Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Cold... cold and dark. His first thoughts as he opened his eyes, groaning.

Techno may not be sure where he had gone to rest, but he was fairly certain he wouldn't have chosen somewhere like here. Here being a metal cage. Sitting up with a grunt he tried to recall what had happened that could've led to this, irritatingly he only succeeded in gaining a minor headache and a hazy feeling in his mind. With a sigh he tried to clear his head and breathe, right now he was either kidnapped, or captured. Techno had been in worse situations before he could handle this, just focus, first assess himself and his immediate surroundings.

Luckily within the cage he could stand, granted without much headroom, he estimated it was maybe 7 feet in each dimension. Gravity was weaker here, likely he was on Mars based on the force. A quick once-over revealed to him that, beyond some stiffness and mild muscle numbness, he wasn't immediately wounded in any significant way. His mouth was somewhat dry but he wasn't particularly hungry or dehydrated, even while accounting for his unconscious state. There wasn't an IV or other apparent forms of nutrition by his cage, based on that he could assume he must have been captured at least somewhat recently. No longer than two days. He was still wearing his boots, pants, long-sleeved button-up, and jacket, a check revealed they had emptied his pockets. No matter, nothing of significance lost. I'll just need to replace my IDs. Techno was more interested in what they had failed to take, the knife hidden in his boot was still there. Whoever had captured him hadn't done a very thorough check. Amateurs. He sighed, not sure if that made it better or worse that they'd managed to get him. On one hand, he'd likely have an easier time escaping, on the other, it did sting his pride. Huffing he refocused, now wasn't the time for thoughts like that, even then he'd made noise, swiftness and silence were critical right now, he should be better than this.

As he straightened out his jacket, he managed to notice something, there was a slight pinch at his neck. Techno froze, he was still alone in his cage, that pinch had been his own body reacting. A careful touch over the sting revealed a slight bump, like a tiny scab or bit of blood. Drugs... they drugged me. It made sense, but how hadn't he noticed? He didn't even feel anything, it could explain the hazy memories, muscle numbness, and the harder time focusing. Even still, what had they used that wore off so quickly? Could it not have been an anesthetic? No matter, he needed to get back to escaping. Some quick stretches and tests revealed he was still physically fit, he could fight if he had to.


Back to his investigation, he took in the room. It was dimly lit, lights along the wall cast out a deep blue over the room, barely illuminated. The room was chilly at best, he estimated maybe 40 Fahrenheit. There was one sturdy metal door with an electronic panel attached to control it, a few small vents were situated along the walls. Various metal crates were stored here, but no other cages or captures. The room also lacked cameras or other sensors as far as he could tell. Not being monitored. One way out, can't use the vents, I'll need to be ready if they're waiting outside the room. Could try the panel, there might be alarms but prying the door open is the last resort. More concerning is my immediate needs, with how cold it is my clothes won't protect me forever, need to find something warmer. Haven't been here long enough to be affected severely, that shortens my stay to a day or less. I'll be able to last a while, but should see about food and water to keep my strength. The crates might have something useful in them if I can get them open, don't appear to be secured, long as I'm careful I shouldn't be caught.


Thinking it over he could wait and see, try to create a more solid plan after some observation, or he could try to escape immediately. He didn't have enough information, but they seemed sloppy, he didn't want to risk his condition deteriorating. They'd apparently made several mistakes from his knife, the dosage, and lack of security, it was best to try and capitalize on them now while he could. First on the list was escaping this cage. It was unremarkable, a solid roof and floor with barred walls. The side facing out had the door, secured with a metal panel, it was smooth on his side, the locking mechanism hidden on the other side. A few shoves rattled the door, it didn't seem that sturdy, a few good slams could probably break the door open if he had to. Inspecting further, Techo reached out from his cage, he ran his hand along the outside trying to figure out the lock. It was strange, several thin metal protrusions or prongs stuck out from the smooth panel, attached to what seemed to be a ridge or some kind of rod. Some cautious prodding revealed the prongs were like levers, they could be pushed with some force, trying to slide them caused what he assumed to be the rod to jam on something. It was likely some form of combination bolt he just needed to figure out which ones to push, but there were twelve pins, and they reset if he wasn't pushing. Guessing could take hours, if I knew more this could be easier. As he thought, idly playing with his knife, he realized something. While not the best surface his knife was reflective, with some stretching Techno managed to use it to get a look at the other side. What he saw didn't help his opinion of his captors, the door lock seemed to just be a rod stuck in place by 12 metal leverage pins which prevented it from sliding over. All someone had to do was squeeze down on all twelve and the door could be easily unlocked.


