Futuristic A Desperate Alliance (DergTheDergon and The Velveteen Rabbit)

[DergTheDergon]

Girard chuckled a little at Nima's seductive, teasing statement, a shiver running down his spine, especially as she bit him lightly. "Of course... I can't get enough of you.." he purred back, boldly sliding a hand over her rear end and keeping it there as he stared into her eyes. She moved his hand upwards toward her dress's zipper, and he grinned ."Guess that goes both ways, huh?" unable to bear the slow pace she set, he sped up his hand, unzipping the rest in one fell swoop, subsequently grabbing both sides and yanking the dress down off of her as he kissed her. He pulled back once he was done to discard the rest of their clothes just as deftly, the pair kissing and caressing all the while. The next thing Girard new, he had pushed Nima down onto the bed and began to take her eagerly. The world seemed to stop as they made love.

Hours later, the pair passed out in each other's arms, neither remembering when their lovemaking had ended the next morning. It was all a blissful, passionate blur, making hours melt into what seemed like minutes to the both of them. They ended up sleeping through Girard's first few alarms, but he was prepared, he'd set quite a few half an hour apart. Finally, one of them woke him up. However, it was the one set just one hour before the scheduled deployment time. Today, they would have to fight once more. Girard was assaulted by vivid mental images of his soldiers dying as he showered (together with Nima if she was willing), groomed himself and donned his combat armor. She could likely tell that he was troubled.

Once they were ready, Girard kissed Nima deeply in front of the door and pulled back, an equally loving and worried look in his eye has he held her hand with one of his own, resting the other on her shoulder. "Whatever happens out there today, Nima... we'll get through it together. We are strong. But you mustn't stray from my side, and I will not stray from yours either." He then gained a likely quite unexpected smile on his face, as he then said, "After this fight is over... I'd like to discuss our future together." Truth be told, Girard had already been browsing through engagement rings on his wrist computer the night before. He just knew that he and Nima would be happy together for the rest of thier lives.

Hand-in-hand, the pair trudged, armor-clad, into the airlock room. Girard lowered his head and took a deep dreath as he saw how much fewer the human forces were this time. The good news was, the joint army had been bolstered with Elassian forces. The Elassians, many of them never having fought Vorcha before, all seemd ready and rearing, and it made Girard smile a litte. "Your people are so strong-willed and fearless... I admire that very much," he whispered to Nima.

Seeing their princess holding hands with a human soldier caused a few Elassians to glare at the pair, but at seeing them, Girard stared them down and simply reaffirm his grip as if to say 'And what can you do about it?"

Thankfully, the stares stopped when the pilot's voice came over the intercom, stating that they'd be arriving on the surface in a few short minutes. As if on cue, the ship beganto rock slightly with turbulence.

In the heat of the moment, Girard hugged nima tightly to his chest, and whispered in her ear. "Let's show these bastards what we've got, Nima... we make an amazing team. We're going to make waves down there." He took a few deep breaths, now being as calm and centered as he can be after feeling Nima's embrace for just a few short moments.

Just a few seconds later, far too soon in Girard's eyes, the airlock opened, revealing a wartorn alien forest that was burned by periodic fires, the blue, pink and neaon-yellow-leave,d thin-trunked trees cut down in large swaths. The Vorcha took large amounts of resources just like this wherever they went in order to fuel thier endveavors to conquer the galaxy. It made Girard angry, and likely Nima as well.

The Vorcha didn't have a base here, so thankfullly that meant that they couldn't have another cannon.

however, they had other tricks of thier sleeves, they always did.

the opposing forces charged at each other through the previously peaceful forest, clear bluish-pinkish skies above yet smoke and laser fire obscuring it.

Nima and girard fought back-to back, confused when suddenly, without warning, the hordes of Vorcha began to pull out, [iling undercover in the form of large domed energy shields that a handful of the Vorcha had, the aliens still firing. Girard's eyes widened. "They have some kind of superweapon. Nima," Girard said gravely, dragging her behind a large boulder nearby.

Then the answer as to why the Vorcha were taking cover came in the form of loud booms that echoed through the battlefield.... following by screams.

they wer edropping bombs. Powerful ones.

Girard held onto Nima, not letting her go anywhere, shaking with rage and fear. This boulder was just keepin them safe enough... must be made of some blast-resistant natural substance on this planet. Thank goodness. However, the pair could hear the sounds of hundred of other solider,s ellassians and humans alike, all dying at once.

