Dr. Naskia Bass moved with haste down the school corridors, weaving in and out of congestion like a seasoned pro. She moved with a new feeling of confidence she had seldom the opportunity to exhibit — not because she wasn’t given the chance, just because she rarely had to. She owed that confidence to Niall, and she was eternally grateful to him for it.

She felt a great sense of gratitude for everything Niall had done for her, and often had to remind him that he too had helped shape her into the person she had become. Niall often spoke about how she took the time to listen and understand him. The truth was Niall had done the same for her, Niall had believed in her when everyone else had pushed her aside. All she had to do was look at the sweet young Kymie Abaforad. Niall might not have seen it, Kymie herself perhaps even, but Niall was having that same effect on her.

Niall was like that, an amazing beautiful, gifted man who gave people a chance! He may be condescending, arrogant and a little but full of himself, but he had a heart of pure gold. He saw the potential in her, Nonah and now Kymie. Niall didn’t like to admit it, but there were a great number of people who owed him the world just as much as he owed them.

Which was why this made Naskia’s blood boil.

Her fists were balled the whole walk, fingernails cutting painful marks on the pads of her palms. She was far too livid to notice. Every check and balance in her was screaming, begging for her to stop, to turn around and never give Keeran Leffen a second thought. Naskia hated people like Keeran Leffen, despised them to the core.

They took what they wanted, and they didn’t care who they had to trample on. Everyone loved them because they were confident and beautiful and popular, but really they were just horrible people. Naskia had been pushed around by people like Keeran Leffen all her life, but that was okay, she could handle it. But nobody touched Niall…nobody bullied him, nobody laid a finger on him!

Naskia didn’t as much push the door chime as she smacked and hit it repeatedly, pressing down on it finally and holding it down with fury until the sliding door opened, at the other end an annoyed dark haired woman with a face full of freckles and emerald green eyes.

Naskia burst forward, her right hand arose quickly and she dug her forefinger into the woman’s stomach, when she spoke she seethed through her teeth, her face beet red, her eyes narrow slits. “The only reason I’m not walking all over your face right now is because Niall asked me really nicely to let this blow over…and blow over it shall. But I swear…by the Emperor’s pretty brown tushie…if I even see you in the same wing as Niall again I will show you why I need counseling for my violent temper!”

“What the hells are you….” Keeran backed up, in part due to the painful jab she felt in her gut, but also in no small part due to the intimidating woman in front of her.

“No! No! Don’t talk…nothing you have to say matters!” Naskia spat viciously. She really was on the edge, she was shaking terribly from the rise in he blood pressure, and her skin felt warm. “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say! You got that!? You are a disgusting, filthy little brat and you disgust me! Niall doesn’t exist to you…do you got that? He doesn’t exist! You would do well to forget everything about him, because I promise you this, and remember these words…next time…next time I won’t hold back, next time I will tear your pretty little hair out and make you eat it!” Naskia shouted loud enough for people three dorm rooms down to hear her. As she spoke she moved forward, her presence pushing Keeran back until the taller woman was against the wall, Naskia dug her finger into the woman’s stomach and moved in as close as she could, until they were nose to nose…er..nose to chin…rather….

“Does any of this need reiteration!?”

“You can’t bully me you know…I could have you charged for simple assault…you’re a staffer, this is against….”

Naskia let out a rather bold laugh, one that sent bits of spit at Keeran, though in truth Naskia was so engaged she hardly noticed. “You talk about charges all you want. Both Niall and my father are respected members of the Imperial institute of Sciences. They both have enough sway to ensure you don’t get grant money for a rundown hotel room let alone a cultural study. They could see you blackballed from every reputable institution in the Empire. I might lose a promising position here but it’d be worth it. And it isn’t like my skills aren’t in demand.”

“Over a gorram human?!” Keeran spoke, with much less verve than she had before.

“Over my gorram world that’s what! Over the best man I’ve ever met! And don’t you forget it!”

There was a moment of silence between the two women. Keeran looked legitimately intimidated, the arrogant pride had melted from her face and she was left stuned. Her eyes were wide, her jaw mildly agape.

