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Worlds Away (runawayninja x Candira)

He nodded slowly and looked at her. "Well, I wonder how it is that our races are so similar. Regardless, it is a blessing, it's made adapting that much easier." His cheeks grew the faintest shade of rose at hearing about his new-found fame. "Oh...so a lot of people know about me already. I see, well, I suppose I'll have to be really careful with what I say, heh." He started to eat a bit faster, becoming somewhat self-conscious with his new status. "So what do you normally eat? I mean, these taste like...rations, I'd say. Filling, but according to my tongue and nose, not a Q'tarl's favorite thing to eat. And what about the ship, I'm curious. How is it powered? What is it made of?" He smirked. "What kind of damage can it do?"
 
"Well, we're just a transport ship, mostly just for carrying goods, but we've got a decent shield and what guns we do have pack enough of a punch to have most attackers think twice. I'm not really the right person to ask, though. Our engineering team would be the best for your questions about the ship. I can tell you some basics, though." She smiled and finished off her stew, wishing that it was, indeed, something else.

"As far as the food...well, it is rations. We'd been captives for so long that everything but the rations we'd packed for emergencies--mostly freeze-dried and dehydrated foods--were considered inedible. We may have stomachs of steel, but we don't like to test that." Cora stretched a bit and looked around her. "Hmm, doesn't look like any engineers are around right now. But I'll be happy to take you around the ship."
 
"That...raises another question." He looked at her with serious eyes, his hands folding in front of his mouth, leaning his hand against them, leaving the last few spoonfuls on his food, not that he really wanted to finish it. "The Bydo have been a mystery to us. I mean...I told you where they came from..." His voice was hushed for this part of the conversation. "But they do things we don't understand. Mysterious things. They captured your ship, but there's no trace of Bydo Infection on your ship or your people. What did they want? What did they do to you?"
 
"It's not really clear. I think they just wanted to control as many peoples and things as possible. Once it became clear that our genes could not be corrupted by them, they decided to try and use us another way." She frowned and tilted her head. "It's difficult to explain why they did it this way, but they used other methods of controlling us--namely using captured technology against us. We were forced to do whatever they asked of us." With a sigh, she looked up at him and said, "We were forced to aid them in many different ways."
 
"It's alright, at least you still survived." He smiled at her reassuringly. "No one can fault you for doing what you had to. You lived and your stories will be told, that's what's important." He set down the spoon, full, and tired of eating gruel. "So, you promised me a tour of the ship? I've seen quite a few so I hope this is impressive...this is my first time on an alien ship." He grinned cheekily.
 
"Actually, our ships are powered by the ancient trees of our home planet," she said with a smile. The very core of our ship is a habitat made to shelter and nourish the tree. They are sacred beings to our race, and I believe if you experience an encounter with one, you'll understand why," she said with a smile.

"The Jurai is merely a transport vessel, so we only need the power of a single tree. It is part of the reason our ship was difficult to capture by conventional Bydo means. At least, that's what we think at the moment. We hadn't had time to actually do research, and after all this, we're not sure we'd like to pick it up again." Cora led him out of the galley, into a corridor, explaining the purposes of various rooms as they went along. She took him through a few cargo holds and then proceeded to take him to the ship's engineering quarters. Here, several Q'tarl were roaming about, doing various checks and adjustments, getting readouts and calling out orders.

A tall, dark-skinned and silver-furred Q'tarl oversaw the entire process from a catwalk extending above the area. As Cora entered with Rafe in tow, the man smiled, his tail swishing with clear delight as he took in the site of his favorite medic and a stranger. It must have been the hero they'd rescued. Curious, the lively head engineer leaped down to meet them.

A deep accent-tinged voice boomed out to Cora, her ears twitching as she turned to face the head engineer of the Jurai. "Cora! Welcome! It has been so long since we've seen you here!" He wrapped her up in a friendly, just slightly possessive hug, lifting her off her feet just a little. Cora laughed and smiled in turn, returning his affection.

"It's so good to see you again, Sly. Our hero here wanted a tour of the ship, so I brought him to meet you. Rafe, this is Sly, our head engineer aboard the Jurai. Sly, this is the hero, Rafe."
 
