Chapter 5 - Truth and Consequences

Evangeline's brow scrunched, and her face creased ever so slightly in time with the approaching noise.

*Clomp—Clomp—Clomp*

He better not -

A sharp metallic crack echoed out from the other side of the lobby's main doors.

"Eh, it'll buff out!" A muffled but gruff voice announced.

The dragoness' eye twitched, but she forced a smile as the doors before her parted with a rush of steam, revealing the source of the fuss.

"Officer Kintrax. So pleased to see you!" She called out. Her eyes briefly flickered between the perfectly polished white tiles of the lobby and the heavy mechanical foot that looked more like a hoof made from a car engine than an actual foot, that was just about to touch down within the station's premises. He was dressed in a sharp black shirt with oversized cuffs, a pair of tough-looking black combats, and an armoured waistcoat, thick with metal and stamped with one of the RMD's emblems; a gold-laced dragon wing, with several golden bullet holes through its membrane.

And, of course, the Kintrax trademark look - a single black boot for his single organic foot.

"So formal! We're all friends here! Theo is fine, Evangeline!" He smiled a smile that was all too wide and all too knowing. His walk had a sway of confidence to it, if a bit of an odd gait.

"Of course. How could I forget? So! What brings you to my humble little station without so much as a day's notice?" Evanageline gripped her hands tightly behind her back and spun to walk side-by-side with Theo as he strode towards the huge, semi-circular, brilliant white front desk in the middle of the lobby. He was gunning for the small bowl of sweets with increasing vigour.

Evangaline herself was clad in her usual affair, styling a long white lab coat and suit underneath, with a deep blue hue to the fabric.

Within seconds, the rhargnorn had unpeeled a couple of chocolates and was munching on them loudly, turning back to face Evangaline's unflinching demeanour with chocolate-covered teeth.

"Inspection time, as requested by Commander Koa!" He pulled what was once a neatly folded, but now a scrunched-up mess of a letter, bearing the same RMD logo in the header, out of one of his trouser pockets and thrust it towards Evangeline. "Gotta see what you egg-heads are up to! Make sure you're following all the laws and decrees, as set by our wondrous and ever-generous royal family!"

"Mhmm, so -"

"- Now, an inspection is when your place of work is investigated - a term defined as examining something and putting it under great scrutiny, - to ensure that it is following lawful conduct." Theo interrupted passionately, puffing his chest out. Despite standing a full head shorter than her, his gaze remained absolutely fixed to her icey, emotionless eyes. "In order to ensure your safety, and everyone else's aboard this Draconic Alliance XITD, or 'Xeno Threat, Investigation and Dismissal' regional headquarters, I will leave absolutely no stone unturned."

There was a brief silence as Theo grinned at Evangeline, waiting for her to speak. The dragoness' gaze intensified, and she opened her mouth, taking the bait. As expected, Theo immediately continued to speak the moment her throat began to creak the slightest hint of a word.

"I can understand, you being head of this facility and all, that you must be feeling some pressure from this sudden visit. Well, rest assured, any complaints you have about the process will be duly noted and passed on to my superior, Commander Koa, for action. In the meantime, as long as you've been following protocol, everything should be dandy! Shall we?"

He gestured towards and started to make his way over to the entrance leading to the E-labs, which were protected by a heavy security door and guarded by a single soldier (as most of the labs were), but not before grabbing another handful of chocolates from the bowl.

"Of course. Thank you for your wonderful description of a workplace investigation, consider any doubts I may have had clarified! I will need to escort you through the high clearance labs, but I cleared my schedule this morning the second we got your communication, so that should be no issue at all." Evangeline spoke with a perfectly practised enthusiasm, perfectly mirroring Theo's exaggerated tone. "I take these inspections very seriously, and I can't wait to see the outcome!"

"How brilliant! Your cooperation is expected, but still greatly appreciated!" The two began their journey together with equally forced smiles, walking through the pristine bowels of the space station together. The occasional scrape of Theo's mechanical tail against the station's floors and walls would make the dragoness vibrate with frustration, but there was little to be done about it; she knew he was trying to antagonise her.

"Provided all your reports have been correct, I imagine this is going to be a quick visit." Theo unwrapped another chocolate and popped it into his mouth, and continued to talk whilst chewing.

"Excellent. Then it shall be a quick visit."

"Glad you think so. I'd love it to be quick too. Would be a real shame if I were to, say, stumble upon a prisoner who hadn't been declared and was being mistreated as a scientific object instead of a living being."

"That would be awful." Evangeline agreed, nodding her head solemnly.

