Fighter Pilot Aphid, Alone in Space.

{I blush, tail wagging extremely fast.}

{I do my best to look intimidating, glaring at you and pointing a finger square at your face. …too bad my tail is still wagging along happily.}

{she mimes zipping her mouth and throwing away the key, the same mischievous smile remains.}

{I look confused and flustered, but put my hands on my hips, ears perking up.}

{I blush, tail wagging extremely fast.}

{I do my best to look intimidating, glaring at you and pointing a finger square at your face. …too bad my tail is still wagging along happily.}

{looking at the message on its screen, resi perks its ears and tail straight up in excitement. wordlessly, she darts straight toward the hangar. loud thumping of paws echo off the metallic floor of the Nebula Prowler’s halls. stealth is something resi has to be focused and thinking to achieve.}

{entering the space, resi’s eyes shoot wide open and its jaw drops and reveals her scarily sharp-toothed maw. omistars. omy stars ohmystars blue-}

BLUE APHID!!?!!! BLUE PUPPY APHID???!?

{she practically gallops toward you, knocking you down in what is both the softest and scariest tackle you’ve ever received. sometimes it’s easy to forget that resi is potentially as dangerous as a polar bear..}

APHIDAPHIDAPHID WHAT?????!!!? HOW DID- YOU- WOWW!!!!SO CUTE!!!! I- resi can call you cute, right,? don-don’t wanna.. uuuHWATEVER GLAD YOURE HOME I MEAN BACK. I MEAN BACK.

{I tumble backwards into the ground, caught fully off guard by your enthusiasm. My lips form a nervous smile, and my tail starts wagging happily, without even doing so consciously. I wriggle a little despite myself at your words.}

H-hey, resi.. hehe.. y-yeah, you can call me.. cute. If you.. must.

{I suddenly hug you tight, tearing up a little, my face flushed. Some of my new fur brushes against yours. My ears are perked up.}

I.. y-you were right, resi.. I-I’m.. I’m a puppy..

{a joyful tear or two drip down my cheeks. My tail thumps against the hangar floor.}

hehehe!! resi’s nose has never lied after all!!! ,,you look amazing, Aphid… resi missed uou too..

{it’s bristly tail slowly swings up and brushes blue Aphid along her head, a sensation akin to having your scalp massaged by a large toothbrush. purring grows louder.}

{I lean into your tail, tilting my head down to get more. My leg kicks just a tiny bit as my tail wags. I whimper, and hug you even tighter, clinging to you like my life depends on it.}

{thumpthumpthump goes my tail against the floor. I grin like an idiot.}

oh!! ice cream!! received a message on my communicator from a peppermint asking about it!! still don’t know if resi can eat any,, but i hope it was as good as peppermint made it sound!!

{I smile happily and my eyes sparkle. I got a little excited from your tone. I spring up and run around my fighter in a circle as fast as I can to burn off some energy. I stand before you with my hands on my hips, ears perked up and tail swishing behind me.}

come,come!! resi’s purretty proud of her work!!

{it leads you by paw back to your usual sleeping quarters, making you crouch over a little as it walks purposefully through the halls. resi is not very tall. or cognizant of how strong-armedly she pulls you along.}

{the cabin door slides open, revealing the room organized exactly as you left it, yet somehow completely changed. the structure and materials are all worn and torn as if the affini—as if no one had touched it— for a long time. plating looks worn, damaged, even rusted in places; looks almost similar to tail dog Abigail’s old bunker if not for the homemade decorations strung around the place. even the lighting is warmer.}

quite glad resi didn’t have to go and hide any of this now that you’re, well.. yourself! was probably just gonna skip the blankets for a bit otherwise..

