UPON VESTIA: CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

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Ethan nodded. "I guess that makes sense. Do they execute the ruler, or do they have to keep them alive?" He probably had too many questions.

~~
"Oh, I know that feeling," Vestia said sympathetically. She watched Amari snooze. Aww.

"Yeah," Ellie said. "Doesn't mean we should forget about you though." She looked at her beer. "My point is, I'm here for you. Cause that's what best friends do, you know? They stick together like tape. Or glue. Or something."

Matt smiled weakly. "I knew there was a good reason I liked you."

"My amazing gift with words?" Ellie joked weakly. "I am really good with words."

flying_purple_monkfish wrote:Kay nodded and came into the room, looking a little wary. This was a pretty direct conversation.
He mulled over how best to word it.

[Asher said that you'd like us to take Amari on. Give him a home.]

"Yes I did, I'm assume you are hear to ask why?" Marcus remarked closings the door taking a seat.

Matt reached out and ruffled Ellie's hair. "You're awesome Ellie, seriously."

---

Kay nodded. [He's your son, do you really want to walk away from him?]

Ellie smiled a bit, and let Matt ruffle her hair. "Thanks, man. You're pretty rad yourself. Wanna watch something while we drink?"

"What we got?" Matt asked. "Hey, nobody's using the cinema right? We could take a load of booze and snacks down there and have a private screening." cuddle up and miss their respective partners and all that.

"Yeah, sounds like fun. We can watch dumb stuff and get drunk." Ellie nodded sagely. "I've got all sorts of stuff. Everything from action movies to porn."

"You can't watch porn on my big screen," Vestia said. "Small screens only."

"Awww," Ellie said.

flying_purple_monkfish wrote:Matt reached out and ruffled Ellie's hair. "You're awesome Ellie, seriously."

---

Kay nodded. [He's your son, do you really want to walk away from him?]

"Do I?" Marcus said with a sigh, "No, no I don't; but I know the painful truth and I know how the colony will probably react to a 'purebred'." He bitterly smirked.

Matt actually laughed at that. "poor vestia."

---

Kay frowned. [He's liable to live his entire life surrounded by that. But that's where family come in, isn't it? ] He shook his head, he'd grown up an outcast in an intensely xenophobic culture, always an outsider, always having to hide a large part of himself. Still, was this a better solution? He wasn't so convinced. [He needs a great deal of care and consideration, he's never known freedom and he's never been properly socialized. We can't expect that to happen overnight. Surely these colonies understand this? They see ex slaves all the time, and not all of them can be that cruel. ] He looked to Marcus imploringly. [it's true, some people are horrible, and they'll use difference as an excuse but in my experience, most people are inherently good, not monsters. Amari does not sound, by all accounts of those who've interacted with him, to be a savage mindless beast. Any time spent near him would prove that. What dangers do the colonies hold for him that life out here would not?]

"The things I've seen..." Vestia said, "You guys have no idea."

Ellie giggled. "Man, what I'd give to see what you've seen. Right, Matt? The gossip she has must be INSANE."

Matt snorted. "I dunno, pretty sure I can guess as there's not that many couples on board." He reached up and took a few bottles off hte bar, disappearing them. "In fact, man.. is ANYONE getting any right now? No wonder this ship is so depressing." He made a face.

Ellie snickered. "Not that many couples we know of, anyway. I bet there are secret couples though, who just don't want anyone to know." She considered the question, "Man, you might be right though. I mean I'd totally do it with Shane, but he keeps running off on different quests to save the universe. And like, everyone else has reasons to not do it..." She shook her head. "This explains so much, man."

Matt nodded. "it does, it really does." He leaned over conspiratorially. "okay so who you think's secretly dating? " Ellie had a hilariously bad track record for this. Yes, they should get drunk and speculate about everyone else's love lives rather than thinking about their own!

Ellie thought about that. "Well I mean, Esk and Dawn are a thousand percent a thing. They deny it so much, but you can just tell by the way they spend time around each other. And I thought Ethan and Hewitt were a thing, but I never hear Hewitt daydreaming about Ethan when I overhear his thoughts, so I think I was wrong on that one..."
Ellie took a swig of beer. "Who do you think is secretly an item?"

flying_purple_monkfish wrote:Matt actually laughed at that. "poor vestia."

