In the s.h.i.+pwreck, there was a docking bay.

And in the docking bay was a smaller craft. There were also lots of rodents around, plus a big snake underneath, so Remian was careful to tiptoe his way in without disturbing anyone too much. Several mice-lizard creatures complained anyway, but did not do anything to disrupt his sneaking.

"Is there a way in…?" Remian examined it, but that ovoid shape just sat there like the stone everyone else had mistaken it for.

No visible doors or windows… lots of etchings and lines and markings that could actually be openings, of a sort… but none that Remian knew how to open or trigger. Hmm…

All around him, Psionic Emanations echoed, like signboards of a language he could hardly make out. If he wasn't certain before, he was sure now; the fellows who built this s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p were strong Psionics and Psionics were part of this s.h.i.+p's design and function. Maybe it worked as a control mechanism, so that people could fly it with their thoughts alone? But then, what happened when someone's thoughts strayed? That would be so dangerous…

That could also be why the s.h.i.+p crashed…

Shaking his head and ditching speculation, Remian examined the docking bay, wondering if there was some sort of key kept nearby he could use to access the vehicle.

There were rodents. Lots of them. There were nests, and eggs, and…

Wait. Remian frowned. One particularly large egg looked very much out of place in that rodent's nest. In fact, it didn't look like the other eggs in it. It looked like…

An alien egg?! Remian gulped, but then shook his head. No way. Nothing alive could have survived this long. At best, it was just a dead alien egg, fossilized over time.

He eyed it, picked it up, sniffed it, tapped it and listened to the clinking sound of his fingertip against what felt like stone, and swept his Psionic senses over it, just for practice…

"Bo-beep!" with a whirring sound, the egg came to life. It began to float in the air on its own as Remian backed away hastily. Two arms opened out to either side, and a sudden light blinked on at its back. The ring of light hovering in the air an inch behind it started whirring, and Remian felt something… some sort of energy flow…

There was a shower of sparks, and then the little armed orb fell a couple of feet before catching itself in mid-air and stabilizing slowly. That ring of light slowed, everything the egg did slowed, and then it carefully turned to Remian. "Meikwo zagugb rnusi?"

"Uh… what?" Remian's mind was in a whirl, trying to comprehend the thoughts of the flying orb rather than the words themselves.

"Zub-zub." The orb said politely.

Ah. It was asking for orders. This...o...b..seemed to be happy, even eager to serve him.

"Can you tell me what you are? Where you're from?" Remian asked.

There was a pause. More weird sounds came out, but sensing the thoughts of the orb, Remian could barely make out a few concepts.

First, it was a constructed device meant as a sort of smart tool.

Second, it was made in a very, very big factory belonging to a group of elite crafters.

Third, if he wanted to buy more of this model of utility drone, he could contact his local Interstellar Exchange Center. All new units came with a three Nsubain Years' guarantee. Payment by installments is possible.

"Right…" Remian felt like the world was slowly tilting to one side and spinning slowly. Concepts and thoughts were swimming around in a confusing haze. He needed time to adjust, but the important thing was, this utility drone was friendly toward him and wouldn't harm him. He could afford to sit down and take things slow. "Uh… why don't you… just do whatever you want…?"

"Nsu!" the drone said happily, and zipped around, sending waves of light in every direction, and then carefully began to examine the vehicle with several beams that swept over various surfaces. "Dwuoi enismi noteu!" [Repair shuttlecraft?]

"Uh… sure…" Remian allowed.

Psionic Resonance flared. Emanations swept out from the little orb, trying to make contact with the shuttle. But the shuttle remained silent, immobile. Dead.

Unperturbed, the drone let out a few more scanning beams, then zipped away to a larger stone not too far from where Remian sat and then let out a much stronger, much hotter and coherent beam of light.

"Whoa!" Remian backed away hastily. That…! Was that a weapon?!

His thoughts went out to the drone and it replied.

No, actually, that was just its cutting tool… and it was proving insufficient for the task. [Could you please provide me with energy?]

[Uh… I'm actually quite tired…] Remian backed away slowly.

[You seem to have abundant Psi reserves.]

Wait. It wanted Psionic energy? Not physical energy? Remian mulled it over, and then frowned. What would happen if his Psionic energy was drained?

[Rapid unconsciousness.]

So… he'd faint? [But you'd protect me if I was unconscious, right?]

[This unit's function is maintenance and cleaning, not combat. What do you need protection from?]

Remian glanced about. [Those rodents, perhaps?]

[Cleaning away the pests are next on my agenda after repairs. They will be no problem.]

[Great. Then I'll be counting on you to keep them away from me.]

[Keeping pests away from masters is a recognized basic function.] Orb acknowledged.

[Then go ahead. Take what you need.] Remian took the gamble and braced himself, hoping he wasn't about to make the biggest mistake of his life.

[Initiating Level 3 Psionic Link…]

"Ugaaa!" Remian suddenly felt like he was whirling in black empty s.p.a.ce with lights flicking everywhere, every light a thought, every 'where' a notion, and every notion an amusing concept of happiness because being programmed to be happy means always happy and always happy means more sales!!

It was over in a moment. Or at least, that was what it felt like. Remian opened his eyes to realize that they'd been closed and found himself staring at the ceiling of the shuttlebay.

Eh? Something felt different? Remian wasn't sure, but this place suddenly seemed just a bit more familiar, as if he was starting to understand what was what. He was even starting to make out the signboards. For instance, that one there said, 'No Wet Sneezing Allowed'.

Great. Fat lot of use that was.

By the way, that shuttlecraft? It was an escape pod. Plus, it was practically fossilized. Even with the the drone's best efforts, it was unlikely to ever be anything other than a decoration in the future.

Also, the drone was usually tasked with cleaning the shuttle, not repairing it. It just didn't have the parts or the power.

"At any rate, it's good we understand each other better." Remian concluded after a bit.

[Indeed. Now please stand back. You might get dirt on your clothes.] Orb warned.

"There's already a lot of dirt of me." But Remian stepped back anyway.

Orb suddenly drew together the Psionic energy taken from Remian and a burst of light erupted in front of it, forming a blade of energy that it quickly swept over the surface of the 'rock'…

Wait. That was a locker. Or it used to be. That meant… Orb was trying to take something out…

There were still things inside?! Remian looked forward to it eagerly.

Indeed there were. Sitting in the locker were six purple diamond-shaped crystals. Orb handily took one out and zipped over to the pod's fuel intake port.

Right. Orb was using the crystal to power up the pod!

There was a clinking sound, and then Orb sent out a Psionic Emanation. The Pod started to hum and then lights began to flicker around the lines covering it. Abruptly, the Pod opened up on all sides, from above, below, the front, the back, the left and the right. Everything opened up at the same time, and out came broken pieces of stone, a whole lot of dust, and about a hundred angry bugs.

Orb and the Pod communicated, then Orb turned back to Remian.

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[Repairs… could take a while.]