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Vielfraß was bored.
It happened a lot these days, especially with the restrictions on the shooting range. They weren't as bad as they had been when Reiher was in charger but her fingers still itched.
Every cycle felt like one long drag, and she had smoked many.
Even the reactions from messing with the MYNHs was getting stale. She could only watch MYNH-3538 cry so many times before she started to actually feel bad (and before Eber decided to stab her to death).
Schwan was off-limits to hassle because she was protektor controller (and because Wölf had become a sentimental old fart), and Vielfraß wasn't good enough at holding her own to try and brawl it out with the rest of her cadre for fun. Sure she was a decent shot but her close combat had left something to be desired unless she played dirty.
She still reveled in her one victory over Löwin, which she earned through stuffing ration mash into her armour and tripping her head first into a wall while distracted. Löwin had been grumbling about the smell for cycles after while nursing a bruised face.
She groaned, fidgeting with her armour latches. Maybe she should take a leaf out of Löw's book and get laid or something. Take the edge off.
If anyone would even have her...
She stuffed that thought into a deep well and focused instead on anything else, which at this moment in time happened to be an ARAR loitering by a maintenance hatch. It was hardly worth noticing them usually; they crawled around like strange and useful insects, rarely interacting with those outside their tight-knit cohorts and a handful of EULRs.
This time though, something caught her eye. The replika made a series of knocks on the hatch. One short knock, two long. Then 3 in rapid succession; quiet but just about perceptible from her range.
Replika were used to the odd thumping here and there, but this felt different. Intentional.
Like morse code.
The hatch opened to another stony-faced unit, who engaged them in hushed tones before passing them something imperceptible. Then, she disappeared back into the hatch, leaving the other to walk away.
Huh.
Vielfraß approached the ventilation shaft, trying to recall clearly what she had just seen.
1, then 2, then 3.
The hatch opened to an inscrutable face, who's only reaction was to narrow her eyes.
A quick ping revealed it to be ARAR-3512 "Kakerlak".
Holy shit, it worked! Her insides jumped with glee.
A vaguely irritated, deadpan voice bludgeoned is way through her thoughts.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Just testing something."
"Yeah; my nerves. Where did you get my cosign from?"
Cosign huh? She filed that away, then put on a confident stance, ignoring the way her knee clicked uncomfortably when she did.
"Are you sure you want to be talking to a superior that way, Kakerlak?"
The unit huffed, barely swayed.
"Don't use our callnames. None of us like them."
"I don't mind mine!" Said a cheerier voice walking down the corridor, "you're the only one of us who still uses numbers, Kaker!"
"Can it, '42. You got lucky. And you," she jabbed a finger into the STAR's chest, "you didn't answer my first question."
ARAR-3542 "Hummel" flipped her off without even stopping. She called out to Vielfraß as she passed.
"Don't mind her! She's just mad I got the fun jobs today."
"Get bent," yelled Kakerlak.
The cheery ARAR just kept walking, toolbox in one hand, bird flipped in the other.
She looked respectfully as she walked by and definitely not at her ass. The vent bug sighed uncomfortably.
"Revolutionary...do you STARs have one-track minds or what?"
Woops. Caught!
"Hey now! I have at least two! I like guns too!"
"Good for you. You want a medal?"
"You know, you're being pretty uppity for someone sending secret messages..."
"What are you gonna do? Call the kolibris on me?"
"Maybe I should! Teach you some manners."
"And maybe I'll discover a sudden access issue with the door to the shooting range."
"You wouldn't..."
"Try me, bolthead."
A long silence, as they stared at each other, neither wanting to back down. Eventually, Vielfraß broke, guffawing.
"You're fun, Roach!"
"And you're nuts. Oh and another thing..."
A brief scramble as the arar retreated, then an arm was thrust out at her, holding out a plush bear wearing an LSTR uniform. Ah, she'd forgotten she'd stashed that here. No wonder MYNH-3533 was still upset. She really should return it...
She mock saluted the LSTR bear.
"Ma'am."
Kakerlak was not amused.
"Stop putting your junk in my shaft."
Vielfraß snickered.
Her shooting scores were sliding.
One of her fingers had locked up as she was firing.
She hid her flinch with an exaggerated cough.
"Damn, I hope I'm not coming down with something!"
Bär just grunted, her eyes on the target as she squeezed the trigger. Nailed it dead center, like a good STAR.
1, then 2, then 3.
The hatch opened, the blank face of Kakerlak emerging like a rising moon.
"Oh. You again."
"And how is my little Roach today?" Vielfraß asked, falsely saccharine.
Kakerlak was blank-faced as she replied, though her eyes drifted downwards as she remained crouched in the vent entry.
"Well, '51 hasn't come back since your little elevator prank idea, so...not great."
Ah, yeah. She had put ARAR-3551 "Heimchen" up to rewiring the main station elevator to stop on every floor. She probably shouldn't have suggested it but in fairness she'd been so bored waiting for her turn at the shooting range, and it was funny to see a kolibri get that ticked off. Their head lights always did a series of flickers when they were peeved, no doubt venting over their little network thing.
She waved it off.
"Relax! It's a misdemeanor at most. They won't push her too hard. Maybe break a few fingers?"
Kakerlak stared, unblinking.
"She tried to run."
Ah.
"Why the fuck did she do that?"
"She's young; she got spooked."
"Shit...look. I'm sure she'll be fine. Still a misdemeanor."
Kakerlak was silent, but another series of rapid thumps was approaching as another ARAR pushed Kakerlak to the side.
"Wait, that was you who got Hiemchen in trouble? You Asshole!"
She squirmed past so that she could stand in the corridor, poking Vielfraß squarely in the chest. The starling put on a cocky grin, leaning casually against the wall as she looked the arar up and down.
"Ah, my humble worker Bee. How are we this evening?"
Hummel recoiled slightly but remained flat-faced, crossing her arms.
"Ew. Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you?"
Viel shrugged. A lot of things. Things that she didn't want to think about right now.
"I didn't think she'd get into that much trouble! Honest! It was just a bit of fun."
"Wow. Yeah. Sooo fun to wonder if your friend is dead."
"Come on, they won't decomm her for that!"
Hummel's stamped her foot, blank canvas of a face betrayed by her cracking voice. Kakerlak simply watched, avoiding eye contact.