---

Kay frowned. [He's liable to live his entire life surrounded by that. But that's where family come in, isn't it? ] He shook his head, he'd grown up an outcast in an intensely xenophobic culture, always an outsider, always having to hide a large part of himself. Still, was this a better solution? He wasn't so convinced. [He needs a great deal of care and consideration, he's never known freedom and he's never been properly socialized. We can't expect that to happen overnight. Surely these colonies understand this? They see ex slaves all the time, and not all of them can be that cruel. ] He looked to Marcus imploringly. [it's true, some people are horrible, and they'll use difference as an excuse but in my experience, most people are inherently good, not monsters. Amari does not sound, by all accounts of those who've interacted with him, to be a savage mindless beast. Any time spent near him would prove that. What dangers do the colonies hold for him that life out here would not?]

"The arran colony only been around fifty years, and it still struggling to repair what thousand of years of slavery done to our kind. Adding that right now the free colonies are trap in a warzone with people on one side who'll gladly reenslave us or slaughter us." He paused, remembering his family. "I may many things but I don't abandon a child of mine without weighting the cost. I was born in slavery and raised my whole life in it, I've lost more offsprings then I want to remember from that life. While the colonies are pretty open eith his timid personality..." Marcus trailed off, "He is feral yes, but the underlining personality would make him a target for many of the alphas on that colony, adding that he isn't... genetically what he passes as gender wise he will be more likely shunned or worse. Nila works with gladiators and sex slaves normally, teaching a child who been feral is even something she not sure about and with her focusing on trying to keep the colonies from being taken she may deny him entry herself once the firet meetimg is done." He paused, taking a deep breeth, "Part of the reason I have hope he'll adapt here is because he already, I guess you could say claimed Asher. For some unknown reason he taken a good liking towards the android." The arram voice betrayed his calm manner. Marcus was torn over this, his child fear of him and his fear of what the future Amari would have if he stayed with him both scared him and hurt him.

Matt nodded. "Esk and Dawn are weird. He said he doesn't wanna sleep with her but I dunno man, they're always together and he's never nice to anyone except her. " Silly brother, so clueless and determined to not see what was right in front of him. "The plant guy? Doesn't he hate everyone?" He considered. Hmm, who kept making eyes at each other. "I dunno man, Luka and Rigel are weird around each other but they're both professional, they wouldn't do that right? Or maybe they would... I dunno." He wasn't as good at this as Ellie.

----

[If the colonies are so dangerous, why go there? It's a big universe, surely there's places you and your family would be safer and more accepted?] Nope, Kay didn't get it. It just felt like an excuse to him. [What do you mean claimed?] He asked, a tinge of jealousy stabbing him in the gut. Eugh.

"We are Arrans, you honestly think most races would accept blood drinking hybrids?" Marcus snorted, "Honestly?" He had a point for a extent. " my race been freed, maybe a total of fifty or so years, *many* of those who was for keeping us enslaved on the United Galatic Council are still alive. Hell many of these races put in delightful "safety" laws to make it near impossible for us to immigration to them... Any other time I would take Amari with me but the whole colony is a powder keg. Doesn't help that since the family's destruction that there are three gangs, two of them that specialize in slavery, fighting over the cult's territory." He took a breath, realizing he was started to probably sound stress. "I am returning to stay and fight if need be, do you honestly think someone like Amari would last there? I've been stabbed by his tail before, I know many who wouldn't take that well if he did it in panic." He leaned back rubbing his face for a few moments before replying to kay question. "Yes, he scent marked him as someone safe, it something my kind do with family and the like." He had a visible flinch of pain at that. Asher had gotten something Marcus knew he probably wouldn't.

Kay's frown deepened. [Then why should we take him? If he's so dangerous, there's no guarantee he won't attack one of us in panic too. We know nothing about your race, how can we begin to teach him? And what chance do we have should he decide to become aggressive our of fear?] He rubbed the bridge of his nose. [It's a big universe Marcus, those who persecuted you represent a very small proportion of the population, a small area. I admit I know very little about your culture or these colonies, but I do know that we are not the only place that's accepting of outsiders. Before you encountered us, what was your plan? What did you intend to do with the boy? Because clearly going to the colonies has never been an option. I understand you want him safe, but are we really the best people to take him in when we have no idea where to even begin with rehabilitation and have our own safety to consider? He would, I honestly believe, be substantially better off being raised and taught by his own family, his own race. Believe me when I tell you that growing up with nobody to teach you about your own abilities and your own species is not easy and honestly can be extraordinarily dangerous. ] He remembered too well his brothers very nearly killing one another as they tried to figure out their abilities and how to control them. [What was your plan Marcus? Once you had him free, what did you really intend to do with him? ]

flying_purple_monkfish wrote:Matt nodded. "Esk and Dawn are weird. He said he doesn't wanna sleep with her but I dunno man, they're always together and he's never nice to anyone except her. " Silly brother, so clueless and determined to not see what was right in front of him. "The plant guy? Doesn't he hate everyone?" He considered. Hmm, who kept making eyes at each other. "I dunno man, Luka and Rigel are weird around each other but they're both professional, they wouldn't do that right? Or maybe they would... I dunno." He wasn't as good at this as Ellie.

