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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/RootlessExplorer on 2025-07-05 17:12:23+00:00.

“Welcome to the Antikythera,” Negasi said through the translator pinned to his collar.

Negasi let the Awaari through the airlock nearly thirty hours after the battle with the raiders. They had taken their sweet time because they made the minor repairs of their own vessel a priority over helping out a band of stranded spacers. Plus they had to bring up some of their personnel from the planet. Technicians who knew the job, unlike the skeleton crew that had remained on the ship.

The Awaari came through the airlock in a huddle, half a dozen little furballs, each about the size of a basketball with spindly limbs. Each clutched a small bag filled with tools or spare parts. They chittered among themselves in their own language. Their translators were switched off, and even more, they had a signal dampener that kept Negasi’s own translator from working.

Most species considered such a move to be rude at best, hostile at worst. For the Awaari, it was standard procedure.

“The portal to the faster-than-light drive is this way,” Negasi said, controlling his irritation. The Awaari were a businesslike species, and did not like to waste time on shallow courtesy, since in their worldview all such courtesy was fake.

It certainly would have been in their case, if they had bothered to indulge in it.

Negasi closed and sealed the airlock. He noted that all six of the aliens carried sidearms, small in view of their size, but no doubt deadly enough.

They were paranoid. Good. He ushered them down a corridor until they approached the back of the ship.

That’s when Nova stepped out with her uranium slug thrower.

She had it slung over her shoulder, but the radioactive weapon had almost as much of an effect on their visitors as if she had pointed it at them.

The furballs stopped in their tracks, clustered together, and then scurried around Negasi’s legs like a flock of panicked pom-poms before scuttling back down the hall.

“Hey, where are you going?” Negasi asked.

One of the Awaari turned off the dampener and turned on his translator.

“That female has an illegal, radioactive weapon!”

“Is it illegal in this system? I doubt they’ve even heard of a uranium slug thrower. Anyway, she’s our head of security. A rather nasty mercenary from a primitive tribal world. You’re showing her disrespect. Showing disrespect in her culture can lead to an attack.”

The Awaari ran around in a confused mass. Negasi suspected they feared losing their hair.

“We cannot work with her nearby!”

“That gun doesn’t leak radiation. Much.”

More chittering. More running around in circles. The Awaari moved a little further away and got into a huddle. Negasi waited for them to turn their translator back on.

At last, one of them turned to face him. At least he thought it turned to face him. He couldn’t see the thing’s eyes. How the Awaari didn’t bump into walls all the time was an interstellar mystery.

“This is against our agreement.”

“No, it isn’t. I had my AI check. There’s nothing about not having a member of security watching over your work.”

“Clause 27, paragraph 6, subparagraph b specifically states that we get safe working conditions.”

“Yes, but there’s no clause specifying long-term dangers, and under the approved standards for interstellar commerce when between worlds or near an underdeveloped world, you have to specify long-term dangers or they’re not covered.”

“This is outrageous!” one of the furballs shouted, hopping up and down.

If that was meant to display aggression, it didn’t work. Negasi suppressed a chuckle.

“I’ll keep her well back. But I must warn you that she interprets creatures speaking in a language she doesn’t understand as a sign of nonsentience. She tends to eat things she thinks are nonsentient.”

“UG!” Nova shouted, scratching her armpit.

“We’ll keep our translators on.”

Negasi smiled. “This way.”

Negasi walked past Nova, who grunted again, while the Awaari squeezed against the opposite wall and passed her in single file.

They came to the portal leading to the faster-than-light drive. The Awaari that had been doing all the talking and seemed to be in charge studied the readout on the panel.

“The damage isn’t too bad. We’ll have to send two workers out on a spacewalk to seal the external damage.”

“We already replaced the armor plating,” Negasi said. “You all can stay right here.”

The Awaari turned to look at Nova, who growled. The furball shivered.

“We will get this done as soon as possible.”

“My AI will check your work. No payment for faulty service.”

“We expect payment in full as per our agreement.”

“Of course. I’d never renege on an agreement.”

Yeah, sure I wouldn’t.

Jeridan came running down the hall, gripping a wrench in one hand and a large sack in the other.

“One of them has escaped!” he shouted.

“The boy again? Beat him until he’s black and blue.”