Incredulous at how laughably easy it was, Techno reached through the bars, carefully squeezing the levers he quietly slid the rod over and, with a hesitant push, the door silently slid open. Not a single alarm or sensor went off. From the other side he could now reassess the lock, it honestly seemed like this cage was either poorly thought out or built for a large beast seeing as anyone with half a brain could open it. The rod seemed sturdy enough that forcing the door open might have been a struggle, but if a person just felt around they could figure out the mechanism the same as him, and the bars were made too wide allowing a prisoner to open it from inside. Techno's confusion was growing by the second, who could've captured him with such little foresight that they thought for even a moment this sort of cage was a good idea? Focus, they could still have guards posted outside that door, that's likely the reason. With a calming breath he steadied himself, he was getting distracted too easily, this was probably some sort of trap, a mind game to make him reckless.


After a few brief attempts at the crates, he quickly discovered that his earlier assumption that they were not being secured was proven false, there did appear to be some sort of latch that must seal them shut. There also seemed to be some form of writing on them and the walls, but someone had decided to write all the text in a rich cobalt blue, seeing as this was all on top of the rather dark metal and barely lit by dim deep blue lights it was frustratingly illegible, the attempts did net him a few metal scraps he pocketed. After then investigating the room and finding nothing of note he missed from the cage, and confirming his belief that the vents were of no help he was left with the only thing left to inspect, the door. Not as ready as I'd like, I've managed with worse though. Stepping up to the door, knife in hand he cautiously tried the panel. Techno had been fully prepared to have to pry the panel's face off and figure out the mess of circuits and wires behind to open the door. What he wasn't ready for, was the panel screen to quickly blink to life, briefly display some illegible garbage characters, then watch as the door opened.


"Shit!" Techno quickly dodged to the right back flush against the wall, knife in hand, at the ready to gouge the first person who entered. Holding his breath he waited, listening for any sounds, expecting to hear shouting, voices, loading weapons, anything... But nothing happened, nobody came... Tentatively Techno glanced around the corner, peering past the doorway all he saw was an empty hallway. The same poor lighting, on the same dark metal, the hallway itself seemed decently spacious. Wide open. Exposed. Alright so no guards then, seems whoever captured him in this facility was rather careless, the door wasn't even locked. Thinking back he did wonder what those strange characters had been. He felt like they were familiar, maybe a language he had studied in the past? Ignoring all that, he was now free and it was time to begin his escape.


Cautiously, silently, Techno stalked down the halls. Eyes alert darting around at any sign of motion, his ears straining, he kept hearing echoing sounds that seemed far off, it looked like this was a rather expansive facility. Whatever drugs had been affecting him were gone, Techno was back, perfectly in his element. He'd been exploring looking for any signs of people when he suddenly heard some sort of strange skittering and clicking sound around a corner. An infestation? Possibly an experiment? A peer around caused his mind to halt. There standing and seemingly "talking" were two large beetle-looking creatures. They stood on two long thin legs, at their sides were six arms, two greater at the shoulder, four smaller ones below, all ended with 3 clawed hands. Their main body seemed to be some large, durable exoskeleton carapace. From their heads, large bug eyes gazed at one another, mandibles clicked and hissed, two long wiry antennae raised in the air. They stood somewhere around 6 feet. Each of them seemed to be grasping a large metal spear-like weapon, but it ended with two blunt prongs, no apparent firearms but those spears certainly outranged him.


Techno'd immediately hidden back around the corner, pausing, it didn't seem they noticed him. Aliens, shit this makes sense now. Those strange characters, now he remembered, they were Universal Common Script, he'd been studying it for a while now. Humanity hadn't been keen on going beyond the solar system yet, seeing as it'd only been a few years since other sentient life had been discovered. The first encounters hadn't exactly gone smoothly, strange masked aliens that'd immediately begun an assault on the solar system. The wars had been vicious, Earth escaped fairly unscathed thanks to its defensive net, but Mars and Venus weren't as guarded, several planetary fights tore up their cities. He remembered hearing about how brutal it got on some of the outer planetary stations during assaults, seeing the aftermath, and the wreckages of starship battles. In the end humanity prevailed, but now stared outward guarded and wary. It was only recently that the Unified Planetary Alliance had learned that the Galactic Assembly existed and that not every other race was hostile as the Dre'yrmon were, even then contact was limited and the progress beyond was slow.


So he'd been captured by aliens, he needed to find a way out of this facility and figure out what they wanted with humanity. These weren't the Dre'yrmon, he had no intel on how to handle them, caution would take priority while trying to figure out how to combat them, to find their weaknesses. I have the element of surprise at least... Turning the corner to ambush the unsuspecting Aliens he instead came face to face as they'd also apparently been heading down the hall as he waited. I had the element of surprise at least... 


Reacting immediately unlike the stunned aliens Techno swung, stepping forward he threw the full weight of his body behind the attack. Bracing himself as he prepared to try and force his blade through their hardened carapace. The unsuspecting Aliens, still in shock, didn't even try to defend themselves as his knife struck. The blade did not halt however, as it tried to slice through their armor it tore a gash straight through their thorax and main body. Techno, wholly unprepared for this lack of resistance, overstepped as his swing continued recklessly into the second alien catching both of their staffs as he did so. This wild swing caused the blade to completely miss its mark, instead, his entire arm struck the Alien. The sheer force of the impact, the overwhelming assault of Techno's vicious strike bearing down, crashing down on their body like a meteor strike. Unlike the knife blade which bisected the first alien with a deep gash, Techno's arm devastated the body of the Beetle Alien, shattering their carapace and causing a gruesome spray of viscera to splatter against the wall, followed by the clamoring of the metal staffs crashing in shortly thereafter. 


