EliteCommander

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Senjen sat up on the table, looking up at Ruknar. “I think, uh, we should do something a bit more ‘upbeat’ today. Of course, we’re not going to do much of anything sitting around here…

Standing back up to his feet, Senjen took a few idle steps towards the door as he thought, then turned back to face the others. I say we go to the contest, take a look, maybe get a feel for if it’s anything interesting. If not...we can walk around, go wherever the wind takes us. There will be something to catch our eyes, I’m sure.”

---

Senjen was not one to dwell too long on thought and planning, so it was probably no surprise when he wanted to head out and see where the day took them. And to be fair, saying there was “plenty” to do in downtown Setia would be quite the understatement. Korit as a whole was a planet of unrestricted commerce and leisure alike, and the city was no exception. The city was planned to make it quite easy for its many potential customers to find places to spend their money. While generally a rare statement to make about Korit, public transportation in its major cities was the envy of most modern cities in the known galaxy. Outside of areas like the slums, it was quite easy to navigate, and even the automated taxi service they used to get around was government-funded, and free to use. There were other, “official” reasons for the state to be so seemingly magnanimous, but there was little question to the fact it was an investment for greater revenue.

The first time Senjen had seen the city, outside of a hospital, had been awe-inspiring for him. He had spent all his life on his homeworld, and while crowds were nothing new for Utaysi, the sheer diversity on display in any direction one looked. Most worlds in the galaxy were dominated by the species which settled them, with tourists, and especially alien immigrants, being the exception. Korit was something special, and for all its many flaws, that was still the part of it which Senjen loved the most. Older cities like Setia still had more Tekeri influence than anything else, but one could still see buildings with entirely different species’ architectural styles right next to one another.

The group had landed on the uppermost layer, on a street near the center of the city close to Kwe-Lungo park. He had a guess that this might have been one one of both his and Rukner’s favorite places in the city. Unlike most of the lower layers, it received natural light, and it was the largest park in the city. It was tended to by the oldest horticultural society on the planet, and combined complementary flora from over a dozen planets. There was one winding path, somewhat out-of-the-way, that was set between two tall rows of trees that was intentionally filled with the most hostile looking flora they could find, like vines appeared to have sharp thorns longer than a Tekeri’s claw. Most came from different worlds, but they all had two things in common. First, the hazards were only superficial. That vine’s “thorns” were actually flower buds that appeared to be hard and dangerous when not in bloom. Second was that, around the start of the wet season, they would all bloom at once into a vibrant display beautiful enough to draw visitors down even such a long and winding path. Senjen was pretty sure it was an art piece.

Senjen still did not particularly want to attend the protest, but it was happening on the other side of the park from the contest. As they walked alongside the park, Senjen gave Rukner a pat on the back. “Where exactly is that contest? We can go there, or go for a bite to eat first if we have time...or just go for a picnic in the park.”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Senjen made a quite intentional point of rolling his eyes. “Oh, don’t give us that. It’s your day, Light, we should do what you want.”

Restless as he was, Senjen did not stay seated for long. He pushed himself up off the ground and started to circle around the table on all-fours. “Today is huge. Think about it: how much have you had to pay for these treatments? I mean, I know the FGC gives good discounts, and they’ve let us pay for it with labor, but now you’re going to start getting paid directly for all that work. Mark my words, we’re going to start climbing higher now.”

Jess chuckled. “That mean you’ll finally get those upgrades you won’t shut up about?”

Senjen had a sly expression as he avoided eye contact. “Oh, that is tempting. But I might have to look for a new supplier first. That last actuator you sold me is still sticking.” He said, emphasizing his point by rotating his arm, which jerked slightly in a few positions.

“Actuator’s fine.” Jess answered with rather absolute confidence. “That one governs the full range of joint motion, but it only sticks on external rotation. Intermittent, too...could be corrosion on the connector for the infraspinatus.”

“That again? I’m telling you my diagnostics comes back clean for any internal corrosion.”

“And I’m telling you your thoracic sensors have been shot for the past six months. Shouldn’t have waited a whole month to deal with that faulty seal.” Jess snapped back.