"It would. Would be worse if the prisoner in question was a czarite, too. Considering that czarites have been leaving the DA in droves lately, and the royal family has seen fit to declare all czarites as true draconic citizens to try and encourage them to return, regardless of their place of origin -"

"- A true horror, that would be -"

"- Which means that a nomadic czarite would still be fully protected by DA law, despite not originating from DA space, which means any form of non-consensual practice - including study and research, irrespective of any medical conditions they may or may not have - would be absolutely illegal and punishable by the maximum extent of the czarite protection decree. Which carries a title stripping and a prison sentence of up to one-hundred and fifty years."

"As it should. I'm so very glad you're fully up to date on your royal decrees, Theo; a true hero to the empire!"

"So, naturally, the discovery of a mistreated or falsely imprisoned czarite would be utterly disastrous for everyone involved. Does any of that… ring a bell, Evangeline...?"

"Not a single word of it."

Theo's grin dropped off his face as he turned his head back briefly to glare at the dragoness.

"Well maybe it fuckin' should!" He growled, ceasing the polite act suddenly and turning back to face the first lab on their journey. "You think you're gonna get away with this? You're not. I'm gonna find that girl, and if I can't find her, I'm gonna sweat it out of your fuckin' lackeys here. One of them is gonna fold, I know it."

"Girl? Theo, I don't know what you're referring to, but I can assure you that the primary project work the station has been engaged with has been done on the back of a corpse, recovered from the truly tragic incident at Barru X!"

"And that corpse is located where…?" Theo hissed, unimpressed.

"Destroyed. I ordered its incineration just two days ago, as the station reports detail."

"Well. We've reviewed your reports versus some external survivor accounts about the incident, as you so casually put it, and something ain't right. Someone is concealing something."

Despite his sudden change in demeanour, Evangeline remained completely calm, and continued to guide the dragon down the identical, stainless white corridors of the station. Shortly, they arrived at the first lab.

The security doors parted to reveal E-lab 1, where a team of XITD scientists were hard at work. Currently, they were analysing a selection of unknown AI hardware, discovered on the edge of the DA border. The head scientist was carefully dissecting a brilliant platinum-coloured drone, and another was recording their discoveries. This team included Scyler, who was standing close to the door, watching and idly and making notes. Upon seeing Theo enter however, he quickly went to shy away, attempting to hide his face behind his notepad, but the sapphire rhargnorn spotted him instantly.

"Speaking of! Here is the hero of Barru X, everyone! You trying to hide from me there, Scyler?" Theo announced loudly, quickly trudging over to the lizard and wrapping a thick arm around his shoulders. The entire team stopped what they were doing and watched closely, as an awkward silence overtook the lab.

"...Oh, shucks, I'm no hero, Theo!" Scyler feigned, getting some quiet laughs from the others.

"Hell yeah you are, bro. Let's talk about your incredible mission! The way you manipulated that mentally- ill czarite into attacking a station full of unprepared nomads really screams the word 'hero,' doesn't it? And to think, that station nearly had a normal day without you there! Good thing you were there, fucking about in nomad space after losing your entire RMD field-team just a few days prior, instead of coming home as ordered, isn't it?!"

"I mean -"

"- No-no, it's your turn to shut-the-fuck-up now." Theo uttered the words in the same way a parent might talk to a toddler. He brought his face close to Scyler's, still with his arm clamped strongly around the smaller male's shoulders. "I lost friends on that mission you led. I had to look into their children's eyes and tell them that daddy wouldn't be coming home this time, all because of you. I was there at your trial, too. You got so very, very lucky. Oh! I was also a huge fan of the way you lured the very same ultra-class psyker who killed the squads, to Barru X! Very brave of you. Naturally, you died heroically trying to help stop a completely accidental situation that you directly caused, right? Saving innocent lives from the hell you brought to their fucking door - OH WAIT! You're standing here, in front of me, healthy, paid and free to do whatever you fucking want." Theo suddenly pushed him away and Scyler stumbled back slightly. Theo turned to face the rest of the team, marching into the middle of the lab and glancing around at the rest of them with equal contempt.

"Anyone else think the guy is just an absolute hero? A true example of what the DA should stand for? Can't be just me? King of the nerds, ain't he? Should be in FUCKING JAIL!" Theo's bark in the middle of his sentence made the team jump as he stormed around the lab. "Rotting away, behind bars! Be a nice change of pace for you, being someone else's bitch for once. Cowardly fuck-scum." He spat. Despite his anger, as Theo paced he completed his search of the room in a methodical manner, taking in every detail of their operation.

Scyler went to respond, but stopped his tongue just as the breath began to leave his mouth after catching sight of a very subtle head shake from Evangeline, in the corner of his eye.

"You have an issue with the high court's decision regarding my staff?" Evangeline raised an eyebrow, standing at the door patiently as Theo continued his ranting inspection. "Are you questioning the integrity of the royal courts, Theo?"

