They'd come unannounced as per instruction, And like he expected, the station was bustling with activity. Differnt creatures roamed the endless maze of hallways, all intercecting at one, main center area. IT was lined with different vendors, desks at each entrance for imports and exports. The space station was exactly the same as it was everytime Aias had come, but this time it was different.

Usually, he only passed through, but now, with a small group of soldiers, he'd burrowed out a niche in one of the offices, setting up a small base. There had been chatter, something of a meeting that was to happen soon. And now, they had a chance to cripple the rebellion against them. Some of the heavy hitters were known to frequent this station, but now, there was word of a meeting. And a traitor. So, he came personally. "Find the Ciehihk, he has the intel." He spoke simply, before turning away from the fleeing soldier.

He turned his attention to the other officer accompanying him, a distainful frown the only expression he ever really showed. Besides rage, there was alot of that too. "Leave no stone unturned..." He spoke simply, before taking a seat, flipping through a couple of files that had been waiting on him.

"I've never been in the business of doing less then is expected of me." Meeros said with a smirk, "Do we have any leads so I know where to start?"

"We'll find that out shortly." Aias replied, letting the folder fall from his grasp with a light thud. "Once they bring back that chatter box, you'll probably have more information than you know what to do with."

If on cue, Ielht rushed into the office and gave a small bow as he touched his wrists together with his hands open to the ceiling. "My sirs," he said and straightened up. "How can I possibly serve you?"

Fantastic. Aias wasn't the most patient, but this Ciehihk didn't disappoint, so far atleast. "Tell us what you know. The rumors floating around." He answered, bringing his hands to rest on a propped knee, feigning intrigue.

Meeros turned to observe the newcomer with a newly formed frown. Great, they had to rely on information from a damned non-human.

"Rumors may be too light of a term. My security team found a suspicious Alrain loitering around in the docking bays and when he was approached, he panicked. He was brought in, interrogated and admitted to being part of a rebel squad assembled to overtake the station. He said he was to find someone and deliver a code..." Ielht trailed off, pausing to give the two humans a nervous smile. "Unfortunately, my head interrogator wasn't all that knowledgable about Alrain anatomy, so the prisoner died during further interrogation."

"What's unfortunate is that you let an asset like that slip through our fingers. Were they not capable of interrogating them properly, nothing should have been done until someone able to arrived." Aias seethed, shifting in his seat. "I'll trust that mistake won't be made again?" 

"The incompetent interrogator has been placed under arrest. I felt it was best to leave his fate in your hands," Ielht said, deciding blabbering excuses could only get him into more trouble.

Meeros, always the suspicious, wondered if the interrogator might be a part of the resistance and the accidental killing was in fact a way to keep more info from slipping. He may want to talk to this man. "So we know the resistance is working here. Is that it?"

"As of the moment," confirmed Ielht. "There have been additional rumors we have yet to verify. I've documented them in my report which I can have sent to you at any time." Ielht made sure to keep his head partially bowed and only made minimal eye contact. He wouldn't dare disrespect these Drivers until he knew he could get away with it.

"You mean you didn't bring relevant files with you when you were summoned?" Meeros sneered. He turned to Aias, "Please tell me this thing is just a temporary employee?"

Ielht looked horribly alarmed. "I hope you don't mind me pointing out, you came without warning, sirs. I've been busy making sure you have everything you need and I'm afraid I can only do so many things at a time. Surly I can get you anything you want," his upper nostrils lets out a weak little whistle as he spoke, probably muttering something along the lines of 'please don't kill me...'.

"I'm sure the Ciehihk will be more prepared next time." Aias stood from his seat, walking calmly towards the door. "But now, I'm more interested in hearing what the interrogator has to say. Have the files sent directly to me, you're dismissed." He waved off Ielht, turning a quick glance to Meeros. "Let's go." 

Meeros scoffed at Ielht, but did nothing else. "Gladly." he said to Aias as he went to follow him.

Ielht bowed with his wrists together once again before he quickly scampered off.

Aias wasted no time finding a soldier to lead them to the holding cells, sending him off with a scowl once they'd reach the depths. "Seems the Ciehihk has been pretty busy. There are alot of prisoner's for you to have some fun with..." He trailed off, coming to the room they'd been searching for. He laid a calloused hand to the scanning pad at it's side, and a few beeps later, the door slid open, revealing a dimly lit room, in the center, a creature he wasn't too familiar with, bound in the floor. "Must be him, now, what is he?"

"Looks like a fool to me." Meeros said as he entered the room and walked around the prisoner a bit. He stopped and gave the man a nudge with his foot. "Identify yourself."

A weak figure stared up from the floor, spouting off incoherent gargles. With a shuffle, he moved to a somewhat upright position, scooting himself back against the wall at the sight of their uniforms. "Not...enemy." He managed at last, slimy green staining crimson flesh at the corner of his mouth.

"Then, by all means, explain." Aias spoke from the doorway. He stepped in as well, glancing up at one of the guards, motioning for him to close the door behind them. And that he did.

Meeros stepped back from the prisoner and waited for his explanation.

His mouth moved for a moment, though no sound came out. He was so thirsty... Licking chapped lips, he tried speaking again, "I've served the drivers for over ten years... I-I didn't expect the alrain to die so easily... I pushed hard, too hard... I thought that I could get the information..." He babbled on. He needed to prove that he had only made a mistake... He felt as though he'd aged 50 years since he'd been imprisoned like the trash that usually crossed his interogation chamber.

"Just a mistake. Well, that's understandable." Meeros said as he circled the creature. "It's just that your 'accident' cost us valuable INFORMATION!" he said, going from calm to rabid in the space of a blink. He accented his words by kicking the man fiercely in the side.

He released a low moan, cursing himself. He was an interogator, he dealt out pain and torture on a daily basis... but a little kick had him crying out in pain? "They're planning something... thats all I got out of the alrain...." He said in a shaky voice, "Just let me get back to my work, I'll find the information you're looking for!"

Meeros looked up at Aias, waiting for his reply to the shamed interrogator. This wasn't a call Meeros could make, and simply waited to see which way this was going to go.

Aias' lips curled into a feral grin, the officer kneeling down to meet the prisoner's gaze. "How so? Now that you've let the only lead slip through your fingers, just how exactly will you get your job done?" He asked. Though he didn't wait for an answer, instead, turning back to Meeros. "Besides, you're of no use to me, I've brought another, more experienced interrogator with me. So, officer, dispose of him." He stood, pulling his side arm free, handing the weapon to Meeros, holding it out handle first.

Meeros wasted no time and took the weapon before emptying three rounds into the chained prisoner. He handed the gun back while keeping an eye on the creature, in case he didn't kill him. "Some just were not meant for this job."

Aias shook his head, re-holstering his weapon. "Have the Ciehihk clean this up, see to it he does it personally... If he refuses, put a bullet in him as well. I'll tolerate no further incompetence. From anyone at this base. We have a problem, and it needs to be dealt with quickly." He growled, before exiting the small holding cell.

Meeros waited a few seconds before following Aias out of the cell. "What is our next move?" he asked as he matched Aias's stride.

"We don't have enough information to do much. But we should at least up surveillance. Flag any odd transports, and have the station searched. Question any who seem suspicious, and if they refuse, kill them." Aias turned to face the officer, an obvious frown gracing his gruff features. "This station is now under martial law, make an announcement saying as much, but leave the details vague. We don't want to give them any information, but push them into reacting none the less. They get word of more soldiers coming, and it should be enough to flush them out of hiding..."

"Yes sir." Meeros said with a salute as he turned to make the announcement. He had faith the plan would work, put pressure on the rebels, make them believe that their game will soon be busted and they should act without thinking. Hopefully this will all be over within the week and he could be off this alien fouled station.

Meeros finally arrived at the station's comm center and activated the internal intercom system.b"This is Meeros Letch with the SIO. This station is now under martial law. No vessels will be allowed to dock nor shall they be allowed to leave. Further more, all occupants of the station should expect to have their persons searched as well as their vessels or domiciles. Any resistance will result in immediate detainment by the security forces. This martial law will remain in effect until further notice." With that the comms went silent again. "Now, we wait and see what happens."

---

Huras leaned on a pillar that stood inside a wide entry of an alien food market and eatery. His tail swished slowly, its broken bend making the movement awkward. Rolling his head to the side with his unbroken horn scraping the chipped tiles behind him, Huras glared at nothing in general. Understandably, people gave him a wide berth.

Sojana, having only recently arrived on the station a few days earlier had sighed with great relief when she finally found an eatery that served Kardacian antelope. Six months in this quadrant and this was the first place she'd been stationed with decent antelope. She browsed the shops now, lazily popping purple cubes of uncooked meat into her mouth. She noticed a Hu'Arin not far off. In the last couple days she'd seen him a few times. Just standing about looking angry as Hu'Arin's were prone to do. She might be twenty-eight inches shorter than him, but she wasn't nearly as intimidated as the rest of the beings milling about around him. She gave him his space and continued browsing the shops, familiarizing herself with the local species and languages.