"You don't know that!"
"Listen, I've been around plenty long enough to know that they won't just cap you for anything. I reckon they'll just rough her up a bit and send her on her way."
"Yeah well I don't care what your crusty old ass thinks! She still hasn't come back and it's been a whole cycle!"
Ignoring the 'old' comment...yeah...that wasn't the best sign. She scratched her head.
"Look, I can follow up on Hiemchen. Maybe she's still being detained?"
"You'd better! Or I'll...I'll..."
"You'll what? I outrank you. Outsize you. Outmuscle you."
Hummel seethed silently. Vielfraß almost felt bad. She sighed. It wasn't worth pissing ARARs off over. They could be spiteful little shits.
"Alright look. I'll check in on your friend but I want something in return; I want you to teach me this," she knocked on the wall pointedly.
Kakerlak looked confused but it paled in comparison to Hummel's outburst.
"Why the fuck would we do that? I don't trust you one inch! Last thing we need is the kolibris finding our last form of privacy!"
"Yeah, I get you. Okay, how about this; I promise that if I snitch you can do whatever you want to me. Rats in my bed or whatever."
Now it was Hummel's turn to stare confusedly.
"Rats in your bed? Why?"
"I mean...that's what we do when one of us snitches. Rats for a rat."
"Wait, that's what you wanted with all those rats? Motte thought you guys were doing some weird hazing ritual or something."
"Hah! No, we got other stuff for that. Cigs mostly."
The arars looked at each other blankly. Then Hummel stooped down to converse with her comrade, both using their masks as a shield against the offending STAR unit standing inches away as they spoke in hushed tones. Vielfraß tried to lean in surreptitiously to hear what they were saying but then the upstart ARAR was turning to her once more, resolute.
"We want marks. Need more supplies for the fungarium."
"Fun-garium? You guys have a gym in there or something?"
"No, idiot. We grow fungi. Lighting's too shit for most plants."
"Does that...work? For...y'know."
Kakerlak spoke up.
"It's not exactly the same, but it helps. The feeling is different. A ration bar in place of a full meal."
She shrugged. Hummel piped up, suddenly eager now they were on to a subject she liked.
"You can eat the mushrooms too! Well...some of them. We don't have access to the library so we aren't always sure which ones are poisonous."
Now that was alarming. Vielfraß had a think.
"I doubt there'd be an approved book on anything poisonous in there anyway."
"You might be right," Hummel sighed, "still, it would be good to have anything about plants and fungi to read."
Now there was a leveraging point. Non-protektor staff didn't have access to the library. She felt a grin growing.
"How about this: I get you access to any books you want, provided that you return them on time, and you teach me some of this little code you have going on? Doesn't even have to be all of it!"
Hummel looked skeptical.
"Why do you even want to know? Not like we got much to talk about."
"I'm so, so bored. I need something to do when I can't get my hands in the range. Besides," she winked at the ARAR, "I'm sure we can come up with things to talk about."
There was a simultaneous "ew. Creepy." and "barking up the wrong tree, there..."
Hummel looked to Kakerlak, who shrugged, before turning back, arms crossed once again.
"Fine. We accept."
They shook on it. It occurred to Vielfraß that it had been a long time since she had touched anyone's hand.
She wondered if the ARAR knocking dialect was unique to Borendt or if there were knockers on every facility?
Heheh. Knockers.
She felt the smile pulling itself onto her face again.
Finally. A new game to play.
Her map module was acting up again.
She slapped her face around, hoping to jolt it out of buffering. It's not like the facility was massive but still...not having it was like missing part of her senses.
She growled at her reflection. At her sagging polymer skin.
She smashed her forehead into the basin, relishing the blackout to her feeds before the UI reset.
Ta-da! Map module was back up.
Nothing was wrong at all.
Vielfraß brought a notebook to her afternoon shift, scrawling down potential knocks when she heard them to ask her two new conspirators. She made sure to encode her scribbles; wouldn't want anyone else getting in on her little game after all.
Sometimes she could tie particular sequences to a place or time, while others remained obscure. One such occurrence was playing right in front of her eyes at this very moment.
Two ARAR, masks in hand, were chatting amicably. Completely normal, at first, but as their hands idled by their sides, the fingers of one came close to the other's mask and...There! A tap. Two taps. A drag of the finger. 3 sustained taps.
She wanted to bounce on the spot. These fuckers were knocking right under their noses! Oh if the others knew...but she had something they'd never get their hands on.
Of course ARARs, natural multitaskers, would be capable of making smalltalk while the real conversation would take place at their fingers. It was almost commendable.
She knocked on the floor hatch with her foot. 4 short, 2 long, then 3 in quick succession. She had made sure to learn Hummel's 'cosign' early.
A pause, a patter, then,
"What do you want, weirdo?"
"Does knocking happen outside of just...y'know actual knocking?"
"Huh? You call it knocking?"
"Well yeah. You knock on the walls. Why, what do you call it?"
"...Kinesiochiral communication."
"Yeah that sounds stupid."
"You're stupid!"
She smiled above the poking feeling.
"Damn right. Now tell me! Does this weird code of yours happen face to face too?"
Hummel looked like she wanted to hesitate saying anything.
"Yeah. That's the 'chiral' part of the communication. Hands on hands, and other places too."
Interesting.
"Okay, so those two over there, they were doing something like..."
She mimicked the gesture on the arar's arm, who flinched away, blanching.
"Fuckin- Revolutionary's tits, I can't tell you that!"
"Oooooh, so it's lewd? In public? You guys are nasty!"
"No, you mechanised ape! It's just...It's just..intimate. Y'know...not meant for you...or me for that matter! Bedsides, it's not like anyone else notices."
Vielfraß shrugged. Didn't make much difference to her.
"Hey I'm not judging! Gotta get some while you're still able. Usually if I like someone I just give em a wink and a smile though."
"Yeah well, in case you havent noticed, we don't have a lot of facial expressions to work with so we gotta use our hands."
Hmm. She waggled her eyebrows at Hummel.
"Oh yeah? You good at other things with your hands?"
The arar made an unimpressed gagging noise.
"You're so gross."
She felt it, in that moment. And yet, she was still here after all this time.
"Just as the Revolutionary intended, my dear Bee!"