"I absolutely am. Seeing as the RMD were on the prosecution, my bias and emotion over the result is allowed and permitted." He stated loudly, pushing through some hanging plastic curtains at the back of the room. "Feel free to put it in my feedback if you want, Evangeline. Give Jace a giggle."

The researchers remained glued to their spots, afraid of antagonising the rhargnorn who was easily more than twice the width of any of them. However, after a few more seconds of intense searching, he made his way back to the front of the lab and rejoined Evangeline's side.

"Looks all clear. Next lab then! Ta-ta you lot. Stay safe. Don't eat any vials or beakers."

Just as they left the room, Theo quickly leaned back in, pointing a strong finger directly at Scyler.

"Fuck you. Cunt. Please, stick that on your fucking report, I'd be happy to have my name on it."

And with that, he ducked back out and carried on down the sterile corridor with Evangeline to lab E-2.

"Somewhat unprofessional, Theo." Evangeline stated blankly, unlocking the next lab by pressing her card against the door-pad. This one was mostly empty, but the rhargnorn was quick to begin searching it. "I would prefer it if you didn't go around molesting my staff. You may disagree with the outcome of Scyler's trial, but the courts have stamped their decision already..."

"I can assure you, it won't happen again." Theo huffed, searching through some stainless steel drawers in the darkened lab. "That asshole is the only one on this station I care about. The fact that you're still employing him speaks volumes."

"Innocent until proven guilty, Theo."

"He was proven guilty. He was fired from the RMD and banned from any form of field work for a year."

"Punishment enough. I am no judge, but I see no reason to act any further. He did not violate any XITD policies, so it would be remarkably unfair to action anything from my side."

"Considering you lobbied in favour of him and his actions on Barru X… Let's move on, shall we?"

The next few lab inspections went by quickly, and Theo behaved as promised, only throwing some shade Evangeline's way. But, room after room, each ejectable laboratory was clean, and everything so far was to standard. Labs E-1 to E-10 were docked and checked, but E-11 to E-15 were all currently ejected and being transported between the different XITD stations. As such, their doors would only lead out to the vacuum of space. Evangelene provided Theo with the relevant documentation to show where the missing labs were, their reason for being ejected and where they had gone. Nothing particularly suspicious stood out to him.

They continued without issue until the pair approached a security door that was guarded by two XITD security personnel, with hazard tape stretched over its exterior and a couple of waist high barriers around its front.

Evangelene went to pass by without so much as glancing at it, but Theo immediately stopped in his tracks, scowling at the taller dragoness.

"Uhm, excuse me? You seem to be ignoring a lab here? What is this, E-16?"

"That is off limits, there was -"

"Off limits? Ex-fucking-scuse me?" Theo raised his voice, frowning sharply at Evangeline.

"We've had an accident within the lab and it's dangerous to enter without hazard gear."

"Then get me some hazard gear…?" Theo sighed, exasperated.

"Really? You want to inspect an accident? No one was hurt, I have the report all ready for you."

"I want to do my damn job. Make sure you're not hiding something in there that you shouldn't be."

"Theo. This is a waste of time."

"OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!"

"Ugh. Fine. You!" She pointed at one of the on-duty guards. "Get him a burner EN-modular shield from the armoury."

"Yes, ma'am." The guard quickly left his post, his armour rattling loudly as he charged off to fetch the requested gear. The remaining three stood in a steely silence, until the guard eventually returned with a shield module in hand, which he passed to Theo.

The device powered on with a warm hum and encompassed the dragon's body with a multi-layer shield, visible faintly with a dark blue hue once it had simmered down.

"Open the doors for him. We'll need to disinfect you afterwards, for everyone's safety." Evangeline sighed, frustration visible in her body language now as she tapped on her suit pocket with a single finger.

Slowly, the doors parted in the same fashion as the other labs, and Theo stepped into the dark.

"Any lights?"

"No, Theo. The lab is damaged and needs repair. We can fetch you a torch if you -"

"No need." He rolled up his trouser and reached down into his bionic leg and pulled a small metal torch out of it from… somewhere, clicking it on and shining the beam of light around.

The floor showed some form of heat damage, and there was damaged circuitry hanging from the walls and ceiling, with some blue glowing fluid at the very back of the room, dripping from broken vials.

He shone the light around the lab but revealed little else of concern, just more damage.

"What caused this?" He asked calmly, trying to piece the scene together.

"Security malfunction. Ceiling turrets fried the place when a student broke those vials at the back. Those are the most dangerous objects in this room, potentially the entire station, procured from the Barru X corpse we were discussing earlier."

"Right…" Theo sighed and turned to leave, when he spied a new figure outside the lab, looking at him. He was a gas mask-equipped XITD agent with a large liquid-filled container on his back and a hose-like weapon in his hands, connected to his backpack via a thick, metal tube. "Well, that's fair enough I suppose."

