First meeting

He sniffled. - M-my name is Matzi, I was born in Sagalanation. Master brought me from there. I don't know why. When I do bad things, Master puts wires in me-

I grimaced slightly, as he began to explain in an almost innocent manner how he was basically a lab rat, explain every gruesome procedure and his usual condition, how he hated the sound of running water because of how that often was a precursor to the testing, but that he promised he would be good from now on. It was heartbreaking. The AI thankfully confirmed that he had a clean bill of health. "Can we let him out now?" I asked, rubbing at my eyes.

"... Yes we can...“ I said, pausing after a minute. " Matzi, we are going to let you out now, but you need to be quiet okay? I promise you will be kept safe, but I need you to listen to me okay?" I replied via my tablet, unlocking the area, and releasing his restraints.

"I'd like to kill the man who did this to him... No one should have to go through that... " I grumbled, having had the translation played to my headset as I turned away from him to look over at Mint." You're better at dealing with people, I'll let you handle this. The AI need anything else?"

Matzi nodded, shyly walking away from the compartment, holding his hands up to his chest, and stood awkwardly between us, looking at us, wide eyed and clearly still nervous. "The AI said that it can contain the creature for a few months as is. After we leave it can properly lock down and become inaccessible to anyone but Rayans equipped with what is needed to maintain the facility, including at least one historian," I explained, before offering my hand to Matzi. -We will make sure they don't do things to you anymore, he promised, I promise, and the man at the feed station promises.- "Dane. Promise you will keep Matzi safe."

"No problem."

"Say -I promise- while looking at him."

He grumbled for a moment before complying.

I slowly approached Matzi before finally picking him up. "I guess for the sake of safety we'll have to leave. I guess the best we can do with what we know is passively monitor the area so we can be alerted to when, if, Rayans regain access to this place."

(How old is Matzi?)

"Well, given how long Matzi would have had to be here, even asleep, that means they should show up sooner rather than later. Let's leave them a note or something telling them about us, that they know where to find us. I'm sure that you were of great importance to them to go through the kind if hoops they did to get you hidden on earth..." I said, pausing for a moment.

"Ask the AI if it has any records on his eating habits or health needs. The ship AI won't know what to do with him, and I have a feeling that he will be with us for some time. " I said frowning slightly. "That and any rules of social engagement. I'd rather not be caught unawares of how to act around them like I was with the Royals... I'm sure they will end up wanting to know why I have traces of Rayman meddling in my DNA... And I want to know what could have possibly given them the thought that harming a kid was okay..." I said, and set down my bag to dig around for something.

Pulling out a spare headset, I synced it to her tablet and set up a rough program after a few minutes of rapid coding. After double checking, I handed it to her with a grunt. "Get him to put that on. It will translate his Rayan to English and back over the coms we have, roughly until I can get a more... Adept situation in place. That way he isn't terrified of the foreign aliens who don't speak his language..." I said, smiling hesitantly at the boy.

(He's 12, but due to malnutrition he seems more like an 8 year old.)

I frowned when I couldn't get anything on Matzi, as unregistered apparently meant slave kept in a secret room in the basement that no one knew about. Poor darling. However, it did comply with updating me with information that could be released to an 'unregistered historian with insufficient backing' which did so with a loud, enormous device that looked like a dangerous gun that lowered from the ceiling, only making a load of racket to produce a small bubble, that slowly drifted downward and landed on my hair, where it sat momentarily before popping with a small puff of sparkles. I didn't feel anything immediately, so I assumed it would come to me later.

"Whoever did this seemed to want what he was doing to Matzi to be kept off the books. I certainly hope that he was the exception and not the norm when it comes to Rayan ethics," I said, before taking the headset. -This is so you can understand what we say. It won't hurt you,- I said, before he quickly put it on without hesitation, much to my surprise.

-I know I can trust you. The historians of this colony were kind, they both treated me like a person even though they never recognized me. So if you're a historian you are a good person. He must be good too, because he wants to hear what I say.-

".... Even though im not the best of humanity, I try thanks to her..." I said simply, turning my head towards him after having watched the bubble with a wary eye. "That being said, whatever than man did to you, is NOT okay..." I said, obviously struggling to make an effort for the child in her arms. "I'm not good at speeches. Or talking. Or any of that. But if you need something, let me know, i'll try to help if I can..." I said, pausing for a moment to let the software process the translation.