{a new blanket adorns the bed and looks.. homemade.? its a soft, baby blue with dark navy pawprints splattered all over.. it makes the visual disrepair of the room seem more.. homey? rustic. like the wearing of edges on leather, the damage makes it better. looking to your right, resi’s nesting unit seems to be missing. in its place is a beautiful maplewood-topped bar, just like the ones you used to be able to sit down for a drink at back on Terra. there’s a bunch of loose tools and fabrics laid out on it, as if resi was using it for work in the meantime. holy shit resi is a carpenter. }

sorry.. didn’t know you’d be back so soon, didn’t clean up all that well.. but i hope you like it!! had to get some crew feedback to make everything look authentically terran!! ..wwhaddoyou think,? resi’ll change anything at all if it’s not how blue Aphid likes it,

Resi.. it’s.. it’s perfect. I.. I love it. Holy shit. You did all of this?? No fuckin’ way, you made a bar..?? It looks just like the ones on Terra. This.. you..

{I freeze up. I look at you, dumbfounded.}

You.. d-did all of this.. for me..?

{I look.. extremely touched. Nobody had ever done anything close to this for me before, and it shows.}

I.. I don’t know what to say. I, uh.. heh.. damn, gettin’ me all teary eyed.. heh.. you’re.. you better be careful bein’ so nice. This is.. this is so much more than I ever could have wanted. Thank you. I don’t know how I could ever pay you back for this.

{I clear my throat.}

heheheee!! love that you love it!!! and of course it’s all for you!! resi’s always been quite crafty… it’s been a lot of fun working on so many projects at once! ,,it’s my favourite thing to do, so. no worries, yes? no paying either. {she leans in and hugs you again around your leg. resi is still short.} ..blue Aphid deserves it, to feel safe. at home! owe it to captain to convince you to stay, anyhow…

but uhm. yeah!! i still got ooone more thing for Aphid! best for last, and all..

{it steps out of the way, pulling the failed blankets off dramatically. underneath is an intricately stitched plushy rendition of Aphid’s fighter—the one resi initially hitched a ride on in the first place. it’s astonishingly accurate for a being a stuffed toy, the wear and tear of the ship even being included in the stitching and patchwork. the cockpit isn’t see through, but there is a tiny little patch of the face of a girl with cobalt-blue hair sewed onto the side of the glass. resi looks even more excited about her work.}

N-no way.. aha.. you made this??? How in the hell.. it’s perfect..! Everything is exactly right..

{I hug it with all my might, eyes shut tightly, tail wagging like mad now.}

took a loooot of studying, but thankfully resi found some sketches lying around for reference!! hope you don’t mind my snooping,,

..you’re far more than welcome, blue puppy,, i.. haven’t had friends in a long while, and. don’t know.. just. wanted to say thankyou somehow.

A.. surprise..? Okay..

No way… this is awesome.. haha, resi, you’re the best.. damn right I’m keepin’ it..! You belong there, with me! I never, ever wanna get rid of you..

{I grab you and try to pick you up, but fail miserably. I fall over and laugh, leaning my back against the bed.}

I never.. never thought I could be so happy. It’s.. it’s weird.. heh.. but.. right now.. right now, I am. And it’s thanks to you. Thank you, resi…

{I sniffle a little, emotional.}

hehe… gonna have to try harder than that to get resi off the ground,, she’s stayin right here with you, yes!! resi just had to move the roost while building the bar, it’s with captain right now, is all!! not leaving, promise.

{her tail slinks around again to pet Aphid’s little head.}

…i, didn’t know it would mean this much to you!, i-……happy you’re happy,,

{it leans against you, burying its face into the side of your arm. seems to want to hide its eyes for no reason in particular.}

T-thank you.. resi. Heh, um.. I.. t-that thing about you not leavin’ me.. really.. means a lot. I ain’t ever gonna let you go. You’re.. irreplaceable to me.

B-blue puppy and cat thing forever. H-heh..

{I sniffle some more. I choke up a little.}

{the tears just explode out of her. resi’s pupils dilate to the point her usual teal scleras are completely hidden, as her ears pathetically flap sideways. holds on to you tight enough you’re scared she might crack your ribs if she didn’t remember to hold back. Aphid struck a nerve with that one…}

,,whhhv, u,uou meann it,,? uou rea,lly mean it?, -uu,,,,,

nevver…. nev er lettinf go,, for ever every thingg,..

