#dark creativity

Read on Ao3

This is Part 3 of my space Au

Wordcount: 3,917

Ships: Platonic

Feel free to ask any questions about the story.

Captain Roman Prince was a strong and clever leader, or he strived to be one. He never once thought himself smarter or more powerful than any person on his crew. As a matter of fact, Roman believed his crew to be the sole reason he was able to accomplish as much as he did. Concerning captains, the USS Sanders got lucky with theirs. The crew’s only complaint was how much trouble he could get in if you left him alone.

In Roman’s defense, he had been with Logan when it happened. He did not want any unsavory individual to make off with the Human while he was away from the ship. What he did not account for was the group grabbing him as well.

Logan and Roman had been browsing wares in a local market, after reassuring Virgil that they would be okay and were going to stay right at that fabric stall right in his eyeline. Logan was always looking for new items to study, the fabric caught his eye because of the weaving techniques the vendor said was used. They never noticed the group that had crept up from behind and shocked them.

The electricity knocked Roman to the floor and barely clinging to consciousness while his scientist was still trying to struggle. The Faera felt hands lifting him off the dirt and carrying him away. His head lolled and his eyes looked out, unseeing and half-lidded. He thought he heard someone shriek his name, most likely Patton, and found himself wondering why the medic sounded so panicked.

The sound of clanging woke Roman up, the grating of metal making the pounding of his head worse. Slowly, he opened his eyes, wincing at the brightness, and reached out to get a feel for his surroundings.

His hand struck glass. Roman patted a little more frantically and discovered that he was surrounded by glass. He pulled himself onto his knees and started feeling around for an opening, too panicked to notice Logan coming around outside his container.

Logan jerked awake, suddenly aware of his wrists cuffed to the wall above him, and slowly rotated his head to fix the pain in his neck. Making a note of his surroundings, he noticed his glasses were askew but still perched on his face. Logan remained calm, assuring himself that the others would be searching for them.

The Human’s eyes went wide as he saw his captain. The Faera was trapped in a transparent tube, frantically hitting the glass as their captors spoke seemingly unaware of his exposed wings and horns. One glanced towards Logan as it remarked, “Human’s awake, wonder how well it’s going to do in the ring.” It’s ally gave Logan a once over before responding, “Eh, it’s a Deathworlder. Give it time and we’ll be raking in Units.”

There was a cry of pain that drew their attention to Roman, who was lying on the floor of his container groaning. One of their captors nudged the other as he cackled, “Faera in a bottle. How’s it going in there little guy? A little staticky?” Roman curled onto his side as the other laughed, “I guess it doesn’t like the bug zapper we have installed.”

Logan, despite being part of a famously emotional species, did not usually indulge his feelings however, the pure fear and pain in his captain’s eyes made his vision grow red. He pulled on his restraints with his heart pounding in his ears. Logan was not the most athletic example of his people, but the rage that overtook him definitely helped.

Roman was brought out of his daze when he saw Logan pulling against his restraints with anger in his eyes. His eyes went wide as the Human’s cuffs strained and screeched as they tore from the wall. There was a cry of alarm followed by the sound of Stun Rifles. Before Roman could blink, Logan was across the room and knocking their captors away. 

They flew into the walls, a loud crunch noise coming from the impact, before they hit the ground. Roman saw hands feeling the glass, presumably searching for a way to open the prison, and felt himself let out a panicked laugh. He tried to get Logan’s attention as the human pounded against the wall and ordered, “Go! I’ll be okay but-”

A hand, a fist actually, broke through. Roman’s voice died in his throat as he gaped at Logan. The fist withdrew before smashing another section of the glass. There was blood on the floor of Roman’s prison but all he could think about was the glass Logan had broken through. 

The Human reached through as the shouting grew louder and hauled Roman through the opening he made. Instinctively, Roman wrapped his arms around Logan’s neck as the latter cradled him and darted away.

Somewhere in his mind, Logan was aware that he would not be able to keep it up for long but at the moment all he could see was red. Roman’s fingers creased Logan’s uniform as he exclaimed, “Look out!” On reflex, he ducked away from the plasma blast of rifles and slammed his foot into an alien too slow to realize they should be shooting. They dropped their Stun Rifle as they slammed to the floor. 

Logan took a second to grab the rifle as he growled, “You shoot, I run!” Roman took the weapon and aimed it behind them, returning fire as Logan’s feet slammed against the floor in a steady rhythm. 

The smugglers ahead seemed to retreat as they realized what Logan was. Humans were infamous for their fight-or-flight reflexes, Logan had even told them how Virgil’s species seemed to have the same stress reflexes as Humans. Seeing Logan, who was normally unnaturally cool and calm for a Human, smash through his prison and was run faster than he had ever seen, unsettled Roman.