He stood there in stunned shock as he stared at the remains. One dead bisected their halves on the ground, the other a disgusting mess on the wall, floor, ceiling, and Techno. Idly he noted their insides were also blue apparently, and that he was covered in blood. He'd have to remember to adjust his force as it seemed their bodies weren't as durable as he'd imagined, that became the last of his concerns as he noticed the sound of several more approaching. From down one of the halls, he saw what looked to be at least 10 more rushing down after him, and seemingly trying to shout something. Vaguely his grasp on Universal Common allowed him to grasp at least a few snippets that suggested insulting remarks and threats of harm, he supposed based on the situation that was understandable, but they had locked him up to be fair. The hallway was clogged with the 10 beetles bearing down on him, and as he began to try ready for the fight a thought occurred to him. Their bodies were so fragile, shells easily shattered. Like bones... Could he just, charge them? A wild grin overtook Techno's face, he could feel a familiar sensation, a bloodlust, a blood rush, his vision shifted. Wasn't the world blue a second ago? Now, now it was red, Red, RED. With a furious battlecry and reckless abandon, he fully sprinted forward in a tackle.


It was a massacre, too late the Aliens realized what was happening, they leveled their spears, but not soon enough. A few struck Techno, had it not been for the rush of adrenaline he would've noticed mild electric shocks, nothing grievous, easily withstood. For just a second the Aliens shared very brief looks of what could be called abject horror, before a 275lb tank barreled into them. Cacophonous crunches as exoskeletons caved, sickening squelches as viscera and guts were sprayed, Techno tore directly through them, lost in blood and battle. In his haze who would not notice the many other beetle aliens who came for him, 104. He would not notice how some appeared different, larger and painted. He would not notice how after a time they changed, running, fleeing, begging... He noticed none of this, reveling in this haze he would only return several minutes later, after the last foe fell before him. He returned to carnage, the wide open halls he traversed slick, a sickly sweet smell hanging in the air, a crisp crunch every few steps. Blue dripped from the ceiling and walls, some doors wide open into rooms unremarkable aside from the ends of those within. He himself soaked, bathed in the blood of the aliens...


Slow. Deep breaths, even breaths, calming breaths. He was fine. Techno was fine. 


He traversed the now seemingly empty facility, he came to a grand door, he opened the door.


He saw a grand room filled with consoles, he saw a grand chair helming their chamber, he saw a grand view.


There were stars, and space, both fleeing past his vision of what he now realized was the bridge on a starship.

Techno was trapped in a spaceship, and had just killed the entire crew...


When pigs fly...

Chapter Text

Everything is going to be fine. Striding to the edge, gazing from the jutting peninsular platform, Techno took in everything before him. The bridge of this spaceship was expansive, he could see spread out below him were dozens of terminals, it seemed that there were two distinct stepped tiers in a gradual descent. Continued inspection revealed that lining the walls several more screens ran their own readouts, additionally numerous platforms were suspended flanking and held above him. All of this connected by numerous paths that spanned the stations, coming together to create an organized web of walkways that spidered throughout, bridging the tiers.

All these screens, alight towards their empty seats, the central brain of this spaceship was silent and inert. As uncomfortable thoughts began to crawl toward his mind Techno turned his face forward, marred by a grimace. He stared out, an unobstructed view, wide and open, the beauty of space spread before him, beautiful and cold… He shook his head, he didn’t have time for this, he was cold. Cold because this ship was close to freezing and he was still soaked. The cold grounded him as he closed his eyes and cleared his mind. Break things down and he could figure it out, this may be a bit harder than usual, but this was just another problem to solve.

Think of the first priorities again. Protection, food, and water, no progress made on those yet, but it’ll be easier now that I cleared the crew. Wait… He opened his eyes and looked around again. At most I killed maybe just over a hundred or so, but from the number of stations, the bridge alone would need the majority of them just to work. Everything on this ship seems like it’s built to a massive scale, even if they used a skeleton crew there should still be hundreds of them. Exactly what I need, another mystery.

Now aside from having to figure out how he was taken and how to get back home, Techno was left wondering about the clearly missing crew. Still, that couldn’t be his priority, he was getting tired and at least needed to find somewhere to rest. Turning back towards the helm, he could see the captain’s seat and their control screens, if anywhere could tell him about the ship it was likely that. Stepping up to the screens, he was surprised to find that aside from the hard light screens projected in front of him, it seemed like the aliens employed somewhat archaic physical interfaces with mechanical keys built into the dashboard, even if they and the board were apparently disabled. Glancing back towards the hard light screens it looked like there was no security on the ship systems, thankfully it seemed like the system was using Universal Common Script, technical terminology and complex phrases evaded him but he knew enough to understand the systems. It was somewhat soothing as he navigated through, the familiar feeling of operating a ship comforting him as he was lulled by the simple task at hand. Still, he was far from skilled or proficient taking several minutes just to reach the ship map, even then it seemed like it was actually the diagnostics display.

