And to Dust We Shall Return.

animal after all

‘Err…captain, the ion cannon is a 40 percent’

The captain resisted the urge to glare at mason. It was bad enough having to deal with a ticking time bomb, without having it announced at 5 minute intervals. 
Above her, the lights flickered, as the whine of the ion cannon grew into cacophony of screaming metal. It had never been designed to hold such a charge. And firing it now was just as likely to destroy the ship as it was their unfortunate target. But that didn’t matter. The captain had a feeling that whoever was controlling the weapon, they only meant to use it once.

‘With that much power behind it, it’ll be one hell of a punch.’ She switched on her comm. ‘engineering, is there any way you can slow it down?’

‘We have already reduced. The speed. Of the. Power drain by. 30 percent.’ Chimed the betoroids in unison. ‘But that is. All we can do. Without access. To the helm controls.’

‘Please tell me one of you knows how we can do that?’ Said the captain bitterly. ’Because, we need a little inspiration here. And I am fresh out.’

Mason glanced over to where victor lay, as the doctor worked to stabilize him. He had stopped twitching now. But it was still disturbing to see him like that. His human body tangled in a spaghetti nest of wires. Flesh and metal equally scorched, by the unchecked ravage of a machine.  But wasn’t it machines too that had given him life? Without implants, victor had told him once. He would have died well before his time. It was a… difficult thing for an old duffer like himself to wrap his head around.   
One thing he did understand though, was that victor was a damn fine officer. 

‘Is victor alright?’ he asked the doctor.

‘For now. But he will need surgery.’

‘If you plug him into the ships computer, will that kill him?’

‘Mason!’ snapped the captain. ‘We can’t use an injured officer…’

‘You wanted an idea!’ Barked mason. ‘So I’m giving you one. I heard him say once there is a…back door in the helm controls he could access directly. Though it’s not exactly a union approved…’

The captain gave the doctor a questioning look. As always he remained passive. Though there were rather more bubbles in his helmet than before. 
‘Alone, likely he would not survive it. Without functioning implants, neural load too great. Would need a second mind. Share the strain.’

Mason stepped forward. ‘I might be an old codger.’ He said looking to the captain for approval. but I’ve still got a good brain in my head. Let me help him.’ 

The captain nodded. ‘Then all we can do is ask. Doctor, wake victor up please.’
…

Much research was done, in the early days of the changeling war, into the invulnerabilities of shapeshifters. Smoke is after all, infamously difficult to catch. And even harder to shoot with a lazer pistol. The only thing that worked, it turned out, was static electricity. Or rather the lack of it.  As if the charge that kept their particles together were disrupted, then the shape part of the equation would no longer be able to keep itself together, and the shapeshifter would fall apart. As a result of this, all union weapons now came equipped with electromagnetic pulse generators. A fact that clementine, as she stared down the barrel of just one such device, was very keenly aware of. 

‘I understand that you are suspicious.’ She said carefully. ‘I would be too, in your position. But this isn’t about me. The whole ship is in danger.’ 

‘You honestly expect me to believe that?!’ Nim spat. All The rage that she'd kept simmering, until all the superfluous feelings were boiled away and it was pure, and thick and bitter, leeched into her now. Filling her veins with one thought and one alone.
 ‘LYING is what you bastards DO. You wheedle your way in, with a fancy disguise and some pretty words, and then the next thing you know your whole family is gone and you’re left alone and scared and hating yourself for even trying to care. Well I’m not going to let that happen again. Not today.’ 

‘Oh, commander.’ Said clementine ‘it wasn’t stupid, you’re not ah! Look… I know you don't like me. You have every right to not like me. My people did some terrible things. They took an offer of peace and turned it against you. Twisted it, tore it apart...all because they were too afraid to trust what they didn’t understand. And it was bloody and it was messy and it was so, so pointless, and I can't undo any of it. All I can do is try not to make the same mistakes they did. Which is why I need you to believe me now.’ ’Blue eyes met Nim’s, and for a moment she saw what really lay behind them, and the sight of it frightened her. 

‘I’m not asking you to forgive me, Nim. Just trust me.’ 

Nim took a deep breath, and for a moment she allowed herself to forget that clementine was just a shifting mass of particles, arranged into the perfect image of a being. Forgot that the tenseness in her fingers, the downturn of her lips, the desperation on her face, were a mere performance. A conscious effort of design intended to drain Nim of her sympathy.
 For a moment, she allowed herself to look beyond all that, to what clementine truly was.

Just another frightened animal.
Lost and alone in a strange place.
 Like she had been, so long ago.

Nim lowered her rifle a fraction. That seemed to encourage clementine, who inched forward, her palms outstretched. ‘Anyway,’ she said, with a broken little half smile. ‘If I was as intent on destroying the ship as you say, then I think I would have done it by now.’ 

‘True…’ Nim muttered reluctantly

‘Just let me show you where he has hidden the device. Clementine continued. ‘Afterwards you can shoot me if you like. But I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.’ 
 Silence fell between them, thick and greasy in the stale air of the duct. The only sound coming from the humming of the fans and the pounding of Nim’s heart as it thumped against her chest.  But no tendrils snaked out of the gloom to take her. No wicked laughter teased her as it echoed through the corridor. There was only the silence of two aliens, uncertain and afraid, trying to understand each other. 

‘So…’ said Nim.  ‘Where did you say it was?’