Time passed and 0203667 was oblivious to it. In the large expanse of space it would be

rare to meet another space ship that would be hostile, non the less her ship's computer

would auto start her if a ship with in hailing distance did not present an acceptable

identification. However no ships passed with in haling distance and few within a

registrable distance. As she drew closer to the supplier, the number of ships increases

slowly but steadily. They all beamed acceptable access codes and her ship responded in

kind with its own fake but undetectable codes. one of the few modifications to her

standard ship was a code producer that could generate low to high level acceptable

codes. When absolute stealth was required the other adaptation could be used. The high

power invisibility cloak could be used for a short period of time with some strain on the

ships engines.

however this was not such an occasion so her ship followed the standard Irken military

docking procedures pre programmed into it. The ship registered the space from it and

other ships and maintained the correct distances from them. It took its place and began

waiting in line for docking. The line formed a ring around the planet and from a distance

resembled the spokes of a wagon weel.There were lines for cargo and materials, as well

as military transports and civilian craft. They all stretched for miles. In a half-hour the

ship final got to the sensor both of its line, and beamed appropriate id and licenses to it.

Then it was sent down ward to one of the many square platforms floating just above the

planets surface. It landed safely in a slot marked out for voot cruisers. It then began the

process of waking its stasis crippled master. Stasis could be set to last a certain time by a

pak, as 0203667 had done on the way to New Samich, but without this it could last

indeffenatly. Normally the timeless stasis was employed if an Irken had been ejected from a

destroyed ship in an escape pod, and did not know when if ever he or she would be

picked up.00203667 had done this to conserve as much energy as possible allowing for delays.

The only way to wake a stasis induced Irken was sharp pain. The ship sent out a

thin wire tendril with a long thing dull metallic point. It touched the point to 0203667's

forehead. A sharp jolt of electricity made its way down the wire and into her skull. Her

eyes snapped open as she jerked her heed back. She made no sound and the wire

withdrew. With a flick of her claw to her gauntlet her holographic cloak was activated. It

was not as complex a change as a full body morphs or invisibility all that was different

was her gauntlet was not visible, and her eyes were purple. The color of her uniform

changed using its own unique technology to red. The cockpit opened and she stepped

onto the pavement of the platform. Her cruiser had filled the last available spot and as

soon as sensors determined she has departed the platform would decent into storage.

When she wanted to depart it would be place on a platform with other departing Irken

ships of its class. The cockpit closed behind her and she made her was to a transport tube.

there were four at the end of the twenty shipplatform and a few other Irkens were making

their way to them. 0203667 did likewise. once she got to the purple metal round capped

cylinder, she stepped through the Irken sized oval and it closed behind her. She turned

and punched in the location she wanted to go.Her destination was the food courts. The

tube searched momentarily for the least crowded food court and then beamed her there.

its job fulfilled it opened its door, waiting for the next occupant.

The food courts of lesser supply planet 11202 were no match to foodcourtia, but

they were of military class and better as far as nutrition went. Taste, however was another

claw entirely. 0203667 stepped off the receiver pads and on to the polishes stone floor of

the food court. It was large, a hundred 12 Irken tables and accompanying benches filled it.

The tables were about half full, some more so then others. Some Irkens ate with their

groups, others preferred solitary consumption. The pads were lined up along one wall and

lines for food started from the right side of the pads to the back of the court. The room its

self had a tall circular ceiling several stories high, and the two walls not covered by

Reciverpads or food lines had tall windows reaching to it. Each window was rectangular

having two flat sides, a flat bottom, and a halfcircul top. Yellow light streamed in to

illuminate the court. 0203667 quickly acessed one of the non crowded lines, and after a

few moments of waiting was presented with a tray full of various steaming food products.

A quick scan with her hidden gauntlet revealed them to be non poisonous and to hold the

nutrients her body required.

Then came the choice of what table to sit at. There were several filled tables nearby as well

as a few half filled, but at her low level of energy social interaction would have to wait.

She pushed down the fear feeling that had started to rise knowing it to be inefficient. She

found an open table that was further down and acquired a seat at the bench attached to it.

she picked a utensil off the tray. It had a strait handle with a bowlshape depression at the

end. Cut into the depression were some prongs. She used this utensil to scoop some of the

green jiggly goo from the table. Mentally bracing herself she put the goo in her mouth.

