Work Text:
‘387,050 Units Transferred: Account: Traveller # 1616 ‘
The Gek behind the counter of the Mercenary Guild bureau nodded with satisfaction once the transfer of units had been registered. They gave a professional wave that roughly translated to ‘get lost’ and began to haul the crates of sentinel parts and pirate equipment into the stores.
The Traveller gave a slight huff, Gek Mercenary representatives had yet to grow on her. The Korvax had always been easy to talk to, even if the robotic lifeforms thought her to have an intellect no greater than a puppy. Indeed, the Vy’keen had some amount of respect for her victorious spoils! She had yet to figure out how she could form a deeper bond of connection and communication with the race of lizard-like creatures. Outside of tossing artefacts at them whenever she got the chance.
None the matter, her train of thought was quickly lost when a satisfying pop emanated from her back after a good stretch. Lifting heavy crates of machinery was going to do a number on her muscles someday.
- <3 -
The space station was densely populated with all walks of life, every race of alien known to this side of the galaxy taking refuge in its dense metallic hull. There was a strange comfort in it, to see others mingling so freely. Although her heart clenched at the familiar sight, that once again, no lifeform closely resembling herself roamed the halls of the station. No travellers with her anatomy.
She slumped onto a nearby couch, idly scrolling through her data log of signal pings. Perhaps she’d go check out that distress signal she had received from a derelict freighter… Or go and find some more ancient structures, she had been meaning to brush up on her Vy’keen a little more.
She blinked sharply in spurts, the weariness of a long warp finally crashing down on her. She tried hard to focus and plot a route on her tablet, but at the realization she had to reread the name of the star system for the fifth time trying to decide where she was, she decided to give in.
She’d try out the lodgings at the space station.
Usually, she’d prefer to sleep in her own starship, or in one of the many bases she has scattered across the galaxies. Unfortunately, she was far too tired to trust herself to fly to a nearby planet, afraid she’d crash into some asteroid or obliterate herself on a freighter’s hull. She shivered at the idea of having to set up a base computer and rewire all the code and blueprints to suit the area in such a state.
That unfortunately also ruled out the plan to sleep in her own ship. The idea of something knocking on her ship’s hull to tell her to wake up because someone else was trying to dock made her shiver. It had happened before, she didn’t need to go through all that embarrassment again.
«One bed, one night»
She spoke in rough Gek to the creature handling the lodgings. It cringed at her atrocious pronunciation, but waved her in. Shoving a keycard in her hand and sending her off her way, she breathed a sigh of relief. 100,000 units down the drain, but it didn’t matter, she’d cause an economic crisis in some other star system to make a couple million tomorrow.
Only when she entered this single bedroom room, imagine her shock to find a Korvax, sitting by the desk of a double room.
“What the fuck” She mumbled to herself in her own tongue, checking the keycard again to be sure… Yep this was the right room, supposedly a single bed. Perhaps her Gek was worse than she thought that she paid for a double. But that didn’t explain the presence of the robot that looked equally as shocked to see her, if it could even convey such an emotion on its digital screen.
«Sorry, do you have the wrong room number? I was told this was one bed»
She hated the sounds of the Korvax language on her own tongue, the contortions her fleshy muscle had to conform to making her mouth dry and damp all at once.
The machine looked alarmed at her words, hydraulics tensing up, almost like it was caught naked. It scanned her, much to her discontent, before producing its own keycard. It had the same number.
“I was under the impression the Gek managing these pods had upgraded me out of kindness, I too paid a single room fee.” The machine mused. It spoke quicker than her exhausted brain could translate, she had the idea to quietly tune in Artemis’ translation device for assistance.
“I believe it is a busy night in the space station, though I can put in a request to have us changed rooms?” It inquired, scanning her up and down.
Despite the lifeform’s kindness, she really did not have the patience nor energy to deal with this entire debacle. Giving a weak nod before collapsing onto one of the chairs, her visor thankfully shielding her exhaustion from the robot.
«Thanks» She grumbled, letting the Korvax leave the room to converse with the Gek downstairs.
