//------------------------------// // Learning the Ropes // Story: Buggy System // by Dedion //------------------------------// After Chrysalis's outburst, she felt a sudden calmness wash over her. Her eyes and limbs felt heavier as she felt the urge to sleep. Chrysalis laid her head back onto the pillow as returning to the dreaming world did not sound like a bad idea. Maybe this time she would stay there, and her current situation would be no more. However, the universe was having too much fun making her suffer. A small beeping sound from her datapad managed to wake up the sleeping changling. "Ah, you have finally awakened Occupant Chrysalis. If you can get out of bed then we can start your first shift on schedule," it said. "Researchers Almira and Ge-Foli have been assigned to help with your custom uniform and will arrive shortly." Hearing the two beings' names earned a groan out of the changeling. Those two were the last people she wanted to see at the moment. Especially after they withheld the whole ', You're indebted to us, have fun!' part from her. Though, a small part of her understood they wanted to be out of the Chrysalis's reach after the news to Chrysalis made sure to smother that part of her so that her hatred could flow undisturbed. The door to her room opened, and she could sense where the beings were by on their emotions. Anxiety mixed with fear and a little dash of excitement. For breakfast, it could be better, but Chrysalis would have to do. Well... a bit more fear couldn't hurt too much. "Rise and shine, our little bu..." Ge-Foli failed to finish her sentence as Chrysalis's datapad manage to get lodged into the center of her head. Half of the rectangular device protruded from Ge-Foli's head while the other remained in her gelatinous head. The trio remained silent for a few minutes. Almira tried to recover from a small heart attack. Chrysalis sat in bed with a smug grin on her face. Ge-Foli continued to stand in place with the datapad still in her head. "Wow... almost 150 newtons of force... impressive." Ge-Foli complimented as she removed the datapad from her head. She tossed the datapad back at Chrysalis who caught it in her emerald aura"Glad we upgraded to the more sturdier datapads a good while ago, or you would have had a few more hundred credits added on to your bill.". "You should be grateful that I barely put any effort into that throw." Chrysalis started. Her anger settled slightly after her assault. "Also, while the topic of my 'bill' is still fresh on your mind, you can't expect me to pay that, can you?! Especially when you consider I didn't even mean to destroy the thing!" "Whether you meant to destroy the teleportation system or not, the fact remains that you destroyed it and you are responsible for getting it repaired," Ge-Foli stated, "And think about it this way, while you're here, this will be a great way to start building up some money. In a couple of years, who knows, you might even be able to get a decent job that'll pay off the debt." Chrysalis let out an audible growl. Her anger started to overtake her mind as she threw rationality out the window. Before Chrysalis could respond, Almira chimed in. "It's understandable that you are angry. However, in this situation, it would be best for both parties if you cooperate with us. If you continue to cooperate with us, we'll make sure to help you pay off your debt." she said. Chrysalis still held her glare on the Alkileon as her rage cooled down. "Two promises." Chrysalis stated, "So far, you've made two promises to me, Almira. The first was to find a way for me to go home and the second is to help me pay off a debt that was unfairly placed on me. I hope you'll be able to keep those promises. Otherwise, it may seem as though your 'United Empire' may lose a valuable resource as well as a researcher." Chrysalis climbed out of bed. As her hooves made contact with the ground, she found that she was able to stand without any problem. "Now where are we off to? The sooner I start, the sooner I don't have to worry about a massive debt over my head." She asked as she took a few wobbly steps toward the door. Almira and Ge-Foli appeared pleased. Whether it had been because of Chrysalis' acceptance to cooperate or because of they happy to see that she was walking somewhat. Whatever they were delighted about did not matter to Chrysalis at the moment. The only question on her mind was: how do legs work again?! The walk had started slowly with Almira and Ge-Foli nearly waiting for the changeling to catch up to them. However, the walk became much quicker once Chrysalis got a hold of walking again. She could feel the two researchers laughing as they watched her fail again and again. Oh, they are going to rue the day that decided to laugh at Chrysalis of the changelings! Soon enough, the triumphant moment came when Chrysalis could finally use her legs effectively. The moment didn't last too long as Chrysalis met with her first arch-nemesis, stairs. Try as she might, she could not will her legs to work correctly on an incline. So, she did the next best thing. If her wings were anything like her legs, they were not in peak condition at the moment. It was just only a couple of flight of stairs; Chrysalis could handle it. Almira and Ge-Foli were debating with each other about how they were going to get the huge bug horse up the stairs. After a few minutes of thinking, their train of thought was interrupted by a buzzing sound. The looked to the source of the buzzing to find that Chrysalis was using her wings to fly up the stairs. It was only a few moments before she passed them. "I know I'm gorgeous, but you two can't simply sit there all day looking at me," she said as she flew up another flight of stairs. Ge-Foli just continued to stare at Chrysalis while Almira summoned a datapad with a flash of orange light. She quickly began writing notes. Getting fitted for the uniform took less time than Chrysalis thought it would. A series of thin lights scanned her body, and in a few moments, they