Aggressive Negotiations
"I always wanted to get a closer look at one of these," said Kathy, as she examined Sec's old casing. "Didn't realise how big it would be."
"They are quite large, yes," Sec agreed.
He had opened it up so she could get a better look inside it. After she'd fully comprehended what Sec used to be, she had asked (or rather declared) that she was going to look at his travel machine, currently on display in his room. Following what happened a few days ago, Sec was keen to build on the foundations of the connection he had established with Kathy.
"How'd you even fit in here?" She gestured to the space that held his mutant self. "This is tiny!"
"That's because I was," he answered. "The size is enough to accommodate a standard-sized Dalek form, wired directly into the casing itself to access all functions."
"Ha, you used to be small!" she teased. "Teeny tiny Sec, all squishy and blobby."
"And capable of atomising every cell in your body," he retorted.
"You'd have to catch me first, Junk-in-the-Trunk," she countered, rapping a fist on the lower portion. "How come you kept it?"
Sec shrugged. "It just didn't feel right to dispose of it. Besides, it may come in handy one day. There's certainly no shortage of useful technology inside."
"I'll bet. I'd love to take this thing apart," she murmured.
"I wouldn't be so keen. Dalek casings are equipped with multiple failsafe systems to discourage tampering. It would be like playing with a live hand grenade," he warned.
"Eh, no different than this one time I tried to increase the speed of the town's hover drones. I tried rerouting one of the primary relays, full power, through the repulsors," she explained.
"And what was the result?" Sec asked.
"What do you think? Bam! Up in smoke!" she said with a laugh. "God, dad was…" She trailed off, as she usually did when it came to remembering her old life. "Anyway, I can handle it. Never know until you try, right?"
Sec nodded. He let the silence linger for a moment. "On the subject of trying to improve things, have you experienced anything like what happened with your language module again?"
"No." She was quiet for a moment. "I hate that it's there. I mean, sure, now I can understand Clare, but it's like I had no control over when it happened. It just did. Like I didn't need another reminder of how 'not human' I am anymore. We're sure this thing's not dangerous?"
"For the moment. I can't say with absolute certainty unless it happens again. It seemed to respond to your current need to understand her, but if you had full connection to the Cyberiad, we would know and we certainly wouldn't be discussing it," he said.
"You called it that last time. What even is it, some kind of shared network?" she asked.
"That's precisely what it is. It allows for the wireless transmission of information between Cyberunits. It can also be used to download new upgrades to multiple Cybermen at a time," he explained. "If you do have some connection to it, it seems to be a very passive one. We'll keep an eye on it. Let me know if something like it happens again."
Kathy grunted an affirmative and returned to examining the casing. Sec took that as his cue to not broach the subject further. His initial thoughts were along the lines of potentially taking a look inside her to find the source, but he knew she would definitely object to that. In his view, the only thing they could do was monitor it carefully.
He was about to bring up another conversation topic when the internal communications light beeped near his door. He'd placed Clare in charge of the bridge and told her if she needed to tell him anything, simply press it. For obvious reasons, she wouldn't be able to use it fully so he would have to see what the problem was in person.
"Sorry, Kathy, we will have to follow this up another time," he said, sealing the casing back up.
"Damn it. Fine." She stood and followed him out. "In hindsight, was it really such a great idea to put the person who can't actually speak on the bridge?"
"Perhaps not, but it's not like we have many other options," he replied. "We need to get a bigger crew. We're fine now, but if something direr occurs, we need to be able to respond appropriately."
"Maybe I can see about rigging something up for her so she can use the ship's comms, like a text-to-speech module or something," suggested Kathy. "Unless you wanna start learning Morse code via the comm alert."
"Both are good suggestions." He paused to consider. "Was that last one sarcastic?"
"There's hope for you yet. Are you going to do that every time he comes back?" she added to Clare, when they stepped onto the bridge and she saluted Sec.
'Well, he is the captain,' she signed back.
"It is appreciated, but you don't have to do that, Clare," he said. "What did you want to report?"
'A light on the main console is beeping. I think we're receiving some kind of signal,' she answered.