{I hold you close, and tight, though my Terran strength is not nearly as tight as yours. Some tears escape me as well.}

It’s okay… it’s okay. Let it out, resi. I’m here for you. Forever.

{I keep holding you close, petting you slowly. Once you fall asleep, I smile weakly.}

H-heh. Cute..

{I blush, tail wagging extremely fast.}

{looking at the message on its screen, resi perks its ears and tail straight up in excitement. wordlessly, she darts straight toward the hangar. loud thumping of paws echo off the metallic floor of the Nebula Prowler’s halls. stealth is something resi has to be focused and thinking to achieve.}

{entering the space, resi’s eyes shoot wide open and its jaw drops and reveals her scarily sharp-toothed maw. omistars. omy stars ohmystars blue-}

BLUE APHID!!?!!! BLUE PUPPY APHID???!?

{she practically gallops toward you, knocking you down in what is both the softest and scariest tackle you’ve ever received. sometimes it’s easy to forget that resi is potentially as dangerous as a polar bear..}

APHIDAPHIDAPHID WHAT?????!!!? HOW DID- YOU- WOWW!!!!SO CUTE!!!! I- resi can call you cute, right,? don-don’t wanna.. uuuHWATEVER GLAD YOURE HOME I MEAN BACK. I MEAN BACK.

{I tumble backwards into the ground, caught fully off guard by your enthusiasm. My lips form a nervous smile, and my tail starts wagging happily, without even doing so consciously. I wriggle a little despite myself at your words.}

H-hey, resi.. hehe.. y-yeah, you can call me.. cute. If you.. must.

{I suddenly hug you tight, tearing up a little, my face flushed. Some of my new fur brushes against yours. My ears are perked up.}

I.. y-you were right, resi.. I-I’m.. I’m a puppy..

{a joyful tear or two drip down my cheeks. My tail thumps against the hangar floor.}

hehehe!! resi’s nose has never lied after all!!! ,,you look amazing, Aphid… resi missed uou too..

{it’s bristly tail slowly swings up and brushes blue Aphid along her head, a sensation akin to having your scalp massaged by a large toothbrush. purring grows louder.}

{I lean into your tail, tilting my head down to get more. My leg kicks just a tiny bit as my tail wags. I whimper, and hug you even tighter, clinging to you like my life depends on it.}

{thumpthumpthump goes my tail against the floor. I grin like an idiot.}

oh!! ice cream!! received a message on my communicator from a peppermint asking about it!! still don’t know if resi can eat any,, but i hope it was as good as peppermint made it sound!!

{I smile happily and my eyes sparkle. I got a little excited from your tone. I spring up and run around my fighter in a circle as fast as I can to burn off some energy. I stand before you with my hands on my hips, ears perked up and tail swishing behind me.}

come,come!! resi’s purretty proud of her work!!

{it leads you by paw back to your usual sleeping quarters, making you crouch over a little as it walks purposefully through the halls. resi is not very tall. or cognizant of how strong-armedly she pulls you along.}

{the cabin door slides open, revealing the room organized exactly as you left it, yet somehow completely changed. the structure and materials are all worn and torn as if the affini—as if no one had touched it— for a long time. plating looks worn, damaged, even rusted in places; looks almost similar to tail dog Abigail’s old bunker if not for the homemade decorations strung around the place. even the lighting is warmer.}

quite glad resi didn’t have to go and hide any of this now that you’re, well.. yourself! was probably just gonna skip the blankets for a bit otherwise..

{a new blanket adorns the bed and looks.. homemade.? its a soft, baby blue with dark navy pawprints splattered all over.. it makes the visual disrepair of the room seem more.. homey? rustic. like the wearing of edges on leather, the damage makes it better. looking to your right, resi’s nesting unit seems to be missing. in its place is a beautiful maplewood-topped bar, just like the ones you used to be able to sit down for a drink at back on Terra. there’s a bunch of loose tools and fabrics laid out on it, as if resi was using it for work in the meantime. holy shit resi is a carpenter. }

sorry.. didn’t know you’d be back so soon, didn’t clean up all that well.. but i hope you like it!! had to get some crew feedback to make everything look authentically terran!! ..wwhaddoyou think,? resi’ll change anything at all if it’s not how blue Aphid likes it,

Resi.. it’s.. it’s perfect. I.. I love it. Holy shit. You did all of this?? No fuckin’ way, you made a bar..?? It looks just like the ones on Terra. This.. you..

