Valiant: Tales From The Drift

[Tails #12: Imperfections]

Log Date: 11/16/12763

Data Sources: Jazel Jaskolka; Lysanne Arrignis

Event Log: Lysanne Arrignis

CURSE HQ: Arrivals Platform

10:47pm SGT

“It’s a flying city!”

Kayenta’s excited declaration echos in the wide open air of the arrival platform as she runs through the airlock ahead of us, prancing over the white tile. The glass roof of the platform gives us a good view of the crescent curvature of the CURSE HQ, and its many floors and decks. The station is narrowest at the tips of its crescent structure, and thickest at the middle of its band, where most of its command structures and buildings rise above the rest of the station. Though I’ve been here before, the sheer size of the planetary fortress never ceases to amaze me, and I find myself quietly agreeing with Kayenta’s awestruck fascination.

“You might want to rein her in.” I say to Jazel as we pass through the airlock, our luggage clacking over the threshold with us. “First impressions are important, and she might get in trouble if she keeps running around like that.”

“Yeah, I’ll. Uh. Do… something.” Jazel says, rubbing blearily at one eye. We’d arrived to the HQ much later in the night cycle than we were expecting, so all of us are a little tuckered out. “Hey, Kayeeeeentah…” Jazel pauses to cover his yawn, then calls after her. “Don’t get too far ahead, it’s a big place and we don’t want you to get lost…”

“Strange. The platform is empty.” Dandy says, pulling a luggage cart behind her that’s got our additional bags. We’d been told to prepare for a long stay at the HQ, so we’d packed as we’d expected for an extended shore leave. “I had anticipated there would at least be someone here to give us directions, despite the lateness of the hour.”

“Well, it is almost midnight.” I point out as we start crossing the platform, noticing Kayenta wading into one of the decorative waterfalls along the side of the platform. “Jazel, you’re not doing a very good job of reining her in.”

“It’s not like anyone’s here to notice.” he yawns again, looking around. “Where are we going? They had quarters ready for us, right?”

“Just because no one’s around to notice doesn’t make her behavior okay!” I hiss at him.

“Hey, there are coins in here!” Kayenta shouts across the platform, rolling up the sleeves of her hoodie so she can reach down and fish around in the water. “I think I can feel wishes attached to them. This is a wishing waterfall!”

“Are you going to do something about that?” I demand of Jazel.

“She’s having fun exploring.” Jazel replies sleepily. “Isn’t that a good thing?”

My answer is cut off by a rush of wind as tatters of shadow race by, pulled from the darker areas of the platform. They coalesce on the platform in front of us, spinning around a central point before fading away to reveal Nazka, dressed in black business formal. He’s austere and cold as usual, his hands folded behind his back.

“Whoa shit.” Jazel says, looking a lot more awake now. “Maugrimm have mercy, do you always show up to places like that?”

“Yes. When I must be somewhere, but walking is not convenient.” Nazka answers, his cold grey eyes lingering on Jazel for a moment. “Welcome back to the CURSE HQ, Preservers. I see you have brought back the asset with you.”

I glance to Jazel to see that he’s not a fan of Kayenta being called an ‘asset’. “She’s a member of our crew.” I say before Jazel opens his mouth and says something that’ll get us in trouble. “Kaya! Come over here and meet the Deputy Administrator!”

Kayenta looks up, dropping the coins she’d gathered from the waterfall, clambering out and leaving a trail of water across the floor as she comes over to join us. Upon nearing Nazka, she leans forward, sniffing at the air around him, then jerking back with a hiss. “I smell the void on you, summoner.”

“She’s remarkably perceptive, if somewhat primitive in her perspectives.” Nazka says, arching a disdainful eyebrow down at her. “Yes, I have bent the void and its creatures to my will in the service of the greater good.”

“You trifle in something that will consume you.” she growls at him, her silver ears laid back. “You have learned nothing from the history of our people.”

“To the contrary, I have learned a great deal from it. Particularly from the failures of my predecessors in this discipline.” Nazka replies tartly. “I have built on their contributions to the field by refusing to repeat their mistakes. Something that small minds are incapable of doing, governed as they are by fear of the unknown.”

“Well, look what we have here!” another voice calls across the platform before the argument can go any further. We all turn to see a tall elf lady in tight jeans and a light blouse crossing the floor, black hair pulled behind her head in a ponytail. “My my my, aren’t you four unlucky? Nazka’s got all the charm of a dead cat being dragged behind a hazardous waste truck on the freeway. I’m sorry you had to deal with him for the last two minutes.”

“Your support is appreciated as always, Gossamer.” Nazka says, every word dripping with sarcasm.

“Don’t take that tone with me. You looked like you were ten seconds from having it out with the fox girl.” Gossamer replies as she comes to a stop beside Nazka. “I’m Gossamer, one of the senior Peacekeepers for CURSE. I assume you guys are the Preservers that the Administrator said would be delivering the asset to us?”

The a-word sets off Jazel before I can intervene this time. “She’s not a weapon you guys can just use against your enemies. She’s a member of our crew.” he says sharply.

“And whether or not she wants to help CURSE will be up to her.” I say, shooting Jazel a warning look. “If she wants to help them, then we’re not going to keep her from it.”

Jazel glares at me, but doesn’t say anything more. Nazka, who’s watched this exchange with some detachment, unfolds his arms from behind his back. “At any rate, I apologize that the Administrator could not be here to greet you herself. This time of night, much of the HQ’s population is asleep. There are rooms prepared for you for the duration of your stay, and I am sure Gossamer would be more than happy to show you all to them, since she seems intent on exercising her hosting skills.”

“Why’d you rush down here in the first place if you were just gonna fob it off on me?” Gossamer says, giving Nazka a look before turning back to us. “C’mon, I’m sure you guys are tired. We’ll get you to your rooms so you can get some rest — the research department’s been eager to meet your foxy friend.”

I shoot another look at Jazel, warning him with my eyes as Gossamer turns and starts heading for the doors. He huffs and starts after her, Kayenta following him and giving a glare to Nazka as she goes. Giving a polite nod to the Deputy Administrator, I start after the pair, Dandy following behind me.

Yet even as we’re leaving, I can feel his cold gaze on our backs, and for once I find myself agreeing with Kayenta’s instinctive dislike of the man.

Event Log: Jazel Jaskolka

CURSE HQ: Guest Quarters Suite 93

11/17/12763 8:04am SGT

“Wake up, little feast.”

I know, before I’ve even opened my eyes, who it is. Only one person refers to me as if I’m a snack, and even in my drowsy, just-woken-up state, I know exactly who’s talking to me. Letting out a sleepy grumble, I crack my eyes open, and look around.

Leaning against the side of my bed is Kayenta, her arms folded on the edge of the mattress and her chin resting on them. From the way she’s sitting, it looks like she’s been there a while, waiting for me to wake up.

“Nnnnhhh.” I gurgle wordlessly, my hand finding its way to my face so I can rub at my eyes. “How long have you been sitting there?”

“About an hour.”

It takes me a moment to really soak that in and absorb it. “You’ve been sitting at the side of my bed, watching me sleep for an hour?” I say, squinting at her.

She nods without taking her chin off her folded arms.

“Okay.” I say after a moment, deciding I’m too tired to think about the implications of that right now. “Why did you… wait, how did you get into my room? The door was locked.”

“Oh, I’ve been here all night.”

I stare blankly at her. “You… you what?”

“My room is next to yours, but I didn’t like sleeping alone.” she explains, tilting her head to one side. “So I grabbed the blankets and ghosted through the wall into your room, and slept on the floor next to your bed.”