Senjen did not stop pacing around the table. “I didn’t have the money, but I kept it covered. It only acted up after I got the replacement, but it’s fine. I know you can’t guarantee every used part you sell…”

Jess slapped her hands down on the table. “That’s it, not going to get slandered here. Lay down, I’m opening you up.”

“Ah, come on, just because…” Senjen could hardly start to get his words out before Jess grabbed him to pull him over to the table. While she did have some enhancements under the skin, she still did not have the strength to move him unwillingly, but despite his outward objections, he was still cooperating. He laid back on the table between them all, and while she moved over to his right side, she grabbed a multitool out of her pack. Senjen’s chestplate was intended to be removable for maintenance, though it required him to disengage some internal locks for it to be easy. Once she got to work, though, she was through the latches in seconds before she tossed the plate aside.

Strictly speaking, a Utaysi was supposed to go to a low-power, minimal-activity state before submitting to internal maintenance, much like being sedated for surgery. Not only were there sensitive electronics that were safer to work around while unpowered, but the internal mechanics and powerful artificial muscles could take off a hand if one was careless. However, neither of the two particularly cared for safety concerns.

A Utaysi frame was a mix of electronics, traditional mechanical parts, and artificial muscle depending on what was most optimal for the task. Even with Jess leaned over the opening, the others could catch glimpses of the complex web of machinery, tubes, and wiring. It seemed incomprehensible to the uninitiated, but Jess seemed to be navigating it all by touch at the moment. She did not bother going for anything else because she knew just what she was going for.

After a minute or so, Senjen’s right arm went entirely limp. “The hell you doing in there? You losing your touch, Jess? I can’t move my arm.”

“Because I disconnected it, dumbass. Give me a minute…” Jess had her arm squeezed in between some of the artificial muscles that controlled the shoulder joint. In that position, an errant arm extension could end up crushing her bones to dust, and it seemed she was not insane enough to take that risk, at least. Though, her fingers were cautiously tracing the wiring to an entirely different system at the moment. “Ah...got you.” She muttered to herself.

Senjen laughed. “Oh I’m sure. It will be great when we go through this whole ‘open-heart surgery’ just to-” His voice cut out abruptly and completely, despite his mouth continuing to move. She had reached up and disconnected his vocal cords.

“Nowww I can work in peace.” Jess smirked, to which Senjen could only return a cross expression.

It took just a few minutes longer for Jess to do what she needed. She retrieved an attachment for her multitool and used it to do something to the internals of his shoulder. Normally, that sort of work would require removing the arm to work from the other side of the socket, as she could not actually see what she was doing. However, she was especially familiar with Senjen’s frame in particular, as she had worked on nearly every part of it over the years. She was operating purely on touch and memory at the moment.

As soon as she was done, Jess reactivated the arm, then went straight to replacing the chestplate. Senjen grabbed a hold of it with the opposite arm and growled. He was still capable of that, at least.

Jess stared him down in silence for a few seconds, keeping an impressively straight face. “Fine. I suppose we can suffer your voice today. She reached in up towards the throat and reconnected the vocal cords before closing him up.

“Finally, now when it sticks again, does that mean my next part is free, or do I get a replacement?” Senjen began, but quite predictably, it was rather immediate that he was proven wrong. He went through several external rotations of the joint, each one just as smooth as the last.

Jess walked around above Senjen’s head so she could look straight down at him. “Like I said, there was corrosion on the connectors to some of the muscles. The signal was intermittent.” With the handle of her multitool, she smacked the top of his head, sending a clang echoing through the room. “Now you can stop crying about it.”

Senjen laid his head back, staring straight up at the low ceiling for a few, silent moments. “The horticulture tournament sounds fun.”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Jess was still holding her nose, which was reflected in her voice when she answered. “Don’t worry about it, buddy. We knew you were getting your results today, and we all wanted to support you. Sen just made sure to let us know it was going to be the ‘happy celebration’ sort of support, and not, well...the alternative.”

“No more worrying, no more stress, no more hospital visits. You’ve got plenty of time ahead of you, and that’s worth celebrating.” Senjen added, reaching into Light’s suit to pat his side.