Sec sat at the main console and checked. "Indeed. A standard distress signal from another ship." He pressed the switch to respond. "To the ship sending this signal, this is Sec of the Mysteria. What is your situation?"
The response was heavily garbled with static. Sec tried clear up the signal as best he could on their end.
"… mayday, may-… ship Guiding Wind… under attack, we need-…"
There was another strong burst of static, then nothing.
"Say again, repeat. Guiding Wind? Guiding Wind, do you read?" Sec only got white noise in response. "They must have lost their communications. I'm setting in a course to follow the signal back."
"I'll get ready in engineering." Kathy strode out of the bridge.
Sec took up the pilot's seat, feeding the signal back through the main navigation array to follow it back to its point of origin. It didn't take long for him to find it. He laid in the course and ordered Clare to stand ready.
Though it was a cargo ship, the Mysteria did have armaments. Two light energy weapons on the front portion and the two heavier guns on a rotary axis fixed to the sides. The former he could fire himself from the pilot's chair, but the other two required gunners. While they couldn't expect to go toe-to-toe with any heavy frigates, it would be enough to deter some smaller fighters. Their shield array also fell into the same category. He hoped that was all it was going to be.
Despite his concerns, Sec couldn't help but feel a sense of what he could only call excitement. Perhaps it was the Dalek part of him, but the thought of entering into battle made his heart beat faster and his senses feel heightened. But this wasn't some thrill-seeking venture, this was a mission. Their very first one, as he considered it. The chance to prove themselves…
He would have looked back at Clare, or checked in with Kathy but he decided against it. He trusted them and they knew what they would have to do. He felt a squeeze on his shoulder and looked up to see Clare, giving him an encouraging smile. He returned it and nodded. Nothing needed to be said.
The scanner buzzed an alert, but Sec could already see their destination. A very sleek looking ship drifted a short way off from them. Even from here, Sec could tell it had suffered a fair bit of damage. The engines were dead and parts of the hull had been blasted away. Surrounding it were a number of smaller vessels, fighters, five in total. Their weapons flared periodically, further damaging the larger ship.
"Kathy, are you getting this in engineering?" he asked on the comm.
"Yeah, this isn't looking good. That ship isn't going to last much longer without repairs. I'm guessing we're going to be the ones giving them help?" she asked.
"Correct. Be ready to divert power where it's needed. Clare, you might have to man the guns." He glanced back and saw her nod. "Kathy, keep the corridor clear. Clare might need to dash between the two."
"That's another thing I'm gonna see about installing: a remote rig for those things because that's just ridiculous," she responded.
"Noted. Now, get ready."
He brought the Mysteria in towards the lights and flashes of the space battle, sighted the first fighter in the ship's guns and depressed the firing mechanism at the top of the steering fixture. But nothing happened.
"Kathy!" he barked. "I need power to the guns!"
"Hold up, I'm doing it, I'm doing it!" she shot back. "Stupid thing isn't doing what I want it to!"
Sec did his best to keep calm. The fighter he had targeted seemed to realise something was wrong. He was coming around from his latest strafe over the larger vessel and was angling towards them.
"Now would be a good time!"
"Shut up, I've almost…" He heard a loud bang. "There! Fire, fire, fire!"
Sec sighted his target again. The pulsing sound of laser fire made itself known. The first burst missed, but the second was right on target and the fighter exploded in a brilliant fireball.
The Mysteria juddered and the scanner flashed an alert. One of the fighters broke off from their main target and had flanked around the Mysteria, firing at their engines.
"Shields holding!" reported Kathy over the comm. "Get this guy before he actually damages something!"
Sec growled, trying to bring the ship around but the fighter had already zoomed past them. "I can't get him with the forward guns! Clare, the turrets!"
There was a rush of wind and he glanced back to see she had gone. Sec attempted another turn, but the fighter appeared to have learned from his comrade's mistake and was staying well out of the way of the forward guns. The Mysteria wasn't designed for fancy manoeuvres. She was sluggish and slow to respond to his commands and another volley of laser fire hit them.