"Oh! Oh, pardon me!" chimed a female Preth as she made her way through the crowd toward the food court. "Excuse me miss... oh-sir? Oh so sorry! I thought those frills were gills. My mistake!" She said to a stranger she accidentally ran into. Eebi finally burst through the rows of people into the open space of the food market. "Oh my my my! Just wonderful, wonderful!" she beamed to herself before walking forward. She was a bird-like creature and a rather ditsy one at that, having nearly tripped twice on her way between the tables. Behind her, Eebi dragged a small suitcase on a singular wheel. It was silver and had a hard case with various small stickers on it, showing the many places she has been.

"AhhEE hizMANA!!" Sojana suddenly cursed as something ran over her tail. She spun around to see the fluffiest thing she'd ever seen in her life. She'd seen Perth's before but never spoken to one. "Watch where you roll that thing."

"Oh my! Goodness gracious goodness, I am so sorry!" Eebi said, hurling her case in another direction, knocking over a chair by accident. "Are you ok?"

"Fine." Sojana snapped, inspecting her tail to make sure there was no damage. Irritated already her frills were up. This Perth was well taller than she was. "You should be more careful with that thing." Sojana told her, instinctively gaining an inch or two in height.

Eebi took a step back and repeated, "Sorry sorry! It gets away from me sometimes. Admittedly, I was too distracted by the smells." And judging by how massive her nasal cavity looked, it was easy to understand. 

Huras had been looking for his contact for days. Of course the team had to arrive at different times, otherwise would seem suspicious. Unfortunately for Huras, he hadn't spied a single Preth. In the market he could hear some sort of commotion. Lazily he peered around the pillar and finally saw what he was looking for. Swinging his head back slowly, he glanced around before pushing himself off the pillar and walking into the market.

"Just watch it." Sojana told the great mass of fluff. she was genuinely apologetic so there was no reason for Sojana to get too upset. she was still a bit terse though. "There are beings here who'd have your face for something like this."

"Oh yes and I am certainly glad you are not one of them, oh no no no." Eebi repeated, as she often did. "I will be more careful, yes indeed I will. I can assure you. My apologies again."

Not meaning to be so damn sneaky, but sneaky nonetheless Huras came up behind Eebi and growled, "Preth..."

Such a low, deathly growl made her fur stand on end. Eebi jumped forward, away from the sound, almost toppling over the Vidian. Thankfully, she didn't knock her over, but came fairly close. She turned around and took a step back from both of them, ready to run. With legs like hers, she would be pretty hard to catch. "O-oh!" she stammered upon seeing Huras, "Greetings. Yes yes, I am Preth...are you a familiar?" she asked, her nostrils flaring to take in his scent. "Is there a problem problem, sir?"

Sojana's nostril slits expanded to take in his scent and closed again. She was looking for a Hu'Arin but had been wanting to make sure he was the only one on the station. So far all the signs pointed to yes, but she still needed to make sure. She didn't jump when he approached. She stood her ground and let the Preth fumble around so they could. She diminished the few inches she had gained while interacting with the Preth and waited for them to engage in conversation.

Huras took a moment to internally pray this wasn't the Preth he was looking for. "Have you been to Ulra and seen the red sun?" he asked with a rumbling growling sound at the back of his throat.

Eebi double blinked and tilted her head for a moment. Then it clicked, "Oh yes yes yes! It salts the air and calms the throat. Have you tasted it as well?" she asked, stepping closer toward him.

Huras gave a displeased look at Soj, not really wanting to do this so close to a stranger. He let out a rumbling exhale and responded, "Yes. There are only three of them left." This was her alright.

"Wonderful wonderful!" Eebi gleamed. She wanted to introduce herself to this ally, but not in front of Sojana. "Pardon us. Sorry again for almost running you over. Good day miss!" she waved to the Vidian. She walked alongside Huras and continued down the aisle, waiting for him to follow so they could speak.

---

Crimson eyes watched as the ship cleared of its passengers. They were shadowed and appeared exhausted. She'd been sneaking around the ship, ensuring she stayed fed and hidden. Leilani didn't know who these people were, where they'd come from, but she was damn certain that she would find out.

These people had attacked her home... killed and pillaged everything that she held dear. There was nothing for her on Becillius, not anymore. The only thing that had convinced her to board the ship was the possibility of continuing to evade attention. By leaving behind everything she'd known... she held the possibility of beginning a new life.

Leilani couldn't think of that, though, not until she learned why. If there was a possibility of vengeance... Though she doubted that she could take another life, not now at least. Tears sprang unbidden to her eyes and she swiped at them furiously. Now was not the time... She had focus, to get away. She had to bide her time for another ship to come in and then with any hope she'd have her feet back on the ground again.

Drawing in a deep breath she made a silent dash towards the exit, she ducked and slid beneath the hatch and took a moment to catch her breath while she contemplated her next move. There were soldiers and others all around, not much chance to escape, especially not if she wasn't careful.

She closed her eyes for a moment, she was so tired... She made a silent promise to get a full night's sleep sometime soon, she needed it. Sticking close to the ground she maneuvered behind stacks of crates and continued to move, she couldn't chance stopping now, Leilani knew that she was in a dangerous situation, she had to get away from all these people to somewhere safe.

She managed to get out of the hangar and lowered her head, slowing her pace and integrating herself into the crowd. There were beings of all sorts wandering this way and that, and Leilani hoped that she might be able to blend in for the time being.

---

Huras gave Soj a threatening looking as if daring her to tell anyone about this. Slowly he followed Eebi until they came to a quiet spot beside a snoozing, customer-less vender. "I am Huras," he said, his name more of a breathy snarl than anything.

"Oh it is a pleasure, I mean an absolute pleasure to meet another of like interests." Eebi gave a slight bow of her craned head and neck respectfully. At least she was wise enough to not say the word, 'ally'. "My name is Doctor Eebi Flimi (ee-bee flee-me). I am just oh so so so glad you found me. For a while there I was awfully worried I had stumbled into the wrong station. How did you know I was a friendly?"

Sojana's eyes narrowed as the two exchanged. This was the Hu'Arin she was looking for. What hulk like that walked up to a random being and began asking whether or not it had seen the red sun of Ulra? It was such a random thing to do and surely it wasn't some pickup line. What could a Hu'Arin see in a Preth? He'd break her in half at the first prospect of copulation. Soj watched as they left her company, coming to rest near an inactive vender. She smirked and began to indirectly move in that direction, browsing the shops, keeping her eye on the two of them as she did so.

"You were the first Preth I've seen in days," Huras said. "And I was bored." Honestly, if she hadn't been his contact, it would have at least been amusing to see her reaction. "What type of doctor are you?" he asked, wondering how Eebi fit into this scheme.

"The type that thrives under pressure, yes indeed I do." Eebi said, not realizing the implications of her words, "In lamens terms, I am a field medic and I have over twenty five years of experience in both rural and urban settings. I have experience with bullet wounds, laser beam burns, lacerations, and things of that sort." She turned and bent down to her suitcase, "I believe I have a resume in here somewhere..." she began and trailed off in search.

In Huras field of vision a familiar face appeared. The Vidian was watching them with a sort of amused smirk on her face. Sojana had found her contact and she wanted to see how he would react under threat of being "watched". She stood within speaking distance, letting him have his space while at the same time obviously intruding on his conversation.

Huras listened to the Preth, looking totally unenthused. She was far too chipper for him. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied the alien Eebi had been with earlier. Pretending not to notice, Huras half listened to Eebi as he debated how to handle the situation. "Keep searching in your bag and don't look around," he instructed Eebi quietly. "The Vidian you were talking to... she's watching us."

"You..." Eebie began in a hushed tone, "You don't think she is onto us, do you?" She did as he said and kept rummaging in her suitcase, pretending to try and find her resume.

Sojana saw the Hu'Arin take notice of her and smirked. He was observant... then again she hadn't exactly hidden. She moved with the task of being noticed. Had she not wanted him to notice her he wouldn't have.

"I need to find out," Huras replied. "That may mean I have to bring her somewhere isolated. It's too busy in here. I may need you for a distraction."

"Distraction? When?" Eebi asked, "Maybe she is still mad that I ran over her tail? Yes that it is, of course! Surely she doesn't suspect..." she trailed off again, closing up her suitcase.

Sojana idly ate her lunch. The Hu'Arin was agitated. His body language reeked of it. The Preth was nervous. They were going to do something. Something that might not suit well at all with their predicament. Rather than letting this play out to her amusement and risking something noticeable happening, Sojana finished her lunch, tossed away the paper sack and casually approached the place where the Hu'Arin and Preth were standing.