Jess cleared her throat, lifting up the cake to call attention to it. “Yeah, it’s wonderful, really, but can we hurry and get this thing out of my hands now? I’ll be honest, I can’t handle the smell a second longer. There’s fish in this thing.”

The group took a moment to file out of the cargo hold, further into the ship. Being a Tindrel ship, it had a low ceiling by the standards of many species. Jess could stand unobstructed, though Senjen often preferred to move on all-fours from one place to another. It did at least have plenty of floor space, so moving back to the habitation area, they could all gather comfortably around the circular table at the center. Neither Light nor Senjen had need of seating, but Jess visited enough that her favored crate was already in the room for her to pull up to the table and sit down. Senjen, on his part, simply curled up on the floor and leaned forward with his arms crossed onto the table.

“Okay, how are these things supposed to work? Are we supposed to burn candles?” Senjen asked.

Jess shook her head. “That’s for birthdays. It’s just a cake; go ahead and have at it.” She answered, pushing it across the table towards Light.

Senjen was noticeably excitable, moving quickly from one thought to the next. “Ah, well, if you say so. Anyway, me and Light were thinking on the way over on how we were going to celebrate. Light was thinking either a hunt, or going for Sthrirad. I say we all go out somewhere.”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Something Senjen had learned in the years away from his homeworld was how much the tastes of biological species could be influenced by having biology. Utaysi were about the opposite of QV in terms of their prey drive, being that they did not have one. Their predecessors did, but that was an instinct that had not made the transition to their artificial progeny. Their creators had tried to adjust as few of their instincts as possible, but anything related to food, or acquiring it, was something they had no choice but to change. And of course, there was no drug that would affect both an organic and a machine. Yet, Senjen was still glad to join, especially with what Light had just overcome. There was just one thing that needed to be done first.

“Hmm...let me think about it on the way to the ship.” Senjen answered.

---

Being that living anywhere near downtown Setia was an expensive prospect, Light had been renting a long-term landing pad for his ship out near the fringes of the city. It made for an annoying commute to the hospital, but the automated taxi ride back did give Senjen time to think, and about more than just their immediate plans. Light being cured still felt hard to imagine with how long he had been dealing with his condition, but if it really was happening, then it could mean a new chapter for them. Certain possibilities had been going through Senjen’s mind for a while, and now it seemed like he might be able to act on them.

The space Light rented was, to put it gently, not in the finest neighborhood, nor did it offer many services. There was at least some security on the lot to ward off vagrants, but it was simply a flat, open space with rows of basic landing pads that could accommodate ships up to the size of light freighters. More expensive lots would offer protection from the elements, automated refueling, and maintenance services. This place gave no such benefits. The best it could offer was refueling, at a separate charge, with a tanker that had to be towed around from ship to ship.

What Light was greeted with as soon as the ramp to his ship lowered was a surprise, quite literally. A trio of voices, including Senjen beside him, shouted out the word as the interior came into view. Waiting inside were two familiar faces: a Human and a Tekeri. Both were friends, and as it seemed, Senjen had arranged for them to pay a visit in light of the good news. The Human woman’s name was Rebecca, though for reasons she never explained, she went by “Jess”. She was a parts dealer and mechanic they had become well-acquainted with since their arrival. She was short, especially compared to the much larger species surrounding her, with short, dark hair and a mild tan. Her casual clothes were unremarkable, though at least much cleaner than the rough, stained jumpsuits she usually wore.

Jess was holding a small cake in one arm, while pinching her nose with her other hand. She was in the interesting position of being in a genuinely good mood while simultaneously holding herself back from retching. The cake was a fusion of Human and QV cuisine that was meant to be pleasing to a QV palette, but most certainly not to her.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Senjen’s head tilted slightly as he looked up to Light. If he had better vision, Light might have been able to see his mechanical iris focus in on the arm he had mentioned. His words had been straight and to the point, but Senjen could see in his colors the weight that had been lifted off of him. The news was just what they had hoped it would be, but after so many years, it felt strange to finally see it happen. “That’s wonderful!” With a Utaysi, Senjen would have grabbed both of the other’s hands with interlaced fingers as something similar to a hug. However, with Light lacking fingers, he instead reached up and grabbed two tentacles between his middle fingers.

