| The Last of The Kind | |
|---|---|
| Main author(s) | WikiBuilder1147 and Krayfish |
| Timeline | 2100 - 2104 CE |
| Story arcs | Legends of the Last Dairyon |
| Wordcount | {{{words}}} |
The Last of the Kind is a short story about Aaron, a young male Dairyon who is the last living member of his race. When catastrophe hits his home of Achris in the Dirpion-104 system, he escapes in a shuttle, the last of his race. Several billion years later, he, still a young boy (Dairyon take an incredibly long time to mature physically, and therefore have very long lifespans), sets off on a quest to search for the remains of his people.
Chapter 1: Awakening[]
Aaron's eyes fluttered open. His circuits were weak from months of trying to find the shuttle on which he crash-landed on the planet he now lived on. His tunic was torn from the harsh weather and his boots were breaking from the months of trekking through the O-oki Mountains. As he struggled to get up, he saw the planet's star rising from the west. After several minutes of admiring it, he set off in a random direction.
Aaron, like other Dairyon who lived on Achris before it was wiped out by its exploding star about 4 billion years ago, was built to look like an ordinary Achrisian , the people who lived on Achris, and who were the masters of the Dairyon. However, Aaron was different. He was designed to be the child of a Achrisian whose son, also named Aaron, had died. A Dairyon 'clone' of the original Aaron was created to comfort his father. Aaron (the Dairyon) was given the capability to think independently, talk like an ordinary human and to learn.
The Dairyon continued to struggle on to find his shuttle. As he stumbled on through the valley, he wondered if he would ever find the shuttle.
Then, he saw something metallic glistening in the distance.
Aaron used his built-in binoculars to zoom in on the object. Yes. It was the thing he was looking for. His shuttle. He started walking towards the shuttle, then, with newfound strength, broke into a run. He was so happy, he thought his processors would explode from the emotion pouring out of him - something you didn't often see in a Dairyon.
As he approached his shuttle, he wondered if it was a mirage.
No, Aaron thought. You only get mirages if you're dehydrated. As a Dairyon, I don't need water to survive.
He suddenly amazed himself at his capability of remembering such aspects of human biology, after all these years of not seeing a single living organism, let alone an Achrisian. When he eventually reached the apparently operational shuttle, which was half buried in the red sand which was all too common on this planet, he began to dig up the sand with his cybernetic fingers.
It took him several hours, but it was worth it. He boarded the shuttle, then started its engines. Miraculously, it blasted off, and Aaron was delighted that he could finally go home.
I can't wait till I reach Dirpion, thought Aaron, elated. I'll tell all the stories of my adventures to Father and--
Then he remembered why he went to that stupid sand planet in the first place. A bit discouraged, he set his WarpDrive to the Dirpion Nebula, then, with his shuttle, disappeared into Warpspace.
Chapter 2: The Arrival[]
Aaron was appalled to see that the nebula had disappeared altogether. All that remained of the once-great Dirpion-104 system were a few very large rocks. He steered his shuttle towards the rocks and landed on one of them.
When he came out, he was yelling to the space surrounding him.
"Father! Father! I'm here! Are you still out there? Hello?" despite all his efforts, the sound couldn't reach through the vacuum of space. Sadly, his adopted parent's remains were no longer existent, let alone alive. Aaron, naive, determined, and not knowing this fact led him to continue searching for the remains of the humans that once lived here.
As his eyes scanned the rocks for any sign of movement, he remained cautious to watch his back. Something might hit him at any time.
There was no movement.
Miserably, he stumbled back to his shuttle and took off.
Chapter 3: Meet the Miluri[]
He engaged his WarpDrive to take him anywhere nearby, and several minutes later, he ended up near the planet of Miypria. Immediately, a transmission came from the planet.
"Warning! You are now in Milurian Capital territory! Identify yourself!" the speaker repeated his sentence in several other languages.
"My name is Aaron, and I am on a quest to--"
"What is your ship's identification?" retorted the speaker.
"Oh, um... Frankly, I cannot remember," replied Aaron, worriedly.
"Then allow us to investigate your shuttle." A few rumbles and vibrations went through the ship as a tractor beam generator somewhere nearby locked on to Aaron's tiny shuttle. It entered the shuttle hangar of the Melyurelov class M.P.S. Victorious II
Several minutes after Aaron touched down on the Poquentum-lined floor of the hangar, two columns of four-armed Milurian officers marched through the doors leading to the hangar and then stood to attention, changing their position till the columns were facing one another.
