"We have a problem sir. We found the hostage. She looks safe but.... there is an human with her. He is hurt and his translator is broken, but he seems to have protected the hostage, and continues to do so. The fact is that he doesn't want to leave her alone, and she doesn't want to leave him too. And he kind of scares our man." -- Anon Guest
Humans. Some were aggressive. Enough to make Havenworlders like the Graacil extremely cautious about encounters with all of them. It didn't matter that not all Humans were like that. What mattered was that enough were like that that it made the Graacil extremely cautious.
Forx'gn briefly pondered the likelyhood of a pleasant outcome from sending a message home that read, The Princess is safe, but also in grave danger. It would not fly well. They would have to wait for field reports until such time as he had something clear to report.
Logic, though it was always a means of being wrong with authority, could help them. One: The Human was clearly in protector mode with the Princess Grigri. Two: communication would be limited to unmistakable action or plausibly confusing pantomime. If they could manage a way to be understood... Three: both sides had their face plates obfuscated for space travel. Reading expressions was right out.
Fox'gn sighed. "I'm the leader of this fleet. This is my fault. My responsibility." If I have fucked up further than anyone in history, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants... "Therefore, it is my duty to see this through."
It took bravery to enter an area with a Known Savage armed only with a medkit. It took genuine bravery to approach a wary Deathworlder with all armaments to his livesuit clearly open and clearly vacant. Forx'gn almost bolted when the human started upwards. He took a step back.
Clear and unmistakable action. Not forward momentum. That was what would win the day.
Forx'gn wielded the medkit like a shield. Let the human see the symbols for medical aid on its side. He put it down, showing empty hands and kicked it towards the pair.
The Human picked it up without moving one of his feet away from the Princess. Opened it and checked inside.
"Any this you needing?" he said in GalStand Simple. Muffled by his livesuit, he was barely audible to Forx'gn.
Four: Humans are smarter than we gave them credit for. Even isolated from Galactic Society, they had still picked up a common tongue. Forx'gn watched and waited. Pictograms inside the medkit provided instructions that any idiot could follow, and this Human was clearly not an idiot.
They just had to shout to be heard and could barely speak GalStand Simple. And they were a member of a species currently ostracised by civilisation as Fox'gn knew it. Nothing big.
Through shouting, pointing, and some more GalStand Simple, Princess Grigri made it known that Fox'gn was with her and she would like to go with him. It was a tense twenty minutes, but the Human let her go.
And then followed her.
Homeworld was not going to like this. Especially when the young Princess attempted the old, "It followed me home" ploy.
On the other hand... who was going to try and stop a Human?
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / fredmantel]
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