Starsnatcher - Trapped In An Alien World [COMPLETE]

Chapter 6.1 - Euphrat

I stared at my laptop.

Kira typed all the previous chapters at thrice the speed possible to me. Much like me back in the desert, she had the benefit of her singularity stone giving her time to think.

I considered re-reading sections to make sure I wasn't imagining things. On the other hand, Crick demanded answers from me now.

"Okay," I told Kira. "Our abductors are human. You told me that much before. Their boss is a scientist from the university we two used to attend and he wants to assimilate all life in the universe into some always-happy Borg organism. Right now, he's in the space station this ship is heading towards and he's planning to get his 'Cipher', whatever that is."

"You nailed it," Kira said.

"And you support it?"

She responded with her usual heavy-lidded, puffy-eyed stare that made me wonder if she even took me seriously.

"Why don't you?" she asked.

I broke eye contact with her. Did she expect me to discuss?

Everything about Mustafa Ay's plan was just so, so weird. If I understood him right, he wanted to turn everyone in the universe into a wirehead.

For those unaware, people in the twentieth century attached electric wires to the pleasure centers of lab rats. The rats became so happy that they just wanted to lie down and do nothing all day. They eventually starved. His plan reminded me of this, but even weirder.

As much as I wanted to argue, Crick waited.

I picked up the tube. "This is the only food we have on this ship."

She took the white, snake-like tube contained in her hand and inspected it as if she already knew about its bad taste.

"Don't be picky," I added. "We're astronauts. We don't get to choose what we eat."

She searched for the tube's opening.

"My Captain wants to see me now."

I dragged myself to the airlock's wall, opening the hatch to the bridge.

In the bridge, the Seizers did ... Seizer-stuff. When they weren't playing games, they focused on work like robots. Crick's compound eyes were on the displays while Tesla eyed the control panel. What Helix was looking at was anyone's guess. Likely an important display or machine I didn't notice.

None of them looked at me. I feared they'd admonish me for dawdling, though by now, I had already learned the signs when they were angry and when not.

I approached the displays where Crick stood, a large computer box next to me. Crick received my mental image of Kira's text. I let them know about Mustafa Ay, that he wanted an object named the Cipher, that he wanted to turn us all into wireheads and how the space station was important for him.

I included all data available on singularity stones. Even if Crick showed no interest, I considered it tantamount in understanding and defeating our enemies. Kira's healed and improved memories. Layla's controlled utility fog and gave her insights on how to operate Primogenitor-tech. Ay's meanwhile soothed those he touched much like Kira's stone soothed its user. Finally, I told them the stones had been damaged by the Plague and each user only got access to a random set of functions.

I even mentioned the bits that Kira only alluded to, such as how the fact that we declared war on Ay was somehow all according to his plan.

"The mission is terminated," Crick transmitted.

Helix emitted waves of relief while Tesla tried to hide around their panels.

I meanwhile blinked. "Don't tell me you support Ay's plan, too! Don't tell me you're serious!"