Worlds Away (runawayninja x Candira)

"Well, we're always in need of workers, Rafe. I'm sure you could easily find work with us. We're mostly traders, and often we go out in caravans to do so." She smiled at him. "If you've experience as a pilot, learning to pilot our craft should be fairly easy. You'd have plenty of work. And if you're in the mood to fight, we do have various sports and competitions that draw on strength and strategy."

At this she paused and considered his question. "Well, I'm a doctor. When caravans head out, I'm a medic aboard the ships that need me. When I'm waiting for jobs I'm a researcher. I've done quite a bit of gene therapy for my research as well, so you can rest assured you've got one of the very best to help you out."

"I hope you're better at it than us. We tried genetic modification for military purposes and it turned into a civil war. The Eugenics Wars were, we thought, a war to end all wars. Weapons of vast destruction, the Neo-Humans they called themselves, forced us off of Earth and it took a century of conflict to retake it. They almost destroyed it rather than surrender it and we had to execute them to the last to stop the resistance. But that was before the Bydo..." His face tensed. "I guess we never learned anything...do you know where they come from? The Bydo?"

The neko frowned. "I had heard something of that nature had happened on Earth. Our research was aimed solely at helping people heal using our DNA to speed the process. We've had a good deal of success. Fortunately, we had no war over the things we'd done, but there were those patients who'd volunteered that regretted the treatments. They never really got used to the changes..." she looked down for a moment, clearly ashamed of what her research had done to those poor people.

"In any case, you needn't worry for your health. In terms of the Bydo...we know fairly little about them, actually. Most research was done on the Bydo once the people on this ship were captured. Some of us are catching up on that reading now. Still, it seems our knowledge is limited at best. Do you?" Curious she watched him now, unsure of what he was getting at.

"The Bydo come from us. From humans...in the twenty-sixth century. At least, that's what we theorize from the information we've gathered. In the twenty-sixth century, we will come to war with an extremely advanced alien civilization...for some reason, we used extreme genetics research to create a biological and technological weapon. One capable of growing, learning, spawning it's essence not just over clones, but over vast fleets and defense networks, able to remotely command and control it's minions. Not only that, it can subsume organic and technological material and...create more Bydo from it. It's like...ants and bees and wasps. Workers, soldiers, specialists, they're all different types, but they work together. Bydo come in all forms...fighters, heavy bombers, those huge monstrosities. Each one seems a little different...but...they're all spawned from the Bydo Core. And they all share human DNA.

"For some reason, the Bydo turned in the humans of the twenty-sixth century...so they unleashed a great and terrible weapon, tearing space asunder and banishing the Bydo to another dimension. The Bydo called it Dimension Twenty-Six...something twisted them even further in there...but they tore out. In the twenty-second century. A hundred years ago, for the First Bydo War." He looked at her. "But if I'm still here and still remember all this...that means...it still happens in the future."

Cora frowned and considered what he'd just told her. Earth--humans--had created the Bydo as a weapon with a mind of its own--never a good thing, in her opinion. Science such as this was forbidden on all Q'tarl worlds, stations, and ships. And it was forbidden for a reason--exactly this eventuality. Surprise dulled her other feelings--bitterness, anger, pity for the humans who had essentially done this to themselves. But it wasn't just their race who suffered now. It was all areas the Bydo had managed to infiltrate. For a long moment, she didn't speak, just soaking it all in, her tail twitching now and then as she thought about it.

"Well, that just means that whoever created the Bydo in the future hasn't been stopped yet. If, in the future, humanity has learned from what happened here and now, then they will not create them, correct?" Sighing, she thought it over again. "I hate time travel. It raises too many complex questions. I went into genetics not temporal transport. I can tell you this, however. It's very likely that this problem won't be erased so easily. It's possible that the only way to have defeated your other enemy was to create the Bydo, and the only way to defeat them was to send them to an alternate dimension. Whether or not we want it to happen, it might anyway. It's unfortunate, but I see little that we can do about it right now. By the time it actually happens, we'll both be dead."

Cora stood up and took his tray from him, now that there was no food left at all. "You should rest for now. Your body still needs to recover and frankly, you've had a trying day to say the least. I'm just going to get these out of your way. If you need me before I come to check on you again, please just use the comm link and I'll be here." With that, she smiled and left him to his thoughts, wondering just how much blame he was piling onto himself for something he'd had no control over.

Rafe slowly laid down upon the bed, his body craving rest now. He sighed softly and closed his eyes, letting sleep overtake him.

Hours, almost a half-day later, Rafe gasped out, having broken out in a cold sweat in his sleep as he bolted upright awake, clutching his heart. He looked over himself, feeling himself as if to see if he was really there, really himself. Something had put raw terror into himself and certainly if someone were recording his vitals, they'd be alerted to the elevated heartbeat and the high blood pressure.

Cora had already rested up and dressed again by the time Rafe awoke in his cold sweat. Since she was on duty, she was alerted to the spike in his heartbeat and blood pressure. Thanks to the superior speed of the Q'tarl, she was in the infirmary just an instant later. Of course, it helped that she'd only had to run down the hallway. "Rafe?!" She entered his private room and immediately came to his side. The pretty neko came to his side and checked his vitals, looking him over.