He stepped out of the lab, replaced his torch back into his leg and held his hands up, shutting off the shield module once firmly out of the lab, and the door sealed.

"Just standard procedure. I did warn you."

"That you did." Theo sighed, shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath.

The gasmasked guard pulled the trigger on his sprayer and unleashed a torrent of high pressure, clear liquid at Theo. The fluid hissed loudly as it fully soaked his clothes and skin, filling the corridor with billowing steam. The rhargnorn did a slow spin on the spot, to ensure he was hosed down thoroughly. Despite the copious amounts of fluid sprayed, within seconds, the cleaning agent had evaporated entirely, leaving Theo's form completely dry, if somewhat steamy.

"Ready to continue?" Evangeline asked, glancing over him to ensure he had been fully cleaned, nodding in thanks to the guards around her.

"Ayup. All clean. Next lab?"

From top to bottom, Theo's inspection proceeded without issue. Despite searching every drawer, every rack and every cupboard he could find, the station yielded nothing of any criminal intent. All the reports made sense, and the station appeared to be running as promised - flawlessly.

Once his search of the high security areas and E-labs was complete, Evangeline left his company to return to her office, with Theo being given full access to the rest of the station without requiring an escort.

Try as he might, and try he did, Theo just couldn't get any of the staff to admit anything. They all replied with similar, almost practised answers, all reciting the same information. They recovered a corpse from Barru X, and had burned it recently. That was all.

The rest of the station was boring compared to the E labs at the start, just room after room of computers, standard machinery and whiteboards. Sprinkle in some restrooms, break rooms and meeting rooms and suddenly, this felt like every other station he'd inspected. There certainly was no sign of any falsely imprisoned czarites.

Eventually, his search led him to the very most quiet areas of the station; the storage and utility floor. Few people came down here as it was nearly completely automated; there was likely little of value here but he wouldn't rest until every stone was unturned.

Hopeless. They've cleaned house and baited me with that damn damaged lab. Ugh. I'll have to tell Jace that the czarite is -

*Bang!*

"Ow! Ugh!"

Theo stopped and turned towards the noise.

"Hey, you alright?" He called out, clomping down the corridor in his own unique manner.

Beating her wings in frustration, a small, cute, wheat-coloured dragoness stumbled out of her office, dropping a stack of papers over the floor. Initially she looked annoyed, but her face quickly flushed bright red with embarrassment as she caught sight of the taller rhargnorn staring at her.

"Eek! I-erm-I-Yup-yup! I'm fine! Just fine, mister..?" Her large, candy pink eyes rapidly darted around the corridor, trying to look anywhere but at the muscular male ahead of her.

Calmly, Theo approached her with a warm smile.

"I'm Officer Kintrax, but you can just call me Theo. I'm here on an inspection from the Royal Military Division. You sounded like you hurt yourself, are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine… I just bumped my head, that's all. W-what's the inspection about?"

She feels different from the rest of the creeps here, remarkably less ghoulish. Is that why she's down here by herself?

"I'll tell you in a second, let's have a look at that head of yours first." Theo spoke softly, gesturing for the student to turn her head.

She followed his orders, buzzing with embarrassment before him as he spotted a sore red lump on the side of her head. He peaked around into her 'office' and noted the shelves directly above her seat, the cramped interior and the dated furniture.

"What did you do?" He asked, laughing to himself.

"Wha-what do you mean?"

"You're working out of a cupboard, alone, on the utility deck. You did something. I was young once too, ya'know? I might look like a pair of jeans got into a fight with a lawn mower now, but I swear!" Theo laughed again, kneeling over and pulling a multi-tool from a slot in his leg. "Tell you what, you go grab yourself a drink and a bandage for that head of yours, I'll get these stupid shelves down and fix this place up a bit."

"I'm n-not sure you should be doing that…" Mooki mumbled, picturing all the trouble she could get into for this.

"Nonsense! It's literally what I'm here for. This workspace might technically be up to code, but I can certainly make it more comfortable for you! Go get your ass something sweet already! I'll have whatever you're having."

*

"- So it was only a few more seconds until the dickhead swung at me… with the statue of himself, of course."

"He didn't!" Mooki gasped, her mouth hanging open with shock.

"He damn well did. Chance knows how much that self replica cost him, but I wasn't about to let a skinny, self-absorbed asshole knock me out! So I laid him and his dogs out, and ended up keeping the statue as a trophy! He was smuggling over half a ton of contraband through the borders! Weird shit too! Pheromones!" Theo took a sip of his drink and nibbled the air as the super sweet chocolate tickled his throat.