Finally Naskia let off, and pulled her hand back. “Now if you’ll excuse me I have better things to do!” Naskia turned on her heel, and walked with purpose out of the dorm room. She only had about twenty minutes left to eat with Niall, but twenty minutes with him was better than a lifetime with anyone else.

Keeran stood in place, her expression was blank, emotionless, stupefied.

Hedyn strolled into the room, he was munching on a sandwich and looking down at a mobile pad, his attention mostly on his screen. He spoke with a half-mouthful. “So that went well then.” There was a highly amused tone hidden in his voice behind a safety wall of placidness.

Keeran didn’t respond, she looked to her friend and dorm mate for a moment. “Just shut up Hedyn.” There was no passion in her voice, there was no clever snarky tone, just a very dull, frightened wisp.

“Incoming transmission while you were being trounced on, I let it go to voice as I didn’t think you’d want whoever it was witnessing your utter domination and ass reddening.” Hedyn snickered as he moseyed on back into his computer room.

Keeran nodded. “Who from?” Her voice was distant, like she was somewhere else entirely.

“Dunknow.” Hedyn shouted. “But the datacode is hidden and its voice only.

Keeran walked into the main room, like a dog with its tail between its leg. Her pride was wounded more than anything else, but she was also quite taken aback. People didn’t speak to her like that, and what made it worse, what made it terrifying was the truth in Naskia’s words. She could make those things happen, and all it would cost her was her job. It was clear to Keeran that was something Naskia was only too willing to surrender for the cause.

Keeran sat at her desk and swiped her hand over the screen a few times until her voice mail began to run through its messages. She skipped the previously saved ones until an audio-only recording began to play.

“Keeran, here is the information you requested. If I were you I would make sure your father never finds out about this. If he does, you would be wise to keep your mouth shut about where you got it from. Yvenna.”

Keeran swiped her hand over the screen opening the attachment that was sent to her, a flood of information filled her screen, but near the bottom were the contacts Yvenna left for her. She was beginning to shake off some of the icy chill that Naskia had left her. Things were starting to look up, regardless of the road block placed in her way by Drs. Freeman and Bass.

“Well, at least this is turning out in my favor,” Keeran sighed as she transferred the contact code from her terminal to her data pad. “Let the sneet have her wurm…this study will blow people’s minds!”

***

Naskia jogged down the hall. The time on her pad suggested she only had shy of ten minutes left for lunch. She had managed to sprint across campus, take care of business, and sprint back with time to spare! Overall Naskia was feeling pretty good about herself, the confidence on her face shone like the warning lights of a landing shuttle. But the sight that greeted her upon return to Niall’s office made her stop in her tracks, and melt like a gooey little puddle of cellular goop.

Niall was standing on the large, Titan-made desk, waving his arms in an animated style as he spouted of a series of complicated calculations laced with frustration and condescension. Kymie sat back in the guest chair and rocked back and forth, she was listening but she had a disapproving look on her face. When Niall was finished Kymie responded by shaking her head and pointing to an image on Naskia’s terminal. Niall gave his head a shake and laughed, making an ‘are you dense’ motion by slapping his hand against his forehead.

Kymie gave off a look suggesting she was mildly offended, and spoke back with a bit of confidence, laced with trepidation.

With them, in a unexpected but pleasant surprise was Loona Armac, who sat across the desk from Kymie. She had a highly amused look on her face and was leaning back in her chair, her arms crossed over her chest, her pixie cut black hair pinned down by a stylish clip, her thin lips curled into a grin, she let out a chuckle and slapped her knee when Niall fell back from the force of his own temper, and Kymie winced attempting to help him up.

Nonah stood off to the side and was on all fours atop the screen of Kymie’s data pad, busily swiping with her tiny hand over a few images. Her tongue was out a little; she was biting it in a look of concentration. She wore the most beautiful pink sparkling dress with white lace, and her hair was carefully tied up, golden curls bounding about her as she moved around with all the speed and purpose that could be afforded her, playing whatever game Kymie had set up for her.

