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"So what are we gonna do to get Anne and Rover back?" Rufetta spun her chair to face the others.

Rand came down and seated himself in Anne's chair, which had more screens and readouts than his. "I'm definitely open to ideas." His sister was the brilliant strategist, not him, and he was beginning to feel it keenly.

"What if we snuck aboard and busted them out?" Rufetta said, as if this was simplicity itself.

"I mean," Rand spread his hands, "yeah? But how? They'd be sure to see our shuttle coming, for one thing, and how would we get into their shuttlebay without them opening it for us?"

"Maybe we could trade them for that little spy-clone of theirs." Cliff muttered. "I'm sure he'd be happy to scurry back to his Shaksa friends."

"CLIFF!" Rufetta shouted, in disbelief. "Does your vileness know no bounds??"

Cliff threw up his hands. "What? I'm just saying what everyone's thinking!" He went back to tapping his console. "Anyway, it's not like we need three ring-rats on board."

"Nobody's trading anyone, and that's final." Said Rand. He massaged his forehead. He would have dismissed Cliff for that comment, if they didn't need him to pilot.

Flyspur looked up with a deep frown and spots coming up on his face. He had left the toleration of discrimination behind him on Jssfloon. And he was going to have absolutely none of it, especially about an already insecure child. "That's terribly cruel. I thought humans were better than that. He is welcome here if he isn't there."

“Tertio is welcome here.” Rand said, with feeling. “And so are Duo and Edsel!”

“Some humans are better than that...” Rufetta said, her voice small. “And some are not.”

Cliff rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Whatever.”

---

Tertio picked up the tray and carried it carefully behind Nana, back out into the living room. He managed to push it onto the bar counter without spilling any of the tea, and couldn't resist a bit of a triumphant smile at the fact.

Edsel and Duo both noted that Tertio's nose and eyes were a little on the red side. They looked at each other, slightly uncomfortable.

"Good boy. Good boy." Nana said. "Now take hearts cup to Blue boy."

“This is Flyspur’s cup?” Tertio asked, looking again at the mom mug. He shrugged and picked it up.

Having been pointed in the direction of the bridge, he made his way there- carefully, so as not to drip any tea. He stepped into the new space and looked around at the novelty of a command center that was so different from the one on his own ship. So much wood, and bronze, and leather-- and not a shred of carpet! It was also darker than the constant, pristine white of the Casablanca, but in a cozy way. He liked it.

He crossed the room to the console where Flyspur was sitting with his tail swishing back and forth. As he did, he saw that the video feed was showing the bridge of the Casablanca, and he smiled. But his smile fell and he stopped in his tracks when he saw that Cliff was the one in front of the camera. Cliff was his loudest detractor. He gulped and hung back, hoping he wasn’t already within view of the Nellie’s camera, wherever it was placed.

But... This was silly. He couldn’t just stand here awkwardly while Flyspur’s tea got cold. The guy had braved a monster-worm for his sake earlier today-- Braving Cliff in return was the least Tertio could do. Anyway, he might mistake him for one of the others.

He put a smile back on and walked up to Flyspur’s console. “Hey, Flyspur! This is for you, from... um...” He didn’t know her name. “...This is for you.” He held out the mug.

Flyspur looked up, a little startled. He had been so distracted he hadn't heard him come in. He gave the boy a grateful smile as he took the cup. "Thank you so much. I really needed that. How are you doing Terito? Have they shown you around?"

Tertio grinned. "It's Tertio, not Terito!" He nodded. "I've seen the living room and the kitchen, and the bridge..." He looked around. "Your ship is really nice."

Cliff's eyebrows raised. "Speak of the ring-rat..." He murmured.

Tertio's brow furrowed. "Were... You talking about me?"

"Cliff was just leaving." Came Rand's voice.

Cliff looked behind him, confused.

"You're dismissing me from the bridge?" He scoffed in disbelief. "You need me!"

"We'll manage. Consider yourself confined to quarters, Mr. Toth."

"What?!" He stared at Rand for a while, then threw up his hands and pushed himself back from his console. "Fine! But Anne understood how valuable I am, Acting Captain Anderlee!"

He picked up his stuff and stalked from the bridge.

Rufetta heaved a sigh of relief.

"Yes. We were talking about you." Flyspur answered honestly. "I was saying how glad we are to have you here. I'm sorry it isn't under more pleasant circumstances. I would show you around myself, but I really shouldn't leave the bridge." He looked quite pleased about what had just transpired on the other ship, but he didn't remark on it.