To Aaron, the Miluri looked very otherworldly, what with their 'extra' pair of limbs. A few seconds after the officers completed their impressive march, an old-looking Milurian then walked into the hangar.
"At ease, gentlemen," said the older Milurian, calmly. "Please, leave the hangar. I have the feeling something... unusual... is in that ship. I would like to talk to the pilot... alone."
Without question, the soldiers marched out of the chamber. When Aaron thought it was safe, he lowered the boarding ramp and cautiously walked out.
"A... human boy?" the old Milurian muttered. "Impossible! Andromedan Humans have gone extinct many eons ago!"
"I... am not a human," replied Aaron, who, with his superhuman hearing, heard everything. "I am a Dairyon."
Hearing the word "Dairyon" nearly made the Milurian faint. "Dai...dai...d-d...Dairyon?!"
"Sir, would you be so kind as to tell me where my parents are?" asked Aaron.
"Kid, even if your parents survived the explosion, they would be dead. Four billion years have passed, you know? Humans can only live up to about 200 years...
"You're one of a kind, you know that? All the humans who lived in Dirpion-104, including your builders, are dead. Your fellow Dairyon were also obliterated by the destruction of Dirpion."
Aaron's eyes started to become saturated with tears - something other Dairyon could not do.
"Come, boy. Come with me. I'll look after you," whispered the old Milurian, gently.
Chapter 4: Arrest that boy![]
Two months later
"Good morning, Aaron," said the Admiral cheerfully as he walked in.
"Good morning, Admiral," replied Aaron.
"Aaron, I told you: you can just call me Shlochren!" joked the Admiral.
Aaron, over the past two months, had learned that the old Milurian he had encountered when he first stepped onto the Victorious II was Admiral Shlochren vo'Quotaris, the commanding officer on board the Melyurelov class Battlecruiser, M.P.S. Victorious II.
The Admiral had grown quite serious when he explained, "Aaron, I don't know how, but the Milurian Government has heard about you, and wants to take you away. For your own safety, I refused, because I fear the worst for you."
A knock on the door.
The Admiral then, suddenly shocked, very quietly said, "Go away."
"It's me, sir, your first officer," replied the man standing on the other side of the opaque metal door.
"Then, enter," said the Admiral, calmed by the presence of his first officer.
The door opened, and in came vo'Quotaris' first officer, Jarias dera'Shler, along with two unknown Milurian officers.
"Admiral vo'Quotaris," said one of them, expressionlessly, almost like a primitive robot.
"We have come for the Dairyon," said the other, equally cold.
Aaron looked very puzzled, just as a normal child would in this situation. "Shlochren, what is going on?"
Aaron was ignored. "No, men, you cannot have him! He does not deserve to be deactivated for petty 'scientific' purposes. He is one of a kind, and I intend to keep him that way."
The officers, shrugged. "Very well, Admiral. You are hereby relieved of duty, by the order of the Milurian High Command." One of the officers then punched the Admiral in the nose.
Admiral vo'Quotaris was knocked out cold. Meanwhile, the other officer approached Aaron.
"You're coming with us, bo--" he was kicked in the bottom by dera'Shler, and then punched in the head. A few seconds later, the officer who had punched vo'Quotaris binded Aaron's arms together and walked off, with Aaron being dragged behind him by the other officer, who had recovered quickly. Despite all the screaming, the two officers didn't seem to even hear Aaron as they boarded their shuttle and took off, jumping into WarpSpace.
Chapter 5: Deactivation[]
Aaron was taken to a remote gas giant, Dachstreisenbuch-9, several hundreds of lightyears from Miypria. There was a large Starbase orbiting it, and the shuttle landed upon the Starbase's shuttle landing pad. Then, the shuttle's boarding ramp went down, and the two Milurian officers came out, dragging the Dairyon along with them.
"Ah. Excellent!" exclaimed the Chief Engineer of the Starbase. The officers laid Aaron down on a hard table in the Starbase's main laboratory and binded him to it. Then, the Chief Engineer opened Aaron's chestplates and pressed the button on his Energy Storage Chamber.
