A Temporary Reprieve

Sevai had been able to pass through the door. Had it been changed to another setting maybe?

Laes walked over and touched it. The door definitely felt solid to him.

Maybe it was set to only open for Invaders? Did it have some kind of bio-scanner?

"Huh..." he tapped on it just to make sure it was fully solid. It was. "Their technology is really different... I kind of want to see if I can take it apart."

"Do you know what they call themselves?" Lard Nar asked.

He was lying down on the bench again. Was he going back to sleep?

"Uh... no..." Laes admitted.

He never even thought to ask that question.

'Invaders' were first given that name by early Irkens, and Laes had just been using it because it was the only name he knew for them.

"Should probably ask..."

"Are you going back to sleep?" Laes asked as he carefully approached Lard Nar this time.

"No... I'm just resting..."

Laes sat down on the edge of the bench. This sure brought back memories...

"If I..." Lard Nar began. He paused. "Did Sevai say what would happen if I don't pass their inspection?"

"Well uh... he said there's some risk involved in that," Laes admitted, scooting a little closer to Lard Nar.

He wasn't sure if he should bring up what happened to the other Vortians who mentally fought against the machine and ended up dying because of it... maybe he shouldn't.

"But you aren't going to fail it ok? You'll be fine."

"I've thought about killing the Irkens many times..." Lard Nar admitted with a sigh.

"The counsel pretty much ordered the Irkens' genocide... so... I don't think that should be a problem."

"Really?" Lard Nar scowled a little. "That seems a bit extreme..."

"Yeah, it's pretty horrible," he spoke, and he leaned back against the wall. "Now we know where the Irkens get their extremeness from..."

"Some of the Irkens managed to escape didn't they?"

"Yeah... the Tallest and a few others did..."

"I have some contacts that could help them... maybe..."

"You want to help them?" Laes questioned, staring at Lard Nar who'd hardly moved at all.

Even after everything the Irkens had done to injure and mentally scar the former leader of the Resisty, he still wanted to help the Irkens...? How was Lard Nar able to still think like that...?

"Why?" Laes questioned in confusion.

Of course he didn't want the Irkens wiped out either, but he also didn't have most of his family killed by them.

"Because I don't agree with slaughtering or enslaving people at all, from any race..." Lard Nar answered wearily. "I never have..."

Laes sighed as he looked up at the ceiling.

"That's kind of the problem... the Invaders don't see Irkens as people... they see them as faulty machines."

His gaze wandered back down. The bench was actually more comfortable than the cots in the prison had been, so that was kind of encouraging.

"I've known machines who were better people than some people," Lard Nar responded, managing a tired smile.

There had been machines in the Resisty too... like real fully mechanical nothing biological about them machines. That's probably what Lard Nar was talking about.

Most of them had been smashed to pieces on that horrible jungle planet... had they ever been repaired?

Maybe now wasn't the right time to ask that question.

Then Sevai walked through the door carrying three mugs in one hand and a canister of what Laes assumed was tea in the other. He handed a cup to Laes while Lard Nar sat up to receive his.

Sevai's large black eyes lingered on the hand Lard Nar was holding the cup in.

"Your hand was damaged..." he noted. He raised his gaze to meet Lard Nar's. "And your eye."

Lard Nar nodded.

"Was it the Irkens who did it?"

Lard Nar nodded again.

Sevai poured both Laes and Lard Nar some tea before filling his own cup. He sat down on the floor and placed the canister beside him.

"Let me know if you want more," he encouraged them both. "It is usually only me who drinks this, so I have plenty."

"No one else here likes tea?" Laes asked before taking a sip.

It wasn't hot. It was warm.

Again, he didn't think it tasted like any kind of tea he had before, but then he usually didn't drink tea.

He took another sip.

It tasted really good though.

"It is not the tea that's the issue. It's the type of tea... it is for relaxation. No one else will drink it because they are worried it will dull their senses and make them unreliable with their work."

Sevai tilted his head back and closed his eyes.

"This time I put a bit of medicine in it. Mostly it helps with digestion, though it does have slight healing properties. I thought both of you could use it since there is damage to your organs."