"Oh, that's okay!" Tertio said. "... Would you mind if I hung out here with you for a while?"

~~~
~~~
~~~

A little more of the RP I'm doing with chill13 . Everything from Flyspur's (and Nana's) perspective is her writing.

There's a crisis with some dangerous antagonists who have made off with the captains of both ships, and the children from the Casablanca have been moved to the Nellie-Belle because it has better (or rather, any) defenses. The children in question consist of one thirteen-year-old orphan stowaway (Edsel), two clones of that thirteen-year-old-orphan stowaway (Edsel and Edsel- also known as Duo and Tertio), and a spider child who's about the equivalent of an eight-year-old (Pie. you know him!). The third clone, Tertio, is under suspicion from certain members of the human crew... because he was originally cloned by their enemies as part of a plan to infiltrate and betray them. But the poor kid actually just wants to be useful and accepted. Flyspur, who comes from a background of prejudice and unfairness himself, has no patience for Cliff's kind of malarkey.

Click here to learn more about my Topmost Topaz story and characters.

Click here to learn more about chill13 's Hi-Ho-Hyperdrive characters.

Description

"So what are we gonna do to get Anne and Rover back?" Rufetta spun her chair to face the others.

Rand came down and seated himself in Anne's chair, which had more screens and readouts than his. "I'm definitely open to ideas." His sister was the brilliant strategist, not him, and he was beginning to feel it keenly.

"What if we snuck aboard and busted them out?" Rufetta said, as if this was simplicity itself.

"I mean," Rand spread his hands, "yeah? But how? They'd be sure to see our shuttle coming, for one thing, and how would we get into their shuttlebay without them opening it for us?"

"Maybe we could trade them for that little spy-clone of theirs." Cliff muttered. "I'm sure he'd be happy to scurry back to his Shaksa friends."

"CLIFF!" Rufetta shouted, in disbelief. "Does your vileness know no bounds??"

Cliff threw up his hands. "What? I'm just saying what everyone's thinking!" He went back to tapping his console. "Anyway, it's not like we need three ring-rats on board."

"Nobody's trading anyone, and that's final." Said Rand. He massaged his forehead. He would have dismissed Cliff for that comment, if they didn't need him to pilot.

Flyspur looked up with a deep frown and spots coming up on his face. He had left the toleration of discrimination behind him on Jssfloon. And he was going to have absolutely none of it, especially about an already insecure child. "That's terribly cruel. I thought humans were better than that. He is welcome here if he isn't there."

“Tertio is welcome here.” Rand said, with feeling. “And so are Duo and Edsel!”

“Some humans are better than that...” Rufetta said, her voice small. “And some are not.”

Cliff rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Whatever.”

---

Tertio picked up the tray and carried it carefully behind Nana, back out into the living room. He managed to push it onto the bar counter without spilling any of the tea, and couldn't resist a bit of a triumphant smile at the fact.

Edsel and Duo both noted that Tertio's nose and eyes were a little on the red side. They looked at each other, slightly uncomfortable.

"Good boy. Good boy." Nana said. "Now take hearts cup to Blue boy."

“This is Flyspur’s cup?” Tertio asked, looking again at the mom mug. He shrugged and picked it up.

Having been pointed in the direction of the bridge, he made his way there- carefully, so as not to drip any tea. He stepped into the new space and looked around at the novelty of a command center that was so different from the one on his own ship. So much wood, and bronze, and leather-- and not a shred of carpet! It was also darker than the constant, pristine white of the Casablanca, but in a cozy way. He liked it.

He crossed the room to the console where Flyspur was sitting with his tail swishing back and forth. As he did, he saw that the video feed was showing the bridge of the Casablanca, and he smiled. But his smile fell and he stopped in his tracks when he saw that Cliff was the one in front of the camera. Cliff was his loudest detractor. He gulped and hung back, hoping he wasn’t already within view of the Nellie’s camera, wherever it was placed.

But... This was silly. He couldn’t just stand here awkwardly while Flyspur’s tea got cold. The guy had braved a monster-worm for his sake earlier today-- Braving Cliff in return was the least Tertio could do. Anyway, he might mistake him for one of the others.

He put a smile back on and walked up to Flyspur’s console. “Hey, Flyspur! This is for you, from... um...” He didn’t know her name. “...This is for you.” He held out the mug.

Flyspur looked up, a little startled. He had been so distracted he hadn't heard him come in. He gave the boy a grateful smile as he took the cup. "Thank you so much. I really needed that. How are you doing Terito? Have they shown you around?"

Tertio grinned. "It's Tertio, not Terito!" He nodded. "I've seen the living room and the kitchen, and the bridge..." He looked around. "Your ship is really nice."

Cliff's eyebrows raised. "Speak of the ring-rat..." He murmured.

Tertio's brow furrowed. "Were... You talking about me?"

"Cliff was just leaving." Came Rand's voice.

Cliff looked behind him, confused.

"You're dismissing me from the bridge?" He scoffed in disbelief. "You need me!"

"We'll manage. Consider yourself confined to quarters, Mr. Toth."

"What?!" He stared at Rand for a while, then threw up his hands and pushed himself back from his console. "Fine! But Anne understood how valuable I am, Acting Captain Anderlee!"

He picked up his stuff and stalked from the bridge.

Rufetta heaved a sigh of relief.

"Yes. We were talking about you." Flyspur answered honestly. "I was saying how glad we are to have you here. I'm sorry it isn't under more pleasant circumstances. I would show you around myself, but I really shouldn't leave the bridge." He looked quite pleased about what had just transpired on the other ship, but he didn't remark on it.

"Oh, that's okay!" Tertio said. "... Would you mind if I hung out here with you for a while?"

~~~
~~~
~~~

A little more of the RP I'm doing with chill13 . Everything from Flyspur's (and Nana's) perspective is her writing.

There's a crisis with some dangerous antagonists who have made off with the captains of both ships, and the children from the Casablanca have been moved to the Nellie-Belle because it has better (or rather, any) defenses. The children in question consist of one thirteen-year-old orphan stowaway (Edsel), two clones of that thirteen-year-old-orphan stowaway (Edsel and Edsel- also known as Duo and Tertio), and a spider child who's about the equivalent of an eight-year-old (Pie. you know him!). The third clone, Tertio, is under suspicion from certain members of the human crew... because he was originally cloned by their enemies as part of a plan to infiltrate and betray them. But the poor kid actually just wants to be useful and accepted. Flyspur, who comes from a background of prejudice and unfairness himself, has no patience for Cliff's kind of malarkey.

Click here to learn more about my Topmost Topaz story and characters.

Click here to learn more about chill13 's Hi-Ho-Hyperdrive characters.