"Have you eaten or drank anything recently?" I asked, after a moment to make sure it had finished. I walked over and inspected him closely, a scowl appearing on my features for a moment. "You seem to be malnourished. Muscle density is low, and are gaunt. They must have kept you here for a very long time without letting you move much, didn't they?... The kids in the Slums back home had this happen every now and then... You should be fine, just be careful alright? Ill help ya get back to normal" I said, slowly reaching forward to check his pulse on his wrist as to not alarm him, still hesitant on how to deal with him. "Your heart seems to be pumping a bit weaker than it should for someone your size... Do you know how old you are?" I asked, adopting a softer tone, similar to one that an adult would use with a lost child.

-Master puts a tube in my mouth and pours thick water into it in the mornings. Sometimes it has different colors. That's all,- he explained, shying up again when he began to check his general state of health. Matzo seemed to stare at the floor as he had his pulse checked. Maybe it reminded him of whatever experiments they did on him? There really wasn't a way around this, so it was a necessary evil. Matzi shook his head when asked his age. -Mmmm... I think im... um...- He looked at his fingers, twitching them momentarily, as if counting them. -10?-

I slowly stood up and was visibly stunned. To hide the current anger i was feeling, i turned around, grabbing some simple food to eat. Handing it to him as i shouldered my bag, i grunted, shouldering my gun again towards the door. Setting a data chip on the AI console on my way, I sighed "Let's get going, its gonna be a bit of a walk. Mint, if he gets too heavy to carry, let me know. Wouldn't be the first time I've had to carry kids his size." I grunted, checking the hallway again with cautious looks, still feeling very unsettled.

He seemed to have some trouble eating at first, probably due to the strange feeding strategy and having been confined to a closet for god knew how long- maybe a week, if the blackout was what had caused the monster to kill those in the room as well as taking advantage of the downed system to stow away a child in a government facility, judging by the state of the corpses. Kinda. I was assuming based on the rate of decay of a cat that had been tossed onto an empty lot that I used as a shortcut to school. He was eventually nibbling away at the snack, kinda drooling, but that could be addressed later. "I think I can handle it. Come on Dane, let's go before things get weird again."

"We are a group consisting of a Hidden Rayan, a genetically altered human, and a general badass, In the middle of an alien facility containing a monster, that we had to investigate after being picked up by a secret sect of humans and aliens due to said genetic alterations months ago, We found my probable father who abandoned me and possible sister he took with him and have them employed against all odds, on our ship no less, Discovered he had a hand in making said damn machine, and have found a child who was practically tortured in ways worse than even ive experienced. Because the world totally needs another mess like me... Yeah, What could possibly get any weirder?" I grumbled to myself irritably.

I then sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose as i lowered my weapon down with my other hand. "I swear to god... You know what would be nice? Some Rayans who could tell me what the hell is going on, and what the hell that damned machine was made for back home... That or some tea.... I really need some of my special blend of tea..." I said, looking both ways before fully exiting the room, glad to be on the way out. "Dane... What do you think the Captain is gonna say about the kid coming along?"

"Weird and unpleasantly dramatic aren't exactly interchangeable..." I muttered under my breath, before he asked the universe the answer for everything or a nice cup of tea. I then looked over at Dane, having not thought about what the captain would say about bringing someone who couldn't possibly do anything on the ship or contribute much. "Are you going to leave the kid if the Captain refuses to allow him to board?" He asked in response.

"I'm a lot of things Dane, and I've done plenty of things I am not proud of. I will not be a promise breaker, let alone to a child. I said I would keep him safe, I meant it. We dont know if there are more monsters like that one who did what he did to Matzi, that would kill to get their hands on a Rayan." I stated simply, pausing to look at the kid with a sigh. "I'll find SOMETHING for him to do on the ship, Like washing dishes or laundry and taking a small cut out of my pay and diverting it to him, if that's a requirement. If it doesn't fly with the Captain, I'll see what i can do at next port, rent him a place and teach him how to shop for food, hope we can drop by every now and then to check in on him... Hell... I would rather... adopt... the kid instead of leaving him behind..." I said, my tone a little shaken at the thought, causing me to pause again and sigh, looking towards the ground for a moment before continuing.

"It's what I had wanted when I was growing up... Someone, anyone, to keep an eye on me, keep me out of trouble, Clean, fed, answer the questions of the world that I had... Someone to trust." I said quietly, shaking my head to focus as I sighted around the corner, keeping my pace. "Would you leave a helpless, malnourished child in his state behind with the possibility of the bastards who did it to him possibly still out there? When he seems like he has NO understanding on how the world works and how bad things could get? You dont seem the type to do that. Besides, there are a few benefits to having him on board. He can speak Rayan. Fluently. his upkeep and health would give me something else to focus on instead of cussing out the entire ship and everything else between, and cause me to leave well enough alone so im not rebuilding and tweeking our engines at 3am at the earliest time it would be allowed. Education may be another item on that list." I stated, my voice level.