Naskia simply stood back, taking a few of the precious few moments she had left for lunch to just admire her friends as they went about, unaware of her presence. Naskia felt a warm, tender feeling in her gut, and fought back the urge to cry as her lips stretched the limits of her smile range. These were her friends, her family…her world. Keeran was a selfish entitled snood, she had friends who attached themselves to her like leeches, she had associates who feared her because of her money, her influence, her position. But she didn’t have this. The anger ebbed away, and Naskia was left completely filled with an ooey-gooey feeling of happiness.

“Dr. Freeman I don’t think that’s right….” Kymie spoke, she was so serious and focused, as if this was the most important argument of her life, it was adorable! Even when she was trying to be forceful she was timid and meek.

“You’re entitled to your opinion woman, even if it’s wrong!” Niall shot back, he sounded amused, but also mildly worked up.

“Kymie the screen went off…how do I get it to come back? Oh and I like this game…can I play again? Kymie…Kymie are you listening? Kymie I’d appreciate it if you could do my hair again, I like how you do it. Oh and did I show you the dress Naskia made for me? It has white tassle and it’s made from soft silk.” Nonah went on, her tiny voice, while indeed small, filled the room with its presence.

“Nonah hon, let them fight. You know how cranky Niall gets if he doesn’t get his daily dose of ‘I’m always right so buggeroff’!” Loona chuckled.

“You’re all nuts if you ask me!” Naskia chuckled softly and made her way in the room, the door slid behind her quickly as she ran her hand over the ‘close’ button.

***

Darren was quiet for a moment, it took a gentle nudging form Pryvani to shake him from his daze, but rather than look down, the Titan lifted him to eye level, and looked to him carefully. Darren was sitting leaning on his hands, his legs outstretched, his eyes were downcast.

“This is the part of the story you likely want to skip right?” Her voice was soft, her eyes focused.

Darren was quiet for a long while still before looking to meet Pryvani’s gaze. She was an Imperial Senator, one of the richest women in the known galaxy, and 120 feet tall. She could buy people like him in droves…she owned her own moon for Christ’s sake! The woman could do what she wanted, and go where she wanted. The very idea that he was sitting in the palm of her hand recanting this story didn’t see real. None of it did.

“Ah grew up around old Money Pryvanti…my Granpappy was a bit of a Gentry himself.” Darren huffed a little, she was everything he thought she’d be, and nothing at all like he expected at the same time.

“Pardon me?” Pryvani was a bit taken aback by the change in pace, Darren’s story was easy to follow, but he always seemed to have something else on his mind.

“Ah’m no stranger to the lifestyle’a the rich and famious is what I’m saying…’n yer about as easy’t read as a blank book in a snowstorm!” Darren chuckled softly. Something was weighing on his mind, and he didn’t want to tell this part of the story.

“Oh?” Pryvani lit up with interest.

“Mmhmm. Mah grandparents were wealthy; ah always had a more middle-class upbringing. But, ya know we never hurt fer cash.” Darren shrugged.

Pryvani nodded, she wasn’t sure why he was bringing this up, but she had a fairly good idea. “Darren do you want to stop now?”

“One thing’bout you I don’t get though Perkiany. Most people wit’ money sit on it. Like a dragon on their pile’a gold. Not you…always thrown it ‘round like ya don’t even want it.” Darren smiled and laughed. “Dunknow why ah brought that up but ya know…ah like you ‘cuz of it.”

Pryvani laughed a little herself and gave her head a simple shake. She didn’t really know what to say to that.

“My family sat on their cash, never did nothing with it, not fer good or bad.” Darren felt a sick, dreadful feeling in his stomach. He tensed up a bit and turned away from Pryvani. He was stalling, trying to change the subject, it was awkward and out of place even for him.

“Darren you don’t have to tell me this part, I already know….” Pryvani resisted the urge to stroke Darren’s cheek and pet him. She didn’t want to do it because she saw him as a pet, she wanted to comfort him. But this wasn’t a time for that, she knew as much.