"Nima... when these things top.... we're killing them all. They're going to try and pull out now, but they don't fucking deserve that." Girard never swore, but it just came out at this moment. The very second the bombs stopped, he released Nima and entered that same beserk state she saw back on the last planet.

Whatever would happen... this isituation was dire. The two of them were far, far outnumbered now.

The Velveteen Rabbit

 

[The Velveteen Rabbit]

A sly grin appeared on Nima's soft lips as her teasing seemed to finally push Girard over the edge, his hand unzipping her dress in one quick movement with his other hand on her rear. She kissed him passionately while he disposed of her clothes, her hands working on his own. As the couple were locked passionately together, they eventually fell against the plush bed behind them, their lovemaking beginning in an excited, intense fashion. A few hours later, the two lay curled in each other's arms, fast sleep after experiencing such a passionate session together. Nima's head rested on Girard's chest, her hand entwined with his as she breathed softly in her sleep, a peaceful smile on her face.

The next morning, the couple began preparing for the day, showering together and eventually finishing their morning routines. They got ready just in time, the princess changing into her black stealth armor and arming herself with both her sniper rifle and her two katanas that were sheathed at her sides. She kissed Girard back lovingly, wrapping her arms around his neck. When he pulled away, she gazed lovingly into his green eyes, gently maneuvering her arm so she could caress the side of his face.

"We'll be okay, Girard. We have each other." She reassured him in a soft voice. Her blue eyes widened at the mention of their future, seeing the unexpected smile on his face. Happiness overcame her as she thought of what that could only mean, leaning in and planting one last kiss on his lips before they departed for their deployment. After what happened on their last mission, Nima couldn't help but feel a little worried, but she didn't let herself show it. She squeezed Girard's hand after they reached the airlock.

The number of human soldiers was much lower compared to the amount of Elassian forces, and Nima knew exactly why. A few of them gave the two spiteful glares upon seeing the couple hand-in-hand, particularly her own people who were never very supportive of their relationship in the first place. Seeing Girard's protective glare in return made Nima smile, and she lightly kissed his cheek as they sat down next to each other. The pilot began to speak overhead, the princess listening quietly. As soon as the turbulence began however, the princess squeezed Girard's hand a little tighter as a reflex, relaxing greatly when he suddenly held her closer.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"You're right, we are strong. I know we'll be okay... as long as we protect each other." Nima whispered back, giving his hand another squeeze and pulling away, a reassuring smile on her face.

Nima's gaze immediately looked towards the airlock as it opened, seeing the destruction the Vorcha had caused on this once vibrant planet. She instinctively frowned, having flashbacks to her own planet and the terror that came with it. They hopped out of the ship shortly after that, diving into battle against the scaly beings roaming the burnt forests. Nima unsheathed her katana and took on a whole group of Vorcha by herself, all of them falling dead around her in a perfect circle. The battle was shorter than expected however. The scaly beasts began to retreat out of nowhere back into the forest, running as fast as they could from something.

Nima instantly felt a terrible feeling knot in her stomach.

She turned Girard just in time to hear him speak of a 'super weapon', her eyes widening in fear. The princess looked around frantically as he pulled her away, crouching low and holding her behind a towering boulder.

"W-We should warn the others. They'll all die if we don't-" She barely had time to finish her sentence. A huge, monstrous boom erupted in the distance, the air suddenly turning hot. Nima looked up just in time to see those around her evaporate into ash, screaming to the heavens before crumpling into a pile of grey ash on the ground. Her body began to shake, horror written all over her face after seeing what she'd just witnessed. Girard said something beside her, but it was barely audible and only turned into a fuzzy mess of jumbled words. Her ears began to ring in a loud, deafening screech. The princess felt Girard's body leave hers, and in an instant panic shot through her heart, making it beat quickly.

"Girard! Wait! It's too dangerous!" Nima yelled after him, her vision blurry as she stumbled towards his deformed figure in the distance. She didn't know when the Vorcha's forces returned, but when she felt their scaly hands roughly grabbing her and throwing her backwards, she knew this wasn't going to end well. The princess tried to scream the commander's name, but one of them pressed a hand against her mouth and her cry became muffled. She felt a sharp pain in her arm and a wave of exhaustion swept over her instantly.

Nima reached out towards what she thought was Girard's figure, blackness swirling into her vision.