"But in short? No, i dont think i could manage to just leave him to his own devices. Even if that meant i had to go off on my own for a bit till i found a place for him, and then come back to you guys." I said with a grunt. "I dont think i could live with myself if we just abandoned him after we promised to keep him safe. He could get a grudge against us and it could come to bite us in the ass. Or we could take care of him and possibly gain the favor of the more sympathetic Rayans. Either way, I refuse to do what my parents did, just leaving a child behind with no warning or backup plan."

Dane listened quietly, not reacting until he finished his rant. "It was more a question I did not expect to be answered. I'm going to be a father soon, you know. If anything I side with the child staying in your custody, but the captain isn't completely heartless. However, it is good that you already have some idea to convince her to allow the child to travel with us."

"... I try..." I said with a sigh. "Sorry I've been a mess since this started... I'm having issues coping because this reminds me of some... Unpleasant memories. I think I'll need some time to myself once we get back. Then see if I can't get some form of counseling." I stated with a grunt. "I'm also not used to the level of responsibility here. It feels like in drowning sometimes, I'm so out of my element. Congrats on being a father though."  I stated, pulling a little further ahead of them, hoping the distance would clear my head.

Matzi continued to eat- and drool- but followed him with his eyes. He seemed to be absorbing the Information as it came. I sighed, but didn't make an effort to catch up to him, instead keeping pace with Dane. "I hope we get a short break from... events. If it's possible, if it isn't some imperative mission where I'm needed, can we just have, I dunno, a 3 day break? From general operations? Give him attention? Let Matzi get used to the ship?"

"I'm sure that as long as you provide us anything new you learn is logged, there shouldn't be a problem with that request."

"Thank you.... I suppose."

~

After a bit of coding, a teleporter was connected from a spare room to our room so we could check up on him with ease without sacrificing privacy. At first I was worried about leaving Matzi alone, but finally returned to our room late in the evening, according to the clock at least. I lied down on the bed, sighing as I sank into its comfort.

With a deep sigh and groan of my own, I lied on the bed myself. Keeping a rare distance from her to stay clearly on my side of the bed before rolling over with my back towards her, my gaze fell onto the small picture frame I had bought on a moment of shore leave. Inside was a rare photo that had been taken by Warning of me and Mint with both of us laughing, instead of my regular expression of disinterest.

Gradually my thoughts wandered to darker places, and I pulled it closer to me, my thumb covering the area I was in. Looking at the photo again, with me hidden, only worsened my current emotional state. ~I don't belong.
Remove me from the picture and it still looks just fine... It's not like I'm needed... She can do everything I can do... Better than me in most things too... So why am I here... Plenty of others would surely be more competent than me to be by her side...~ I muttered darkly to myself. Placing the frame so it was laid down, I pulled back my hand and laid it against my side, the other sandwiched between the two pillows that my head rested on. I exhaled the small breath I had been holding in, my attention drawn to the teleporter.

"Day really drained you, didn't it?" I asked, staring off into the ceiling, hearing him shuffle around. "Seems like almost every time we get off this thing some random near life changing event occurs, huh?" I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. "I guess actually adventuring isn't quite m6 thing, ha."

"More like this week... Or month..." I replied quietly, removing my outer shirt, leaving me in cargo shorts and a T-shirt. Standing up and making my way towards the bathroom, I sighed, staring at my tired, depressed expression reflected back at me. Speaking up so she could hear me from the room "Do you need the bathroom or can I take a shower?"

"Unless you want company, I can wait," I said, stretching and arching my back until I heard a popping noise, then slumped back into the bed.

I nodded silently in response, grabbing some casual cloths and closed the door to the bathroom behind me without a sign of embarrassment.

A little while later, I walked out without a shirt on, a towel over my head. "How's the kid?" I asked after sitting on the edge of the bed, noticeably in a better mood than earlier.

I sat up, glancing at a small display that i turned off just as quickly, "He's still asleep, his vitals are stable, he shows no signs of distress, all in all, no reason for me to check on him so often, this alerts me to anything that changes significantly, but..." I leaned back slightly, supporting myself on my arms as I hung my head back, sighing. "I am so hopeful he doesn't start thinking I'm overbearing... this is so annoying and embarrassing, he isn't on life support or anything that would require me to be constantly checking on him..."