“Naw…I’m gonna tell it en yer gonna listen…cuz it has to be told.” Darren turned to face Pryvani once more, a determined look on his face.

“Very well, when you’re ready.” Pryvani nodded, and set her hand back onto her lap.

Darren took a deep breath and looked out into the water, the dull blue and green lights form the shoreline were visable, the water was black and calm, and the gentle rumble of the distant water fall could be heard. He could hardly see over the side of the boat form his seat on Pryvani’s palm in her lap, but he could see well enough. No matter how long he was away, no matter how alien and absurd the world around him became. It was hard to deny just how much like home Archavia felt, with out in fact, being much like home at all.

“In the ensuing weeks life went by kinda slow. Eyrn and Bedra got along just fine, they continued to butt heads ya unnerstan’, but fer the most part it t’wasn’t nothing.” Darren began, looking down idly at the fine lines and contours of Pryvani’s hand.

“Bedra introduced us to her friend Aisell Maris, a real smart lass with a chip on her shoulder. There was something about her that ah thought was off, but nothing ah could pin down. But she was nice, and got along real fine with Eyrn….”

“Not Twat?” Pryvani smiled coyly.

“Ah only caller that when she’s ‘round Perkeonti.” Darren shrugged.

“I see.” Pryvani gave her head a simple shake; she figured the same would be true for his constant but unique butchering of her name.

“Bedra invited’er over fer dinner like she said she would. This was’bout two weeks after the last thing ah told ya. So about a month after we all moved in together. Like ah was say’n, Aisell got alone real fine with Eyrn. They clicked right away’n talked through the whole dinner, ‘n then some.” Darren chuckled.

“It must have been nice for you to see Eyrn opening up like that, making friends,” Pryvani commented casually, she too was looking out onto the water. It was so nice to get away from people, form everything. She had precious few moments like this, moments where she was alone. Well almost alone. She peeked down to Darren, who was studying her palm as he spoke.

“Ha! It was a ball Perkyloni! Aisell’n Eyrn cornered Bedra like a sick possum’n really blasted her…never see no one argue as pasionately’n fiercely as Aisell Maris…the girl’s like a leopard…careful, calculating and deadly when she strikes. Real work’a art that one!” Darren slapped knee as he laughed aloud.

***

“”The no true Hoplite fallacy, Bedra! You can’t make distinctions between Earth humans and Empire humans!” Aisell was almost standing she was so animated. “Humans from Earth are the same species as Humans from the Empire, you can’t tell me that your citizenship OR personhood depends on where you are born, Bedra!” Asiell was fired up indeed. She wasn’t screaming, but the conversation had slowly become heated the longer the three Titan’s discussed it.

Darren was paying attention of course, but he was also stuffing his face in the process. The desert was stunning, sweet, sugary and tart. The pastry was flakey and buttery and over all made him feel like he was eating at a dinner back home. Only here he could have as much as he wanted; the simple slice Aisell had served him was as long as his arm, the pastry itself the size of a pool!

Degu and Tapp sat at the other end of the table, Degu between Bedra’s arms as she argued with Asiell. He was shying away from the conversation and didn’t seem to enjoy the fact that the Titans were raising their voices. Tapp was keenly focused on the conversation, like a feline. She didn’t even so much as blink.

“Don’t put words in my mouth Aisell I didn’t say that!” Bedra fired back. When Bedra Tae spoke, she spoke with her hands, like most of the people from Melpomene Reef.

“I don’t know, it sounds like you did.” Eyrn was the calmest of the three. In the preceding weeks the Earth-raised Titan had calmed down significantly, and was starting to act much more like the easygoing and mildly sarcastic girl Darren knew from Groom Lake.

“All I said was humans from Earth possess a different skill set. They have natural instincts that enable them to be more independent and innovative. Humans that were bread in Archavia and the colonies don’t have that same instinct…and it’s not just me saying this…it’s been proven! There have been studies!” Bedra grumbled and leaned back on her chair. Bedra didn’t get bothered much, but when she felt cornered she lost her casual tranquil composure.

