Hur-14

 

I’m glad you’re safe. It is excellent to hear that you have plenty of time for your own research, and I hope you are happy in your service to King Decon so far!

 

If you’re ahead of us, maybe you could send a missive after you’ve gone through the wormhole? I like your opinion on the experience. 

 

I agree, planetary hours are awful; I’m sorry your planet has such a short day. Arkane has shorter days too, but not nearly that short!

 

As for my research project; well, Ark-88 and myself spent the entire day getting organized and figuring out our tasks, and I have not actually started my supplemental research yet. I have planned on how to start it though; I want this to work well, so I must plan everything to ensure that it’s perfect. 

 

-Ark-87 (TO)

 

TO had hesitated on putting their nickname on the bottom, but they did anyway. Their higher ups knew about the nicknames and never seemed worried about them. They seemed irritated at times, but not worried.

The bed was still warm and comfortable. TO flopped back into the pillows and pulled the blankets back up over their shoulders. They wanted to go back to sleep; the scant hours they managed hadn’t had nearly enough and they didn’t know how they’d function. They wanted to doze and listen to the sound of the shower only a few feet away from them.

 

With a sigh, TO sat up and wrapped their wings around themself. They thought they’d go take their shower, but then remembered how small the shower was.

 

There were no communal showers; that seemed so odd. 

 

They went to the table, sat down, and got their food. Another hard bar fell from the dispenser and sat on the table before expanding. Still feeling half asleep, TO ate almost robotically until DH came out of the showers. 

 

“It’s morning.” DH stated in a dull, deadpan voice. They looked more tired than TO felt; Their ears were sunk back and their eyes were half closed. “I’m supposed to say ‘good morning.’ As a greeting on Arkane, right?” they went back behind the blanket that separated their sleeping area from the rest of the space, and TO could hear the rustle of fabric as they dressed. 

 

“Throw my uniform to me.” TO said. They were waking now, the motors in their brain starting as they considered what had to be done. There were checks and training to do first, then research. They’d have to check on the recent news for Arkane as well. Their grasp on Arkane civilization and history was decent, but they’d probably have to study more of the social norms for Arkane before they landed. For this, Ark-1 had suggested that they watch media produced by the civilians there. 

 

“Your uniform is really dusty.” DH called out, “The black fabric really shows that more. Do you want me to wash it now?”

 

“I don’t have another uniform.” TO said back, “And there’s no robes here.”

 

“Go without your uniform today.” DH suggested as they came out from behind the blanket, now fully dressed. They had TO’s uniform in their hands as they headed towards the washroom, “It might be awkward, but it’s not like we have to attend classes or-” 

 

“Arkane has nudity taboos,” TO said as they reached for their uniform. “We have to be acclimated for that; we need to do as much as we can to adapt to the social norms.”

 

DH sighed and threw the uniform to TO, “Fair enough.”they said. 

 

“Also, I don’t want to go up into the engine room naked; it’s very dirty up there.” they finished their food and started pulling on their uniform as soon as they stood up. Having a top and a bottom to their uniform seemed like a waste compared to their old one-piece uniforms, but it was the most common style of clothing across the galaxy. They finished dressing and though they had already eaten, they sat back down at the table with DH. 

 

Another little block of food fell out onto the table. DH watched it with disappointment as it expanded before they picked it up and started chewing. 

 

“I hate this.” they said, “This is worse than the food in the training center. I’m not eating any of it when we land on Arkane; I’ll eat only local food.”

 

TO suppressed a chuckle at the sulky tone to DH’s voice. DH shot a glare at them. “Sorry.” TO said as they stifled their laugh, “You just seem so sad about it. It’s only food.”

 

“Well, I miss the food we had back in the training center. It wasn’t even good and I miss it.” 

 

“When we land on Arkane I’ll find a nice place and we can go eat something fantastic; just like in your shows.” 

 

DH stopped, dropping their bar. “You mean… you mean like a restaurant or something?” They put their hands on the table and leaned forward, “Like one of those sit-down restaurants in the movies where people bring you your food? One where you get a menu, and you can order anything you want?” 

 

“Of course.” TO said with a grin.

 

“But you have to pay for that-” 

 

“That shouldn’t be a problem. The supply kits should have the communicator we need, which is linked to a credit system for King Decon’s synths. Of course, it’s registered as a civilian account, so it won’t cause any issues when we’re in disguise.”

 

“And… and we can visit a nice one?” DH’s ears dipped back, “Like in the shows? With candles and music and everything?” 

 

“If you like!” TO said. All they had seen in the shows were two types of restaurants; those fancy ones that DH had mentioned, and smaller ones that were brightly lit, noisy, and where the servers used overly familiar nicknames and brought mugs of steaming drinks without asking if you wanted them. For TO, the dim quiet of the fancier restaurants was more appealing than the other type of restaurant. 