"He hangs out with Ethan a lot though. It's pretty suspicious, let me tell you," Ellie said. "And Ethan shoots him even bitchier glares than he shoots me, it's crazy."
"Rigel and Luka? Ohh, maybe so. They like, totally work together and stuff so you never know." She added thoughtfully, "And I bet Vestia is in love. I'm just not sure who the lucky guy or lady is yet."

"Hey!" Vestia said.

Matt snickered. "no hot ship vestia?"

"I reproduce by leaving millions of eggs in the vacuum of space so that a passing male might pause to fertilize them someday," Vestia said. "Not super conducive to long relationships, or any relationships, you know?"

Ellie giggled. "Okay. Well how about James and Luka? They could also be a thing."

Matt snorted. "I dunno, would she wanna hook up with an android? She still pulls a face when she sees aliens." He wheeled away from the bar "Come on, let's go get a movie on, get drunk and keep speculating about our friend's love lives." Whoo distractions!

"I mean Rigel's an alien too, I guess it's a little less weird since he's not made of plastic, but still, he's not Satare and he doesn't look Satare," Ellie mused. She followed Matt. "I guess the question is whether she prefers scarred up old dudes, or kinda blandly average dudes."

flying_purple_monkfish wrote:Kay's frown deepened. [Then why should we take him? If he's so dangerous, there's no guarantee he won't attack one of us in panic too. We know nothing about your race, how can we begin to teach him? And what chance do we have should he decide to become aggressive our of fear?] He rubbed the bridge of his nose. [It's a big universe Marcus, those who persecuted you represent a very small proportion of the population, a small area. I admit I know very little about your culture or these colonies, but I do know that we are not the only place that's accepting of outsiders. Before you encountered us, what was your plan? What did you intend to do with the boy? Because clearly going to the colonies has never been an option. I understand you want him safe, but are we really the best people to take him in when we have no idea where to even begin with rehabilitation and have our own safety to consider? He would, I honestly believe, be substantially better off being raised and taught by his own family, his own race. Believe me when I tell you that growing up with nobody to teach you about your own abilities and your own species is not easy and honestly can be extraordinarily dangerous. ] He remembered too well his brothers very nearly killing one another as they tried to figure out their abilities and how to control them. [What was your plan Marcus? Once you had him free, what did you really intend to do with him? ]

"because you guys have something I lost long ago; empathy."Marcus remarked truthfully, "I can provide you all the information about arrans, amd culture wise we truly have none." He took a breath looking Kay in the eyes, "My plan was to take him to the colonies, back them though I didn't realize how bad things were. My ship was nearly destroyed trying to get around the barricade those gqngs put up to keep people out and people in. I been out of the loop of the whole situation... Nor could I of left him in the hands of that, bastard." His marking flushes deeply in anger. "What would you of done Kay? I imagine you never had a child taken from you but if you did, and you found them being beaten for something harmless after not even knowing they existed what would of done? If I left him there you guys would of called me a monster. This is perhaps the most safest ship I know of in the galacy in good hands, and the people on this ship are good. I rather be viewed a coward to wish to leave him here then to possibly see him killed or worse. I am not perfect, I accept this and I know I'll have to pay for my sins in the very near future but damn I would be if I drag Amari into this." He said shaking his head, the colors muting out as he calmed down. "If you don't want him I can understand and respect that, I never expected it to be a yes I just let my hopes rise for once." His tone wasnt broke, it was a sound of guilt tripping it waa him telling the truth from his view point.

Kay tensed, biting his lip. you ARE a monster He thought to himself. He shook his head though, letting out a deep held breath.
[Give us every piece of information you have, what to expect, everything. And Marcus? I want you to explain to him that you're leaving, that he'd free. He may not believe you, but I will not have him thinking of us as his new masters. ]

He nodded, "Very well, I don't know what his mother was mix with but I do have access to her files if you'll like to look over them... she vanished a year after his birth." He sighed, "I know very well that we won't ever be viewed as allies or the like. What matthew did to you I don't frankly blame you... But I would like to apologize for sny indirect actions I done harmed your crew." Marcus leaned back, " l know that means nothing to you but. i am genuinely sorry. "