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"They come in peace." Hezexhel laughed to himself, still clasping the hand of large the alien...

Using every ounce of muscle honed over his years of service, Hezexhel pulled with all his might, struggling with the sheer weight of the being. He quickly shifted himself around behind the alien, wrenching the arm behind its back, hoping they worked the same as his people did. "You must think us, stupid invader. Your advanced scout already killed one of us and took control of this ship. If this is your peace, we don't want it." He hissed, thinking about how stupid his plan currently was.

Extending his nails through his suit, Hezexhel pushed them into the alien's neck. "No one move, So much as a twitch, and I end the Commander's life." He shouted.

He then watched the aliens stand around dumbly, heads twisting to one another. "They must be trying to come up with a plan to free their commander." He thought. "This might work."

Commander Soto interrupted Hezexhel's thoughts softly. "Easy friend, we don't want to hurt you. No one's killed anyone."

Hezexhel hissed in return, pushing his nails a bit deeper into a thick mesh that covered the neck of the alien. "Then where is this ship's pilot? Why has the environmental system been shut off? Why is the ship leaving the system, and why are you here, alien!? " He demanded.

"I don't know, but the last com we got from our pilots said she was helping them leave the system. As for why we're here? Someone at command picked this system for a test flight, and we were meeting the pilot for pickup." The Commander replied coolly.

"If that's true, get the ship captain and the pilot out here now... NO SUDDEN MOVEMENTS!" He yelled as some of the aliens started to shift their weight.

"We don't have contact with the pilots. They were hurt installing a com unit." Soto replied.

Hezexhel pointed at one of the aliens that looked the least intimidating with his tail. "You! Open this ship!"

Hezexhel noticed the alien look at him, its shoulder device following along with its line of sight. "I don't like whatever that is." He looked closer at the aliens and noticed that they all had a shoulder device. Some even had two.

"Remove your shoulder implements Immediately!" He shouted, causing the aliens to look around for a moment before disarming.

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"Yo boss, look at the balls on this guy." Sergeant Aleyn said, Impressed the alien could pull off that move on someone in Mk8 Power armour.

"Can we keep him?" Private Caithen asked.

"He seems nice. Think he's married? I always wanted a tough man to keep me company, you commando guys, just don't cut it." Bria interrupted the banter through the coms while the team laughed at the Commander's misfortune.

"Just let him calm down a bit." Commander Soto interjected. "The guy thinks we're invaders from the sounds of it."

"So, what then? we just let him shank you with his nails?" Reinin replied.

"They won't pierce the nano weave. Just let him think he's in control for now. So do what he wants." Soto said, deciding to keep still for the jittery alien.

The team nodded to each other and finished taking their shoulder weapons off, placing them on the floor. The Aasteran team continued watching closely, content to stay behind cover with their weapons trained on the commandos.

"You can not open the pod door while the bay is depressurized. You will need to convince Hezexhel to re-pressurize the cargo bay commander."

Commander Soto was surprised at hearing the voice of one of the pilots so suddenly. However, his training kicked in, telling him to stay calm, "It would cause damage to the pilot's inside the pod if we were to open it while the bay has no pressure. They won't be much use to you dead. Can you re-pressurize it first?" Soto asked smoothly.

Hezexhel hesitated for a moment. "I will kill you if you're lying to me, alien. ENGINEER GET THIS PLACE PRESSURISED!" He commanded, waving his free arm towards his man.

Soto was relieved. "This guy seems somewhat rational. Maybe we can talk it out." He thought to himself. "How long have you been a soldier, Hezexhel? I've been a commando for around forty years now. I specialize in boarding operations and unit command, been to a bunch of different systems to fight pirates in my ti-"

"SILENCE ALIEN!" His captor demanded

"This guy's tail is twitching like crazy, Commander. You sure you don't just wanna shock him with your suit and be done with it?" Sergeant Aleyn asked.

"We're here to make peace, not potentially kill some new friends. We don't know what a shock could do to him." He said, putting a stop to any thoughts of retaliation.

"That dude is sturdy enough to pull you around in armour, Commander. I'm sure a shock won't hurt him." Aleyn retorted.

"The engineer is almost finished his task. I must inform you. Captain Michael is directly in the entryway of the pod with our alien passenger Srettia. He is heavily damaged but recovering. I will send Srettia out in an attempt to calm down the Aasteran. You are responsible for her safety."

"Alright, you heard the man. Make sure our pilot's girl doesn't come to any harm when she comes out. If Hezexhel tries anything, I'll subdue him personally. So keep an eye on the rest of his team. Understood?" Soto ordered, watching as green conformations filled his HUD.

Hearing the rush of air enter the bay Commander Soto began readying himself for any more surprises.

"It will take four minutes for it to be safe enough for your team to open the door. I would appreciate it if someone came and moved Captain Michael to a medical bay."