“Well we can’t just lounge around doing nothing with that sort of news. Come on, we’ve got to celebrate! I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer; whatever you want to do, let’s go do it. We just need to stop by the ship real quick so I can get something, then...whatever you like. You can take the time on the way back to think up something good.” Senjen said, finally releasing his grip.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

For a short while, Senjen seemed to zone out, lost in thought while in the care of the medics. Though he may have been immune to physical fatigue, even a Utaysi could experience mental exhaustion. Being pushed from one life-threatening situation to the next took its toll, and it was a relief to finally be able to push the danger out from his mind. He could be calm, he could be safe. It was not a problem to disarm for now, and he answered their questions as best as he could. He could give his own information, but he did not have access to Light’s private data. They would have to wait until he came to for that.

Being hooked into an exterior power supply did wonders to help Senjen clear his head, being that he could quite literally think faster at full power. It went without saying that this job had ended up as far more than he had bargained for, but he had at least come out the other side alive, and even considering repair expenses, it was going to be with a profit. Still, it gave him pause to reconsider the choice to leave his homeworld. With what he had earned, passage home would be easy enough to buy. Though, that would mean giving up on the reason he had come here in the first place, and everything he had seen still kept that desire strong in the back of his mind. Surely he had just gotten unlucky? There was no way every job would be like this. Korit might have been rough, but it was still mostly civilized; this sort of thing couldn’t be a daily occurrence. Senjen had no intention of dying for these dreams, but he surely could not give up so soon. As long as Light recovered, maybe he would at least stick around for a job or two with him?

---

Setia, Korit, Present Day

---

The FGC Hospital was something of a shorter high-rise, nestled between two much taller buildings near the center of the city. The vertical layering of the city gave natural divisions to the hospital itself, which was divided into five departments each specializing in the treatment of one of the known sapient species. At the moment, Senjen was waiting in what locals sometimes called “the aquarium”...or at least non-QV locals. It was the department closest to the ground floor, which specialized in the treatment of Quelun-Vosh. Each department was tailored to match, as closely as possible, the idealized environment of the species it was meant to treat, so the QV department was entirely submerged. Specialized gels like those in their suits were used in various rooms, though as they were more expensive, it was simply water that filled most of the space to save on costs.

Normally, non-QV friends and associates could not visit the aquarium in person, as requiring protective equipment was too much of a liability issue. But without that risk, Utaysi were an exception. Still, even just lingering out in the waiting room, Senjen could see in how many ways the space was not designed for him. QV naturally utilized every direction of three-dimensional space, while Senjen was still stuck on the ‘floor’. Their doors tended to be centered on walls, and sometimes led directly upwards or downwards, so there was a lot of climbing necessary for him to get around. What the QV considered furniture was sometimes out of his reach, or otherwise impractical for him to use.

It was far from the first time Senjen had been in this waiting room. He and some of the hospital staff in this section were familiar enough to know one another’s names, but it was entirely possible this could be one of his last times waiting here. With how much he was pacing back and forth along the floor, most of the other QV in the waiting room had taken to floating up above him.

Senjen’s gaze snapped over to the door each time it opened, and after about a half-dozen times, he saw that it was finally Light returning. He took a few, somewhat cumbersome steps towards the door as he looked up at him. “So...don’t keep me in suspense…” Senjen said, clearly anxiously.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Senjen’s first instinct was to head inside the nearest store as well with Light, if for no other reason than to just get into cover and collect himself. However, he did not follow the boss out the back. Rather, he pulled Light off his back and set him down just inside by the door, then took a moment for some damage control of his own. Senjen stumbled briefly, having to catch himself on the nearest wall while several systems re-calibrated. He had just shut down one of his two power cells and transitioned his body into a low-power state. Only critical systems were active, his senses were dulled, and his reactions were slowed, but he would produce much less heat.

Now much more calmly, Senjen slowly lifted Light up and helped support him. The boss had rushed out the back with his daughter, so they were both well out of sight by now. “Okay Light, they’re gone, we just...we need to get some help now.”