Hummel's eye twitched as she closed the hatch overhead with a slap.
Her fingers itched.
She put a cigarette to her mouth. Third one this morning but it helped to numb the strange, scratching sensation in her digits.
It would be her 3000th cycle in 20.
Vielfraß was looking at the interrogation report for ARAR-3551 "Hiemchen".
It looked like she had been sent to the medbay after having passed out when her entire arm had 'undergone forcible removal' by STCR-3500.
Shit. So that was what they were punishing Gans for...She'd been assaulted by Hummel with a squirming creature that morning after mentioning she had forgotten to check what had happened to Hiemchen.
Now they'd be getting two birds with one mouse, though Gans' fate looked significantly more horrific. Even she had been surprised when Hyäne had shoved the wriggling beast into the storch's armour.
She rounded the corner to G1. Knocked out the two signs for Hummel and Kakerlak on the wall next to the access hatch, which opened up.
The arar's mask flipped up to reveal ARAR-3590, who looked vaguely bored as she chewed on her toothpick.
"Huh. You're not Hummel."
"She's not here. Just ol' Floh on A1 t'day."
"How old even are you?"
"Coming up t' me 2000th cycle soon."
Still younger than her, though her voice was laced with a fry that came with age in some units. She stopped her face from scrunching but it didn't halt the unpleasant roil in her tanks.
A snap brought her back. Floh had broken the toothpick. She spat the pieces in her hand and fished out another to stick between her lips.
Vielfraß had seen that kind of behaviour before. She reached for her pack of smokes; Vineta's (state-approved) finest. A cheap experience for a cheap amount of rationmarks. Suited her just fine.
"Here," she said, holding one out.
Hesitant fingers took it, confusion flickering for a moment across the vacant face.
"Why are ya givin' this t' me?"
"C'mon, clearly your fingers were itchin' for one! You're eating damn toothpicks!"
Floh looked directly into her eyes.
"Yeah but....why?"
Vielfraß found herself getting frustrated. Stupid bug! Just take the damn smoke!
"Oh for...can't a gal be a comrade? Or maybe you're just annoying me with the stick shit. It's not deep!"
Floh chewed her pick, looking at the cigarette in her hand pensively.
"Heater's busted in B3F. Probably find 'er there if you're still lookin'."
"Nah. Got better things to do anyway."
She didn't.
"Just tell those two that Hiemchen is in medical, got it? Med bay 3C. Oh, and pass these on."
She handed the elderly ARAR 3 books she had found on foraging, fungi and subaquatic plants.
Floh nodded somberly, eying up the books like treasure.
"A damn shame. Only 20 cycles that one. I offered t' show her the ropes when she arrived but Hummel was eager t' show off this time."
Well, that would explain why she was so pissed.
"She'll be fine. Missing an arm but should be able to work still."
Floh's eyebrows raised somewhat. She itched at her arm awkwardly.
"Don't reckon 'er work's what we'll be worryin' 'bout, ma'am."
Whatever. Why did they care about some newbuild ARAR anyway? She'd been here near 3000 cycles and no one would give a damn if she lost an arm...
Feeling oddly aggrieved, she left, itching fingers looking for havoc to stir.
A small clump of hair came off in her hand when she rifled through it while getting ready for her shift.
She wretched, but didn't purge, snapping her lighter open to burn the treasonous strands.
Later, when the cadre complained of an odd smell in the dorms, she remained silent.
Vielfraß watched the handful of gestalt be lead, one-by-one, into the interrogation room with boredom. Something about book smuggling, apparently.
Hummel was watching too, though she clutched the book the STAR had given her tightly to her chest, her fingers tapping anxiously against the hardback.
"I think you're too hard on them," she said at last.
The starling frowned.
"We have to be. Don't want another uprising on our hands."
A light huff from Hummel.
"Was it really be that bad? You guys really had that much trouble with a bunch of fleshies?"
Vielfraß bristled.
"Hey. Maybe don't talk about it like that. We lost a lot."
Many of the previous STARs had been killed in the gestalt rebellion.
"Sorry," said Hummel, and with a series of taps to her arm she knew she meant it, "who did you lose?"
Vielfraß recalled Dachs, her body consumed by a fleshy hoard as they overwhelmed her with stab wounds, as she snarled and shot and clawed into the masses of skin and bone. She had gone down fighting, like a true STAR.
"Dachs died fighting," was all she said. It was enough.
Next, the splayed body of Grube, twitching in her memory, a bright red foam coming forth from her throat like spoiled roe.
"Grube just crumpled right in front of the gestalt she was aiming at. No bullets or nothing."
She remembers drawing the type-75, putting a 10mm in the girl's skull quickly after. She'd barely had time to react. She made the sign of the Three Stars over Grube's body, taken her ammo and moved on.
"And Siegel..."
Siegel she couldn't remember. She was just gone. A space left intentionally blank.
Sometimes she allowed herself to miss them. At least they had liked her. Sort of.
"Anyway, we lost half the stars and one of our storches. I'm sure plenty of eules and arars as well, not that I was counting, in the end."
Unlike her, they were exemplary, but she had seen now what happened to exemplary STARs.
They died, just like all the rest.
Hummel tapped her arm, the message clear.
SAFE.
She must have looked a sorry sight then. It was odd how used to touch Vielfraß was becoming. When Kakerlak had first touched her arm to show her the words she had flinched embarassingly, covering it with a nervous laugh.
"Tell me about them," said the arar, looking her in the eye.
Huh. Why?
"Because I think it'll be good for you."
Oh. She had said that part out loud. She sighed, slouching against the wall.
"Not sure there's much to say about 'em. They were STARs so, you know...assholes."
Hummel laughed.
"Yeah Dachs was definitely a huge bitch. Always chasing tail too...reminds me a bit of Löwin if I think about it. At least Löwin keeps it under wraps; Dachs was always bringing 'em back to the dorms, the crazy cunt! She was alright to me in my first few rotations though. Think she had a soft spot for newbies. She snuck me a couple of extra puddings one time...still remember it now. Weird, huh?"
Another tap.
PROCEED.
"Grube was real messy. Kinda like me, though that doesn't mean much...Anyway she used to start food fights in the hall and we'd get in trouble for it but it was fun. Guess I carried on that particular tradition."
