-> galena sitara

[courtlyanode]

=> GALENA: RECEIVE A BLAST FROM YOUR FLANNEL-FILLED PAST

[aio6]

You’d wince too if you hadn’t used the rest of your energy on the last bout of struggling. Luckily, in your current state it is a given you look small and shrunken anyway! “Not gonna be culled, it’s illegal.” Your pusher’s still thumping in your throat, but. She wouldn’t lie to you. You trust her.

(Especially when your horns are being scratched, which is possibly the most amazing thing that has ever happened to you, full stop. Wow.) (Also, these pillows are gonna be ruined with gross brown tears. You’re still leaking sadness fluid from your face-holes.)

“Mx. Nuh-week-ay? Nuh-weik-uh.” You hear yourself yawn more than feel, and you startle at it.

[courtlyanode]

-> nuh-week-ay.

-> and legality has a funny way of not meaning shit when you’re a seadweller

-> call it a perk

Somewhere in the background, you hear Selene snort. You’ll have to get on his ass later about appropriate emotions to express, you’ve both been trained better and are damn well expected to act like it. Besides, you never know who’s watching or listening in. There’s cameras everywhere. Maalik’s vain and appearance-obsessed but he’s not stupid.

-> you have a cupe

-> do you want to sleep in it? 

[courtlyanode]

=> GALENA: RECEIVE A BLAST FROM YOUR FLANNEL-FILLED PAST

[aio6]

“Russel’s, Russ-” You frown. What do you call someone so kind to you, who you know everything about, when you’ve never spoken?

Yeah, see? No amount of vocal modulation is going to make that statement make sense. “Decommissioned? Then I’m…. gon’a be culled soon? Why-” you swallow again, but your throat is dry. “Why clean the meat? Why’re you- wait-” You try to sit up again. To what, run away? You and what legs?

[courtlyanode]

-> no, you've been-

You pause for a moment, the words ugly in your mouth. You try not to pull a face whenever you give this spiel, but grubdamn is it ever hard.  

-> rescued.

-> by our, ah-

Owner master slaver keeper-

-> our benefactor. 

-> his hatch is maalik nweike. you'll address him as mx nweike. he'll probably be by in the evening. 

-> stop moving before you strain something, you're fine. 

The words come out sharper than you meant them to, and you wince. You scritch her hornbeds apologetically.

[courtlyanode]

=> GALENA: RECEIVE A BLAST FROM YOUR FLANNEL-FILLED PAST

[aio6]

In reality, you’re more panicked than pained, but hell if you know the difference right now. You gulp a few times. “My- m’everywhere?” The voice is plaintive and hoarse. You know you’re making hells of a disgraceful scene, but hilariously, this does very little to stop the crying. You learned sweeps ago to block this out… you reach again for the feeds.

“Who’s s’lene? Where’s Russel? The station?” You try to look around the block for another troll without letting Galena out of your view for more than a blink. It goes about as well as anyone could expect.

[courtlyanode]

->dumb question, sorry. 

You pat her absently and speak, as gently as you can, which is pretty damn gently. Sweeps of nightly lessons in manners and modulating tone have worked wonders.

-> you’ve been decommissioned. there is no more station.

-> at least not for you.

-> and selene is a-

(Is your matesprit is your fellow captive has been everything to you for five long sweeps. Maalik would- you don’t want to think on what he’d do if he found out exactly who Selene is to you. You’re supposed to be Maalik’s sprit.)

-> a friend. 

-> who’s russel?

[courtlyanode]

=> GALENA: RECEIVE A BLAST FROM YOUR FLANNEL-FILLED PAST

[aio6]

Of course, you don’t follow her instructions, not when the sensory input of a hand brushing your head is so pleasant. It would be nice if it continued… OK, you certainly didn’t give this body permission to jerk its head into the metal hand, yet here we are. That was probably meant to be a nuzzle of some kind.

Horrors, paying attention to sensory just made you the aware of the aches in your limbs. You try to retreat again from the hurt but there are no data streams to hide in (when do they come back? soon?) and anyway you can’t go away, not when for all you know Galena will be gone if you do. You, instead, hyperventilate and also cry.

(You haven’t really blinked, much. You’re a little bit afraid to stop looking at the blurry shape that is definitely Galena.)

[courtlyanode]

You don’t cry, it’ll muss your mascara, but you kind of want to. This Jules isn’t the same Jules you knew, anymore than you’re the same Galena, and it’s just now hitting you. 

You pet her hair again, trying your best to play at soothing. Your bedside manner’s always sucked. 

-> you’re okay, jules, you’re fine.

-> what hurts?

You twist around to face the too-tall shadow following your every movement.