Aaron, who was busily squirming about before, suddenly lay silent, with no emotion showing in his eyes.
Aaron was deactivated; he would not see anything for years to come.
Chapter 6: Infiltration[]
Twenty years later
The bulky private starship S.S. Narios was surprisingly zooming its way across the cosmos at a great speed. Its destination: Dachstreisenbuch-9.
"How are the engines going?" shouted Shlochren vo'Quotaris, over the extremely loud noise of the cooler unit.
"Very good, sir," replied the pilot. "We are approaching the Dachstreisenbuch system." The pilot disengaged the WarpDrive and the gigantic star of Dachstreisenbuch slurped into shape before the viewscreen. The pilot then expertly swerved the Narios towards the red giant's ninth planet: Dachstreisenbuch-9.
The Starbase orbiting the gas giant was smaller than most others: It only had 3 hangar bays, compared to the average 10. It's identification number, printed under the main hull section, read 'SB-2917'. It was flanked on either side by two old Freedom class battlecruisers. They didn't need particularly powerful ships to guard this small Starbase, because it was rarely attacked, due to the secrecy kept of the existence of the Starbase: only the Milurian Starfleet High Command, the Milurian State Science Ministry, along with a few others, knew that the Starbase was actually there.
Unfortunately, vo'Quotaris was one of those individuals.
As they approached the Starbase, the ship's speakers crackled to life. There was no image in the transmission. Fortunately, the crew of the Narios did not have to reveal their true identity. They had their reasons.
"This is Starbase Twenty-nine seventeen! Who are you," the transmitting voice demanded. "and what do you want? What is your identification"
Well, this hasn't been one of this guy's good days, thought vo'Quotaris as he approached the transmitting microphone and announced, "This is the cargo ship M.P.S. Toutapquor, making one of its routine cargo runs."
The Starbase computer then began checking the ship's record. Luckily, the computer was scanning the fake record, which was downloaded in place of the Narios real record, from the actual M.P.S. Toutapquor, which, by coincidence, was of the same class, by vo'Quotaris' Chief Engineer, Lachi dela'Cqruot. Although the real Toutapquor was expected to arrive at this time, the Narios crew took the liberty of blowing the ship to smithereens.
The waiting had finished. "Very well," the voice huffed. "I have been ordered to direct your ship to Hangar Bay 2. Please proceed there."
The Milurian crew waited for the clanking sound of the Starbase's tractor beam projector to come, but, after a few seconds of not hearing anything but the cooling unit, vo'Quotaris ordered the pilot to fly the ship into Hangar Bay 2. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew changed into what they would wear as disguises on the Starbase. The pilot would remain on the ship to make a fast getaway once the rest retrieved Aaron and got onto the ship.
At least, that was the plan.
After take off, the pilot would have to get out of the system, somehow, before the two Freedom class ships obliterated them. The Freedom class might have been old, but they were still counted as one of the U.D.M.P's Starfleet's most formidable battlecruisers.
The Narios landed, and, disguised, Shlochren, Jarias dela'Shler, and Lachi dela'Cqruot carried some boxes down the boarding ramp. The rest of the crew, excluding the pilot, acted as escorts, carrying their guns. The pilot hid in the locked cargo chamber, just in case someone had the mind to search the ship.
Fortunately, no one recognised the faces of the former crew of the M.P.S. Victorious II.
"These are going to go to the main laboratory," explained vo'Quotaris to the guard at the door to the laboratory.
Not that there's another laboratory somewhere around here, anyway, thought the former Admiral as the guard, who was a freshman, stupidly stepped aside to let them in - without searching them. Vo'Quotaris thanked the gods. As soon as the men got inside the laboratory, dela'Cqruot closed the laboratory doors and locked them. Then, he barricaded the door with boxes and tables, for good measure.
There were two scientists in the lab. Both looked young.
But do you think vo'Quotaris cared?
"What are you doing, blocking the doors to the lab?" asked the first scientist before he was shot dead by dela'Shler.
"I'm telling on you!" the second scientist managed to say before he, too, was shot in the brain.
Fortunately for vo'Quotaris and his men, the doors and the walls were completely soundproof.