".... Would you like me to make a device that pulses on your wrist to indicate his physical state?" I asked after a moment of thought. "It would make it so you dont have to check on him via monitor all the time." I said simply, taking a deep breath. "We both know that if he needed us, he would come get us through the transporter." I said with a gentle wave in its direction. "I spent all day giving him a tour, he knows his way around, and places he can hide if he feels threatened." I stated, attempting to reassure her, and myself, as I glanced at my wrist computer, having set it on the nightstand earlier to see his vitals in depth.

I simply reached over and took her hand without looking. "I think overbearing is kind of what he needs at the moment given his current state. Give him a bubble, let him recover, then step back and let him explore... That one kid i mentioned back on the planet, that reminded me of his situation? Her name was Sasha. Turns out, dad had been killed and she was sold to some bartender who got to drunk and died, so she ran away and ended up in a alley across from my apartment. I found her, and patched her up once she let me. She kept the office clean, and every now and then i'd do lessons when we both had time, help her get up to speed on where her education should be for her age..." I stated, letting myself trail off as I ran my thumb over the back of her hand.

"I'm worried about him too Mint. He seemed to do just fine when we were walking around after he asked to see more of the ship. I mean, he was tired, and weak. I had to carry him a good portion of the way, but i think he just needed to get around, explore, see more than his small cell. Stretch his legs and all that. But he was REALLY weak, and had a little bit of issues keeping the food I gave him down." I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose as i lay down next to her. "The terms and restrictions the captain put on my hands to let him come though..." I grunted, exhaling a breath I had been holding, letting go of her hand.

"..Nah. this is enough, it has an alarm, I just check it as if I were waiting for a text or something. I know he's fine, I just can't keep myself from checking. Thanks anyway."

He then told me the story of Sasha. He didn't exactly give an ending and I didn't ask for one, because I wanted a happily ever after where she got married to the nicest hot dude on the planet and that they had kids and puppies and singlehandedly defeated all conflicts through the power of love. Granted she was probably like 10 but I still wanted that future for her.

As soon as he let go of my hand I hugged him tightly, spooning him. Or was it more like glomping, I didn't really have the differences down. "It's not anything we have to worry about too much, is it?"

"Well, In shorthand... YOU dont need to worry as much about it as I do... Due to certain laws and safety regulations that the agency that looks over space travel and all that set up a few years ago, and given the ship class we have and what our purpose is in general, Children his age aren't permitted to be here on account of occupational hazards... unless accompanied by a parent, or parental guardian so they can continue the upbringing." I sighed, raising an eyebrow at her sudden movement and glomping me, but ignored it for the moment. "So, in the most simple terms, since I was the one pushing for his place here on the ship and will be the one spearheading his education and partially his recovery and that is on the ship AI's record that the authorities look over each time we dock, I have to be the one to adopt him." I said seriously, squirming a bit until i had succeeded in turning around so i could look her in the eyes for the moment, feeling slightly terrified.

"I... I dont know if i can handle that... I can barely manage to deal with the emotional brunt of knowing i have the entire crew's lives in my hands when im fixing the ship, let alone raising a child? I'm hardly the right person to be a parental figure! I'm only like, what? 12 years older than him? I am BARELY legally old enough to pull this off! I'm not good at handling that, let alone showing the level of affection im sure children need... I dont even have an upbringing to look back to for an example to follow..." I groaned, clearly worked up about this now, pulling her closer to try and calm down a bit.

"It's hard enough having to worry about you every time Rayans get involved, or your Echo's happen, or something else weird involving you happens, as you clearly saw before the mission, or when the Royals were here... But a child? I'm still a child myself in the terms of emotional stability... I'm terrified Mint, Terrified something bad will happen and it will be all on me... You're already so attached to him, and if he dies and i cant save him im worried you'll hate me... I couldn't bear that, You're the only thing that has kept me going so far... I am also terrified that I'll end up being a worse parent than my father..." I said aloud, whispering at this point, shaking a bit as i attempted to hold back the emotional mess I currently was, and failing slowly.

I started to trace circles on his back, sighing softly. "I know there are a lot of things that still daunting the both of us, but I'm not some bystander who will make you go through this alone, you know. I'm not super defenseless; neither of us are, not really. I don't really have any experience with children, but I'll try to make sure he recovers nice and healthy with enough of the basics covered so that if something happens, at least something nonlethal, he knows what to do, and at least won't be too terrified."

I nuzzled him briefly. "Sometimes we need to acknowledge that bad things happen. But you should know better than anyone that obsessing over them deteriorates health. As long as we have a plan we can work with in case something does happen, those thoughts should be left on the backburner. I know it's hard, but that's just the way things are. Just trust me. Remember I'm here for you and that you're not alone anymore, okay?"