"That doesn't matter; what matters is what we think is right. They wanted to join the Humanic Alliance. We set the rules. They refused. So, now we intervene," replied the woman.
"To bully them. To make them bow their heads. They adapted to survive their planet's atmosphere." Heinrich's voice dropped.
"Then they should move planets or evacuate. There is no need for them to continue living the way they do. What they have is barely living." The woman continued the back-and-forth dialogue with him.
"Who are you to decide that!" Heinrich shouted
The woman on the hologram received a tap on her shoulder. Someone handed her a paper. She took the paper and unfolded it. "Transmission ends here."
"No," Heinrich kicked the panel.
The Cyrexions gasped, turning their attention to Heinrich.
Erick stormed over, dropping his holster. "No, no, we don't do that."
Heinrich held up a finger.
Erick's mouth fell open. His eyes widened. "Did he just?" His pale face nearly matched his red hair.
Trevor wandered over to Erick. "It is a perfect display of rage. One at his age will have outbursts, even the children on our planet do."
"We need more power," Heinrich said.
Erick's mouth closed. "Hmmm. This will not work.The other Cyrexions rushed over to Heinrich, placing small black section cups that rested behind the radio panel on his forehead. The suction cups had wires running into the control panels. Erick stepped back. His frown was pronounced, with flared nostrils.
Heinrich's world narrowed. His heart hammered, drowning out the room. The suction cups pressed cold against his skin. Sweat prickled at his temples. Lights swam at the edge of his vision, blurring the outlines of the cockpit. Heinrich's eyes rolled back as the red energy seeped from him, traveling into the wires.
Heinrich focused on reopening the hologram of the woman. She was looking away, studying a paper someone was holding.
A United Federation of Planets soldier noticed the hologram screen opening back up. "Shut it down."
"It won't shut down," a different one shouted.
"You will hear me!" Heinrich shouted. His voice echoed over their hologram.
Erick slapped a hand over his eyes. He inhaled. "Shut it down! Shut it down! Did he just hack military-grade software? Please tell me that isn't the case."
The Cyrexions shrugged.
"One of you has to know!" Erick shouted at them. He removed his hand from his face.
"What you are doing is wrong. It isn't for the children," Heinrich snarled, "They aren't human or any other species but Cyrexion to begin with. This is because you don't like their procedures or way of life. So, you threaten them using a higher power. It isn't about that higher power but a manifest destiny. You aren't helping; you are destroying a culture. By the way, how do your soldiers feel on the surface?" The henna-skinned woman wore a large frown. Heinrich's eyes rolled back. The hologram closed as the Cyrexions removed the section cups from his head. A sudden missile ripped by them.
"No," Heinrich held out his hand. A bright red shield appeared on the outside of the ship.
The missile collided with the shield, causing an explosion. The ship rocked. Cyrexions tumbled. Solitar spread his feet and hunkered down. Erick stumbled. From the back, a bunch of missiles ripped toward the rally. Heinrich tried to place up more shields. He inhaled and exhaled. Blood dripped from his nose.
"Disconnect him and move. Get us out of here," shouted Erick
"But, sir, our families," said Trevor.
"And you won't see them if you stay here," said Erick.
The Cyrexions did not remove the suction cups. They stood around watching him.
Multiple ships from the rally tried to take off. Explosions and radio pleas echoed.
Heinrich rolled his eyes back and forced a bigger force field up, causing the ship to tilt. A large barge of missiles from the Federation hit the force field, exploding on impact. The aftershocks rattled the hull; fragments of neighboring ships clattered against various parts of the ship.
Large bursts of engines rattled as ships fled. Very few remained among the debris of the fallen. Heinrich's body convulsed.
Erick ran over. He pushed some Cyrexions aside. He removed the suction cups.
Heinrich collapsed into Erick, who fell back, hitting the grates. "I said, get us out of here!"
The Cyrexions moved back to the control panel. They mumbled amongst themselves.
After a few moments, there was a jerk.
"Where's the med bay?" asked Erick.
The Cyrexions would not look at him. "I asked a question," Erick roared.
Trevor glanced at him with narrowed eyes. "We don't know. And even if there was a med bay, we don't have a non-Cyrexion doctor."
"Solitar!" Erick pushed Heinrich off of him.
"Solitar stomped over. Once he reached them, he picked up Heinrich. "Puny boy." He tossed him on his shoulder. Solitar stomped away, and Erick followed him.
Solitar turned around. "Stay here. Watch them. Don't trust them. You are the captain anyway."
"Well, second in command," said Erick.
"So leave the captain to me, I'll find somewhere to throw him," said Solitar gruffly.
"Not the brig," Erick added quickly.
"Not the brig," confirmed Solitar. He walked by his club and picked it up. He then walked down the hall.
Erick turned back around, "Alright, find us the nearest docking planet. We need a doctor."
"Most docks can't handle the Blight's mass," said a Cyrexion
"So find us a dock that can," said Eric.
The Cyrexions slowly took their seats and chattered as they entered coordinates.
Erick grimaced.
Solitar trudged down the hall. His club idly dragging behind him. Heinrich was being held by one of his hands. He wondered for a few moments before coming across a room with a red cross etched out. His size was barely accommodated by the thin glass doors he turned towards. He grunted, ducking into the room. It was lined with costumes. Solitar took his hand and swiped a pile of them onto the floor off a metal bed. He then laid Heinrich down.
Solitar turned around, stomping back toward the cockpit. Once Solitar reached it, he approached Erick.
Erick leaned toward him. "Are we going to be on a federal watch list?"
Solitar shrugged. "Probably."
"Great," Erick looked out at the mass of stars.