Chapter 7: Trouble[]
"Okay, I'm going to need some cover (and some help) while I try and fix Aaron up. Retisian, Laut, Shar, Kra, Laris, come and help me." ordered dela'Cqruot
He was calling up his engineering team. Or what was left of it, anyway. Vo'Quotaris, dela'Shler and the rest of the crew present, besides the Engineering team, held up their pistols (and machine guns) at the door, ready to blast apart anyone that managed to step through the door.
"Good lords!" exclaimed dela'Cqruot "he's been torn apart completely! He's going to take a while to put back together. Retisian, pass me the spanner, please."
Vo'Quotaris and the guard team ignored the former Chief Engineer's ramblings as they stared at the door.
Then, one of them dropped, dead.
Instinctively, the rest looked back, before another one of the guard crew flew across the room and hit a wall before slumping to the ground, dead.
At first, they expected the assassin to be one of the engineers being a double agent, but then, when they looked up, they found their killer. Then, the assassin dropped to the ground, from the ventilation shafts, and crashed to the floor, after dela'Shler shot her with a bullet through the head.
Wait, it's a female? vo'Quotaris thought, shocked. Well, that's gonna leave a bit of a mess.
After a bit of speechlessness from the engineers, they went back to work.
"Latis, the arm, please."
Then, the door banged.
"Hey, what is going on back there? You've been in there for one hour now!" Although the room was soundproof from the inside, the people inside could hear what was happening outside.
Uh-oh, thought Shlochren. The guard's getting suspicious.
They'd have to take the risk before the guard ran off and got reinforcements. The Admiral's first officer opened the door for a second and shot the guard dead before dragging the body into the room, and cleaning the mess up in a matter of seconds.
"Gosh, Number One, you're an excellent shot!" said vo'Quotaris as dela'Shler once again locked the door.
"Aww, shucks..." came the reply.
The alarm was then sounded.
"ALL MILITARY PERSONNEL ASSIGNED TO SECTOR TWO-FOUR-FIVE ARE TO PROCEED TO THE MAIN LABORATORY TO INTERCEPT THE ALLEGED CARGO CREW WHO HAVE NOT YET LEFT THE STARBASE COMPLEX!" screamed the P.A. system.
Just great. The alarm's been sounded. Best thing since sliced Rahcour, thought Shlochren.
"Hurry up over there! We're going to have company, you know!" he shouted to the engineering crew.
Apparently, the crew who were trying to fix Aaron up were either unable to hear him, or they were just ignoring him.
"Can I have that cable, please..."
Chapter 8: Awakening (again)[]
After two hours of work, Aaron was, in one piece, lying quietly on the table. Chief Engineer Lachy dela'Cqruot prepared to reactivate the Dairyon. Aaron's microchip was inserted into his processor box and his chest was opened. Lachy pressed the button on the energy storage chamber and closed the chest plates in haste. After a few seconds of spasms, Aaron's eyes suddenly sparked to life.
He looked around the room, before finally opening his mouth and asking, "Mr dela'Cqruot? What's going on?"
Everyone rejoiced at hearing Aaron's quiet, but pleasant voice, before they remembered that they had to get out of here before the Starbase personnel caught them red-handed.
When everybody had calmed down, Aaron hopped off the bed. Vo'Quotaris crouched down to Aaron's height, and asked him, "Are you capable of combat?"
"I'm normally docile, because I've been programmed to avoid combat," explained the Dairyon. "However, if you need me to, I can be quite formidable in battle."
"Good, because we're going to need some robot power to defeat the militia that are probably standing outside the door right n-"
A pounding sound from the door.
"Yep, I was right."
"Shlochren, do you have an extra gun I can borrow to fight?" asked Aaron. Vo'Quotaris handed Aaron a Model-GC-942 pistol. "Open the doors, please, Mr dela'Shler."
As soon as the doors opened, Milurian soldiers ran in and shouted, "Freeze!!!"
Aaron immediately sprang into action. With a magnificent leap and a somersault, he landed behind the group of soldiers and shot them from behind, before they could react. With great precision, Aaron pressed the trigger so fast that nobody could see his finger.
When all the soldiers were gunned down, everyone simply said, "Woah."
"C'mon!" exclaimed the Dairyon. "We have to get out of here, right?"
Everyone followed Aaron as he occasionally stopped to shoot several soldiers and the odd Sturmtrupeerr (Stormtrooper). They were just several metres from the Narios, when it exploded.