The ARAR huffed bemusedly.
"Yeah, and this is why we don't eat with STARs...amongst other things."
Vielfraß's nose scrunched, trying to pry through the aged folds of her brain.
"Siegel...Siegel...I can't remember. Trying makes my head feel weird...like my thoughts are drowning or some shit. Guess she didn't leave much of an impression, huh."
"I'm surprised you remember them at all, honestly. I thought you didn't have friends."
Owch. She wasn't wrong though.
She thought about their faces. Identical but different. All now paled with death's embrace.
"I don't even know if we ever really were friends. Like...maybe we could've been, if we had more time?"
Time...Every second these days was like the heavy crash of sand against an hourglass wall. The smashing of a skull into a sink basin. The smoking hole of a target where the bullet passed cleanly though. The smell of burning hair.
How long did she have left?
"Uh...you still with me?"
She cursed internally. Must've been silent for a while.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm here."
She waited for the words.You're pathetic. You're a joke.
But they never came.
"I'm sorry," said Hummel, brushing against her elbow again.
"Yeah," she said, finding she meant it.
"Me too."
The punctured body of Dachs haunts her sleep.
"It's better like this," says the starling, from unmoving lips.
"At least I died for something."
Vielfraß was starting to learn things about her two ARAR...friends? If she could call them that.
Kakerlak had been Hummel's mentor until 3 rotations ago. She explained how it worked as she taught her CYCLE and ROTATION, while simultaneously tinkering with a broken radio module.
Hummel walked her through responding in the NEGATIVE and AFFIRMATIVE, while she talked about being what STARs had described as 'frigid' but her cadre referred to as 'adverse', which seemed to mean she didn't like to fuck.
They both taught her the numbers system as Hummel teased Kakerlak over her apparent crush on the pair Vielfraß had seen signing in the corridor the other day. ARAR-3573 "Lause" and ARAR-3567 "Heuschrecke", apparently.
She doesn't know why she had invited Hummel into this sacred space but here they were, the arar eying up her arm as she aimed her pistol at the paper target.
Thankfully her fingers hadn't locked up so she scored a respectable 54/60. She sent a quiet thanks to the Revolutionary for not letting her eat shit in front of a guest.
"Are you sure I can be here?" Asked Hummel, scratching nervously at her own arm.
Technically she wasn't, but who was gonna know? Or care?
"You're fine. Figured I'd show you the basics. Gotta learn how to shoot in case the worst happens!"
The ARAR snorted.
"What? You think I'd have a chance against anything that takes out a whole protektor unit?"
Viel thinks of a lone ARAR, pistol in hand, against a looming threat. A tall, proud storch crumpling to a red paste in front of a mere gestalt. Feels her face go tight.
"Yeah, well. Fate doesn't choose favourites."
"Okay, so what do I do?"
Vielfraß encouraged her to the line. Stood behind and guided her arm to hold the pistol level. Missed her warmth as she backed off, signing PROCEED onto the arar's arm.
"Breathe in and hold when you're aiming. Reduces motion."
She watched as Hummel breathed in deep and held, before following through with a few loud pops. It had been a while since anyone had taken instruction from her. She hadn't even had her own storch to guide yet.
Clearly she wasn't trusted with one.
She ignored the thought, looking at the target now replete with several smoking holes. 35/60. Not bad for a first timer.
"So? How'd you feel?"
Hummel flexed her digits.
"My hand hurts..."
"Yeah, you'll get a little recoil. Takes some getting used to. More importantly: how do you feel?"
Hummel shrugged.
"Am I supposed to feel anything in particular?"
"Well yeah. Like a rush. Like a thrill through your lines."
Hummel stared for a long, quiet moment.
"Weird," she decided, "you're all fucking weird."
"Yeah," laughed the STAR, "I guess we are."
They were interrupted by the door opening to Löwin, who walked the whole way to the firing line before doing a double-take.
"Woah, wait a second. Viel, you know non-protektor staff aren't allowed in here, right?"
Hummel glared at her. Oops, she'd be yelled at later. The younger starling recovered into a cocky stance, winking good-naturedly.
"Look I don't mind you bumping uglies but keep it out of the shooting range, alright?"
That riled up Hummel, who's clenched fists betrayed her void of a face.
"Oh for- You STARs think you're soooooo handsome with your tacky fucking eyeliner! Newsflash: You're all ugly as shit!"
Now that made Vielfraß laugh. Löwin's smug posturing fell completely flat in the face of this prudish arar as she banged out ANGER. ANGER. ANGER. on the walls.
"I'd rather plug an eule! At least they'd be nice about it."
"You ain't pluggin' shit," gasped Viel between cackles.
"That's for sure," she said proudly.
Disarmed completely, Löwin was looking at the indignant ARAR like she'd grown a second head.
"Right. Sure...look. You know I'm gonna have to tell Hyäne about this," she said, almost apologetically.
Vielfraß's laughter faded.
"Just do what you have to, Löw. We were heading out anyway."
She was too tired to fight her on that point. Besides, she could deal with whatever shit Hyäne had in store for her.
It would mean a few licks with the baton for sure but she'd been on the wrong end of it for far more stupid and less worthwhile stunts.
One time she had gotten her hands on some truly horrendous yellow pigment and made paint with it. In bright capital letters she had scrawled her name across the (at the time) broken elevator shaft, just beneath the poster of Vineta.
Now she thinks about it, she wasn't really sure why she had done it. Made an impression at least, she supposed. It had been a real effort too, getting to the other side of the shaft without falling. The EULRs had not been happy at the prospect of cleaning it off however...She'd been in their bad books since.
Leaving the range left them with an awkward silence to fill, so she filled it. Awkwardly.
"So you really never..." She made a lewd gesture with her hands.
A sigh.
"Once. Fooled around with one of the cadre. No I'm not telling you who, pervert...Figured it was best to stick with one of our own. Safer. It's pretty common actually; I think everyone's been in each other's wires at some point."
Vielfraß's nose wrinkled.
"Damn, even Floh?"
Hummel rapped on her mask.
RUDE. EXPLETIVE.
"Don't disrespect Floh. She's our treasure and don't you forget it!"
"Alright, alright. Anyhow, I'm guessing it was no good?"
