This is bad. This is very bad. I’m reminded of all the times I was sent to the principal office for some stupid shit I did in class. The principal always scared the crap out of me by saying that this will go on my permanent record or something. As a little kid, I was terrified. When I graduated from high school, I learned that the “permanent record” was something they all made up. Fucking hell. Wish I knew that beforehand.

But this time…this time something will go on my permanent record. At least, in Justine’s mind it will. After I tell her everything, I can only imagine the anger she will unleash at me. I don’t know if I should defend myself then. I might actually deserve it.

The Contagions are my creations. Granted, they now look nothing like what I had originally designed and built, but they are still my creations and thus, this world’s disaster is my responsibility. Fuck this planet. I swear, if there is a God or Gods or Goddess or Goddesses, they are just purposefully trying to fuck my life over. Just fucking kill me already.

We leave the bridge as the crew to come in to remove the deactivated Contagion units. They are gathering all the units in the engine to burn. As we left, I did see that there were probably around 10 or so deactivated Contagion units in the hallway and staircase. Damn…that bird guy was pretty badass. Fuck, now I feel even worse. I just watched his commanding officer take that bird guy’s life with great pain. Yet, it looked as though the bird did not have any regrets. His life definitely ended too soon. His fellow crewmembers had handled his body with great care as they carried him out to be cremated.

Sergeant Phillipe Feth. A name that will forever be seared into my brain. I will never forget the look of Jacque’s face as he stabbed his officer in the side. I will never forget the anguish at which Jacque charged at me, demanding answers. Man, I wish I had answers for you. I really do. Part of me wishes that you had killed me right there and then. Maybe that is how I can end all this and wake up in my cryopod. Wake up and get started on my true mission; establish a research station on Europa.

But no, I have to face reality. I numbingly follow Justine as she guides us away from all the deactivated Contagions and bodies of wounded Beasts. Every one of them barely glances at us as we pass but I feel as though all eyes are on me. I feel like I am approaching the gallows. I can almost feel the rope they will tie around my neck to hang me with. Fuck. Fuck all this shit. I close my hands tightly into a fist. I think I drew some blood.

Two hands squeeze my shoulders. I stiffen. Then I relax. It was just Volt and Blake. Volt and Blake…Thank you. I loosen my fists and let my hands hang on my side. Yeah, I definitely drew some blood. It hurts. Someone takes a hand and starts to wrap it with tape. The other hand gets the same treatment. Thank you, Blake. Sky lands on my shoulder and brushes a wing on the back of my head. Is it trying to comfort me? Cause if it is, it did an excellent job. That did help.

No one says a word as we follow Justine back to her room. I probably am sleeping in the engine room tonight. Don’t care. I just want to be away from everyone. And honestly, I really just want somewhere to lie down and sleep.

Justine stands in front of the door and beckons for Volt and Blake to enter. She then follows suit and looks at me. I sigh and I enter the cramp room. Volt has decided to stand at the doorway to the bathroom. His arms are crossed on his chest but I can see a fierce vigilance in his eyes. I notice that his hands are awfully close to his pistols. Blake has taken a seat at the end of the bed and lays her rifle across her lap with one hand resting near the trigger. I guess they aren’t sure how Justine will respond either and are ready to fight their way out. But, guys, please don’t. Enough blood has been shed by my hands already. I look at each of them in the eye and shake my head. They still refuse to relax their stance. Fine. Nothing I can do about that.

Justine turns and looks into my eyes. A hint of a flame lights up the corners of those dark, red eyes. Her pupils adjust to the darkness to the room. For awhile, nobody speaks. This is really uncomfortable.

“So what? We just going to stand here and play silent chicken? Or are you going to ask me a question? Oh wait, did I just lose in silent chicken for talking first? Yeah, I think I did. Fuck. Guess I don’t win cookies then, huh? I guess you don’t have to give me those cookies from this morning…”

The purple Daemon princess is just standing here in front of me, looking at me, and not saying a damn word…

“You know, this silent treatment of yours is really terrifying. Is this how you do interrogations? Cause it is pretty damn effective. That is, if you can your suspect to talk about what you want instead of them just blabbing to fill the quiet tension in the air. Kind of like I’m doing now. You should just hurry up and ask your questions. Otherwise, I’m just going to keep blabbing. Or better yet, I’ll leave.”

