"Thank you for your hospitality, Archduchess Tiberius. The desert gem of Amaranthia Prime is a welcome respite after our journey from the Bastion. The Federation appreciates your cooperation in this unpleasant matter," the human Captain replied as he took a seat directly opposed to Alba, setting the black box on the table as he did.

Octavia winced.

"It's actually Your Royal Highness, you fucking swine," Vita griped indignantly.

"I didn't know you cared," Octavia whispered with an amused tone after double-checking her helmet microphones were off.

"I don't, I'm just fucking with you," Vita laughed.

"The Amaranthian Empire stands ready to assist the Federation in its endeavours, Captain," Alba replied politely, her measured smile remaining static on her slender face, "To that end, we have prepared an intelligence report on the situation developing on the amaranthian colony Discovery," she explained as she turned the holopad around and pushed it across the table gently towards the seated Captain.

With a curious look, the human picked up the holopad and examined the information on it, his eyes skimming back and forth as he studied the information within. The room was silent as he read, leaving Octavia alone with her thoughts.

"This is very comprehensive, thank you," the Captain's voice interrupted Octavia's thoughts before she had drifted too far, "The situation in the Amaria system is... precarious, at best. We have not seen this much cohesion between the machines within our borders since the Omni corrupted them. A Federation patrol in the system intercepted a stollen civilian vessel ferrying infected machines from Discovery to Destiny."

As he explained, he pressed his thumb against the bio scanner on the box. With a metallic hiss the box unsealed and the lid popped open. The Captain leaned forward and pushed the lid open before reaching his hands within, procuring the item he had brought with him.

Octavia's blood ran cold as the Captain lifted the severed head out of the box. She immediately recognized the smooth, lifelike design of an alari attendant. At one point it had been designed specifically to serve and please its alari masters, but with its dead eyes and damaged synthetic flesh Octavia had a hard time imagining it ever being in a state to serve anybody.

Alba's ears swivelled ever-so-slightly, the motion was just barely enough to catch Octavia's eye. Despite the archduchess's proficiency in hiding her thoughts, Octavia recognized the subconscious motion. She was just as bothered as Octavia was by the sight of the dismembered head.

"Okay, that's gross," Vita commented flatly, the disgust clear in her voice.

"This machine was one of the corrupted bots we found on the shuttle," the Captain explained as he set the head down on the table, "Alari design, obviously from Destiny. We had our techs prod around in its head to see what they could find."

"And what do you have to report?" Alba asked in a measured voice.

"It shows all the typical signs of the Omni Virus. Corrupt right to its core and probably has been for fifty years like all the rest. Just another killer drone for the machine swarm, here to terrorize us into submission," the Captain replied firmly, rapping his knuckles on the exposed metallic skull with an obviously pleased expression, "The ones we found won't be terrorizing anyone again."

"Then you have done as the Federation swore fifty years ago," Alba replied calmly without a hint of true emotion, "To destroy the Omni and their corrupted servants is your lot, you do your predecessors proud."

"Thank you," the Captain bid with pride, "But, destroying one shuttle full of corrupted bots isn't going to stop the infestation in the Amaria system. We will have to tear out the infestations at their cores before they get worse. To that end, I am here to officially ask your permission on behalf of the Federation to conduct a ground operation on Discovery."

Alba offered a small nod of her head in response, "And permission you have, Captain. The Amaranthian Empire relishes the opportunity to provide the Federation with assistance in this matter. However, the lives of Imperial citizens must be paramount - to that end, our royal laboratories have approved the use of a localized hacking module. The White Peace Device is encoded to disable weaponry and defensive systems within a half-kilometre radius, and it is compatible with the hardware of Federation capital ships. It will allow you to conduct your operation safely without endangering the lives of Imperial citizens."

Octavia felt a brief spike of worry rush through the back of her mind. She couldn't help but recall the last time the Federation had been trusted with Amaranthian technology. A small shot of pain lanced through her lip, bringing her attention to the fact that she had been biting it hard enough to bring forth the iron taste of blood. With a degree of focused effort, she managed to unlock her jaw, leaving her lip to throb in pain as she watched the rest of the conversation with trepidation.

"What the fuck is Alba thinking? She knows we can't trust the Federation with our tech, let alone a human," Vita spat indignantly, her outrage itching at the back of Octavia's mind.

"That is very gracious of you, Archduchess Tiberius," Captain Hale replied with a respectful nod of his head in her direction, "We will utilize it with the utmost care and respect," he reassured as he raised his head, offering a lopsided smile.