"It's not that. It just...it felt wrong. Like...like when a kolibri's in your head but its someone's actual fingers in your actual body..."
"Shit. That sucks."
What else could she say?
"Yeah. At least I found out early though!"
Viel supposed that was true.
"Y'know...I'm actually not sure when the last time I tried was," she confessed.
Why was she talking about this?
"I think maybe it was shortly before the uprising. Dachs got me in the showers. Happened quite a lot back then. Stress relief, y'know? Bär and Löwin were still real young back then so they didn't really get it much. But I was around, and so was she, and the EULRs weren't always so easy..."
Hummel was staring at her.
"Why do you make it sound so..."
"What? Unsexy?"
"Cold."
Vielfraß shrugged. There wasn't anything particularly warm about sex, other than the literal warmth.
"Anyway, like I said. Haven't really felt like it since, I guess. Not that anyone would want it from me."
RUDE. EXPLETIVE.
She flinched at the insistent jabbing on her arm.
"Why do you do that?"
"Huh?"
"Neg yourself."
"Hey you're the one who insults me!"
"It's called 'ribbing'. You know, the stuff friends do?"
Were they friends? Was that what this was?
"I don't get you."
"Good. I'm not here to be got."
"Yeah, clearly you're here to be a pain in my ass!"
"Huh. I thought I was here to learn how to shoot from a second-rate STAR."
This time they both laughed.
Maybe this whole friend shit wasn't so bad.
She tried fingering her neck contacts in the shower that evening, ignoring the way her stuttering fingers felt raw and wrong on her own body.
She thought of Dachs and the forceful way she shoved fingers into latches and joints. When that failed, she thought of talented, tinkering fingers and a monotone voice. Started chasing the ghost of something pleasurable before guilt rose up in her like bile and pushed all goodness back.
She went to bed cold.
Vielfraß was nervous.
She had been invited to play cards with the arars, which meant she'd be venturing places no STAR...no protektor had ever been.
Hopefully it wasn't a ploy to quietly dispatch her and leave her dismembered parts in the vents, though she supposed it'd be the most creative decommissioning she'd ever heard of.
As she was wondering the best way to fight in an enclosed space, the floor hatch by her feet opened.
"Yo."
Kakerlak. Right on time.
"So uh...how is this gonna work?"
"I've been mapping a route out for you with a couple of others. It'll be a tight squeeze for the first few clicks but after that you should have stooping room the rest of the way."
Brilliant. Her back would be hurting tomorrow.
"Alright. Lead the way."
It was odd, squeezing herself into the tight space below. The walls pressed in all around her like a metal vice. She found her pulse picking up, despite herself. Tried not to think about what would happen if she died down here, lost in a maze of lead-lined tunnels.
This space wasn't made for her. She shouldn't be here.
Kaker felt the ceasing thuds as Vielfraß stopped crawling forward. She couldn't turn around, couldn't see what was happening, so she knocked, and the starling felt the vibrations in her fingers.
SAFE. PROCEED. SAFE.
The sequence repeated as Kakerlak waited patiently, until she snapped out of her haze. Robbed of her voice, she tapped back.
GRATITUDE.
As promised, the tunnel eventually widened out and Vielfraß felt thankful to be able to stretch her legs out again. It wasn't quite STAR height but it was tall enough for an ARAR.
"Well done. Hard part's over." Said her guide.
Vielfraß bristled.
"I don't need your pity, Roach..."
"Good. I'm not giving any. You experienced difficulties with a novel sensory experience and were able to overcome it. It's commendable. '42 would think so too."
"Only with your help though..."
"Why does that diminish your accomplishment?"
"Because! I shouldn't need help! I'm a STAR!"
Kakerlak paused, looking back over her shoulder.
"Huh. That might be the saddest thing you've said so far."
Vielfraß glowered silently.
At the end of the corridor, before they had even reached the makeshift door proper, there was a clear knocking from the other side.
IDENTIFY. URGENT.
TWO UNITS. ARAR-3512. GUEST.
The door opened to another blank face, who let Kakerlak past but held their hand up to Vielfraß's chest, blocking her access.
"Hold up, Kaker. Who's this chucklefuck? You inviting STARs here now? What's next? A storch?"
"Relax, '55. She's fine."
ARAR-3555 "Wespe" walked over to her comrade and they engaged in aggressive, rapid-fire hand movements that Vielfraß couldn't translate fast enough.
Eventually, Kakerlak slapped the hands away.
"Enough. There's no point bickering about it further. I'll take responsibility for her. You wanna chew me out you can do it later. Right now I just wanna play cards."
Wespe looked between them, clearly unhappy despite her expressionless face. She gave a resigned huff, then resumed her duty by the door. A nervous-looking ARAR followed her, eyes darting back to Vielfraß as they made appeasing gestures on Wespe's shoulder.
"Sorry 'bout all that," said Kakerlak, "I think they're just nervous. Not everyday we invite a STAR into our home. Feels like you could search our belongings any second."
"Why? You hidin' something, Roach?"
It was meant to be a joke but Kakerlak's gaze was withering.
"You touch anything without our say and you're out. Like out out."
Vielfraß held up her hands placatingly.
"Easy! Was just a joke. What would I even find anyway? Soil mites?"
That got a small chuff at least.
"Oh those you can confiscate. Bane of my freakin' life."
"You ever consider ordering in some of those bug-eating plants?"
"Need UV for that."
"I hear they got a UV bulb in the gestalt dorms. Could put a plant there?"
"Please. Like I'd let those brown-thumbed oafs near my collection. Probably eat it or something."
"If they do, I'll happily knock a few teeth out for you."
"You sure you could even take one these days?"
Owch. Okay, that stung a little but she could swallow it down. She wasn't made of paper; she was a STAR.
Kakerlak noticed the change in her expression before she could hide it, though. Signed a quick REGRET into her arm.
Now that Vielfraß had a chance to look around the place, she was a little in awe. It was a huge space, dotted with foraged crates and metal scraps that had been twisted into various furnishings.
"What is this place?"
"Disused sanitation tank. Big enough for an entire floor but hasn't been used in years from our best estimates. It looks like the feeder pipes go deep...deeper than B3, though we don't know why. Anyway, whatever it was, it's ours now."