"G.....Gi..." She fell limp, his name never leaving her mouth. The Vorcha flung the princess over its shoulder like a limp ragdoll, quickly hauling off the princess into the half-destroyed forest before Girard had time to look back and check if she was okay.

A pair of glowing eyes watched from the underbrush, studying the dire situation carefully. When the human had cut down the last of the Vorcha in his way and turned around, searching frantically for his missing comrade, she leaped out of the bushes and put a hand to his mouth, forcing the human to take several steps backwards and hide in the heavy growth surrounding them. She crouched low beside him, leaning her mouth towards his ear.

"If you do not hide, they will kill you, do you hear me?" She whispered into his ear, her accent heavy and foreign to him.

"Be still."

Her glowing purple eyes watched from behind him as a whole patrol of Vorcha looked around confusingly for the human commander, communicating in rough voices in their own language. When he was nowhere to be seen, the scaly beasts gave up their search and began to retreat in the direction of Nima's disappearance.

Finally, she released her grasp on him, rising from the iridescent grass and studying the area around them carefully. Her appearance was odd, yet very beautiful. Her skin was a light shade of blue along with her hair, two horns protruding from the top of her head that changed color under certain lighting. Her eyes were a dazzling purple, feathers matching the color of her skin running along her arms. The alien woman's appearance matched the vibrancy of the forest around her, and it was clear that she was native to this planet.

She didn't give him a chance to say anything.

"Come. We must find safety." She grabbed his arm and pulled him after her, walking fast towards the section of the forest that hadn't been thoroughly destroyed yet.

DergTheDergon

 

[DergTheDergon]

Nima's words in the airlock had calmed and comforted him so that he was sure that this battle was going to go well. As he heard the bombs drop as the fight heated up, however, soldiers both human and Elassian dying left and right around him, he knew that it had just been wishful thinking. 'I should've called out to warn the others at least, but all I could think of was to save Nima...' Girard thought, shaking with anger and deep regret.

Girard barely heard Nima's warning in the back of his mind, and didn't consciously register it as he fired round after round after round of ammunition, laser focused on killing every Vorcha around him quickly, efficiently and with no mercy. "DAMN YOU! YOU've TAKEN EVERYTHING AWAY FROM TOO MANY PEOPLE! EVERYTHING!" His voice boomed with a powerful rage that Nima had likely not heard from him, nor anyone for that matter. This war was tearing him apart inside.

Sadly, it was about to hit him in the way he most feared: by taking the woman he loved away from him.

A mass of dead Vorcha all around him, the commander, breathing heavily, turned around remembering that ima hadn't come out with him... and she was gone.

Panic immediately began to set in. He strained to see her through the thick fog the bombs had caused, but.... it was as if she had vanished. He began to shake with the fear that he had been careless and the Vorcha had taken her, his breathing gorwing heavy, tears weling in his eyes. "Nima? Nima?! Nima!""

He was about to scream her name at the top of his lungs, when suddenly, he heard a rustling behind him and was too late to act. He tried, at first, to wrest himself from the grip of who he thought was a Vorcha, but then he saw the unusual color of his captor's arm. They were a native, he knew that much. they were supposed to be very peaceful... so were they trying to save him?

As he heard the natives words, and the soothing, feminine voice they were spoken in, he began to relax, but only slightly, just enough to allow her to pull him into utter obscurity from the Vorcha. He obliged her and stayed still, though it took nearly all of his willpower not to wrest himself from this native woman's grip and let loose a hail of gunfire upon these Vorcha as well. He took a deep breath in order to steady his breathing and thus keep him from being discovered, decided to accept this woman's help for now.

If he was to get Nima back, he was likely going to need all the help he could get.

Girard immediately turned around to see who had just, more than like, saved his life. She had to be a native, no doubt, as he'd heard they were just as vibrantly colorful as the forest. But her striking, otherworldly beauty reminded him of Nima and a tear ran down his cheek.

Just as he was about to thank the woman yet insist that he had to go back and find Nima, the native woman began to drag him by the arm. "Wait! They took someone very dear to me, I have to go back1" Speaking alou,d he realized the error of his words, and knew that he'd likely be dead if enough Vorcha had found him, which this woman just prevented. Girard sighed, then looked to the native woman. "Please.... you have to promise me that you'll let me go looking for her when they've pulled out... though considering her importance... they might've captured her... dammit! I was too careless!"