"Oh..." Laes looked into his cup. The warm sweet scented liquid tasted pretty good. There was no bitterness at all. "Do you need medicine too?"

Sevai slowly shook his head.

"No. I'm healthy. I am only drinking some of it to demonstrate it is safe to drink."

"Thanks. You're a pretty nice guy you know," Laes commented, and he guzzled a bit more down.

Sevai chuckled softly. "Most beings would not describe me or any of my kind as "nice."

Laes glanced at Lard Nar who was holding his cup with both hands.

The former leader of the Resisty hadn't drank any of it though. Maybe he was worried about drinking something he'd never seen or tasted before?

"Is it alright for you to give me this?" Lard Nar asked Sevai.

The Invader opened his eyes and offered him a small smile.

"It's against protocol, but I'm not the best at following our rules to their exact specifications."

"Will you get in trouble?"

"Yes, but I have already offered it to you, so I will be in trouble whether you drink it or not," Sevai responded.

He straightened his posture.

"I would feel better about the trouble if you at least had a taste of it. This kind is my favourite."

"It's really good," Laes agreed. He was almost finished his cup already. "Sorry I spilled a bunch of it back in that other room."

"I have more, and like I said, I'm the only one who drinks it normally," Sevai's antennae raised slightly and one of his eyes narrowed. "This is not a suitable replacement treatment for your injured organs however... I just want to make that clear."

The Invader took a quick sip of his tea before continuing.

"You will still need to undergo the proper procedure to fix those."

There was a loud tapping coming from the door.

"Sevai, a word, now," came an abrupt harsh sounding female voice.

Keeping his smile, Sevai rose to his feet.

"And here comes my trouble... well. You two enjoy. I will be back shortly... assuming she is not as angry as she sounds..."

"You can tell them I've agreed to the mind tap," Lard Nar spoke.

His hands gripped his cup tightly, and he pulled it closer to his body.

Mind tap? That's what the Irkens called it wasn't it?

Lard Nar probably didn't see a difference between this and the tortures he experienced in prison.

"Thank you... I appreciate your willingness to cooperate..." Sevai responded, and he paused at the door. "But are you sure this is your answer? I will not lie to you. If you fight the mind reading device there could be irreversible damage to your brain and your ability to function."

"If I refuse to do it... I'll die anyway won't I?" Lard Nar asked.

Sevai hesitated. His head lowered and he spoke, "they insist you be subjected to it regardless of your own personal feelings... but as far as I know you still have some time..."

He squared his shoulders and rested one of his hands on the door.

"I know you have your reasons for disagreeing which is why I would encourage you to take more time if you feel it will help. I will let you know immediately when the other scientists are at the limits of their patience."

"But if I choose to do it now, you won't have to keep arguing for my sake."

"Arguing is a hobby of mine. I honestly don't mind it," he said before taking a long drink from his cup.

"Sevai!" the voice snapped.

"Yes yes..." Sevai mumbled to himself as he stepped through the door.

"It looks like we're cellmates again," Laes noted when Sevai had been gone for a little while.

"You can have half the bench," Lard Nar offered.

"Thanks..." Laes took another sip of his tea. "You should try it. This stuff tastes pretty good."

Lard Nar slowly brought the cup up to his mouth. He took a small sip before resting it in his lap.

"The Invader's mind reading device really does only that... there's no crazy virtual worlds or anything," Laes tried to encourage him.

"I know... if you don't resist it I would expect there wouldn't be any pain either..."

"You resisted it?" Of course Lard Nar would do that... he did start the 'Resisty' after all.

"Yes..."

Laes thought the mind reading was pretty subtle. He wouldn't have known it was happening if the Invaders hadn't started mentioning his thoughts. His brain was probably just like that though.

"Do you want to talk about it...?" he asked.

"There isn't much to talk about... I don't want to think about some things, so I mentally fought their machine... I still have a headache from it..."

"Oh... so... that's why Sevai told you to take your time..."

"I know I don't have a choice... but not being able to move makes it worse..."