He felt Logan’s back tense and heard the Human hiss in pain. Roman glanced down and saw the burned away section of Logan’s pant leg. Roman’s eyes went wide in alarm and he started squirming as he exclaimed, “Put me down! You’re injured! Logan?! That’s an order!” 

Logan held Roman a little tighter, careful not to crush the Faera’s wings, and charged towards the cluster of aliens attempting to cage them in. Roman yelped as Logan barreled through them, using his body to shield his captain from the impact, and turned a sharp corner. He felt Logan’s gait wobble for a moment before steadying as they ran.

Wherever they were was not near the market, that much Logan could put together from the view of the city through a giant window. Almost nothing looked familiar but they were somewhere up high. Logan smirked as he activated his communicator and panted, “This is Dr. Croft of the USS Sanders... Requesting back-up... at my... location.” He managed to get out the first part flawlessly but breathing was getting a little difficult.

Roman barely kept a startled yelp from leaving his lips as Logan’s legs buckled and he hit the floor. The Human’s face was pressed against the floor as he gasped for air. Remembering Logan’s lessons on Human respiratory systems, Roman propped Logan up against the wall. 

He gave the Human a once over before pulling some stray crates around them defensively. He looked over the rifle as the Pulse Charges reloaded and asked, “How’re you holding up, Specs?” Logan huffed, either from lack of breath or fond exasperation at the nickname he could not tell, and replied, “I will be fine though I appear to be suffering from a sudden lack of adrenaline.”

Roman chuckled as he took up a defensive position, aiming down the hallway, and smirked, “At least you’re using big words.” Logan pushed his glasses into position, fingers trembling, and retorted, “An adrenaline crash is no excuse for proper vocabulary, Captain.” The Faera laughed at the sass and told him, “Just keep trying to get in contact with the ship, I’ll try to keep them busy.”

They had only a few moments before charges were flying overhead, Roman returned fire while Logan repeated, “This is Dr. Croft of the USS Sanders requesting back-up at my location.” There was no answer.

Roman kept shooting as rifle fire got a little too close and Logan screamed, “Damn it! If you guys don’t frelling answer I swear I will release every bit of blackmail material I have on all of you!” Roman laughed, barely ducking out of the way of a charge blast, and asked, “Including the ‘Medbay Incident’, Dr. Croft?” Logan shot him a glare as he growled, “Especially the Medbay Incident!”

“We all swore to never speak of it again!” a voice called from Logan’s communicator. They glanced down before Roman laughed and returned fire. Logan sighed as he spoke to Virgil, “Well since you picked up I will not have to speak of it.” 

He could practically see Virgil roll his eyes as he remarked, “Good. We’re on our way, be ready.” Before Logan could ask what to be ready for, there was a low thud as something hit the window. Roman and Logan glanced up in time to see a mass of tentacles stuck to the glass and watched as cracks began to form. Logan wrapped an arm around Roman, pulled him close, and grabbed an exposed pipe on the wall.

The winds swept through the halls and whipped by at great speed. Roman found himself thankful that Logan had kept his wings from being caught in the high speed winds. The Human was holding tightly to the pipe and curled himself around his captain as their enemies were either flung down the halls or launched out the window.

Remus crawled towards them, tentacles wrapping and holding onto parts of the building, and tethered them to himself. Roman had to unwrap Logan’s fingers from the pipe while Remus held them both with one of his tentacles. It took longer than he would have liked but Roman managed to pry Logan’s fingers off. 

As soon as his grip on the pipe was gone, Logan wrapped his free arm around Remus and tried to calm down as he carried them towards a pod hovering outside the broken window. He passed the pair over to Patton, the Empara’s glow a dark red, careful to ensure they were safely buckled into their seats before he pulled himself in.

Patton began examining them, Logan refusing to let himself be treated before Roman. When the Faera tried to object, Logan cut him off with a pointed remark of, “Your wings and horns are showing which means you are in more critical condition than myself. Humans are able to carry on with injuries longer than most species, I can wait.” 

Patton shot him a look but treated their captain while Logan explained how they had been captured. Remus glared at the building as they flew back while local law enforcement broke up the scene. 

While Patton wrapped Logan’s hands and wrists, Virgil parked them inside the docking bay on the USS Sanders. When the Araneus caught sight of the Human’s hands, he hissed sympathetically and asked, “They smash your hands?” Logan adjusted his glasses with a free hand, a nervous habit of his they had noticed, as he clarified, “The damage was actually my doing.”

Patton had moved on to examining the Human’s chest when he noticed their scientist’s breathlessness, listening to his lungs as he questioned, “You what?” Logan winced at the tone as he defended, “I had to get Captain Roman to safety quickly and there were limited resources. I used what was available.”

