Binary Love (18+)

Herland

"I'm sorry if we have scared you, Dr.Williams." Captain Faolán said, while he looked out into the vast emptiness of space. "Truly."

After Nyx had calmed down, the Captain had suggested that she take the samples to Rosalind and use them to help save the surviving victims in the medbay. She had taken the opportunity to leave the ship, simply giving a small nod goodbye to them. The Captain had then invited Nova and Mark to the observation deck, luring them with the promise of answers while they waited for the arrival of the Volos fleet.

"That's alright." It wasn't, but frankly Nova was was just trying to pick her battles at this stage. "You can call me Nova, by the way."

The Captain gave a short, good natured laugh at this, while his eyes scanned the stars. Waiting.

"In our culture, our given names are deeply private. It's considered rude to refer to someone by their name, unless only in the company of family or romantic partners. Instead, we go by our job titles." He lowered his head as his hand briefly touched the golden embroidered tree on his uniform. It looked like a type of bow. "Do forgive my rudeness, but I would prefer to call you Dr. Williams."

"Oh, no, that's fine." Nova hurriedly waved her hands - a bit embarrassed by his formality. "So you're last name isn't Faolán?"

She had thought it strange that he shared the same name as the space station, but considering everything else going on, she frankly hadn't questioned it further.

"No. All the Captains are referred to by the vessel they command. Such as Captain Perseus, for example."

"So, Nyx isn't really Nyx's name?" Mark asked.

How many names does that woman have? Nova thought.

"Nyx... I suppose a direct translation would be a spy, or an agent, but the connotation of the word Nyx is more than that." At this, the Captain turned to them, his inhuman eyes glowing. "In our culture, it implies being one with the darkness, and often the bringer of death - the eternal sleep. Our current Nyx is often referred to as The Queen's Shadow, for she serves Queen Gaia faithfully."

"But why would the Queen's spy be here, working as an intern?" Nova asked, holding his gaze.

"The blood samples that are circulating as a drug - what you call 'Blue', correct? - are being harvested from her brother. Nyx has been trying to find him for years, and it led her search to The Mayflower. It seems that they sell the blood samples to fund their research, and often dock with or follow various travelling brothels to better hide themselves."

"That is how I became contaminated with Blue, isn't it? I remember her fighting with a dealer at The Mayflower, and I somehow got the nanotechnology in my systems." Mark's voice was solemn.

"Yes. When Madame Berkley noticed your behaviour changing, she decided to send you back to Nova. If it was a normal glitch, there would be no issue, but if it was due to nanotechnology, then Nova was uniquely skilled to recognise the anomaly. Besides, Nyx had been posted to this station, as our terraforming was close to completion and she was needed here. Madame Berkley knew that we would intervene and keep you safe if needed." Captain Faolán's tone became affectionate when talking about Berkley, a soft smile began creeping across his face. It was the most emotion Nova had seen him show.

"So, she did know about what was going on, and she kept it from me." Nova stated, disheartened that her friend had kept something so monumental from her.

"Not through choice," The Captain suddenly seemed very insistent, a guilty expression flashing across his face. "Madame Berkley and I are... together. She cannot share of our existence - it would put herself and others at risk. But I know that she was deeply uncomfortable knowing that Earth Tech were so close to you. It was her idea to send Mark to you, as she was then able to indirectly let you know what was going on. I hope you will forgive her."