"Of that I am certain," Alba replied politely, "In light of a Federation operation being conducted on Amaranthian soil, you will also have need of a guide. As you well know, Amaranthian architecture is inaccessible to those lacking a neurolink. As such, may I introduce my ancestor, Octavia Tiberius," she continued as she gestured with a sweeping palm in Octavia's direction.

Octavia hastily snapped to attention, raising her fist to her temple in a salute. The armour on her knuckles tapped lightly against the exposed port of her neurolink, sending a brief tingling sensation spiking through her skull. She held the position for a moment before returning to her parade stance with her hands folded behind her back, placing her armoured figure on display.

"Octavia is a member of the Royal Imperial Honor Guard and has been training with the most decorated veteran in the history of our empire. She has been equipped with the most cutting-edge neurolink we have developed and has a host of royal-spec interface suites which should prove useful in your operation. More importantly, she is a distant member of the royal lineage, which will allow you unparalleled access on Amaranthian soil," Alba explained factually as her hands came to rest on the table, folded in front of her delicately.

Captain Hale looked across the table at Octavia, eyeing her up and down for a moment before he gave a curt nod in her direction and turned his gaze back towards Alba, "We will gladly accept her assistance in this matter," he agreed politely.

"Then it is settled," Alba declared as she stood up from her seat, swiftly followed by the Captain, "May the Laws favour your endeavour, Captain," she decreed as she held a hand out across the table towards Captain Hale.

Without hesitation, the human reached across the table and gripped her hand, shaking it firmly with one motion, "The Federation thanks you for your contribution, Archduchess Tiberius. We will set out at once so the Amaranthian Empire may declare its colony safe once again."

The two broke apart immediately with the human turning on his heels, making his way for the door. The Lieutenant he had brought with him reached over and opened the door before he arrived, allowing the Captain to pass through the doorway into the adjacent hallway back towards their ship without any hesitation. With one last glance into the room, the stone behemoth stepped through the door after the Captain and closed the door behind him, leaving the two amaranthians alone in the dull room with an empty box and a severed head on the table.

"Well that didn't go terribly," Vita mused playfully.

Octavia didn't have a chance to respond as Alba turned around towards her, stepping up within her personal space. Octavia couldn't help but recoil slightly, but with her back to the wall, there wasn't anywhere for her to go as the shorter amaranthian leaned in towards her with piercing blue eyes and a look that could melt steel. She reached up without hesitation and gripped the collar of Octavia's armour, slotting her delicate fingers between the heavy plating, and with surprising strength, she pulled Octavia down to her level without breaking eye contact.

"Do not fuck this up," Alba warned in a low snarl, her lips curling up in a primal display of dominance as she revealed her mouthful of sharp canines. She held the position for a few moments, her face inches away from Octavia's as she kept the taller woman immobile with her hand and her gaze. Then, without a word, she suddenly broke away and strode away from Octavia, leaving through the door back into the Imperial complex where they came from, leaving Octavia flustered and at a loss for words.

Octavia and Vita were silent for a few moments, left alone in the dull room as Octavia's heart began to slow down back to a reasonable rhythm. Vita was the first to speak.

"Well... that was hot."

"Shut up, Vi."

________________________________________________________________________________

It wasn't long before Octavia strode into the Imperial complex's hangar bay with a large bag swung over her left shoulder. Most of the ships docked within the hangar were recognizably Amaranthian in design with their swept angles and curved hulls, coated in reflective panelling save for details painted in the royal Amaranthian mulberry. The ship she was looking for was impossible to miss with its blocky, angular design, its matte olive paint standing out like a sore thumb.

"That's the ship we're taking?" Vita exclaimed, her expression morphing into one of abject displeasure, "You gotta be kidding me, that thing looks ancient!"

Octavia rolled her eyes and shook her head disapprovingly as she made her way towards the Longsword gunship, her armoured boots clacking against the metal floor with every step. She glanced at her purple facsimile and smirked, "You're welcome to stay behind if you're that bothered."

"Psh, no way," Vita replied immediately, giving Octavia a dismissive wave of her hand, "You're stuck with me for life, baby!" she exclaimed, swaying over to Octavia mid-stride to drape her arm lazily around Octavia's shoulders as they walked in lockstep, "Besides, you'd be lost without me and you know it."

"Don't get cocky now," Octavia warned playfully, grinning at Vita for a moment before turning her gaze back towards the Longsword in front of her as they approached.

