Xeno Core

Yosip steps aside, to let the strange Tserri inside. The sounds the stranger makes are odd, as if they're dragging something on wheels behind them. It's unlikely that the Tserri is here to deliver food, as Yosip and Han ate not long ago.

The Tserri makes a short speech, which Yosip remains mostly silent during. He does interject on three separate occasions, but the Tserri reacts calmly to the interruptions and makes soothing sounds.

After he's done speaking, the Tserri leaves and the door hisses shut behind him. Once the crewmember leaves, Han starts once more chattering questions at his older companion. Yosip responds in monosyllabic grunts, walking slowly around a point in space that is occupied by whatever the Tserri had wheeled in.

At one point Han mentions me, but Yosip doesn't seem to notice. The Supply-Master instead cheerily and loudly explains some point of contention to the youth. The way Yosip is acting is strange, but I can only assume he's attempting to act happy in order to bolster Han's delicate emotional state.

Whatever Yosip had to say to the youth causes him to erupt once more into high pitched howling. Yosip snorts but otherwise doesn't say anything else.

The Supply-Master does not remain still, however. He busies himself for some time. Bending, grunting, and making horrible clanging noises. Occasionally Han asks another question, but the terse replies eventually dissuade him from continuing.

Whatever task he works upon requires almost all of Yosip's prodigious concentration. He stops only once, and briefly at that, when Han offers him another birpa. His comment after drinking the concoction contained many words which caused the youth great merriment. I hope to learn the meanings of them all soon.

When Yosip finally finishes his mysterious work he sits down, straining the integrity of the seating. He groans quietly, relaxing in the quiet.

Yosip leaps to his feet. "Han?"

He twists, looking in every direction. "Han?"

Yosip turns, stomping deeper into the space. He reaches into his shirt and pulls me out. His face strains as he looks at me.

His command is unintelligible, but by the repeated use of Han's name, I gather he wants my help finding the youth. Thinking hard, I try to find a way to satisfy his demand. I too worry for the wayward Tserri.

My senses remain incredibly limited. Granted, I possess ways to perceive my surroundings far exceeding anything I knew in my original life, but the range is a crippling limitation. If I truly concentrate I can sense as far as thirty ubits.

The distance stuns me momentarily. When I had first gained this form I was limited to less than half that. Unnecessary distraction. I set my mind once more to the task before me.

I don't hear Han, nor see him. Any thermal traces he might have left will have been absorbed by now, so that's also useless. I am detecting an unusual amount of radioactive particles, however.

Han had been exposed for several days to a powerful source of radiation, and these particles share a similar flavor to those Noorun's weapon leaves behind it. They're concentrated heavily in the room we'd spent the most time in, with a faint trail leading farther back. The particles leading into the corridor behind the main room seem less decayed than those in the main room.

To indicate the way Yosip should proceed, I release a focused beam of photons in the proper direction. He understands at once and plods forward.

The trail leads around the corner to a ladder built into the corridor. Yosip climbs it without hesitation and calls Han's name once more.

We find the trouble maker at the controls of a turret, aiming rods clasped in his tiny claws. An oversized helmet covers his head, deadening his hearing. A helpful feature during combat, as it removes unwelcome distractions, but hardly useful at the moment.

Why is there a gunner's turret in the guest suite? Whatever the reason, Han is happily pretending to burn enemies of the Spanless Empire from the skies of some colony world, oblivious to his physical surroundings.

Yosip snatches the helmet off the distracted youth's head and Han squeals in surprise.

What follows is a verbal lashing that I'm glad not to understand. By the end of it, Han is quivering in fear. When asked one final question, the youth answers in a tiny voice, with only a single word. "Yessir."

Yosip grunts once, then wraps both his powerful mechanical arms around the young Tserri, pulling him close to his body and holding him tightly.

Han chirps once in shock but quickly relaxes.

The Supply-Master adds one more comment then releases his captive. Han responds with a more enthusiastic, "Yessir!"

Yosip climbs back down the ladder, trying to hide the grin on his face from Han. The youth follows behind, also sporting a strange, distracted look.

"Thanks, Mos," mutters Yosip, before pretending to be distracted by a noise nobody else hears. Of course, I can't reply.

He carries me back into the main room. Now that I can look around, I notice that it looks strangely like the interior of one of the scout vessels we had designed for the Tserri. We did incorporate a dorsal turret to allow for self-defense in emergencies.

Meant to be operated by a crew of five, though two could perhaps manage, if they were very skilled. Is this the best lodgings they had available? I feel insulted on Yosip's behalf, though he seems to be taking the insult with equanimity.

The central area serves most functions aboard the vessel, being command room, dorm, and cafeteria all at once. Work stations and couches line the walls, with a central multipurpose table. Attached benches provide seating and a place to eat without risk of spilling food on the controls.

Next to the table is a wheeled cart, and upon that is a nearly disassembled contraption. Yosip carries me over to the pile of components and asks a question. I'm sure he realizes I can't answer, and is merely being polite, but it still is becoming frustrating to be unable to communicate with him.

Han walks past us and curls up on one of the couches. I don't have much experience dealing with those his age, and don't know if his behavior is typical. Yosip treats his behavior as within expectations, the wild changes between dormancy and manic energy as something normal.

The young of my own kind are much simpler to understand. If they're in the water, throw meat at them and get away quickly. If they're on land, throw meat at them and assert your dominance. At least Han doesn't seem cannibalistic, having outgrown that phase of development perhaps.

Yosip watches until the youth is comfortable before turning back to his project. He makes a remark that sounds almost apologetic. I'm not used to Yosip acting humble.

He places me upon the central table, where I'm able to watch him work. Yosip twists and bends over the thing, forcing pieces together with a metal wand. Occasionally he switches the wand for another similar tool with a different colored handle. Wires attach to sealed components, which then slot together tightly.

A complex assembly of components takes shape from the mess that had been in its place. Next he constructs the protective shell in which the functional portions will nestle. The innards must be partially deconstructed in order to fit inside the limited space, but Yosip makes it work with skill I would expect from a battle tested Juror. Parts join together with professional speed and soon the device is complete.

Stepping away, Yosip gestures at the finished work. It is little more than an elongated cube of metal with a single display screen and speakers. He opens a panel on the side, which hides a small alcove whose purpose I can immediately guess.

As I expect, he slots me into the machine and closes the panel. It activates with a click followed by a whir and energy floods through me and into the device. The vast majority is lost, evaporating back into the higher dimensions, but what passes into the machine is more than ample to power it.

"It's a phenomenal waste of resources," grumbles Yosip from above me. "But you'll be more useful to me like this."