"That's cutting it a little close!" called Kathy. "He's trying to concentrate his fire on our engines! If he keeps it up, I can't guarantee they'll hold!"
"Clare, hurry! I can't get around to target this one, you need to fire!"
There was, of course, no reply. He began to wish he could implement one of Kathy's suggestions right now. He resolved to ignore the ship that was giving them trouble, try and sight another fighter instead.
A moment later, sounds came from the ship's right hand side: more laser fire. Overhead, the fighter that had attacked them tumbled past, its aft section burning as it spiralled out of control. Sec couldn't keep the grin off his face, having already sighted another target.
Fortunately, surprise was still very much in their favour and the fighters outside were reeling. They'd stopped their attack on the Guiding Wind, clearly confused as to who they should be focusing their attention on: their intended target or this unexpected intruder. That indecisiveness cost them and Sec got some solid hits on another fighter.
That did it. With two of their comrades destroyed and another now damaged, their enemy seemed to decide this wasn't worth it. The fighters angled around and sped away as fast as they could. A few more shots were fired from Clare as they went, but they didn't retaliate. Sec let out a sigh and gave the order on the comm to stand down.
"Damage report?" he asked Kathy.
"Nothing major," she said. "Our shields took a bit of a beating, but they held out. Guess that Doctor actually did know what he was doing."
"He has his moments," he responded. A moment later, the doors opened and he turned to greet a sheepish Clare. "You performed excellently."
'Not quite. The controls were more sensitive than I expected,' she admitted. 'It took me a little while to get the hang of it.'
"The important thing is that you did and I think we have learned important lessons from this. Now, let us check in on our quarry." He sent out an external message. "Guiding Wind, this is the Mysteria. Are you receiving me, over?"
"Yes! Yes, we are receiving, Mysteria! Looks they haven't damaged the short range comms," a relieved voice responded, a male one. "Thank god you showed up when you did."
"Indeed. What's your current status?" asked Sec.
He sighed. "Not looking good. Our engines have been damaged and we're trying to get on top a few hull breaches. Please, can you help us at all?"
"If your docking port is undamaged, we can do that. Please be advised, one of our crew is a Cyberman. She is our ship's engineer and can assist with repairs," he said.
There was silence for a moment. "Sorry, I don't think I copied. Did you say 'Cyberman?'"
"Yes, I'm a damn Cyberman," Kathy's voice came in. "If you have a problem with that, tough shit. But if anyone starts shooting at me, they're gonna regret it!"
"Right uh… I read you. We'll… we'll make sure the crew and security team is aware," he said uneasily.
"You'd better," she growled.
"We'll be over soon. Mysteria out." Sec deactivated the comms and sighed. "This should be interesting."
They managed to get their ship's docking entrances to connect with one another. A few minutes later and their ship's bay doors were opening. A small detachment was waiting for them, which Sec saw was comprised of a few species. Humans primarily, but he saw a few more Silurians and, flanking them, two native Martians. Others knew them as the Ice Warriors. They bared their teeth, small hisses escaping their jaws.
The human at their head stepped forward, an older man with close cropped dark hair and skin lined with age. He wore the same uniform as his crew, a blue and white one-piece with black boots. He held a confident air about him, clearly someone who had seen a lot and was old before his time.
"Welcome aboard." That same authority came through in his gruff voice. "I uh, take it you're the captain of this ship?" he asked, offering a hand.
"I am. My name is Sec and this is my crew," he replied whilst shaking it.
"I'm Captain Roger Marston," he said. He frowned. "Um… your crew seems pretty, well, small, captain."
"And you have a pretty damaged ship," retorted Kathy. "No one's perfect."
"A Cyberman," he murmured. "Wow, you weren't kidding. How'd you manage to get that?"
"Hey, Captain Tightass!" She strode up, ignoring the Ice Warriors and their sonic weapons pointed at her and Marston recoiled, taking a step back. "The name is Kathy Peddler and if you wanna ask about me, you ask me!"
"That's enough!" barked Sec. To his surprise, Kathy did recoil slightly. "We are here to help these people, Kathy, not to shout abuse at them. Apologise to the captain."
"But-" She stopped when he directed a glare at her. "Fine. Sorry."