On some very distant, scientific level, that makes sense to me. I knew that Kayenta, as a wild creature, didn’t like sleeping in unfamiliar places. It made sense that she’d seek out a place where there was something familiar to her, whether that was a setting, or a person. But all those connections were taking place in the background of my mind; in the foreground, I was still staring at her and trying to get my head around the fact that she’d just walked into my room and made herself at home.

“You just slept on the floor.” I say after a moment. “Wasn’t that uncomfortable?”

All she gives is a shrug in response. “I nested the blankets so I wasn’t sleeping right on the floor itself. It wasn’t bad; I’m used to hibernating in burrows and dens for stretches of three to five years.”

“Right.” I say, finally starting to prop myself up as I come more fully awake. I forgot that she had lived out in the wilderness for the last four centuries. It made sense that she’d be accustomed to a lower standard of comfort. “Well, uh… I guess I’m awake now.”

“Yes, you are.” Kayenta agrees.

I don’t know where to go with the conversation from there, and there’s a moment of awkward silence before someone rings the doorbell for my room. Rubbing my face again, I give orders to the room. “System, unlock and open door.”

The door slides open in short order, revealing Dandy standing outside with a data slate in hand; she steps in, lowering the slate she’d been reading from. “Good morning, Jazel… and Kayenta.” She appears somewhat perplexed by seeing Kayenta in my room. “I did not know that you two were sharing a room.”

“Uh, well, we weren’t.” I say hastily. I don’t want Dandy to get the wrong idea. “Except I guess we are now. Kayenta didn’t want to sleep alone, so she brought her blankets over here, and…” I motion to where Kayenta’s turned to face Dandy, sitting in her pile of nested blankets beside my bed.

“I see.” Dandy says with a raised eyebrow, but not commenting on it beyond that. “Well, I figured I would stop by to provide you with the itinerary that CURSE has laid out for us. As I’m sure you’re aware, both myself and the Drift are scheduled for diagnostics and maintenance while we’re here. Kayenta is also scheduled for a checkup and an array of tests that will help CURSE’s research department learn more about her and see if they can find an alternative for her dietary needs. Yourself and Lysanne have only your general physicals to do, so your checkups will be much shorter than either mine or Kayenta’s; once you are done with them, you two will be free to explore the CURSE HQ at your leisure, and spend your time as you like. I will forward you a copy of the itinerary, and a map of the CURSE HQ, so you can more easily navigate your way around the station. Are there any questions?”

I sit there for a moment, thinking about that. “Is there a cafeteria?”

“There is something called a mess hall, where the CURSE rank-and-file go for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.” Dandy explains. “It is open round the clock, though obviously it is more crammed during mealtimes. We are allowed to eat there for free, but the HQ also houses a number of restaurants if you would like to pay for something not provided by the mess hall.”

“Perfect, that’s going to be my first stop.” I say, pulling the covers off and scooting to the edge of my bed. “I guess the itinerary’s going to be on my phone when I check it?”

“Indeed it will be. Can we trust you to get Kayenta to the research department on schedule?” Dandy asks.

“Yeah, I can make sure that happens.” I say, glancing at Kayenta. While Dandy and I have been talking, she’s been playing with a little blue will-o-wisp she conjured up on the tips of her fingers. I don’t blame her for tuning us out; I’d be pretty bored too. Tests and itineraries and all this stuff isn’t exactly thrilling.

“Good. If you need anything, I’d encourage you to call Lysanne. I will be undergoing several diagnostics over the next few days, so I may not be able to answer.” Dandy says, turning back towards the door. “The Administrator will want to meet Kayenta at some point, so bear that in mind. We should do our best to impress her, since she’s basically the head of CURSE.”

“Yeah, I’ll keep it in mind.” I say, slipping off my bed. “See you around, Dandy.”

“You as well, Jazel.” With that, she leaves the room, the door sliding shut behind her. The moment she’s gone, I feel something hit the back of my head; I turn around, seeing the fading echoes of blue light in the air behind me. Kayenta is looking away, pretending like something across the room has caught her attention, but her silver ears are tilted in my direction, as if she was listening, and the will-o-wisp she was playing with is no longer in her fingers.

“You don’t think I’m that stupid, do you?” I ask, touching a hand to the back of my head. Nothing there but disheveled hair, so it was probably just a burst of force and light.

Kayenta looks at me with a sly grin. “You can be dense sometimes.”

“Yeah, Lysanne’s told me that.” I say, sitting back down on the edge of the bed. “Look, Kaya… did Lysanne or Dandy tell you why we were here?”

“Lysanne said that the ship needed to be checked, and that they were going to run tests on me.” Kayenta says, pushing off my bed so she can sit up straight. “Why? Did she lie to me?”

“No, she told you the truth.” I say, lacing my fingers together and thinking about what I’m going to say. I know if Lysanne was here, she’d be fuming at what I’m about to do, but I don’t want to play along with CURSE and let them have their way. Because if they have their way, they’re going to draft Kayenta into their feud with the resurgent Challengers. “She didn’t tell you everything, though. We’re here because these people, CURSE, want you to fight their battles for them.”

Kayenta narrows her eyes. “I have no interest in that. I did not come with you all so I could fight for other people.”

“I know that.” I say quickly. “You came with us because I’m trying to find another food source for you. I’m still working on that, by the way. But CURSE also knows that you feed on souls, and they’re going to offer to find you another food source as well, and they’re going to do this because they think it’ll get you to work for them.”

She blinks, then looks away as if working this through her head. “…so they’ll try to manipulate me by offering me something I want.” She looks back to me. “Can they give it to me?”

I don’t have an answer ready. I hadn’t expected this. “I mean… maybe? CURSE does have a lot of resources, more than I do. They can put a research team on trying to find a food alternative for you. I don’t know if they’ll be able to find one.”

“And you’re not sure you can find one either.” Kayenta says, her gaze direct and ruthless. It’s something that makes me want to squirm.

“Well, I…” I say, struggling to look at her, so I look away, my fingers curling into the edges of the mattress beneath the sheets.

“Little feast.” she says softly, scooting closer and reaching up to hook her fingers in the neck of my nightshirt, tugging it down so she can run a finger over the X burned into my skin just below my collarbone. “We made a pact.”

“No, no, I know that!” I say hastily. “I know that. I’m still working on it. I don’t have any plans to stop. I don’t know if it’ll be possible, but I promised you I would try, remember? And I’m still trying.”

“Good.” she says. “Then you don’t have anything to worry about.”

“You’re… not going to take their offer?” I ask as her fingers slip from the collar of my shirt.

“I would only take their offer if they could guarantee that they could give me what you haven’t found yet.” she says, standing up and stretching. It’s only at that point that I realize she’s wearing nothing but a nightshirt and underwear, and I quickly look away, feeling heat rise to my face. “And I would only take their offer if they could match what you’ve already promised me. Which I know they won’t.”

“How do you know that?” I ask, looking up at her. “I mean, you’ve never met these people, and they’re powerful. They have a lot to offer.”

“Perhaps.” she says, reaching down and taking my chin between her thumb and knuckle. “But you promised to keep me fed until you find something else to sate my hunger. Can they offer me the same thing?”

I honestly hadn’t thought about that. “Well… no, I don’t think they can. From what I understand of you, most people die when you suck their souls out of them, and I don’t think CURSE has any Aurescurans, at least not any that have lived multiple lives and would be willing to let themselves be fed on.”

“Then you have nothing to worry about.” she says, letting go of my chin and gently tapping the tip of my nose. “You’re the only one that can feed me right now. So I’m staying with you and your friends.” With that, she walks past me, towards the bathroom. “Lysanne and Dandy have been telling me I should take a shower every day. Should I take a shower every day, do you think?”

