Stowaway (G/T) (Ongoing)

3

Over time, Eskel grew impatient.

Whatever game this intruder of theirs was playing at was driving him up the wall. It seemed they were keen on staying hidden and out of their sight, for what means he couldn't tell, but he felt insulted by the notion of his ship being used as a taxi for a criminal.

ASAP gave very inconclusive information whenever he questioned about it. The feeling that they were being watched was always present, but whenever he looked around there was never anything there. He wasn't really the nervous type, but it irked him that he couldn't gain the upper ground on what was going on. For once, he felt like the one being hunted.

At least until a ping had alerted him late one evening, of news he hadn't heard before.

[CAPTAIN]

The AI beckoned him, stirring him from his restless slumber.

"Hmm? What is it..?"

[IRREGULAR MOVEMENT HAS BEEN DETECTED
IN THE BIOMATTER LABORATORY. IT IS LIKELY
THE UNDISCOVERED LIFEFORM]

Eskel's feet kicked into motion, all sense of fatigue lost.

He'd been waiting for something, anything to happen, and now was his chance. He grabbed a weapon in case whatever it was tried to attack him, and snaked silently through the dim corridors, trying not to make a sound. Outside the lab's entrance, he paused.

"Asap, update?"

He whispered into his suit. There was a second before ASAP responded with a silent string of text:

[ALL ACTIVITY HAS CEASED]

Eskel stood up to his full height and walked in without another word, scanning the room with a scowl. Nothing seemed out of place. Irritation bristled his short fur.

"Footage?"

ASAP immediately sent the video footage that initially triggered the alert, but it wasn't very helpful. At best all he could see was the feyberry bush rustling an abnormal amount, and a small dark figure darting between the leaves.

Whatever it was, it seemed to be stealing food from them too and it would only be a matter of time before it needed to come out again.

But, next time, Eskel would have a plan.

He waited patiently for another 27 ticks before hearing another alert from ASAP, and as soon as he was notified of the suspicious activity he dove into action. This time the culprit was reported to be in the communal cooking centre, and Eskel wasted no time in getting there himself.

"Asap, cut the SGS of the upper level."

[DECK 3 SIMULATED
GRAVITY SYSTEM SUSPENDED]

Before Eskel could float from his next step he quickly flipped the switch on his suit that enabled manual gravity in the event of an SGS failure. The rest of the crew would just have to ignore the disturbance, if they were awake to feel it at all. This took priority.

His grip tightened on his weapon as he turned the corner into the room, ready to find anything.

Except a Human.

Eskel almost laughed at their tiny panicking form drifting in the air like a wayward asteroid, clearly caught off guard by the sudden loss of footing. This is what he had been so worried about? This was the intruder that made him worry about the safety of his crew throughout every night cycle? Unbelievable.