Huras remained silent as Soj walked up to them. He wanted to know what she had to say, and he also wanted her to be close enough to snap her neck if need be. He watched Eebi, curious about her reaction.

Eebi closed her case up completely and stood up to see the Vidian approaching. Blurting out the first thing she thought of, the Preth asked, "Goodness gracious goodness, your tail isn't still sore is it? Oh me, oh my. Oh me, oh my...." she twittered, "I am so dreadfully sorry, miss."

If Huras intended to snap her neck, he would have to catch Sojana first... that is after he staunched the bleeding from loosing a hand. She might not look very formidable, but it only took seconds to unhinge her jaw and shred any number of limbs he might try to grab her with. Nevertheless Vidians preferred to keep their tricks hidden until the last possible moment. She approached casually and when she saw the Hu'Arin's eyes meet hers in recognition of her approach, she did something the Hu'Arin and Preth probably didn't expect. As she raised a hand to silence the babbling Preth she actually smiled at Huras, revealing a tight row of very dainty very sharp teeth. These were nothing she'd reveal if forced to unhinge her jaw, but they were there, gleaming a nigh translucent white as she spoke. "I was hoping you could point me in the direction of a good tailor?" She said as she finished her approach. It was spoken in such an aloof manner that it no doubt would have taken him a moment to recognize it as the phrase he would expect from his other contact.

Huras's eyes snapped from their normal narrow glare to wide surprise. It was an expression Huras rarely wore, and later, he'd think back on the moment with a tinge of embarrassment. "The building caught fire and he lost everything..." he responded, completing the code.

"That's terrible." Sojana said, hiding her smirk at his surprise. "Has he managed to set up shop elsewhere?"

Eebi, although probably not the most lethal alien between the three of them, felt tremendously offended when Sojana displayed her palm. It was just rude by anyone's standards and extremely uncalled for. She tried to prevent the fur on her neck from ruffling in frustration as she stood there and listened as the two went back and forth. It was so random... this woman was clearly another rebel. Now wasn't that just peachy.

"Why didn't you approach me sooner?" Huras asked, offended that she had clearly been playing with him.

"I didn't know you were you until you spoke to the fluff." Sojana said, nodding to the Preth. "I've wondered these last few days though. The way you've just been standing on the promenade for no good reason. Not very covert if you ask me." If any of them were an expert about being covert it would be Soj. Though looking at the size of Huras it was obvious he didn't exactly have the ability to do much in a covert manner.

'The fluff?!' That was it. Eebi may not be the most stoic at times and borderline clumsy, but she was a doctor for crying out loud! She didn't do anything to deserve this kind of disrespect. Being a peaceful creature, not one to start confrontation, Eebi grabbed her things and made her way away from the two of them. She walked quietly between the tables and stood in line at a dessert food stand.

Huras did not like being spoken down to by aliens. His lip twisted as he bent towards Soj ready to argue, however, he could only get out the beginnings of a growl when Eebi up and left. He followed her with his eyes before giving Soj and exhaled snort and straightening up. "Preth!" he called, finding her departure unacceptably childish.

Eebi flinched from the shout that echoed across the lunch room. She glanced over and waved with a slight nod and smile. Eebi was holding up a single talon. She would be back in a moment....after getting some food. Her species was the kind that fled from confrontation and needless to say, old habits die hard. She stepped forward as the line moved, eventually making her way to the front.

Sojana didn't flinch when Huras exhaled into her face. Ignoring that she saw the Preth tell them to wait and looked back at Huras. "So do you have a name or should I just call you-" She exhaled through her nose just as he had into her face. 

Huras had been reluctant to work with aliens and this was why. Wanting to smack her across the room, he inhaled as he calmed himself then answered, "Huras."

"Sojana." She replied. She offered her hand in the human greeting of... greeting and waited for him to take it. Rebels after all wouldn't even consider shaking hands, which is the exact reason she offered hers.

Huras looked down at her hand and then at her. Again, he pushed down his urge to do or say something violent and shook her hand, letting some of his aggression out in his not so gentle squeeze.

Sojana shook, paying no heed to his attempt to squeeze her hand too forcefully. After all Vidians being comprised of mostly cartelege didn't feel pain like most vibrates. "How long have you been here?" She asked him. "I only arrived a few days ago. I've noticed you on the promenade every day since arriving... been waiting long?" She wasn't usually this chatty, but something about Huras overbearing need to be quiet brought it out of her.

Eebi arrived from the food stand. She still dragged her wheeled case behind her and had a small paper dish of some sort of hot, round pastries. They were sprinkled with crystallized sugar and had a small fruit on the inside. Over it was a red drizzle of something surely deliciously sweet. She stopped near the two and let her suitcase stand on it's own. "Oh these are so wonderful! I haven't had these since school. Oh no no no. Would you like one? They are fresh, yes indeed." she asked, holding out the paper dish.

Huras could only blink at Eebi. He was sure he wouldn't manage something polite. He looked back at Soj, ignoring Eebi to answer Soj's question. "I have been on board three days. There are rarely any Hu'arin here... I imagine I was quite noticeable," he said both as an excuse and a criticism.

"Goddess no get that away from me." Sojana said, seeing the obviously delectable pastry. It looked fantastic, but sugar was one of the only things she couldn't allow herself to indulge in. She had to forcibly close her eyes to the thing. The red drizzle it's self smelled so sweet it was close to giving her a contact high. "This is my third day." She told Huras, trying to ignore the Preth's food. "And you're the only one I've seen on board so far... Though so far I've only become familiar with the promenade I think I scented one. You don't smell as bad so I know it wasn't you."

Eebi retracted her dish closer to her person. Preth, on the other hand, thrived on both sugar and fruit... and lots of it. Pinching the small donut between her fingers, she placed it in her beak and ate pleasantly, staying out of the conversation, but merely listening or a while. Swallowing, she took a moment before asking, "Oh- you are then perhaps a friendly? That sure is something, yes indeed yes."

"She is," Huras answered Eebi, not wanting to discuss Hu'Arin odor with Soj. "Now, she was sent to find me, and I to find you. Who exactly were you meant to find?"

"A young, male Alrain." Eebi said after swallowing another fruity dessert puff. "Needless to say, I have not seen one yet."

"Have you been assigned quarters yet?" Sojana asked the Preth. Considering she was carrying around her luggage she was fairly certain she hadn't. Ether that or she didn't know where her quarters were.

The smell of food drew her to the alien market, the scent of all sorts of foods clashed, some smelled heavenly, others were questionable. Leilani knew one thing, though- she was absolutely starving. The scraps that she'd been living off of never sated her, and now she was looking at the prospect of open thievery to feed herself.

"Oh yes yes, of course. I have a slip...." Eebi held out her dish of food and bent down to her suitcase. Opening a pocket, she pulled out a pink piece of paper and showed it to the Vidian, who seemed a little less rude now that she knew they were on the same side. "I haven't gone to it yet... the smell of this market drove me here first."

Sojana took the slip and looked at it. "Son of a bitch..." She groaned, using an old Human curse. She had a plethora of her own but peppering her vocabulary with the odd human slang often helped to draw suspicion away rather than towards. "They told me I'd probably go without a roommate for at least another week." She handed the paper back to Eebie. "We're in the same room."

"Convenient..." Huras said, raising his brows. "It could serve as a good meeting place."

"Oh wonderful wonderful! My name is Doctor Eebi, medical field expert." Eebi said that last bit in a more hushed voice, though still in her usual, bubbly voice. She seemed to have completely disregarded Sojana's rudeness earlier. Now that she had her sugary, fruit filled donuts, it was as if none of that had even happened. "I am so glad you know where the room is. This place is awfully large, yes yes, far too crowded as well."

"Sojana." She told the Preth. She jabbed a clawed thumb towards Huras. "Huras..." She could already tell that living with this great fluffy deer thing was going to ware on her nerves.

Wanting to point out that he had already introduced himself, Huras instead asked Soj, "The Preth is a doctor. What exactly is your speciality?"

Sojana smiled, revealing those somewhat translucent razors for teeth. "A little of this, a little of that." She said. "I'd rather not discuss it out in the open."

"Understandable. Perhaps we should show the Preth to her room and talk more there," Huras suggested.

"I think that's a good idea." Sojana told him. "I've swept it already. If you like I can do your quarters too. You never know what kind of bugs previous occupants leave behind."

"Wonderful! Wonderful." Eebi said and tossed the empty dish into the wastebasket. She ruffled the fluff on her neck and shoulders with a quick shiver. Grabbing the handle of her suitcase, she took her paper back and asked, "Would you lead the way?"

Sojana headed to the turbo lift and engaged the closest free one. Thankfully they could accommodate most species, but they were built more to human specifications. Huras might find the thing a bit cramped, especially with all three of them inside.

Huras's horns scratched the ceiling as he got in. He had already looked for bugs, but he was trying not to be confrontational. He remained silent, concerned the lift may have cameras.