Marston still looked perturbed, but he cleared his throat. "That's fine, apology accepted. I'm sorry as well. Next time, I'll direct any questions to you."
Kathy grunted. "Right, where are these repairs going on or am I just here to stand around and look pretty?"
"Right. Sarrg?" One of the Ice Warriors lumbered to him. "Escort the um… well, Miss Peddler to where most of the repairs are being focused. Chief Halloran already knows the situation."
The Warrior bowed his head and gestured to Kathy. For a moment, the two stared at each other until Kathy moved in front of him while Sarrg brought up the rear.
"As for you, captain, our passenger wanted to offer his thanks to you personally. I've been asked to escort you," said Marston.
"That is very kind of them. However, I also possess some varied expertise myself. I think perhaps I would be best served helping on the ship where I can. My first mate, Clare, would be pleased to go in my stead." He beckoned Clare forward. "She can only speak using sign language, however."
Marston regarded Clare, who was beaming at being referred to as 'first mate.' "No problem. Our passenger can speak all sorts of languages. He has to, given his job. Thank you, Sec. I'll take you to the bridge and give you the rundown. Kaal, you escort Clare to see Ambassador Relgan."
The second Ice Warrior inclined his head and waited for Clare to get in front of him. She looked back at Sec, signing for him to be careful and he responded in kind.
"So then," Sec began as he was led off by Marston and two members of ship security, "what is the situation here?"
"Well, you saw as much for yourself out there," he started, still looking quite shaken but managing to collect himself. "We were on our way back from a diplomatic mission, when these ships suddenly jumped us. They came so fast we barely had time to react."
"Do you not have any escort fighters? Surely a ship such as this would require some security," he noted.
Marston grimaced a little. "We were dealing with a very delicate situation. A large escort of our own fighters would have sent the wrong message, our passenger felt. We had two in our original guard and we were on our way to rendezvous with another escort inside the Solar System. But the attack came too quickly and both were destroyed before they could send out a distress."
"And I take it your own communications were too heavily damaged?" asked Sec.
"For anything but short range usage, yes," he answered. "Honestly, it's a good thing you came when you did."
"I would be inclined to agree," said Sec.
Sec took a moment to absorb his current surroundings. The Guiding Wind had a fairly innocuous interior design. Grey, featureless walls broken up by panels and communication points. The floor was a same colour, but darker and currently lit with red emergency lights. There were other signs of the attack. Crewmembers barked out orders to one another, carrying medical and engineering packs. They passed a corridor where they appeared to have just brought a fire under control. It was a flurry of activity, though none of it chaotic. These people knew what they had to do and they did it.
Good, Sec thought. A well-disciplined group of people would be invaluable right now. He asked Marston about the crew compliment.
"Various Solar Alliance members. The bridge crew, minus a few petty officers." If he was pained by saying this, he didn't show it. "There's also a modest security team and the engineering crew, along with the ambassador and members of his personal staff. We're still assessing other casualties at the moment, but right now our priority is to get ourselves moving again."
"Our engineer is quite talented. She should be able to help make some headway," said Sec.
"I hope so." He looked back at Sec with an expression of bemusement and amazement. "A Cyberman though. How in the hell did you manage that?"
"It's a long story, though I'll tell you when we get out of this," replied Sec.
"I'll hold you to that," he chuckled.
They arrived through the next set of doors, arriving on what was evidently the bridge. There were about half a dozen more crewmembers. Sec noted that they must be further inside the ship, in a fairly standard design. Having the vital systems buried under the hull offered better protection. As such, there wasn't as much notable damage here as compared to other parts of the ship.
With a cursory glance, Sec could tell that the ship's functions were divided into multiple sections between the bridge crew. There was one in the centre, raised above the others, no doubt for the captain. He imagined the other stations were devoted to things like tactical display and engineering. At the centre was an orb, likely the equivalent for this ship's helm. Sec could make out manual control levers for the pilot and a full display for the surroundings fed by the scanners.
A Silurian came hurrying up as soon as Marston stepped onto the bridge. "Sir! Chief Halloran been trying to raise you, an ETA on the propulsion systems!"
