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.
"I never should've left."
"I feel the same way."
Talved's voice freaked her out. She jumped in place and turned around too quickly, knocking some things off her desk.
"How, ho... how long have you been there?"
"I literally just arrived. I was wondering if you had anymore information for me to analyze about the planet."
"Can't you just sort through the info we've pulled from Earth's computers?"
"I'd prefer that data be organized by a proper navigator, I thought I told you that before."
"OH! Right, I'm sorry I... I just haven't been able to sleep... is all."
"Huh..."
Talved pulled on his eyepiece and took a reading of Altruis' health.
"You know what, you should get some sleep. Forcing yourself to stay up for this amount of time isn't good for your body or your plants."
Talved's near emotionless response irritated Altruis, as he usually managed to do.
"Freakin analysts..."
"If we weren't here, things would get done slower. Please get some sleep, I like you better when you're well rested."
Talved nodded his head slightly as if silently confirming his recent analysis but his face was still barely showing any emotion save for a slight smile. He walked away without saying bye and his slow footfalls echoed throughout the empty shell of Section 4. Altruis' breath shuddered with unease as she exhaled. She was sure that Talved had heard her call him an Automaton but he didn't bring it up, which was for the best. She turned off the main light and walked over to the plants she had been raising in her room.
"I'm a horrible person for saying that aren't I..."
*****
Talved reached the end of the hall and hid around the corner, listening to hear if Altruis was going to leave her room. After a few minutes of her slowly walking around her room he heard her climb into bed. He smirked and quickly walked down the corridor and into an elevator. He checked a readout that popped up on his wrist and swiped it away as the elevator doors opened to, instead, a dark hallway.
This part of the ship had taken a beating when they made atmospheric entry, which made it invisible to T.V.R. Each section of the Shinimorte had more than a few areas like this. Talved walked into a small room that originally housed weapons but the giant rift in the floor emptied everything in it into the bowels of Section 4. It had taken Talved 4 months to find what he had stashed away in this room. The same device had been planted in similar rooms in each Section.
He put his hand on a dimly lit holo pad and spoke something in Andromedian. Another screen popped up next to the pad and an Organic appeared. He was wearing a General's uniform and looked haggard.
"What do you have to report... Assassin?"
The man looked as though he were disgusted with having to speak with Talved. Talved showed no emotion one way or the other about the General's demeanor.
*****
A few days had gone by and Altruis was still just as wary of Talved but she finally made an effort to get along with him; an effort fueled by her guilt from referring to him as an Automaton. They'd spent a few hours examining her maps and Talved asked her to clarify a few details here and there. Personally, they were icy but their working relationship had gone back to how it'd been when they crashed; tolerable.
Lancieta appeared on a screen in Section 4 but when she saw no one in the room she disappeared and appeared on another screen in Section 4. This happened a few more times before Vould grew curious.
"Excuse me captain, what are you doing?"
"I'm looking for Talved."
"TALVED! Get to a working terminal! The CAPTAIN wants to speak with you!"
"That wasn't helpful Vould."
"Why not? You were looking for him so I sped up your search."
"I wanted to catch him."
"Catch him doing what?"
"I'm not sure yet.
Vould made a smug face that Lancieta wished she could punch.
"Is the captain going stir-crazy and paranoid?"
"Tell me Vould, how has someone been able to make off world communications and you, nor your brother's, have been able to notice?"
"Because no one has contacted the outside Captain. All systems ship/planet wide are gutted. We have no communication capabilities."
Talved appeared on screen with his usual boring, emotionless face.
"Who've you been talking to?"
"Well I was just speaking with Altruis about her..."
"Don't play dumb. I may have grown a soft side since we crashed but don't make me hunt you down."
His face changed slightly. It seemed as though in that instant he became a different person. He wore a slight smile with a sinister look behind his eyes."
"General Gi-Leyn gave me a few quantum communication modules. I've been in contact with him since Altruis and I finished our preliminary safety checks and repairs to Section 4."
Lancieta returned Talved's sinister look with one of absolute authority.
"So about a year after we crashed then?"
"More or less, Captain." The honorific dripped with sarcasm.
"I thought it was odd, being allowed to contract an assassin to go with me on this mission." Lancieta might as well have been in the same room as Talved with the way she was staring into his eyes, her face muscles twitching with anger.
"Well, the chance to kill Draconisis was a good draw Captain."
"What was your secondary objective?"
Talved smiled wryly which made Vould feel uncomfortable.
"Well... you would've been a war-hero. But we're all War-Criminals now aren't we, because we failed?"
"Vould."
"Y... yes Captain?"
"Have Layrok pick me up and bring me to The Alps. Talved and I are gonna have a face to fist."
"We'll see Cap..."
"DO NOT FORGET WHO YOU'RE TALKING TO!"
Her retort served to temporarily erase Talved's smile. The stern, no prisoners look that had once been plastered on countless military campaign media was now staring at him with a murderous intent, but he still managed an answer with a slight smirk on his face.
"I await your arrival Supreme Commander Lancieta Steegle."
"Knock it off you smug son of a bitch, you damn well know my rank."
"Yes. I also know the rank you constantly denied."
Lancieta turned off the screen, holding back her anger from punching through it. She'd already destroyed a mirror a few weeks ago and she didn't want to go on another scavenging quest.
"I've contacted Layrok Captain. She'll lift off within the hour. Your estimated arrival to Section 4 is 11 hours from now."
Lancieta said nothing as she walked out of the communications room. Vould was terrified. He'd never seen this side of Captain Steegle nor had he spoken with the real Talved before and he hoped he wouldn't have to do either again. He wasn't even sure if he should tell his brothers about what just happened. He ended up staying in the communications room until Layrok landed, the sentient A.I. equivalent of staying in their room and locking the door.