The Captain's Heart CH 62 (Patreon)

The structure Jeremy looked at, through the window, impressed him, on the level of how practical it looked, but… “Do all Kelsirian stations

The structure Jeremy looked at, through the window, impressed him, on the level of how practical it looked, but…

“Do all Kelsirian stations look like that?”

Prertiros snorted. “This is a Federation one. Ours are much better.”

“Aren’t we inside your territory?”

“Yes,” Thuruk said. “But at the borders, like this, the Federation established and run them. Most are Reoseph designs. Extremely practical without a sense of esthetic. The Kersosteran have a few, but they are more administrative stations. They are more pleasing to look at than this.”

“This isn’t bad,” Jeremy protested. “Just kind of…plain.” The spinning ring implied spin-gravity, although it might no longer use that. His engineering history classes had a long chapter on centrifugal forces as the source of gravity before the invention of gravity projectors. Many of the stations built during that era still spun, since it was simpler to maintain that than to retrofit the entire gravity system.

Part of what made it plain, to his eye, was the lack of colors. Everything was a brown that could be the material used, or a coating to protect against micro impact, or just because the Reoseph liked the color. He hadn’t studied any of the Federation species. Even if he hadn’t had much to do since losing his job.

“This is your captain,” Gralgiran’s voice came over the room’s intercom. “We are about to dock with Satura station. We will stay for eight days. Civilians, along with crew that aren’t on duty, have freedom to come and go as they please. Please remember to scan your bracelet on exit and entry. For those who don’t know Federalize, please ensure you remain with people who do. While the Federation does its best to accommodate all species, the shops and attractions are manned by people, and they might not have learned our language. Have a good time, everyone.”

“None of you are going to get in trouble over this, right?”

“I’m still on fourth shift,” Thuruk said. “So I have a full one before I’m expected in engineering.”

“You’d already approved my days of rest,” Prertiros said.

“You are lucky,” another of the technicians said. “The Engineer glowered the entire time he read over my reasons for having the day.”

“And we do not get in trouble,” a woman said snidely; one of Thuruk’s friend. “If trouble shows up, we will bring an end to it.” Others around them, including his friend, nodded. There was a sense of fighting competence about them that made him think they shared Thuruk’s second job.

“Are two sessions to learn Federalize really enough?” he asked. “It took six for me to learn Kelsirian.”

“To learn the complexity of our language,” Prertiros said. “Federalize’s easy compared to a naturally evolved tongue.”

“Just don’t try to have technical conversation,” Thuruk added. “It’s simple because it has nothing of that aspect.”

The shudder was fainter than Jeremy expected, considering how close they were to the airlock; and the docking clamps.

“If you want to talk shop with a technician from another species,” Prertiros said, “you are better off learning their language.”

“How does exiting work?”

“You heard the captain. Just scan your bracelet so they can keep track of who’s on the station,” a man said, another of Thuruk’s friend. The seven of them had introduced themselves, but considering the length of their names, and Jeremy’s inability to pronounce them, he hadn’t put much effort into remembering them. “It also ensures we don’t leave anyone behind.”

“Unless they deserve it,” another added.

“How does anyone deserve to be left behind?” he asked, worried about accidentally offending someone to the point the ship they’d do that to him.

“By breaking Federation law so badly they can’t be handed back to us to prosecution,” Thuruk said. “Not something that happens by accident.”

A sign over the airlock turned blue, then the hiss of heavy doors opening sounded. Dozens of doors like this were in the process of opening, Thuruk had explained. A ship like the bane, although it was the Traveler at this station, connected at multiple points along the dock to prevent clogging. At Einstein, he’d added, they’d only opened one because they weren’t allowed to board, and because it made for a more secure access. The animosity had implied possible aggressiveness they didn’t have to worry about here.

The catwalk from the ship to the station had windows through which he saw three other passages, with Kelsirians walking through them.

The outside’s plainness was carried through to the inside of the station. It reminded Jeremy of where the ship had docked at Einstein, except here it was crowded with people. Cargo was through other accesses.

“I’m hitting the Shongridy Markets,” one of Thuruk’s friend said. “Who’s with me.”

Some agreed, others mentioned other places they intended to go. When Thuruk looked at him, Jeremy shrugged. Without knowing what kind of place that market was, he had no opinion, so they went along.

    *

The market turned out to be deeper within the station. Jeremy had lost the sense of where anything was in the process of the first lift, when it had turned, and gravity had shifted. And there had been three more, along with a decent amount of walking. Reoseph practicality, it turned out, had no use for conventions of up and down when they had access to gravity technology.

The market was narrower than the promenade, but more crowded with people yelling about what they sold to everyone that walked by in more than Federalize. It seemed that every square centimeter that wasn’t a shop was occupied by someone selling something. It added to the chaos of so many species and so many people.

He recognized Kersosteran because they, too, were furred, although they wore more clothing, so it wasn’t always apparent. Their heads made him think of large dogs, or possibly bears, and brought to mind Querik’s comment about how every species could resemble an animal from his planet.

Or an insect.

The Ridoshi made him shudder and step away. All carapace, body in three segments, with six legs and six arms and triangular face he couldn’t place as any insect he’d seen before but that scream danger to him. Their speech came from a box attach to the body, and other than harnesses to hold items, they wore no clothing Jeremy could identify as such.