Mooki giggled and rolled back on her chair, currently sitting in the middle of the corridor, outside of her 'office'. Theo had removed all the shelves and cabinets, and they were now lying about on the floor outside. There was something immensely therapeutic about watching the older officer tear down those stupid shelves, like she was finally regaining some control over her life. He was just about done reconnecting her desk and computer, making the once cramped space suddenly a lot more workable and a lot less dangerous to the student's skull.

Just as she relaxed though, the familiar voice of Mooki's superior called out, shocked to see the impromptu building work currently on-going, and a series of shelves and filing cabinets now sat in the once empty corridor.

"Mooki! What the hell are you doing?!"

The dragoness bolted upright and clutched her oversized sleeves around her mouth, but before she could respond, the muscular form of Theo popped out from the doorway, his sleeves rolled up and battle scars on full display.

"She ain't doing shit, pal." The manager's eyes bolted wide open with fear as he heard the bark of Theo's voice and realised what was on-going. He quickly ducked away with a mumbled apology, and shuffled back down the corridor. "I'll have your lanky ass cooking fries for the rest of your life if you interrupt my work again! Those shelves were a workplace hazard, asshole! Think about your life decisions!" Theo shouted after him, completely unphased.

As she watched her manager flee, a cute, hopeful smile graced Mooki's face.

"They're that afraid of crossing you?" Mooki asked quietly.

"Damn straight they are. The RMD carries punishment authority. If I want your manager gone, it'll happen, and he knows that. I can make you untouchable, just get your work done and get out of here; leave these creeps as soon as you can." Theo dusted off his hands, quite pleased with the handiwork he'd completed. "You're too good-hearted to be here, I can tell."

"Thank you, Mr Kintrax." She blushed gently, still holding her slightly chocolate stained sleeves up to her face.

"I keep telling people, Theo is fine!" He laughed, shifting the last metal cabinet out of the room. "This crap from your office can live out here, there is more than enough room for people to get past, and I can assure you the XITD's atrocious idea of a habitable office space is going in my report, in detail. Listen though, I… have something to ask you, before I go back."

Mooki bolted to attention, her eyes fixed on the rhargnorn's. Unlike his tough and worn body, his eyes were soft, and a warm buttermilk colour.

"My superior, Commander Jace Koa, sent me here to investigate some odd happenings. I don't want to preempt anything from you, but… have you seen anything weird on this station at all in the last few months? Anything that didn't seem or feel right? Anything that made you feel uncomfortable?"

Mooki ducked behind her sleeves, her heart thumping in her chest so loud she could barely make out what he was saying. The czarite in the lab shuddered to the front of her mind. The sound of that pump. Scyler's venomous tongue… But before she could stew in her own anxiety for any length of time, the dragon's bassy voice continued softly.

"Hey, don't sweat it! I -"

"I… I-I don't know!" She interrupted, shaking in her seat. "I si-signed an NDA when I arrived, and -

"- An NDA? Oh, the non-disclosure agreement thing? Miss Rye, I can fully assure you it is entirely legal to report any concerns you've got to the RMD, irrespective of any NDA you might have signed. Those things are only to stop you spilling division tech or knowhow, not to stop you reporting crimes…"

Mooki continued to shake in her chair, burying her face in her sleeves and shielding her body with her wings.

"Look, I can see you're nervous, it's okay, there's no rush, or pressure. Let me give you mine and Commander Koa's C-Add, and you can message us if you want to? Just make sure you message us from your personal C-Add and through the sector relay, not the station relay, okay? If there was anything here that made you feel uncomfortable, pop it over to Commander Koa and I promise, we'll sort it out."

Mooki suddenly reached out and threw her arms around Theo. There was a brief flicker of confusion and surprise on his face, but it quickly faded away, and was replaced by a strong smile. He slowly returned the hug as Mooki sniffled loudly into his shoulder, her curly, sugar brown hair tickling his neck.

"I-I'll think about it!" She shuddered in his grasp, fighting back tears.

"Remember, no pressure alright? I'm not here to get you in trouble, just to fix problems."

"O-okay…"

"Are you going to be safe here? Do you need me to escort you off the station?"

"N-no. I'm safe…" She took a deep breath and nodded gently. "T-thank you for sorting my office out."

"Alright. As long as you're sure." Slowly, Theo pulled away from her and she dried her face with her top, her frantic heartbeat slowing down as she felt the fog clear from her brain a little bit, the weight on her shoulders lifting by just a smidgen.

"Look, I gotta run, I used up the last of my time down here, but remember what I said. If anything comes to mind, just give Jace a message, or if you need more immediate assistance, message me and I'll get my leathery ass down here in a jiffy, alright?"