{I freeze up. I look at you, dumbfounded.}

You.. d-did all of this.. for me..?

{I look.. extremely touched. Nobody had ever done anything close to this for me before, and it shows.}

I.. I don’t know what to say. I, uh.. heh.. damn, gettin’ me all teary eyed.. heh.. you’re.. you better be careful bein’ so nice. This is.. this is so much more than I ever could have wanted. Thank you. I don’t know how I could ever pay you back for this.

{I clear my throat.}

heheheee!! love that you love it!!! and of course it’s all for you!! resi’s always been quite crafty… it’s been a lot of fun working on so many projects at once! ,,it’s my favourite thing to do, so. no worries, yes? no paying either. {she leans in and hugs you again around your leg. resi is still short.} ..blue Aphid deserves it, to feel safe. at home! owe it to captain to convince you to stay, anyhow…

but uhm. yeah!! i still got ooone more thing for Aphid! best for last, and all..

{it steps out of the way, pulling the failed blankets off dramatically. underneath is an intricately stitched plushy rendition of Aphid’s fighter—the one resi initially hitched a ride on in the first place. it’s astonishingly accurate for a being a stuffed toy, the wear and tear of the ship even being included in the stitching and patchwork. the cockpit isn’t see through, but there is a tiny little patch of the face of a girl with cobalt-blue hair sewed onto the side of the glass. resi looks even more excited about her work.}

N-no way.. aha.. you made this??? How in the hell.. it’s perfect..! Everything is exactly right..

{I hug it with all my might, eyes shut tightly, tail wagging like mad now.}

took a loooot of studying, but thankfully resi found some sketches lying around for reference!! hope you don’t mind my snooping,,

..you’re far more than welcome, blue puppy,, i.. haven’t had friends in a long while, and. don’t know.. just. wanted to say thankyou somehow.

A.. surprise..? Okay..

No way… this is awesome.. haha, resi, you’re the best.. damn right I’m keepin’ it..! You belong there, with me! I never, ever wanna get rid of you..

{I grab you and try to pick you up, but fail miserably. I fall over and laugh, leaning my back against the bed.}

I never.. never thought I could be so happy. It’s.. it’s weird.. heh.. but.. right now.. right now, I am. And it’s thanks to you. Thank you, resi…

{I sniffle a little, emotional.}

hehe… gonna have to try harder than that to get resi off the ground,, she’s stayin right here with you, yes!! resi just had to move the roost while building the bar, it’s with captain right now, is all!! not leaving, promise.

{her tail slinks around again to pet Aphid’s little head.}

…i, didn’t know it would mean this much to you!, i-……happy you’re happy,,

{it leans against you, burying its face into the side of your arm. seems to want to hide its eyes for no reason in particular.}

T-thank you.. resi. Heh, um.. I.. t-that thing about you not leavin’ me.. really.. means a lot. I ain’t ever gonna let you go. You’re.. irreplaceable to me.

B-blue puppy and cat thing forever. H-heh..

{I sniffle some more. I choke up a little.}

Terra forever, comrade.

Thank you for being there Aphid.

You're a really great friend... Really one of the only friends I've ever had.

...

I just feel like all I ever do is just disappoint people... I never know the right thing to do...

I just wanted to make Terra proud...

I wanted to make my parents proud...

I don't know what to trust anymore, it feels like I'm going insane...

Siento que lo arruinaré todo si alguna vez me acerco a alguien...

I'd be down for a drink if you're offering though, I'd love to catch up. I've been just kinda hiding in the spare room... I'm still scared to talk to Abigail and Lars...