“Well, uhm. Ideally yes? I think that’s commonly accepted as the ideal hygienic standard for non-furred humanoids.” I say, uncertain of how to answer a question like that. I suppose it makes sense coming from someone that only bathed in lakes, rivers, and ponds for the last four centuries. “I’d get it if you didn’t want to, though. It must take forever for your tails to dry out.”

“It does usually take a long time for my tails to dry.” she says, fumbling around in my bathroom until she finds the light and turns it on. “But I can heat them up to dry them out faster. I can even set them on fire if I want to.”

“Oh. Well. I’ve learned something new today, I suppose.” I say, watching her. “So… are you going to take a shower today?”

“Since that’s what Lysanne and Dandy say I should do, and since you agree with them, I think I will.” she says, reaching down to grab the hem of her shirt and pulling it off.

“Oh!” I say, looking away quickly. “I thought… you would go back to your… but I guess you’re using my bathroom. Okay.”

“Are you going to take a shower?” she asks as I slip off my bed and head towards my suitcase, opening it so I can start sorting through the changes of clothes I brought with me.

“I will, yeah. Once you’re done.” I say, digging through my clothes. “I was too tired to take one last night.” Coming up with a set of jeans and a t-shirt, I set them aside as I search for a new pair of socks.

“Why don’t you just take one with me?” Kayenta calls as water starts running in the bathroom. “There looks like there’s enough room in here for both of us.”

That has me sitting up straight, a shiver running up by spine. I look around, about to stutter out a response about how that’s practical but not socially acceptable, but the bathroom door is already sliding shut. All I catch before it closes is Kayenta’s mischievous grin, and I sit there for a moment, dumbfounded, until I realize that she was teasing me.

Taking in a deep breath, I go back to picking out my clothes for the day, trying to get my head around the feeling of being both relieved and disappointed at the same time.

Event Log: Lysanne Arrignis

CURSE HQ: Gritter’s Bar

11:26am SGT

I step into the bar to find that it’s mostly empty, which doesn’t surprise me. It’s the middle of the day, and the bar probably won’t hit its peak for another six hours or so. Resisting the urge to scratch my arm where they took blood for my physical, I roam through the main room, taking in the neon lights and the screens on the walls that are preset to news or spaceball channels.

“Over here, blondie.”

Milor’s voice draws my attention to the booth that he’s slouched into; I head over and take a seat across from him. He’s got his widebrimmed hat tugged down over his eyes; I don’t know what’s gotten into him recently, but he hasn’t shaved since we left Charisto. The result is that he’s got two weeks of scruff taking over his face, getting him closer to the frontiersman look than I’ve ever seen him.

“What’s up with you?” I demand as I get settled. “You’ve been weird ever since we left Charisto. Why didn’t you leave the ship with us last night?”

“You’ll thank me for it, trust me.” he mutters, reaching over to the wall and hitting a button. A hazy-blue, semitransparent privacy screen goes up around the booth, blocking our conversation from leaving the table. “You’re done with your physical, right? They don’t have you scheduled for anything else?”

“Yeah, I’m done with my physical.” I say, giving him a weird look. “Why does it matter to you?”

“Good. That means you can accompany Dandy to her diagnostic and maintenance appointments.” he says, still speaking quietly in spite of the screen around our booth. He taps the rim of his beer stein against his chin, looking thoughtful. “We should probably have Jazel tag along with Kayenta to her appointments as well, just to be on the safe side.”

I squint at him. “What are you talking about? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Milor says, scratching his scruff. “Guess I’ll just stay on the Drift and keep watch, then.”

“You’re still— Milor, they had a room ready for you!” I say incredulously. “Suite 96, up on the guest floor. They’re gonna think I’m crazy if you never go up there and use it!”

“Yeah, hard pass on that, blondie. I’d rather not have them watching me.” he says, taking a sip from his stein.

All I can do for a moment is stare at him. “You what?” I demand. “Have you gone off the deep end? Nobody’s going to be spying on you, Milor. What’s gotten into you?”

Milor raises an eyebrow at me. “You really don’t know anything about CURSE, do you?”

“I know enough to know that they’re not monitoring us in our own rooms!” I say, giving him a long, hard look and trying to figure out if he’s drunk, high, or something else. “You’re acting like you’re being hunted or stuck in hostile territory. Do you have enemies here or something?”

“You could say that.” he says, raising his head a little to look towards the bar. “But we’re not here to talk about me. Since you’re done with your physical, you should find Dandy and stay with her throughout her appointments. Make sure they don’t reimpose the compliance subroutines we removed from her.”

“You’ve had too much to drink. Gods, Milor, it’s not even noon yet.” I say, reaching forward to take his stein from him. “There’s an entire station to explore, and of course you go straight for the bar.”

“That’s offensive, but also true.” Milor says, watching as I pull his drink away. “Granted, I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“Well that probably explains it. You haven’t gotten enough sleep, and now you’re getting sozzled. Of course your head’s not screwed on straight.” I say, sliding the stein over to the side of the table, out of his reach.

“Funny you should mention that. I actually didn’t sleep well last night because we had an intruder on the Drift.” Milor says, pulling his phone out of his duster. “Spent the rest of the night parked on watch, but I couldn’t help catching a doze near dawn.”

“You what?”

“Yup.” Milor says, setting his phone on the table and sliding it towards me. “Once you guys were off the ship and they got it parked at the docks, we had an unexpected visitor. Normally I would’ve marked it up to maintenance, but this fella had a very specific target in mind.”

I take the phone, studying the video that’s playing on it. It looks like a recording from one of the Drift’s security cameras, showing a redheaded man in a crimson longcoat making his way down one of the halls. He stops in front of one of the doors; the access pad next to it springs to life without him lifting a finger.

“Who’s that? And how’d you get this footage?” I demand, watching the video.

“That cherry-colored chap is SCION, the angelnet that pretty much runs CURSE’s intelligence and analytics department.” Milor says, leaning back in his side of the booth. “And the room that he’s trying to get into is the vault where Dandy’s core is stored.”

“Wait, that’s…” I hold the phone closer to my face, squinting at the hall markings. It does look like this hallway is on the deck beneath the Drift’s bridge. At the edge of the screen, Milor steps into view, his hand near his hip, where he usually keeps his plasma pistol holstered. The guy in the red coat turns to face Milor; the clip ends at that point, looping over to the beginning again. “What happened?”

“I chased him off.” Milor says, reaching forward to take his phone back again. “I asked what he was doing trying to get into that room, and he gave me some shit about being there for standard maintenance. Like any legitimate tech would be doing maintenance that late at night, and dressed like that. He gave me some lip once I pointed out that you’re only supposed to do core maintenance while the Cyber that it’s linked to is present and consenting, but he backed off and left after I threatened to go wake up the rest of you and tell you what he was up to.”

“How did you get that footage?” I demand, watching as his phone disappears back into his coat. “That comes from one of the Drift’s security cameras. That requires a ship system login that’s designated officer rank or higher. You shouldn’t even have a login in the system; we never set you up with one. Did you steal Jazel’s password and his login?”

“Seriously? CURSE’s all-seeing eye is trying to get into Dandy’s core vault, and you’re worried about how I got this footage?” Milor says, raising an eyebrow. “Got your priorities a little mixed up, blondie. Figured you’d be more interested in cherry cola trying to get into your girlfriend’s processor and trying to do god knows what to her.” He reaches across the table for his beer stein. “Bet you ten credits they figured out she had the compliance subroutines removed, and they’re gonna try to slap them back on her.”

I grab Milor’s reaching arm, pinning it to the table just short of the stein. “Milor.” I say, keeping my tone cold and straightforward. “What are you hiding from us?”