I turn and reach for door handle. No sooner than when I turned, a forceful wind wraps around me and turns me back around. Volt and Blake’s fingers both twitch ever so slightly closer to their triggers. Stand down guys. She’s just preventing me from running away. Again.

“Why did the Swarm name you, ‘Creator’?”

Sigh. And there it is. I did not want to hear that question coming out of that that proper British sounding accent voice of hers.

“I really do not want to answer that. Actually, I do not even know how to answer that. I don’t care what your bullshit lie detector says, but I definitely did not create the Contagion Swarm. Hell, I didn’t even know about them until I met you. But, I probably had a hand in their…beginnings.”

“….Explain.”

So I went into detail about our original mission. About how I designed the Drillers to help me set up the research station. About my shock to discover that the initial Contagions units looked like my Drillers. About how disgusting they look now and how I would never design something like that. About how we took off and I tried to flash Earth. About how I was forced into my cryopod, naked, and woke up on Erde. About how Sky explained we were hit by a solar flare that tore our ship apart. About how we encountered a wormhole and went through it. Hell, I even talked about Sky and what he is…well, that part Blake did the talking. But only briefly. Finally, I told her about how I encountered her and my thoughts and excitement of seeing an alien lifeform. A lifeform that is sentient and perhaps one of the most beautiful person I have ever seen. Although, that beauty part I may have mumbled. Hopefully she didn’t hear me.

Justine stood there patiently and quietly as she absorbed all the information dumped onto her. Through it all, Justine gives no reactions except for an occasional nod and the random questions here and there. Finally, we are done. The only sounds we hear are the groaning of soldiers in the hallway and the echoes of combat boots clicking outside.

Man I’m tired. I could really use some sleep. And why won’t she say anything? Oh wait, I think she’s about to talk. No, she’s just leaning against the wall and crossing her arms. Okay, NOW she’s going to say something. I think? Yep, she’s about to say something.

“This is a lot to take in. And very...confusing.”

“Justine, honey, you can’t be blaming my brother for the Contagions can you?” Blake gently asks.

Justine shakes her head. “No, I do not believe that shorty over there is capable of creating an entire race of monsters.”

She grins at me as Volt and Blake both chuckle a bit. Justine quickly wipes away her smile as I flinch ever so slightly. She may not think that I am responsible but I sure as hell do. And the Contagions really are monsters.

“What I don’t understand is how your Drillers have been on Erde for so long. The Contagion Swarm has been around for almost 1,000 years now.”

"Wait what? 1,000 years? We’ve only arrived yesterday!"

“Alpha, do you have any explanation for this?” Blake asks Sky.

“I do not, Creator. But I do have a theory.”

“Share it, Alpha.”

“When the solar flare hit us, it caused all our systems to fail. In order to preserve your lives, I detached the rest of the ship from the cryopods. At that moment, the wormhole appeared and the parts of the ship that I had detached, fell in. We soon fell in after but I had lost sight of the rest of the ship. I believe that the wormhole distorts reality and time.”

“Sky, you said yesterday that we were in the wormhole for what, 100 seconds?”

“Affirmative, Captain.”

“Sky, calculate 1000 years from 100 seconds. What do you get?”

“315,569,260 seconds, sir.”

“How many years is that?

“10.0066355911 years.”

“So, for every second we were in that wormhole, 10 years passed…”

“Affirmative Captain. Your deduction ability is impeccable.”

“Sky?”

“Yes, Captain?”

“I hate you.”

“Yes, Captain.”

1 second equals approximately 10 years. Jeez. Does that mean that 100 years also passed by back home? If that is so, then everyone we know, our friends and family, they’re all dead. Well, if they’re alive, they will be extremely, EXTREMELY old…and I will want to know their secret. Then again, there is someone who is already 106 years old standing right in front of me and she doesn’t look a day over 23 years old.