stopped. Almira told Chrysalis that they would have to wait a few minutes for the 'Clothing Synthesizer' to finish making her uniform. The two researchers took this time to bombard Chrysalis with questions about her physical structure and how she was able to fly with wings that looked too fragile to move her ample body. Chrysalis rubbed her head in annoyance. Thankfully, the synthesizer and finished her clothing and allowed her a short break. The uniform was... different than Chrysalis had thought it would turn out. She was also given two pairs of black socks. One pair fit over her front hooves just long enough that they to cover a small portion of her front legs. The last couple was what Chrysalis had grown to know as 'Thigh Highs.' She had also received a pair of shoes and boots as well as a very comfortable vest with holes made for her wings. The shoes, boots, and jacket had the same color scheme as the uniform Almira and Ge-Foli wore, white with blue outlines. All in all, she felt very comfortable in the uniform. Now it was time to start her day. Chrysalis could only imagine what laid in waiting for her, but not even her wildest imaginations could prepare her for what was to come. "Ge-Foli, if you don't get that thing away from me, I swear on my mother's horn I'll rip out your throat!" Chrysalis yelled. Chrysalis stood in a combative pose. A series of knives and forks hovered around her in an emerald aura. "Come on Chrysalis; it's just some Puk-Tuki meat. It's practically a meal staple on most planets." Ge-Foli said. She held a platter with what appeared to be a strange steak on it. Chrysalis felt her two stomachs cringe as she continued to eye the alien meat. "IT'S PURPLE AND BLEEDING FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! THAT CAN'T BE HEALTHY!!" "Actually Puk-Tuki meat is an excellent source of protein as well as calcium. So, in fact, it is..." a random human scientist began to explain before he was interrupted by Chrysalis. "NO ONE ASKED FOR YOUR INPUT TOM!" Chrysalis roared. "Also, I wasn't going to order it well-done. I'm not going to waist a good piece of meat by turning it to leather." Ge-Foli admitted, "I guess we'll have to try another food for now. Almira bring in the fruit!" Chrysalis sighed in relief that she wouldn't have to eat that purple meat for the moment. Hopefully, the fruit wouldn't be so bad. They had mangos. Chrysalis didn't know how they obtained mangos, but she didn't care. At the moment she was chewing on a mango pit in an attempt to eat the last remaining scraps of the juicy fruit around it. She continued to chew on the core even after she consumed the last piece of fruit. It helped her remain calm as her day went on. Chrysalis took part in test after test to analyze what she was. She answered all the researchers' questions as best as she wanted to. She gave them enough information to work on, but not enough to figure out what she actually was. It was best that she kept a few of her races' secrets to herself for the time being. Before she knew it, she only had half an hour before she was almost done for the day. The last few things on the to-do list were checked off one after another. The last thing on the list was to meet the captain of the research ship. The trip up to the captain's quarters was non-eventfull. Well, as non-eventfull as it could be with all the researchers scrambling to get their paws, tentacles, and outer grabbing appendages on her. It was also on this walk that Chrysalis got a view of the space. They had just passed another section of research rooms before they came across a series of windows that let Chrysalis gaze out into the black void of space. For a while she was speechless, she didn't even notice the clean mango core fall out of her gaping maw as she stared into space. Stars laid littered throughout the galaxy in a mix of chaos and beauty. A few comets were seen flying through the empty void. Their blazing tails were almost as brilliant as the stars themselves. A massive sun shined brightly in the distance along with a smaller sun that orbited it. Chrysalis looked into the distance and saw what appeared to be a cloud of colorful dust swirling in the distance. More and more details began to reveal themselves to her the longer she stared. Deeper and deeper she stared into the void and more and more did the void consume her. The more it overwhelmed her, the more she began to realize just how little she meant to the universe. She felt her legs buckle as she fell on her rear-end, eyes still locked onto the horrifying beauty of space. It wasn't until she felt a hand on her shoulder that she realized how long she was staring into space. She looked towards the person who had pulled her out of her trance. The smiling bearded face of a human greeted her. "It's a bit overwhelming isn't it?" he asked. His gruff voice held a warmth that Chrysalis couldn't put a hoof on. "I remember my first time gazing into that never-ending void. My dear Chrysalis, tell me, how are things going so far?" "U-um... good. I-I think." Chrysalis answered, her voice shaking. "That's great." the human said, "Oh, I believe I haven't introduced myself. I'm Captain McDawn, but please, call me Johnny." "O-okay," Chrysalis responded. "It was good to be able to chat with you for a while. I would love to continue this conversation sometime in the future. I have a mountain of paperwork waiting for me right now, and you no doubt need some sleep. It's already halfway into the lunar cycle." McDawn said as he began to walk away. He turned his attention towards the two researchers who wore worried expressions. He tipped his hat as he said, "Night, ladies." "Goodnight, captain," the two said in unison. They then rushed over to Chrysalis and pulled her away from the windows. It seemed that they were really going to have to introduce her to the concept of space travel slowly. Ge-Foli chuckled a bit at the idea of showing Chrysalis what zero-gravity was while Almira was already planning the changeling's course on galactic travel.