright?" asked the lemming.

[i]"My health is not your concern,"[/i] snarled the encased Supox, [i]"I did not summon you for a practice checkup. Your communications told us that you know the reason as to why our entire research base was transported through a wormhole."[/i]

"Yes," said Andrea stepping forwards, "I'm the head of a quantum physics laboratory down on the planet and we are experimenting with spatial rifts. This area is unusually high in such occurrences and we came to this planet to monitor them."

[i]"I see. Did you think that up before or during your arrival here?"[/i]

"I...what?"

The pale Director pressed a few buttons on a panel within the bubble, levitating it from the floor and revealing a mass of thick white cables that had been nestling inside the floor through a series of tubes. The Supox now resembled the neural membrane in a glass-headed octopus that hummed menacing towardstowards the visitors.

[i]"When I am offered such shit I prefer it in my soil not directed at my face."[/i]

"N-now SEE HERE!" blustered Haytham.

[i]"Shut up. Do you think I am just a seedling that cannot understand the basics of quantum physics?"[/i]

"Wh-whatever do you mean?!"

[i]"That wormhole was too precise to be naturally-occurring, nor was there any source of energy great enough in our quadrant to even cause such a thing, no quasars nor black holes, if you were on my marketing team I would have fired you the moment you walked into this base."[/i]

"Alright jesus calm down!" cried Dixon raising her hands. "Don't have to be such a bitch about it I was just trying to be diplomatic."

[i]"Hhhhm hm hm hm ha ha...diplomatic?"[/i] The supox leaned forwards with a cable lifting up Andrea's chin. [i]"What a funny word for a human to use when your race still resorts to gender-specific insults."[/i]

"Wh-what?!"

[i]"If you were actually trying to be 'diplomatic', you would at least have had the merit to learn my species is beyond such evolutionary retardation as that of a SINGLE gender."[/i]

"Wait, are you, what the fuck are you even saying?!"

"You are a plant," said Chanoch nodding, "you have male and female organs."

[i]"See, your pet lizard understands,"[/i] said the Director waving a tendril at him, [i]"now would you like to try again or shall I have you leave with a personal escort, DOCTOR Dixon?"[/i]

"Hhhhh...alright," she rubbed her head with a heavy brow, "I'll be straight with you. We're trying to get back home, we got lost and stranded through our experiments to end up on this ancient planet and we're trying to refigure our coordinates. The problem is we can't send OURSELVES back, but we can bring stuff TO us like your research base."

[i]"I see."[/i] The plant gave a weirdly patronising shrug of two "arms". [i]"That wasn't so hard was it little skinbag?"[/i]

"Wow, you are giving me so many reasons to go Independence Day on your ass you know that right?"

[i]"I do not have to know, nor do I care so here's what you are going to do."[/i] The chief flora prodded a leafy finger against the bubble's surface with head lowering towards her. [i]"You are going to fix your mistake, send us back to our designation with your precious little training engine or else I am going to drag your entire facility to the courts of Vlik and personally repossess all of your machinery to compensate for the loss in profit that you are causing."[/i]

"THAT IS ENOUGH!"

Haytham stormed forwards with a hard stomp as he heard the whirring of a gun behind them. The director grinned nodding at Shuffa and Fleek-Gleek who were ready to go at a moment's notice.

"If you desire our assistance," said Durai patiently, "you would be wise to not disrespect our pursuits when you are relying upon us to send you back to your point of origin."

[i]"Or what, you hold us hostage above your planet where we have every opportunity and advantage by our superior technology over you?"[/i]

"Is that a threat?" snarled Chanoch reaching for his sword.

"Hands where ah can see 'em pal," warned Fleek, "big sword like yers there's nae enough room to swing it here."

"I will not tolerate threats to our base."

[i]"And I will not tolerate sacks of sweat that think they know better than me about the nature of the universe in MY facility."[/i]

The director trampled their tentacles between the four newcomers and made a mocking turn of the orb like swishing a dress.

[i]"YOU brought us here, with your paltry attempts to understand the universe, and from what we scanned of your base upon arrival which, may I add told us EVERYTHING about you and the Third Energy Anomaly Research that you call fingerpainting on starmaps."[/i]

"Why are you such a rancorous cow?" asked James squinting up at the Supox. "We only just met, you already know everything of us as you say, so you know it was not our intention to cause you such distress."

[i]"Distress? Nohoho I am not distressed, I am perturbed by having to be at the whim of amateurs whilst I am trying to run a business to help species across the universe. Do you not realise that you have essentially delayed thousands of potential treatments being realised by our peers?!"[/i]

"Alright if you're so good at quantum physics then why not undo our mistake?!" Dixon crossed her arms with a hard tongue in her cheek. "I mean, if we're just all basic bitches then you could fix our shit."

[i]"Because I am not going to do your job for you,"[/i] said the Director, [i]"you caused this mistake, you have to fix it, that is simply but accountability."[/i]

"Fine, we were gonna tell you that anyway, we know how to fix it no problem and if you had just LISTENED to us instead of shooting off like a fucking shitbag, we'd have gladly offered in the first place."