“What studies!?” Aisell spoke up with a confident snark.

“I don’t know…scientific ones!” Bedra shot back annoyed.

“A species, even an advanced one can lose baser instincts…but that is no fault of their own…and those instincts CAN be taught. You can recondition even complex life…back home we have a word for that…we call it an education,” Eyrn said, low, calm, and with humor in her tone.

Darren nearly spat his pastry out and slapped his knee, he loved it when Eyrn acted like Eyrn!

“Don’t patronize me Eyrn! I’m not stupid,” Bedra narrowed her eyes and shoved a piece of Aisell’s home made pastry into her mouth.

Degu actually grinned a little, but suppressed it and shoved more food into his mouth.

“Bedra, suggesting someone is not the same as someone else of their own species simply because of where they were born is absurd!” Aisell fired off with gusto.

“Almost like discriminating based off the color of one’s skin,” Eyrn added as she licked her fingers from the sticky pastry filling. She was used to eating with her hands so Titan culture didn’t phase her.

“That’s silly who does that!” Bedra laughed.

“You’d be surprised. If you lived on Earth shortly before I was around and you were Human, Aisell could own you. In fact you’d be legally less a person than her based on skin color alone.” Eyrn shrugged.

Bedra frowned and looked to Darren for confirmation.

“Dun ask me Smiles, Twat was much closer’t that era than I ever was. She practically lived it. Well tale end’a’it.” Darren shrugged.

“Well that’s on Earth, not Archavia…and discrimination based off skin color and baser instincts removed by selective breeding are two different things. Besides if we didn’t look after them who would? My sister works on the Gyfjon under Captain Bass and she told me if it wasn’t for the Earth Restriction Zone the Insectoid hive collective would have seized Sol Terra, and Earth would have been strip mined centuries ago!” Bedra huffed.

“Having a responsibility to protect them and enslaving then is also two different things, Bedra!” Aisell frowned.

“Bedra, humans can be taught just as easily as any Titan can. Even non-sentient males can be reconditioned and reintroduced to the wild after domestication. Why then can’t an advanced life form like a human being do the same? We have a species back home, there very domesticated…but at the same time they’re not. We call them cats. They’re a lot like shaar’s with a little shorter body, no scary retractable teeth, and they have cute cuddly fur, and Darren’s a jerk because he wouldn’t let me have one.” Eyrn went on, talking OVER Darren as he spoke.

“Ya wanted a Siberian tiger! It would have eaten the soldiers!”

“These animals are quite docile and adorable…but when forced to live on their own without human aid, they quickly revert back to their instinctive nature with in a very short period of time…and I would have taken good care of it and you know it Darren!”

Tapp narrowed her eyes as she looked from Eyrn, to Bedra and then Aisell. There were lights going off in her head, and she felt the desire to say something. But her own pride was holding her back.

“Are you saying I am not the same as them Bedra? Didn’t you tell me we were the same? I don’t see how we can be the same and different. That doesn’t make ANY sense!” Tapp asked in a tone that was surprisingly diplomatic and inquisitive, but not without her own signature haughty heir.

The room went silent for a moment, Eyrn turned to face Tapp first, then Bedra and Aisell. Both Aisell and Eyrn looked to Bedra, Aisell grinned and sat back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest. She was very interested in seeing how Bedra was going to field that one.

“Good question Koranatappestrina!” Eyrn looked to Bedra and rested her elbows on the table, setting her head in her hands and smiling sweetly to Bedra. “Bedra?”

Bedra looked down to Degu, and to Darren and then Tapp. She had spent the better part of a MONTH trying to get it through to Tapp that she was not higher or ‘BETTER’ than Darren and Degu. She had battled with her, pleaded with her and struggled to get the tiny diva to understand that she was the same, that she was human too. But in light of what she had just said, she had no IDEA how to answer that.

“I…well….” Bedra bit her lip, she looked nervous now…cornered.