"What's the matter, Rafe?" she asked, slowly realizing that the pain wasn't physical, by any means.

Rafe's eyes were wide and couldn't blink a single time, each time they blinked twice or three times, as if they were shaking as well. His hands couldn't be steadied. He looked traumatized, a wave of utter horror washing over him. "There...th-there was...a Bydo on my face...this...mass of slime with...a single eye...I thought it...it...was trying...to get into me. It was...pulling me into the Bydo Abyss...in the Core Ship...down...down...oh god, there was...it went on forever..." He started to sob into his arms. "I thought it was real...it...felt so real!"

Cora put her arms around him as he shook, if for no other reason than to assure him that the dream was simply that. Trauma like this would take awhile to get over, and she doubted that he'd be able to shake it off easily. Still, for now, she kept him close to her, gently rubbing his shoulders. "You're safe now, Rafe. It was just a dream," she murmured softly. For now, he needed to just come back to reality slowly. He needed someone to sit with him and talk him down. But soon he would need a distraction of some kind.

"You've been through a lot lately. It makes sense that you'd have a nightmare. But that's all it was, Rafe. Just a dream." She kissed one of his furry ears, knowing that it soothed her as a child when her parents did so after a bad dream. "Feel what you need to feel, and I'll be right here if you need me," she said softly.

Rafe nestled against her, trying to steady himself. "It didn't feel like a dream...it felt too real...I can...feel it's tentacles wrapped around my head." He shuddered softly, now trying to forget it instead of trying to remember. "I can't stay in this room anymore, I need to get out..." He pulled from her and stood up, looking around. "Is there somewhere else we can go?"

She let him get up and saw that his body was already healing quite nicely. The sleep had done wonders for him, but he wasn't quite up to par for a Q'tarl yet. "Of course." She smiled and then found a robe for him to wear over the hospital gear they'd given him. "First, let's find you something a little nicer to wear, huh? Then we can get you something to eat and take a nice walk around the ship. Have you ever been in a Q'tarl ship?" she asked, waiting for him to get ready.

It seemed as though he wanted to distract himself from the nightmare already. So be it--he would have his distractions. Cora was more than happy to accompany him. He was a hero and someone who needed her help. Who was she to turn him down? When he had the robe on and made it across the room without trouble, she decided he was well enough to get the exercise anyway.

He shook his head slowly. "No, never..." He still seemed distraught, but he also seemed eager to put his mind at ease and work on other things. He was genuinely interested in the workings of the ship and seeing it over. Rafe knew practically nothing about these people or their way of life. "I'd like to know more, though. I don't know anything about what it is to be a Q'tarl..." He slipped the robe on as she looked at him expectantly and he walked towards her. "I am a bit hungry too...are Q'tarl's always hungry...? It feels like I want to eat a lot..."

Cora laughed and took his hand in hers. "Let's get you clothes first, then we'll get you some food. We're not always hungry, but we have a fierce appetite. Our bodies have a naturally fast metabolism because we utilize our energies in different ways and we use more than humans or other creatures." She smiled and led him along to what appeared to be a storage room. "As far as learning about the Q'tarl, I'll be more than happy to help with that. It'll help fill up the time."

With that, she let go of his hand and took a good look at him, circling him. "Hmmm...I think these should fit." She walked to a shelf and pulled a few garments from the stacks there. "Go ahead and change into these. I'll just be outside the door. You can leave the pajamas in there when you're done." She smiled at him and then left the room, closing the door behind her.

He let her lead him, trying to distract his mind from what he had dreamed about. He looked at her for a moment and then at the new clothes. "Hmm..." He slowly stepped into the storage room and shut the door, slowly stripping down. "Well I suppose that makes sense. I keep hearing and smelling all sorts of things that I can't identify...it kinda makes it hard to sleep when I can't tune them out. I hope that passes..." He started putting on the firm and snug black bodysuit and the accessories that came with it. A pair of metallic boots, a wrist bracelet with a few lights on it, a metallic belt that seemed to match the bracelet, and some soft of earpiece that clipped onto one of his cat ears. He stepped out and looked at her. "This is...different." He stretched a bit. "Light and comfy though...so...where to now? And what does all this stuff do?"

She smiled at him once he came out of the storage closet. He looked amazing in the suit, accessories included. "Looking sharp, Rafe. Well, let's see if I remember--the belt is pretty much just a belt, but it can also read your vitals to help us find out if you need assistance. The ear piece is a communicator and translator, and the bracelet can control different settings for the equipment." She smiled and showed him how each piece worked. "I'm glad you like the clothes at least. Now, let's get some food in you and then I'll give you a tour of the ship." With that, Cora smiled and offered her hand to him, wondering if he'd take it or not.

