Anarchy

Fear and Friendship

Back in the slow-moving Artemis Pass, Helix continued its rotation. Though the planet itself was nothing but a collection of space rock now, the nebula at its core remained intact, creating a dull gravity that kept the largest of the asteroids moving in a slow, circular motion.

Inside Helix, humming while he ran multiple scans at the same time, Axel sat on a stool in his workroom. Bent over a brightly lit table with his tools, he pulled the telescopic headset down and soldered another piece into place. As he finished, he sat straight and set the new project on the stabilizer to test it.

“Ah, perfect resonance.”

Taking it back off, he gently laid it down and set the other one up. Satisfied that his work was complete, he inserted the implantation pieces into their tiny capsules. They were no bigger than a small button battery, but they were encoded with over a thousand different languages, contexts, and dialects.

He ruffled his tail feathers as he stretched out his wings. Slipping off the stool, he walked over to the door, his talons clicking like a metronome against the metal floor. Unlocking the door, he waited for it to slide open.

The case in his hand flew into the air as he squawked in shock. “What the…”

There, waiting on the other side, was the Weaver. Her six eyes sparkled as she sat in the corner and watched him. One of her arms moved, and he jumped, dropping the case without meaning to. A stream of white silk shot out, catching the case before it hit the floor as she pulled it into her own hands.

Cautiously stepping forward, she gently put the case on the floor in front of the Avian. “I helped friend?”

Friend?

“You are a predator,” Axel said, his eyes widening to show the whites. It was something that only happened when he was legitimately terrified.

Her mandibles stopped clicking, her eyes taking on a wet gleam as she processed the words he spoke. Looking down at her hands, her body lowered to the floor as she backed from him on all eight limbs. “N-not friend? I… I promise not to hurt.”

Axel blinked, his train of thought temporarily derailed as she lowered her head, tucking it under one of her main arms. Dumbstruck by how truly innocent the weaver was, he tentatively took a step toward her. Reaching out a trembling, three-fingered hand, he touched her short-haired body with one talon.

She was warm, the natural carapace of her body now hardened into a brand new exoskeleton that held no cracks or remaining defects from the abuse she’d suffered. The tiny body shook a little as he dragged his talon over her head.

Solara’s wandering eyes locked on him, and he could see the fear and hope warring in the dark depths. Axel winced, his heart hurting for the first time in a long time. “You want to be friends? With me? Why?”

“We are the same size,” she looked him up and down. “And it is fun to play with you. Talis says I am just a child. Just playing, not hungry. Do you have berry bars?”

“Berry bars?” He asked, taking a step back. “What’s that?”

Her mandibles clicked excitedly, the sparkle returning to her eyes as she sat back and waved her hands. “Little blocks, but food. It tastes like berries. I like the berry ones.”

“You mean ration bars? Dried blocks of food used when we travel or if fresh supplies runs low?” He pressed, now more fascinated than afraid.

The clicking slowed down as she tilted her head. “Um… I think yes… I like them lots.”

‘This is oddly… fascinating…’ Axel thought as he laid his hand flat against her head. She leaned into it, delighted by the attention she was receiving. “I know where to find them. Better yet, the Terran man has a hydroponics room for fruit he enjoys.”

“Yum,” she said, turning in a circle. She was clearly enamoured by the prospect of real fruit. Indicating the case, she scowled. “What is that?”

Taken aback by the curious child Weaver, Axel picked up the case from where she’d placed it on the floor. “Its translation devices for you and the other girl, Azrael.”

“Oh! Pretty girl I made blanket for?”

He nodded as he backed from her. “Yes, that’s right.”

Waiting until he was a few feet ahead of her, Solara quietly stood to her full height on two legs, and followed him down the maze of halls.

When he turned, still slightly anxious about her being at his back, she stopped, and stared at him. It was as if she understood that he was a prey species and that he wasn’t used to her. “What are you doing?”

“Follow the leader,” she chirped, her hands clapping twice as she gave him what passed for a smile. “Weaver game. I let you lead, and I follow to the berries.”

He blinked, his brows drawing together as he tilted his head from side to side. “You’re following me for… for food?”

“Uh-huh,” she answered. “You said Terran has fruit. You bring me?”