It was a standard Federation gunship, commonly referred to as a Longsword. It was a spaceplane with twin-fuel jets at the base of two short, rectangular wings, separated from the large body of the ship by stabilization rotator links which would allow the wings to change their rotation mid-flight. The cockpit started at the same height as the roof and ended at an angular point where it turned back and connected the cockpit to the bottom of the crew bay at the rear, with a raised door for both the pilot and co-pilot accessible with built-in ladder rungs on the side.

The crew bay was currently open with both of its side doors slid all the way backward, parallel with the extended tail and ending with the stabilizer wings. The inside was just tall enough for Octavia to stand in, with a row of crash seats built into the rear wall and several overhead platforms for supplies. She could see two turrets at the front of the crew bay towards the cockpit, one on each side of the ship with the barrels pointed out of armoured windows, and could barely see the indent on the back wall where a third turret faced out the rear of the crew bay through a similar sight.

This particular Longsword looked rough - its armour plating had visible welding beads between plates, and several of the plates were a different shade of green than the majority. The door nearest to her had a burn scar across the external chassis, ending in an armoured patch that presumably covered the damage. Along the vertical stabilization wing, she saw a white script that read L-771.

Several people were milling around the Longsword, preparing for takeoff. Amongst them were two figures she recognized; Captain Hale and Lieutenant B'roka Tur. They were currently standing by the front of the vessel, the Captain with his hands crossed and the Lieutenant making idle gestures as he spoke to his superior officer. Altering her course, Octavia strode towards the front of the vessel where the two officers were.

Noticing her approach, Captain Hale turned to face her, his arms unfolding as he did. The ryjax beside him stopped his gestures as he noticed the change, then with a glance over his shoulder he stopped talking and turned to face the approaching amaranthian with his featureless rocky visage.

"Captain Hale, Lieutenant Tur," Octavia bid, nodding once at both of them. She raised a loose fist to her temple in an informal salute as she continued, "Guardian Octavia Vita Tiberius, at your service," she introduced, letting her hand drop again as she did.

"Welcome aboard, Guardian Tiberius," Captain Hale responded, nodding curtly in response to the salute, "Are you prepared for departure?"

"Yes, sir," Octavia replied, hefting the bag on her shoulder for emphasis, "And I bring tidings from the Empire," she added as she reached into the side pouch of her bag and produced a large metal case. She held the case out towards the Captain, "The White Peace Device is in here. Have your technicians install it to your central computer, it's programmed to handle the rest on its own."

The Captain took the box in both of his hands, eyeing the box with awe that could be seen even through his veneer of stoicism. Satisfied by what he saw, he nodded once and tucked the box into the crook of his arm, keeping it close to his chest as he offered a polite smile towards Octavia, "Thank you, Guardian. This will save a lot of lives."

"That's the hope, sir," Octavia agreed with a nod.

"I'll get this squared away," the Captain announced, turning his attention to the Lieutenant, "Get the Guardian here situated and introduced to the rest of the squad. Make sure Flight Officer O'laughlin is ready for dust off in five - I want to be on the Scales of Justice before dinner."

"Yes, sir," the ryjax Lieutenant reported sharply, snapping off a flat-palmed salute to the Captain as he turned and made his way off to the co-pilot's door of the cockpit. As the Captain departed, B'roka turned his attention towards Octavia and lowered his hand from a salute to an outstretched offer, "Guardian Tiberius, B'roka Tur. A pleasure to meet you formally."

Taking the outstretched hand, Octavia couldn't help the slight shock that jumped up to her hand as she gripped the stone limb. She knew that ryjax were completely composed of rock, but it was her first time actually interacting with one, and the sheer unyielding nature of his grip sent a primal pulse of fear through her spine. Despite facing a creature of such natural brute strength, she bit through her fear and offered a practiced smile as her hand was shaken without an ounce of effort by the ryjax, "The pleasure is mine, Lieutenant," she remarked, forcing her voice to remain neutral.

"Let's get you acquainted with the rest of the crew, Guardian Tiberius," B'roka suggested as he let go of her hand and turned, ducking under the engine of the wing as he led Octavia to the open side door.

"He's nice," Vita prompted as she followed him along. She leaned in, squinting at the shirt he was wearing before a smirk crossed her lips, "You think the shirt being too small was an accident, or intentional?" she asked with a playful giggle.

Ignoring her companion, Octavia shook her head in amusement as she joined the Lieutenant at the side door to examine the crew she'd be working with for the foreseeable future.

"Listen up, Rednecks!" B'roka bellowed, his grating baritone sending a spike of shock down Octavia's spine which she had to consciously focus on suppressing.

