Unipsi, lovely entity

chapter 5: friendship

The following morning Lis woke up as usual, but her room had changed. In the corner of her view there was a covered black entity. So it was not a dream. Idra was sleeping like a log in her bed. She was facing the wall so her back was toward Lis. The fact that she was all curled up made her look even smaller in the massive bed. I guess, I should wake her up, but first bathroom time. After using the toilet Lis approach the sleeping creature. The suit blocked all sound from going out.

“hey, it’s morning wake up” and then she touched her a little. Idra moved a bit and reply

“Natrix, let me sleep.”

“I’m not you maid robot, wake up or I drag you out of it.” Something triggered Idra that jumped out of the bed to then recognize that it was not her ship.

“oh, yes you are not it. Are you going to be my babysitter all day long?”

“yes, so get ready that I have work to do on the main deck”

“yes, yes. Let me pee and I’m ready”

“I don’t care what you do in the bathroom just don’t use it for too long.”

“stop nagging me. I’m not you daughter”

“of course you aren’t I would have never risen such spoiled and misbehaved kid.”

Wait, why did she froze immediately, why isn’t she going in?. Idra was standing in front of the open toilet door. Her silence was really creepy, but then a heavy comeback.

“if I had a mother like you I would have turned gay just to be imprisoned and ruin your reputation.”

Homosexuality was a really destructive topic in leans society. When they were dying it was illegal. Everybody had to work to save the species, no exceptions. Homosexuals were seen as a mortal sickness that could infect the youngers so those who unfortunately “had such sickness” were terminated. Nowadays leans put a lot of importance into having children and so do their society. Until the end of the war and the extermination of their mortal enemy, the droxis, homosexuality was still a crime. For a lot of them it’s still a crime, but newer generations, specially those without right to vote think otherwise. To keep them at bay the new Liin decided to remove the death penalty for them but there is a really long way to go. Let’s say that if you ever kill you kid because the kid turned out homosexual there is no investigations, they will just mark it as accident.

Lis was part of the military, working for the most conservative and powerful lean’s corporation, such insult was not something she could let go. You crossed the line stupid bitch!

She grabbed with force Idra’s shoulder and started to turn her around but then she fought back. A light punch form the power suit pushed Lis away giving Idra enough time to extract and point her pistol to Lis’s face. Her helmet opened and her voice was furious.

“Don’t you dare speak about my family! You know nothing! You are nothing! So shut up! You are not better than me. You think I crossed the line, but you are the one that insulted my family first. You are the one who is wrong, and the one who has everything to lose. I have nothing that is worth fighting for expect my family so I will defend them. Now tell me why shouldn't I kill you. Dimmelo cazzo!(Tell me!)”

Idra was right, she had just responded to an offence, Lis was the one that started everything. The one who teased her and let things escalate. For the first time after the war, Lis was really scared. The expression, the posture, everything was telling her that Idra was after her life. If she messed up now she, and probably her crew, will reach Icar 3° in a body bag. Fuck I just wanted to scare her, to impose as the commander. I didn’t mean to do this. I guess the best way is to apologise. Maybe she will let it go.

“I’m sorry Idra. I didn’t know that you family was a taboo. I thought…”

“you thought wrong!. I don’t want to hear your excuses, I want a reason not to skin you alive right now!”

If lean’s could pee, she would have peed herself. There is something in the esterians that makes them particularity scary. Everyone who sees them angry can’t thing lucidly. Their existence generate a primordial fear as if the body couldn't identify them as living creature. To some extend it the same fear or unpleasant feeling that humans have when looking at autonomous machines. Your instinct can’t detect basic emotions and movement so in goes crazy. Idra was making the same effect but stronger.

“I was angry!. I was angry at you because you fought back. I wanted to tease you so after some time you would stop fight back and get under my control. I wanted to scare you. I…”

“Enough!” It’s over… it’s…is it suppose to take so long to die?

Lis thought it was the end of her existence but apparently the esterian didn’t agree. Idra putted away her gun and stare at Lis who closed her eyes in fear, she laughed a bit and then.