"Finally." He approached the highest point of the bridge and pressed a button on the display. "Tell me its good news, Chief."
"Not the best, but it's something," a weary voice responded. A woman's, Sec noted. "I'll be able to give you some propulsion, but don't expect us to be zipping rings anytime soon."
"I'll take what I can get. We need to get underway sharpish before those guys come again for another pass," he said grimly. "You get the help I sent your way?"
The Chief laughed dryly. "You could say that. Pretty mouthy for a Jughead this one, but she knows her stuff." Some indistinct yelling was picked up by the comm. "That'll be her dulcet tones. Don't know where you picked this one up, sir. I better get back."
"Sounds like you have your hands full. Keep at it." He signed off the comm. "Right then, captain, let's see what you can do. You ever seen experience on a military vessel?"
Sec smiled ironically. "More than I would care to mention."
Claraesia was escorted by the Martian to a room further inside the ship. The door itself was flanked by two guards, a human and a Silurian. The latter stopped them both. She was wearing a grey mask with large black eyes and a mouth not unlike a snake's.
"This them?" she asked sharply.
"The firsssst mate," hissed Kaal. "The captain hassssss granted her permission."
"Understood." She rounded on Clare. "We'll be out here. Try anything and you'll regret it."
Clare didn't know if she understood sign language, so she offered her best smile and bowed her head. The only response to the guard was to use the panel next to the door to open it and jerk her head to Clare.
Upon stepping inside, Clare could tell this space was more designed for form than the rest of the ship. A modest sized living area was in the centre, a table set for four right in the middle. To the far right was a doorway leading to what she supposed was a bedroom. A few tropical plants grew in the room's corners and Clare noted that the temperature was something humans would likely find quite humid. Better suited to a reptile. Speaking of which…
Sat at the table was another Silurian. He wore robes of the same colour as the other crewmen, but he was clearly better suited to good living and rich meals. Even so, his expression radiated kindness and welcoming.
"So, this is who I have to thank," he said warmly. "I hope you'll forgive me if I stare. I've met many beings on many worlds, but I don't think I've ever seen someone quite like yourself."
'You're very kind,' signed Clare and she bowed her head while she gestured. 'My name is Claraesia and I am the first mate of the starship Mysteria. It's a pleasure to meet you, ambassador.'
"The feeling is mutual," he replied, signing while speaking. "Please, have a seat. I usually don't have company on these missions, except for my guards and whenever someone brings food from the galley."
The Angel sat down as asked and there was a silence for a moment or two... which quickly turned into a much longer pause. Clare shuffled awkwardly, realising that faced with this new person, she had absolutely no idea what to say. She tried to hide a nervous frown, only for Relgan to chuckle.
"Well Claraesia, am I to assume you don't hold conversations with new people very often?" he said warmly, without any tone of judgement.
'I'm sorry!' Clare replied fast. 'You're right, I didn't used to speak with people much at all. Now that I do, most just don't understand sign language, so my friends have to translate.'
"I'm sorry to hear that, more people really should take the time to learn. I find that the best way to have peace among all kinds of people is to minimise the chances of misunderstanding. In fact, some species can only communicate nonverbally. I recall one from the planet Delphorn that uses only their eyebrows." With a cheeky smile he demonstrated, waggling his eye ridges. "I of course lack those, but close enough."
Relgan jumped when a piercing screech erupted from the Angel. She'd covered her face and appeared to be grinning underneath. No sooner had the sound stopped than the two guards came bursting into the room in alarm which made Clare jump up and flicker into stone for just a second, but the Silurian Ambassador intervened with his hands raised.
"It's alright! It's alright, I believe the young lady was just laughing. Go back to your posts, thank you," Relgan politely said to the guards, making them raise an eyebrow at their now silent guest. Seeing that no one was in danger, they nodded and left the room again. Relgan let out a sigh of relief and turned back to Clare, the smile never leaving his face. She did have a moment of thought about how wrong he was with the 'young' part, but Clare felt herself relax again, relieved to have been defended, and that he mustn't have seen her freeze.