Heh? What he saw didn’t make any sense. While it was possible he’d made a mistake somewhere he couldn’t think of when, still something had to be wrong. The display showed him what was supposed to be the entire ship, but instead all he could see was the bridge and its surrounding rooms. The diagnostics were still providing some data on the other systems, the shields, weapons, and engines, but he couldn’t see them. Continued struggles clarified the situation, it seemed like the section he was in, the bridge section, had been put into lockdown. Being the bridge it was likely he still had control, but massive metal doors had sealed him off from the rest of the ship, and with his limited grasp of the system and language it was unlikely he would be able to figure out how to unseal himself anytime soon. Some part of him considered the fact that the alien crew could be behind those seals, though nothing seemed to be trying to break through, and why would the captain have sealed off his crew from helping them? Regardless that was unimportant, he could finally feel exhaustion beginning to creep up on him, a scan of the map informed him that within his section there were crew quarters nearby, he hoped that whatever the beetles used to sleep could somehow be appropriated for his use.

Trudging back through the halls, the sight of the crew's brutal execution at his hands led to the unwelcome reminder of the disgusting state of his own appearance. He was no stranger to being covered and viscera and could handle it without complaint, he would even welcome the warm splash of blood that would bathe him in the heat of battle. But once the fight was won and the adrenaline had run its course, all he wanted now was a shower to wash away the cold sticky blood splattered on him, congealed and clumped in his hair, smeared across his skin.

With a sigh he reached the room, once again surprised by the setup before him. The room was built with what seemed to be a communal sleeping mound and a pile of belongings in the center, but recessed into the walls were what appeared like numerous sleeping areas, each with a bed, and some compartment beneath. They could comfortably fit him and they filled the room, a cursory inspection made it clear that they were not all in use, some pristine, others with disturbed sheets. Sleep, it seemed, had been solved. Quickly shedding his soiled clothes, Techno cleaned himself off using some of the clean sheets, then collected a bundle more from other beds before clambering into and burying himself beneath the pile, warm, content, and peaceful rest reached him. Everywhere but his dreams that is…

Jolting upright, fully alert, at the unfamiliar surroundings. Techno’s head snapped in the direction of a sound, only to see that it was the mess of blankets he had thrown off himself. Rubbing his face he remembered the night before, and the situation he currently found himself stuck in. Right, most of my old clothes are unusable until I can clean them. I’ll manage with my boots, pants, and undershirt, can just rely on the blankets for warmth. Now I just need a source of food and water, best shot is to look for storerooms from the bridge. Stiffly Techno rolled himself out of bed, with a snort he imagined the somewhat comical image it must be when the beetles get out, the beds didn’t seem the most practical arrangement from their appearance, but he assumed there was likely some physiology he was just unaware of. He quickly redressed and got himself ready before heading back to the bridge wincing as he felt aches run through his body. Techno massaged his sore muscles, it’d be inconvenient having to manage being somewhat hindered, but he couldn’t change the past.

Reentering the bridge, he paused again just for a moment as he took in the view of empty space before him, still lost with no sign of a way home. Not yet at least. Striding to the helm Techno settled into the captain’s seat, squinting his eyes at the glaring light as he activated it. Grumbling, he returned to the diagnostics map, there were a handful of storage rooms that were available to him, however with none of them labeled he would have to investigate each one at a time. It would be a tedious task, especially with his exhaustion, but he didn’t exactly have an option other than to get started if he didn’t want to starve.

It was slow going, the storage rooms were sealed, and their panel, unlike the other rooms visited so far, was sealed shut. Once again a strange feeling nagged at the back of his mind as he thought over the decisions of the aliens that had inhabited this ship. Of all rooms to seal he supposed the cargo and storage were not that strange, however they hadn’t sealed the bridge, their personal quarters, nor his prison… Techno swiftly left, guided by the map in his mind, recalling the paths he took when he escaped, while everything may appear the same for others, he wasn’t called the human GPS for nothing. My prison, I can't believe I forgot. The room wasn’t sealed, and it had crates. I only couldn't open them before because I was escaping, can make all the noise I want now.