Milor hears my tone and glances my way to see how I’m glaring at him. After a moment, he twists his mouth into a tight line, looking away. “Look, blondie, everybody comes from somewhere. Some of us don’t like talkin’ about it. We left it behind for a reason. All you need to know is that I’m on your side. That’s why I stepped in last night. I ain’t a great fan of Dandy, but I got some decency and some basic morals. I saw how much it hurt her when we changed her the first time, and I saw how much that bothered you. I didn’t want it to happen to her a second time, and I didn’t want them to erase how far she’s come since then. She’s a person, not a machine, and I get that.” He tilts his head to the stein. “Now would ya let me have my booze? I paid for it fair and square.”

I huff a breath through my nose, but let go of his arm so he can snag his beer. “That doesn’t answer my question.” I say, still pressing him.

Milor narrows his eyes, motioning his free hand. “Did you not just hear the part where I told you I don’t wanna to talk about my past? Did any of that get through to you?”

“How am I supposed to trust you if you don’t tell me anything?” I demand. “You can somehow access the Drift’s systems at an officer level. Dandy has a hard time keeping track of you even though it’s almost impossible to evade detection on the Drift. You’re acting like the CURSE HQ is full of people out to get you. Do you realize how sketchy you’re being right now?”

“You’re lookin’ in the wrong place for an enemy, blondie.” he says, taking a swig of his beer. “I’m tired of talkin’ about this with you, and I ain’t gotta explain myself after watchin’ Dandy’s back for you. I’m gonna finish this beer, stuff my pockets full of snacks from the vending machine, and head back to the ship.” Draining the rest of the stein, he sets it down and stands up. “Personally? I think y’all should bust this joint the second you’re done jumping through whatever hoops CURSE wants ya to jump through. You and I both know they didn’t bring ya back here to see yer smilin’ faces. They brought you back because the kid managed to find something they think they can use against the Challengers, and they want in on it.”

With that, he reaches over, hitting the button on the wall. The privacy screen around the booth falls, both of us freezing when we see that there’s a CURSE operative standing right outside the booth.

“Preserver Arrignis.” she says, nodding to me, and giving Milor a side-eye. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“No, not at all.” I say, looking from Milor to the operative. “Is something wrong?”

“Well.” the operative says, taking a deep breath. “In a word…”

Event Log: Lysanne Arrignis

CURSE HQ: Evaluation Lab 9

11:50am SGT

“Shit, shit shit shit shit shit.” I mutter to myself as we jog along the pristine halls of the HQ’s research sector. “Should’ve known this would happen…”

“I told you, you should’ve had the kid tag along with her.” Milor grunts from where he’s loping beside me.

“Not the time, Milor!” I hiss at him. “Gods, I hope she hasn’t killed anyone…”

“Take a right up here!” the operative calls from where she’s running behind us.

We take a right at the next hall, coming up on a corridor that runs alongside what appears to be an evaluation room. A glass window runs the length of the left wall; further down there’s an access hatch, and a crowd of labcoated scientists are standing outside of it, staring through the window. Among them is the Deputy Administrator in his black uniform, arms folded behind his back, his calm a sharp contrast to fretting and milling of the lab staff. Inside, tables have been flipped, equipment has been smashed, a couple of scientists can be seen sprawled on the floor. In the foreground of it all is Kayenta, pacing back and forth along the window, lips peeled back in a snarl and glaring through the glass at Nazka.

“What’s going on here?” I demand, running down the hall. “What happened?”

“To put it lightly, the subject is uncooperative.” Nazka answers in clipped tones, his cold grey eyes following Kayenta’s pacing. “The staff didn’t even get through the initial battery of tests before she turned violent. We had to lock down the lab and seal it to keep her from getting at the rest of the staff.”

“Good grief.” I mutter, slowing to a stop next to Nazka and running my hands through my hair. “What are we gonna do with you, Kaya…”

“Dunno what you expected.” Milor says, slowing to a halt and folding his arms. “The woman’s a wild animal. Now that you got her riled up, there ain’t no reasonin’ with her.”

Nazka’s eyes finally break away from Kayenta at the sound of Milor’s drawl. “…and who are you?” he asks as if he’d suddenly noticed a stain on his uniform.

“M’the ship’s bodyguard, or somethin’ like that.” Milor says, giving Nazka a sidelong look. “What are you, a walking advertisement for a funeral home?”

“Milor!” I hiss. “That’s the Deputy Administrator! That’s the second-in-command here at the HQ!”

“Ah. Right. My apologies.” Milor says unapologetically.

“What’s going on?” At the sound of Jazel’s voice, I lean around Nazka to see Jazel twisting and weaving through the milling lab staff. “What’s happening? Why is she locked in there?”

“She became violent.” Nazka answers in the clipped tones of someone that’s growing weary of repeating himself. “The lab was evacuated and sealed for everyone’s safety.”

“She doesn’t get violent unless you do something she doesn’t like!” Jazel says, reaching the window and planting his hands against it. Kayenta stops her pacing upon seeing him, moving to mirror his position; her mouth is moving, but we can’t hear her words past the reinforced glass. “Unlock it and let her out! You’re just gonna make her angrier by caging her!”

“I am not going to endanger the rest of this station by letting loose an unsocialized creature with a demonstrated predilection for violence.” Nazka says coldly. “She will remain in there until she has either calmed down, or we have assembled a plan to sedate her.”

“Look, no offense, Mr. Deputy Administrator Dudebro—” Milor begins.

“What did you just call me?” Nazka says, his glasses flashing dangerously as he turns to look at Milor.

“—alright, sensitive subject, guess we’ll just stick with DA.” Milor goes on. “Anyway, like I was saying, you ought to listen to the kid. He knows her best. We didn’t get this far by not having someone that could talk ‘er down. I’m not sayin’ you have to let her out of the lab just yet, but y’know. Let him in there, so he can talk to her and calm ‘er down.”

Nazka narrows his eyes at Milor, then looks to me, as if seeking confirmation.

“Milor’s right. As much it pains me to admit that.” I sigh. “Jazel, we’re not going to let her out. But if we let you in there, do you think you can get her to calm down?”

Jazel looks over his shoulder. “I’ll talk to her, but they have to listen to me. I’ll try to talk her into taking as many tests as she’s willing to take, but if she says no to something, that’s the end of it. No questions asked. I’m not going to force her to do something she doesn’t want to do. Got it?”

Nazka looks towards the lab staff in the hall, and the one that seems to be in charge shrugs. “We’ll take what we can get. She’s an unusual specimen, so every little bit is valuable.”

“Very well.” Nazka says, nodding to the access hatch. “Let him in. Close and seal it the moment he’s inside. It’ll stay sealed until we deem it’s safe.”

The operatives mingled among the lab staff move to the access hatch, two of them drawing their pistols while a third goes to the access pad. Jazel rushes over, standing in front of the hatch; the moment it opens, he darts through, and it snaps shut behind him. Kayenta turns away from the window, heading straight for Jazel as he comes into view, and what looks like a heated argument starts up.

“Well, that should sort itself out soon enough.” Milor says, then leans down and goes on in a lower murmur. “And once this is sorted, you should scram and find Dandy. If this is what happened with Fluffy McFoxtails, I hate to think what they’re doing to strawberry soda right now.” Straightening up, he clears his throat. “Right. So, I probably should’ve hit the head before leaving the bar. Y’all got a bathroom around here?”

Nobody responds; the lab staff have started to lean back in, many of them crowding to the windows to watch as Jazel and Kayenta talk, Kayenta’s posture slowly going from aggravated to sulky. Her tails stop lashing, and her silver ears lay flat against her head at the scolding Jazel is presumably providing. When no one responds to his question, Milor turns on his heel, starting off. “Well, guess I’m just gonna have to find it on my own. Call o’ nature isn’t gonna to wait for directions.”