 

TO had heard them called Diners in the shows. 

 

“Then yes!” DH said as they leaned forward, their ears twitching with excitement, “I’d love to visit a fancy restaurant with you!” 

 

TO gave a smile, “Good. We’ll go as soon as we can after we land. That’ll give you something to look forward to!” 

 

DH suddenly looked away, their ears flushing as they crammed the last of their bar into their mouth. They chewed quickly and got up. 

 

“Alright.” They said once they had swallowed the last morsels of bland food, “Let’s get to our tasks. I’ll deal with the computer stuff again!” 

 

TO thought it was excitement that had made DH act so oddly. They worked on their tasks without thinking too much about how DH had reacted. It wasn’t until they were nearly done with their checks in the training room that they remembered something. 

 

Often, when two people went to a fancy restaurant, they considered it a “date.” Dates had romantic connotations. Did the idea of eating at a restaurant excite DH, or did the potential romantic implications fluster them? If they were flustered, was it because they would want such an experience with TO, or because they wouldn’t? 

 

It occurred to TO that if they had been more awake they could have used the opportunity to probe DH a little. They could have said that fancy restaurants were often associated with romantic dates, and asked if DH was alright with that. They could have watched DH’s reaction and judged from that how DH might react to an actual confession.

 

Well, the time had passed, and they had missed their opportunity.

======

 

Log; Day 1 (Arkane Time)

 

We switched over to Arkane time after we completed our initial checks on day 1. Acclimating to Arkane Time has been difficult; the shorter days and shorter sleep lengths have left both Ark-88, and myself exhausted and disoriented. Despite this, we have stayed awake through most of a full Arkane day. 

All checks are complete and recorded. 

We have started waste processing. 

The main engine system recommended that we activate engine cooling; we complied.

We performed our physical training. 

We reviewed recent Arkane news to ensure we have a firm grasp on the current events when we land. 

Exhaustion is a factor, despite how early it is. We will spend the rest of the day immersing ourselves in cultural research to prepare for landing. 

TO leaned back in the chair before their work desk as they read over their report. They wondered if they should add anything else; like how they had cleaned the engine room so they didn’t feel so filthy every time they entered. They wondered if they should mention how DH had worked with them to show them how the computers worked in depth. 

 

Would it be ok to note that the training center had become just a dot, nearly lost in the glowing nebula?

 

Should they note they had found their supply packs hidden away near the front of the ship? They had altered the identification given to them, put their pictures on the thin cards and wrote fake names. TO had simply chosen to add a vowel to their nickname, creating Tio which would be easy for DH to remember. DH had been harder to alter, and in the end they had simply gone with “Dee” 

 

At least it would be easier for Avery. It made TO happy that Hur-13 would have to call Avery by their chosen name when they were out and acting as civilians. 

 

TO was adding the information about their identification when their chip suddenly pinged with a notification. A moment later, their communicator pinged as well. TO grabbed the communicator and read off the tiny screen instead of bringing the information up before them in the air. They didn’t want to activate their chip in front of civilians out of habit, so they had to get used to using the communicator. 

 

There was a message from Avery. 

 

TO; 

 

You’re an idiot and I think you’re stalling. 

 

You promised. 

 

-Avery.  

 

Panic flooded TO as they wondered if Avery had been too blunt in their message. After rereading it, they decided that nothing had been said which an uninformed synth could understand, so they were probably fine.

 

They wished they could see Avery. They wished they could tell Avery how scared they were without worrying about anyone reading what they sent. They wished they could have just a normal talk with their friend. 

 

After several moments of careful thought on how to word their message, TO responded.

Avery, 

 

I intend to keep that promise. The research is a little overwhelming, and I worry about doing it wrong; that’s all. 

 

This is an important mission with no room for failure. I just want to make sure everything I can control is perfect. 

 

-TO

 

After they sent the message, TO glanced over at DH who was sitting at the main console. Though they didn’t know what DH was working on, TO could easily see how excited DH was as they watched their ears twitch as they worked. DH’s their fingers typed rapidly as their eyes focused on the scripts before them. 

 

TO imagined walking up behind them, pushing their snout to the back of their ear and holding DH close to their chest as they embraced their friend with arms and wings. They imagined the sudden dip of DH’s ears as they turned blue. Maybe it would make DH feel like TO often did; like their lips were too sensitive, and like their skin was itchy all over. 

 

TO stood up as though their chair had caught fire. “Done,” they said as they turned to the washroom, “It’s late, so I’m going to shower and wash my uniform.” 

 

“Mm-hmm.” DH said, only half-listening as they focused on their work. They were far too immersed in their work to notice anything that TO was doing at the moment; a fact for which TO was immensely grateful for in the moment.