“Babe? Do you have the tools to look at those Contagion bodies closely?” Volt suddenly asks.

“I don’t have a proper lab. I’ll have to rely on Alpha to give me all the data. Why?”

“We still don’t know why they deviated from their originally directive. I wonder what happened.”

“Alpha, I need you to analyze some of the Contagion units. If you can manage it, obtain a sample of active nanotechnology within the units but do not let them assimilate you.”

“Acknowledged, Creator.”

Maybe we can finally get some answers. Good thinking, Volt. Remind me to not steal your breakfast tomorrow.

“You were planning to steal my breakfast, Linds?”

“Uh…no?”

“You JUST said to remind you not to steal my breakfast.”

“Huh. I said that out loud?”

“Yes,” everyone says at once, including Sky.

“Well, shit.”

I stand there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. Shit, now it’s going to be harder to steal desserts from Volt now.

“No wonder my desserts always seem to disappear so quickly! You keep stealing them!”

“Okay, seriously. WHY AM I SUDDENLY THINKING OUT LOUD?!?!”

Knock. Knock.

Oh thank god. I open the and Jacque is standing there. He takes one look at me and his face hardens. Sigh. Great.

“I’m looking for Her Highness.”

“What is it Jacques?” Justine asks as she squeezes by me. Heh. She’s soft. Oh shit, she’s glaring at me. Please tell me I didn’t think that part out loud too.

“I have the casualty reports…Out of the 200 men and women, 30 wounded but did not get infected and 3 dead.”

“Did any get taken by the Swarm?”

“No, Highness. We were fortunate in that regard.”

“I see. Good.”

“Highness…we’re about to burn the three that fell. Will you join us for the funeral?”

“Yes,” Justine says gloomily as she leaves. I grab her arm without thinking, causing her to stop and turn her head. Jacque’s hand twitches towards his back where his spear was strapped, his eyes turning harsh as he looks at me. I think he still wants to kill me. Yup. Definitely wants to kill me. Please don’t kill me. Please don’t stab me in the back.

“What are you doing to Her Highness?!”

“…Sorry. I just wanted to know if I may come as well? I…I want to pay my respects.”

“You WHAT?! YOU DARE TO…”

“Captain,” I interrupt him mid explosion, “I am sorry. I truly am. But I am not responsible for this. I know this but I still feel responsible. Everyone so far tells me I am not to be blamed but I cannot help but blame myself for what this planet has experienced and suffered through because of my creations. Whether or not you believe me does not matter. But people have died unnecessarily. They should have been able to live their lives to the fullest, not perish like…this. I truly and sincerely offer my condolences and my apologies. But please, let me at least pay my respects to those who have sacrificed their lives for the tribes…”

I bow deeply with my right hand closed in a fist over my heart, the same way I have seen him bow to Justine.

“…So that the tribes may forever thrive…” Jacque whispers.

“Captain Jacque,” Justine says. “Captain Lindsey spoke the truth. For all of it.”

Jacque looks torn as he turns away from me. I still have not risen my head this entire time. I refuse to do so. I don’t feel as though I have the right to look this man in the eye. This Captain who I had just witnessed kill his own subordinate so that he would not be assimilated into the Swarm.

“Do what you will.”

Jacque leaves and heads to door leading to the bridge or the engine room. Justine pats me on the head causing me to raise my head and look at her.

“Jacque will come around. He knows you’re not to blame but…”

“But he is suffering right now and I am a convenient scapegoat.”

“Scapegoat?”

“….Someone who is easy to take the blame for the shit that happened, whether or not he or she or it was actually responsible.”

“I see. Yes. You unfortunately are a convenient ‘scapegoat’ for him right now. But he will come around.”

“…”

Without saying another word, I start to walk towards the engine room. I’m assuming that is where they will burn the bodies. Justine, Blake, and Volt all follow me, not saying a word. I notice that all the crew members have disappeared and the cabin feels eerily empty. I’m guessing that everyone is in the engine room. It doesn’t seem smart to leave a blimp vulnerable right now but whatever. I really don’t care.

