Indokani

Not-so-Welcome to Sobr

The Indokani Beginner's Guide to Raising an Indokuro.

Chapter 5 - Dealing with Separation Anxiety

Indokuros are very social creatures. From the moment they hatch, they see their indokani not only as their progenitor but also as a member of their 'pack'. The first weeks it's okay if you feel like pampering, but when it reaches two months old you should start the separation process. No, this doesn't mean it'll be taken away. It means that you should get the Indokuro used to the idea of being away from you, as some missions will require you to be separated for some time.

The best way to go is to leave your hatchling with a caregiver for brief periods and short distances at first. As it gets used to separation, you can gradually leave for longer and travel further. Use positive reinforcement whenever the hatchling behaves when you're not in sight. Another recommendable method is to have it put with some other indokuro of the same age so that it won't feel as anxious about you're absence.

Failure to properly prepare your indokuro can result in the clinginess becoming a more serious case of separation anxiety disorder. It will become increasingly aggressive, anxious, and it the worst of cases, depressed. Should its indokani disappear from its sight, it will become increasingly violent, particularly around strangers, and it might even try to look after its 'progenitor'.

-IZ-

The Massive came out of hyperdrive an hour later. The Sobrekt homeworld, Sobr, loomed up ahead in all its greenish glory. As a 'gesture of good faith', they did not bring the entirety of the Irken Armada, mostly to avoid giving the Sobrekt a reason to fire their orbital cannons at the Massive.

Since the planet probably lacked any sort proper docking platform big enough for the Irken flagship, the wedding attendees-which included the Tallest and some Invaders-would take a Ring Cutter to the orbital docking terminal, the proper way to go into Sobr, as Ilk explained in her message. They'd be checked to make sure they didn't carry any bombs, weapons, illegal substances and if they were clean they'd take a teleporter to Igano, Sobr's capital. She mentioned something about somebody going to pick them up at the orbital spaceport, but the message was truncated due to length.

"What do you got there, Skoodge?" Lena asked curiously when she noticed the short Invader with some electronic flashcards.

"Since it's the first time we're going to Sobr, I wrote some information about their culture to avoid misunderstandings."

"And where did you get that information, if we may know?" Larb asked suspiciously.

"Masouri and I have been chatting through Spacebook, I mentioned him we were coming for the wedding and he sent me the Dummies' Guide to Surviving in Sobr Without Losing your Head." Skoodge and the Kryvtor pilot of Blue's squad, Masouri, had struck up a sort of friendship while in Hoth, stemming from the latter having been the first to have actually given the unappreciated Invader his due.

"Does it say anything about Hybrekts?"

Skoodge looked through his flashcards. "Approximately seventy-five percent of Sobr's everyday life involves at one type of Gesset."

"Gesset?" Tenn asked.

"That's how they call Hybrekts."

At that moment Red and Lena walked into the hangar. "Okay, I'm leaving, whoever is coming, hurry up!" The former shouted impatiently, prompting the Invaders (and Bob) to enter the ship.

Purple caught up seconds later, followed by Cheesecake. "Cheese we're going to Sobr!" Before either could enter the spittle runner, however, the door slammed shut.