Hearing a loud voice rambling nearby, one that sounded human, a short, lizardlike being with a very long face, rough green skin, huge brown eyes, and odd horn-like structures growing out of his head, ran frantically through the brush, and when he came out in the clearing and saw the human being dragged around by a native, he smiled widely and breathed a sigh of relief. He ran up to the pair, carrying a lot of gear including very advanced looking, armor, and a lot of baggage, breathing heavily, and spoke in a fast and frantic manner, his people's normal pace of speaking. his voice was high-pitched, fitting his slight stature.

"A native! And a human! Not Vorcha! I am saved! You two do not mind if I tag along, do you? I can make myself useful." He beamed up at them with an expectant smile, almost like a child's, seemingly oblivious to the aura of despair around Girard.

Girard, in no mood for the creature's cheer and simply looking at him with a confused expression, then turned towards the woman. '"Your decision, I suppose. I assume you're taking me to your home, after all." He was still shaking, but barely holding it together so as not to speak this new creature that clearly meant no harm.

The Velveteen Rabbit

 

[The Velveteen Rabbit]

The native looked back at him as he struggled against her grasp, looking frantically in the direction his companion had disappeared to. Her vibrant gaze softened slightly, seeing the pain clear as day on his face. She shook her head gravely, her expression more serious now.

"No, you cannot go back there or you will die, do you understand? We will find your companion when things have calmed down. The beasts are restless now. We must wait until the break of dawn. Only then will we search for her. I promise." The woman told him seriously, her strange accent thick, however it appeared she spoke very clear English. She seemed friendly enough, and acted quite strong for someone who looked so fragile.

The woman let go of his arm and took a few steps forward, motioning with her hand for him to follow her.

"Come quickly. We must find sa-"

The sound of rustling made the native stop in her sentence. She immediately unsheathed an odd looking knife from her hip, a strange glowing vine wrapped around the hilt. Her expression was deadly, eyes narrowed and body positioned in a fighting stance. When the alien responsible for making such a ruckus showed itself, the native seemed to calm down after realizing it wasn't a threat. She sheathed her knife, studying the newcomer curiously. The woman exchanged a look with the human before looking back at the alien.

"You may join us, but I would advise you lower your voice during our travels or you will alert the enemy." She explained to him, hoping he was cooperative.

The native pointed further into the forest.

"My camp is not too far from here. We must go there. It is too difficult for the beasts to find and it will provide safe shelter for the time being." She glanced between the two, turning towards them.

"Follow, and be quick. The animals in this forest are not so forgiving," the native turned her back to them, beginning to walk forward into the heavy, glowing undergrowth.

"Do not stray far behind if you value your life."

Just then, the sound of a deep roar echoed in the distance, further adding to the woman's warning of the wildlife surrounding them. She led them through the thick forest for what seemed like an hour or so. The towering trees around them began to block out the sunlight just slightly, the area around them gradually becoming dim as they proceeded. Eventually, they came upon a large makeshift camp sitting in the middle of a beautiful grove filled with hanging, twinkling flowers. A strange hut made strictly from vines hung from one of the trees above, plush feathers and grass cushioning the inside. That must be where the native slept.

A dead campfire sat in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by wooden logs for people to sit on. There was a stove hovering over the middle of the fire pit, made from a shiny, glowing metal that was unknown to both of them. Her camp was extremely well organized, and there was even what looked like another hut floating beside her own, a vine draping from the entrance to the ground.

As soon as they neared her camp, a sporadic burst of high-pitched hissing sounds erupted from the larger hut next to her own. The woman put an arm out in front of the human and the alien, silently warning them not to take a step further as a huge cat resembling a leopard leaped down in front of the group. Instead of fur, it was covered in feathers, a brilliant turquoise and golden plumage. It bared its fangs at them and snarled viciously, pacing back and forth in front of the native.

"Shh. Ashura. They are friends." She spoke in her native tongue reassuringly, approaching the ferocious animal and stroking its neck in a soothing manner. The cat's growling began to die down at her touch, however it never took its piercing eyes off of the two intruders. The woman turned towards them as she pet the giant animal.

"Make yourselves at home. It is not much, but it will do for now. I will prepare the fire. You two sit and relax. I'll search for food later." She pointed towards the wooden logs placed near the fire before padding near the huge tree towering over them. There were dozens of luminescent beetles clinging to its bark, making strange clicking noises. The native pried a few of them off of the tree's trunk and made her way back to the fire pit. Without hesitation, she snapped their heads off and drained their bodily fluids into the fire, throwing the rest of their carcasses into the undergrowth.