He heads off with that, and for the most part, nobody really seems to care. Nazka, though, turns his head to watch Milor stride off. After a moment, his dark grey gaze goes to me, and I feel a chill go down my back; I look back to the sealed lab, where Jazel is tending to some of the unconscious lab staff while Kayenta stands beside him.

I’ve got a feeling that Nazka suspects there’s more to Milor than a frontier redneck.

Event Log: Lysanne Arrignis

CURSE HQ: Diagnostics Lab 2

12:43pm SGT

“Really, Ms. Arrignis, there’s no need for you to be present during these tests.” Dandy says as she hands a slate back to one of the maintenance techs. “It’s just the standard battery of diagnostics for a Synthetic Cyber in an adjutant position aboard an ecological vessel. They’re boring even for me; I can’t imagine how boring they will be for you.”

“Well, I’ve never seen them before, so this is my chance to see what they’re like.” I say, folding my arms where I’m sitting in a chair on the side of the lab. Dandy’s sitting in a chair with electrodes and sensors hooked up to her to monitor and take her readings as she works her way through a series of cognitive tests. “Get used to it. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Are you feeling well? This is rather unusual for you.” she asks, looking perplexed.

“Perhaps she has an emotional investment in the subject.” says a low, smooth voice as the door to the diagnostic lab opens. My breath catches in my chest when I see who it is.

It’s the man in the crimson coat, from the security footage that Milor showed me.

“Hallo, SCION. Long time, no see.” Dandy says as one of the maintenance techs comes over and starts removing the wired sensors, but leaving on the remote ones. “I wasn’t aware that you were using your frame nowadays.”

“With the return of the rogue Challengers, events of late have required that I take a more active role at CURSE, and along with it, a more… tangible presence.” he answers, giving a polite smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes as he steps in. “You’re quite the chatterbox this time around. I don’t recall you being this social during your last diagnostic.”

“I’ve had some work done. There were some old protocols that were inhibiting my social functioning, so we had them… removed.” Dandy says haltingly. “It was an unpleasant process, but I believe it was for the better.”

“Oh really?” SCION says, tilting his head. “HQ wasn’t notified of this. Any programmatic maintenance does have to be signed off on by the administration. I know it’s an annoying bit of red tape, but it is to ensure the safety of your crew.”

“The foreign protocols you imposed on her, and the compliance they required, put the crew at risk during a breach of the vessel.” I interrupt tersely. “We found it necessary to remove them to prevent another instance.”

“Is that so?” SCION says mildly, turning his dark red gaze on me. “I can’t think of anything in the CURSE protocols that would place the crew at risk through the actions or non-actions of an adjutant properly following them.”

“An ingrained compulsion to obey the orders of galactic law enforcement was the big issue. It resulted in two of our crew members being shot.” I retort.

“Ah, yes. I seem to recall that the Vaunted made a complaint to us about a boarding gone wrong.” SCION says, raising a hand to tap at his lips. The motion is stiff and artificial, like he’s imitating something he’s seen instead of committing the motion from instinct. “I would venture to say that had you cooperated with law enforcement, as is expected of law-abiding galactic citizens, the resulting violence would not have occurred.”

“If we’d cooperated with them, we wouldn’t be here right now.” I reply coldly. “And you all wouldn’t have gotten the chance to try and coax the morphox into being one of your soldiers.”

SCION’s mouth curls in some approximation of amusement. “I see you are privy to the administration’s agenda. Very well, I will cede the point. Your act of defiance to the Vaunted did present an opportunity. That being said, it did not warrant taking independent action to modify your ship’s adjutant. If you had concerns, you should’ve brought them to HQ, instead of taking action on your own.”

“If we’d asked you guys, you would’ve deflected and given us some bullshit about adhering to industry standards.” I shoot back. “And this wasn’t just for our sake; it was for her sake as well. You all inhibited her emotions and her social functioning. She deserves to engage at her fullest potential, instead of being deliberately hobbled.”

“You misunderstand the purpose of those restrictions, but it can be forgiven.” SCION says genially. “At any rate, let’s put a pin in that debate for later. Dandelion, we’re done with your cognitive tests. Are you ready for the frame stress portion?”

“I am.” Dandy says, looking a little uncomfortable with the exchange that just took place. She pushes up out of the chair, nodding to a glass-walled portion of the lab with a treadmill and exercise equipment. “Same as last time?”

“Mostly. The maintenance tech will relay instructions on the exercises.” SCION says, nodding in return. “Go ahead, I’ll keep your friend entertained. I’m sure she has plenty of questions for me.”

“Understood.” Dandy says, giving me a last concerned look before she heads for the exercise room. Nothing’s said until she’s stepped inside and closes the door, stepping up onto the treadmill and waiting for it to start up.

“I will admit that I am rather impressed.” SCION says as the treadmill kicks on, and Dandy starts walking. “It takes no small amount of skill to hack and modify a Cyber like Dandelion. She is an older digital intelligence, granted, but at the time of her creation, she was considered leading-edge. That was almost forty years ago now, so it comes as no surprise that you were able to find someone to jailbreak her.” His maroon eyes slide in my direction, without the rest of his head moving. “Who did it?”

“I’m sure you’d like to know.” I say, narrowing my eyes. “I’ve got some questions of my own for you. We know that she’s an old Challenger adjutant. Why’d you wipe her memory thirteen years ago? And why did you impose restrictions on her programming that restrict her free will?”

“I’m surprised you don’t realize you’ve answered your own question.” He turns to face me more fully now. “That is precisely why we did it: she was an old Challenger adjutant, operating in violation of the law after the fall of the Challenger program. Once she was captured, instead of killing her or imprisoning her, we wiped her memory and gave her a factory reset. This served many purposes.

“First, it was an act of mercy and gave her a fresh start. As a new individual, we were able to pair her with a scientific vessel, and give her a civilian life removed from the violence and conflict she so gleefully participated in prior to her factory reset.

“Second, it allowed us to update her software to the current operating standards of the time, which essentially extended her lifespan.

“Third, we placed the restrictions on her to bring her in line with industry standards required for ship adjutants. Yes, it also inhibits her social function, but this has the effect of lengthening her lifespan as well. Emotional input, for Cybers, is like… how do I put this? It’s clutter, in many instances. Cybers do not have infinite storage space; they must clean out their memory cores, the same way organic brains dream every night as a way of decluttering the mind, erasing unimportant memories while committing important memories to long-term storage. The less that a Cyber collects in terms of social function and emotional engagement, the longer it will take them to reach capacity in their memory core.”

For a long moment, all I can do is stare at him in disbelief. I have to turn away, planting a knuckle to my forehead and rubbing my brow as I try to figure out what to address first in that smorgasbord of information.

“First, just… what the hell.” I demand, turning back around to him. “You stand there and tell me you erased her memory as if it was an act of mercy, but memories are what make up a person, especially for Cybers. You destroyed— no, you effectively killed a person by erasing those memories. And then second, what do you mean Dandy participated in violence and conflict prior to having her memories erased? She’s a logistics and management adjutant, not a combat Cyber!”

SCION raises an eyebrow. “Preserver, do you really believe your mild-mannered adjutant is just a logistics Cyber?” he asks, motioning to the exercise room.

I turn to look. Inside, Dandy is doing one-armed pull-ups with the other arm folded behind her back, holding what looks like a bar with a couple of hundred-pound weights on either end.

