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EXIOS, part 2

copyright comidacomida 2024

Sebastian grunted as he stepped out onto the barren surface of Rho IX, blocking the light of the sun with a hand; although the star was a good distance away, the thin atmosphere made it seem brighter... not to mention the long time he'd spent moving about in the darkness. Exios seemed to have no such trouble, picking the Human bodily up from the threshold of the installation and setting him solidly into the dirt. "Free?"

Glancing back and up at the large creature, Sebastian nodded. "Yeah... we are... now we just focus on getting back to my ship, and we can get off this dust ball."

Exios' ears went up. "Ship? Star ship? You... not from here?"

Sebastian shook his head. "No... I'm from..." he paused, glancing around until he saw the small greenish speck glowing in the sky, and he pointed. "Right there. Rho IV."

The experiment blinked. "Farlight City."

The Human was surprised. "That's right... I'm from Farlight City... though I haven't been there in quite some time. I spend most of my time these days aboard my ship."

Looking to him, Exios lowered his head. "Ship?"

Sebastian smiled calmly, reaching into his pocket to take the last hit of his breather. "Right... this planet isn't very healthy for either of us to live on, so we should get back to my ship."

The chimeric creature blinked, its ears widening a little. "Bastion not safe?"

The Human hadn't really concerned himself with the question, plotting a course back to the Mallard and pointed. "My ship isn't too far... just over those hi--HEY!"

He flailed as Exios picked him up, threw him onto his shoulder, and began bounding across the surface of the planet on three legs, galloping forward at a speed much faster than Sebastian could have accomplished on his own. The Human wasn't set down until he was under the shadow of his ship. Before the freelancer could offer up any objection, Exios stated "Mallard Mk 2, XV-SE..."

Sebastian was surprised; he didn't know many mechanics that could tell the difference between an SE and a LX just by looking at it from the bay entrance. "That's... right. You know your ships, do you, Exios?"

The beast shrugged, then nodded. "Yes. Know ships."

Realizing there was far more to his companion than met the eye, the Human had his ship lower the entry ramp and he made his way up. "well... I don't know what those scientists did to you, but I'm going to make sure that never happens again. The company I work for saves people like you... you shouldn't have to experience things like that."

Exios followed him up the ramp, turning his broad shoulders at an angle to duck down so he could enter the door; Sebastian had a female Cytkus aboard that was able to make it through without such gymnastics and it reminded him again just how huge his guest was. Once they were in, the creature rumbled. "People?"

Sebastian closed the door behind them and took a long, deep breath once the atmosphere normalized; he wrinkled his nose and moved his jaw a few times until his ears popped from the pressure. "Yes. People. I know the scientists may not have believed it, but you're a person... just like me?"

The experiment huffed, rising up from his hunched posture. "Like you? No. Not like you."

The Human smiled patiently, gesturing Exios onward before entering into his ship proper, taking a right so he could head toward the medical bay. "You were part of a genetic modification program. Most projects like that are heavily monitored and have to follow strict moral and ethical guidelines. People like you are welcome into society."

His companion followed obediently, keeping his head down to avoid hitting it on the ceiling. "Not like people. Men in white coat say monster, not people."

Sebastian scowled, finding that he liked the scientists even less. "You're not a monster, Exios, and you shouldn't be treated like one. We help people like you learn more about yourself and about others. We protect you and advocate for you because, like me... they want to help PEOPLE like you too."

Stopping outside the medical bay he turned to regard Exios. "Whether you want that help or not, that's up to you to decide-- you don't have to accept it just because it's being offered. Either way, we're getting out of here and, as far as I'm concerned, we're done with this place for good and you can go anywhere you want. You're free, Exios."

The experiment's muzzle twisted, a mix of emotions swirling across his face. Ultimately, Exios took in a deep breath and, as he exhaled, his shoulders sagged slightly; Sebastian could almost envision the creature shucking his emotional chains. The experiment's eyes slowly rose up, locking onto Sebastian's gaze. "Free."

The Human smiled, and almost laughed when he saw Exios mimic the expression. "Right... once we get out of here I'll send a message to my employer and let them know I found a survivor. At that point, they'll probably ask me to bring you in, but what you want to do is up to you... you don't HAVE to say yes."

Exios blinked. "Where Bastion go?"

Sebastian smiled. "Well... I was hired to explore that installation, so I'll have to report back, but you don't have to come with me if--"

The experiment didn't let him finish. "Exios go."

The Human paused at that. "Go? Of course you can go. Where do you WANT to go, Exios?"