'Thank you, you're one of the first people to realise so quickly that I was laughing,' signed Clare, looking sheepish.
"Not a problem. I told you I try to avoid misunderstandings." Sitting back down and gesturing for her to do the same, Relgan seemed to settle and returned to their previous conversation. "Now tell me Claraesia, you and your crew happened to save many lives on my ship, almost out of nowhere, how on earth did we get so lucky that you came by?"
'We were heading for Earth when we caught your distress signal. Our mission is to help anyone who needs it, so we wouldn't have left you in trouble like that.'
"Your mission, you say? So you're, forgive me... heroes? Vigilantes?"
'Oh no, just a group of travellers wanting to make a difference.' The very sound of being called a hero could have made her blush. She batted at the air as if swatting the idea away.
"How very modest of you, my dear. After all if it weren't for you kind strangers, I'd fear I might have seen my family for the last time. What you did was brave, there's no need to hide that," Relgan insisted. Clare lit up a little at the mention of a family and couldn't help becoming curious.
'What is your family like?' she signed right away with a big smile.
"Where shall I begin? Well, my wife is the... the firmer hand of the family, shall we say?" Relgan laughed. "She's always saying to me that I should leave being a diplomat to when I'm working, especially with our children."
'Oh, you have children?'
"Indeed, three of them. Well, I say children, they are all practically adults, but some habits are hard to break. You'll have to forgive me."
'Not at all. How old are they?' Again Clare could have giggled to herself. I am likely ten times your age, she thought.
"Now, let me see... Elthus is my eldest, at twenty-eight. Very much accomplished in his own right on Earth. Feiyan is twenty-four, recently finished his studies in the fine arts and is already making a name for himself in the art world. Then, there's Velra... youngest at twenty and quite the free spirit."
'Free spirit?' The Angel tilted her head. 'Why would a spirit be trapped?'
"Well hers isn't, and she very much wants everyone to know that. She has the will and the determination to follow her own path, regardless of what others may think of her. It is both admirable and... sometimes, the opposite."
'Oh, just like Kathy! She likes to do things her way too.'
"Ah, is that your daughter?"
'Mine? Oh! No,' Claraesia waved her hands clumsily. 'I mean... I care about her dearly, but she came to us after she lost her family, very recently at only sixteen. She's also a...' she stopped, hesitating for a moment before continuing, 'a Cyberman.'
"A what? I'm afraid I don't quite recognise the sign."
Clare realised there might be a universal sign for Cybermen she didn't know. She attempted some awkward charades where she mimicked the shape of the head handles with her fingers. Fortunately, Relgan soon caught on.
"Ah, a Cyberman. Goodness, I can't even begin to imagine. The poor child... She's quite lucky then, to have found you."
Clare blinked in confusion. 'Really?'
"Of course!" Relgan leaned over the table a little towards her, his face full of warmth and reassurance. This man was definitely a loving father. "That girl is in good hands, I can tell. It may seem difficult right now, my dear, but things will get easier over time."
'You think so?' Clare leaned forward as well like a child enthralled in a good story, but her face looked more like the right choice of words might make her burst into tears. She'd been so worried about Kathy since their journey began, to hear that someone had such faith in her was a welcome surprise.
"Yes. It won't be easy, but with time and communication will come greater understanding. As long as you are both willing to make that effort, you can't go wrong. Take it from someone who does little else but talk to prevent others from behaving foolishly." The Silurian ended his pep talk with a playful shrug.
Nodding in understanding, Clare sat back. 'Thank you.'
"You are most welcome," replied Relgan. "It's funny, I can recall one such occasion, when my children would have only come up to your knees..."
Stood on the bridge with Captain Marston, Sec took the time to familiarise himself with as much of the ship's workings as possible.
The vessel was derived from design elements of both Silurian and human. One unique aspect was the way the bridge itself was operated, derived from the Silurians. Their own antiquated vessels used to operate on a shared genetic basis, wherein only two people of the same biological heritage would be able to pilot it. This system had been updated, so that any time the bridge crew were seated at their stations, the bio-mechanical mechanisms allowed them to instantly share information about their specific operations with the rest of the crew. A marker of great efficiency, Sec thought.