“Hmmmm.” Darren hummed quietly. “I recall you tell’n the good Princess that she was just the same as me Bedra.” Darren didn’t appear to be enjoying this quite as much as Aisell and Eyrn; he was even more calm and controlled than Eyrn. But Tapp had picked up on the hole in Bedra’s logic, and had the common sense to out her on it.

“Darren that’s different I didn’t mean….”

“Now hold on…ya very clearly told the girl she wasn’t no different than me…them are your words.” Darren took a bit of the blanket sized napkin and cleaned his mouth. “Now you’re trying to tell her that she’s not like me? I dunknow, she’s enough like me’t pick up on yer loopy logic.”

“Well it can’t be both! Either I’m the same or I’m not.” Tapp was clearly growing annoyed, she was tight lipped now and had a scowl on her face.

“Well you’re not better than them is what I was trying to tell you….”

“So are they better than me?” Tapp asked, looking to Darren in mild disgust. “I don’t think he’s that much better than me at all…I beat him at the tower every time…and I look much prettier!” Tapp huffed.

“That you are Princess…that you are!” Darren laughed.

“Bedra, that is a very good question…is Koranatappestrina better than Darren? Or is Darren better than Koranatappestrina?” Aisell asked, coyly.

“I don’t like this word ‘better’…I never suggested Earth-born humans were better, just smarter and better able to survive on their own.” Bedra regained her composure squirmed in her chair.

“I’m smart too!” Degu spoke up, annoyed.

“Yes I know hon – I never said you weren’t!” Bedra looked down, stroking her human gently on the back.

“But you said Darren was smarter!” Degu said, narrowing his eyes.

“No hon, you don’t understand…let us talk please.” Bedra sighed.

“Why can’t he talk too?” Eyrn asked, catching Bedra in a corner.

“He doesn’t understand what we are talking about Eyrn.” Bedra sighed.

“Degu, hon…do you know what we are talking about?” Aisell looked down gently with a smile.

“Yea, I’m not dumb!” Degu replied with a proud tone.

“Guys leave him alone okay….” Bedra spoke up in defense.

“Would you care to tell us in your own words?” Eyrn asked, leaning forward a little.

“Well Bedra thinks Darren is smarter cuz he came from a different place…and Tapp thinks she’s better because she knows more words…and Aisell doesn’t agree with Bedra cuz of Luke…and Eyrn wants a cat.” Degu looked up to Eyrn for approval.

“I dunknow…looks like mop-head’s got it.” Darren chimed in with a smile.

Bedra looked down to Degu, she had known him for so long…since he was just a child. She truly thought of him as part of her family. She never often stopped to think of him like her pet…more like someone she had to care for, someone who was unable to care for himself. He wasn’t like a tupp or a shaar. He was so much more to her than that. She loved him, like he was her own family. But never took the time to notice how intelligent he could be, or that indeed he listened to everything she said…and it sunk in…his ears picked up everything.

“I…guys I don’t want…can we change the…” Bedra stood up quickly, pushing herself away from the table.

Degu looked up at Bedra with an apologetic frown. Had he said the wrong thing? He stood from his seat on her diner plate and frowned. “I’m sorry Bedra, don’t be mad.” Degu took on a worried tone.

Bedra gave her head a gentle shake and smiled, running the nail of her forefinger gently over the little man’s face. “Oh De’boo…don’t apologize, please don’t. You’re awesome, just like you always are. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Bedra smiled tenderly as she looked down at her human. His mood picked up the moment Bedra reassured him. It made her feel a little ill, she had such control over him that a simple sentence could make or break his entire day.

“Well? You didn’t answer the question Bedra!” Aisell snapped, her mind and attention was directed like a funnel so much that she couldn’t focus on anything else.

“Aisell shhh.” Eyrn looked to both Titan’s and then to Degu. Bedra understood, they had gotten their message across.

“Anyone wanna help me with the dishes?” Bedra whispered, making her way into the kitchen quickly.

Degu happily went back to munching on Aisell’s home baked fruit pastry.

“What? Why did you sush me? We had her!” Aisell sulked.

“She gets it Aisell. Trust me, she gets it.” Eyrn looked down. All three humans were quiet. Even Tapp.