"With Bastion."

Chuckling, Sebastian smiled. "Alright, big guy... well, you still don't have to decide right away. You can change your mind later at any point if--"

"No. With Bastion."

The Human stepped up to the med bay door but paused, glancing back at the experiment. "Really? You sure, bud?"

"Yes. With Bastion."

Smirking, Sebastian raised his hand to press the console. "Well okay then."

Before he could use the touch pad, Exios' huge paw came out and engulfed his forearm, rotating it around so he could pull it close for inspection. The beast sniffed at it lightly, scowling in apparent distaste of the scorched skin. "Bastion hurt. Why no make better?"

Sebastian winced as he was manhandled by the creature. "I only had so much medigel... you needed it more. That's why we're here at the med bay."

Exios nodded emphatically. "Yes. Help. Stop hurt. Make better. Do now."

The Human smirked. "That was the plan, Exios."

He pressed the button, opening the door to the med bay. The room beyond got an instant response from his companion, who immediately backed away, fur standing on end and growling deeply. "NO. Bad place!"

Sebastian glanced into the medical bay and paused, realizing that, superficially, it did resemble the science facility where Exios had been kept. "No... it's alright, Exios. This is not a bad place. This place will help me get better."

The experiment didn't move away from hunkering against the hallway wall. "No. Is bad place. Bad."

The Human reached out and gently rested his hand on Exios' arm, fighting back the wince when his companion's fur agitated his burn. "Alright... you stay here. I'm not going to make you go in, but I need more medigel."

Letting out a nervous huff, Exios didn't respond, and so Sebastian turned back around and entered into the medical bay; he was surprised to hear a large bulk shift behind him and, after a moment, the creature plodded in after him, fur still on end; an almost subsonic growl permeating the air. When the Human glanced back at Exios, the beast blinked, growl pausing for a moment. "Help Bastion."

Sebastian smiled. "It's alright, Exios... I can handle it. This room is safe; it's not like the lab you were in."

It took the Human almost as much time to calm the experiment down as it did locating his medigel packs and recharging the injector. When Exios came over to monitor him, Sebastian took the time to carefully explain everything he was doing, narrating the entire process so that his companion wouldn't be spooked or disturbed. He left nothing out, ensuring that there would be no misinterpretation. In the end, he must have done an excellent job since Exios grabbed the injector from him, reloaded it with gel, took hold of the Human's arm and declared "Help Bastion.", at which point he injected him with the medigel then, before Sebastian could object, grabbed the Human's other arm, and did it again.

Rolling his eyes, Sebastian reclaimed the medigel dispenser from the experiment. "I could have done that myself, thank you."

Exios' tail twitched, swaying back and forth in satisfaction. "Exios help."

Unable to deny it, Sebastian didn't even try to. "Yes. Yes you did."

Once his stop by the medical bay had concluded, the Human ushered Exios out-- it was a very easy task. That step behind them, Sebastian headed for the cockpit, clenching and relaxing his hands as he worked the feeling back into them post-healing. His companion followed obediently behind him, sniffing at the air. "Where go?"

Sebastian provided the simplest answer. "The cockpit."

Exios' massive frame filled the space ship corridors. Although the Mallard was hardly a small ship, it really wasn't designed for anything larger than a Gorumn, and Exios was to a Gorumn what a Gorumn was to a Human. Still, the creature managed just fine, his movements slow and deliberate to avoid causing any damage or getting his fur caught on anything. As Sebastian pressed the command console to open the cockpit door, Exios surprised him with a comment. "Mallard have two chair... Bastion fly alone?"

There were indeed two seats in a Mallard cockpit; when weapon systems or cargo bay operations were needed the left seat had the controls set out in front of it, along with some of the auxiliary system switches; the right seat was reserved for the pilot. After enough years, Sebastian had learned to handle it all himself. "Usually, yeah... but I've handled this just fine by myself."

Exios nodded and, surprising Sebastian, pushed past him, squeezed through the cockpit doors, and sat down in the right seat, his massive frame taking up most of the space and causing the metal bucket seat to creak. Not quite sure what the creature was up to, Sebastian was unconcerned that anything bad could happen because the primary ignition and system controls were not activated. "Having fun, big guy?"

The experiment ran a paw through his messy, dark orange and brown fur, claws extending slightly before retacting. Sebastian watched as the creature's eyes perused the control console, gaze lingering on the screens and controls before looking back to the Human. One by one, Exios pointed at different displays. "Fuel: Good: System: Good. Nav: Good. Scan: Good. No route... bad."