"Okay. Thank you again!" She rubbed her eyes and nodded as Theo turned to leave, giving her a friendly wave goodbye as he stomped down the corridor. She watched until he had disappeared up the stairs, smiling warmly as his mechanical tail scraped against the floor.

Gently, she wheeled her chair back into the room, flinching for a second as she braced to hit a shelf. The room was still small, but she had some space now! The knot in her stomach began to undo, but regret immediately filled the void. Now alone, the last weirdly fun couple of hours were fading away, and that bubbly feeling in her chest subsided, leaving her kicking herself.

I should have told him about the girl!

But that didn't make sense in the first place. She paused and pondered deeply, spinning slowly in the chair.

Why didn't Theo find the girl?! She was here, I saw her only two days ago! E-15! Mooki was absolutely sure. The knot in her stomach intensified as the pieces of the puzzle fit together.

They must have hid her! I know it! Evangeline was fobbing me off! She isn't going to do anything about it at all!

She pondered chasing after him, like a scene out of a movie. Calling out to him desperately just as he was leaving the station... She shrunk in her chair, there was no way she had the confidence to do that, in front of everyone. She felt silly for even thinking about it.

Remembering Theo's advice though, she pulled her personal communicator out from her pocket with a serious look in her eyes and swiped through the settings, ensuring she was connected to the solar sector's relay, rather than the stations, and began to type out her thoughts. A cocktail of competing feelings bubbled through her quivering hands as the message took form.

"I'm really doing this… I'm snitching on my boss and my colleagues… Yes. I'm doing this. If Theo didn't find her, they must be hiding her. And they wouldn't hide her unless they knew they were doing something wrong. I'm sure of it."

Dear Commander Koa,

I was given your details by Officer Theo Kintrax.

I have information regarding what I believe to be an illegal activity within my workplace in the XITD.

I witnessed a live czarite being tortured within the facility…

*

Mooki sat within her dormitory, bobbing her leg up and down at her personal computer as she watched the clock tick by. Every minute passed painfully slowly; she didn't even really know what she was waiting for.

Most of the XITD's staff, including her, had long retired for the night, taking the auto-shuttles back to the orbiting dorm-barges that surrounded the station. Although not invited, she knew there was a large party happening on the second ship. From what she'd gathered, it was a celebration after a successful inspection. She couldn't help but wonder if her lack of invite was due to her actions just a couple of days prior, or if… it was due to her actions today?

No, she had followed Theo's instructions, using her personal C-Add and the sector's relay, so it wouldn't go through XITD infrastructure. Commander Koa must be busy, I imagine he gets thousands of messages a day. She thought.

Not being invited to the party stung at first. But the more she thought about it, the more she was glad she wasn't there. A sickening feeling crawled up her legs and into her chest.

What if she had never discovered the girl in the lab? She could have been partying in that ship right now, with no idea why everyone was so happy. She shuddered and turned away from her screen, gazing out the small window in her cabin, her vision landing on the XITD station in all its glory.

Or… maybe she was wrong?

The dorm ships would orbit the station much faster than it would spin naturally, allowing a good view of all of its sides over the course of the day. She had a deep admiration of the engineering prowess that went into these facilities. It was a fascination she'd had since she was a child.

She sighed loudly and reached for the cup of cocoa on her desk, sipping it quietly as she mulled over the day.

E-labs were ejectable, often used for dangerous experiments or high risk subjects so that in the event of an emergency, that could just be ejected, usually containing the problem on the spot without compromising the whole station. The ones on this station had engines built into them, allowing for remote piloting and control, usually between different stations. It wasn't uncommon for XITD stations to swap labs to continue experiments, and get an alternative station's viewpoint on a theory.

Suddenly, she felt a cold shiver up her spine and leaned forward in her seat. An object was docking at the station, on its cargo bay side.

She scrambled closer to the window, dropping her mug on the floor and kneeling on her bed, pressing her nose up to the window.

E-15.

Clear as day, in bright white writing on the side of the vessel. It was docking. That was the lab, she knew it!

They must have ejected it whilst Theo was on the station! Falsified the lab details so it looked routine! That's why he couldn't find her! That lab has been docked for months and suddenly it's off site, today of all days?!

She watched the lab closely as it finished its docking procedure on the far side of the station. The cargo bay was low security clearance as opposed to the E-lab's usual docking spot, which needed much higher clearance to access most of the time.

As the blood rushed through her face, a sudden noise made her jump out of her skin.

Her laptop cheeped in the background; one new message.

She stumbled over to her desk, stepping in the chocolatey puddle on the floor and half-collapsing into her chair.

It was a message from Commander Jace Koa.

Dear Miss Rye,

Thank you for your message. However, as my officer has just conducted a search of your station, it will be difficult to take any further action, as his lack of success will weigh against us. Can you get me proof of the treatment you've described?