He arrived back at the door, faintly he chastised himself as he stared at the door he’d left open. A rookie mistake during an escape, am I getting rusty? It didn’t matter anymore anyways, at least it was easier to get inside. Remembering how the crates had been latched shut, a few half-hearted attempts at forcing them quickly made it clear he’d need some leverage to pry them open. A glance around the room had his eyes land back on the cage that he’d been trapped in, more specifically at the bars it was made out of. Jostling the cage he could feel what he hadn’t tried before, the cage wasn’t firmly secured, the bars weren’t welded and rattled somewhat when yanked. With mutterings of soreness, a few curses, clamoring strikes, and kicks of his boot Techno eventually came out victorious wielding a now somewhat bent metal bar and an aching body. Roughly he jammed the metal bar wedging it into the latch, then pushing up against the bar he could feel it warping, the low groan of straining metal, and finally the snap as the latch gave way. The metal bar fell aside with a resonant clang, as Techno flipped the crate’s lid open, inside it looked as though it had been very carefully prepared, a perfectly packaged crate, every space filled with a masterful tetris of sealed containers, though none that appeared to be food or water. He turned his tired eyes at the rest of the room, crates stacked high as he wondered how many he would have to open, and if any even had what he needed. I just want breakfast, is that so much to ask?...

Food and Water, let’s gooo! First try! A small cry of victory that was entirely true, disregard the other seven crates that were pushed to the side, as Techno stared down at the familiar form of packaged goods inside. The main difference being clear jugs of what he assumed was water, stars he hoped it was water. Something that supported the idea of it being water was that for the first time, instead of the usual sealed packages labeled with that same illegible blue script, these packages with the illegible blue script, were also transparent and had what looked like food inside of them. At this point he was too hungry and thirsty to care, after all the exertion he’d put himself through his body wanted sustenance, and it wanted it now.

Hefting out some of the jugs and packages Techno quickly unsealed one of the jugs and after sniffing it, pouring a small amount of one of the blankets, then his skin, he finally licked some from his hand and sighed in relief. It was water, cool, crisp, clean water, putting the jug to his lips Techno resisted the urge to chug down the drink, instead taking slow metered swings to quench his thirst. Last thing I need right now is to make myself throw up. A glance over at the sealed packages, seeing as the jugs turned out to be water, it was a decent assumption to make that this was food, whether it was edible to humans was a different story. Pulling out one of the metal shards he’d collected before, he sliced open one of the packages that had what seemed like some strange dry powder, repeating with more cautious tests, he finally tasted a small amount. There’s no way. Techno looked down at the powder confused, trying a small amount once again. It’s the same, it tastes exactly like instant buttered mashed potatoes… He stared down at the plain package laid down before him, looking between it, and the water. It really can’t be this simple, right? Throwing caution to the wind, figuring he could just find another package if this turned sour, Techno poured some of the water into the package and sloshed it around. In an instant the powder and water came together, and before his eyes as far as he could tell, Techno had obtained cold buttered mashed potatoes as his breakfast. He couldn’t help but laugh, he was eating mashed potatoes on an alien ship, there was an irony here that wasn’t lost on him. Looks like beetles have a taste for potatoes too, potatoes and aliens, might as well be back home already.

He ate quickly, satiated as he finished the potatoes and water. Basic survival’s solved, now I need to get started on what comes next. Hygiene, organization, and the ship. I need a way to stay clean, handle my waste, sort and organize my supplies, and figure out how to fly the ship. Techno stood up as he considered the room, there wasn’t exactly a shortage of crates, though now that he was thinking there had always been a risk that one of these crates could contain things hazardous to him. For now he’d ration using only the crate he’d opened, assuming that everything was edible he could likely last at least 2 months if he didn’t mind some hunger, he’d see about finding more food supplies for when he was down to half supplies. He could sort the supplies from his claimed rooms, however a different idea was currently at the forefront of his mind.

Techno strode out and swiftly returned once again to the bridge of the ship. Greeted once again by the ship diagnostics he began the struggle of navigating the systems, there was no guarantee that what he was looking for would be available, but his luck had lasted so far. A search through somewhat familiar systems led him to exactly what he’d been seeking, the system translator. When humanity had opened up to the Galactic Assembly establishing communication had been a priority, the GA and UPA cooperated and rushed towards extending the galactic standard translator language bank as fast as possible. Thanks to the intense efforts an update was able to be integrated which was how Techno managed to begin learning Universal Common, however the update was limited in use, only meant to facilitate GA and UPA communication. It was riddled with issues in the language banks and he wasn’t even certain the banks were released for galaxy-wide use. Techno instantly sorted to the end of the language bank list, with how recently they’d been added presumably human languages would be listed last. Much to his frustration a cursory search quickly made their absence apparent, without the translator he’d struggle to learn UCS which would severely impede his ability to utilize the ship. Just to be certain Techno figured he could search the entire bank, though he hadn’t held out any hope he was quickly faced with a bewildering discovery. As he reset the translator bank, arrayed at the start, an expansive list of humanity’s languages, even including some of the distinct Martian, Venusian, and outer station dialects.

This didn’t make any sense, why were they listed at the start of the bank? The translator was currently set to sort from the oldest to the newest languages, a double check assured him he hadn’t accidentally inverted his sorting filters. The other issue was the size of the language bank, the update had also sacrificed the scope for time, as far as Techno knew the GA and UPA had only completed banks for Terran English and French. Did they release a new update? Haven’t been keeping up with this, the sorting issue could be a bug. This must be a rush job, probably some diplomatic gesture, doubt the other languages are finished. Doesn’t matter, all I need is the Terran English anyways. Settling away his confusion and worries, Techno started up the Terran English translator, immediately the ship system and displays reconfigured to the newly selected language. The completeness of this bank seemed compared to the ones he used for learning UCS only reinforced his belief that an update he was unaware of must have been launched. Shouldn’t be surprising it didn’t reach me yet considering where I was.