Rafe looked a little red at that sentiment. "Hero is...a bit of a strong word. I honestly didn't think I'd return from facing the Bydo Core Ship, I though I was just...committing suicide. It was either that or watch Earth perish..." Switching topics, he smiled lightly, at the new Q'tarl. "Hello Sly, a pleasure. So...a tree powers the ship?" He scratched his head. "I've seen a lot of strange ship designs, but none that were powered by a tree. I mean...my ship was powered by a Bydo Egg, but it put out massive amounts of energy, and strange kinds as well, it made the unusual weapon designs on it possible. But...how do you get energy from a tree?" He was looking around for this so-called energy tree.

"And you said a transport only needs one...are you implying larger ships need more? How many trees are necessary for a...carrier or a battleship? Something with some serious punch."

He blinked and his eyes went wide with sudden realization. "My ship! My ship, was there anything left of it?! Could it be salvaged? What...what about the Bydo Egg that was in it?!" He seemed somewhere between hopeful and desperate.
 
Rafe's questions both amused and delighted Sly, the large Q'tarl guiding the pilot into the large space devoted to ship controls. Cora watched, pleased that the two seemed to get along well. She smiled, walking with the two of them as Rafe asked questions, seeking knowledge like a child. At his sudden alarm about his ship, she stopped them, putting her hand on Rafe's shoulder. "Your ship was pretty well destroyed when we saved you. The core burst and infected you, which is why you are a Q'tarl now. Very little, if anything, could have been salvaged. I'm sorry," she added, unsure about how he would take this news.

Before Rafe could dwell on it, Sly stole his attention away, explaining how the ship was powered and answering his other questions.
 
He sighed softly and nodded. "One becomes close to their craft is all. It was an experimental design, one of a kind, and it saw me through the battle. Best craft I ever flew, but it can't be helped now." He shuddered at the thought of being covered in Bydo goo, but it quickly passed as he learned about the power of the tree that was used as the engine of the craft. "So...where is the tree kept? I'm kind of interested in seeing it."
 
Cora nodded at his explanation, understanding completely. Though she'd been on many transports, the redhead found this particular ship the most comforting. It was her favorite to make voyages on. If something happened to the Jurai, it would be distressing in many different ways, one of which being the destruction of the great tree powering the vessel. His request to see Jurai made her smile. It was so true to his character. Of course he wanted to learn about the ship.

"The tree has its own special environment," she said.

"You cannot see it alone, but visiting the great tree should be alright. Be aware, friend, this is a sacred area. You must approach with reverence," he said cheerfully. Though his voice was solemn, there was still a clear verve for life and sharing new experiences in his eyes. "I will take you there with Cora. I cannot stay long, but I would like to pay my respects to Jurai."

Cora nodded and squeezed Rafe's shoulder. "Would you like to visit?"
 
Rafe nodded slowly. "It seems that I am Q'tarl as well, so I won't dishonor myself in such a fashion. I'll treat it as a shrine. If I may say, you seem to refer to these trees as more than just power sources...you revere them. Is there a religious aspect to this I should be aware of?" He looked behind him for a moment and slowly flexed his tail, giving a slightly satisfied smirk that he had, if only a little, more control over it than when he first woke up. "My tail seems a little more cooperative...I keep hearing and smelling weird things though, I don't know what they are."
 
Sly smiled and clapped his hand on the man's back. "That's just fine, friend. I'm glad you're getting the hang of your new senses. Q'tarl have a superior sense of smell and taste--even hearing! It makes us a great set of allies. Unfortunately, it can also be a hindrance. But if you're wondering what you smell down here--probably fumes from the energy conversion process."

Cora smiled at Rafe. "Actually, yes. The trees are sacred to us because of the knowledge and power they possess. The more ancient the tree, the more of a consciousness it has. Some can even communicate with the Q'tarl. I've never met one, but it's pretty rare to find one that old in commonly visited places on our home-world. Many ancient trees have given us seeds that grow quickly into the power sources for the ships we use. The Jurai is a descendent of an ancient tree with a consciousness. It is known as the holy tree Flagoom."

"If you wish, I'm sure that Jurai would love to meet you. After all, you freed our ship as well." With that, Sly and Cora flanked Rafe and started to walk with him toward the habitat chamber for the tree in question.
 
Rafe's feline ears perked up in surprise, matching his enlarging eyes. "Your trees...can gain consciousness? I can see then why you revere them so...I've never seen a tree that could think like that...well...not that I know of anyways." He followed her and slowly he started to understand better the relationship between the ship and the tree. "So...the ship is named for the tree? I suppose the loss of a ship is something a little more...personal for the Q'tarl then. I guess by comparison, my ship was just metal and plastic alloys."