“that’s what I wanted to hear. Real and honest thoughts. However the fact that you even thought of controlling me is exhilarating. You have no idea how hard it is to control my urges to not murder you all and use your bowels to decorate this ship.”

“ha, haha I knew you were not going to kill me, I was just resting my eyes”

However her trembling body gave her away. She was so scared that she couldn't stand up.

“don’t force yourself. Just admit you were scared and if you could you would have peed yourself. You know I told you that story yesterday, but I didn’t specify a thing. While the city was burning I captured those that tried to escape. There was this couple, mother and daughter. I took the kid and set her on fire. I let the mother free. She jumped into the fire to save her child, it was useless but their screams where so beautiful that I recorded them. Do you want to hear them? Maybe if you do you will understand that there is no way to control me, you can be with me o against me.”

she is madness itself. I fuck up. I can’t bring this thing to Icar. If someone looked at her wrong she would impale them.

“so… why don’t we put all of this shit behind? Let’s start anew as friends, honest and trustworthy friends. What do you say?”

Idra extended her right arm toward Lis to help her stand up. Lis accepted the help.

Well maybe not. Maybe if we find a way there is some possibility to live peacefully.

“I would appreciate it. I’m sorry. Mine was a really dick move. I won’t ask for forgiveness what I did was too wrong to be forgiven. If it was my family to be discredited I would have probably done the same”

“see, we can find a common ground between us. You don’t insult my family nor the Founder and I don’t…”

Idra winked at Lis to tell her to say what she didn’t want to hear or discuss.

“I suppose I don’t want my family to be disrespected neither. If I may I don’t want you to joke about those sickos. If I only I could kill them all”

“fair enough, and I will forgive you. There is no point in hating each outer while in the end we are not so different. You learned your lesson and that’s enough. We are both really proud people from really proud species, sometime we need somebody to keep us in check. So peace and friendship?”

Once again Idra was the one to reach out for Lis.

“Yes, thanks friend. Now if you don’t mind let’s get going I have work to do”

“give me a bit, I still need to pee”

Lis was waiting outside, sat on her bed. Her mind was immersed in all kind of thoughts.

I can see why she was angry. If it was me I would probably tried to smash the skull of the offender. I have no idea if her family is alive or not, but considering that she has always worked alone they are probably dead. If my sister would have been dead and someone would even dare to insult her I would probably try to kill even their family. I should apologise again. Yesterday she was the dickhead, today the roles are the opposite. Fuck I feel like shit, she is even trying to befriend me after what I have done.

She decided to start a new conversation to then use it to apologise again.

“how is it, I mean peeing.”

“it’s satisfying. When your bladder is full you have a strange sensation that can become a light pain. You feel heavier and when you release it, all of that goes away. So I would probably say that I like to pee.”

“that’s is a strange thing to say”

“not as strange as asking how it feels to pee”

the both laughed a bit and then Lis continues.

“well I was curious, my species don’t have a bladder but everybody else seems to have one.”

“I could ask you the same thing. How is it to pee from your anus”

“technically we don’t pee from it. Water and food are processed in a slimy substance and then we eject it. But I probably would say the same. While inside you can feel the slime moving with you and slowing you down.”

“see we are not that different. Well my organic waste don’t have perfume added in it but it’s not that different.”

As Idra said so she got out of the bathroom and took her data pad.

“well let’s go, I will follow you”

“before we go, I reflected a little bit, I have to apologise again. I suppose you family is dead. If mine was too and someone insulted them I don’t think I would ever be able to stop like you did.”

she then kneel down toward Idra.

“I ask again for you forgiveness, I have…”

“get up. I can sense you guiltiness, I can feel and see your regret I don’t need more. From now on just consider us equal.”

“I will do it”

the girls then proceed to walk toward the main deck, but Lis had other questions, this time about the Founder.

“the Founder that you said before, is he the same that the humans call the worst tyrant ever existed and don’t even pronounce his names?”

“yes, why did you ask?”

