Bestial Planet

Chapter 21: Preponderance of Talved

Altruis was pacing back and forth with a frantic look on her face; she hadn't seen Talved all day. Granted Section 4 was just as large as the others but those crew members saw each other every day. The alps were freezing but Talved would often disappear for a few hours at a time and other times he'd be locked in a sim-vault he jerry-rigged to run analysis to speak with Lancieta about.

As an Intergalactic navigator most of Altruis' skills were useless on Earth after she mapped and plotted out the best ways to fly or sail to each other Section during inclement weather which, oddly, was extremely rare. Talved was just an analyst but being an analyst, in their current situation, meant Talved was fairly useful. Altruis felt less and less helpful as the days turned into months and months into years. She called up Layrok who'd crashed with Section 10 to try and calm herself down.

"I've taken up weapons training."

"Well that's good, if we aren't killed when we're picked up you'll... to be honest, we'll never be allowed to be active in a military ever again... "

Anxiety inched across Altruis' face.

"You're not helping Layrok."

"Yeah, sorry. Look I don't know what to say. This is a topic I keep coming back to time and time again. I might be able to find work in space station repair because of my Guardian suit experience. You might still be able to go back to being a navigator. It's not strictly a military role; you know?" Layrok uncomfortably adjusted her track jacket.

"I'd like for that to be the case... but we both know how war criminals... Talved's an analyst, he'll always be useful to somebody. I'll more than likely be grounded if we're spared. I'm going nuts as it is, being grounded like this." Altruis leaned back in her chair and ruffled her short hair as her friend tried to console her.

"Maybe I'll come over there and help you build a plane? I managed to mod a busted guardian suit for flight."

Altruis fell silent and Layrok didn't know what to say.

"Talved isn't any help like you are. Everyone else got a great partner to be stranded with. Talved is... well he's an analyst."

Altruis looked confused, which confused Layrok.

"Do you like him?"

"NO! Why do I have to like him? I just can't understand him at all. He's too one dimensional to have been granted sen..."

Layrok was shocked at what Altruis cut herself off from saying. Which Altruis wished she could've taken back immediately.

"I'm sorry... I'm just - I'm stressing myself out too much over something I can't control. I didn't mean what I..."

One Android questioning another's right to a body and sentient classification is a taboo. Layrok's reaction to Altruis was tantamount to one's reaction to a militant racist spouting their views.

"I'm gonna go. I'll call you later tonight, maybe tomorrow... get some rest Altruis, you've been awake for 8 days straight."

The comm screen went black and Altruis was left in her room with the slight hum of Section 4. She sat silent for a few minutes staring at her reflection in the blank screen. Her purple bangs had become overgrown and only because Talved took care of all tailoring and laundry her clothes still managed to look brand new. She was in a familiar mind-space right now; wishing she never asked her family to join the military. She had countless, and currently, useless star charts in her head, she was stranded on an essentially barbaric, alien planet littered with unconscious freaks of nature. Freaks of nature she helped create and now, she basically called Talved an Automaton.