I promise I will never do anything to hurt you. At least.. not on purpose. So hopefully you can trust me. I’ll do my best to earn it. You’ve certainly made me proud.

{looking at the message on its screen, resi perks its ears and tail straight up in excitement. wordlessly, she darts straight toward the hangar. loud thumping of paws echo off the metallic floor of the Nebula Prowler’s halls. stealth is something resi has to be focused and thinking to achieve.}

{entering the space, resi’s eyes shoot wide open and its jaw drops and reveals her scarily sharp-toothed maw. omistars. omy stars ohmystars blue-}

BLUE APHID!!?!!! BLUE PUPPY APHID???!?

{she practically gallops toward you, knocking you down in what is both the softest and scariest tackle you’ve ever received. sometimes it’s easy to forget that resi is potentially as dangerous as a polar bear..}

APHIDAPHIDAPHID WHAT?????!!!? HOW DID- YOU- WOWW!!!!SO CUTE!!!! I- resi can call you cute, right,? don-don’t wanna.. uuuHWATEVER GLAD YOURE HOME I MEAN BACK. I MEAN BACK.

{I tumble backwards into the ground, caught fully off guard by your enthusiasm. My lips form a nervous smile, and my tail starts wagging happily, without even doing so consciously. I wriggle a little despite myself at your words.}

H-hey, resi.. hehe.. y-yeah, you can call me.. cute. If you.. must.

{I suddenly hug you tight, tearing up a little, my face flushed. Some of my new fur brushes against yours. My ears are perked up.}

I.. y-you were right, resi.. I-I’m.. I’m a puppy..

{a joyful tear or two drip down my cheeks. My tail thumps against the hangar floor.}

hehehe!! resi’s nose has never lied after all!!! ,,you look amazing, Aphid… resi missed uou too..

{it’s bristly tail slowly swings up and brushes blue Aphid along her head, a sensation akin to having your scalp massaged by a large toothbrush. purring grows louder.}

{I lean into your tail, tilting my head down to get more. My leg kicks just a tiny bit as my tail wags. I whimper, and hug you even tighter, clinging to you like my life depends on it.}

{thumpthumpthump goes my tail against the floor. I grin like an idiot.}

oh!! ice cream!! received a message on my communicator from a peppermint asking about it!! still don’t know if resi can eat any,, but i hope it was as good as peppermint made it sound!!

{I smile happily and my eyes sparkle. I got a little excited from your tone. I spring up and run around my fighter in a circle as fast as I can to burn off some energy. I stand before you with my hands on my hips, ears perked up and tail swishing behind me.}

come,come!! resi’s purretty proud of her work!!

{it leads you by paw back to your usual sleeping quarters, making you crouch over a little as it walks purposefully through the halls. resi is not very tall. or cognizant of how strong-armedly she pulls you along.}

{the cabin door slides open, revealing the room organized exactly as you left it, yet somehow completely changed. the structure and materials are all worn and torn as if the affini—as if no one had touched it— for a long time. plating looks worn, damaged, even rusted in places; looks almost similar to tail dog Abigail’s old bunker if not for the homemade decorations strung around the place. even the lighting is warmer.}

quite glad resi didn’t have to go and hide any of this now that you’re, well.. yourself! was probably just gonna skip the blankets for a bit otherwise..

{a new blanket adorns the bed and looks.. homemade.? its a soft, baby blue with dark navy pawprints splattered all over.. it makes the visual disrepair of the room seem more.. homey? rustic. like the wearing of edges on leather, the damage makes it better. looking to your right, resi’s nesting unit seems to be missing. in its place is a beautiful maplewood-topped bar, just like the ones you used to be able to sit down for a drink at back on Terra. there’s a bunch of loose tools and fabrics laid out on it, as if resi was using it for work in the meantime. holy shit resi is a carpenter. }

sorry.. didn’t know you’d be back so soon, didn’t clean up all that well.. but i hope you like it!! had to get some crew feedback to make everything look authentically terran!! ..wwhaddoyou think,? resi’ll change anything at all if it’s not how blue Aphid likes it,

Resi.. it’s.. it’s perfect. I.. I love it. Holy shit. You did all of this?? No fuckin’ way, you made a bar..?? It looks just like the ones on Terra. This.. you..