She took a moment to breathe, wrestling off her helmet. The space station air was stuffy, recycled, but it beat the scorched air of C9-V Cendion or the toxic fumes of GR-99 Uinov.
A part of her knew she should probably wait until the Korvax came back to make herself comfortable, but she couldn’t help but fix the frizzy updo her hair found itself in. Combing through her locks with nothing but her fingers provided some difficulty, but once it was in a semi-presentable state, she found herself feeling leagues calmer. She’d take a shower when the room situation was resolved, maybe sit around in her own undergarments outside the suit. It wasn’t often she got to take it off.
Just as she was about to go check as to what was taking so long, to resolve what should be one simple mishap, the Korvax stepped back into the room, loose sparks sizzling in discontent.
She couldn’t make out what the intelligent lifeform was complaining about, too busy shoving her helmet back on. Just as she clicked the visor back on, she turned to see the creature unnervingly still. It didn’t even scan her, just… watching.
«Did they agree to sort out our mix-up? »
She asked, her pronunciation wavering and her speaking tone slow, hoping to distract from whatever amount of her appearance the lifeform may have seen. Though the look of an emotion she could not place electrifying the Korvax circuitry, it had seen more than it was going to let on.
“Ah... No, I fear any other pods for a party of a single lifeform have been filled. The Geks would not allow us to take up a double room each, as it would prevent providing the maximum number of pods available”
It spoke evenly, clearly, like a professor or lecturer explaining concepts to a child. It put a bitter taste in her mouth, knowing that is all these robotic geniuses saw her as. Something lesser, something stupid.
“Fantastic” She groaned into her hands, no relaxing for her tonight. No matter how much she despised sleeping in her space suit, it seemed to be the only option she had.
The Korvax must have noticed her annoyance; despite not speaking English, it could tell her words were not those of joy. It sought to observe her, learn these new emotions and behaviour mannerisms. Like all its kind, it was intrigued by her, it couldn’t understand how the Traveller was so bothered by this turn of events.
“I do not wish to impose, but if I may, I would be revered to observe your behaviourisms” The Korvax spoke in a way that felt placating, as if it was afraid she’d decline. “I am a researcher, Entity Azem” It introduced itself, giving a slight bow and producing its own data pad.
Although she would be usually quite reluctant, she had to admit, the Korvax wasn’t bad to look at. It was taller than average, broad shouldered, almost muscular if she had to describe it in terms of her own species. Like the type she’d lay on after a long day in bed--
She quickly shook off those thoughts, knowing better than to let her biology overcome her rationality when around a lifeform that could scan her brainwaves and hormone production. God knows she’s experienced that embarrassing realisation before, and by the playful sparks that flitted through the air, it didn’t seem like this was the last time either.
“Dammed pretty privledge…«Fine, but if I see any descriptions or images of this ‘research’ published, I’ll track your ship to the end of the galaxy»
She threatened lowly. She didn’t need images of herself, or descriptions of her appearance posted to every corner of the galaxy. She found comfort in the anonymity, the fact that no lifeform knew of her anatomy, her gender, her eyes. She preferred it that way, made it easier for her to forge fake passports and to avoid sentinel patrols.
The lifeform gave an understanding nod, vowing it would not publish details of its research that would identify her. That was good enough she supposed
Her nightly routine was something sacred to her, something that served to remind her where she came from, what she was. She stripped out of her spacesuit, ignoring the increased whirring of cooling fans from Azem behind her.
She fixed her bra, wiggling it a little until it sat comfortably, she rolled down the shorts of her underwear that had rolled up from hours of sitting in the spacecraft, moving towards the bathroom.
She was silent in her routine, splashing water on her face, brushing her teeth with a mixture of water and crushed calcium powder from her exosuit. Azem had been quiet for the duration of her monotonous routine, the only sound it made was a charming whirring of cooling fans every time a muscle flexed, or she adjusted her clothing.
Azem had left her to her privacy once it noticed she made no effort to approach the shower until she was granted a moment to herself. It listened outside the door, embarrassed at how its own code was betraying its craving for knowledge with such organic desires. Sure, her skin and flesh looked syrupy, smooth, like that of a sweetroot. Her body lined with fats in all the right places, nothing like the roughness of Gek or the taught muscular fibres of the Vy’keen. No, she was a soft thing, beautiful. Even the hairs on her body and head looked silky, like it could thread its metal appendages through the carbonic optic-cables of her hair.