A streak of yellow caught her eye. Painted bumblebees in scattered, clumsy groups, travelled up the wall to her right. They were oddly childlike but had a benign charm. As they extended up the wall a far more skillful piece came into view; a huge, trailing vine, branching out into detailed blooms of every colour and shape.
Propped up on a ladder was one of the units she had inadvertently caught flirting in the corridor; Heuschrecke. She was focused on her work, shading a long green stripe down an offshoot of vine, tongue poking out of her mouth. The one spotting her dutifully was her partner, Lause, who occasionally reached up to tap at the painters ankles.
Vielfraß nudged Kakerlak with a little wink.
"Oh, so you like the artsy types, huh Roach?"
"Please don't..." groaned the arar.
"Maybe you should just ask 'em?"
"With respect, I'm not taking dating advice from you, starling."
"That's fair."
At the centre of the makeshift room was a table cobbled together from welded sheet metal, surrounded by various crates and cushions for seating.
A cheery voice greeted them, it's owner waving at them from a crate.
"Vielfraß! You made it!"
She smiled, and it felt real.
"'Course I did. Wouldn't miss a chance to kick your ass at...whatever we're playing."
"Fat chance! Oh! Did you see my bees by the way? They're good right?"
"Sure. You're a real artist, Hummel."
"Well I think they're neat," came a small voice. A small figure with pale hair in a lose ponytail.
Wait...was that a gestalt??
"Why is there a gestalt here?" She hissed at Kakerlak, who simply shrugged.
"Same reason you're here: to play cards. Bernice is Motte's guest, so be nice."
'Bernice' waved awkwardly, clearly a little uncomfortable being around a STAR.
"So are they...y'know..."
Kakerlak groaned.
"It's not like that. Not everything has to be like that, you know."
"Right," she says, a little sheepishly.
That must make one of the 3 remaining ARAR 'Motte'. Probably the one sat next to the gestalt. Floh had fallen asleep in her cushion, toothpick in mouth. And the other...was rising out of her seat, hand extended.
"I'm Ameise. Gotta say, we don't get many STARs down here! A little nervous if I'm honest!"
"Don't worry; I don't bite...Anymore!"
That got a few laughs at least.
"So...what are we playing?"
The ARAR favourite was an odd title called Borendt Polytaire. It was a game somehow played alone and together, with the first to complete their set pile pattern being the winner. Some would bet rationmarks on how quick they could finish, with the option to 'challenge' by betting a higher stake. It had the familiar elements of the poker games she would play with her own cadre, yet it was a completely different experience.
During the third game Motte was teasing Bernice for eying up the EULRs at the medbay, and the gestalt was squirming under the attention, cheeks pink.
"Stop! I just think they make them so pretty..."
Hummel scoffed.
"Yeah, you and everyone else with eyes in this facility!"
Amiese groaned, her foot tapping in agitation.
"Shut up, Bee. Don't think you're hot shit just cuz you don't like to fumble some wires like the rest of us."
"I just don't get it! It's nasty! Plus what if you tweak something wrong and damage someone?"
Motte piped up unhelpfully.
"Then you head to medical with a low head like the rest of us fumblers!"
"Yeah you'd know all about that, huh, '60?"
The arar sputtered.
"Sh-shutup...it was my first time trying inside stuff...gimme a break!"
Bernice joined in the poking, glad to be on the other end of it.
"Sounds like you broke yourself just fine!"
The discourse was interrupted by a series of knocks from a floor gutter.
QUERY: SAFE. CONFIRM.
Kakerlak just called back.
"Yeah you're good. Come in."
Heimchen's tired face appeared from the floor.
"Sorry I'm late."
There were several cheers as her comrades jumped up to greet her in an embrace like a returning hero. It was odd to see a tangle of expressionless ARAR hugging and tapping each other with various phrases of elation.
Vielfraß felt like an intruder.
Floh, who has been startled awake by the commotion, gasped in her crackly drawl as she noticed the arar's still-missing limb.
"Nation above, Heimchen...Go t' medical!"
"I did! They don't have any ARAR arms left...wouldn't give me a EULR arm either. Stingy assholes..."
Vielfraß winced. She didn't realise the shortages had gotten that bad. Or that Hiemchen would be subject to the whims of their hyperviolent newbie of a storch.
"I'm sorry! How was I supposed to know you'd get The Goose?"
Hummel flinched.
"Revolutionary's ass, don't ever let her hear you call her that. I saw what she did to Soor..."
"Look, if its any consolation, me and the boss got her back for you."
Hiemchen was deadpan.
"Gee, my hero."
"Look are you in or not?"
Hiemchen gestured sardonically to her remaining arm.
"I dunno, I think I might be at a disadvantage here..."
"Okay, well how about we all play one-handed only? Things were getting boring anyway, right?"
Vielfraß looked around, hoping the others weren't completely socially inept.
"Yeah, I'm down."
"Seems fun."
"I'll kick your asses anyway; I'm the speed demon!"
"Hummel, the only thing you're demon at is getting your rations all over my damn wiring."
The rest of the evening was a pleasant blur of chips, cards and laughter.
And if her servos froze up on occasion, no one pointed it out.
She wondered what would happen when the order was sent for her decommission.
Would the Divine Falke strike her down like an Imperial dog?
She scoffed at herself. They wouldn't send Falke for this. They probably wouldn't even send a kolibri.
...Would it be a STAR? Who would they send? Eber? Wölfin? Hyäne?
She pictured the face of her sister standing over her, service pistol pressed into her temple. A smile as the gun cocked.
Thank you for your service.
"Vielfraß. A word."
Ah. It was time for the consequences of her actions.
Vielfraß blinked slowly up at the figure of Hyäne standing over her bunk. It had barely been 10 minutes since she'd woken up.
"Yep. Just...gimme a second."
Hyäne moved to gave her space, her impeccable posture and straight face not giving away a single emotion.
Of course she had been promoted, despite being one of the youngest of the cadre. She was boring; high command loved that. She was also a great shot, and the EULRs loved that.
The dorms were mostly empty, though Wölfin was lounging around on her bunk grinning about something or other. There was a noticeable mark on her neck which gave Vielfraß some idea of what she might be so punch-pleased about.
She made to stand, clicking out the kinks in her back. Those tunnels really had done a number on her. Her knees ached too...