{I freeze up. I look at you, dumbfounded.}

You.. d-did all of this.. for me..?

{I look.. extremely touched. Nobody had ever done anything close to this for me before, and it shows.}

I.. I don’t know what to say. I, uh.. heh.. damn, gettin’ me all teary eyed.. heh.. you’re.. you better be careful bein’ so nice. This is.. this is so much more than I ever could have wanted. Thank you. I don’t know how I could ever pay you back for this.

{I clear my throat.}

heheheee!! love that you love it!!! and of course it’s all for you!! resi’s always been quite crafty… it’s been a lot of fun working on so many projects at once! ,,it’s my favourite thing to do, so. no worries, yes? no paying either. {she leans in and hugs you again around your leg. resi is still short.} ..blue Aphid deserves it, to feel safe. at home! owe it to captain to convince you to stay, anyhow…

but uhm. yeah!! i still got ooone more thing for Aphid! best for last, and all..

{it steps out of the way, pulling the failed blankets off dramatically. underneath is an intricately stitched plushy rendition of Aphid’s fighter—the one resi initially hitched a ride on in the first place. it’s astonishingly accurate for a being a stuffed toy, the wear and tear of the ship even being included in the stitching and patchwork. the cockpit isn’t see through, but there is a tiny little patch of the face of a girl with cobalt-blue hair sewed onto the side of the glass. resi looks even more excited about her work.}

N-no way.. aha.. you made this??? How in the hell.. it’s perfect..! Everything is exactly right..

{I hug it with all my might, eyes shut tightly, tail wagging like mad now.}

took a loooot of studying, but thankfully resi found some sketches lying around for reference!! hope you don’t mind my snooping,,

..you’re far more than welcome, blue puppy,, i.. haven’t had friends in a long while, and. don’t know.. just. wanted to say thankyou somehow.

A.. surprise..? Okay..

No way… this is awesome.. haha, resi, you’re the best.. damn right I’m keepin’ it..! You belong there, with me! I never, ever wanna get rid of you..

{I grab you and try to pick you up, but fail miserably. I fall over and laugh, leaning my back against the bed.}

I never.. never thought I could be so happy. It’s.. it’s weird.. heh.. but.. right now.. right now, I am. And it’s thanks to you. Thank you, resi…

{I sniffle a little, emotional.}

Terra forever, comrade.

Thank you for being there Aphid.

You're a really great friend... Really one of the only friends I've ever had.

...

I just feel like all I ever do is just disappoint people... I never know the right thing to do...

I just wanted to make Terra proud...

I wanted to make my parents proud...

I don't know what to trust anymore, it feels like I'm going insane...

Siento que lo arruinaré todo si alguna vez me acerco a alguien...

I'd be down for a drink if you're offering though, I'd love to catch up. I've been just kinda hiding in the spare room... I'm still scared to talk to Abigail and Lars...

I promise I will never do anything to hurt you. At least.. not on purpose. So hopefully you can trust me. I’ll do my best to earn it. You’ve certainly made me proud.

{looking at the message on its screen, resi perks its ears and tail straight up in excitement. wordlessly, she darts straight toward the hangar. loud thumping of paws echo off the metallic floor of the Nebula Prowler’s halls. stealth is something resi has to be focused and thinking to achieve.}

{entering the space, resi’s eyes shoot wide open and its jaw drops and reveals her scarily sharp-toothed maw. omistars. omy stars ohmystars blue-}

BLUE APHID!!?!!! BLUE PUPPY APHID???!?

{she practically gallops toward you, knocking you down in what is both the softest and scariest tackle you’ve ever received. sometimes it’s easy to forget that resi is potentially as dangerous as a polar bear..}

APHIDAPHIDAPHID WHAT?????!!!? HOW DID- YOU- WOWW!!!!SO CUTE!!!! I- resi can call you cute, right,? don-don’t wanna.. uuuHWATEVER GLAD YOURE HOME I MEAN BACK. I MEAN BACK.