If it could swallow, it would. It was clear this research was beginning to evolve past scientific curiosity.
Could one blame it though? When the Anomalous Traveller that had become a topic of vast discussion within its own race looked like she had hailed from the First Universe itself?
- <3 -
She walked out of the shower feeling cleaner, humane, and ready to tuck in for the night. Her hair was damp still, drying quickly where she had cut it shorter, yet the longer strands curled over her shoulders like wet tendrils. She yawned meekly, it had been long enough on her own that she did not possess the same human social cues her own kind did. Not that she would ever know them in the first place.
Pulling up the blankets over her, she crashed into the bed unceremoniously, checking to see if Azem was still alive. The alien only stared in something akin to wonderous intrigue as she nested in the blankets and pillows of the large pod. Sighing as her starship sent her a notificiation on her data pad that it was locked and being transferred to a holding storage for the night, she glanced back up at the lifeform.
«Do you sleep? »
She asked, her voice something tender and docile with fatigue. The Korvax had done nothing to make her uncomfortable or harm her in their brief time spent together, it was kinder than many in this galaxy.
“Technically, I do, the use the ports at either side of the pod frame is reserved for data pad charging and the recharging of our metallic visage.” Azem explained with a tone that sounded almost like a dictionary. “I would normally make use of the soft mattress to hold my chassis while I charge, yet I do not wish to impose”
Maybe it was her sleep addled mind, or the fact she hadn’t felt a connection with another being like this since her first contact with Artemis, but she found herself speaking before she could stop herself.
“C’mere” She mumbled softly, realizing Azem had no clue what she was saying, she tried again. «Sleep with me. »
To say the lifeform was stunned would be a vast understatement. The Traveller requesting that it could lay in the same bed as her? The offer made its circuits flare to life and its system fans whir loudly. Unknowingly putting a smile on her face at the reaction.
“I… alright” It mumbled, softer than usual for a pompous Korvax. It made quick work of plugging its cables and cords into the charging docks, hydraulics unusually taught as it slid into the bed next to her.
It took the chance to do something it had forgotten to the second she removed her gear.
SCANNING:
Age: XX sols
Gender: Female
Behaviour: Relaxed, Tired
Diet: Omnivorous
Weight/Height: XX.X kg / X.X m
Notes: Found roaming the galaxy, physical anatomy suggests a comfortable gravitational withstand of maximum approx. 9.8ms-2, requires atmospheres rich in oxygen to survive naturally. This specimen is nomadic in habit, though neural pathways suggest a pack-like mentality to be common amongst the lifeform’s species. She is beautiful No particular defences against extreme weather conditions. Of average intellect, above that of non-sentient lifeforms.
It let out a breathy release of excess oxygen in its system, lying flat to face the ceiling. She did not notice the scan, instead tucking up comfortably. Mumbling with a soft lilt to her tone,
«I may ‘cuddle’ in my sleep » Her tone had that of a light warning, although both beings could tell that the other wouldn’t mind such a development.
“No need to fret Traveller, my systems will be disengaged from physical sensation” The Korvaxx lied. It didn’t care if they didn’t charge to full capacity. It wanted to feel her skin, her flesh, her softness.
She fell asleep rather quickly, finding herself gravitating towards the warmth of Azem’s shell, her legs resting atop its own and her face pushed into its arm. She did not feel the exhale of air, the speed of which its fans worked at as it draped an arm over her, pulling her closer.
It felt so alive, so organic. It finally began to understand the looks it would see pairs or parties of Geks and Vy’keens give one another, it understood why fauna mates in sweltering conditions still embraced one another. It knew not if she now understood it in the same way, or if she had always known. But Azem realised for the first time, what love was.
Stroking her hair as she continued to explore the galaxy of slumber, it was content like this. The Traveller tucked into its side, slowly whispering things it did not understand.
“Warm, so warm… So handsome”
It could guess maybe, by the smile on her lips, it wasn’t something bad at all.