Eebi scrunched in between the two lizard-based lifeforms. It looked like a strange sandwich with a fuzzy center. "Huras and Sojana." she stated, rolling their names around in her mouth. "I'm so glad we found eachother. I wasn't expecting it to be this quick, no no not at all this quick whatsoever."

"It feels a little suspicious if you ask me." Sojana said as the lift slid to a stop. They exited into a hall with warm colors, obviously intended to relax the occupants. Sojana moved down the hall, past a few species she recognized and cam to a stop in front of a blue door. The doors alternated blue, orange and green. She tapped their room code in with her lesser claw and the door hissed open. "Four, seven, eight, six, three, four, one, one, two." She told Eebi. "That's our key code." The room inside was constructed with clean lines, warm colors, a complementary fruit bowl with Eebi's name on a card. One sat next to it, not quite as fresh as Eebi's with Sojana's name on it. It had gone untouched since she had arrived. The room looked as spartan as it had when Sojana had arrived. There was a small den area with three chairs, a table and an entertainment center hidden by a slide away pannel in the wall. Adjoining this area was a small kitchen complete with replicator, small counter and another table, this one containing the fruit baskets. There were three other doors. Two being the bedrooms and one obviously the bath.

Huras drifted in, half wondering whether their beds, unlike his, were long enough. He was more concerned with what Sojana said earlier. "You say our meeting was suspicious. What do you think is really happening?' he asked.

"It just feels a little too perfect." Sojana said. "On microt I'm having lunch, trying to figure out if you're my contact and then this one runs over my tail... if it's not suspicious then it's one socar of a coincidence."

"If anyone is suspicious, it's you," Huras said to Soj. "I knew I needed to find a Preth. The Preth, an Alrain. Until the Alrain is found, we have no idea if a Vidian is really part of the equation. Perhaps you killed the Alrain after he told you his code. After all, the Preth is conveniently housed with you."

Eebi walked into the living space to take in the smells and specs. She placed her suitcase on, what she assumed to be, her bed. When she heard what Huras' words, she stopped herself from opening it and glanced over to the Vidian for an explanation.

"Yeah..." Sojana agreed. "It does seem suspicious doesn't it? You've nothing other than my word to prove that I'm a rebel... Then again, I'd have probably had to torture the Alrain for it's information... and a rebel who gave up their information to torture isn't at all a soldier you would want on your side... So if I really am a spy, I actually did you a favor in the long run."

"Not if you turn us in," Huras growled. He wouldn't mind battling her right now, however, if she was a rebel, he would be removing someone who was potentially crucial to their success.

"You and I both know that Vidia dissolved their alliance with the humans years ago." Sojana told him. "I lost brothers in that war. I'm not going to turn you in if it means I can help drive them from the sector." Sojana knew that that was a very poor. The best she could hive him was her honesty.

Eebi stayed out of this, merely listening in and trying to read if Sojana was lying or not. She opened her metal suitcase and started to rummage through some small vials that were strapped down to the lid securely.

"I suppose there is nothing we can do for now," Huras said, hinting he may be up to something for later.

Stowing away on a ship where nobody knew she was there was something entirely different than integrating herself in with a group of people, pretending she belonged... As Leilani reached for the door her heart jumped, hammering in her chest as she glanced down at a smudged sheet of paper. She had to get this right.

The only legible numbers were the room number itself, the 'code' could have read anything. She drew in a deep breath to calm herself and tapped in a sequence of numbers on the keypad. It beeped, informing her that she'd punched in the wrong code and she gave a slightly loud curse.

She didn't know why she'd thought that this was the better idea, but it was easier to pretend to room with a group of strangers for a short period of time than to find a good hiding place in the crowded station. She'd followed three different creatures in another turbolift to their floor and had gotten there just in time to see them close a room door.

Leilani had to pretend that she belonged, she punched in another random sequence of numbers and cursed again, playing her part as she faintly knocked on the door. She silently pleaded that she wouldn't be questioned beyond what she'd practiced on her slow journey from the market area to the room.

SojanaW as just about to say something to Huras when there was a knock on the door. "That's probably the concierge, I've been expecting a delivery." Her delivery might help to ease Huras' mind, but as Sojana moved around his very large form she opened the door to reveal not the concierge, but a being she didn't recognize. It certainly wasn't an Alrain. "Who are you?"

Huras was not visible from the doorway. Just incase this visitor needed a spike to the head, he silently backed up into the kitchen, prepared to ambush.

"I um... Was assigned this room." Leilani replied softly, "They didn't write down the code very clearly... So I didn't know how else to get in." This wasn't going to work, the desire to bolt had her legs quivering, though she forced herself to calm down. She'd be okay, just needed to keep a clear head.

"This is a two occupant room." Sojana told the girl. "Let me see your room assignment order."

"Probably a mistake then... I've only got this..." Leilani held out the sheet of paper, resisting the urge once again to bolt.

Sojana took the sheet and looked over it. It featured their room number, but an improper door code. The name on the sheet was Leilani with no last name. That wasn't so odd. After all Sojana's first and last names were said together as a single name. Soj and Ana, silencing the J into a Y when spoken together. The order in her hand seemed incomplete, but then again big stations like this weren't expected to run smoothly. She stayed in the doorway but handed the thing to Huras to see what he made of it. She probably should have given it to Eebi, but the Preth seemed a little air-headed for her taste.

Unhappy to move from his little hiding spot, Huras gave an annoyed snort and took the paper. He glanced over it, not seeing anything glaringly out of place. "The room is full," he growled. "This is clearly wrong. She should leave and have it fixed."

Sojana handed the page back to the girl. "Looks like someone nailed you." Sojana said, meaning screw but getting her human slang wrong. "You should go back down to occupant service and get it fixed."

"Right... Probably." Leilani said with a sigh. She gave a faint smile, "Thanks anyway I suppose..."

Eebi stepped forward and poked her head over Vivian's to see the young female in the hallway. "Oh! A female Becillian, right? Oh goodness, yes yes yes...please come in. I've never met your kind in person!"

"Oh, um, yes, you'd be right." Leilani said hesitantly from the doorway. She wasn't sure whether it'd be wise to slip past the other two despite the preth's invitation to enter.

Sojana's nostril slits fluttered in aggravation at the Preth and didn't step out of the way, though since Huras was beside the door rather than in front of it, there was plenty of room to slip by between them.

"Come on dear, let me take a look at you. I am a doctor, don't you worry. You look quite human indeed, yes yes mmhmmm yes. But I can tell, yes I can tell." Eebi said excitedly.

The 'quite human' comment made Huras step forwards so he could finally see through the door. Quite human was an understatement. "Preth..." Huras growled. "The girl's assignment..." he inhaled a rumbling snort. "Is wrong. It is in her best interests to leave and have it corrected."

"Oh but this will only be a moment, dear." Eebi told Huras with a playful nod as she looped arms with the female and guided her inside. "Let's not be silly silly silly." Sojana and Huras were being so aggressive toward a total stranger....probably not the best approach when not wanting to raise suspicion. "Becillian... do you have a name? I'm Doctor Eebi Flimi and with your permission, I would like to take some notes."

"My name is Leilani..." She replied, still uncertain.

Leilani glanced back at the pair in the doorway, their behavior was pretty hostile, she hadn't dealt with that in a while, it was unsettling. She wasn't sure if she should let herself be closed in a room with the three strangers. Made her realize the flaws of her plan, it might be best to bow out as soon as possible. "What kind of notes?" She answered the preth's request after a few moments of thought.

"Just how tall you are, your weight... yes yes, if you would allow it, I would like to look in your ears and eyes as well. Nothing too invasive, trust me love." Eebi said with a bright smile as she took out a notebook from her suitcase.

Sojana looked at Huras. They both felt the same about this situation. It wasn't wise to have someone outside their agenda in their room. Especially just yet. They should make casual friends elsewhere, not welcome in the first stranger they come across.

Leilani looked thoughtful, it'd been a while since she'd thought of either, "157.48 centimeters and 55 kilograms last I checked..." This creature was a strange one, medically inclined it seemed, and maybe a little into general science- she seemed very curious about learning of her species.

Eebi twitched and opened her notebook quickly to write that down. "Oh oh oh! Wonderful, just splendid, yes! If I know my species...." she leaned over toward the woman, "And trust me, I know my species, you are at a healthy height and weight! Lovely lovely yes indeed." Putting the notebook down, Eebi dug into her suitcase again for a moment, as if trying to find something. "Ah, here we are." She came back ground with a device with a handle. It had a cone shape on the top with a wide end to look through. "May I take a look inside your ear? It will only be a moment, yes yes." 

"Sorry... This is just a bit... awkward for me." Leilani admitted, "I don't know that I'm comfortable being examined like this..." she felt like an idiot, being recognized for what she was especially considering that her people were dead, and then giving her name so easily to this group of strangers. For all she knew, they were working with the very same monsters that had wiped out her world. "Maybe I should go after all..."