The Starbase rumbled as debris rained down on the hangar floor. Shocked that their getaway (and pilot) were gone, they spied the way to one of the other hangars. They sprinted for their lives towards the corridor. No-one bothered to shoot them. They were too busy trying to get away from the fireballs shooting across the hangar. As the crew ran, they gunned down several more Sturmtrupeerrs and some reinforcements coming in from one of the support flanking the Starbase. They reached Hangar Bay 1, and boarded the shuttle sitting on the polished floor. No one dared to try and stop the shuttle, as they were scared of scraping the paintwork of the Starbase Admiral's personal spacecraft.
Fortunately, Aaron knew how to pilot, from his previous experiences of piloting his own shuttle.
"Strap yourselves in," said Aaron. "It's going to be a bumpy ride!"
The landing gears retracted, and the shuttle blasted off into space. One of the Freedom class ships then began to chase them.
"Shuttle Two-five-seven-one, heave to at once, or we'll open fire!" the shuttle communicator practically spluttered.
Aaron pressed a button on a remote in his hand, and the shuttle rocked as the Starbase tore itself apart in an inferno-like frenzy of an explosion.
"You did that, didn't you, Aaron?" asked vo'Quotaris.
Aaron grinned as he pressed the controls for the missile launchers and aimed them at the ship which was pursuing him and his friends.
"Like a boss," he said, casually as he fired the missiles right into the battlecruiser's engines.
"Right," Aaron said as the battlecruiser fell apart. "Where are we going to go?"
"Well," answered the Admiral. "We can't go back to Miypria. We'd now be wanted fugitives, considering you just blew up a Starbase."
"Don't forget the Freedom class battlecruiser," added dela'Shler. "We have to get out of Milurian territory."
"But almost everyone else in the galaxy doesn't like Miluri" said Laut.
"Quite true," agreed Retisian.
After a few minutes of silence, Aaron shouted, "I know! The Milky Way Galaxy!"
Everyone was shocked. "How are we going to get there? It's so far away!"
"You can plug my power core into your WarpDrive system. I think, because it is extremely powerful, if you plug it in, you'll be travelling up to 1000 times your top Warp speed, according to my calculations," replied Aaron.
"That's risky, Aaron," warned dela'Cqruot. "You could get shut down. Permanently."
"I am aware of the risks, Mr dela'Cqruot. However, I am prepared to die. I have no where else to go, as of yet. My parents are dead, the rest of my people are dead. I might as well join them. I also want to help you," came the reply.
Everyone's eyes filled with tears after Aaron's speech.
"Alright," sniffed the Admiral. "We'll do it."
Chapter 9: Warp[]
"Okay, your power core has been plugged into the WarpDrive. When I redirect all power to the WarpDrive, you'll be shut down," explained the Chief Engineer.
Aaron nodded. "I am ready."
Everybody crowded around Aaron as dela'Cqruot prepared to redirect the power.
"Redirecting power in five, four, three, two, one..."announced dela'Cqruot before he turned a dial. Immediately, the shuttle's small WarpDrive Core started vibrating crazily, and the shuttle itself immediately vanished into WarpSpace.
"Hang on, we didn't activate the WarpDrive," said Retisian before he was interrupted by Aaron's groaning.
"Good-bye..." croaked Aaron. "If...I...never...come... ...back...jus...wa...s...thank..." The Last Dairyon slumped on the chair he was sitting on.
After a minute or two of heavy breathing, the crew got to work to jump into WarpSpace, even though the ship already was in WarpSpace.
"Reset the course for the Milky Way Galaxy," commanded vo'Quotaris. "We must succeed. For our friend."
"Course set, sir." announced Laria, the WarpDrive controller.
"Warp 10, Laria."
"Aye-aye, Admiral. Warp 10."
Vo'Quotaris waited several moments before shouting, "Engage!" The ship started going even faster than before, shooting across the heavens, more than 10,000 times the speed of light.
Chapter 10: Arrival[]
Three years later
"Sir! Great news!" exclaimed Laria.
"What is it, now?" asked vo'Quotaris, who had grown quite cranky in the past three years, considering the fact that he, along with all of his crew, had to eat nothing but the rations stored on the shuttle and had to sleep on nothing but hard, solid versions of futons.