If so, I will see you removed from the station, and ensure your future prospers at another facility.

Hope you're keeping well.

Commander koa.

Mooki glanced back out the window, at the docked lab.

She could access the cargo bay. She knew it.

If I can just snap a picture of her, they won't be able to deny her existence any more! I can fix all of this!

Her heart felt like it was being pulled in two. Part of her believed she could do this, that she should do this. But another part of her felt like this was just a terrible, awful idea, that she should just keep her head down, get her module completed and just leave.

Despite her internal battle, she pulled her work clothes back on, slipping her communicator into her pocket, and grabbing a thermal flask of hot chocolate to go.

I-I shouldn't be long. Just need a picture, and then I can go back to my dorm… If a guard asks why I'm out, I'm just working. Just… finishing a material report. I - I have authorization to be in the cargo bay! I shouldn't need to prove anything!

Once suitably dressed, she departed from her dorm and made her way back to the ever-waiting shuttles that ferried staff between the station and dorm ships. On her way there, she passed by one of the larger, shared dormitories, and could hear the dull but loud booming of music coming from inside. There was laughter and cheering, as several shadows flickered underneath the light of the dormitory door.

That could be us… That could still be us…

But her legs walked on, and suddenly she was sitting on the hard leather of the shuttle's seats, clutching her flask tightly. Its warmth in her hands was the closest thing she had to moral support.

Alone, the shuttle took her right to the midsection of the station, just like it always did. As she arrived, the guard at the shuttle station waved to her casually but didn't approach, happy for her to go about her business.

Good…! They have no reason to suspect I'm up to anything… I've come into work at these hours before! Just.. Just be normal Mooki! Be normal!

The station did not look any different, but that odd feeling of being in work outside of official work hours was unsettling. The lack of familiar faces, the darkened offices and corridors… It was startling how eerie and different a place could look with just a change in the lighting.

As calmly as she could, she headed towards the cargo bay, and to her relief, the walk was entirely uneventful. There were rarely guards down here anyway, but the cargo bay was completely devoid of staff tonight and was mostly dark, with only some white downlights against the walls to add a limited visibility. The cargo bay was a gigantic open space, with some huge green crates on the far side and some palettes of plastic-wrapped equipment in the middle of the room. Opposite the huge vehicular entrance she came in through however, was the airlocks to the docking drones.

Oh dammit! I can't remember where it docked! It has to be one of these three!

Cautiously, she made her way across the smooth, grey flooring of the bay and stared at the three airlocks in front of her. They were identical from the outside, with no markings or signage.

Wait, I lost sight of it as it docked, so it couldn't be the one on the left; I could see that one from my dorm!

She fanned her forehead and went towards the one in the centre first, pressing her keycard against the reader and holding her breath as the doors creaked, then pulled open with a frighteningly loud hiss. In a panic she spun around, and waited for someone to appear.

But no one came.

The bay remained empty and quiet.

Clutching onto her flask, she peeped into the airlock, standing on her tip-toes as her wings curled up behind her to better balance her stance.

Wrong one. This container held nothing of interest. Just more palettes of plastic wrapped boxes, some racks of weapons, a few lockers.

She swallowed loudly and nodded to herself, tapping her card to close the airlock and shuffling over nervously to the final airlock.

Repeating the process, her toes curling in her shoes, the doors hissed open. Her breath was suddenly still, and her wings weighted like stone on her back.

Through the darkness, two orbs of bright plasma blue were visible, looking at the open door in confusion.

There she is! I've found her!!!

As Mooki reached for her communicator, she suddenly locked eyes with Plasia. The two of them stared at each-other, a strange mix of feelings coursing through them both. It was difficult to see into the lab, but the czarite still seemed to be strung up. There were several small, faint, silver glimmers running in a line down the length of her body.

I'm going to get you out of here!

Mooki's hands were quaking, making her fumble for her communicator even more clumsy. She missed her pocket several times, and finally she needed to look down at her lab coat to find the break in the fabric, but eventually she managed to pull the device free, and hold it out in front of her.

She looked at Plasia's eyes again as she crept closer to the entrance of the airlock, trying to ensure her picture would be of good enough quality in the gloom. Two blurry blue blobs would be proof of nothing, after all.

She raised the device up to her face and tapped the screen as calmly as she could, trying to adjust the resolution of the shot. Finally she managed to get the camera to focus, and her eyes drifted back towards the lab. But, as she glanced over at Plasia, she noticed Plasia's eyes drift, ever, ever so slightly...

Before she could turn, something firm hit her in the back and Mooki stumbled forward, collapsing into the darkness of the lab, her flask clattered to the floor and spilled walm cocoa as the lid popped off.