Roman gave Logan a hard look as he cooly remarked, “There’s a difference between smashing glass and shattering Deia Glass.” Everyone froze for a moment before Patton broke the tense silence and screeched, “You did WHAT!” Logan winced as the medic smacked his arm as Virgil yelled, “Humans are frelling insane!”

Remus turned to the scientist, eyes practically sparkling as he asked, “Would you do it to me? I wanna see!” Everyone immediately turned on the Faera and screamed, “NO!” Remus stuck out his lip in a pout as Patton continued treating their scientist.

The Empara moved on to Logan’s leg, tearing off the pant leg above the burned section. Logan winced as the fabric clung to the skin, thankful the damage was not severe. Patton muttered something under his breath that made Logan’s ears turn red as he scolded, “That language is not appropriate, Patton.” 

The medic rubbed the cream against the burn with a little more force than necessary as he retorted, “You got kidnapped, broke one of the strongest materials we know of, hurt yourself doing it, and got hit with a Stun Charge. I will use any language I want!” Logan’s cheeks turned red as they waited for Patton to finish treating him.

Once he felt that everything was treated as best he could, Patton lifted the captain into his arms and ordered, “You both are going to rest in your quarters. If you need anything someone will be stationed in your room. Do you understand?” Both patients nodded, albeit hesitant. 

Patton smiled as he requested, “Now, someone needs to take Logan back to his quarters and sit with him if he needs something.” Remus jumped to his feet, waving his hand in the air as he exclaimed, “Me! Me! Pick me!” Roman laughed as his brother scooped the human up and promised, “I won’t let you down!” Without another word, he ran down the hall with Logan shrieking, “Watch where you are going!”

Patton started to walk towards the Captain’s Quarters when Virgil offered, “Let me, someone’s gotta calm down the crew.” Patton handed the Faera over with a small grin as he squealed, “I get to use the intercom!” Roman groaned as the medic took off and told his chief of security, “You don’t have to look after me.”

Virgil looked away, already walking, as he mumbled, “We were right there.” Roman frowned as Virgil hissed, “We could have done something but we didn’t! They grabbed you and Logan and then you were just... gone!” 

Roman grabbed the Araneus’s shoulder and hugged him as best he could while being carried. Virgil huffed a laugh as he asked, “What are you doing?” Roman smiled as he answered, “Telling you that it isn’t your fault and if you keep insulting my Chief of Security I will have to discipline you.”

They laughed as they entered the Captain’s Quarters and Roman’s wings and horns retracted. Virgil smiled as he commented, “Glad to see you calming down after all that dren.” Roman flopped onto his mattress, only a little surprised when he noticed another weight settle beside him.

A clawed hand gently ran through Roman’s hair, occasionally scratching his scalp, and turned the Faera into a relaxed puddle. Virgil laughed as Roman’s wings unfurled and began to rub his back, careful to avoid his spines as they continued down along his tail. His horns curled back before spiraling towards his face, unlike Remus’s jagged ones that curved straight back.

While Remus may not have wings, his horns were a force to be reckoned with when exposed, often using them to impale threats. Logan had made it a point to compare their anatomy as a way of predicting reactions to unknown substances. Remus was very quick to volunteer despite his brother’s objections.

The Faera, much like the Empara, did not have much information about them. Unlike the Empara though, the Faera simply did not realize that information was needed about them, often forgetting to inform others of their biological idiosyncrasies when not asked. Logan and Patton nearly threw a fit when they discovered this and forced the both of them to put in multiple requests to their homeworld for information.

Virgil chuckled at the memory and commented, “Must have been pretty freaked captain, your wings were out.” Roman let a humorless laugh as he admitted, “Yeah, must have freaked Logan out pretty bad too. I’d never seen him so…” “Angry?” “Terrifying.” Virgil gave him a look as Roman explained, “We’ve always known that Logan was a Deathworlder, not a super strong one, but he’s Human.” Virgil chuckled, remembering the time Logan slipped on a wet spot in Medbay when someone had forgotten to put up a sign. 

“I’ve heard of Humans having incredible strength and speed, even the weaker members of their species but,” Roman took a breath before continuing, “ to see it in person was... It scared me, Virgil.” Virgil paused as his captain went on, “He saw me in my cage and his eyes just locked on me. He hurt his wrists breaking his cuffs, he frelling threw the smugglers against the walls and smashed through Deia Glass for me! Then he just took off with me!”

The security officer went rigid as he processed the information. Roman sighed as he murmured, “Thanks for the help by the way. I’m lucky they didn’t zap me any harder.” Extra arms wrapped around him as Virgil pulled his captain onto his chest and buried his head in Roman’s hair.

