The New Species 13 (Patreon)

Chapter 13

Subject: Ship-Head Uleena

Species: Urakari

Description: Reptilian humanoid, no tail. 5'3" (1.6 m) avg height. 135 lbs (61 kg) avg weight. 105 year life expectancy.

Ship: RSV Lowelana {Fights with Honor}

Location: Sol

List of Republic Species:

1. Urakari - Both myself and Ship-head Uleena are Urakari. We are omnivorous, but according to Doctor Zickler we're allergic to "fish" and "wheat", and will die if we ingest "soda". Tim says we're "Humanoid".
2. Isolan - Mammals. They have four arms and two legs. I don't know if that counts as "Humanoid". Very short fur covering everything but their faces. Don't pet them.
3. Juntor - Amoebic people who use mechanical limbs to get around. They were uplifted by the Isolan before the Isolan joined the Republic. They really like to eat mulch. They also absolutely love to talk about music, but they have a cultural thing against listening to music with other people. Related to their courtship rituals, I think.
4. Duhliki - Very similar to humans, but their bones come out of their face. On their eyebrows and their chins. They're very sensitive to comments about their face-bones so it's best to just avoid the topic all-together. Unless they ask, in which case vague compliments are necessary. If they ask for specifics, they are trying to start a fight and the subject should be changed unless you want to fight them.
5. Maltovariakina - They don't have heads. Their voices come from somewhere in their torso. Translators have a tough time with most of them, so they tend to stick to themselves. Might be blind. They also have two limbs which they use for locomotion and grasping. They were uplifted by the Duhliki after the Duhliki had joined the republic, which was illegal to do. It was very scandalous.
6. Mdkpnz - These guys have two mouths and four eyes. Otherwise they're pretty "humanoid". One mouth is for eating and the other is for burping. Both can talk. They have multiple sacks on their chests which contain digestive enzymes that help them eat stuff. They have to leave the sacks mostly exposed to air for ventilation, and they consider it rude to stare at their chests.
7. Kinran - As Corporal Simmons would say, "bug people". Ten limbs, all with universal appendages. They can grab things with their feet and walk with their hands. They have compound eyes and a thorax. They are herbivores, and pretty gentle despite looking like the stuff of nightmares. Don't act like they're the stuff of nightmares though, that's very mean and they're super sensitive.
8. Oyan - Avians. They bear a striking resemblance to the Knuknus of the United Systems. If Corporal Simmons hadn't told me about them before I got to the Thanatos I would have been convinced they were the same thing. The only difference is that the Oyan have a spinal ridge, but you can't really see it unless you look hard. Which is why I asked to look at Nav-Officer Tlakni's back, I swear.

It had taken Kriin almost two days to compile her dossier, and she had given me a copy to brief me on what information she was giving the United Systems. Unfortunately, she had given it to me after she had given it to Director 3 and Omega. She had also given it to many of the captains at their request. I made a mental note to have a discussion with her about professionalism, but was also glad that she felt comfortable communicating with the humans in such a friendly manner.

I reread the dossier. It's not as if she were wrong about any of the information. Well, except I'm pretty sure Doctor Zickler had specified something called "baking soda" and had clarified that whatever normal soda is would be fine for us to consume.

While Kriin had compiled her dossier I had been in talks with Director 3 about what to expect when we enter Republic space. We would reconvene with the Republic and follow our first contact protocols. The best place to do that would be Elira 2, an out of the way system of no strategic importance. It's close enough to the core systems that it shouldn't take more than a few days for a diplomat to arrive by warp, but far enough away that the Thanatos can't scan anything important. Not that they would, but the rules are rules.

The other reason I chose Elira 2 is that it has a station with the ability to repair our FTL drive. I advised Director 3 that I likely wouldn't be in contact with them once docked, and First Contact would probably be handled by the station-master until an official representative arrived. Any face to face contact would have to be done aboard some sort of Republic diplomatic vessel. It was a pretty lengthy conversation.

Elsewhere around the ship, things were pretty tense. The United Systems was expecting an attack at any time, and there was no shortage of pressure on the engineering team to finish up the repairs on our ship. The biggest delay was 'furniture repair'. I said the seats were fine, but apparently they meant the consoles and controls.