The statements surprised Sebastian. "You know how to read pilot instrumentation?"

Rather than reply, Exios made deliberate movements, unlocking system controls and activating the primary ignition. The chimera's large paws engulfed the control panel, but he managed to it every button exactly, fat fingers dancing across them as if he had been flying for years. A moment later the engines kicked on and the Mallard rose up several meters. "Exios helps."

Sebastian quickly slipped into the co-pilot seat, staring incredulously at his companion. "You know how to pilot a Mallard?"

He watched Exios' eyes light up with excitement as the beast pressed several more buttons, a triumphant grin splitting his muzzle as he glanced to the HUman. "Exios learn... in lab. Sleep... dream... wake... remember."

The Human considered that, giving his companion free reign to initialize procedures to exit the atmosphere with as much skill and aptitude as any pilot Sebastian had ever seen. He'd grown up around Geneticons, and even though they'd all been natural-born ones, many of their parents or grandparents had been grown in labs and he'd heard stories of organic programming systems used to impart skills and knowledge on artificially created life. As the sky outside the cockpit darkened, he turned to regard Exios. "They... put the skills into you?"

The creature's expression faltered, face darkened slightly, eyes gaining a far off look to them... then, clearing his throat, blinked a few times, and looked back at Sebastian, saying simply "Exios learn. In lab. Mallard Mk 2, XV-SE. Same cockpit as LX... but..." he brushed a huge paw across the console, then tapped at the side "... no cup holder."

Sebastian laughed at that and, after a moment, Exios learned in, the creature's massive, booming guffaw very nearly shaking the ship. As they both quieted, the Human nodded appreciatively. "A Mallard is not the easiest ship to fly... I'm impressed."

Reaching out, the young man rested a hand on the experiment's shoulder; he noticed the way Exios' fur puffed up around it, but the creature didn't shy away, instead, his expression softened, eyes closing as he let out a sigh, then inhaled, and a low-soft growl rumbled out of his throat. After a moment, Exios pressed a button on the console, then turned to look at Sebastian. "Auto pilot."

Smirking, Sebastian reached across to the dial and plotted a course for a neighboring system. "Sounds good, buddy... but auto pilot needs a course."

Exios watched the details the Human had plugged in and, once again, surprised the freelancer by identifying their location with coordinates alone. "Sigma system."

Although Sebastian would not normally have done something quite so demeaning to a Geneticon, something about Exios compelled him and, without even thinking, the Human reached up and patted the experiment on the head. "Right... I have to go report to a high level administrator outside the Rho system. Besides, there might be some restrictions about getting you through customs at Farlight City, so no sense making a pit stop."

The experiment offered a succinct nod. "Sigma. Planet five. Orbital station."

Sebastian smiled. "Good, buddy... yeah. We're heading to an outpost station called Sigma Echo. I have some contacts there that'll be able to debrief me and get me some pay. Shouldn't take too long and, if you want, you can stay here."

Rather than acknowledge the plan, Exios was busy with the nav system. "Journey time, fifty two sol hours, minus five minutes."

Once again the Human acknowledged that the creature was correct. "Just over two days. Longer than some trips but much shorter than others."

Exios took in a deep breath, his massive chest expanding with a slow, rumbling growl. "Long time... food? Water?"

Suddenly remembering that Exios probably hadn't had a good meal in a long time, Sebastian berated himself for ignoring the obvious. "Don't worry about it, buddy... I have plenty of supplies... even for a big guy like you."

Tail responding with a rapid thrashing immediately, Exios reached out and pressed a button, declaring "Auto pilot. Food now?"

Sebastian nodded. "Well, seeing auto pilot is on there's no reason we have to stay at the controls. Sure... let's go get something to eat."

Exios' eyes glanced out the cockpit window to space beyond, then to the control console, then to Sebastian. His ears perked up, laid back, then rose again as his head tilt to the side, eyes gleaming with more than a subtle display of interest as he looked around the cockpit. "Food where?"

Smirking, the freelancer motioned toward the cockpit door. "I have a mess hall, bud. It shouldn't take long to put something together for us."

In response, the experiment issued forth a soft growl, almost a low rumble. His ears perked up anew, nostrils flaring, testing the air. "Exios follow Bastion."