{I tumble backwards into the ground, caught fully off guard by your enthusiasm. My lips form a nervous smile, and my tail starts wagging happily, without even doing so consciously. I wriggle a little despite myself at your words.}

H-hey, resi.. hehe.. y-yeah, you can call me.. cute. If you.. must.

{I suddenly hug you tight, tearing up a little, my face flushed. Some of my new fur brushes against yours. My ears are perked up.}

I.. y-you were right, resi.. I-I’m.. I’m a puppy..

{a joyful tear or two drip down my cheeks. My tail thumps against the hangar floor.}

hehehe!! resi’s nose has never lied after all!!! ,,you look amazing, Aphid… resi missed uou too..

{it’s bristly tail slowly swings up and brushes blue Aphid along her head, a sensation akin to having your scalp massaged by a large toothbrush. purring grows louder.}

{I lean into your tail, tilting my head down to get more. My leg kicks just a tiny bit as my tail wags. I whimper, and hug you even tighter, clinging to you like my life depends on it.}

{thumpthumpthump goes my tail against the floor. I grin like an idiot.}

oh!! ice cream!! received a message on my communicator from a peppermint asking about it!! still don’t know if resi can eat any,, but i hope it was as good as peppermint made it sound!!

{I smile happily and my eyes sparkle. I got a little excited from your tone. I spring up and run around my fighter in a circle as fast as I can to burn off some energy. I stand before you with my hands on my hips, ears perked up and tail swishing behind me.}

come,come!! resi’s purretty proud of her work!!

{it leads you by paw back to your usual sleeping quarters, making you crouch over a little as it walks purposefully through the halls. resi is not very tall. or cognizant of how strong-armedly she pulls you along.}

{the cabin door slides open, revealing the room organized exactly as you left it, yet somehow completely changed. the structure and materials are all worn and torn as if the affini—as if no one had touched it— for a long time. plating looks worn, damaged, even rusted in places; looks almost similar to tail dog Abigail’s old bunker if not for the homemade decorations strung around the place. even the lighting is warmer.}

quite glad resi didn’t have to go and hide any of this now that you’re, well.. yourself! was probably just gonna skip the blankets for a bit otherwise..

{a new blanket adorns the bed and looks.. homemade.? its a soft, baby blue with dark navy pawprints splattered all over.. it makes the visual disrepair of the room seem more.. homey? rustic. like the wearing of edges on leather, the damage makes it better. looking to your right, resi’s nesting unit seems to be missing. in its place is a beautiful maplewood-topped bar, just like the ones you used to be able to sit down for a drink at back on Terra. there’s a bunch of loose tools and fabrics laid out on it, as if resi was using it for work in the meantime. holy shit resi is a carpenter. }

sorry.. didn’t know you’d be back so soon, didn’t clean up all that well.. but i hope you like it!! had to get some crew feedback to make everything look authentically terran!! ..wwhaddoyou think,? resi’ll change anything at all if it’s not how blue Aphid likes it,

Resi.. it’s.. it’s perfect. I.. I love it. Holy shit. You did all of this?? No fuckin’ way, you made a bar..?? It looks just like the ones on Terra. This.. you..

{I freeze up. I look at you, dumbfounded.}

You.. d-did all of this.. for me..?

{I look.. extremely touched. Nobody had ever done anything close to this for me before, and it shows.}

I.. I don’t know what to say. I, uh.. heh.. damn, gettin’ me all teary eyed.. heh.. you’re.. you better be careful bein’ so nice. This is.. this is so much more than I ever could have wanted. Thank you. I don’t know how I could ever pay you back for this.

{I clear my throat.}

heheheee!! love that you love it!!! and of course it’s all for you!! resi’s always been quite crafty… it’s been a lot of fun working on so many projects at once! ,,it’s my favourite thing to do, so. no worries, yes? no paying either. {she leans in and hugs you again around your leg. resi is still short.} ..blue Aphid deserves it, to feel safe. at home! owe it to captain to convince you to stay, anyhow…

but uhm. yeah!! i still got ooone more thing for Aphid! best for last, and all..