The Taournians, he’d seen images of before. And the most striking thing about the three individuals he saw was that nearly everyone kept away from them as much as the crowded space allowed.

“Don’t get close to them,” a woman said, before pulling him back with the group. “Thieves, the lot of them.”

There were other species, shapes and heights and they all mashed into a sense of alienness like he hadn’t thought he could experience. So he focused on the shopping.

Trinkets and tools and foods he was advised against trying. There was no telling how vendor food would affect him, since Earthers weren’t a species it had to be tested against. There were tools and adornments and clothing.

With so many species, with so many different needs, all kinds of clothing could be found, which included shirts and pants, and jackets that looked so much like human fashion, Jeremy had to ask, and he was told that it was.

Well, it wasn’t illegal for someone to print them, and as a species that wasn’t part of the Federation, there was an exoticness to humans that would appeal to the others, as Jeremy had experienced firsthand. He bought himself a few sets, and basic print files for each. He had no skill with clothing files, but one of the clothier on the ship should be able to work with them.

Purchases were sent directly to the ship, so they continued unencumbered.

Jeremy was the first to indicate he needed a break, and they made their way to a station eatery. It reminded Jeremy of those on the ship in that the room was large. Much larger even, and busy with people. All kinds of species, even other groups of Kelsirians he could tell weren’t from his ship because they had a … rougher look to them.

A difference was that they had to order their food, then go pick it up when the table informed them it was ready. The options included foods of every species, printed or prepared by cooks. He was surprised everyone at his table chose printed food, but they explained they didn’t feel like waiting. The cooks would only start preparing their meals when they placed the order, unlike the ship’s eatery, where there was always something ready to snag.

He ordered Kelsirian food, and the meal was jovial. The stories told confirmed that those with Thuruk were also hunters, and that they’d seen combat a few times. There was ribbing about his friend receiving special treatment from their Beta, but Thuruk shrugged it off when Jeremy asked.

He put aside concern his friend might be cheating on his mate and focused on the food and company.

The discussion had turned to them asking Jeremy about humans, and what Earth was like, and their culture, when a ruckus erupted further into the room. A table was on its side, rough looking Kelsirians were standing and one, gray furred and fidgeting, was backing.

 There was something immediately familiar about the man, his body language. “He’s in trouble.” Jeremy stood before the other protested, then he ignored them. “Xenial, what’s going on?” he called, and immediately realized he’d used the man’s short name and had spoken in English.

The quartermaster looked over his shoulder, was surprised, then grinned, then turned slightly serious, and faced the Kelsirian at the lead of the group.

“Mom, really?” he said. “Do you have to embarrass me in front of a friend?”

Jeremy decided there was no way he’d understood the exchange properly. Especially when he didn’t understand the reply at all. “Look,” he said in Federalize. “I’m sure—”

“Go away,” she ordered. “This doesn’t concern you.”

“I think that you threatening my ship’s quartermaster does concern me.”

“Aren’t we friends anymore?” Xenial asked in English, then smirked. Jeremy couldn’t tell if it was at his shocked expression, or the outrage in the other Kelsirian.

“You are on those things’s ship?”

“Well, you left me to die, mom. I wasn’t going to quibble over who got me out of that dung heap.”

“I left you to learn to respect me. You were gone when I returned.”

“Disappointed not to find my corpse?”

She snorted. “Like Xeniila Haran would ever let you out of his bed.”

“Unlike you, he knows how to treat me.”

She raised her hand.

“That’s enough,” Thuruk said, standing behind Jeremy.

“Go sniff somewhere else,” she told him and the others.

“We don’t let Ta’halans harass one of ours,” someone else said.

“Or anyone,” another added.

“Yours?” she demanded. While the Kelsirians with her looked eager for what was about to come.

“Oh, I’m sorry, mom. I never said the ship who picked me up was an Earther one. We just happen to have an Earther among the crew. I’ll have you noticed he used a shortened version of my name. You might have missed it, on account his pronunciation’s a little off.”

“Really?” Jeremy asked. “I don’t think that’s doing the situation any good.”

“It’s doing exactly what I want it to,” he replied in English, which only angered her further.

“You will rue the day I gave you birth.”

“Hunters!” Thuruk snapped, and Jeremy heard the people stand at attention.

“We are Hunters!” they recited as one. “We die, so others Live!”

Half the opposition took a step back, but they all looked concerned, except for the quartermaster’s mother. She was pissed.

“Consider the situation carefully,” Thuruk said. “Before engaging with us.”

“See, mom. I’ve made the right kind of friends.”

Outline section 

No outline

Addition 

The events on the station. Should only be 1 chapter, all in Jeremy’s PoV.

Addressing Jeremy learning Federalize. Had 2 or 3 days to learn the basics

If I can manage it, another scene of Jeremy reassuring Gral he’ll be faithful.

My initial plan for this was to move the entirety of the concepts of a later chapter here. Which included Jeremy’s first encounter with Humans within the federation(in the outline it would have been where Jeremy found out it was possible to still get coffee)

The conflict with the Ta’halan clan was an addition and time constraint made me decide to remove the humans so the chapters could be written the time I had available. And then realized that it also meant the other chapter with a space station could remain.

Xenial being on the ‘outs’ with his family (and yes, everyone there is a relative of his, a few siblings) was hinted way back, and this scene was planned just as far back. Quite please with the chapter, even if it’s rough around the edges.