"Oh dear oh dear oh dear....I'm coming on too strong, aren't I? I apologize." Eebi frowned, "It's just you are such a rarity! And in such prime condition. I wanted to take notes."

"You should probably let the girl go fix her rooming issue." Sojana reminded Eebi.

"Its fine I'm just... not used to this sort of thing." Leilani shrugged, "Besides, I really should get this rooming issue taken care of as quickly as possible..."

"Oh it will only take a moment, just a moment. For science!" Eebi proclaimed. "Just a standard checkup. Your species is few and far in between, yes yes? Just a small checkup will go down into the history of the cosmos." she exaggerated. "Your kind is fascinating...ever so fascinating yes."

"I suppose I could... spare a moment..." Leilani said hesitantly.

"Wonderful! It's just a routine check up. A temperature, heart beat, blood pressure analysis and you should be fine. You are a wonderful specimen, thank you, thank you! Now if you would just tilt your head to the left so I can look into your ears." Eebi lifted her device and peered through the lens.

Its only for a few minutes... Leilani said to herself, still none too thrilled with the situation she'd put herself in. Grudgingly she complied with Eebi's request.

As Leilani turned her head, she immediately felt a sharp prick on the fat of neck. Before she could pull back or fight, her immediately world went off balance, slow and drunken. Much to Huras and Sojana's shock, Eebi was now slowly pulling out an empty needle from the Becillian's neck. "Yes yes... easy now, nice and easy." she said and guided the girl to collapse on to chair. The drug Eebi injected her with would stupefy and give her an overwhelming sense of euphoria and calmness. When her body fell into the chair, Eebi started to put her things away into the suitcase of hers.

"Preth!" Sojana exclaimed, seeing the Preth remove the hypo from the girl's neck just in time to direct her fall into the chair. "What did you do?" She'd damned them all, that's what she'd done.

"I got you an insurance policy, yes yes." Eebi explained, putting the used needle in a separate container. "She won't remember a thing after an hour ago...it is a nerve suppressant and sedative. You both thought it a bit odd she had our same room number, correct? If she is a spy of some kind, we could find out for certain. Yes yes, we could you know. If she is not and this is some mix up...she won't even remember seeing us."

"And how the frell are we supposed to get rid of her without anyone noticing?" Sojana cursed. "There's surveillance all over the station!"

Huras had been not seen the needle, therefore Leilani's sudden limpness and Sojana's strong reaction surprised him. It was clear, however, from Eebi's answer what was happening. "How thoroughly have you thought this through?!" Huras snarled at Eebi. "This is absolutely reckless!"

Eebi looked at the two back and forth. She really hadn't expected that sort of reaction from the likes of them. "I signed up for 'reckless' when I became a field medic, yes yes indeed. How could I pass up the opportunity? Call me paranoid, but if she is a spy, and not a very good one, mind you...we can plan accordingly knowing that Sojana or I are suspicious as rebels. The Becillian will be able to walk on her own in ten minutes or so." 

Sojana smoothed her hand over her head. Her frills were bu a bit from being aggravated at the Preth and when her hand ran over them they flattened and snapped back up with the crisp sound of harden scales on harden scales. She sighed. "And how is she going to account for fifteen lost minuets?" she asked.

Eebi shrugged her shoulders and ruffled her fur. "That's not really our concern. She'll probably just wander off and slowly come to. It doesn't matter."

"Will she remember coming here?" asked Huras, not liking the idea of this random alien knowing the source of her blackout.

"No." Eebi replied. "As I said, she probably won't even remember this hallway. You should probably throw out her room sheet though, yes yes... I think so, yes."

"How do you know her kind are even suseptable to that dren you gave her?" Sojana asked. "She could be immune for all we know. She could lead station security right to us."

"I didn't take you for one to worry too much." Eebi said, "Nope no no... not at all."

She felt... strange. There was no other word for it. She didn't know where she was- didn't care really. The room spun in and out of focus around her and she wasn't all too aware of the conversation going on nearby. Leilani wasn't frightened, she wasn't worried... There was just a very light sense of bliss. Everything that had caused her stress, that had given her nightmares and kept her awake at night... It had all faded away. She was just... there.

Huras was imagining planting a spike in Eebi's face. He shook his head and decided it was a good idea to get a drink. He walked off to kitchen to activate the replicator.

"You think you can talk some sense into this... this..." Sojana searched her vast repertoire for something to call Eebie. Eventually she chose a favorite phrase from her dear departed Zher. "This Veij Krutey."

Eebi left the conversation circle of Sojana and Huras and went over to Leilani to check her vitals if indeed she was immune. Already she could see that was not the case considering the slight drool on her lip. Eebi grabbed a pillow and wiped her mouth with it before tossing it aside. "Feeling better I see? Yes indeed it's obvious, mhmm."

Huras looked back through the kitchen's entryway as a glass fizzled into existence on the replicator's tray. "I'm a little irritable right now," Huras responded to Sojana. "It may be best that I stay over here..." His tail slightly swished like and agitated cat. He needed to breath for a few moments before reentering the situation.

Sojana would have pinched the bridge of her nose if she'd had one. Instead she ran her hand over her head, causing her frills to flick back up as she did so. This was so reckless.

It took a moment for her to register that someone was speaking to her, another to articulate a response, "Better? hmm... Stranger I'd say..." Leilani said, lips crooking up into a faint smile briefly. What had she been doing until moments ago? She couldn't recall.

---

"Good good, that's normal. Yes yes." Eebi replied. "Tell me, what are you doing on this ship and why?"

"I was... escaping my home." Leilani replied, "Strangers invaded... killed everyone... Somehow I escaped. I couldn't stay... So I hid away on a departing ship... and this is where it took me."

"So you are a stowaway?" Eebi asked. She didn't seem suspicious so far at least. She started to pack up her suitcase as she spoke to the girl. Might as well get to the point that Huras and Sojana would want to know the answer to. "So tell me, young one....do you favor the humans and their enhancers or are you on the side of rebellion? Where do you stand?"

"Stowaway... yes. I thought I would be less suspicious if I had a room to spend my nights..." Leilani paused for a moment, looking thoughtful, "I'm sorry... I don't know anything about either... My home was all I knew until about two years ago. The people that came were strange... Powerful... Perhaps these are the humans you speak of?"

Eebi looked thoughtfully at the young alien, impressed with her speaking ability when on such a heavy drug. "Where did you find that slip of paper with this room number?"

"Stole it from one of the reservation desks... Wrote down the information on it myself and smudged out the doorcode so it wouldn't be as suspicious if I didn't know it..." Leilani responded.

Eebi shook her head. As suspected, Sojana and Huras had overreacted with this one. She wasn't a threat at all, just a random stowaway. Still- it was good to make sure. "Seems we are just about done here, yes indeed almost almost done." Eebi turned around and looked at the entrance to the kitchen, wondering where the other two had gone off to do.

"Can you stand for me?" Eebi asked the girl, standing back to give the girl some room. Seems this was a waste of Sebimevine...but at least they knew she wasn't a spy or a threat of any kind. Just an absent minded stowaway who stumbled into them. At least she wouldn't remember any of this or the three of them. Eebi took her room sheet and placed it on top of her suitcase for safe keeping. They would have to send her away, but where? Being a stowaway without papers, it was only time before she would get found out and rejected from the vessel.

"I believe so."Leilani rose on shaky legs, the room tilted and spun and it took her a moment to be able to stand straight.

---

Huras poured some water into his mouth. Not having lips of cheeks, using cups was rather difficult for him. He looked at Sojana and jerked his head towards the back of the kitchen. He didn't want to interrupt Eebi, but he did want to discuss the situation.

Sojana joined Huras with one last frustrated look at Eebi and the girl. "What?" She asked him when joined him in the farthest corner away from the others.

"The doctor doesn't seem to have much of a sense for this operation. Clearly she has valuable skills... but I feel we need to establish some strict rules for her," Huras growled at Sojana silently.

"Ya think...?" Sojana hissed. "That girl never should have made it past the threshold." She ran her hand over her frills again in that frustrated way they would all soon learn, they followed along with that same soft tapping sound as they flicked back up.

As Eebi looked over, Huras just folded his arms and looked back at her. It was clear from his expression that he didn't approve of any of this.

"At least you don't have to live with her." Sojana told him. "Then again, it may be good to keep an eye on her... You wouldn't want to trade rooms would you?" She smirked, trying her hand at a joke.

Huras only glanced at Sojana as a response. He never had a sense of humor, nor did he appreciate people who joked around.

"You know... I consider myself a very serious being," Sojana told Huras. "But you could stand to lighten up a bit."

"I'd rather not," he growled. Watching Eebi and Leilana, he was losing his patience. "She needs to leave."