Rafe began to feel a slight discomfort settling around his chest, but he took it for simple chest pains, as his body hadn't fully recovered yet. He absentmindedly rubbed his chest where it hurt.
 
Sly laughed at Rafe's expression and nodded with a good-natured smile. "Of course. Our trees are very special to us because of that, but so far as I know, earth trees have not developed consciousness in the same way. Then again, I haven't really researched the matter. I think the closest thing your planet would have to our ancient trees are bonzai, but they are a rare tree indeed!"

Cora shook her head. "It is a personal loss, but I imagine every ship means something to its pilot. It is always more important, however, to save the people over the ship." And then she noticed that he was rubbing his chest a bit. Concerned, she took a step closer. "Are you alright?"
 
He smiled and shook his head softly. "Don't worry about it, it's just a little pain. My body is sore all over." He slowly followed her into the tree's chamber, his eyes and ears alert for everything that he was about to see. He wanted to take it in, it wasn't often a hero stepped onto holy ground. He felt his throat tighten a bit, but he assumed it was merely nervousness.
 
Still, alerted to his pain, Cora watched him more carefully as she and Sly escorted him into the tree's habitat chamber. The tree glowed silver faintly, giving off its own life, the tree easily as big as tall as a skyscraper. The massive root system plunged into a huge slab of soil easily (and beautifully) irrigated by a circular water system. The design was aesthetically pleasing and efficient in bringing water to the great tree. The three of them stepped onto a platform together, pressing in close to fit there. The platform lit up and then levitated, floating around and toward the tree in a cyclical pattern. Above the tree strong lights shown down on the tree like a false sun.

"This is Jurai," Sly said breathlessly. The sight still awed him.
 
"Wow..." Rafe stepped forward, but his movements were limp and jerky. His eyes were straining. The beauty, despite his condition, left him without words. But soon, he realized something was very wrong. His legs were heavy, but still moving forward. His chest was growing tight. His breathing was labored and it was apparent something was wrong. "Cora...something's wrong...my...my heart..." He could hear his own unsteady heartbeat. And something else. In his vision he saw something...an eye...an alien eye.

His feet continued to stumble forward shakily. Then his arm flung out forward towards the tree. The skin began to crawl and lump together as the Bydo cells remaining in his system gathered in his hand and started to lump together in his hand as some strange organic mass, lurching forward towards the tree. "Cora! Sly! Stop me!"
 
Without a second thought, Sly gave Rafe a sharp blow to the back of the head that would have knocked out a man three times his size. "Cora?!"

She slammed the controls into reverse, bringing them back to the entrance they came from. The doctor immediately called for help to get Rafe back to the operating room. They needed analysis as soon as possible. The doctor looked down at her patient, obviously worried, Sly looking on, concerned as well.

"What's happened?"

"Something overpowered his Q'tarl DNA," She said with a frown. "It wasn't able to completely take him, but the remaining Bydo infection reacted to Jurai." She frowned, looking at her fellow crew member. "Sly...I'm not sure what to do." Frowning she stared down at Rafe as the computers in the room ran thousands of tests on his body and blood. Sly put his arm around her and shook his head. "You'll figure it out. He'll get better. It'll be okay," he murmured, trying to comfort his friend.

Cora frowned, reaching out to Rafe, a hand on top of his.
 
The Bydo cells that were in his arm were forming...a gun. An organic beam weapon that had been seen in Bydo fighters and ships. Sly's blow successfully disabled him and rendered him unconscious. The cells in his arm slowly dispersed back into his body.

Open examination of his body by their medical scanners, an interesting and curious thing was found. Bydo cells had gathered around his heart, hardening into a cyst. It was impeding the function of his heart, but it wasn't completely stopping it. He was alive but...was it making it hard for him to resist the Bydo cells...or was it protecting him?

Slowly, the cells around his heart began to disperse like the ones in his arm, but it took a few hours, where as the ones in his arm dispersed so fast, it was visible to anyone. After the cells had spread apart, he started to come around to consciousness again, his breathing getting deeper and his eyes beginning to flutter open.
 