All it took was one drop from the nectar of a nearby flower and the fire came alive, flickering wildly in front of them in wisps of blue and green. The giant cat finally managed to relax and collapsed next to the warm fire, resting its head on its paws.

"Where do you two hail from?" The native asked, taking a seat across from them and beginning to carve the skin off of a fruit resembling a melon.

DergTheDergon

Spoiler: Ashura

 

[DergTheDergon]

Girard met the exotic woman's eyes with a pained, but understanding expression as she denied him going back. He let his muscles relax and allowed himself to give up, and just let her take him wherever she was taking him. "Alright.... something makes me feel as though I can trust you, so... I'll trust you. I trustthat we'll find her." He fell quiet, now in a depressive state of sorts as he thought of Nima, and of his careless mistake.

Girard began to step forward in order to follow as he listened to her continue speaking. The very next moment, however, someone rushed out from the brush.

The small-of-stature lizardlike creature held his hands out in surrender at seeing the native woman's primed weapon. "I mean no harm! I am a simple scientist!" He called out in fear. He lowered his scaly, calloused hands as she lowered her knife, and the creature found himself smiling once more at her eventual answer, after locking eyes with her and displaying a smiliar curiosity for a while. He had lowered his voice when he next spoke.

"Yes, I understand. Thank you. lead the way." With that, the creature began to follow, and Girard found himself looking the strange little man over in a very curious fashion as they walked. "You have questions, human?" He asked, clearly happy to answer. Girard decided to oblige, if only because it might help keep his mind off of Nima while the native woman was waiting for things to calm down.

"Yes.... not to sound rude but, what are you?" He asked, looking down into the creature's eyes, the creature only coming to about Girard's waist, just above it. He laughed. "Oh, you do not sound rude. I get that question too ofte n to be bothered by it. I am a Salarian. Our existence is not common human knowledge. Although, human existence is not common saliran knowledge either. I am what you humans would call a Xenobiologist. That's why I was here.... until the Vorcha arrived. Now I'm just here to survive. So much vibrant, interesting life being wiped out... wish there was more I could do."

The creature shook his head. "Enough about that though, what brings you here? I saw both Humans and Elassians among you... your races allied?" "Yes, we allied to fight the vorcha." "Hmm, I see. Strength in numbers," the salarian said. "What is your name, human?" "Girard. Yours?" ""Malen. It is nice to meet you." "Yeah.. nice to meet you."

it was clear to the Salarian now that Girard didn't want to speak. "One last question, sorry if personal. What happened to you? I detect great emotional unrest within you." Not question how he could simply sense that, Girard replied, quietly. "The Vorcha took someone dear to me. May have killed her, may have kidnapped her." Malen nodded, not prying any further. "i offer condolences, and hope that you find her intact." Malen's speech was a little too formal and articulate for Girard's taste, but he let it slide. "Thanks, Malen." The Salarian smiled. "Happy to help."

With that, Malen stepped forward and walked beside the woman. She seeemed to busy trying to get from point a to b to talk, so he refrained for now. Malen shivered a little at hearing the roar and found himself stepping closerto Girarda nd the native, trying to effectively hide himself between the two.

Once they had arrived, Malen took out an odd-looking device, a small white orb that projected a holographic screen, and began typing notes on the screen. He wrote down everything from how the camp was set up, to details about location it was set up in, to the roars, behavior and look of the feline creature that the native called Ashura. Strangely, the normally jumpy Saarian seemed unafraid in this moment, entirely focused on his observations.

Girard however, was on edge, gripping his gun tighter as half his brain told him to shoot. He had to calm down or he was going to do something he deeply regretted. He took a deep breath. When the beast calmed, so did Girard to an extent.

Both men nodded and sat down on opposite logs, Malen busying himself with taking notes about the surrounding area, as well as the procedure for startin the fire. His eyes widened as he saw what the beeetles did to the fire, combined with that flower. "Mind if I take specimens of these flora and fauna? I wish to study them." Once he received his answer, he either collected said samples in order to get to work with them later or simply took more ntoes about his surroundings.