“No, one of the girls.”

“Then put away the wrench, you idiot! You want to lower the value?”

“But I like using the wrench!” Jeridan shouted, hopping from one foot to the other and banging the wrench against the wall with a loud clang.

“You can use it on one of the boys later. Make up an excuse.”

Jeridan grinned. “Great!”

“Now go find her.”

Jeridan ran off.

“What’s going on?” the Awaari asked.

“One of our products escaped. Nothing to worry about. She’s no danger.”

The Awaari chittered among themselves, having turned off their translators again.

Nova grunted and lumbered for them, patting her stomach. They switched their translators back on.

“Is this a slaver ship?” one asked.

“None of your business. Get to work.”

“This is against our agreement.”

MIRI had checked for this eventuality.

“You have no clause negating the contract on the condition of either party breaking interstellar legal standards. Probably because you’re breaking them yourselves somehow.”

An ear-splitting shriek echoed down the corridors.

Wow, Aurora put a lot of teen angst into that one.

The sound of running feet. Another shriek. Aurora came tearing around the corner, Jeridan in hot pursuit, waving the sack over his head. Nova jumped up and down and grunted.

Jeridan scooped up Aurora and stuffed her, screaming and squirming, into the sack. Nova thumped her chest and let out a howl, although Negasi thought he caught a glint of concern in her eyes.

Nice she’s got at least some maternal instincts left.

One of Aurora’s feet shot out of the bag and landed a kick straight into Jeridan’s jaw. Negasi cackled. He felt sure Nova wanted to as well but she managed not to break character.

Jeridan received a couple of more kicks before closing up the bag, tossing it over his shoulder, and stomping off back down the hall.

If six balls of fur could register shock and horror, these particular balls of fur did just that.

“Get to work!” Negasi snapped.

The Awaari jumped in unison and scampered around the faster-than-light drive, pulling out tools and making adjustments, yanking out burnt-out parts and replacing them, and generally holding up their end of the bargain. Negasi rubbed his hands and smiled.

After about ten minutes, their work was interrupted by a slow, rhythmic clanking. The Awaari looked around, didn’t see the source of the sound, and got back to work. They seemed to be in a hurry for some reason.

The clanking drew closer. The Awaari stopped work and huddled together.

“Why are you stopping?” Negasi asked in a casual voice.

Before the Awaari could reply, their answer came clanking around the corner.

Poopsie. A two-meter-tall combat mech with twin machineguns, grenade thrower, and a girly pink paintjob that somehow made it look more menacing.

“Why do you have a combat mech!”

“Regular patrol,” Negasi said with a casual air. “Our bosses like to keep an eye on us. It makes the rounds of the ship and is preprogrammed to fire on any unusual disturbance. Our barbarian with the radioactive rifle doesn’t count, and neither does catching escaped property. Contractual disputes, on the other hand … ”

The Awaari got back to work. Poopsie paused at the door a moment, its guns aimed at the aliens, before clanking off down the corridor.

The Awaari got finished in record time. MIRI scanned their work, as did Negasi, and found everything in perfect order. The Awaari hurried to the airlock as fast as their spindly legs could carry them.

At the exit, they paused.

“Our payment.”

Negasi pulled out a tablet and hit a payment preapproved by Nova.

The Awaari checked its own tablet.

“This is only for half the amount!”

“Yes, the going market rate.”

“We agreed to double the market rate!” the Awaari said, hopping up and down. “This is a breach of contract.”

Aurora let out another shriek from around the corner. Nova pounded her chest, howled, and flicked the safety off of her uranium slug thrower. Even Negasi backed off.

“On second thought,” the Awaari said, “given the assistance you provided in driving off the raiders, perhaps the market rate would be adequate.”

The Awaari signed off and they hustled out of the airlock connecting their shuttle to the Antikythera. Within moments, the shuttle disengaged and sped away.

Aurora came around the corner, laughing.

“Oh my God, that was hilarious! They’re so cute when they’re scared.”

Negasi laughed too. Even Nova cracked a smile.

Jeridan appeared, a fresh bruise on his jaw.

“Are they gone?”

“Gone and good riddance,” Nova said.

Jeridan rubbed his jaw. “Good. I don’t think my face can stand another fake kidnapping.”…

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