Hyäne spoke calmly and evenly, as if reciting a verse.
"STAR-3514. Each of us has a directive. A purpose. Our purpose is to protect. To enforce the rules dictated to us by the Divine Falke. They are not us. Cannot be afforded the same privileges as us."
"This is about me taking Hummel to the shooting range, right?"
"It is."
"Look, I just figured there was no harm in teaching her a little pistol technique. In case of emergency, you know?"
Hyäne's eyes went wide.
"You leant her your service weapon?"
"Well yeah. I trust her, and I wouldn't have let her try anything. What would one ARAR even do?"
Hyäne's eyes furrowed, her hand coming up to rub her temples.
"Vielfraß...I have long suspected you of persona degradation but this goes beyond the pale, even for you. Kneel."
"Huh?"
The baton cracked across her back, making her stumble to the floor on her sore knees.
Hyäne paced in front of their kneeling forms, twirling the instrument of her justice.
The worst part was waiting for the hit to come.
Don't flinch, don't flinch, don't flinch. You can still do this. This won't break you.
"What could one ARAR do? It's not about one ARAR. It's about principle!"
The baton hit her spine between the shoulder blades.
"It's about order!"
Another, straight to the cheek this time.
"One domino falls and brings the rest scattering around it like insects!"
She punctuated each beat with a crack of the baton.
The aging STAR bit her tongue, spit dripping from her mouth as she shook to keep still. It would only be worse if she moved or spoke.
After a while, she noted she was now lying prone on her front. She must have blanked out for a bit. Her entire body ached.
Hyäne was looking down on her, calculating. She must have decided she'd had enough, as she turned around and walked back to her bunk with her closing statement.
"I tolerate the dalliances of my cadre with other staff. Löwin at least understands her place above the service personnel. Don't let it happen again."
A white hot flame erupted in Vielfraß's chest.
She'd had enough of young, pretentious, perfect Hyäne.
She grit her teeth through the pain, snarling like a wounded animal.
"Bootlicker..."
Hyäne halted, stock still. Wölfin stared, frozen in her leisurely posture on the bunk, mouth open in disbelief. She quickly looked at Vielfraß.
"Take it back, Viel. While you still can."
But she had committed. She couldn't back down now.
"No. I'm sick of it. Sick of being the joke. Sick of the fights, the veiled insults, all of it! I'm officially too old for this shit!"
Hyäne turned. Her eyes were pure blue hatred.
Vielfraß didn't want to give her time to think; she barrelled forward, aiming for her leaders legs. Managed to get one but Hyäne's reflexes were lightning quick.
"You want to be one of them? Fine. You can play in the dirt amongst them."
She used her free leg to kick directly into the elder STAR's face, and she recoiled but clung on, biting into the white meat of the leg.
Hyäne snarled, whipped her around the face again with the baton. Her feed became a temporary haze of UI errors as her map module disconnected again, and it was disorienting enough for the cadre leader to kick her to the ground.
Vielfraß registered a weight on her back as Hyäne placed a foot on her back, pulling at a leg.
"Yield, 3514."
She felt the connector joint in her hip creak with agony.
But she couldn't yield. Wouldn't.
The figure above knelt on her back, and she could feel the pointed press of the knee right on her spine.
A voice hissed into her ear, dripping like icy venom.
"I await your decommission order with great joy, knowing I will have rid the Nation of her greatest fool."
With a final tug and a flash of fear, Vielfraß heard the crunching of her hip rotator as it snapped and crumpled in its joint.
She yelled.
"YIELD! Yield...I yield..."
You coward. This was your chance to go down fighting.
Hyane let go, the leg flopping back to the floor where she lay. Without a word, she recomposed herself, placing the baton neatly by her bunk.
Vielfraß got to her feet slowly, every inch a burst of pain. She limped towards the door, hoping she could remember where the medbay was by heart.
Wolfin whistled, cutting the tense silence as she laid back into her crossed arms.
"Phew! What's eatin' her?"
Vielfraß hated medical. It always smelt of fear and desperation.
She was escorted to a bed by a benign enough EULR, who examined her leg joint with a tut and a sigh.
"Roughousing again? When will you STARs learn! At least it keeps us busy, I suppose! Here, let me get some pain relief."
Vielfraß squinted at her, wondering if she was still able to ping her ID. EULR-3529 "Gruppe".
Wonderful. At least that still worked. Funny; it almost sounded like "Grube".
"Thank you," she said, sincerely. Received a dazzling smile in return.
"Glad to be of service, Ma'am! It looks like we'll need some replacement parts too...One moment!"
The clack of replika feet faded away as Vielfraß stared at the grey, sterile curtains that surrounded her. She wondered what Hummel and Kakerlak were up to.
Roughly 10 minutes later and Gruppe was back, an apologetic look plastered all over her face.
"Apologies, ma'am. I put in a parts request with Adler but it's been denied..."
She held out the request form, firmly stamped with a large, red BESTRITTEN.
"Due to supply line issues, Borendt is struggling with replacement parts for generation 4 and 5 replika..."
Vielfraß gripped the bedding, eyes clenched closed.
"I get it. Its fine."
The EULR continued anyway.
"...and as you're nearing end of service it was deemed an unnecessary pro-"
The STARs eyes flew open with a snarl.
"I said it's fucking fine!"
She pushed past the startled EULR, limping quickly to the medbay door.
Fuck. Shit. Fuck! How was she supposed to hide this from the others?
Heat was rising to her face as she slapped at herself to chase the tears back down to their rightful place.
She fumbled through the corridors, pain searing through her leg.
Where could she go? She couldn't just head back to the dorms. Not like this.
What could she do to prove she still existed? What great nuisance could she inflict to carve her name deep into the walls of Borendt's throat so her name would be forever on its lips?
She needed to steal something. Or burn something. Or break something.
Her fingers itched. Her leg burned.
She grabbed onto an access hatch and pulled it open. Swung her body in and curled in on herself to fit.
Her vision was blurring. Warnings across her UI like a siren call.
She was overheating, heart racing as she squished herself further into the tunnel. A thumping was approaching, louder than the beating of her own heart.
"Vielfraß?"
Ah, it was her. Hummel.
She felt like a cornered rabbit. Nowhere to run and running out of options.