The result was shocking. Having been supplied nutrients directly her entire life, the

situation was beyond describing. Even her new found emotions had no way to cope with

it. She swallowed in surprise. Then she took a large scoop of the gray meat like

substance. It was not good it was not bad it was. Her inexperienced taste senses could not

even judge. Before she could sample the next substance, her incomprehensible taste

experience was brought to an abrupt end with the "thunk" of another Irkens tray.

He was an average soldier, his uniform the true uniform of a soldier, not requiring a

hologram to be the natural red. His eyes as well were a natural crimson that sparkled with

emotion. He was the same height as her, and had a grin that would have been infectious

had she been able to smile with ease. However the shock she had felt must have leaked

from behind the wall of her mental shield and onto her face, for the first thing he said was

"It's not that bad is it?"

She quickly recaptured her feelings and like a door slaming shut her face was blank. She

shook her head no.

"Ah well" he seemed flustered by her lack of response, and rubbed the back of his head,

stubbornly keeping his grin. "I'm Razz," he extended a hand for her to shake. She just

looked at it. Not fazed he quirked a non existent eyebrow and said. "Not a talkative one

huh. Can I at least get your name?" She started to respond

"two-" then cut her self short realizing that to say her true name would equal a failed

mission. She searched franticly for a response.

"I am Dark Death." her code name sprang to her lips almost as without thought as her

true name. However she knew this would be just as unacceptable and slowly reached for a

dagger.

"A nick name from your squad huh? Yea I got one too, Doombringer. You woundn't

think it from my cheerful personality but I am pretty good with a blaster." His reply

caught her again off guard. He continued making up for her lack of conversation. "Yea

you got that look about you. Dark Death is pretty gruesome so I'm just gonna call you

Dark. k?" she nodded and was about to inquire why he was interacting with her when he

again cut her off. "Anyway you looked pretty new to service, just got out of training huh?

You must be good in combat if you have such a name for yourself already. Well I

figured it was my job as a squad leader to make you feel more at home. Sitting all alone,

you must be nervous with your own squad. You and me we are going to be friends. I'll

Show you the ropes." He grinned having gained back his confidence. He seemed to have

paused to give her another chance to reply and she took it.

"Friends?"

"Yea you guard my back I guard yours. This way we each have someone to hang around

with other then our squads. Months with the same 50 Irkens can get boring pretty quick

you know?"He gave her a slight punch to the arm as if to demonstrate the fact that they

were now comrades. She stifled the preprogrammed response to such an action. She

needed him alive to answer her questions.

"You and me we are a part of the large gruff tough family of the Irken Military."

"Family, what is... a family?" She inquired this question posing a blank in her knowledge.

"You know, your hatch mates the ones you train with, your squad.. your family" he stated

as if this was obvious. "We in the military are the protective older brothers and sisters,

and the tallest are our intelligent supreme fathers. I know it sounds stupid but that's how

they give to us in the training video. You gonna eat your galdorian cherry pie?"

"I-"she was cut off by another Irken who tapped Razz on the shoulder.

"Sir, Its time to ship out." Razz nodded his smile gone. By the time he turned it had

returned this time edged with regret.

"Hey I would love to chat more with you but me and my squad have to head out for

turball 5. Rebel uprising." He pulled a mechanical notepad from his pak and scrawled his

interstellar mail address.

"Send me a message when you find your place in the family."

With that he was gone, leading her feeling as if she had missed something inportant.She

carefully grasped the pad and put it into her pak for later. Then she quickly finished her

food in silence, returned the tray to a druid and headed towards a pad. She understood

now that she was not ready for direct interaction with others as of yet. The one sidednes

of her conversation with Razz was evidence of that. After singling for her ship to be

placed on an outgoing pad she was beamed to it. She started it up and set it on a course

away from the planet. She needed time to think about the abundance of information

revealed by her "new friend" Razz.

Sorry for the delay I have secured a spot on the cast of my skool play. Practice is till 5 and

by the time I get home I hardly have the brain power for homework let alone creative

writing. I have been actually working on several different chapters of this story at once,

so i can say with a clear heart that this story will be completed. 1 out of a 100 new

record!! unless of course I die unexpectedly in the up coming hurricane that may hit near

my area. In that case I'm sorry you can blame the weather for a change and not my lack of

Motivation.