"I agree." Sojana told him. "But it's obvious that she doesn't listen to me. Perhaps long tall and scarey can do something with her?"

Huras had no doubt he could menace Eebi. Letting his arms fall, he walked back out of the kitchen and loomed over the Preth. "What have you found out?" he asked, expecting nothing.

Eebi watched as she tried to stand before her attention was stolen by Huras. "We are in the clear, yes yes indeed quite. "There is no need to worry worry worry. She is just a stowaway." The Preth was a clumsy doctor, yes, but she wasn't an idiot. It was no doubt that her two comrades were a bit weary of what she had just done. Had she any doubts that they wouldn't be able to get away with it, she would not have done it.

"Good," Huras said with a snort. "Now, where do we dump her?"

"Well she should be able to walk in a minute or two..." Eebi said, glancing to the girl. "Though without proper papers, she will probably wander into a guard and get booted booted out of here. It seems the humans killed off her kind to near extinction. Looks like close evolutionary cousins aren't even safe. No no, not at all."

"She should leave now," said Huras, clearly not caring about the alien's sad situation. "Is there anything you can do to get her up faster?"

"Just good 'ol positive reinforcement." Eebi said with a smile. "She will be able to simply wander aimlessly until it wears off. As I said, she should be herself in a while...maybe an hour. She should go before then. Sooner rather rather then later yes yes. And I do very much apologize for acting perhaps rashly, but the Vidian wasn't exactly subtle."

Sojana crossed her arms. Of course she agreed with Huras, but Zher's voice echoed in her head... He had always said that Sojana could freeze water she was so cold sometimes. He had loosened her up greatly over their years together, but her instincts said that throwing this girl out into the hall was the best thing to do... Then again she knew doing something like that to a girl who'd lost most of her people, wasn't the kind of thing that would make him very proud of her. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again, not really sure how she wanted to handel this.

Leilani found standing easier now, her feet steadier. She glanced at the people talking around her- shouldn't she recognize them? She didn't know, but even as she looked away she forgot about them again. There was something she needed to do... What was it again? She wasn't as muddled and complacent anymore, thoughts, fears, needs, they were slowly making their way back into her mind.

"Walk her out then," Huras demanded. He would have argued Eebi wasn't very subtle himself and that he won the subtle award by hiding... however, he didn't have the patience for bickering.

"Maybe..." Sojana spoke up, but fell silent again. This was such a bad idea... even as she was about to say it she knew it wouldn't turn out to suit them. "Maybe we can use her..."

Huras hissed an irritated inhale as he closed his eyes. Aliens...

"Use her? Oh my my my. How?" Eebi asked, not sure where the Vidian was going with this. "I can't keep her drugged up like this."

"No, I mean... we have something on her now." Sojana told them. "Blackmail the humans call it. We could use her for the cause..."

"I may have drugged her, but don't you think it a bit cruel to keep her as a prisoner?" Eebi asked. "She seems indifferent as to which side she is on, though I suspect suspect she favors the rebellion over the humans. Either way, if we use her like that- she may change sides and turn against us. I presume presume, yes indeed."

Well this was something. Now Huras was agreeing with the Preth. "We know next to nothing about this girl. She maybe unintelligent and easily caught. If she is tortured, we have no idea how quickly she might break."

"It was an afterthought." Sojana argued. "If you're both against it I can't very well sway your decision."

"How would you propose we use her?" Eebi asked, giving her at least the chance to offer an idea. "We don't know what sort of skills she may even posses posses. She looks like a civilian, yes yes."

"Do we look look like civilians?" Sojana asked. She was indicating Huras and herself. "A human relative may be able to go places we can't... but if you think it's a risk I'll say no more of it."

"What do you think think think?" Eebi looked at Huras, wondering where he stood.

"I think involving a stranger is too risky. Take her out of here," Huras growled. He didn't want to deal with even more aliens.

Sojana looked at Eebi for her answer. She wouldn't press it if Eebi agreed with Huras.

Eebi saw Sojana's expression and let out an unsure sigh. "Well... I wonder wonder wonder if she has any talents that would prove useful to us. Aside from looking human at least. If so, we may convince her to stay with us perhaps? Perhaps?"

Huras rolled his eyes. "Question her. Figure out what she can do," he snapped, wanting to toss the girl out the door.

"Will another injection hurt her?" Sojana asked.

"No, but I would rather not waste it. She is going to be loopy for at least an hour or two. Feel free to ask away away." Eebi said.

Now posed with the opportunity Sojana wasn't sure what to ask. She started with the obvious question. "Do you hate humans for what they did to your people?"

Leilani glanced back at the three of them again, her attention drawn back when a question was directed her way, "Hate?" She thought about the wording, "Without a doubt. The people that destroyed my home took away everyone and everything... Killed without hesitation. They're monsters and should rot in hell..."

"What is your profession?" Huras asked, expecting she had no experience in this kind of thing.

"I was the daughter of a great king." Leilani replied, "I was a student... Learning what was necessary for my own role. I was going to be married..."

"Oh no no no, that can't be right. Balderdash! No way in helth you are a princess." Eebi said, looking at her comrades. "That is just silly, right right?"

"Get her out of here..." Huras growled, fed up.

"It is strange, and old fashioned, I know... But my world ran best in a hierarchy." Leilani replied.

"Ah hah..." Eebi said and scooped her arm underneath the princess's "Out you go then.. it was lovely chatting with you, but we can't have a princess fuddling around us, now can we? Yes yes yes, out you go...." She walked the drunken woman to the door.

Sojana moved to the door and opened it for Eebi. "Next time I make a stupid suggestion, remind me not to make a stupid suggestion."

Leilani allowed herself to be led to the door, she was still relatively complacent, "Well... Goodbye, then." She said.

"Go to the cafeteria, eat, drink and be merry...and don't come back here." Eebi said and guided her out the door with a little shove. She stepped back in and closed it behind her. "Well that was somewhat eventful." Eebi said and grabbed a fruit from the bowl on the table.

"If either of you two think of something that stupid again, I wont hesitate to throttle you," Huras warned, inhaling an agitated growl.

"Tei pera pera pera~" Eebi said, peeling the pink melon with her claws. "No harm done. At least we know she wasn't a spy."

"Now there's just me to figure out right?" Sojana said, crossing her arms. "Unless you decided I didn't murder someone to get here."

"Can you drug her?" Huras asked Eebi.

"Of course, course course." Eebi said, "But I'm going to have to see your underbelly...and you may may may want to sit down." she told the Vidian. The scales there were nice and soft for her needle to go through there. "Or I could just give a few grains of sugar."

"Don't you felling touch me." Sojana snarled. Threatening her with sugar was not a good idea, much less threatening her with that drug she'd used on the girl.

"If you want us to trust you, let her drug you," Huras said, trying not to smirk. This was more his style.

Eebi started rummaging through her suitcase again, tying to find an appropriate mix for the Vidian. They were known adapters afterall. "It will only be for ten minutes or so."

Sojan didn't like this at all. "No sugar." She said seriously. She looked at Huras when she said it. "I want your word that you won't let that ball of fluff drug me with sugar. I'm not a regular user. The tiniest bit can put me down for days."

"You have my word," Huras said, not wanting to take a potentially ally out of action.

"And after I get back from this crap, it's you're turn." Sojana wasn't going to do this alone. She wasn't going to let them bully her into looking like a spy. "Both of you."

Eebi sure as goodness wasn't dosing herself with anything. "Could you be a dear and expose your belly for me?" she asked, walking back to her with a syringe with a few millimeters of a pink liquid.

"No." Sojana hissed, her frills going up on alert. "Not until you both agree to do this dren after I do. I know enough field medicine to dose the Preth.":

Eebi puckered her beak and looked over to Huras. She really didn't see this whole cherade necessary to begin with.

Huras gave a half hearted snarl. "It's only fair." He had nothing to hide, and he wouldn't mind questioning the Preth.

"If I must." Eebi tilted her head before ruffling the fluffy fur there in a shiver. "Ready?" she asked, now eager to get this over with. "I really don't like wasting my supplies on matters such as this. Can we not just agree that our agreement to get injected is enough for initiation?"

"No." Sojana told her, moving towards the chair so she didn't fall over or make a fool of herself when she was injection. "Anyone can lie and agree. Just because I say I'm a Nixian doesn't mean I am does it?"

Eebi shook her head and sighed. "Shirt." she said, gesturing her finger for her to lift it up.

Huras folded his arms, eager to get this started. 

---

It wasn't until she got to the elevator that Leilani stopped walking like a fool. She hadn't expected to be drugged... But towards the end, somehow, she'd come out of it.

She could make no sense of the situation at first, however, and for the time being had just continued to pretend she was under the influence of the drug. She wouldn't go back to that room, would go out of her way to avoid those strange aliens. They had their own agenda and she had hers.

