Dynamic Patrol: Gel-Squad (Remastering!)

Chapter 54: Blend

"And that's how I became governor of the western district. After a powerful campaign, it would've been foolish of the people not to elect me to take up the mantle." While on his way to the quarters wing, Kori gave the squad a brief rundown of his political career. He thought it would've at least started a bridge toward trust, but they all seemed skeptical.

"Wow. So are you the reason why taxes were so high for Panthorian webbing season?" Russell focused on the downsides, of course. He usually shared his opinion negatively. He liked watching politicians squirm, but when he did, it was usually on the Cosmosis on a net screen. Now, he had the chance to do it in person.

"It was the most effective way to cover the cost of the new hydro-loop system in the city... the people voted for it, they wanted it. The onits had to come from somewhere." Kori defended, "Here we are." He showed the team to their quarters. Their room wasn't that far from the command center. This was done on purpose, as Kori wanted to keep them close. "I hope these quarters are to your liking. Please keep in mind that space is at a premium." Kori warned as he opened the door. The lighting illuminated the room automatically, and there were places for all three of them to rest in a solid state. A display panel was set to monitor the status of the station. A small table dedicated to 'tea time' rested in the corner, with three chairs to match the three beds. The walls and various surfaces were beige galore, and the carpets were an unsavory grey, but at least the windowed view out to Omeocoon lived up to its expectations. They could see the Capital from up here if they looked close enough.

"Wait? Beds?" Tommy asked with a head tilt as he eyed the integrated wall furniture with distaste. He preferred to rest in a liquid state; solid sleeping was quite inefficient and uncomfortable. "I'm not going to lie... I was looking forward to slipping into a gooey state." Tommy grimaced as he rubbed his arm.

"Well, remember that this station class was designed to be deployed in mass. They build them on an assembly line based on strict schematics. Whoever did this did not have form-manipulating beings in mind. They haven't changed the design in decades, and they weren't going to do it for us."

"It seems a bit... undiplomatic for an organization trying to increase its numbers to refuse to accommodate for beings who don't primarily remain in a solid form," Russell snarked with a grin. He knew Tommy was going to reject the notion immediately. He wanted to start a fight, just for no reason.

"Not true!" Tommy played right into Russell's game.

Kori talked over both of them before they could start squabbling like siblings on a hover-car road trip, "Boys, please! I'm sure you'll get used to it." He gave Tommy a pat on the back. "Your team has adapted this far. A little bed won't break your spirit. Let me know if there's anything else I can do to make you more comfortable."

Russell entered and picked his bunk—the bottom rack — before anyone else could snag it. It seemed like he'd completely shut down. He got right into bed and turned his back toward the rest of the crew. He refused to even say thank you to Kori.

"I'm sorry about my friend. He's been through... family stuff. He's still healing." Tommy quickly rectified.

Kori raised his hand, stopping Tommy's apology. "There is no need to apologize for him. I wish I could help him, but we don't have any psychiatrists on board. Maybe you'd consider merging with him?" Kori suggests. "A good merge has always helped many other people on the station who are going through a tough time these days."

Tommy nodded. The seed was planted in his mind, but he put it on the back burner for now. "I'll look into it."

As they talked, D1 motorized off, starting down the corridor. She didn't say goodbye or thank you either; she seemed dead set on her destination.