Now that he could readily understand what he was doing, Techno restarted his investigation into the ship. Just to be sure he checked the ship map rather than the diagnostics display, nothing had changed, the display still limited him to the bridge section. He huffed, it wasn’t too important in the end since he intended to deactivate the lockdown anyways. It’d be better knowing what was behind the doors before opening them, but in a worse case he’d simply reactivate the lockdown if issues arose. Entering the central controls Techno navigated to the security systems, with a few commands he ordered the ship to disable the lockdown protocols.

[Command Failure.]

[You do not have the Authority to initiate the Lockdown Override Protocols.]

“Heh?...” Techno blinked. “HEH!? What do you mean I don’t have the authority!? I’m at the helm! ” This didn’t make any sense, the bridge helm should have total control, maybe he’d missed something? Did he need some sort of ID, credentials, maybe a bio-authenticator? They could’ve also locked the bridge out from the central controls, which would mean he’d be unable to ever access the rest of the ship… Breath… Focus… Think… Slowing himself from panic Techno recollected himself, they probably hadn’t locked access, with how panicked they’d seemed when they attacked him they wouldn’t have had the chance. Looking again at the helm he didn’t think that it was looking for an ID or authenticator, he couldn’t see a scanner or interface for one, granted it could just appear different due to alien tech but so far the architecture had been similar enough to humanity’s that he doubted that. This meant that the most likely thing the system was probably looking for was some sort of password or code to verify his authority, returning to the screen a single tap confirmed his suspicion.

[Password:                           ]

He pinched the bridge of his nose. Alright, well it could be worse I have an answer on what to look for. Techno dragged a hand over his face as he pondered, tapping at the armrest of the seat. I don’t want to start guessing, there could be a limit or repercussion for getting it wrong. He aimlessly poked around the helm terminal, there wasn’t much to go off of so the act was more just a way to occupy himself while he thought, as his eyes drifted around he suddenly doubled back when he caught sight of what could be a lead. Records/Logs. If anywhere might have the password saved, he may as well start with the place the crew stored all their information. Accessing the menu he could see an exhausting amount of entries, captain logs, crew logs, automated logs, the list went on…

Techno groaned as he realized just how much he would have to search and scour, with a sigh his eyes drifted, he stared out to the stars that shone beyond, his gaze lingering. Later. He would scour them later, for now he was tired, even if it seemed he had only just started the day. Without a clear day-night cycle, and without knowing how the rate of standard time measure compared to Earth’s, he hadn’t been able to gauge for certain how long he’d been up and active. Releasing the tension he’d unconsciously been in he could tell the constant dim light, isolation, and silence was wearing on him, while it was slow he’d have to be wary for his sanity. Reclining Techno unwound at the helm, he could at least continue by using the translator to continue learning Universal Common, a short trip back to the prison allowed him to gather some food and water rations to tide him over as he studied.

After what seemed like hours Techno simply packed back up, he could feel the pull of drowsiness creeping up on him, before forgetting he quickly confirmed the location of a bathroom, it was situated near the crew quarters. Standing up, Techno stretched, yawned, then began the journey toward the bathroom, he was trudging forward uncaring for caution at this point. He doubted there were any further dangers at this point, and so he arrived and entered in, once more the architecture familiar, and once more dismissed as he relieved himself, before returning to the quarters to rest. Idly he realized he must have misjudged the time, his mind was far more addled by sleep than he’d realized as he nearly stumbled. Passing the sleeping mound the aliens made he took note of the strange things also nestled within, personal belongings perhaps? It didn’t matter to him as he crashed into the beds and allowed himself to fall into a slumber's embrace.

Even as he fell, why couldn't he shake the feeling that he'd missed something?

Chapter Text

He hummed quietly as he read. It was nice, calmly flipping through the pages of a story he enjoyed. Absentmindedly he bit into his potato, though always careful to not dirty the book.

Today was the same as ever, the others would just go about their business through the halls. He wondered what the others would research or investigate today, not that it mattered to him, he had books to read and potatoes to eat.

Everything was fine, just another normal day.

He closed his eyes, and did not see.

War and Blood and…

Metal. Techno’s eyes shot open. Metal. Metal, and cloth, and the bed… He breathed out, steady and slow. Cracking his neck, Techno got up for another morning with a groan. No potatoes today, anything but more potatoes. He knew he shouldn’t be picky, especially if he was rationing, but if potatoes were going leave him like this they'd be more trouble than they were worth. He’d been sloppy yesterday, he should’ve been reading the records, studying UCS had been wasted since any progress he may have made was addled by working to exhaustion. Straining he could at least recall some of what he’d studied, but his memory was foggy, the attempts at recollection also making him recall his delirious bathroom escapade. Techno sighed as he got ready. No point crying about past mistakes, just have to pick up the pace today. It was time to hit his stride, dust off his old skills. Stretching, he tested his muscles. Still some aches, recovering just fine though, going to need to make time to exercise soon. He had thought he might be sore a while longer considering the fight, then again he’d always been sturdy, never stayed down long. Time to get working.