She was back to her earlier issue, however, of not having a place to stay. Leilani would have to be careful, she didn't want to wind up in the same situation she'd just been in. "What was I even thinking?" She muttered to herself, it had definitely been a stupid decision to do what she'd done, she had to be more careful...

"Your word Preth." Sojana said annoyed, her frills standing nearly perfectly straight up. "Or we'll end this now with your blood between us." She was not going to agree to do this unless the Preth agreed too. "Huras and I have given our word, why are you so reluctant to comply?"

Eebi had complied moments ago when she said 'If I must'. Still, she repeated properly, "You have my word word word. Threats are not necessary." she added, backing up a little. Eebi's kind really didn't have that much to defend themselves with and were of a peaceful sort. Despite her schooling and experience, some of that would always ring true for Eebi's personality.

"Good." Sojana said and not being particularly modest was forced to reveal the most assessable portion of her underbelly through her clothes. By pulling at the bodice portion of her top her breasts were afforded enough room to part slightly, widening the gap of her cleavage. Between them was a diamond shape the same shade as the underside of her tail. It extended past the the visibility of her clothes and presumably down her belly, cloaca and to the tip of her tail. This was the best place for the Preth to inject her without undressing more. "This is my heart Preth." She said, indicating the diamond shape. "Behind my sternum and directly center." Most protected by a mass of thick compound cartilage of her stirnum. "I will attempt to move it as best I can but you must pierce sharply to the left of this area." She pointed to the right corner of the diamond shape. "It may be that you or your needle are not strong enough to pierce my scales. Huras may need to do the actual piercing."

Eebi tilted her head, trying best not to get offended that Sojana was trying to tell her how to do her job. She did her best not to get upset about it. There was no way Sojana knew of the years upon years of training she had gone through, not to mention the many Vidians she had already worked on. "Oh don't you worry worry. I know an awful lot about your species, you know. Eebi lifted her syringe and showed Sojana the needle of the gun-like device in her hand. The thickness was much sturdier it was than the one she used on the stowaway previously. Eebi knows her shit.

"Get on with it!" Huras hissed. They needed to start planning and they couldn't do that until they trusted each other.

Sojana moved her sternum two inches to her right, Eebi's left so where she told her to inject would be clear. It made that side of her chest swell slightly, considering she hadn't moved her ribs. "Ready."

"This is a smaller dose and you should feel...somewhat euphoric for only about five minutes." Eebi said, placing the barrel of the "gun" on her skin. With a click, a needle shot out, wedged deep between her scales and retracted immediately. It was too fast to actually witness, but when Eebi pulled her instrument back. "What would you like to ask her?" she asked Huras.

Sojana hissed and when Eebi pulled the hypo away she pressed her fingers to the spot, releasing her sternum to go back to it's proper place. It took a lot of pressure to pierce her scales, as small and tightly connected as they were they were incredibly strong. Her painful wince began to fade though, gradually and quickly eased by the euphoria of the drug.

"When will she be completely out?" Huras asked Eebi.

"Well no, but enough to block away away away her inhibitions." Eebi explained. "Think of it as... I suppose, a truth syrum of sorts. Not quite, but similar. Sort of how it feels to get laughing gas at the dentist." She looked at him for a moment, then back to Sojana. "How are you feeling feeling feeling?" 

"Calm..." Sojana said. "A little annoyed... the way you repeat things is very aggravating."

Huras couldn't help smiling a little at this. "Vidian," he began before inhaling a rattling snort. "Did you kill the Altrain?"

"I haven't even seen an Altrain in over a cycle." Sojana said her head lolling back onto the back of the chair. With as long as her neck was her head actually hung off the back until she rolled it around again till it was upright. It seemed a little longer... everything about her was becoming gradually taller, as if she had been making an effort to look shorter earlier.

Eebi let Huras talk for a while, certainly she wouldn't want to keep annoying annoying annoying her. Still- in this situation, she couldn't help but stifle a giggle.

"Why are you on this station?" continued Huras.

"The humans deserve to pay for what they did to my Zz..." She was about to say something, then it was as if she realized what the object of this exercise was. She'd been trained to withstand things like this and that was something she didn't want them to know. Zher was her's to keep alive in her memory, not to be used as a tool for revenge. "my people..." She finished, not really lying but not giving the full truth ether.

"What can you do?" Eebi asked plainly.

Sojana's pause made Huras narrow his eyes with suspicion. He was pretty sure she wasn't a spy, but she maybe hiding something. Then again, he wasn't sure if the drug was interfering with her ability to communicate.

Sojana's head lolled again but she caught it half way between falling against the back of the chair. She had completely stretched out, nigh sprawling in the chair. It wasn't exactly a sprawl, but as if her limbs were too long to look comfortable in their former position, she was completely relaxed, probably a whole foot taller now than she had been.

"Answer the question, Vidian. What are your skills?" Huras hissed.

"I'm trained in infiltration, counter terrorism, recon, Ka-din, interrogation..." Sojana paused, trying to remember what all she had certification in. "Covert ops... weapons, explosives... class A-D9 sniper... I think that's it... wait... minor field medicine... dressing wounds, not like the doc." She nodded her head towards the Preth, but her eyes were closed. It was the first time she had called Eebi anything but Preth.

"Impressive," Huras growled. "Is there anything you're not telling us, Vidian?"

"Would you like to hear about how my parents forgot my twelfth birthday?" Sojana asked, her head swiveling towards Huras in a wide arc. Her eyes opened to slits, waiting an answer.

Huras still had an itchy feeling about that pause earlier, but he didn't know enough to phrase a question. "When will she snap out of this," he asked Eebi.

"Mmmm....let me see, see see..." Eebi ruffled her fluff and leaned over Sojana, looking into her pupils. "I would say you have another thirty seconds. Yes yes yes."

Sojana's head gave another one of those swings, arching outward, looking as if her neck might snap before it came back around to a semi-upright position.

Thirty seconds wasn't a lot of time. They had already gotten the information they needed. Still, Huras wished he had more time. "What is your greatest weakness?" he asked Soj.

"C-cold." Sojana had tried to fight it for a moment, then realized it wasn't exactly a secret. Anyone who knew anything about reptiles knew they were suseptable to the cold. Gave him the information he asked for and added, because this too was basically common knowledge, "And when I lay..."

Huras exhaled a sharp annoyed breath. He was hoping for something deeper than that, alas, it was great she wasn't a spy and didn't have any major defects.

"Are you feeling better?" Eebi asked now that the time elapsed with the drug was expiring at this moment. She dug through her suitcase and popped out the used needle, replacing it with a new one and filling the vial with enough to sedate Huras for a few minutes. She referenced a key chart in her suitcase, just double checking her measurements.

"It's fading..." Sojana said, her head had stopped making those wild arcing swings a few moments ago.

Huras was not looking forward to this. He didn't have anything to hide, still, this could be embarrassing. "Where do you need to jab me..." he grumbled, waiting for Sojana to get out of the chair.

"The shoulder will work fine fine fine for your species." Eebi said. "Again, the entire episode should only last about five minutes." Although the two of them really did not seem the funny type, she had to ask with a cheeky grin, "Any last words then?"

"Don't piss me off," Huras growled. He was actually a tad nervous what he might say with his inhibitions removed. He had been struggling all day not to flip shit. He tugged the neckline of his padded shirt to the side, exposing his shoulder to Eebi.

The fluffy green feathers on Eebi's crown lowered submissively when Huras scolded her. "Uhm... I will wait until she is back to her normal self self self..." she said in a meek voice, letting her tail drag on the carpet.

"I am..." Sojana said pinching what would have been the bridge of her nose had she you. "You should sit." She told Huras. "It comes on quick..." She still hadn't noticed that she'd relaxed so much that she was now almost a foot taller... then again she was sitting still.

Huras looked around for another chair. Spying one, he grabbed it and dragged it over with a horrible grinding noise on the floor. He sat on its edge, giving his thick stiff tail some room. He yanked his shirt over again, wanting to get this over with.

Eebi calmly trotted over, lifting the 'gun' to Huras' neck. "This will just sting a little." she said and pulled the triger. The neeedle shoved into his skin, then out, sending a spurt of drug into his veins. The medic pulled away and took a step back, not wanting to get hit from him on relfex.

Huras's lip twitched slightly. Other than that he didn't react. He was determined not to let the drug get the better of him, yet things were already losing focus. It was if his mind were becoming slippery. He leaned with his fist under his chin, trying to focus.

Sojana, as Huras had done, decided to take control of this bit of investigation. Her mind was decidedly less foggy and she remembered the first question he had asked her. "Did you kill the Altrain?"

"No," said Huras, his snout twitching as he tried to get his brain back in order.

Eebi listened but let Sojana do most of the talking, not wanting to upset her either. She backed up and stayed out of the way, discarding the needle.

"Why are you here?" Sojana asked him. "On this station." Her head was finally clear, her pupils were a bit dialatde though. It felt a little like coming off a sugar high, but she tried to dismiss it.