[i]"Good. How long will it take?"[/i]

"Two weeks. That's how long it takes for us to recharge our 'fingerpaints'."

[i]"T-two, WEEKS?!"[/i] scoffed the plant.

"Mmhmm, that should beeeee about three-hundred-and-thirty-six hours, give or take another twelve."

[i]"This...I am just...I knew your technology was remedial but this is ABSURD!"[/i]

"Oh I'm sorry," mewled Andrea with hands to her chest, "I'm just learning about quantum physics here like a little baby with my Fisher-Price hammer, so until I figure out what peg goes in the round hole you're MY bitch until the generators kick back up again."

[i]"And when it does I will take you to Vlik to compensate for-"[/i]

"You ain't gonna do shit because I'm pretty sure we're out of each other's jurisdiction where neither of our laws are applied, can you tell us what quadrant of space we're in?!"

[i]"Why?! Is that not in your woefully-miniscule database?!"[/i]

"Humour me. Go on, tell me where we are."

The plant chief gave the longest stare towards Andrea with hardening steel in their large pupils. The human stared back with a growing smirk feeling the Director getting pushed back in this little war of words as eventually the supox relented.

[i]"Unfortunately...whatever region of space you inhabit, we cannot tell what it is."[/i]

"MmmHMM."

[i]"Whilst our rudimentary scans have noted a single-solar system with at least eight planets, give or take a ninth at the edge of our reach, our databases are unable to cross-check this with any known planet in our system."[/i]

"Ahhh huh."

[i]"The closest however is that of your homeworld, curiously enough, remarkably similar size, a single moon but the atmosphere is far too rich in oxygen and methane, as well as the absolute lack of human settlements."[/i]

"In conclusion, you don't know shit," said Andrea flexing her hands to slip into a cross, "and if you don't even know where we are, then you don't even know where to take us. But WE know how to send you back, it's like a dimensional recoil."

[i]"And you ARE certain you can do it?"[/i] the director affirmed with a pointing cable.

"Yes. Two weeks, so until then we'd like to take this time to stretch our legs, learn some diplomacy as you said and take pleasure in your facilities as visitors of this base. I'd also like to point out that I am the only person on my base that knows how to work the machine, so if anything happens to me, you're fucked."

[i]"Hmph."[/i] The floral administator turned away and set their orb back down to its original position. [i]"Very well. You shall have limited access to the base, and our guards will make certain you are well-protected from anything except for your own curiosity. BUT, you are on privileged access, you are allowed only on Flower clearance level, I shall have someone give you passes for those but you will be under guard at all times, is that clear?"[/i]

"Yes director," said Andrea with hands behind her back smiling, "thank you for meeting us."

[i]"But the moment your machine is ready, you will send us back EXACTLY where we were and not a cubic centimetre off, you understand?"[/i]

"Perfectly. I'd shake your leaf but I don't wanna waste any of my sweat on you so, good day director."

She turned on her heel and stepped back out the office with her small group following after. The director watched them leave with tenting tendrils as the door closed before looking to the guards.

[i]"What do you think of them?"[/i]

"They are certainly not of professional quality," said Shuffa, "the littlest of the group has a most troubling issue of anger management it seems!"

"The biggest bastard's yer only worry," added Gleek, "he's nae a bad sort, but ah bet you he'll break shit if anythin' happens tae his group."

[i]"Then it is your job to make sure that NOTHING happens,"[/i] said the Director shivering through the stem, [i]"keep them safe...guard them at all times until their two weeks are up, if I see one scratch on the doctor I will dock your wages."[/i]

"You got it boss," the pterodactyl curtsied, "we'll protect 'em like they're family ken?"

"We shall stick to them like gathering moss upon the backs of Taalo!" cried Shuffa giggling. "OH, and before we leave, we have a message for you!"

[i]"Leave it on my desk, I will tend to it later. You are dismissed."[/i]

The guards nodded and left after Shuffa left a datapad upon the desk. The director moved a cable towards it and lifted it to the bubble's glass, taking one look at it before putting it in a drawer with disgust amongst a pile of similar devices.

[i]"Ugh, again with these messages."[/i]

"[b]It is the seventh message you have received,[/b]" said MORHA scanning the new pad, "[b]do you wish to update our alert status?[/b]"

[i]"No, do not bother. A good thing about our current status is that they cannot possibly bother us for the next two weeks whilst we are stranded in this quadrant."[/i]

"[b]Understood. Would you like me to begin your weekly transduction, Director?[/b]"

[i]"Yes please MORHA...I need something to sleep this off."[/i]

From the walls came a small network of tubes with syringed tips that carefully slipped between the tentacles underneath the bubble. Slowly they plunged into the soil at the bottom of the sphere, feeding like worms into the Director's body as their roots absorbed some strange bluish-pink liquid that made them shudder in a pained bliss. The plant laid back with a warm embrace nurturing their body, helping them to fall asleep with a deep sigh as they closed their eyes in a fitful sleep.