On his way Techno made a short detour to collect his rations for the day, thankfully there were other edible options besides potatoes, it seemed today he was having sweet mush and a soup. They weren’t the best, but they could be worse, and they weren’t potatoes.

Entering the bridge Techno set down the food and water besides the chair, settling in comfortably, he accessed the helm console. A few swift strokes led him back towards the records, taking a sip of water, he began his investigation.

After only a few hours of searching Techno was already getting answers to some of his questions, if only they didn’t make his worries grow with time. The beetles, or Kl’kir’ik as he now knew them to be called, had been using this ship as a mobile base of sorts. The cause for why the ship was short of staff was due to the fact that this crew had stolen it, instead of bringing it back to their main base they had simply flown off with it. From what he could discern the organization they had been a part of was called the Krz’ik’kil? No translation, could be a company or administration? Wonder how they managed to make off with a ship of this size though. He considered for a moment that the other Kl’kir’ik may come for the ship, though it seemed the ship had been lost for some time already making it doubtable they’d find it any time soon. The halls filled with dead remains probably won’t make the best introduction either. His reading of the records also peaked his interest for another reason. They’re hiding something. The captain and crew are leaving something out of these . He’d considered for a moment the stilted logs were just a mannerism of Kl’kir’ik, but noticed then there were issues with the automated logs as well. They were recorded at regular intervals in a stable pattern, nothing was overtly off within them, however, some of the logs seemed to be missing. At various points the pattern broke gaps in time that implied skipped logs, sometimes only one or two, sometimes as many as ten.

There were so many things off about this ship, so many mysteries that seemed to arise with every answer. Of all the ships to be abducted by… That thought reminded him of the other issue he hadn’t addressed for some time either. How did I even get here anyways? The drugs had to have long since worn off, but he hadn’t obtained any memories of how he wound up here. Curious as he might be on that, it was a question for another time he already had enough problems to solve. Resuming his reading, Techno had decided that the investigation of the records would be his focus and he was determined to complete that…

And so passed the days, swiftly Techno began his adjustment to a routine. Wake, work, eat, work, exercise, eat, wash, work, relax, rest, and then repeat. While his main focus was to read the logs he’d also decided to start a few other tasks he’d gradually work at to break up the monotony. Using some of the rags and broken poles Techno was slowly cleaning the viscera as best as he could, granted much of the blood seemed to be stained, slowly he was shunting the filth and waste into one of the unused crew quarters. As the days passed the hallways he’d ruined were at least acceptably clean, enough to be used without tracking blood at least. From the crew quarters he’d started collecting his dirty laundry and spent some time washing them in the bathroom, he even attempted to clean his ruined clothes. While luckily the blood seemed to wash off with some water, the drying process was harder due to the low temperature, he resorted to pressing, wringing, and flapping the wet fabrics to manually dry them out. After the first few days he’d also recovered enough to begin exercising, he spent his time alternating between hours of running around the ship and doing strength training with the crates. The only task he’d been putting off was sorting his supplies, mostly as his rations had been extended, when he’d lifted some of the crates the sound of sloshing water betrayed the contents and granted him enough supplies that he could readily last over a year now. In the midst of everything else he’d also learned how to convert the time scale of the ship systems, he found the system’s second was around twenty times shorter than a human standard.

Alongside his side projects Techno had continued to steadily work his way through the records. His progress had slowed down somewhat, after finding the extra supplies he started using the translator to learn universal common through the logs, thanks to that his proficiency in spoken and written universal common had greatly increased. It also helped his sanity somewhat to hear anything else, even if it was just his own voice. He’d started to become worried when he realized he was getting attached to one of the blankets he’d been using for warmth. In his defense they were a rather nice blanket, they were softer than the others, and they were a rich shade of violet compared to the rest. 

Still after having spent just over a month on this ship, around forty days or so, Techno hadn’t managed to figure out what could be the password. His efforts hadn’t been fruitless though, he was nearing the end of the records and various things had been learned. By the logs it seemed that prior to his capture the ship had only been in use for just over a year. The captain and crew had been traveling the galaxy as merchants, this ship the center of their caravan, however its major purpose was prestige, strangely unused for storage. The logs showed that there were numerous other ships used for the actual trades and this ship was always kept far away and hidden, it made sense considering that it was stolen, though that raised the question of what happened to them as they were clearly no longer present. The Kl’kir’ik had also started to gain confidence as time passed, becoming more comfortable complaining and insulting their former company. If the accounts were accurate the Krz’ik’kil and its leader were greedy, cowardly, and cruel, the group actively stole the profits from their members, typically forcing them into dangerous routes and regions to do business in. It wasn’t much of a wonder as to why they had chosen to split off and steal the ship, and it had actually become clear that the theft was also strange. It was implied that the Krz’ik’kil wasn’t even aware of this ship’s existence and they’d just absconded off with it, Techno didn’t even know how that could be possible beyond an egregious amount of bureaucratic confusion. Of course now to the last two notable points, and their attached mysteries. First was the fact that across all of the records, there wasn’t a single mention of humanity. Nothing of humans, the solar system, the war, absolutely nothing. It was possible that something was contained in the remaining months, however those logs were the second mystery. He had around six months left to read, but was almost finished with the logs, he’d likely be done by the end of today. Over the last six months there would be a sudden immediate increase in the number of logs, then a sharp decline to nearly nothing. These last six months seemed like they must carry the secrets of what happened here.