Rafe looked at Cora for a moment as he started to follow her, forgetting about his angry stomach for the time being. "You're awfully kind to someone you hardly know. For all you know, I might be...aggressive, selfish, maybe even destructive. How do you know I won't harm you or the others here? How do you trust me so readily?" He absent-mindedly scratched his arm as he followed her. He looked at the device on his wrist and smiled. "Reminds me of the wrist-comps we had on Earth. A whole computer on your wrist...I mean it wasn't anything amazing, you get news, communication, entertainment...doctors have an analysis and advice tool on their wrist, military have someone more tactical...I suppose if you're around anything long enough, you get used to it."

Cora blinked as she walked, staring at him. "I know what I need to know," she said with a shrug. "Personally, I don't think I've any reason to fear you. I was more worried about you, than I was about myself. I owe you my life, and treating you otherwise would bring myself and my race a great dishonor." She shrugged and then kept walking with him. His comments about the earth technology he had made her smile.

"We tend to take our technology for granted until we are without it," she said with a smile. "Our technology isn't terribly different from yours, but we found that splitting the processes up helped to keep things small, and this way if something is damaged, all the other components work."

"Well I only hope I can prove to be helpful in some way...I'm not used to being cared for and not being able to help out. I was in the military and there's always something to do. If you're not flying, you could be practicing. If you're not running a drill, you could be exercising. If you're not in a class, you could be reading about tactics or more about your craft. There's always some way to improve yourself...but right now, all sore and banged up, all I can do is heal...it's...slightly annoying."

He chuckled about her technology. "On Earth, they way you make sure something still works is with redundancies and fail-safes. If something breaks, there are ten replacements or substitutes."

"Well, there's nothing physical you can really do, but I can help you learn about the Q'tarl, if you're interested. It should help take your mind off of the trip. We should be at our rendezvous point soon enough. Once we're there, we can get you a bit more acclimated and put you through some rehab." Cora smiled at him and stopped at the end of the corridor, opening up the door to the mess hall. A group of Q'tarl were eating at one of the tables, and about three others were actually working in the galley.

"Well, humans are nothing if not prepared," she said, acknowledging the merits of their systems. "But they don't normally eat as much as Q'tarl, so that will take some getting used to. Eat slowly, but eat until you're full. We've plenty to hold you until we reach the main ship."

With that, she walked him over to the galley and got two large bowls of the stew that was being offered. It was palatable, but not particularly tasty. She sat down with him at a nearby table, happy to be able to help in any way.

Rafe nodded intently. "I think I should learn about you and yours...I mean...I suppose I am a Q'tarl as well now. It's just hard not to think of myself as human." He looked down at his hands, back and forth. "What did you say the name of this ship was? And what ship are we meeting up with?" It had been a long time since he didn't know exactly what was going on. It was disorientating. But then the galley opened up and his nose detected the not-so-subtle scent of food. He started to move slowly towards the heavy scent. When Cora served him the gruel, looked at it for a moment. "Are Q'tarl supposed to eat this? My nose is giving me mixed signals..."

Cora chuckled at his misapprehension. "Well, it's not ideal, but it will fuel you until we get something better. It's not gonna be perfect at all, but you need the nourishment." She thought for a moment, not sure what to answer first. "Well, you're aboard the ship Jurai. We're rendezvousing with the Arietti--the main ship of our fleet--later today. What would you like to know about us, Rafe?"

He started to eat, glancing down at the others for a moment between bites. His mouth told him the food was passable, but his stomach told his mouth to shut up and eat. He got a few spoonfuls in before he started to speak again. "Well...how did you get this far? I mean...how did your people unite without destroying each other? On Earth...we went through four world wars, a nuclear holocaust, and nearly brought about our own destruction. Our wars spread into space...truly, it was the Bydo Invasion that united us. We only joined together to vanquish a common enemy...how did your people manage to come together?"

"Well, our society has its own problems. There have been wars and coups and all sorts of problems planet-side. But our planet is relatively rich with resources. Once we found out we had what others needed, we became a society of merchants, warriors and diplomats. Our sciences are focused mostly on medical accomplishments, communications, and travel. We explore, we trade with most other worlds, and more." She thought for a moment, wondering how to condense the knowledge even more. "Hmmm...I'm not sure if I can explain all you need to know. I can give you some history books to read, if you like. I'll serve mainly as your guide once we rendezvous with the Arietti."

He smiled a bit. "It sounds like you and yours are capable of great empathy. I would like to read of your history...ummm..." He looked around. "How many people know about me? Is there a certain way I should act? Or things I shouldn't do? Any little...social nuances that I should know about?" His tail seemed to be swishing about back and forth, giving away his state of alertness and alarm. He wasn't afraid, more like on edge. He was feeling a bit isolated with only her in his corner to help him out.

"All of the Q'tarl aboard the ship know about you, and about what you've done for us all. We don't forget our debts," Cora said with a little smile. "Just be yourself. For now, you don't really have to worry about how to act. The main ship will be a bit different--you'll encounter more diversity there. We are, however, a very honor-bound race. I would recommend keeping little slights to a minimum." She smiled and shrugged. "It's just as it would be with humans, really."