Upon Silver Devil: Chapter Two

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Deeply Acus sighed as he paused and turned around, arms crossed. "Yes?"

He angrily glared, "Just get out!" He snapped.

Dawn stared at him then started gathering her things "I will go, if you promise to not try to kill yourself, otherwise you will be knocked out until we can get a qualified person to help you get over this"

He glared, seething again as he said nothing. It was obvious he was silently saying she could F off."

"Right" Dawn said with a shake of her head, reaching into the bag to pull out a stronger sedative "You sure you want to go this route?"

"I said, GET OUT." He growled again to angry to notice the needle with his name on it.

Dawn nodded and moved, quickly injecting him then moving out of range so he wouldn't be able to retaliate.

He hissed and did try to deck her, but the struggle was brief as he was out once more.

James looked at Acus and sighed. "Poor guy. I guess we're both fired now, but maybe we can get him to a professional first."

"Yeah, possibly, but he did make us medics, so that gives us say even over him when it comes to health stuff" Dawn said and gathered her bag again then looked to Acus "Though what we do when he wakes is another matter. How close is the nearest professional?"

"I guess so." James looked at the ground for a moment, then shook off his worries and added, "Maybe there's someone at this station. A lot of stations have mental health personnel."

"Ones that can deal with an Avian that just lost their homeworld?" Dawn asked then sighed and headed for the door "Well, we can check at least, he's going to be out for hours."

James laughed sadly. Yeah, that was going to be a tough case for any therapist to handle. "Let's see if they have anyone up to the task," he said, following her.

Dawn nodded and went to put the bag away then look up information about the station they were on and the mental health people there.

James hung over her shoulder to look at the information. "Doctor Arabella Smith might be a good choice. Her bio states that she absorbs painful feelings."

Dawn nodded and sent a message to the number listed.

She'd get an automated reply from the space station AI: [Dr. Smith is occupied at this time. Please enter your request below, and I'll see if she can help.]

Dawn glanced to James then started writing about Acus and his mental state at the moment

"AIs," James muttered jokingly, "Taking perfectly good jobs away from us hardworking folk."

The AI would calculate based on the information on Acus, and forwarded it to the therapist, who decided that a bad case of planet-death-related destruction was definitely a good use of her skills. Before long, they would have an appointment scheduled for 10am the next morning.

"Well, we have an appointment, now it's just keeping watch over him and making sure he gets there" She said then looked to James worriedly

"I'll stay with him. I don't need sleep, and I can plug into his wall outlet," James said. He smiled a bit nervously, but he really did want to help Acus.

Luka couldn't stop reading news reports, none of it made sense.

The swarm had split up, some reading the news over Luka's shoulder, some watching the drama with Acus, they scattered around the ship watching, listening, absorbing.

Esk didn't really know what to do with himself, but he couldn't help but think if the captain wanted to die, maybe they should just let him. People got so sentimental, but forgot that it was his life and his free will. If the pain was too much, why should he have to suck it up and suffer?
He found somewhere to sit sullenly and listened as Luka fretfully relayed the news to anyone still in the room. She was right, it didn't make any sense.

Luka had also looked at other exploding planets, because apparently this wasn't the first time this had happened. Hmmm.

"maybe it's all connected?" She mused.

"Or maybe those guys are completely nuts and have a doomsday device. " Esk shrugged.

"They're even talking about it back home." Luka told him. "There's a lot of worry for the outer colonies, if this family have a weapon capable of razing an entire planet and killing the whole population so rapidly... " She paled.

"If they cross the borders the Fleet will be on their tail immediately. They won't get very far." Esk spoke flatly.

Luka didn't look so sure. "Everyone's scared."

"Of course they are."

"Don't you care about anything?" Luka snapped.

"I care not to be on any planet those guys attack, how's that?"

"Family? Friends?"

Esk snorted. "I haven't spoken to my family in years. They think i'm a monster."

"You are a monster." Luka told him.

"Thanks sweetheart."

Luka watched him warily. "Why.. why did you shoot me?" She asked at last.

"What?"

"When you first came aboard with your crew, why did you shoot me? I didn't do anything to you."

Esk shrugged. "You're an Imperium soldier, didn't want to give you a chance to open fire."

Luka stared at him, frowning. "No, it's something else. The others were a far greater threat, you singled me out."

"What can I say, I really fucking hate Satare?"

"why?"

Esk glared at her. "Why do you think honey? I'm Hexenfolke, you know full well the way your lot treat us. Add to that my other half and i'm less than scum to your people. No matter what you do it's never good enough, because you'll always be that half alien piece of shit that everyone loathes and fears in equal measure. I didn't want to be some prissy medic, so I joined the army. You have any idea what it's like being the only Hexenfolke in a battalion? The constant reminders of how inferior I was supposed to be, how I shouldn't be able to fight because i'm meant to be a pacifist. Well I DID fight, and I fought well but it was never going to shut them up was it? You're all the same, arrogant, smug, thinking yourselves so superior. " He glared back at her. "Well, despite all that ego, you still crumple when you're shot in the gut don't you? "

Luka stared at him. "All because you didn't get on with your army buddies? Ever considered they just didn't like YOU because you're a prick? Not because of your bloodline? "

Esk shrugged. "Spoken by a girl who's lived in privilege her whole life. Just remember, out here, everyone's alien. Have you seen the way they look at you out there? Is that why you ended up on this ship? Nobody else would hire a Satare, because you've pissed off too much of the galaxy. How does it feel to finally get a taste of prejudice? "

Luka lowered her head. "It sucks."

"Yep."

"But that doesn't mean i'm going to hurt them for expressing them! You can't just shoot people you don't agree with!"

"Why not? It's what the Imperium's been doing for centuries."

Luka shook her head and went back to her computer. Arguing with him wasn't going to get her anywhere, but at least he hadn't shot her again, she supposed that was something.

Esk went back to picking at his nails with a knife tip.

Dawn nodded at James' suggestion. He was right, he didn't need sleep and could watch over Acus through the night. She looked to the computer again to see what she could find out about the planet.

James patted Dawn's shoulder, then would return to Acus' bedside and watch over him in case he woke up.

Luckily for James the drug worked throughout the night and he wouldnt start to stir till around 8 or so.

James waited quietly for Acus to either sit up or speak. There was still plenty of time until the appointment, and by now he was a bit grumpy that Acus had given him an order yesterday. Not grumpy enough to be a jerk to Acus yet, though.

He sat up with a piss off look and muttered some words in Avian about dawn that wasnt nice. He then glared at James, "Dont you have cleaning or something to do?" He snarled.

"My duties aren't as important as you, Captain," James said sweetly.