Companionship - beyond flesh

Tempered Orr

The cabin on the Merry Crabbe was tiny and contained no more than a cot for sleeping, and a wall mounted desk for seated study. Like the other living areas on the small courier ship, the irradiating walls provided a comfortable level of physical warmth along with a yellow-tinged light. The multi-directional nature of the room's lighting meant that the few homely trinkets sitting on the desk - including a model of an antique cartoon cat - cast little or no shadow, giving them a flat unnatural look from certain angles. Small panels of virtual material floated around the walls in three-dimensional relief providing snapshot visuals of the Grimes family at play; moving memories for the ship's Captain and usual occupant of the room.

Much to Peter Grime's dismay, he had lost his personal retreat. For the week since the skirmish, his cabin had become the brig for the paralysed auger Riggs and her attendant and fellow elite, Denver.

The chemical-induced paralysis affecting the prisoner was designed to target specific muscle groups, and while fully awake and alert, Riggs found herself totally immobilized able only to look and blink. Lying on a cot that was too small, her bare feet dangled uncomfortably off the edge, and her head lay awkwardly pushed up at an unnatural angle, by the large, bulbous metallic rams horns.

Denver had assumed an equally uncomfortable position leaning against the adjacent wall with his legs lined up along the desk's bench seat. Any physical discomfort he masked with his characteristic stoicism further hidden by a wrinkled and damaged face; the features of which were almost impossible to read - just the way he liked it.

The room was quiet aside from the measured sound of breathing from Denver's collapsed nasal cavity. Most of the others on the ship who looked in from time to time would have thought the augers were occupying the space bored, dazed and disengaged. However, unknown to them, the augmented humans were fixed in a frenzied exchange of information and ideas. Communicating via built-in bi-directional threads, the augers were sharing and making up for almost twenty years of disparate experience.

A few others on the ship were aware of the augers' ability to communicate systematically, C-Buck knew that the augers were cooking something and wanted a taste.

"Knock, knock!", The Skyean scientist and moonlight spy appeared at the open cabin doorway, his wide charismatic grin fetched deep dimples in the sides of his cheeks. The augers, however, were immune to the pleasantries of typicals, but C-Buck saw their expressionless eyes move in his direction, so he knew he had their attention. "So kiddies, who feels like sharing?" Denver's eyes rolled, and Riggs looked to the ceiling and closed her lids.

"Okay, I get the picture." C-Buck stepped into the room and looked around, "Hmmm, talking about pictures. Get a load of the Grimes family, is it just me or do they all look like penguins?" He made the side wing shapes with his arms and flapped, "Awk, awk, awk."

Denver took the bait, "C-Buck, you have developed an annoying tendency for zoomorphism. It would be fine if your jests were harmless, but I feel there is a malevolent quality to your personality that thrives on the unprovoked hurt of others."

"Na, its not all that bad." he replied, "We Skyeans prefer animals over people you see; so assigning bird-like qualities to the fat retard out there, is a great compliment." He paused before continuing carefully, "What kind of animals do you think you two are?"