{it steps out of the way, pulling the failed blankets off dramatically. underneath is an intricately stitched plushy rendition of Aphid’s fighter—the one resi initially hitched a ride on in the first place. it’s astonishingly accurate for a being a stuffed toy, the wear and tear of the ship even being included in the stitching and patchwork. the cockpit isn’t see through, but there is a tiny little patch of the face of a girl with cobalt-blue hair sewed onto the side of the glass. resi looks even more excited about her work.}

N-no way.. aha.. you made this??? How in the hell.. it’s perfect..! Everything is exactly right..

{I hug it with all my might, eyes shut tightly, tail wagging like mad now.}

took a loooot of studying, but thankfully resi found some sketches lying around for reference!! hope you don’t mind my snooping,,

..you’re far more than welcome, blue puppy,, i.. haven’t had friends in a long while, and. don’t know.. just. wanted to say thankyou somehow.

A.. surprise..? Okay..

I was right to raise my guard up again. Going out in a fireball fighting the weeds is the only good ending I’m going to get. There’s nothing else. The pain doesn’t go away. EVER.

If the Affini leave immediately, decide to leave all their pets behind and flee back to their corner of space, or maybe you manage to defeat them what then?

Will you accept the fighting is over? Take the rewards you got for being a good little soldier for Terra and live a peaceful life? Get yourself a nice home with good food, maybe find a partner to settle down with?

Or would you grow restless? Would you try to find some new axiom to aim your life towards? Find some other way to gain the approval of Terra until your body eventually fails?

I know mistress fought for my safety, I know I fought for love. It seems as if you’re fighting for your own ego and don’t know how to be anything but the wounded shell the accord turned you into.

Life is about fighting your way past every single miserable day until you reach the next, beaten and bloodied, and then having to do the same thing the next day. Over, and over, and over again. No breaks, no respite, until one day you lose, and it’s over. So fighting is all I know. It’s like asking me to stop breathing air.

if you were fighting to let terrans make their own choices you'd join us!

You know what happens to you terrans if even a rumor of you being sympathetic to our cause gets you? On most terran ships i've encountered it means suffocating out cold space, the last thing you see being your ship jumping away and leaving you possibly lightyears away from another terran. Hardly sounds like much of a choice to me does it?

If you want to find a battle to fight for why not fight for terrans to be able to make that choice? the only thing you're doing right now is allowing more terrans to die from the cruelty of other terrans.

No, I think you're fighting because you're scared of who you are when you're not fighting. All that bloodlust, all that fire that keeps you going, that drive and determination to make it to the next day even though you're pretty sure it's going to be as bad as the day before, what happens when your main driving force is taken away? what happens when you take the claws and fangs off the Leopard?

Assimilation into the compact doesn’t leave you much of a choice either. Any hint of negative thought gets drugged away. People like me who look forward to the peace and rest of death get the worst treatment, because they take away that ticket out. The compact is a happy face masking the same problems.

I tracked the trail the mech must have left for a few hours and I found a different, smaller base which it led to. Nobody was there.

I looked around the base out of the mech and found some weird liquid in syringes in the storage, as well as some cans of actual tomato soup. No branding, weirdly. I took some with me. There were white stickers on them saying "combat stim" with what I assume is a sharpie. Took some of those, too.

The small concrete structure looked like someone was here recently. There was a gas burner and some relatively freshly opened cans of the tomato soup (It hasn't even fully dried up on the walls of the cans.)

The mattress was very comfortable. I also found a... Muzzle. A big one. The person that was here must have a dog or something. They might have left in a hurry, but there are no signs of the mech going anywhere from this base, nor any human footprints I could find that would lead me anywhere further. Searching the area for some sort of secret entrance proved entirely unfruitful so I am retuning to base.

That’s.. really weird. What did the mech footprints look like? It’s possible we’re looking at an accord deserter who took a mech while the base was being evacuated.