Once again he sat at the helm, food set down beside, everything here had become second nature to him. Everything here was the same as ever, though today he couldn’t fully hide the tension tied in his gut. He was going to finish today, if the records didn’t reveal the password he didn’t have any other strong leads to use, he’d be aimless and adrift. Techno opened the logs and began, nothing strange at first just more of the same, then he’d opened one of the captains logs. The change in tone was stark, their  writing had become hectic, chaotic, the cause clearly laid out, the ship had suddenly warped. The technology that allowed the galaxy to function, warp engines allowed ships to create distortions of space, unseen tunnels to traverse that greatly shortened the distance. Advanced Faster-than-Light travel that could span the galaxy in just a few months to years depending on the degree of warp the engine could achieve, and this ship, from what he’d learned, was outfitted with an extremely powerful one. That same impressive engine had suddenly malfunctioned and sent the ship into an unplanned warp, the cause for chaos easily understood, warp jumps were meant to be precalculated either by navigation officers or AIs. Without this ships risked their warp tunnels crashing into others, or entering unstable regions that would traumatically eject them from warp, perhaps most dangerous was a ship colliding with the edge of their warp tunnel mid transit, spraying it’s matter across the galaxy. As he continued reading he learned more, it seemed that the ship was indeed doing warp calculations to plot a safe path, however the path deviated heavily, far off from their intended destination. The captain and crew had tried to correct the path, confusingly though, they discovered that the ship system was in fact still trying to chart a course to their intended planet, it hadn’t failed at all. Instead, somehow the ship seemed to be calculating two separate paths, they couldn’t figure out what was doing the separate calculations, and how it was managing to override the bridge commands. He read onward, the sharp increase in logs revealed to be the crew embroiled in chaos, throes of panic and confusion by the jump, the shift to anger and frustration as the ship’s actions defied explanation, and finally the sorrow and despair as they realized there was nothing they could do. When they had finally given up the Kl’ir’ik simply decided to wait, trapped and helpless until the ship arrived wherever it was trying to go, slowly they gave up hope.

Techno slowly fell back into the seat, he closed his eyes, breathing slow. Last few logs, last few chances to find out the password. Unless they write it just because they think they’re going to die, it probably won’t be there… He sighed. He’d gotten this far, there wasn’t a point in not finishing the job. Techno opened his eyes, and opened the next captain’s log.

[We never should have trusted this derelict.]

What? Derelict?...

He sat back, his head tilted upward as he started at nothing. Techno’s heart and mind began to race, even as he felt his body still. Something cold and heavy, something small and distant, something that had lingered at the edge of his thought, something obvious he’d been missing, something his mind had been trying to warn him about. He’d been making assumptions this whole time, he’d been making mistakes. There were countless whys, whys he hadn’t been asking, that he’d ignored. He was so set on finding the password, the answer to his problem, he’d ignored all the other questions that had been sitting in front of him. The bed, the banks, the crates, the script. The illegible script… He froze. Techno couldn’t read it. But he had never really tried because he didn’t have didn’t have any light. His eyes slowly fell, directly onto the luminescent glow of the console. He was blind. Like a cobra strike, Techno snatched up one of the packages he’d been eating, held up to the light he could see it, the small script he’d never questioned.

Dried Oatmeal with Blackberries
Flocons D'avoine Séchés aux Mûres

Add Water
Ajoutez de l'eau

A bark of laughter escaped him, there it was, the deep rich dark blue text unveiled by the light. Terran English and French. Some things never change with time. This ship. This was never an alien ship. He knew this ship… He put the package aside and looked back at the console, a few taps was all it took.

[Password:                           ]

Maybe?

[Password: PERMAFROST ]

[...]

[Authorized…]

[Lockdown Override Engaged…]

[Reactivating I.S.S.A. Antarctica Systems…]

Techno couldn’t believe it. 

I found it…

Chapter Text

Sorry about such late notice, truth be told I actually intended to post today, however, I got swept up by the Christmas rush time. I don't think I'll post the chapter this week, instead after looking at the chapter layout, I'll do a double post on New Year's Eve then take a break for the first week of 2023. Anyways I have to get back to my family, happy holidays everybody, I'll talk to you again on New Year's Eve.