I spent most of my time visiting my crew, trying to keep morale up. A lot of us had lost friends, and some of us had lost family. Most of the injured had made full recoveries, but some were having difficulties with shrapnel and broken bones. Kraan was already able to walk around, with some difficulty. Which Kriin was thrilled about. Tim showed her a video of an infant "deer" and she had quickly pointed out the comparison to Kraan. Turns out Captain Wong isn't the only organic being Tim likes teasing.

I visited the morgue, where our dead had been vacuum sealed and frozen for preservation. I had visited them every day since we boarded. Six caskets sat silent, a testament to my command capabilities. Every day before chow I came here, apologized, and wondered if I could have done anything differently. It hurt, but part of command is knowing that you have to do better next time.

What made it worse was that there should have been ten. Four of my people were floating in the void, and only the Sun knows where. They would only get ceremonial funerals. I hoped their families would grieve them without breaking. My aunt had drank herself to death after my uncle died. He had been on the wrong side of an airlock malfunction and had been shot out before anyone even knew what was happening. Since it was a trade station, their sensors couldn't find his body.

Being able to see your loved one's resting face was painful, but at least it brought a certain closure. Part of me dreaded going home and having to write the families. I wished there was a way I could bring them back, or stay here in Sol, or die to the OU. Anything to avoid the worst part of a ship-head's duty.

Once I finished my contemplations I went to chow. They had a wide variety of food, and I found myself drawn to something called "Spaghetti Americani". I was told that it contained wheat, however, so I grabbed something called a salad. I sat with a human who had grabbed the same thing so I could watch how to eat it. She looked a lot like Captain Wong, but something was a bit different about her face. I couldn't quite place it.

"First, you use your fork, that's the one with the prongs, to give it a good stir," She politely explained.

"Like this?" I asked as I mixed the ingredients with my fork.

"Exactly! Now you take the container there, yes that one, and you empty its contents over the salad. Yes, like that."

"Thank you, you're very kind."

"No problem," she smiled, turned back to her food, and whispered, " I humbly receive."

I felt like I was witnessing a personal ritual, so I turned to my own meal. Leafy greens with orange roots that were sliced thinly and bits of meat were now covered in an orange sauce called "salad dressing". I took a bite and was surprised at how flavorful it was. I tried each bit individually and found that the flavor was coming from the orange root, the dressing, and the bits of meat. The leafy greens were just as flavorless as they were back home.

The next day I had decided to visit the gym at the invitation of Lance Corporal Johnson when I was interrupted by a message. The repairs of the Lowelana were complete and they wanted my crew and I to prepare to board. Tim helped me brief everyone and I headed for my ship. When I got to engineering I was greeted by Plinas.

He beamed at me and said, "We've finally got her up to snuff. Except for the FTLD, of course. Everything else is just about good as new! I think..."

"Thank you, Plinas. I can't wait to take her for a spin," I replied as Kriin jogged up to meet us.

"Ship-head, everyone else is on their way. It's going to take some time to load the injured. Looks like I got here first," She grinned, "Permission to come aboard?"

"No, I got here first," I returned her smile, "Permission granted."

I remained at the gangway and greeted the rest of my crew aboard. I somberly waited as the injured and dead were loaded aboard as well. Captain Wong and Lieutenant Babanin had come to see me off. They raised their hands to their foreheads. I mimicked the gesture, and boarded the RSV Lowelana for the first time in days.

I was struck immediately by how clean everything was. The Lowelana was a pretty old vessel, and over time some grime had become somewhat of a fixture. Not anymore, though. I wondered if the United Systems had ship detailing services I could occasionally use. I did a quick inspection of the ship before heading to the bridge. Everything looked better than it had before we got attacked. Eventually I got to the bridge and it did not fail to impress. If I didn't know any better I'd swear they'd even reupholstered my seat.

"Ship-head Uleena, are you and your crew settled in?" Captain Reynolds said over the comm.

"Yes, Captain Reynolds. Thank you for everything," I responded.

"Not an issue, always happy to make new friends. Prepare for warp."

I looked at Liwna and Kriin with a smile. They practically beamed back at me. Time to go home.