"We've arrived in the Milky Way Galaxy!"
"Oh, by all the gods! We have finally arrived! Disengage the WarpDrive, by Meraqui!"
Laria pulled on the lever which toggled the WarpDrive's activity and then stopped redirecting Aaron's generator power to the WarpDrive before carefully ejecting the large cable which was connected to Aaron's energy storage chamber. After a few minutes, Aaron, fortunately, once again came back to life, but he felt a bit tired.
"Wha...? Why are y-y-you disconnecting m-m-me...? Are we... th-th-the-there y-ye-yet?" spluttered Aaron.
"Yes, Aaron! We are!" everyone cheered. Everyone on the shuttle, including Aaron, were hugging each other and happily whoopie-ing around.
After a few moments, everyone settled back down, and went back to their positions. Aaron also returned to the pilot seat, which had been unoccupied for three years.
Once again, the communicator crackled to life.
"You are not allowed to enter our space from that point. Please make your way elsewhere or we will consider you hostile. Identify yourself, alien. You have breached the territory of the Federal Monarchy of Allied Sovereign Nations."
"Um... this is Shlochren vo'Quotaris, commanding officer of Shuttle 2571 of the United Democracy of the Milurian People."
"Andromedans?" screamed the loudspeaker. "Well then, we'll be watching. You must have come quite the distance. We are Vaikan, and you are before our homeworld."
"We came here in WarpSpace," vo'Quotaris explained truthfully. "It took us three years to get here."
Chapter 11: The Awkward Reception[]
"Okay, Shuttle 2571. State your purpose. Why are you here?"
"We are... asylum seekers!" declared vo'Quotaris. "We are trying to escape from our government, because we are now considered 'fugitives' when we have done nothing wrong. Please help us, Vaikan. Please allow us to live in your country."
"You expect us to provide you hospitality?" the Vaikan said in reply. "Unless you had something to offer in return, we can't help you."
"Well," reasoned vo'Quotaris. "I think you might be very interested to know that we have a robot on our ship. A very intelligent robot. Capable... of sensing emotion. I think your people would be very fascinated to learn of this artificial intelligence."
"A robot capable of emotions?!" exclaimed the Vaikan. "This is most excellent. Our scientists will be more than glad to study this device. Give us a chance to study it, and consider it your payment for temporary residence until you finish your business here."
"Wait, what are you doing?!" Aaron exclaimed to vo'Quotaris.
"Trust me on this," he said. "I know what I'm doing."
"We'll escort you to a facility in Yallvus," the Vaikan explained. "I suggest you keep a low profile as it's not everyday someone from another galaxy comes to visit us."
The shuttle then zoomed its way towards Ucharpli. By the time the crew landed the shuttle on a landing pad in Yallvus, the largest city on Ucharpli, word of their arrival had spread across Ucharpli and crowds surrounded the shuttle, but no one was yet aware of the Dairyon who was an emotion-sensing artificial intelligence. Quickly, they were taken to a nearby facility. Aaron would disguise himself as a human.
They made their way to a conference room where they had some peace and quiet.
"Hey, where is the robot?" asked someone in the crowd.
"Yeah! All we can see are several four-armed people, and a human kid!" shouted another.
"The kid, people, is the A.I." explained vo'Quotaris.
"Observe." He pressed the back of Aaron's ear, and the right half of his head's covering plates involuntarily came up, revealing Aaron's robotic cranium.
"Ooooh." said the group of Vaikan before them murmered, immediately fascinated by the sight of a kid robot from another galaxy.
The escorts quickly closed the doors to the conference room.
"I thought we told you to keep a low profile!" hissed one of the escorts.
Shrugging, vo'Quotaris sat down on one of the many velvet chairs in the room. The rest of the crew, and Aaron, sat down on other chairs.
"Greetings, newcomers," said a Vaikan, coming in with no expression on his face. "I am Ranon Sarilus, one of the highest authorities in the Robotic Sciences Department of the Special Division of Experimental Technologies. I believe you have come to seek protection from the FMASN government?"
"Yes, we have, in return for your people's use of our robot, the Dairyon, Aaron," replied vo'Quotaris before gesturing towards the blonde-haired boy. "for study," He stood up and introduced himself, then the rest of his crew.