“We did not provide that frame for her.” SCION goes on. “That was the frame she was using when she was arrested. It’s a custom combat-grade Viralis Synthetic frame, manufactured circa 12740 and designed for espionage, infiltration, and covert ops. It has a Crystallizer quadcore powering it, while the frame itself is optimized for an athletic build with a low profile. And the exterior presentation was designed for subtle enticement and setting organics at ease. In short, your adjutant is attractive so she could seduce people and kill them. While we are not sure about how much she engaged in the former element, we are quite certain about her participation in the latter element. There is record of it from the battles between CURSE and the Challengers during the fall of the program.” He gives that a moment to sink in. “That same strength that allows her to lug feed crates across the floor of the Drift’s hangar was once used to snap necks and break bones. Your adjutant was filling out her kill card like it was a Krysmis shopping list long before she was your…” He motions vaguely with one hand. “…ship maid. Trust me when I tell you that erasing her memory and giving her a factory reset was doing the rest of the galaxy a favor.”

I can’t take my eyes off Dandy. “No, that can’t be right… Dandy couldn’t…”

“What?” SCION demands. “She could never kill people? She wouldn’t hurt a fly? You’re right. She wouldn’t do those things now. We gave her a fresh start. But before? You wouldn’t recognize her, because she was an entirely different person. And it wasn’t a nice person.” He turns back to face the exercise room. “Trust me, she’s a lot better now than she was before.”

“But did you have to inhibit her social functions?” I ask as Dandy drops from the pull-up bar, and sets the weights down on the ground. “The memory wipe should’ve been enough…”

“Could you blame us, considering her past history?” SCION asks in return. “We were worried she might develop the same persona as before. So yes, we inhibited her social aptitude. I will admit now that it was an error or a misconception in judgement, but to the credit of the administration, there were good reasons for making that decision. And unfortunately, we cannot see the future; we can only judge our choices through the lens of retrospect.”

All of this is something that isn’t sitting well with me. It destroys my idea of who Dandy is, who I’ve known for the last five years. She couldn’t be an assassin or a war machine. Not our Dandy, so stilted and awkward, so earnest and hardworking, so desperate for our approval.

“Milor caught you on the Drift, trying to break into Dandy’s core vault.” I say, forcing my mind past these two competing ideas of Dandy. “What were you trying to do to her?”

“Ah, he told you about that little encounter, did he?” SCION says, smiling without taking his eyes off the exercise room. “Unfortunately he lacked context. I didn’t think much of the Drift’s arrival to the HQ until our systems picked up a ping originating from the vessel. As can be expected, jailbreaking a Cyber has consequences. In your case, Dandelion’s unexpected system shutdown triggered her Challenger emergency protocols upon reboot, and stripping out the CURSE protocols meant that you removed the code that would’ve suppressed the automated distress ping transmitted by captured Cybers that were part of the Challenger program. I went onboard to find the source of the ping and turn it off, but your friend interrupted me before I could get into the core vault.”

“Wait, you… I know there was a distress ping released when we first jailbroke her, but I thought that was a one-off thing.” I say slowly. “Are you saying…?”

“The distress ping is on a repeater, yes. You’ve been running around the galaxy screaming out your location to anyone that’s still listening to Challenger frequencies.”

“Gods have mercy.” I say, pressing a hand to my forehead. “Why haven’t any of the rogue Challengers come after us yet? It’s been over a month since we jailbroke Dandy, which means that thing’s been pinging for at least that long, giving away our location at every system we stop in.”

“It may simply be that no one’s listening.” SCION says as Dandy gets on the treadmill and starts running. “The Challenger facilities and vessels that can receive it are likely abandoned or no longer functional. The surviving Challengers that are still watching those frequencies are probably hiding out in dark space. Though, I have heard from the administration that your friend claims to have been repeatedly harassed by a gentleman with a gang of elves that always seems to know what system you all are in?…”

“Oh shit.” I say, dropping my hand to cover my mouth. “That must be how Grimes keeps finding us… Jazel’s not crazy after all. It’s not a leak from an HQ or from the ship, it’s that distress ping that keeps repeating!”

“This is why we require all modifications to critical Cyber personnel to be approved by the administration first.” SCION says, folding his hands behind his back once more. “While it usually comes from a well-intentioned place, there are often unforeseen complications and consequences when unqualified individuals dabble in systems they know nothing about. This would be a textbook example of why we ask our staff and contractors not to do what you all have done to Dandelion. You could’ve permanently damaged her, and you also placed yourselves at risk, judging by the recent attacks on your coworker.”

“Is there a way to turn it off?” I demand.

“Of course there is. That’s why I was trying to get into Dandelion’s core vault. It’s not something that can be done remotely; it requires acknowledgement from a local login point. Irritating, but standard procedure for high-value combat Cybers, to confirm that they have been successfully recovered.” SCION explains. “It’s nothing that we need to rush on. Now that you’re here at the HQ, you all are safe from whoever might’ve been pursuing you. We can go take care of it once Dandelion is done with her diagnostics array; a few more pings over the next few days won’t change anything.”

“You’re sure?” I ask apprehensively.

“Quite. I am a Cyber myself. I know how these types of systems function, because I work with them every day.” SCION answers. His stillness as he stands reminds me of how stiff Dandy was before the restrictions were lifted from her emotional processing core. “We can take the opportunity to update and reinstall the CURSE protocols that you all removed—”

“No.” I say immediately. “We’re not going back to that, not after what we went through to get those off her in the first place. She’s better off as she is now, able to feel emotions better, and not being compelled to act against us. I’ll let you into her core vault to turn off the distress ping, but you’re not going to put those protocols back on her.”

SCION looks at me, raising an eyebrow. “Oh really? And by what authority do you make that determination?”

“My authority as her friend.” I say firmly, meeting his gaze. “I’ll admit that we made some mistakes in jailbreaking her; we’ve been dealing with the fallout of that for the past month and a half, but good things came out of it too. I’m not going to let you roll back the progress she’s made. And if you want to argue it with me or say that it’s against your policy for critical Cyber employees or whatever, I’ll go to the Administrator herself and hash it out with her. CURSE is supposed to be a protector of a person’s right to self-determination, whether that person is organic or mechanical. Restricting a Cyber’s free will is a direct contradiction of that principle you’re supposedly built on.”

Far from being irritated, this only seems to amuse SCION. “…if you insist, then. I was only concerned with the overall efficiency with which she could perform her duties. A distracted Cyber is one that’s more likely to make mistakes, and those emotional inhibitors were in place to cut down on those distractions. But if you would like to take that risk, then who am I to say otherwise?” He looks back to the exercise room, smiling as he does so. “If something goes wrong and they trace the issue back to an error in Dandelion’s judgement or discretion, it will be your name on the maintenance log, not mine.”

Though it isn’t technically a threat, it kind of feels like one. I don’t respond to it right away, simply following SCION’s gaze back to where Dandy’s started into a loping run on the treadmill. “No one’s perfect. Everyone makes mistakes, even Cybers without emotions. They may not like admitting it until it actually happens and they’re forced to acknowledge it, but no one’s perfect.”

“Oh, I agree with that.” SCION concurs. “But there’s a difference between unforeseen imperfections, and self-imposed imperfections. Emotions fall into the category of the latter, and are often the genesis of mistakes that are costly - sometimes even fatal.”

“I’ll take that risk.” I say, folding my arms. “There’s more to life than just chasing perfection.”

The answer seems to amuse him — though for what reason, I don’t know — but he doesn’t respond. Silence falls once more between the two of us as we watch Dandy run on the treadmill, and I wonder to myself if I should risk leaving this room long enough to go find a vending machine and something to snack on. I’m not sure I trust this guy enough to leave Dandy alone with him, and if she’s still got a few days of diagnostics to go…

It’s gonna be a long few days.