The captain chuckled as Virgil curled around him and mumbled, “We were scared too. Remus nearly went feral and Patton looked ready to tear into the one we caught. I think he nearly wet himself when Patton projected his anger.” Roman laughed as he gasped, “Patton?! But he’s always telling us that being scary won’t work.” Virgil cackled, “Oh Patton wouldn’t do anything, but he did threaten to let Remus do what he wanted.”

“No, what did you do?”

“I got out of the way, do not get between an angry Patton and his target.”

“Did he... you know?”

“Nah, the guy was so scared of Remus he just started babbling everything he knew.”

“Remus can be usefully scary when he wants to.”

They sat there chatting while Remus watched Logan. The Human would not have issues with his appointed guardian if he would not stare at him while he changed. He said as much to Remus who replied in a falsely-innocent tone, “But I’ve never seen what you really look like.” 

Logan gave him a blank stare as he limped into his bathroom and shut the door. He heard Remus whine but ignored it as he pulled on a black pajama shirt. The bandages did not interfere but when he tried to pull on his pajama pants, the burn on his leg flared with pain. The Human hissed in pain and let go of the pants in exchange for trying to keep the pain to a minimum. 

There was a beat of silence before he heard a knock at the door and a cautious, “You okay, Doc?” Logan let out a painful laugh as he called back, “Just some irritation around the burn, I will be fine.” There was another pause before Remus called out, “Yeah, that’s a load of dren. Open the door.” 

Logan sighed as he admonished, “If you are attempting to watch me again-” “Not really, it’s kind of something I’d like to see, but you’re hurt so I promise to only help,” Remus interrupted. Logan hesitated, a little wary of letting someone in while vulnerable, but after the day he had, he really wanted to go to bed.

He opened the door, letting Remus support him as the Faera carefully pulled the pant leg over the bandaged burn. Logan hissed a little as the other’s fingers brushed the bandages but encouraged Remus to continue. Remus pulled the drawstrings of Logan’s pants and tied them before he scooped the human up and settled him on the bathroom counter. 

Logan let out an indignant yelp as Remus asked, “Anything else you need to do? I heard you have a paste that keeps your teeth from rotting.” The scientist rolled his eyes as he answered, “Yes, that is an important ritual to keep us in optimum health.” 

Remus watched curiously as Logan grabbed his dental supplies and started brushing. The Human was a bit more methodical than average but given the lack of Human dentists onboard he supposed it was a logical caution. Remus seemed fascinated with his teeth and the tools he used to maintain them. 

He had just enough patience to wait for Logan to finish before he bombarded him with questions about how to take care of a Human’s teeth and the consequences for not brushing. Logan answered as much as he could given how tired he was though, he was rather happy to answer someone’s scientific inquiries however strange. 

Patton came to check on them, still a little giddy after using the intercom. Once he declared them on their way to recovery, he put them on bedrest with the threat of enforcement via tranquilizer. Remus offered to continue keeping watch with Janus volunteering to help the captain so Virgil could resume his duties. 

Patton assigned their guests to caretaking until he was satisfied they were completely recovered. The pair sighed but allowed their overseers to do their job with minimal complaint- thank you very much Janus. More often than not, Roman and Logan ended up in the same room just talking. 

Occasionally, the others would flinch when Remus asked his questions, unsure which was worse- the question or the answer. Janus was fascinated when Logan revealed some of what the former could do thanks to his DNA, such as the ‘Hysterical Strength’ Logan had recently demonstrated. Roman could only scrunch his nose in disgust as Remus began to ramble about Human facts he had learned and speculating about Janus’s abilities and origins.

By the end of the seventh Solar day, Roman was more than happy to go back to work and avoid his brother for a while, not that something as paltry as a job schedule could keep away Remus’s disgusting theories. Thankfully, Logan was able to disprove or simply denounce most of them and spared the crew from any troubling thoughts when they went to bed. 

The crew was more on guard at the next planet they arrived at to replenish supplies before continuing the journey. Remus stayed close to his brother with Virgil while Patton hovered near Janus and Logan while the human asked about the cultural significance of a jewelry piece he found. 

Any eyes that lingered for a moment too long would hastily turn away at the glares of the crew. This time, they left the market with all their crewmembers safe and sound without any injuries. Virgil smiled as he informed the crew that the new security protocol was successful and would be implemented immediately. 

Unaware of any new protocols, Roman inquired and found himself annoyed as Virgil explained, “Whenever our Captain and/or Chief Science Officer leave the ship, they are to be escorted by at least two crew members in order to prevent further incidents.” For his trouble, Virgil received an obscene gesture from his captain and an indignant exclamation of, “I don’t do it on purpose!”