“to make sure and also because I’m curious once again.”

“didn’t you agreed to not try to get esterians informations?”

“yes, so I won’t force you nor ask for details. However I want to know if he was really the monster that humans says. Because I think he wasn’t. I don’t know much but by looking at the shared history I can tell that he did what was necessary to fix the humans and prepare them for space. Do you agree with me Idra?”

“he was a genius. All humans space knowledge was thanks to him. But as many genius the was born in the wrong time. Most think of him as a monster without compassion but he wasn’t. He was always ready to go in first, as a true leader, to protect us. I won’t tell you more, it’s...”

“you have told me enough. I just wanted to confirm my doubt, not extort you informations. From now on I what to be friend and friend trust each other and count on each other when it’s needed. If you ever want to tell me more, I’m here but I will be here even if you don’t”

Lis smiled at Idra, it was the first sign of a newborn friendship which results no-one could have predicted.

The two friend reached the main deck. Lis as the commander started her routine work. Looking for problems with the ship and finding solutions. Meanwhile Idra was reading books on her data-pad. There where no sensible books on it. Nothing that a non lean should know. Idra was totally absorbed by the pad that she didn’t even notice that she stool a bottle from the desk near her. I wonder what she is reading with such focus. She didn’t even sense that the crewmember beside her is trying to get back her bottle of water.

Less then an hour before lunch time, Idra move from her position to Lis’s commander position.

“Do you have the second volume of ‘the extermination war’ by Kiria Vloval?” she then pointed at her pad to show what she was referring too. In normal conditions it was a common request but the book was and historical text book, not a novel.

“do you know that what you just read isn’t a novel but the record of an historical event happened 12 years ago?”

“oh. Was there a war? I thought it was a fun book, especially because she also spoke about my kind for a bit. Then when will you make a sequel? Like a second extermination war?”

“are you gone insane? You want a war to then read it in a book?”

“well it may be insensible from your prospective, but there will be new wars to fight. I just wanted to know if a new war was about to start so I could prepare for a sequel”

“some time you logic and cynicism frighten me. But how could somebody like you, who knows a lot of things, don’t know about that war?”

“it’s a long story. A story that a can’t narrate to others, atleast not now. But to sum it up, I lived in a remote place. So I know almost nothing about currently political conditions.”

“I guess I will point you to some books so you can read it yourself, and maybe I will teach you a little”

At such words, Idra jumped super close to Lis face, all exited, like a kid who sees a playground.

“will you really teach me!? I can even ask questions? Can I also have a notebook and maybe a pen, a physical one?”

I, I don’t understand. Is this some sort of act to trick me again like the good night contract? Maybe I should ask first”

“are you trying to make a new contract with me to get informations?”

“would you mind if i whisper it in you ear?”

“no, go on”

Idra moved closer and opened the mouth zone of the helmet. Her lips almost in contact with Lis’s ear. Her voice was soft with a little tone of embarrassment.

“I had no school, no-one ever taught me anything. I never had a notebook nor a pen. I never had a school test nor a desk. I learned everything using a computer. Don’t get me wrong, my family was amazing but some really destructive problems stopped me to have such basic things. I could hear stories about it, but never had a school like experience. I’m just happy, you won’t take back your words right?”

then she close her helmet and moved back to stand in front of Lis.

So she is just happy. This is the first happy esterian ever seen in history and it’s happening in front of my own eyes. How could I take back my words now. Also if she has more knowledge the risk of her making a mess lowers so a win-win situation.

“don’t worry my friend. I won’t take it back. We will have a lot of time before reaching Icar 3°. I will be able to teach you only some basic things but I will try”

Idra nodded back and returned to her seat with a some what joyful aura. But she was the only one seeing it. To the rest of the crew it looked like a back and forth conversation between two conflicting creatures. Lis knew how esterians works and knew that she is considered a friend, Idra’s normal tones and posture doesn’t scare her any longer. However to external eyes that peaceful conversation looked like a verbal heavy fight with indirect impositions and commands.