Senjen had seen the medics outside. If he was remembering correctly, they healed people, and they could help Light. He was not sure they could do anything for himself, but he had his own diagnostics and knew exactly how long he could last. He was pretty sure he heard some mumbles of approval from Light, so he stumbled back outside with him, walking them both straight towards the Tekeri. “He’s hurt, um...burns.”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

By this point, Senjen had seen more than enough of a pattern with these droids to know exactly what was going to happen when he disabled the droid, so he was ready when the self-destruct started. He holstered his pistols, grabbed the droid, and threw it clear of the truck. However, the inevitable complication came from elsewhere this time. The truck swerved left quickly straight towards the wall. Fortunately, Senjen was clinging to the right side, but he only had a quick moment to react. He let go of the truck and continued to fly forward at an angle towards the wall. His thrusters spun him around, burning at max power to try and counteract his velocity, though they could only somewhat slow him before he made contact.

Senjen engaged his electromanets the moment he came close enough to the wall, though he still ended up sliding along it for a short distance before finally coming to a halt. However, there was no time to stop, and he launched himself back towards the truck as quickly as he could. Now that he was being actively cooled, his mind was not so muddled. He could think and focus, and he could hurry every bit as much as he needed to right now. As he reached the right side door, he saw the gunship starting to come into view.

Senjen reached in through the broken window and opened the door. The truck certainly had some kind of safety features to protect passengers, but he still imagined the crash was rough for a pair of organics. Unfortunately, there was no time to be considerate. He could not stop and check on them; they just had to move. He reached in and grabbed the man and his daughter in his arms to pull them out. “Come on, we’re almost out of this. Just a little bit farther.”

Carrying around three people would be cumbersome, but he just needed to get them off the street quickly. He would bring them into the nearest store and see if he could find some other exit out the back. The gunship could not just go around shooting up random storefronts without someone getting involved, whether it be Korit security or whoever else protected this section of the station.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Senjen and Light were moving quickly to keep up with the truck. He could see the droid hanging on to this side of the cabin, and he could see its drone was watching him. He could not sneak up on it to gain the surprise he had been relying on, though even at a quick glance he could see it was damaged. Flying in from behind, Senjen had to think on his feet. It was struggling with the Human up front for the girl and might have been prioritizing getting its hostage as the best way to ensure its success. That would have to be enough.

Senjen had time to fire a shot before reaching the truck, but the shield easily absorbed it. With his feet, he grabbed a hold of the side of the truck just before it crashed through the window. The droid was just in front of him, so it took most of the glass shards and debris in his stead, not that it would have done much to affect either of them. Senjen had been relying on stealth and cleverness to get an edge on these droids this whole time, and he had one last trick that came to mind: a bit of misdirection and sleight of hand to deceive its threat assessment. While it was struggling over the girl, he fired another shot that the shield absorbed, then bashed the shield with the pistol grip in a vain attempt to break through. And while the drone watched his seemingly desperate attempt to force his way through up high, his other hand drew his own pistol from its holster down low. He pushed it slow enough to pass through the shield, intent on firing at the droid from within.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Senjen was already on a collision course with Light, but he heard what he said. He was responsible for his client, but also responsible to follow his orders. Still, the two were not mutually exclusive. Rather than use his thrusters to slow down, he used them to speed up and guide them as soon as he grabbed Light. As they were floating through the air, Senjen tried to maneuver Light around to his back. “Come on, get those tentacles around me and hold on tight.” He messaged Light directly.

Senjen kicked off of one of the interior walls of the lobby to send them back on a course towards the truck. By this point, he was back to seeing alerts in the periphery of his vision that he was silencing one after another. The extinguisher had delayed the heat issue, but he had not been able to keep calm and still, so he was back on a path to overheating. The gel suit, though, it was cool to the touch, and grabbing it sparked an idea in his mind. QV gel suits could distribute and diffuse heat.

“Focus, Light, stay with me. I’m overheating. The hole in my back, you can use your suit to cool me down.” Senjen messaged him again.

With his thrusters, Senjen aimed them for the nearest opening into the truck’s cabin. He had his gun at the ready, hoping this droid would also be distracted enough when he got an angle on it.