Nodding, Sebastian stood up, patted the enormous creature on his shoulder, and headed out the cockpit door. Exios' large body rose up, slipping forward down onto all fours as it stalked after him, squeezing through the doors, shadowing the Human, massive body swaying from left to right as it shadowed him close by. It wasn't a long way to the mess hall, but Sebastian didn't feel the need for it to be in silence. "What did the scientists feed you? Did you ever get any treats?"

The question got an inquisitive rumble from the beast. "Treat? Men in white give paste. Protein mix. Aminos; Minerals; vitamins. Call it 'food'."

The freelancer was surprised at just how basic an explanation it was, but how much information it contained. Sebastian remembered hearing that certain experimental life projects used a slurry of complex amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, but he had never thought it would have been used on a sapient creation. He tried to modulate his frustration by a casual follow up question. "Oh... I don't think I've ever tried anything like that before. What'd it taste like?"

Exios slowed to a stop, rising up onto his hind legs as he reached a large paw up to rub the side of his head in confusion. "Uh... Taste like... food."

Attempting to avoid souring the time learning about Exios, Sebastian kept his thoughts to himself. "Oh."

He immediately stepped into the mess hall and went straight toward food storage; he realized that he had no control over what had happened to the experiment in his past, but the Human planned on starting him off with the right future. Even if Exios was only in his care for a few days, he was going to add a little something extra to the creature's life. His companion took a keen interest in what he was doing as Sebastian began preparing three travel meals for reconstitution. Even as the big creature watched, his eyes narrowed. "What is?"

Sebastian smirked. "THIS is real food, bud."

The experiment's muzzle watered. "Food..." and his tail lashed back and forth.

The Human slipped the meal trays into the reconstitution-unit, and he smirked when he heard the rumbling sound of Exios' stomach. "Almost ready, Exios... just a minute to go."

Sebastian stared at his companion; Exios' attention was wholly absorbed by the r-unit, giving the Human plenty of time to take in the sight of the creature. Even hunched over, Exios was well over two meters tall and his broad build and massive musclature gave the freelancer the impression that the beast was easily over 250kg. Exoios had many features that practically screamed canine, but there were also traits like his rounded ears, split pupils, and striped fur pattern that reminded Sebastian of a more feline genetic line.

Exios appeared to be as suited for two legged locomotion as four legged and, despite having huge, thick digits ending in claws, it was obvious that he was capable of fine, dexterous manipulation. Most of all, was the obvious sign of intellect in Exios' eyes, observing and cogitating as he looked at the r-unit. Just as the process was ending, the experiment looked back at Sebastian. "This... rehydrate... heat. Chemical deposition."

Sebastian was taken aback. "Uh... yeah. That's EXACTLY what it does. You sure seem to know a lot about machines."

Reaching past Exios, the Human popped open the device and pulled out the trays of food. He watched as the beast's pupils dilated into near spheres, practically making his green irises shrink into thin lines of color, nostrils flaring. The creature stepped aside, alternating weight from his hind legs, left to right then back to left again, impatience obvious. Looking down at the trays, he seemed confused, eyes going immediately to Sebastian. "Bastian. Food? Where is?"

Sebastian pulled the film off of the tray. "Right here."

Exios looked down at it, a line of drool seeping out of the corner of his muzzle. He let out what almost sounded like a soft whine before looking up to Sebastian again. "Bastian's food?"

The Human realized what the problem was; the experiment had been used to just one kind of food. "Nah... it's for you too, Exios. I hope you like pasta and meat sauce, big guy!"

Exios' eyes went wide, gaze fixed on the plates of food. His stomach growled again, muzzle hanging pen in shock. "F--food? Is... is food... for... Exios?"

Sebastian nodded with a smile, opening a drawer to his left so he could grab a fork. He then selected the smallest of the three trays and took it for himself. "Sure is, bud."

Exios' attention followed the fork, tracking it and the speared piece of pasta in meat sauce as it went to Sebastian's mouth. The creature's ears folded back, tail twitching slightly. "Is... not HUMAN food?"

The freelancer nodded. "Yeah... but Geneticons eat it too. You should be able to eat it just fine, Exios... just be careful; it's a little hot."

Exios looked down at the two trays in front of himself, a rumble emerging from deep within his chest. The enormous creature reached a paw out, gently hooked a claw around the loop in the utensil drawer handle, and opened it up. He then stuck his thick digits in and, ever-so-carefully pulled out a fork... and began attempting to get it to work. His own food forgotten, Sebastian watched as Exios managed to get it to work, getting several pieces of pasta up into his muzzle and then: magic.

Smiling, the Human joyously reveled in Exios having his first taste of real food. It was an amazing first meal together.