We enter the engine room and the first thing I notice is that it is ridiculously hot. The other thing I notice is that the room is huge. It is one big open space, probably spanning the entire blimp. I can see the engines in front of us in the distance. Towards the back of the engine room, the entire crew have assembled in formation. Some are bandaged but everyone is in full uniform. They look like they just came from a dress ceremony. Everyone has on a vest with all sorts of medals pinned on them and long pants. I see Beasts ranging from birds, pigs, bears, wolves, coyotes, lizards, and more. There is a stage in of the crew. Three bodies wrapped completely in blue are laid out on the stage. Jacque stands on the stage and face the crew.

“Private Jeanne Turf. Corporal Frank Mutz. Sergeant Phillipe Feth. Our sister and brothers. They fought valiantly against the Contagion Swarm. Private Turf and Corporal Mutz defended this very room from falling to the Swarm. Outnumbered, they never faltered and prevented the Swarm from consuming this room. Without their efforts, we could very well have been destroyed in the sky or assimilated into the Swarm.

Sergeant Feth killed 15 Contagions by himself, allowing the 4th Princess of the Daemon Clans, her honorable guests, and myself to successfully defend the bridge without fear of being overwhelmed by the Swarm. Without his efforts, the bridge would have fallen.

All three of them were infected during the fight. All three of them knew what that meant. All three of them requested one us to help them retain their sanity. We did as they requested. We allowed them to pass on with pride.

They sacrificed their lives for the tribes.”

“So that the tribes may forever thrive,” the crew responds in one, single voice.

“Do not let their sacrifices be in vain! We will continue the fight to live! We will continue the fight to retain our freedom! We will continue the fight to retain our sanity! We will not fall to the swarm! Remember their names! Remember their actions! Remember that they chose to sacrifice their lives for the tribes!”

“So that the tribes may forever thrive!”

“We commit these bodies to ash so that the Contagion Swarm will not desecrate their memories.”

At his nod, 6 crew members walk up to the stage and raise their hands. A stream of blue fire shoots out of their hands as they burn the 3 bodies. Jacque and the crew bow deeply to their fallen comrades. However, I notice that this time instead of putting his fist on his heart, the Beasts all have their fist in front of their heads with the left hand grabbing the fist. It reminds me of the way the ancient Chinese warriors used to bow to their superiors or to the Emperor. They remained bowed until the bodies have been burnt completely into ash.

As one, they turn away and start to disperse. Jacque walks up to us and stops before me. His face is hard as his eyes pierce through me. He takes a step forward and slightly bows to me with a fist over his heart. It was not nearly as deep as my bow was to him earlier nor was it as deep as when he bowed to Justine when he greeted her this morning. But I’ll still take it. I respond with a slight bow myself as he gets up and with a nod, he leaves without a word.

I stand around, looking at the crew members as they walk past us, trying to gauge what they are thinking. It proves fruitless as I honestly have no idea what they are thinking. Before long, we are the only ones left in the engine room.

We walk back upstairs and we stand in front of the doors to our room. I am unsure if I am still going to sleep in the same room as Justine. To be honest, while the thought of sharing a room with an extremely sexy, beautiful woman is enticing to me, I really don’t want to. I mean, I only knew her for a day! So weird. And it isn’t a one night stand either. Even weirder.

“It’s been a long day, Linds. Get some sleep.”

“Should I bunk with my siblings, Justine?”

“No. It will be more spacious for everyone if you sleep in my room instead.”

“….Fine.”

Volt and Blake enter their room without a word. Sky takes flight and finds a perch near the ceiling of the cabin. That now leaves me to stand out in the main cabin area with Justine, alone. Well, not exactly alone. The Beast crewmembers have started to go back to their duties as the gun crews man their guns again. Most are going back to their quarters to get some rest. I don’t blame them. I am just as tired, probably even more so than them. Sighing, I open the door and enter the room. I get on the ground and grab my sleeping bag. Just as I am about to open it and spread it out on the cramped floor space, Justine speaks up.

