“I want armed squads on those search and rescue birds, we’re going to hail them for a surrender, but they may not be so cooperative. There are potentially non-combatants on board so check your targets. Everyone else, relay orders to your respective stations: we are continuing to operate under combat alert Alpha, more enemy contacts could drop out of FTL at any moment.”

That must be it. They were going to see if any hostages were on board the Floriacian ship. Surely the captain was not implying they were going to save the slavers on board that attacked us.

The captain was wearing white formal military dress. Various medals and identification covered her chest and shoulders. She also wore a fabric dressing on her head, much like what Sergeant Gerrick was wearing earlier, only more rigid and a different shape. She looked to another human in a white uniform, who was sitting in front of a screen to her right.

“What’s our projected time of arrival?”

“Accounting for acceleration and deceleration, we’re looking at nine minutes.”

She then looked at me. This was the first time she had addressed me, and she actually knew my name. “Ozis. You need to go get back with Sergeant Gerrick and his team, you’ll be moved to a bulkhead safe room, they’ll keep you safe until we’re able to get you back to your people.”

I hadn’t expected her to talk to me, “Yes! Of course, thank you… Err, Captain.”

I saw the faintest hint of a smile at the corners of her lips. Then went to two humans, who gestured for me to follow them.

They were also dressed in full combat gear. I thought maybe I could experience some casual conversation from two regular soldiers, rather than the formal speech of the majority of humans I had spoken to until now. I had several questions. I thought it might distract me from having to walk at a human’s pace while also being under strain from the increased gravity. Though, I was getting used to it.

“Are your suits pressurized?”

The two humans looked at each other, even though their visors were reflective, it was easy to tell they hadn’t expected to be asked questions by me. One finally spoke, a much deeper voice than Gerrick’s.

“Yes. Vacuum rated with an oxygen supply of fifteen minutes.”

“What’s the purpose of the varying colors of green and brown?”

“Camouflage.”

“But this entire ship is greys, whites, and tans. It doesn’t blend in here.”

“Camouflage for ground use. We’re drop troopers. Earth plant life is mostly shades of green and the soil brown.”

It would most likely not make sense to switch to dress that shared the colors of the interior of the ship. Then every soldier would need two uniforms, not to mention that it wouldn’t be nearly as effective with how close quarters everything is. The human said something though, said they were “drop troopers.” Curious.

“What does drop trooper mean?”

“We’re special forces, that’s why we were assigned to the bridge. We’re drop troopers because we are trained to drop into battle from orbit in personal pods.”

I had nothing to say to that.

We got into the same lift that brought me up to the bridge. I now understood why I wasn’t led to the safe room immediately, as we passed many bodies and remnants of battle on the way there. Human medics were tending to the wounded, but not just the human wounded. They were trying to help the disabled invaders too! What was the point in wasting valuable medical supplies on them? Had the humans not been here, they undoubtedly would have kidnapped and sold me and everyone on my station. Why did they deserve help? I just couldn’t stand for it.

I moved over to a male human medic, in the process of tying some sort of band around an unconscious Floriacian’s arm, which had been mangled. “Why are you helping it?”

The man looked to be older, he had grey hair on his face, his mouth was covered with some sort of mask. He did not look up from his task, “It’s wounded.”

“It would have killed every one of us if given the chance!”

He finished tightening the band and began spraying some sort of foam into a wound on the creature’s chest. “I am aware.”

“Then what is the point?”

The human still did not look up from his task. The soldiers behind me were trying to get me to continue with them but probably didn’t have the authority to force me. He said in a more methodical voice, no doubt quoting something, “I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous. If I leave this intruder to die, I am partaking in what is deleterious. I would be committing harm through my own apathy. Now please, leave me be. I have more wounded to tend to.”

With that, he rose, satisfied with his work on the mangled black slaver. He left me, speechless, and staring down at it. This creature fought with what appeared to be so much bloodlust. It most likely killed human defenders. I could not see it as sapient, it was a thing, a dangerous cancer to be eradicated, and yet, the human had treated it as one of their own. Only after seeing that, did I realize that there were tears in its eyes and that it was looking at me.