The tests revealed a great many things to Cora as she watched over Rafe. One, that he was not out of danger, and two, that the Bydo cells within him were still active. Strange, since the rest of the threat seemed to have diminished or been eliminated when he'd destroyed the mother ship. Frowning, she examined the records of his sleep time, wondering what it meant and how she could free him from all this. The Bydo cells, apparently, did not like exposure to the great trees of the Q'tarl home planet. Obviously, they had considered it a threat. But they'd also seemed to have been harming their host by creating blockages around his heart. This was something she would have to work on. It became quite clear that she and Rafe weren't finished with each other just yet.

Sly had stayed for awhile to help comfort Cora and to watch over the hero. Clearly, his body was still a host for the Bydo within. It became clear to him that Rafe wouldn't be allowed into engineering again any time soon. It was too much of a risk--both for the ship, and for Rafe. Once the man's arm returned to normal, Sly excused himself, thinking things over on the walk back to his post. It wouldn't be long now before they reached the rendezvous point with the Arietti. He could get more help there. He had liked the hero, but he knew one thing. If Cora was in danger because of Rafe, there was no question about where his loyalties would lie.

In the medic bay, Cora looked up as the vital signs improved and smiled as she saw that he was coming to. This was going to be a hard one to explain. He wasn't going to like it at all.
 
Rafe's consciousness slowly returned. It took him a short while to realize where he was. He looked around and it came to him that he was in the medical bay of the ship. He groaned softly and rubbed his still sore chest. "What...what happened?" He slowly thought back on what happened and gasped, looking as if he had seen a ghost. "The tree! Cora is the tree ok?!"
 
Cora rushed over to him as he sat up, panicking. She put her hands on his shoulders as she sat on the edge of the bed. "The tree is fine," she said, looking him in the eye. "Sly took you out before the bydo cells were able to fully form anything. She frowned and let him go. "I'm so sorry this happened...I've failed." She shook her head. "But I swear I'm going to find a way to fix all of this. I promise you I'll do everything I can to make sure this never happens again." She stared at him, concerned for his health, afraid of what he might think of himself, afraid of what he might think of her. So for posterity, and because she thought it best to be honest, she told him everything she'd learned and what had happened.
 
Rafe moved to a sitting up position and looked down at himself, dressed at the moment only in undergarments. He looked at his hand, the hand that had exploded out in a mass of growth. He looked at it, front and back before he rested the hand on his knee, looking thoughtful. "I had a dream. I was...in my fighter. Was it my fighter? I think it was...I'm not sure. I was...in the Bydo Core ship...I was...but I wasn't. It was...much larger inside than it was on the outside." The Bydo Core Ship was huge compared to what his fighter had been, it was several miles long. "It...felt like entering the Core Ship...took me somewhere else in this dream. The...Bydo Abyss. The empty basic matter that the Bydo spawn their young from...I was in it. Flying through this...thick brown mass. Fighting off the defenders. I saw the background of the Abyss...it...looked like..." His eyes glazed over as he strained to focus, to summon up the dream once more. He looked like he wasn't staring at anything in particular, he was staring not at the wall ahead of him, but beyond it.

"I've heard...the insides of Bydo ships have...weird, strange imagery. Earth isn't sure why or what causes it, but...I saw...in the background of the Bydo Abyss...I saw a pair of darkened shapes. A...couple. A human couple. Embracing...making love...I...I don't know what it means. The Bydo DNA is so similar to ours...maybe there's something there. I...don't know what to make of it." He laughed only once, a shaky, unsure laugh. "After...after I destroyed the core, in the dream...there was no where to go. Just...floating aimlessly in the midst of the Bydo Abyss...lost..." He shuddered and hugged himself firmly. "I didn't like it..."
 
She listened to him, a bit disconcerted by what he was saying. "Well, that would be distressing," she said. "Maybe you should keep a dream log when things like this happen. Your subconscious may be trying to piece together what happened to you..." As she saw him hug himself, she couldn't help but notice how small and frail and alone he seemed. So she put her arms around him, hugging him close and letting her head rest on his shoulder. "It's alright now. You're here with me, and I promise I'll do whatever I can for you."

The need to comfort him stayed within her as he dealt with what had just happened. She would stay there as long as he wanted her to.
 
The dream had disturbed him deeply and it showed. "I...Cora, if I show anymore signs that I'm going to endanger this ship or anyone in it...you can't let that happen." He turned to her, his eyes full of conviction and fear. "I'd rather be flushed back into space than to harm anyone here after the kindness you all have shown me." He looked at his hand again. "Is there no way to remove them? Are they..." He cringed. "Am I going to become like...one of them?"
 
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