“What are you doing?”

“Making dinner and having a tea party with the bugs on the floor. What the hell do you think I’m doing?”

“Sleep on the bed.”

“I can’t let you sleep on the floor.”

“I am also sleeping in the bed.”

“…”

“Why are you hesitating?”

“Is this normal on Erde?”

“Yes.”

“We’re not having sex, right?”

“NO!”

“Good. Thank you, but I’m still perfectly fine with sleeping on floor.”

“…”

“I’m serious.”

“You said I was the most beautiful person you ever saw.”

“…You heard that?”

“Yes. And just now you had muttered that I was ‘an extremely sexy, beautiful woman.’”

“…This is why I need to sleep. I’m starting to voice my inner most thoughts. What does any of that have to do with me sleeping in the bed?”

“I am feeling kind. Get in the bed, Little Princess.”

“Fuck you, small tits. Not fuck you literally of course. I mean figuratively.”

“Sigh. I’ll make you more cookies in addition to the ones I made this morning.”

“Deal.”

I roll up my sleeping bag as Justine shakes her head at me. Yeah, yeah. I’m easily bribed. Get off my case. Just as I was about to get into bed, I realized that I am sweaty and probably covered in Contagion guts.

“You want to shower first or should I?” I ask her.

“You may shower first.”

“Awesome.”

I take off my shirt, not caring if she sees me. Why would I care? It’s not like I have tits. I’m a dude. Just as long as I don’t take off my pants. But then again, she did see me naked. Multiples times. Hell, she even stripped me.

“Yo, tiny tits.”

“What.”

“Why did you strip me when you knocked me out?”

“…Go shower.”

Laughing, I go into the bathroom, strip and hop in the shower. It occurred to me as I showered and cleaned not only myself but also my clothes, that the natives here didn’t immediately all hop in their own showers after the battle with the Contagions. You know, for a bunch of people so worried about infection from the Contagions, you would think decontamination would be on the top of their list after encountering the Contagions.

I guess once you destroy the core, the unit will not be able to infect you. I’m bet that self-replicating nanotechnology I designed is the cause of the organic transformations. Sigh. What a mess. Still does not explain why they have a core in the first place. I didn't design that feature.

I stand in the shower, letting the water wash over me even though the water is freezing. Seriously, they have plumbing but they haven’t figured out how to change the temperature of the water? Come on. It’s not that hard. Okay, I don’t know how it works either. But I’m sure there are people smarter than me on this planet who could figure it out.

Suddenly the water heats up and I yelp in surprise.

“Water isn’t cold now, right little one?”

“DAMNIT! Give a guy a warning next time you flat chested bitch!”

I really need some sleep. This whole thinking out loud shit is getting me into all sorts of trouble. I finally turn off the water and dry myself off. I wrap the towel around myself and walk out. Justine has already started to take off her armor and clothes. Her back is to me and I can clearly see that she is wearing matching black underwear. Fuck…that’s hot.

She turns around and towers over me. Yup. She’s a lot taller than me. I squeeze by her and go to my backpack, searching for some clothes. I hear the bathroom door close and the water turn on. I find my clothes and quickly put them on. I am so excited to be finally be able to get into bed. I dive face first into the bed and sigh as I starfish the bed.

“Oh this bed is so comfy. I am going to sleep so well tonight.”

But, I do have to share the bed. Damnit. Whatever. I crawl to end of the bed that is up against the wall. This way, Justine won’t have to crawl over me to get into bed…Although that would prevent her from getting in. Actually, she would probably just set me on fire to make me move.

“That is correct, Little Princess!”

Fuck this thinking out loud shit. Well, can’t worry about that now. I’m about to pass out. I get under the blankets and close my eyes. I am looking forward to sleeping, finally. Now, no more interruptions please. I desperately need my sleep. No more interruptions. Sleepy time. Good night everyone and everything.

Finally. Sleep come to me. I welcome you with arms wide open.