'Of Future Heroism' - Redux - Pt.2 Always The Outsider

[silentWitness]

'Of Future Heroism' - Pt.2 Always The Outsider - Version: Redux

It had only been a few Wozura since I left the Paranid school and I still remember the excited jubilation during the rite of priesthood. Especially how the Priest Duke wept as his son received the EmproXeres, the highest honour given to any student priest. How he broke every rule in the book of commandments and pulled me up onto the dais to receive my award. My very presence in the temple was a testament to how they had come to trust me. The ceremony itself had been an expensive affair taking up a large proportion of the stations profit.

I never realised how isolated I had become, or how much the Paranid care for their children outside the confines of the teaching habitat, the rest of the station was in a very tidy state of degradation. Most of the trading stations cargo bay was empty due to the recent economic crash that had brought the Paranid Empire to its knees. But despite this everyone kept up the pretence of wealth, as if nothing had happened... I felt sad to leave such a proud people, but I had a long trip to reach Argon Prime and it had been a long time since I travelled outside the confines of the trading station.

I had forgotten how different I am and how people stare at me with a mixture of fear and disgust. Their eyes probing me, their whispers, children can be cruel, but it cannot compare to that of the cruelty of adults... I spent most of my time looking out of the window fascinated by the changing landscape. As I walked to the refreshment centre I heard a wolf whistle, a group of young argon men making their way towards me... I try my best to cover my overtly split physique but my waist is almost impossibly small compared to the voluptuous Argon girls... I'm Argon enough to attract men but then there's always some part of my split genes that will show up just when it's not wanted...

I tied my hair into a pony tail to hide where my spine meets my brain stem with three large bumps... "Hey Darl'in" I didn't turn round... suddenly I felt his hand on my shoulder, pulling me round to face him. "Get off me" my voice squeaked with fear... "Come on Darl'in all I want is a little kiss!" he pulled my face towards his, he looked into my eyes, all of a sudden I saw his expression turn from one of desire to one of disgust, my eyes always give it away, more than any of my 'alien' features... this automatic rejection hurt... more than his fist hitting my stomach... more than the pain I felt when my face hit the deck plating... A little purple blood seeped onto the deck... my own... The martial had reacted quickly subduing the youths... a cabin attendant helped me to my feet and healed my wound but some wounds can't be healed... I tried my best to sleep for the rest of the journey.

As I stepped off the gantry I was immediately swept away by the bustling crowds of the Argon trading station. It was both frightening and exiting all at once with bright neon signs illuminating the entrances of the colourful shops and restaurants that dominated the promenade. I quickly ducked into a shop, to my pleasure it was a clothes shop, an Arganu hide jacket quickly caught my eye, I was just about to barter with the argon lady when I heard someone shouting my name "Tikerin!" I turned to see a man dressed in a military uniform waving from the door. Squeezing our way through the crowd we made it through a door just off the main thoroughfare... he shouted to me as we walked "We're so glad you decided to come here and speak with us! Did you have a good trip?"

The door closed with a resonant clunk, "It's wonderful to be back, I can't believe how much everything has changed!" a confused look spread across the mans' face and suddenly I realised my mistake having replied in Paranid. Repeating my reply in Argon, "It's nice to be here!" He gave me an understanding smile and led me into a briefing room but I still felt embarrassed by my mistake. The room itself was cold and formally laid out with much of the illumination coming from spot lights overhead.

On the other side of the table sat a Boron, to my mind a strange creature, and it was like nothing I had ever seen before! It wore a black environment suit with what I can only describe as a fish bowl on its head. The liquid inside partially obscured its face. A speaker on the front of the bowl projected its voice into the room "Welcome, please sit! It's is an honour to have you here with us" I gave him a smile, as I tried to make out his face.

"Now let's get down to business! Her majesties government, being of sound judgement and firm beliefs, has asked myself, the right honourable Oula Wou to act as a representative in these matters." Turning to the Argon who had sat down beside me I whispered, "When does he get to the point?"

He gave a wry smile and replied, "Oh not for a while yet!" The Boron moved his head which stirred eddies of ammonia in the fluid making it look like a blizzard inside the bowl before responding. "I can see that my brief introduction is wasted on you so I'll get strait to the point!" With that he moved the large stack of data boards to one side. "The Boron government wishes to procure your services in exchange for your expertise at obtaining information on the Split. Particularly with regards to their economic strength and credit reserves since the collapse of the..."

I tried not so sound sceptical with my reply but failed miserably, "So let me get this straight you want me to join the Boron secret service?"
Oula Wou scowled at me and muttered something about the Split, which made my blood boil "well not so much as join Her Majesties Secret Service more." The Boron paused as he chose his words, "Liaise with us on a purely informal basis only."
The Argon turned and whispered in my ear, "He wants you to spy on the Split and see what they know about the Khaak". I hesitated for a moment... wonder what Khaak could relate to...
"But why me?" The moment I said it I knew I shouldn't have opened my mouth...

Well! Now I'm working for the Boron and I couldn't help but smile to myself. Having never been able to pass myself convincingly off as wholly Argon, it amused me to wonder what ever made them think I would have any more luck being a Split. The Boron had given me a ship. It was an Eel not like the new Barracuda ships which had just come on the market, but as one who had never flown before I could not believe my luck in being given an M3. Though they had decided to gave me a crash course in piloting a ship.

The instructor strapped himself into the fight chair next to me. "Ok could you set your thrusters to neutral and start you're vehicle please" The engines hummed into life as I looked through a small viewing window, caught between the two huge engine housings, I could see what was in front of me but little else! "Now with both hands on the wheel, request the release of the docking clamps and gently ease the ship forward."

The engines whined as the Eel moved forward and rapidly accelerated from zero to eighty in only a few Sezura. The ship flew away from the docking bay like a bullet, and the instructor screamed desperately trying to apply the emergency stop. The Split inside of me can't help itself... I open the throttle again to feel the rush. Fortunately as I graze the substructure inside the docking bay the exit gateway comes into view and with only a twitch of my hand we shooting past Dolphin freighters at 147 mps. The gate had little time to react but my own reactions were better and fly through the opening doors with hardly enough space to let an Octopus through!
In my inexperienced keenness and adrenaline rush I pushed the throttle further. The ship responds disappointingly and a part of me begins to realise what I've just done. I glance at the Instructor, his tentacles firmly placed over his eyes inside the bowl.
"What's next?" I ask with an air of cheerful optimism.
The instructor screams, "AUTO DOCK!!!!!"
I hit the control, "docking computer active"
Eventually I mustered up an embarrassed smile to ask, "Did I pass?"

[pixel]

lol made me laugh - the dock departure

one thing - your not you're

looks like the action is fast approaching

[Hans Vandebos]

great read, although sometimes a wee hazy on details...


Better than anything I can write though

[KiwiNZ]

good one

flying lesson ... thank god for those docking computers

did you intentionally write 'wheel' and not 'stick'? I know, it is all hypothetical

[silentWitness]

yes... if you remember back in X-T... When you'd bank or turned a little contraption in the cockpit would do so too!!! It's not a flight stick... so It must be a flight wheel!!!