At the native's question, the talkative Malen was of course the first to speak. "Terras. The Salarian homeworld. Two galaxies over, 3 lightyears away. Covered in cities now but, when it was natural, was mostly swampland." "Earth," Girard replied, "a lot of varied ecosystems, large oceans. Not sure how far it is but.... far."


malen took this opportunity to look th ewoman in the eyes with deep curiosity. "I have many questions if you will humor me, miss. I have notmet many of your kind, and certainly not one as fluent at galactice basic as you. My name is Malen." The Salarian smiled siightly, his eyes full of wonder. He was clearly deeply interested in the alien woman before him, but refraining from his questions. he also could not help but think about how strikingly beautiful she was, and how much he respected her 'get things done' attitude.

If time and present company allowed. Malen would be asking the woman questions all night. But, afterhe was informed of the native adn Girard's plan to go looking for Nima, he stiood up and spoke. "I may be able to assist you, at leats with getting through the Vorcha," he said confidently, a slight smile on his face as he began to pace back and forth.

"No chances to test it yet, but I have developed a chemical compound that i can release into the air. The plants and animals around here should react to ti as if it is an intruder. See, I have observed that this planet is very interconnected naturally. All part of nature are one here. I beleive I have developed a way to combat the Vorcha through humane use of the wildlife. Large animals will attack, cetasin plants will begin to produce a gas poisonous to only those that are effected by my concoction, carnivoros plants will swalling those nearby wit hthe scewnt, et cetera. What I am proposing, is by throwing vicals of this at the Vorcha, we could help the environment they are destroying fight for its own survival. What do you think about this proposal?" he asked the native woman this question, and Girard listened with his own curiosity.

it was getting close to being the perfect time to search for Nima now, and Girard grew increasingly restless, pacing back and forth beside the fire. Malen was just glad the large beast near the fire didn't try to eat him and just laid peacefully still.

The Velveteen Rabbit

 

[The Velveteen Rabbit]

The native woman couldn't help but listen in on their conversation as they journeyed through the forest together, however she did not speak up, instead choosing to focus on arriving at their destination safely and quickly. There was plenty of unforgiving life on this planet, and many travelers who chose to accompany her often lost their lives due to meeting said life. The thought made her frown slightly and she tried not to think too much about it.

This was a different case. The native refused to let these two die under her care.

As she sat down next to the burning fire, carefully peeling away the dark blue skin of a fruit in her hands, the native couldn't help but watch as the strange lizard scientist took notes on the area around him, holding some sort of technological device. He looked highly invested in learning about her own planet, and in a way, his excitement amused her. When Malen asked if he could take a few samples, the woman nodded and motioned towards the beetles and the flower he seemed so interested in.

"Go ahead. Be mindful of that flower though. It contains a burning nectar that ignites anything it touches. My people call it 'Snalyalda', which translates to fire flower." She warned as he moved to study it.

The native looked up when the two described their home worlds. She honestly had never heard of either of their planets, as well as the people that lived on it. Her people often chose to stay away from technology, resorting to more primitive ways that these two probably weren't used to seeing. She noticed the scientist move closer to her, curiosity evident in his large eyes. The giant feline laying next to them shifted slightly, his eyes now watching the little lizard man as he approached the native woman next to him. A deep rumble erupted in his throat, as if to warn the scientist he was observing him carefully.

A small smile appeared on her face at Malen's words, the first bit of emotion the two of them had seen from her since they'd met.

"I do not mind. Most of my people choose not to learn about other cultures so I understand your curiosity, since you are a scientist after all. My name is Jezza." She responded calmly, not at all annoyed by Malen's curious nature. He did have a very strange appearance, and she wondered why he chose to study such a dangerous planet all by himself. Jezza perked up a bit at the mention of the Vorcha and how Malen could help, now studying him curiously as he paced back and forth. She appeared to be lost in thought while he explained his solution.

"I see no problem with it. As long as it does not harm the plant and animal life around it, I have no objection to its usage. Although, if you've never tested it before, how do you know it works properly?" Jezza asked out of her own curiosity, feeling a bit uneasy about his concoction. She could see Girard pacing restlessly by the fire, a worried expression on his face. After Malen took the time to answer her question, the native turned towards the human, setting the fruit she was peeling aside for now.

"The woman that the beasts took... is she your mate or perhaps carrying your child? You seem to be very worried about her." Jezza could see the pain in his eyes even now. She only caught a glimpse of the woman the Vorcha stole away before she rushed out to rescue Girard from his own doom. She looked reassuringly towards him, a small smile on her face.