"I'm here to take this station from the humans..." Huras said, squinting and un squinting his eyes, trying to focus on something. "For the rebellion."

Eebi just thought of a question she wished she had thought about with Sojana, "Why are you so angry?"

"I hate aliens...." Huras hissed, glaring at Eebi.

O-oh..." Eebi said, backing up defensively, "Well... that's not exactly a good quality to have when joining a multi-species rebellion. Why do you hate everyone but your own kind?"

"They're inferior, Preth. I thought I told you not to piss me off..." Huras growled, his head slowly tipping off is hand.

"I-I.... uhm...well..." Eebi shrunk down and retracted her neck toward her body, away from both Huras and Sojana. "I'm sorry sorry...." she said, having trouble looking at Huras now. That low tone in his voice sounded dangerous and she had the urge to run away. He could snap her in half without so much as a second thought.

Sojana held up her clawed hand to the Preth. useless questions about his preduidice were not as important as what she had to ask. "What are your qualifications? How are you useful?"

"I was the head of the Arin'Inzal, the most feared branch of the Hu'Arin military. We were anti-insurgency agents. We specialized in everything from hacking to chemical warfare. I'm here because I know what the humans will be looking for." Huras answered.

Eebi had snuck off to her suit case where it was safe. She wasn't a fighter by any means. When things got intense, she avoided it as best she could and tried to escape. Letting Sojana take it from here, she started to fill the vial for the appropriate drug for herself.

Suddenly the station's intercoms kicked on and a important sounding voice came on. "This is Meeros Letch with the SIO. This station is now under martial law. No vessels will be allowed to dock nor shall they be allowed to leave. Further more, all occupants of the station should expect to have their persons searched as well as their vessels or domiciles. Any resistance will result in immediate detainment by the security forces. This martial law will remain in effect until further notice." With that the comms went silent again.

"Do ether of you have contraban?" Sojana asked hastily. "I may have room to hide it with mine." She didn't believe Huras was a spy but tit for tat as the humans said. This was more important for now and she was sure she had a few cells worth of storage in her Kantab.

Huras snarled at the speaker, finding the timing of this announcement especially horrible. "I have a gun," he said.

"Where?" It was Sojana's turn to snarl. "I can hide it for you if you trust me."

"You'll have to wait for me to sober up..." Huras growled. "It's disassembled all over me."

The loudspeaker made Eebi almost jump clear out of her skin. All of her hairs stood on end as she stared wide eyed at the source of the noise. She put the medgun down and started to quickly organize her vials and supplies.

'When will this stop..." Huras asked, wanting to focus on this new news.

Sojana stood, stumbled because she realized she was all stretched out and rearranged her musculature to accommodate the height she was used to. But as she did this she looked at Huras and began to see it. "Ka on high it is!" She said astonished. She'd never have seen it if he hadn't mentioned it, but they couldn't trust that whoever was about to come and search their rooms wouldn't. "I see it..." She reached forward, "Permit me and I'll hide it. We've no time to argue while you sober up."

"A mi-..." Eebi began, but was cut off by Sojana's proclamation. Her bubbly, chipper attitude had been replaced with nervousness and anxiety. Her fur settled back down slowly as the initial shock of the loudspeaker faded.

Huras nodded, his head flopping up and down like a dopey dog. He sat up straight and his head rolled back awkwardly. Annoyed he growled at the ceiling.

"We're about to get a little close and personal." Sojana warned him. As she disengaged what looked to be a decorative bit of metal tailoring along the collar of his garment she told Eebi, "Go check the hall, listen for sounds of people approaching. I don't care if it's a cat, you come tell me." She continued to work, moving to a bracket that ran down the center of Huras's chest. "And if you stutter I'll break your nose." They couldn't afford to listen to Eebi repeat needless words and stutter when they had precious little time.
These pieces that she was removing from his clothes didn't last long on this side of visual existence. She'd placed something on the arm of his chair that a human would have described as an old fashioned ACME hole from ancient hand drawn animations used to entertain children when their parents were busy. It was roughly as large as a dinner plate and as Sojana pulled bits of metal and spring from Huras she tossed them into the "hole" as quickly as possible. There they vanished filed away into their own little compartment away from her own contraband.

The ceiling was beginning to look less slippery and more solid. Huras blinked and slowly brought his head back down.

Eebi was of a peaceful species. She often avoided or ran away from confrontation when she could help it. However, after that snarky comment, Eebi had reached her wit's end. Huras was angry with her, constantly glaring and scowling, while Sojana was just outrightly rude. "Stutter?!" she asked, pulling her head back with disgust, completely offended by this woman's ignorance. It almost matched that of Huras! She had worked with dozens of aliens in dozens of different environments and NEVER before had she been so upset. Turning away sharply, Eebi began to back up her things. She would surely find some other, more civil rebels to partner up with. Not these two gunslinging ruffians...

"What the frell are you doing?" Sojana snarled. "Check the frelling door!" She was peeling bits of weaponry from Huras clothes as fast as she could, tossing them in her kantab "Acme hole" device as quickly as she could.

Eebi looked at Sojana for only a moment before she dragged her suitcase and briskly stormed off to the door. "Check it yourself." she said, "I'm done here." Fellow rebels or not, she couldn't take this sort of disrespect. She saved lives for a living for crying out loud. There was no reason for this utter disgraceful behavior.

Huras could not believe this was all happening while he was high. "Everyone just shut up and stay where you are... We need a plan of action."

When Eebi spoke Sojana had a sudden notion to see what Prethian blood tasted like. She pushed that curiosity away and said, "If they come in while you're still out of it we can she's treating you. What's a common ailment among your people?"

"Tell them the weak gravity strength is making me nauseous," Huras said, grabbing his head in frustration.

Eebi was at the door with her things now. Perhaps Huras didn't hear what she had just said? She'd had enough and wanted to leave. Never before had two creatures upset her this much in such a short amount of time before.

Sojana continued trying to relieve Huras of the parts that made up his weapon. She looked at Eebi as she tossed a handful into her kantab. "Well?" She asked. "Are you with us or what?" it looked to her that Eebi was on the cusp of quitting the rebellion all together. She needed to decide now whether she was someone her comrades could count on or not. If she left now, Sojana would likely never trust her.

Eebi stood her ground and looked sharply at the Vidian. Even though her nature was to flee, she had many past experiences that had upped her courage. "Are you with me or not? I will not stand by and get insulted. If that's how it is going to be between the three of us, tell me now so I can find someone else to partner with in this rebellion, not you two."

"Oh goddess..." Sojana groaned, rolling her eyes. Here Huras was covered in bits of weaponry, their room was about to get searched at any moment and the Preth was whining about some stupid little insult? "Get over yourself!" She said, stealing a line from her human vocabulary as she dumped another hand full of machine parts into her kantab. "Ether you can handle the stress of doing your job, or you're in the wrong field. While you're deciding, check the hall." The Preth probably hadn't even noticed that not once had she stuttered since Sojana had mentioned it.

It wasn't from Sojana's request. The stutter was often reduced when she was upset and more apparent when in a pleasant mood. Repeating words was part of the Preth's dialect, she couldn't just stop on command and it was outrageous that the Vidian even suggested such a thing. She glanced at Huras, who should be snapping out of it right about now. She did want to fight for the rebellion, but surely there were others on this ship... others that would give her an ounce of respect that she deserved. Eebi wasn't a very pretentious creature, nor was she conceded, but everyone deserved a little bit of respect in her book. It hadn't even been an hour with these two, but the Preth had been growled and glared at, threatened and insulted. It was clear that being with these two would do nothing but get her hurt by their hands.

Huras was feeling better. He yanked off the few last bits of his weapons, handed them to Sojana and stood up. "I'll make us lunch. Standing around in the middle of the room does not look very natural..." he went back to the replicator. He had no idea what everyone ate, but he didn't give a shit. They had to look busy with something. "You two belong in this room. Think of an excuse for me," he ordered, before fiddling with the computer.

Sojana dumped the last of Huras' weaponry into her kantab and disengaged the "hole". It was a small decorative bit of metal that looked like jewelry. She looped the chain around her neck and made sure the fob was inside her clothes, hidden between her breasts. She winced at the injection sight of the drug Eebi had given her. "We could always be on a date." Sojana suggested. "She's leaving any way."

Huras couldn't help cringing as he continued to select options. "Old friends..." he suggested. "And the Preth is annoyed at our loud reminiscing."

Eebi exhaled roughly out of her nostrils and stormed out the door, closing it behind her. She made her way down the hallway with her head held high, not allowing herself to feel guilty for abandoning those assholes. Eebi pulled out her room sheet and glanced it over as she walked, wondering if a room switch would be allowed. Either way, some alone time may be good for now....but where?

Huras spun around. "Did she just leave?!" he snarled, shoving all of the food items onto the small table.

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