Attachment

Needless to say, Captain Kazaliur was apprehensive about running into the humans who were here as the refugees. The very fact that he has had some kind of interaction with them and even though he would like to believe he managed to make a fake impression, their very presence was enough to make him wary.

He was curious about their intentions no doubt, but it wasn't as if he could just go ahead and ask without coming off as suspicious, so he decided to keep an eye on them for the time being, from a distance. With Chief Makaizul's assistance he managed to locate the humans and got a generic idea of their behaviours instead.

He was on his way back to his room when he noticed all of them coupled together and hurrying back. He realised that whatever reserved source they were using to breathe must have been nearing exhaustion. He decided it was best not to follow them to their living area as it could lead to suspicion if detected, therefore he decided to call in a meeting for his crewmates instead. 

The meeting was called on Syverzius as he had hoped to take a quick look at the ship and it's condition. He had faith in his people that they had ensured it was maintained and kept in a proper condition, but no one understood the mechanics of Syverzius the way Captain Kazaliur did, as it was his ship from the very beginning. 

The meeting still had time to commence, so he decided to check the whole ship starting from the engine room. From the time he became the Captain, this ship was his home. At this point in his life, he had spent more time of his life in Syverzius than in his home planet ZMR-47. 

If he was capable of feeling strong emotions, he would probably feel devastated to die on planet earth when he was stranded there, with no means to come back home. And yet, he wasn't a full Zimerian, which means there was something that he felt. Something that could be best explained by the word…. Attachment. This wasn't just another ship for him, the entire thing was his inception. For someone with his mechanical skills, it was always him who made updates, modified it from time to time, including increasing its capacity from hundreds to thousands. It was another extension for him… sort of.

"Captain, the crew is here" After an hour, when Captain Kazaliur stood at the control center, chief Makaizul informed him. The Captain followed the chief into the hallway and greeted everyone, taking a center position. "Welcome everyone. As you can see, I am back now, and I can assure you that I have been healing well. Commander Nexer wants to keep me under observation for just a few more days to ensure there are no added complications.

Soon, we will be ready to return to our home, thus bringing my last voyage to an end." Captain Kazaliur nodded. "I have been updated by Chief Makaizul about everything that I have missed, but if any of you have any personal comment to add, feel free to step forward" He finished. After a second a woman raised her hand, "Sergeant Rakia" the Captain allowed.

"I assume you are aware of the threat the recent arrivals have mentioned. According to the commander Nexer they are a universal threat, which means they will keep invading planets till the edge of the universe. Is there a reason we should feel threatened?"

"A very interesting and valid question. Unfortunately I have no definite answer. The unknown is always unpredictable. The species, Smerana, is an obscure one. We know they have shapeshifting ability, but we are completely clueless about their range of abilities. I would say we observe them, but the situation is much trickier. We might need to come up with a better solution so we can be prepared for them if they come for us" Captain nodded.

Sgt Rakia nodded and took a step back in dismissal. With no further questions raised, Captain Kazaliur decided to dismiss the entire squadron. He was on his way back to his room when he noticed someone he recognised from the past wandering about an abandoned corridor. It was late in Zatorian hours, but given earth's rotation, it was not yet bedtime for earthlings.

He noticed Xander roam, as if he was looking for something. Captain Kazaliur decided to observe him silently until he heard a clunking noise and a muffled groan from Xander. He picked up a few pieces of metal from the floor where he was standing a minute ago and stared at the shattered pierces. Frustrated, Xander turned around to leave but he spotted Captain Kazaliur instead. Giving from the widened eyes, it seemed as if he recognised him as well.

"Mmm" He said something pointing at Captain Kazaliur. Needless to say, the Captain was in alert mode, but thanks to the device covering his mouth his words were lost in translation. Taking off his mask he mumbled, "You're Chief Makaizul from earlier. Sorry I broke my communicator" Xander spoke before putting his mask back on as he ran out of breath.

So, Xander was mistaking the Captain for his subordinate. Captain Kazaliur however preferred it that way. Somehow, despite all the trauma, Xander seemed pretty casual. Captain Kazaliur wondered whether or not he should say something, and if yes, what. 

After a minute of contemplating and simple blank awkward stares, the Captain took the pieces of broken communicator in his hand and started to put it together, except instead of doing it with his hand he used his powers to set it up, manipulating each and every part to align itself properly. Once it was done, he handed the device to Xander.

Xander stared at the device, awestruck which was as good as new. "This is some great work. The only person I have ever seen with such a precise work was Kaze" he mumbled, but paused to look at him. And that's when the Captain regretted his action. Maybe he was caught after all.