According to reports, their attackers were likely part of a rather notorious group known as Nassau's Fleet. They were infamous for striking at vessels suddenly and quickly, usually with barely any time for the crew to signal for assistance. They stripped ships of anything considered valuable and left them as floating husks in space. One thing that could be agreed was that it was only a matter of time before they would try their luck again and the crew were on edge, the tension palpable in the air.
He turned his attention back to Marston, who was conversing with another of his officers. It was the male Silurian from before and he looked quite perturbed about something. Sec tuned into the conversation as Marston was addressing him.
"… in the medical wing now. They're doing what they can for her, so don't lose hope yet."
"Dammit!" he snapped. "This was her first mission out and now she's…"
"The medics aren't going to let her go without a fight, Kastor," Marston said confidently. "She's in good hands."
"She shouldn't be down there in the first place! It's your fault!" the Silurian named Kastor retorted. "If you hadn't sent her, she might have-!"
"That's enough, lieutenant!" Marston snapped. "Now, that's the last time I'm going to warn you about that. I hear anything out of you again and you're in the brig. Am I clear?"
"I…" He gritted his teeth and said stiffly, "Yes, sir."
Marston nodded and let the officer resume his duties. Sec waited until he had gone, but the captain anticipated his questioning look.
"His sister was one of the casualties. Silurians always have a strong bond with their siblings," he replied. "He's an excellent officer, but damn if he doesn't have a temper."
Sec nodded in understanding. "Are you not concerned that might impede his ability to perform?"
"I've served with Kastor a long time. He'll be able to direct his energies into his job. He knows what it means if he can't," he replied.
"You know your crew well," Sec noted.
"It's important for any command." He continued in a lower voice. "I need to be able to rely on them, to count on them to carry out their duties, otherwise everyone is at risk. You hold a position of authority, I'm sure you understand that."
Marston's words stirred something in Sec. A memory flashed as he recalled the moment the glaring, blue eyes of his former comrades and the barrels of their guns were on him, with the same hatred they expressed to all other things. Though many factors were at play as to why they had betrayed him, there was one thing he hadn't considered before.
He had assumed that the rest of the Cult would obey his commands, as every Dalek was expected to do. He had never considered, even for a moment, that they would be harbouring mutinous thoughts against him. He had dismissed their misgivings about the Final Experiment, that they had been put to rest and they would see things as he did. If he hadn't, if he had truly understood them then…
"Sec? Sec, are you still with me?"
"W-What?" Sec blinked his eye a few times and looked at Marston, who appeared concerned. "I apologise, captain. What were you saying?"
"You alright there?" he asked. "You were out of it there for a moment. If you need to step off the bridge for a bit, you can say. You're not part of my crew, so you're not obligated to stay."
Sec considered the question carefully. He opened his mouth, but whatever he had to say was drowned out by an alarm.
"What is that?" asked Sec.
"A proximity alert." Marston looked up in grim resolve. "They're back."
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
WOOP! Well hello there folks, and Happy Quarantine! Just kidding... April Fools?
Okay so the current pandemic thing going on isn't really happy at all, but on the plus side it's giving Alpha and myself some more time to plan out parts of this story and once I can get my head around some things, maybe get some chapters written out faster to match Alpha's INCREDIBLE writing speed. We've already got a couple more chapters nearly ready to go so stay tuned! Including a bonus mini chapter (whether it's finished on time or not, whoops) in honour of tomorrow's THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of starting to post this fanfic! I can't believe it's been so long or how far we've come! Keep an eye out on our tumblr blog "theexceptionalsart" for any new posts and updates soon, including the possibility that one of us may start doing small live readings on one platform or another while we're in lockdown!
We couldn't thank you folks enough for sticking with us through this fic so far and continuing to leave such kind comments, both in the reviews/on tumblr section and - as I found out hilariously - on twitter! A great big hi to twitter's Dalek Micy for saying The Exceptionals was your favourite fic, oh my god!
Anyways hope you enjoyed this chapter, more to come and stay safe folks!
-HH