"Very well, Mr vo'Quotaris. I also have one more proposition for you. My government has contemplated to invite you and your company to join us in the Special Division of Experimental Technology, or SDET, as long as you give us even more time to study Aaron."
The crew thought for a while. Aaron also took part in the huddle.
"I don't trust that Vaikan," argued Retisian. "He's up to something."
"Trust me, Retisian," said Aaron. "They'll give us something to do, and they'll give us protection from the Milurian government, if they so wish to come here. For that, I am happy to give myself up for study."
"Alright, suit yourself," replied Retisian, worriedly and reluctantly. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
"Have you decided yet, gentlemen?" asked Ranon. Laria gave him a seemingly frightening glare.
"...and lady," said Ranon, apparently not moved by the stare.
"Yes, we have, Mr Sarilus," announced vo'Quotaris. "We, after some argument, have agreed to give up Aaron for your government's protection. We are also happy to join the SDET."
"Consider it done," declared Ranon. Each member of the crew shook hands with Ranon to seal the deal. Some guards came along and Aaron walked away with them, this time, voluntarily. Again, Aaron was being taken away from his Milurian friends.
Chapter 12: The Beginning[]
Three months later
The Vaikan took a lot less time to study Aaron, and he was back on his feet in no time at all. In that time, the Vaikan had created the design for a new robot, which was codenamed SANARI. Aaron's programming was also tweaked a little bit to allow Aaron to be able to calculate a lot faster, and to be able to fight whenever firepower was needed. He was then taken to his new home, the SDET outpost's agent quarters level on Thaloss. When he got to his quarters, he was given new clothes to change into.
The next day, Aaron and his crew were sitting at a table in the dining hall, eating. Aaron was also fitted with an artificial stomach so he could consume food, whose energy could be converted into electricity, for extra power. How it worked, nobody knew except the scientists who constructed it. Not even Aaron knew.
Ranon Sarilus approached the group with his food tray and asked, "May I sit with you, boys and girl?"
"Sure," answered Aaron.
Ranon sat next to Aaron and began eating his meal. "You know, Aaron, I sense something very special about you."
"What about me?" asked Aaron after sipping on a cup of water.
"Well, you're special, one, because you can act just like an ordinary human, a person. Also, you have... a good heart. But you are also powerful. Of course, I have to stop myself from sensing emotion, otherwise I go rage..." said Ranon.
Aaron was surprised to hear what Ranon said. According to Ranon's personal files, he wasn't one to say such things. Somewhat similar to another, more well known Vaikan, Ahrganot Skizgo, one of the Masters in the mainstream Federal Legion forces.
The Vaikan turned to vo'Quotaris. "Admiral, if I read correctly, you served in the Milurian Marine Force before you joined your country's Starfleet, is that correct?"
"Yes," answered the Admiral. "I don't want to boast, but I was one of ten who received the Milurian Lejon vo'Honnore Medal in 2614 ATGW, on your calendar."
"Yes, I read that," commented the Vaikan. "You're just what we need. You, Admiral (and your crew) have the experience needed to work with us. When you were part of the Starfleet, you and your crew protected your homeworld Miypria onboard the orbiting Malyurlof class-"
"Me-lyu-re-lov, Mr Sarilus," corrected vo'Quotaris.
"Ah yes. As I was saying, ...the orbiting Melyurelov class starship... M.P.S. Victorious II, for... 25 years, is that correct?" continued Ranon.
"Eh? Oh, um, yes."
"Ah, haha. That's one big achievement! Stopping attacks on your homeworld for 25 years straight! You are just what we need," laughed Ranon.
He focused his attention back on Aaron. "Aaron, you have almost no fighting experience (although you did blow up a whole Starbase, if I read accurately). However, we desperately need you, because your programming allows you to have abilities that exceed almost anyone else who has those gifts. I'm even worried you might overtake me as a great robotics engineer... no kidding. Anyway, your mathematical and linguistic ability, alongside your gifts of creative and logical reasoning have created the perfect SDET agent."
"I can't state anything besides the fact that I am flattered, Mr Sarilus" said Aaron in response to his lengthy compliment.
"I look forward to working with you, Aaron, Admiral, erm... lady and gentlemen..." Ranon stood up, shook hands with everybody at the table, then picked up his tray, and walked off briskly as if he were a businessman late for an important meeting.