-> selene. ask for painkillers? 

[courtlyanode]

=> GALENA: RECEIVE A BLAST FROM YOUR FLANNEL-FILLED PAST

[aio6]

Your- the pilot’s- your?? Pil-our???????

“-lena,” you finish, mostly your your sake. “Galena?” Who this sack of meat belongs to matters not one single iota because that is Galena in the- prosthetics. It’s enough for gov’t work, in any case. Which, uh, is kinda your speciality. You redouble your efforts to move something, wheezing. You’d feel deep shame if you could see your face, which is a mixture of comical shock and almost worshipful delight. It looks ridiculous. You’re ridiculous.

[courtlyanode]

She recognizes you. She recognizes you, thank fuck, you were starting to get worried. 

-> yeah. galena.

You confirm, something like hope on your face. Selene’s craning his neck to see, Yillie’s asking him for highlights in the background, and she knows who you are she recognizes you you thought-

Well, what you thought doesn’t matter, because you thought wrong oh thank Demoness you thought wrong.

Then she tries to move for you (at least that’s what you’re assuming the pathetic wriggling is, fuck is she ever atrophied) and you motion her back down.

-> don’t bother, you’ll just hurt yourself. got it?

You brush her stringy hair out of her oculars, a weird enough sensation, Jules always kept it cropped short and close to the scalp, and try to figure out what’s changed and what’s stayed the same about her appearance. Cheekbones that you could cut yourself on, check, albeit a bit more prominent than usual, fuckoff huge nose, check. Definitely lost weight, need to fix that, remaining limb nubs don’t look too badly damaged. Not like Yillie’s swiss cheese frondstalks, not like the mess that was your hip when you first came in. Doable. It’s all doable, if you can convince Maalik to let her stay. 

[courtlyanode]

=> GALENA: RECEIVE A BLAST FROM YOUR FLANNEL-FILLED PAST

[aio6]

This… what’s left of your muscles spasm, but don’t get you- the pilot upright (you?) This is goddamn weird. You need to know what’s happening. You throw a few (useless) pings at (imaginary) techs and whine at the smear of pink and violet currently obscuring your visual.

The parts of your brain still rational ask themselves why this voice should have such a profound effect on the pilot when it mentions gemstones.

[courtlyanode]

-> bad captain, hmm?

-> skimped out on the electrostims?

You grab a couple pillows and prop her up a bit, so that she can see you. This isn’t happening. You’re not sure if this is a dream or a daymare, but this can’t be happening.

And if it is, on the offchance that this is real-

She’s not going to shape up to be the kind of pretty that Maalik keeps. She’ll be off with some insipid acquaintance of his soon enough unless you do some quick thinking.

-> julius. jules. remember who i am? 

-> it’s gal, spacecase, throw me a bone. 

[courtlyanode]

=> GALENA: RECEIVE A BLAST FROM YOUR FLANNEL-FILLED PAST

[aio6]

You weren’t notified about this maintenance, and not only that, but the techs didn’t give you a line to request updates. Weird, this, all of this, but you aren’t worried. Definitely not worried. You’ll be back in your body soon enough, you’re sure.

There’s a new voice, though, and the weird familiarity of it slips through your mental fog, enough for the pilot to roll its head to the side and stare. The pilot is a damned sight. Its wasted frame is a testament to a captain who didn’t spare it or its health half a thought, and you’re dimly aware that it’s flopped like the galaxy’s ugliest ragdoll on something soft.

[courtlyanode]

He murmurs something and you stiffen more, if that’s even possible. This is- this isn’t happening, this is too improbable, and oh, she’s a mess.

You sit down beside her gingerly, smoothing out your skirts with a primness that the younger version of you would’ve had a field night mocking. 

-> jules?

[courtlyanode]

=> GALENA: RECEIVE A BLAST FROM YOUR FLANNEL-FILLED PAST

@aio6

You sag into the doorway leading to the extravagant collection of blocks that you share with your fellow ex-helms, hip twinging nastily. You kick off your wretchedly high heels and make for the reclining platform when Selene beckons you forward, jerking his head in the direction of the quarters where Maalik keeps the new rescues. He’s quiet, quieter than normal, so the newbie must be a bit more roughed up than your usual fare. You pull a face, token resistance, and limp after him.

Selene and Yillie don’t have jobs like you do- they basically just hang around all day unless Maalik needs them for a party. Anything new that happens here is exciting for them, and your boys are well worth humoring. But when you hobble into the guestblock, fully expecting just another forgettable unfortunate and see a pair of dimly glowing green oculars, your digestive sac drops. You stiffen and turn to Selene.

-> what’s

-> what’s the pilot’s hatch?