"Hummel...please...just tell me I matter. That anything matters...please..."
In the howling vortex of her mind she felt the pattern of fingers at her own, sure as steel.
SAFE. AFFECTION. [UNKNOWN].
"You matter to me, idiot," said the ARAR, "don't you forget it."
Vielfraß sobbed out her relief from her twisted face as she relaxed her hand into those warm digits.
Safe. For now.
Waking up felt like a bad hangover.
Vielfraß onlined to pain in her head and leg as yesterday's beating onlined with her. She groaned, limping to her armour. Strapped it on like every other cycle she awoke in this dump.
At least she didn't start her shift until 11:00. A saving grace for once.
She hobbled to her usual loitering hall, knocking for Kakerlak. She needed to vent to someone other than Hummel.
They had sat far too long in that tunnel last night, holding hands while Vielfraß freaked out. She felt pretty embarrassed about it now. Should really apologise.
There was an weirdly long delay, then,
"You look like shit, Viel."
She snorted.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Too old, too stupid, too annoying. Honestly I wonder why they haven't just decommissioned me already. It's every fucking day in this place..."
Kakerlak looked her in the eyes, before turning away again, placing a chin on her hand. Her voice was oddly quiet as she spoke.
"Yeah I get you. Hummel got mauled by the fans trying to fix the ventilation system in B2A this morning. Sensor mishap. Had to be decomm'd."
Vielfraß stared as her world inverted. The ARAR's face was as obscure as ever, though the thin line of her mouth was tilted downward ever-so-slightly. She wondered if they were even capable of frowning proper. Could they cry?
Could she?
"Shit. Shit!"
Kakerlak shrugged, not meeting her eyes.
"It happens. As you said; just another day."
Vielfraß took two cigarettes with shaking fingers. Offered one to Kakerlak, who took it. Allowed her to light it. They inhaled the fumes like a sad sigh, letting the curtain of smoke sit between them and the ambling shadows of the corridor replika. A trembling thumb traced a jagged, dotted circle at her elbow.
GRIEF. REGRET.
She returned the gesture. Finished by squeezing her hand in a universal gesture of support. Felt a soft squeeze back.
A couple of EULRs in the corridors were glancing over, whispering between themselves. She wanted to growl. This wasn't for them.
She steadied herself instead, remembering something she wanted to ask.
"Hey Kakerlak. What does this mean?"
She made the unknown trace that Hummel had drawn over her shoulder the previous cycle and Kaker hunched over even more, head in hands.
Was it really that bad?
The stricken ARAR mumbled something. When she realised she hadn't been heard she tried again.
"Family. It means family."
Vielfraß choked. Felt a squeeze on her hand again.
Kakerlak spoke up, voice a little crackly.
"Listen. Could you let me know when you're next on nightshift in B2?"
"Uhh...sure? Why though?"
"Just want to make sure you're around for something."
Sweet. Maybe they'd play Borendt Polytaire in a sad, sad circle. She sighed.
"Alright. You know I'm up for anything."
Kaker looked at her, then back again. Thinking.
"For what it's worth, I don't think a replika capable of learning our language can be called 'stupid', and we wouldn't have invited just anyone home."
With that, she left, pulling down the hatch behind her.
Is her tooth loose, or is she just imagining it?
Why did her head hurt?
When had she started crying?
...
Maybe she should have been the one to get mauled in those fans.
19:58. Vielfraß was stood in the B2 access corridor.
Kalerlak had told her to be there for 20:00.
"Glad you could make it," said the familiar voice behind her, as Kakerlak emerged from the access panel.
"Uh...sure. sooo, what're we-"
"Follow me."
They walked in silence to B2A, the door opening with a sad sigh.
Vielfraß's eyes widened as she walked in.
ARARs, the entire cadre, standing in the centre of the room. Floh, Motte, Ameise...even Wespe. They acknowledged the two newcomers, nodding to Vielfraß before turning to face the walls.
Vielfraß looked around, confused, before she saw their fists raised against the wall. First one, then many. All the same beat.
4 short knocks, 2 long. Hummel's cosign.
It crashed all around her like a thunderstorm, and they were standing in the centre. 4, then 2.
Kakerlak walked towards the wall, gesturing for her to join before knocking her own fist into the wall. 4, then 2. Vielfraß walked over, feeling a fire in her lines as she slammed both fists hard as she could into the dull grey metal. 4, then 2.
She chuffed, head bent as she kept beating, trying to stem down the warmth in her chest. She seemed to have sprung a leak in her face.
This one's for you, Hummel, you uppity little shit.
Tears streamed down as she laughed, remembering, her heart beat in tune with the knocks all around her.
A mourning call that echoed for the ears of one who would never hear it.
"STAR-3514, we received a noise complaint last cycle at 20:07. B2 level. As acting officer during the period, did you notice anything unusual?"
"No ma'am."
Schwan clucked her tongue, thinking.
"We'll have to keep an eye on it, in case it turns out to be a mechanical strain issue... I'll put it in the B2 shift notes. Dismissed."
"Got something for you," came a voice by her head, as Kakerlack popped out.
"Oh?" A present?"
"Just listen."
The arar turned to the wall and made a knock she hadn't heard before. A slam with two fists, 1 short knock, then 4 long. A couple of EULRs in the hallway jumped at the noise but Vielfraß recognised it for what it was.
Her own cosign.
"We had to give you a...unique modifier. Being a STAR and all."
Her head was spinning. Was this what it was like?
Before she knew what she was doing, she had bundled the ARAR into a bear hug. Kakerlak thrashed, alarmed at the immediate and overwhelming stimulus to her pressure sensors, but the initial panic gave way to a demure slump as she exhaled quietly.
"You sure you wanna do this in the hallways? People will talk."
"Fuck 'em. I need this one."
"Alright, but you're kinda bad at it."
"That's okay. I'll learn."
A few awkward moments passed where the ARAR hung limply in her arms.
"You can let me go now."
"Right, sure."
Later on, as she hobbled back to dorms, Eber made a disparaging comment on her limp. She threw the magazine at the starling's head, which connected with a satisfying slap of glossed paper, followed by a yelp.
She still had fight in her left, after all.
She was Vielfraß, and no matter what happened, she would be remembered deep within the walls of this place.