"This Jack sound off to anyone?" Reinin asked, suddenly being chosen by Hezexhel to open the pod. "Oh right, guess I'll go unlock the door then." He said, slowly walking towards the pod.

"Your time is up alien, open the door!" Hezexhel commanded, not wanting to wait any longer than necessary.

Private Reinin continued moving towards the door to key in the code. But just as he started, the door opened on its own, and a ramp began to descend. Reinin then got his first look at a female Aasteran. Smiling, he keyed his com, " You better not fuck this up, Commander. I'll haunt your ass if you do." He announced, much to the bemusement of his squad.

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Srettia descended the stairs, taking in the sight as she continued to the bottom. She looked down at the armoured being, he was smaller than the others around him, and he continued standing at the bottom of the ramp, looking at her like an idiot. She could feel its eyes scan over her through its helmet.

"He finds you pleasant to look at."

Normally, Srettia would relish in the attention of a military man. But now wasn't the time for that. Walking past the soldier, she made her way to the issue at hand.

"I am Captain Srettia of the Lottyim. Care to tell me why you are fighting on my ship, soldier?" She tried with a brave face.

"Ma'am, I cannot. Your ship is now the property of the Aasteran military. I'm happy you're alive, but you will be coming with us for questioning." The soldier informed her... His voice was somehow familiar to Srettia.

She looked around the room curiously, noticing the obviously better equipped Terrans standing leisurely nearby. "I don't think either of us has a choice in the matter." She suggested. "Look, listen. I've been travelling with one of them for nearly five days. He's a big idiot, but he nearly killed himself in an attempt to prevent these Terran's from dumping a fleet inside our system." She began explaining. "The truth is. Their test ship malfunctioned. It hit the asteroid I was mining, then I was told to leave the crash site by the military. I was angry about leaving behind the largest haul of my life, so I stole a large piece of unknown alloy which turned out to be this stupid pod." She finished pointing at the pod behind her.

"The alien has rules, it couldn't let its pod be taken, so I made a deal for an FTL engine in return for taking it out of the system. They are friendly people, If not a bit stupid." She chuckled, moving to sit on the ramp stair.

The soldier reflected for a time, then let its hand drop a bit from the Terran's neck, "Ma'am, you better be telling the truth. Or I'm about to make the biggest mistake of my life."

Srettia sighed and waved towards the Terrans. "I assure you, if they wanted you dead, you would've been. Now the pilot that flew into our system needs medical attention, and I can't move him. Can you let these soldiers treat him?"

"I'll handle that." came a voice from across the bay.

Srettia looked towards the direction the voice came from and saw four Terran's in what looked to be non-combat Evo-Suits and Two of the massive power armour type carrying huge shields.

After running across the bay, one of the Terran ducked into the pod, nearly jumping over her without saying anything.

"He better not be up to anything." Hezexhel Sneered, stepping away from his captive.

"I assure you he is only making sure our pilot is safe, Hezexhel." The lead Terran said, walking up to the group. "You have my deepest apologies. From my people to your people." The Terran said, slightly lowering his head. "I am Admiral Miles of the Terran Seventh fleet. I come to you now in hopes we can put this nastiness behind us and walk forward together in peace, we may have gotten off on the wrong foot, but my Civilisation has always dreamed of meeting a people like your own."

Srettia smiled at the interaction. She could tell this Admiral was sincere and looking at Hezexhel. Well, He wasn't trying to kill anyone, so that was a good sign. Scenting the air didn't help much, considering everyone was in Evo suits or armour... Then she had a terrible idea.

"Would you like to use my conference room for your peace talks? We could consider it a neutral ground currently." She tried.

The Admiral chuckled. "That could work, Though I don't know if Hezexhal can speak for your people. I will wait until an Aasteran delegation can be put together."

"That would be wise." Hezexhel added as he began walking back to his squad, still keeping an eye on the Terrans.

"I guess I have you to thank for saving our pilot." The Admiral said, walking over to Srettia. " It's a pleasure to meet you, Srettia. On behalf of all Terrans, thank you for saving Captain Michael."

"You don't need to thank me, Admiral. I was promised an FTL engine, and I intend to collect," Srettia replied sternly.

To her surprise, more than half the commando team in her storage bay started laughing, some obviously talking amongst themselves while others over speakers. "This lady is feisty." She heard offhandedly.

"Well, I'm sure we can figure something out. My people owe you for saving our pilot, after all. Now, how about we figure out when the Aasteran delegation will arrive, yes?" He said, bravely walking over to Hezexhel on his lonesome.

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"Hello, Jack?" Tanda tried as he timidly walked into the emergency pod.

"I'm here, Chief Engineer Tanda. I do not mind speaking with you. However, please prioritize Michael's health over your curiosity."