‘What the heck have I gotten myself into?’ he thought as he let out a breath and continued to the medical bay. “I need to deliver this to Talis first. I didn’t know you could walk upright.”

“I can walk on two or four or eight. Two is normal. More is for faster stuff and going up walls.” She answered, eager to explain her species in her own words. “I can climb with four or more, and use my hands to weave in corners.”

Axel thought about it for a moment, his beak knocking as he calculated under his breath. “So the more appendages you walk on, the faster you can move and climb?”

“Uh-huh!”

It had been almost a week since Trykerius and Novidia returned. He’d been quiet since then, hardly his usual joking self as he repainted the hull of his ship. Pressing a button on his arm band, Axel activated the communication device. When the holographic image of the docking bay appeared, Axel cleared his throat.

“Hey, Ax. What’s up?”

“You’re not yourself lately. Might want to come clean soon, though. Novidia’s been asking me to dig into your unknown past.” The Avian said dryly.

Dragging his hands through his hair, the Terran sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I know, and I will. On my own time. Maybe this evening, considering Jagger intercepted another transmission from the military training base.”

“Cool, cool. Strange request, but are any of the strawberries you were growing ripe yet?”

Blinking at the bird-like alien, Trykerius frowned for a moment. “Yeah, and I got some other fruit that’s ready to pick. Why do you ask?”

“The Weaver asked for it, actually. She’s hungry and asked repeatedly for the berry-flavoured ration bars,” Axel replied, turning another corner as he continued toward the med bay.

Going quiet for a moment, Trykerius nodded slowly. “I’ll gather some while you and Talis get those implants done. Did you manage to remove the old implant in Azrael yet?”

“No, not yet. Talis needs to surgically remove it. As soon as he has it out, I’m taking it apart to get an actual read on it.” His feathers rustled, agitation rippling through his body. Glancing over his shoulder, he noted that the Weaver child was still following him at a distance of nearly five feet.

Trykerius hummed, turning to tighten a loose bolt. “Okay, well, I’m going to finish this, then I’ll go grab the fruit.”

“Great,” Axel replied. “We’ll be in the med bay.”

“Gotcha,” Trykerius said before cutting the call.

Minutes later, Solara ran ahead of him and put one of her main hands over the biometric reader. It blinked red, the mechanical voice denying her access. Turning back to Axel, she clicked her mandibles quietly. “Why it not open? Did I do it wrong?”

“You’re not registered to the system. I’ve… I’ve been avoiding you.” He admitted, watching her face fall.

“You don’t like me?” She asked sadly.

Waving his hands, his feathers rustling loudly in the otherwise quiet hall, he shook his head. “No, it’s not that! I just… I’m a prey species. Predator species scare me until I get used to them.”

“But I’m little!” She protested, stomping her once broken leg in frustration. “I just want to be friend.”

His feathers turning a pale brown, he sighed heavily. Dropping his head, he didn’t see the Katzenfurg watching from the shadows at the other end of the corridor. “I know that now. Um… hey, why don’t… Why don’t we start over?”

Rubbing the thick clear fluid that pass for tears in her species from her face, she sniffled. Looking at him, she frowned. “Start over?”

“Great job, bird brain. You made a kid cry,” Novidia said as she approached. Shaking her head in disappointment, she dropped to all fours and padded over to the Weaver child. Bumping her head against the child’s shoulder, the Katzenfurg let out a soft, low purr.

“I’m sorry,” Axel said, discomfort seeping into his heart. “Solara, my name is Axel.”

She sniffled again, repeating his name slowly. Four of her arms wrapped themselves around Novidia’s soft, furry body. Her eyes peered at him over the fur of Novidia’s back, and he winced at the pain in her eyes. “I just wanted you to be my friend.”

Pulling up the programming page for the hand scanner, Axel offered her one taloned hand. “Come here. Let me add you to the system.”

“Should have done that ages ago,” Novidia snapped with a small growl.

Snapping his beak at her, he guided the Weaver through the motions. Holding her hand steady over the pad, it scanned her with a blue light until it beeped green. “There, now you can open it whenever you need to.”

Jumping up and down as she clapped with child-like excitement, she darted forward and hugged the Avian, careful not to squeeze too tightly.