Space Bunnies!

Chapter 34: Refugees

Yar called Bodi to his briefing room with the rest of his officers; there was he and four other commissioned men and women. The room looked pristine, with a wood oak table and comfortable tan-looking chairs that one might find inside an expensive high-performance hover car rather than a practical ship. They all looked at him as the doctor escorted Bodi to a seat at the head of the table. "Bodi, you understand that your brother is incapacitated right now." Bodi nodded, and the Captain continued. "You might be wondering why I do what I do. It's because it's simply the right thing to do... my species was once like your own. They were lost without DP membership. We were caught in the middle of four civil wars before the DP came to scrape us together. But they never did enough for us. When I heard about what happened in your world, how did they abandon you? I had to do something. Personally. For you and the other species who've suffered the same."

Where was he going with this..? Bodi's thoughts whirred. Could Kai have been right? Was this some ruse to deliver him and his brother to some zoo? Or worse? "I haven't been honest with you until now... my crew and I are not members of the DP." Bodi's jaw dropped; Kai was right?! No! Bodi stood up out of his seat and backed away toward the door. "Who are you people then?" He asked, looking between the 'officers' seated at the oval-shaped table. "I am indeed a retired DP officer— I was a captain. You have nothing to worry about."

"Was? You lied to me!"

"Only to protect you! My mission is genuine, and my ship is just... independent."

"So why'd you lie?"

One of the people at the table spoke up. A bunny-shaped robotic chiptonian. He was quite a sight; he did not wear 'pants,' only a uniform top; his color was emerald green, and he had light green accents across his body. Chiptonians were known for being emotionless. And this one was consistent with that itinerary. Usually, Bodi would've been excited about the prospect of meeting a Chiptonian— he'd never seen one before, and funny enough— Chiptonians and Omeocoon shared the same pocket of space; they were neighbors. "We did not wish to worry you." The Chiptonian responded.

"Yeah—? Well, it's just a little too late for that." Bodi shouted. "Why are you telling me this and not Kai? He's the oldest... I usually follow his lead."

"We do not trust him. And quite frankly. I don't like him; sorry if that offends you. I called on you because you seem like someone we can trust." Yar continued, "You're the more mentally sound brother. Kai worries us; we cannot trust him to keep our secret."

"But, why are you pretending? Why not just do what you do as yourselves?"

"Because the DP already has a solidified name that the galaxy can trust. People don't trust 'pirates'. That is a reputation that individual ships carry. And the DP doesn't like us... so they don't pay attention all that well out here." Yar started.

"So your idea of helping people is to lie to them right away? There's no point!"

"We do it for a reason. It is challenging to establish a solo game out here. Dynamic patrol is too large! They are unforgiving and very slow on the uptake. This ship has access to DP command codes so we can pass for a Dynamic Patrol ship. But in the event of a surprise inspection. We must fit the part. It's all just clever acting."

"So, the ship? Where'd you get it? Did you steal it?" Bodi questioned from his corner.

"Someone owed me a favor," Yar said, attempting to ease Bodi's worries, but that was not enough for him. He did not relax. "Also... there's something else I want to discuss. It's about Kai."

Bodi interrupted, "What did you do to Kai?"

"He did it to himself!" Yar's words hung in the air as Bodi's concern deepened. "What do you mean he did it to himself?" Bodi demanded, anxiety etching his face.

Yar sighed, the weight of his revelations heavy on his shoulders. "We found him snooping around one of the computer control junctions. We've apprehended him now, but we are risking our mission."

Bodi's eyes narrowed, disbelief mixed with worry. "Did you lock him up?"

Yar hesitated before answering, "I needed to ensure the crew's safety and the mission; I had no choice."

"Did you lock him up?" Bodi emphasized again.

Yar's mind raced between concern for Bodi and distrust toward Kai. "Yes, I didn't want to!"

"Shut up! That's my brother you're talking about! 'I didn't want to.' Yeah, right, he was right. I should've just listened to him!"

Yar threw his flippers up, attempting to calm Bodi's nerves again. "No, I'm trying to help him; he's irrational. But you're not. You want to be a scientist. I need a science officer. That's why I brought you here."

"I want to get off this ship."

"No! I'm not going to let you go! Not after all of this." Yar stated firmly. Bodi's frustration intensified, his mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. "You're not letting me go? What the heck does that even mean? This whole mission, this deception – it's all falling apart! I don't want to be on your ship, I want to go home!" With that Bodi quickly bolted out of the room. And unlike Kai he was intimately familiar with this vessel's schematics in a way that a shapeshifter should not be familiar. He knew that if Kai gave them a hard time, then they would never find him.

Yar's expression softened, realizing the gravity of the situation. "We can't let him go. He's going to warn his people!"

"Yeah, you think? I hadn't thought of that, Alara." Yar responded sarcastically, "Find him; he's not going to leave without the other one and secure our gifts in the cargo bay."

"Nacit is going to be pissed! We're going to fall behind schedule." One of the many fakers had opened up; Yar did not respond immediately. He paused for thought first, which allowed someone else to speak. "What is so special about Bodi and the other one anyway? We have 40 others in the cargo bay awaiting for their indentured servitude."
"Because Chespin. He's unique or something; Nacit asked for these by name—something about their DNA. Just do what I tell you to and find the other 'Space Bunny' before he ruins everything!"