Over Light 5

The materials that made up the ship, both inside and out, were unfamiliar to him. The inside especially seemed strange. The walls, floor, and ceiling seemed to be metal or the carapace of some sort of crustacean, yet had a certain softness to it.

Different worlds always had differing cultures and wide range of products that never ceased to grab attention, but the materials always had similar properties.

There were many such examples in this enclosed space. The sheets on the bed (a universal constant) appeared to be some form of extremely luxurious silk, yet it was dull. It was not out of the realm of possibility, he assumed, that this color could be a sign of high class, or that there was something he just couldn't see about it. The Skwiven and Velar had examples of that in their culture, but the humans of this planet were just that, human.

There had never been such a discrepancy noted amongst other humanoids.

The lights were as much a mystery. The white lights seemed reminiscent of the light of a star, and he could see no flame. The various colors of those in the seat at the front, while very colorful, were not nearly as interesting as some of the other objects and fixtures that littered this small space.

The recesses in the wall above the bed were filled with strange things. One of them, no thicker than the blade of a knife, emitted the same light as the ceiling. Another was a block, or was at least block shaped, and seemed to be of the same stuff as the interior. The intriguing bit was the fact it was open, and had stuff inside.

He could not make out what that stuff was, but the vague similarity it held to the cloth on the bed and the suit that Donovan wore lead the Captain to believe it was clothing.

"Who are you?"

A voice originating from nowhere, yet surrounding him all the same. It was in a language he had spent a great deal of time learning.

He did not forget his lines.

"I am a Captain."

"You are not MY Captain." The voice was accusatory, hostile even, but it was nothing more than a test.

"But I am a Captain nonetheless." He relaxed and closed his eyes, part of the skit that had been devised to signify that he was not hostile. Apparently, this voice would be able to see through deception.

"What is the password?"

The Captain took a deep breath. He had practiced the pronunciation of the words many times, yet he still found some difficulty when it came to dictation.

"Onomatopoeia, Anemone, Consequence, Sspecific." He slurred the last word a bit, immediately wondering what the result would be. Surely he wouldn't be killed, right?

ARC was silent for an uncomfortable length of time.

"A match. It is a pleasure to meet you 'Captain'. My duties do not include conversing with you, especially not without the presence of an operator, but I will act on my discretion to make an exception given the extreme circumstances. Will you be able to guarantee the safety of the Designated Survivors?"

The Captain was unable to understand the vast majority of what was said. It could make out some choice words, but his proficiency in 'English' was nowhere near the level required to understand that sentence.

Fortunately, Draco had informed him of a cop out that would get ARC to converse at a lower level.

"I'm sorry, but I could not understand that."

Short and easy to remember.

"Hm. The password was correct. Nice to meet you 'Captain'. I would not be allowed to speak to you alone normally, but I will make an exception thanks to the situation. Will you be able to make sure he is safe?"

Far easier to understand. More of the words were in his lexicon, any that weren't could have their meanings inferred.

"I do not yet know if he will be safe. Given the reaction of the Healer, it should be possible. What should I know to help?"

A period of silence once again followed. ARC was pondering how much information should be given, and how to phrase it in a way that the Captain could make sense of.

"Do not tear his clothes, they are hard to cut and risk injuring him. To take them off, peel the flap behind his neck and pull the tab underneath down as far as you can. Slip your hands inside the openings and slide it off. Return it here. Do not remove the band around his elbow, it is covering a deep wound. He needs water and food. Once he is able to move, return him here."

ARC had dumbed down the instructions into something a ten year old should be ale to understand. Given that the barrier of instruction was one based on communication, not intelligence, it assumed that they would be able to make inferences as to what needed to be done.

"What of the animal?"

He was referring to Mercedes.

"Donovan would like it if she lived, but his life is first. You may hold her down if she fights."

"If she fights? Has it not been trained? Is it hostile?"

"Mercedes is young, immature. She will be fearful and in pain. Be calm, do not show hostility or panic. The bag in the corner has some food that will help her calm herself."

ARC flashed the lights over the bag of dog treats that had been tossed about in the mad scramble.

"I promise to do all I can to save his life. Where is the other one?"

"She will join you shortly."