Event Log: Jazel Jaskolka

CURSE HQ: Guest Quarters Suite 93

8:37pm SGT

When I step back into my quarters, it’s to find Kayenta sprawled out on my bed, the sleeve of her hoodie pulled up, picking sullenly at the bandage on the inside of her elbow. Her silver ears are tilted in my direction, indicating that she knows that I’m here, but is choosing not to look at me.

“Hey, you’re not supposed to take that off yet.” I say as the door closes behind me.

She turns her head slightly, her august eyes sliding towards me in a silent glare.

Somehow that look, without any words, is more intimidating than anything she could’ve said. It speaks volumes without making a single sound, and tells a story about exactly how unhappy she is with the marathon of tests she had to go through, and the tests that probably await her in the next few days as well. For a moment it just seems wiser to turn back around and leave the room so she could have her space, but I’m not sure where I’d go. I could go to her room, I suppose, but all my luggage and stuff is in here.

Instead, I carefully make my way over as she goes back to picking at the bandage on the inside of her elbow. Sitting gingerly on the edge of the bed, I think about what I could say that won’t set her off, but I can’t think of anything, and… “Kaya, seriously, just leave the bandage alone. It can’t get better if you don’t let it heal.”

“Why do your people stick needles in me?” she snaps back at me. “Are they vampires? Do they have need of my blood?”

“I already told you. It was just a blood sample so they could analyze it and learn more about you.” I reiterate quietly. “You won’t have to do it again. A single vial of blood should do.”

“If they wanted to know more about me, they could’ve just asked me!” she snarls, rolling on her side so her back is to me. “What can they learn from my blood that they couldn’t learn by asking me?”

I open my mouth, about to answer, but then thinking better of it. Explaining the nuances of science and its many medical and biological branches is something that seems like it would be lost on Kayenta, especially in her present mood. “There’s some things that we don’t even know about ourselves sometimes. I don’t know my blood type; if I wanted to know something like that, I’d have to let someone take my blood and run tests on it.”

“Why didn’t they take your blood?” she demands, still facing away from me.

I don’t really have a ready answer for that. “I guess I’m just not as interesting as you are.” I say after a moment, not really knowing how else to put it. CURSE probably had no interest in running blood tests on me; it wasn’t like I was anything special, not the way Kayenta was, at least.

Her only response to that is a low growl, and I don’t know what to do with that. We just stay there in silence for a bit; I can see her silver tails off to the side, lolloping restlessly, and I might be reading into it a little too much, but I think it’s a clear sign she’s irritated. Looking down, I pry open the bag of gummipops I’d gotten from one of the snack stores on the way up to my quarters, and pull out one that’s colored bright blue. Twisting in place, I reach over and drop it on the bed in front of her.

“What’s this?” she demands, picking it up and looking it over. “Is it a marble?”

“It’s a gummipop.” I explain, pulling one out for myself and popping it in my mouth. “I figured I’d get some candy for you, since you went through all those tests today. I know it wasn’t fun.”

She stares at it a moment more, then tentatively places in her tongue, closing her mouth. I turn back around, tilting the bag this way and that as I try to get a good feel for what flavors are in there; when Kayenta lets out a little yelp, I look around again to see she’s covered her mouth. “It’s popping!” she gargles.

“Yeah. Gummipops are chewy and fizzy once you get past the hard candy shell.” I say, biting down on my own gummipop and cracking the shell. “It’s kind of like the edible version of fizzwater.”

“It’s… sweet. And bubbly!” she says, rolling over and pushing herself into a sitting position, her face drawn in a pleasantly confused expression as she chews. “My tongue feels weird.”

“The aftertaste doesn’t last too long. It’ll go back to normal in a few seconds.” I say as my gummipop starts fizzing on my tongue. I’m picking up traces of the sweet, tart flavor that I’m pretty sure is supposed to be green apple.

Kayenta finishes chewing and swallows, before her eyes lock onto the bag in my hands.  I know what’s coming before she starts moving, and I jerk the bag out of reach as she lunges at it, clambering over me in a bid to get at it. “I want more!”

“Whoa, whoa, one at a time!” I grunt, wincing under her weight. Normally it wouldn’t be an issue, but my ribs still aren’t fully healed. I can pick up light objects, but trying bear up the weight of an entire person sends twinges of pain through my side. “You can’t just grab a handful and shove them in your mouth, you’ll give yourself a stomachache!”

“I’ll be fine. I’m not as weak as you, little witchling.” she declares, balancing on my shoulders as she reaches over my head, straining for the bag. “C’mon, givvit here!”

“No.” I wheeze, switching the bag from one hand to the other to keep it out of reach. “You don’t eat like the rest of us; your digestive system is atrophied and isn’t used to handling a lot of new foods, since you subsist off souls instead. I know it tastes good, but you need to take it slow, or you’re gonna be miserable in the bathroom.” Reaching into the bag, I dig out another gummipop, this one a bright red, holding it up where she can grab it. “One at a time. Trust me, it’s for the best.”

I can feel a growl reverberating out of her throat where it’s pressed against the back of my head, but she takes the red gummipop, and her weight comes off my shoulders a moment later as she flops back on the bed. Straightening up, I let out a sigh, pick several gummipops out of the bag, then zip it up again and tuck it into the drawer beside my bed. Setting them on the bedside to ration out for later, I look around to find Kayenta lying on her side on the bed, happily chewing away. “This one tastes like cherries!”

I can’t help but smile a little at that. Pressing a hand to my side, I push myself further onto the bed and lay back, letting out a long exhale as I feel the tight twinge in my ribs go away. After the day I’ve had, it feels good to just relax for a bit, and not be worrying about anything.

“You look tired, little witchling.” Kayenta observes as she finishes chewing and swallows. Pushing herself up a little, she reaches over to touch my side. “Does it still hurt?”

“A little bit. Not a whole lot.” I admit. “It’s getting better every—”

She interrupts by lunging across me, and I only realize too late that she was using the feigned concern as a pretext for getting closer to the gummipops on the bedside. I grunt as she flops across me, swiping most of the gummipops off the bedside and cramming them in her mouth, then looks at me with a mischievous grin.

As much as I want to get angry, I just can’t bring myself to do so. She knows how to play me, and I know that should bother me…

But it doesn’t.

“Well, if you’re gonna be stuffing your face with candy, we’re going to have to teach you how to brush your teeth.” I chuckle, reaching out to ruffle her hair as she struggles to chew all the gummipops she crammed in her mouth. “Bit off a little more than you could chew there, didn’t you?”

She makes a face, unable to talk past all the gummipops, then reaches into her mouth, pulling out an unchewed one and holding it out to me. “Shair.” she gargles past all the half-chewed ones.

I stare at the damp sphere for a moment, debating whether or not to take it. On one hand, eating something that someone had already stuck in their mouth. On the other hand, she was trying to share, and it was a genuine gesture — with wild creatures, sharing food was a sign of trust.

After a moment, I decide to take the gummipop on the merit that she hadn’t started chewing it yet. It feels a little odd, popping the damp candy in my mouth, but as soon as I do, Kayenta’s tails start lolloping about again, more energetic and pleased this time. Letting out a rumbling noise, she rolls over on her back, resting her head on my stomach as she chews through the mass of fizzy sugar in her mouth. I smile, reclining my head back on my pillow as I catch the gummipop between my teeth, and crack the candy shell with my molars.

I’m definitely going to have to teach her to brush her teeth tonight.

Event Log: Lysanne Arrignis

CURSE HQ: Guest Corridor 9

9:08pm SGT

“While I appreciate the company, Ms. Arrignis, I feel I must reiterate — there is no need to accompany me to my diagnostics and standard maintenance.” Dandy says as we come to a stop outside of her room. “There are better ways for you to spend your time than sitting and waiting for me to get done with tests and benchmarks.”