"Ooof! Hey! Who was that?!" She called out, picking herself up off the floor just as the doors closed behind her, immediately cutting off the faint light of the cargo bay that had helped to illuminate the lab.

Mooki stumbled to her feet and quickly backed up towards the door. She stared at the captive czarite in the middle of the room, blinking desperately as she tried to adjust her eyesight to the sudden darkness. Plasia stared back intently. She seemed just as confused and afraid as Mooki.

A tense silence fell within the tartarean lab, illuminated only by neon green buttons and dials of the various machines that lined the back of the room. Mooki's throat creaked, but she couldn't quite bring herself to speak. What would she even say anyway?

The knot in her stomach writhed uncomfortably as the alien continued to stare at her in a startled, confused silence.

Don't panic Mooki… You can find a way out of here, she's restrained and -

A loud clack broke her trail of thought, and the alien shuddered in her restraints. Her legs touched the floor and her limbs fell free of their bondage, likely for the first time since she was captured.

Mooki pushed herself up against the wall, desperately pressing her card against the door-pad, but to no avail. The door stayed firmly shut.

Plasia shyly rubbed her fingers over her wrists, feeling over the bruises from where they had been locked in for so long, but quickly turned her attention to the other occupant in the room as her skin began to prickle.

"Y-you sh-shouldn't b-be here…" Plasia's shaky words came out as little more than a hoarse whisper, and in the deafening silence, Mooki had to strain to hear her.

Mooki wanted to shout, cry, scream for help, anything, but even in her terrified state, she knew it would do nothing to help her. These labs were airlocked. While the door was still closed, she could yell until her throat was bloody, but it wouldn't do a damned thing. Her heart was pounding against her ribs, but she had to admit that the shy-looking corrupted czarite in the room really didn't seem to pose a threat to her.

"We… n-need to get you out of here." Plasia said softly, inching slowly towards the terrified student. "I won't hurt you. But other me…."

She glanced over the czarite's form again, noting the line of staples up her torso; at least her guts were back in place now. She still had numerous wounds however, all over her body, and she looked awful. Doing her best not to spook Mooki, Plasia approached the airlock on shaky legs, gently pawing at the construction to see if she could get it open. She towered over the terrified Mooki as she inspected the door closely.

"I-I don't understand why my card isn't working. It let me in, why won't it let me out?" Mooki continued to press the card against the reader fruitlessly, bouncing between desperation and irritation…

When a worrying sound started to play.

A teasing, gentle hiss. Coming from the back of the lab.

They both turned their heads towards the noise, fear in their eyes.

I need to get out of the lab.

Now.

As they turned back, for just a split second their eyes met, reading each-other's thoughts, before Plasia began a desperate assault on the walls around the door.

She tore at the panels, digging her fingers into anything that looked like it could give. Blood leaked from her stapled scar as she started to tear chunks of the door out. Cogs, wheels, pistons and gears were tossed across the laboratory floor as she tore away at the plating, clattering loudly against the sterile tiles. The sound of screeching metal filled the room, making Mooki wince as it scratched at her ears.

As Plasia ripped at the door, Mooki fumbled desperately with her communicator, tapping repeatedly for the direct line to Theo. Every time however, the screen would flash bright red; failed to connect. The thick lining of the lab was preventing any signals to the sector relay from ever leaving the room.

With a gentle wheeze of air, one half of the airlock loosened; the mechanism was failing.

Mooki dropped the communicator and stumbled across the lab, grabbing a steel rod from the floor to try and help pry the door open, when the smell hit her nose. Sweet, rich and dark, almost… comforting. For the briefest of seconds, her nostrils flared, and she craved more of it, before sense kicked back in and she charged towards the airlock.

Jamming the bar between the doors, she pulled back on it as hard as she could, flapping her wings out as the door slowly gave an inch, and allowed her to push the bar in further through the gap. Light from the cargo bay crept in through the crack.

She strained again and pulled on the bar as hard as she could but she wasn't strong enough to shift it; the metal only creaked slightly as her arms quivered.

"Let me! Quick!" Plasia cried out, seizing the bar and digging her heels in as she prepared to pull.

Mooki put her sleeves over her head, bracing for something to go wrong, watching the crack in the door desperately, pleading for the inch of freedom to suddenly open wide.

But nothing happened.

Plasia didn't move.

The alien's breathing intensified in Mooki's ear, followed by a deep, stomach-churning growl.

It took every ounce of strength in Mooki's body to twist herself, and look at the czarite's face. Plasia's soft eyes had changed dramatically. Two cyan slits of death were staring down at her, with a deep hunger.

A hunger that had not been sated in a long, long time.

"P-please… I just… wanted to help you!"

A half-growl, half-cackle filled the dragoness' ears.

"NO WORRY… YOU WILL!"