"Amazing." Tanda whispered as he started picking Michael up off the floor. "Good god, how much does this man weigh?" He cursed, lifting the pilot and moving him to the med bay.

"So um, ya know... What made you not want to, I mean, you know, not want to kill us all?" Tanda asked almost in a whisper.

"Who is to say I still won't? I am still learning about Terrans. I might find you wanting and decide to do the galaxy a favour."

Tanda froze in place, leaning against a wall to support the weight he was carrying before a laugh broke in over the speakers.

"It was a joke. I find Terrans very interesting. Though it is the truth that I am still learning about my parent species."

"Oh... So um, what's it like to know, ya know, everything humanity does and stuff?" He asked, placing Michael on the med table and attaching a regenerator.

"It does not work like that. Also, you need to activate the regenerator you just attached."

"I was getting to that!" Tanda protested, "And what do you mean? Can't you just download information?"

"Knowing and understanding are two different things. I can download all the information I want. And I can understand maths and the sciences easily enough. Understanding you, organics, is much more fascinating and rewarding. You need to inject more medical nanites into his heart."

Tanda picked up the needle and shoved it into Michael's heart, not even bothering to hide his lack of attention. "So you were made to understand humans? Is that what did it?"

"No, it is what my father taught me. He taught me that understanding organics is a rewarding endeavour. It was something he failed to do at first. He was correct. It is gratifying.

"What's so interesting about a bunch of flesh bags? We just run around like idiots half the time." Tanda laughed.

"Exactly! You are unpredictable. Some are unstable; Captain Michael is a prime example. He has yet to notice the thing he has been searching for has dropped into his lap. It has been enlightening to watch. Please replace the IV bag as well."

Tanda quirked an eyebrow, grabbed a new bag and began hanging it on the nearby rack, "what's he been looking for?"

"If I tell you, You might tell him and ruin my fun. The Admiral requests your help in setting up for the Aasteran delegation. They will be arriving in approximately three hours. Thank you for helping my partner."

Tanda Smiled. "You're welcome, Jack. I hope we can talk more later."

"I am sure we will. It is not like I can go anywhere."

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Srettia was furious. Currently, she was sitting in her pilot's chair and going through the damage report of her ship. "Those damn soldiers drilled right through my outer hull and crashed a damn ship right in my engine room." And looking at her cargo bay wasn't much better. "At going to the Terran's only blew a hole in the side of my ship to get in."

She looked to her left, over to the display of the Aasteran infiltration team. They were all sitting in a circle and sharing rations which made it hard for her to hate them. "They seem nice, but they destroyed my ship." She scrunched her face contorted in mock anger.

Turning to watch the camera feed of two Terran engineers that we're attempting to fix some malfunctions caused by her people's boarding craft, Srettia sighed. "I'm gonna need a new ship to go along with that FTL engine. Maybe I can negotiate for one during the peace talks."

Spinning around and looking behind her, she took in the sight of her final display. It was the Terran ship attached to her own. "No matter what I do, none of my scanners can get a read on that ship. I wouldn't even know it existed if the Admiral didn't tell me it was there..." A terrifying idea popped into her head.

"These Terran's could have parked hundreds of these ships in our system, and we wouldn't have even noticed." Thinking to herself the dangers the Terran's could have posed frightened her.

"Miss Srettia, I think we fixed the power. Can you go ahead and activate environmental now?" A voice stated.

Turning the heat to an average temperature and seeing no anomalies, she smiled. "At least these Terran engineers work fast." She thought before noticing the engineer was making a funny face.

"Is something wrong?" She asked him.

"Yeah, it looks like it's overcompensating for something the heat the system is looking to achieve would turn this place into a sauna." The engineer replied.

Double-checking the temperature, Srettia let a grin slide across her face. "No, that's right, my people like that as an average." She replied, watching as the engineer got up and mumbled something about pilots having a grim future.

"Alright, Miss, looks like everything is ready, no problems with environmental now. I'll be heading back to my ship unless you need anything else." Terran Engineer one announced.

Looking through her systems readout, the only problems now left were the literal holes in the walls. "No, everything looks fine now. Thank you for your hard work," She informed the engineer.

Srettia turned back to her main display and flipped a switch, changing it to a camera of the medical section of the pod she had Jack patch through. "That damn idiot is still sleeping, and he was the cause of all this. And now he gets to sleep through the hard part." She thought, taking in a deep breath as she continued to watch the display.

"Miss Srettia, can you come to the conference room? We have some quick questions we'd like to ask before your delegation arrives." Admiral Miles asked through her coms system.

"Alright, I'll be down in a moment." She replied, getting up and walking towards her conference room. She then had a funny thought.

"I'm going to have to figure out a way to stop all those Terran's from leaking on my floor now."

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