"We will look for her in the morning, I promise. It's too dangerous to travel at night here. The beasts took her in the direction of their ship. We will head that way at the break of dawn. I am sure we will find her." She explained to him, hoping that eased at least a little bit of his worry for now. Although she had a feeling he would have a very restless sleep that night, considering how important that woman was to him.

DergTheDergon

 

[DergTheDergon]

Malen, being quite observant, noticed out of the corner the native woman seeming to study him with a similar met the native woman's eyes attentively with his own large, round, eyes, complete with lizardlike slits for pupils. as he listened to her answer, noting her warning with a curt, quick nod coupled with a curious widening of his eyes. He then immediately approached the flowers, took out a few vials from his backpack, and began carefully filling said vials with the flowers and beetles while muttering to himself in a fast-paced manner. "Hmm, I see I see. Very interesting defense mechanism against herbivores. Could have useful research applications. Burn cures, energy sources, weapons... hmmm..." He took out an odd device and began to analyze the samples he took right then and there, feeling them in through a crevice on the side and looking at the screen, before pressing a button to download the information onto his other device.

As he moved closer to the native woman, Malen jumped slightly at the feline creature's roar and threw his hands up in a gesture of surrender while frantically facing towards it. "I-I mean your friend no ill will..." he said, hoping the creature understood galactic basic. Then proceeding with his questions, Malen found himself smiling back brightly at her answer, coupled with her own smile that he was not expecting in the slightest. He nodded. He then found himself cracking a smile at her astute question. A fellow curious mind, even among such wild beings. He felt that he was going to along with Jezza quite well indeed."I 'm very glad that you approve. I would not use it if you were not. As a native, you likely know what's best for the environment." He smiled warmly at her, more than he ever remembered smiling before, and it only widened when Jezza asked her very astute question.

"A wonderful question. I have done an extensive molecular comparison between life here and my comprehensive databank of life elsewhere. I then used that data as a base for calculations which the results of in layman's terms display a very high chance of the compound succeeding. I apologize if you cannot grasp my wording but suffice to say I have used methods proven by Salarian science to nine times out of ten predict the outcome of any experiment." He smiled a confident smile, unaware that he'd sped up his speech even more than normal due to his excitement of the subject.

This entire time, Reynald was unable to pay attention to the other two gathered 'round the fire, finding himself staring into space, quite literally, as he gazed up at the numerous stars within the sky. It took him a few seconds to register that he was being addressed by Jezza, but when he noticed he looked her in the eyes. Recalling her question, his gaze saddened, he nodded, and he looked back up to the sky before eh spoke. "Your people would call her my mate, I'm sure... and she may be carrying my child, but it's too soon to tell." He blushed a little. Come to think of it, he didn't even know if humans and Elassians could have children together. The question never came up... they just spontaneously gave into each other. He was beginning to feel very depressed thinking about her again. "All I know is... I love and care for her very much..."

Girard then nodded at her words. "Alright..." he reluctantly said. "The irrational side of me want to simply walk away from you right now, and look for her myself, at night, very tired, on such a dangerous planet.... but I know that if she's still alive and I died, she'd be just as devastated as I would." Girard side, looking down at the ground hard, feeling helpless. "In the morning.... I'll find you Nima. Just hang on until then.... you're strong, I know you can." He mumbled to himself, looking up at the stars as if she was there as tears welled in his eyes.

He turned to the others, regarding both Jezza and Malen with a nod. "Thank you both for your help... the Vorcha are ruthless and it means a lot that you're willing to help some human soldier niether of you know..." Malen met his eyes. "Is a pleasure. Love to help when I can. Vorcha kill and destroy everything they touch. Too much wasted life. too much destruction of the future of all raqces. Have to help stop it any way I can. I now have a way." There was a determination in the Salarian's eyes that Girard found just a little inspiring.

"Well..." Girard said. "We should try to rest." With that, he laid down near the fire and turned their backs to them. Malen's eyes lingered on Girard for a moment, before he leaned closer to Jezza, cautiously eyeing her dangerous-looking pet all the while. "Do you mind if after we find Girard's mate I stick around to learn from you? With the war my research has been difficult. Also, Salarians do not sleep. I will keep watch and alert you if danger comes. Relax and rest well."

The Velveteen Rabbit