"Maybe Sevai could skip the toxin next time," Laes suggested.

"Maybe... but it sounds like he's already in enough trouble as it is..."

"Yup. He's a rebel." Laes nodded in agreement. "You should ask him to join the Resisty."

"It would be nice to have some technology that wasn't made from scavenged space junk," Lard Nar admitted. "But I don't think he'd agree to join."

"Yeah, his people are very paranoid aren't they? He'd probably panic in the face of all of those new ideas and freedoms."

"Like you did?"

"That's true! I was totally panicking."

They sat in quiet for a little while.

Laes finished his tea and placed his cup beside him on the bench. He was thinking about pouring some more from the canister Sevai left on the floor, but he thought it might be kind of rude to drink it all while the Invader was away.

Besides, he hadn't built up his courage enough to ask if there was a bathroom on board.

Yeah, he should probably stop.

Maybe he should ask Sevai to bring some food... he was starting to feel pretty hungry.

The Invaders took him and Lard Nar before they had a chance to eat anything... when was the last time he ate something? It had probably only been a day or something. He never went very long without eating.

More importantly, when was the last time Lard Nar ate anything?

Sevai stepped into the cell looking more worn down than before. His antennae were drooping and he was moving as though he was being pressed under a heavy weight.

He was still smiling though.

"Well... the scientists are at the end of their patience already it seems..."

"That's fine," Lard Nar assured him.

He set his cup down beside him on the bench.

"I'm ready."

"Alright... I've argued my way into being the one to preform the procedure," Sevai remarked, and his antennae perked up a bit. "Also, with your permission, I would like to try something a little different."

"Maybe explain what you mean by "different" first," Laes suggested.

"I am going to try to avoid using the paralysis toxin since it increases your anxiety, and I'm not concerned about nor do I feel the need to "ensure my personal safety."

"I'm not sure if you're saying we're trustworthy or that we're too weak to be a proper threat," Laes joked.

It didn't really matter. He knew from experience just how weak he was.

"Even if your physical abilities are less than standard, I would not call you weak," Sevai assured him. "Every race has its own weaknesses, including my own..." he trailed off. "In any case..."

Sevai pulled out a small black band from one of his hidden pockets. It resembled the bands Darden had been wearing around his wrists.

The Invader moved closer to them before crouching down and holding the device out to Lard Nar.

"I need you to wear this... it's a motion sensing device that will halt all unnecessary actions. I only need you to wear it until the procedure is over. This way you will still have some range of motion, but anything deemed 'violent' or 'hostile' will be stopped."

Laes stared at the device.

Then he watched Lard Nar obediently take it and put it on. It seemed to shrink around the other Vortian's wrist.

"I am having you wear it so the other scientists will keep their questions to a minimum," Sevai explained as he straightened up. "If I did the procedure without any kind of safety measures at all, I would be suspended from my position. I may even be imprisoned... my people do not take kindly to those who risk everyone's well-being..."

"Oh... wow... but wait... I'm not wearing one of those," Laes decided to point this out.

Why did he do that..?

"This is because we've already delved into your mind and have come to the conclusion that you are completely harmless."

"Ah... I see..." he couldn't really argue with that result.

The one time he tried to actually defend himself properly ended in horrible failure, which turned out to be a good thing because Darden was actually a pretty ok guy.

Oh shoot... Darden was still being detained... hopefully he was doing alright. The former soldier was stubborn and strong so he was probably ok... but for how long?

"It's alright Laes..." Lard Nar said, placing a hand on Laes' shoulder. "I'm going to start cooperating now."

"Yes, and I have even come up with a solution for diverting the damage the machine might cause," Sevai said, sounding pleased. "I'll tell you both about it on our way to the lab."

Random Notes/Info: This chapter was supposed to be a part of the previous chapter, but I split it... now all of the other chapters are going to be off by a number in my documents. Hopefully I remember this...

There goes Lard Nar asking the real questions: like what are the Invaders actually called?

I also rewrote this part a bit. Originally I was going to give away one of the Invaders' weaknesses in this chapter, but I changed my mind.