A Human toddler is flying for their first time with their parents. They'd never been off-world before and they were excited. The toddler was being brought to a medical facility on a station for a surgical procedure, though as active as they are people would never realize they were sick. With them were several Havenworlders including one who looked for all the world like a large, fluffy, bipedal canine in basic ship's skins. Problem is, the toddler would not stop trying to pet the furry head. The embarrassed parents did their best to teach boundaries. -- Anon Guest
Babies on flights were rarely welcome. They cried at the changes of air pressure, they got sticky, despite their parents' best efforts, and they had yet to learn how to sit still for extended periods of time. Screen toys have helped with this, but only so much. As evidenced by the very small Human Seth as ze was working out hir zoomies.
In the anti-inertia realms of Hyperspace[1], this meant swimming about through the cabin declaring, "Me fishie!" Ze periodically bounced off of bulkheads, laughing as ze slowed to a halt in seeming midair. Or, as ze was doing now, swimming up to an air vent and letting the breeze push hir back along the aisles.
"Okay, Seth. Time for settles," cooed a parental. "No more. We have to sit for transfer, now." He moved to intercept Seth, arms spread wide and ready to snag the child. It was at that moment that things went quickly wrong. A chance movement of a fellow passenger drew Seth's attention to something a child would find irresistible.
"DOGGY!" Seth changed vectors instantly, headed straight for a cogniscent who did, indeed, resemble a luxuriously fluffy, puffy, puppy. "Doggy doggy doggy, hallo doggy!"
Their fellow passenger, previously nigh-invisible amongst the group, froze with a startled expression of one facing impending doom.
"Seth, no..." Desperate movement by both parentals, a little too late to catch an exited child who was already far too used to moving at speed in Hyperspace. "We keep our hands to ourselves. Ask first!"
"Are you a nice doggy?" Seth was already reaching for the Havenworlder's voluminous fur.
The passenger put their datareader between themself and Human Seth. "No permission! No permission!"
"We ask, may I touch," said the primary parental as he snagged Seth by hir coveralls and dragged hir back to hir seat. "And we respect a 'no'. Yes Da."
"...'es da..."
"Apologies," said the other parental as she continued wrangling Human Seth. "We're all excited to travel for the first time." The explanation was not strictly necessary, but nevertheless appreciated.
"Ready for gravity? Just like swimming, everything's going to feel heavy for a little bit."
"I wanna fly more."
"On the way back home." Seth's Da smoothed down hir hair. "You'll be all better. An even bigger bundle of beans."
"Powers help us," muttered Seth's Mother.
[1] Technically a neighbouring dimension, accessed through 'soft spots' where the dimensional branes collide and allowing travelers to take 'short cuts' between different areas. In Hyperspace, inertia as we know it doesn't exist. A body in motion slows to a halt, and staying in motion requires constant application of force.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / Andreus]
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