The assembled crew immediately ceased their activities and conversations like a switch had been flipped, all eyes turning towards the pair. She could recognize three humans, young and fresh-eyed, and behind them was a quadrupedal reptile that stood six feet tall and seven feet long when on all fours. She didn't recognize the race, and in the precious few seconds, before the Lieutenant began speaking, she reached through her neurolink and pulled up a database of races known to the Federation.

It only took a moment before she discovered the file she was looking for; Xaxar, blacklisted. Galactic apex predators, ruthless and violent to a fault, conquered by the Omni several decades prior. She pinned the article for further reading and let her perception flow back into real-time before the Lieutenant spoke his next word.

"This is Octavia Vita Tiberius, a Guardian with the Royal Imperial Honor Guard here on Amaranthia-Prime. She will be our attache through Amaranthian space and has provided our operation with a device that will make rooting out the rogue AI a cakewalk. I must remind you all that she is not a Federation Regular - so treat her with dignity and respect. She is a guest of our squad, and I expect you to treat her as such."

"Yo, boss, come on! We don't really need to bring one of the natives with us, do we? I don't want her to shed all over Ricky!" the human male exclaimed, his face contorted into a permanent scowl that looked like he was perpetually sucking on a lemon. He was tall and scrawny, wearing a stained ripped-sleeve t-shirt that covered a tattooed body, complete with baggy cargo pants and black lace boots.

"Jace shut the fuck up, that's racist as hell!" One of the human females exclaimed in shock, slapping him in the chest with a robotic hand that started halfway down the forearm. She was stout with short, wild red hair that was visibly slicked with engine grease - the same grease which stained her tank top and the heavy-duty jumpsuit pants she wore. A jacket matching the pants was tied around her waist, and Octavia could see several tools tucked between her abdomen and the tied sleeves of the jacket.

"Ow! Alex, what the fuck?" Jace complained, shooting the greasy woman an annoyed look with a wide-postured shrug.

"Ignore him, kid," the other human woman proclaimed with a roll of her eyes, stepping forward in front of the rest of the group as her expression shifted into a small smile. She wore a deep blue Federation flight suit, her brightly decorated flight helmet looped around one of the utility hoops at her waist. Sweeping one hand casually through her short black hair as she extended the other towards Octavia with a charming grin, she offered, "Flight Officer Mackenzie O'laughlin. You're welcome aboard my ship any time, cutie," the human added with an exaggerated wink.

"I really like her," Vita remarked with a bark of laughter as she stepped up to Mackenzie's side, taking a closer look at her boyish features with a critical eye, "Don't mess this one up, Octy."

Overwhelmed by the various responses, Octavia stammered as she quickly took Mackenzie's hand on instinct, shaking it in a daze as she staggered for a response. She finally managed to settle on a meek, "Thank you," as her cheeks steadily turned red beneath her sandy fur.

Mackenzie's shake was quick and firm, and just like that she was gone as she turned around to face the crew, her cocky smirk never wavering from her lips as she pointed at Jace, "Next time you insult this beauty, I'm gonna vent your racist ass out of the crew bay and into space, baby," she snapped cheerfully, snapping her fingers together into an L-shaped finger gun.

"Yo, come on, you know I'm just kidding, man! I dig the space foxes, and I've never worked with one of Empress Tiberius's bodyguards!" Jace replied dismissively with a wave of his hand, flashing a dumb grin over Mackenzie's shoulder towards Octavia, "No harm, no foul! Right?"

"Not a fox," Octavia corrected automatically before raising her hand placatingly, "But no, no harm done," she admitted awkwardly, one of her ears twitching slightly as she lied.

"Minuteman Kelly, for that outburst you are on dish duty for the rest of this deployment," B'roka stated simply, prompting a loud groan from the human in question and a round of chuckles from the other humans. The only one who hadn't said anything was the xaxar, still hunched over behind the assembled humans with its head lowered so far that the blade-like bony protrusion from the center of its head nearly scraped the floor.

"Who is that?" Octavia asked B'roka quietly, giving a sidelong glance towards the crouching predator with a nervous swish of her tail.

"That is Minuteman Zuur'ka'ftl. You may call it Zuur, however. It doesn't speak much, but you will come to appreciate its efficiency in battle," B'roka replied, his featureless face shifting downwards to regard Octavia, "Bring your equipment inside, Guardian Tiberius. The Scales of Justice is waiting for us, and the sooner we depart, the sooner we can all return home."