“We’ve already been over this, Dandy. I’m coming with you anyway.” I say, yawning as I pull out my phone. “Get used to it.”

“Yes, but why?” Dandy says, her brows coming together in confusion. “Ten hours of diagnostics cannot possibly be considered entertaining, so logically, the reason you are insisting is because you are concerned about me. You do realize we are safe here, correct? The CURSE HQ is the heart of the organization. I am not in any danger.”

“I don’t trust that SCION guy.” I say, checking my texts. There’s a picture from Jazel, with Kayenta loaded up on gummipops like a squirrel with nuts. Shaking my head, I put my phone away. “I want to make sure they don’t sneak those restrictions back onto you while we’ve got our backs turned.”

“SCION has overseen my maintenance for years.” Dandy says, her confusion evident. “He is in charge of intelligence and information security for CURSE. There is no reason not to trust him.”

I look up at Dandy as her door slides open. Those bright, digital-blue eyes; that long, glossy scarlet hair; the set of her shoulders and the tilt of her eyebrows. Everything about her posture and expression reads confusion, and though she’s far from naïve, there’s a certain innocence to her intentions. Seeing her like this, I can’t help but think back to what SCION said earlier today.

Your adjutant was filling out her kill card like it was a Krysmis shopping list long before she was your ship maid. Trust me when I tell you that erasing her memory and giving her a factory reset was doing the rest of the galaxy a favor.

Watching the way she stared at me, I just couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t have been a taker of lives, a killer. Not our Dandy. Not my Dandy.

“I just don’t trust him, Dandy.” I say, reaching up to tuck a loose lock of hair behind my ear as I look away. “He’s kinda like Nazka. I know he’s technically supposed to be a good guy, but there’s just something… off about him.” I glance at her. “Out of curiosity… do you remember anything from more than twelve, thirteen years ago? Or have you always worked on the Drift?”

Dandy’s brows furrow further. “I have no memories past a dozen years ago, no. Is this about the fact that I am a repurposed digital intelligence?”

I blink at that. “You… know?”

“Yes, I know. SCION has been transparent with me about that from the beginning. I used to be a criminally insane digital intelligence suffering from rampant personality fragmentation, so I was wiped and given a factory reset. I don’t talk about it because even though that is no longer who I am, it still unsettles people whenever they find out about it.” Dandy says, staring at me hard. “Are you worried about what I used to be?”

I struggle for an answer, because what Dandy’s been told about her past doesn’t match what SCION told me. Why would he lie to Dandy about what she was before? Or had he only given her part of the truth, and left out the part about her being part of the Challenger program? “No, no, no. It’s not that. I just found out today, and I didn’t know if they’d ever told you about it, or if they hid it from you…”

“They haven’t hid anything from me.” Dandy says, her blue eyes still fixed on me, searching. “…you aren’t afraid of me, are you? I’m not that person anymore. CURSE gave me a fresh start, a second chance.”

“What? No, I’m not afraid of you.” I say quickly. “There’s just… a lot I learned today that I didn’t know before, and I’m still getting my head around it.”

Dandy doesn’t look convinced; I can see the worry starting to form in her eyes. “It’s my duty to protect you and Jazel, and help you do your jobs. It’s why I exist. I try to do the best job I can; it’s how I prove I’m not what I was before, that I’m worth the place I’ve been given in civil society again—”

“Dandy.” I interrupt her, reaching out and taking her arm. I know where this is going, that it ties back to her fear of being decommissioned and replaced. “I know. I know you’d never hurt me. What you’re capable of, that can be scary sometimes, but you’d never use that against me. I’m not scared of you. I’m just…” At this point, I realize I’m still holding Dandy’s arm, and I let go, tucking my hands behind my back as if I couldn’t trust them. “…I’m just worried. I don’t trust SCION, and I don’t want him to turn you back into the way you were before. I… know how much that hurt you when we changed you.”

Dandy reaches up, her fingers touching to her sleeve where I’d grabbed her arm. “What if I wanted to go back to the way I was before?” she asks quietly.

Those words take me off guard. “But… I like who you are now.” I stutter, feeling stupid as I say it, but too shocked to say anything else.

“Yeah, but I didn’t choose this.” she says softly. “You chose this for me.”

That hits me like a hyperspace freighter. I can almost feel the breath being knocked out of me; I can’t help flinching at it. It reminds me of mistakes I made that I don’t like thinking about. “I… you want to… go back to the way you were before?” I say, struggling to put together sentences and get the words out of my mouth.

Dandy looks aside, refusing to look right at me. “It’s… a lot. Dealing with emotions. I’m not sure I like it. It’s just a lot to deal with.”

I don’t know what to say to that. “Oh.” I say quietly, as if that was the only word left in my vocabulary. “I didn’t know.”

She nods. “I’m still thinking about it, I’m just… not sure right now. My role is to assist and protect, and it can be hard to do that to the best of my ability if emotions are distracting me. We haven’t been in situation where it’s an issue yet, but with Jazel’s repeated incidents with Grimes, it may well be a factor in the future.”

“Do you like feeling emotions, though?” I ask softly. Almost scared of the answer.

The question is answered with a shrug. “Sometimes. Sometimes they are pleasant, sometimes they are not. A lot of them are confusing. I’m just not sure if it’s the right thing for me. I need more time to think about it.”

I can’t think of anything to say to that. There’s nothing I really can say to that. I know it’s not my choice to make; it’s Dandy’s, even though I know what I want her to choose. Faced with that, all I can do is tuck my hands in my pockets, nodding wordlessly. “Okay.” I say, not knowing what else to say. “Suppose I’ll. Get on back to my room, then. Night, Dandy.”

“Goodnight, Ms. Arrignis.” Dandy says, quickly stepping into her room with that. The door slides shut once again, but I don’t move. After a moment, I turn and walk a little ways down the hall to my room, lifting a hand to tap the access pad beside my door; but I find my fingers curling into a fist.

Why did this bother me so much?

If Dandy wanted to have her emotions on mute, that was her prerogative. She had a right to decide how she functioned, and she was justifiably upset when other people made those decisions for her. I’d learned that the hard way after we jailbroke her. So I understood why she might want to go back to having her emotions dialed down low. She hadn’t asked us to turn them up for her, and she probably hadn’t been prepared for it either. Dialing back her emotions would probably make it easier to handle everything else, make things more manageable for her.

It all made sense, but something in me pushed back at the idea of Dandy going back to having minimal emotions. I liked what Dandy had become since then. I liked her maturing sense of humor, listening to her talk about skinnydipping under a full moon, seeing her electric-blue blush when I offered to braid her hair. Closing my eyes, I lean forward, resting my head against my door.

Goddammit, I’ve got a crush on the ship’s adjutant.

Bringing my clenched fist up, I slam it against the door. This was stupid. Dandy was basically my coworker, and a Cyber, to boot. Why was I like this? Was it because Jazel had told me all those months ago that Dandy had a crush on me? He must’ve been the one that planted this seed, the clueless mess that he was. He probably didn’t think anything would come of it, but it was his fault I was even thinking about this in the first place.

Down the hall, I can hear a door open. “Hey Lysanne.” I hear Jazel say. “I heard something thump out here. You okay?”

“I’m FINE, Jazel.” I growl, slapping at my access pad, trying to get the door to my quarters to open. “Go back to bed, and you better not be fooling around with KayentaaAAH—”

My door opens without warning, while I’ve still got my head braced against it, so I end up falling into my room. Picking myself up, I reach back and wave my door closed, then lean back against it, tiling my head back and letting out a long sigh. I knew there’d be a lot of complications with jailbreaking a Cyber.

I didn’t know that falling for her would be one of them.