Decius sits on the small sofa, and sighs a metallic sigh.

"It isn't that I dislike being ignored. At this point I am used to shunning and the usual lot, it has been the normal routine as usual for most of my stay. My ailments yield from the fact that there is not enough food on board to nourish me. In fact, for me to have a full stomach for the entirety of the voyage, the scientific equipment and munitions would need to be jettisoned to make room for fresh supplies. However, I had insisted that I come on board the voyage, and the organizers came up with the ingenious idea of utilizing my extraordinary digestive talents to help the ship and allow me to survive on board. I am given the waste produced by the crew on board to nourish me, and the storage area could be made for my possessions among other things. The benefits justified the sacrifice."

The Craver turns away, looking at the wall.

"This diet leaves me with a hunger deep inside, a pain I cannot ease. I am used to eating flesh, to feel what I eat. I still hunger for flesh, and feel pains in my stomach. I get... hungry. However, I will manage. It is also hard for me to utilize some of the basic amenities, such as showers, which I fear makes it hard for me to blend in well. I don't see any way for me to solve these problems, and I don't think there is a solution except for tolerance and acceptance."

A soft buzzing sound can be heard coming from Valorum. It was the best his voicebox could do to simulate a quiet sigh, lacking actual lungs. Having clasped his two hands and steepled his index fingers in front of his 'mouth' thoughtfully, Valorum muses aloud:

"If only it were so easy. I've had several interactions with virtually the whole crew by now and my experience has been...disheartening. They do not let my race or my faith distract from my new rank. They listen to me, but their fear, and in some cases hate, is obvious..."

Looking up at Decius and half-unlacing his hands towards his crewmate in what must be a querying gesture, Valorum asked:

"When you interact with the crew, what do you see? How do they feel around you?"

Laudmas opened the cafeteria door with quite a performance, hoping to catch people by surprise. 

Unfortunately, no one was there, and the ancient robot felt a bit of a stupor.

While Laudmas was enthusiastic to inspect the equipment of the cafeteria, doing so alone would be a bit suspicious. While he was the doctor on-board the ship, the robot wouldn't want even a single tiny doubt to grow within the crew members. "But why?" some may ask.  Why was being trust-worthy be the most absolute importance to him. If we were to go back to when Laudmas was in his infantile stage he had already been lied to, misguided, and abandoned by others. Eventually, Laudmas reached a conclusion. Instead of being another victim that would broken for life, he would be that very person when he always wanted.  He would ignore any misfortunes thrown at him, but he would always be there to help out others with any misfortunes. The robot was determined to be the person that would always be around to help. A person that you could always talk to, consult about your deepest fears, and would never blame you for their own problems. In short, he would be your friend. While his ambition seemed to be small and possibly laughable to some, the ancient robot would always be contempt knowing that he once aided another being, no matter how small his or her problem was. 

The ancient robot calibrated himself and reflected on what to do next. He decided what to do next. It had been a while since he last talked to Dhanyl and the other scientists on board the ship. Laudmas decided it would be best to visit the lab, and see if he could find anything interesting and strike up a conversation with another crew-member. 

"Most crew members around me cower in my presence or attempt to mask their fear behind a screen of hatred," Decius rumbles. "It is unfortunate that those in small stature fear what they cannot control. They all despise me in one way or another, be it that I am unable to clean myself due to undersized facilities, or that I am Craver born. Whatever fear that others have over me, it interferes with how we are able to conduct ourselves as colleagues. I am aware that you also may have certain doubts about my ability to control myself. Our races have not had such friendly relations in the past that I would expect even a shred of empathy."

Decius pulls out a mysterious and ornately engraved box, the one he had worked on during the fight on the bridge.  Its Crimson metallic exterior seems to contrast and meld with itself, glass and alloy unite seamlessly as it pulses an ominous red. Setting it on the table, the light glows dimmer and then slowly morphs into the color of Valorum's luminous accents. It pulses with new life, a beating heart growing faster as it nears the captain. The Craver sits back in his chair, a burden seemingly eased off of his large frame.

"I created this of my own being. Touch the embossed plate at the top, and you will have the power you seek of me."

"This," Decius says to the captain with his characteristically emotionless voice. "This is the only device that will allow me to communicate properly with you. Due to the translation from the signals in my mind to vocal modulation, much information has been lost when I speak. The box can more accurately translate my experiences and communications to another not of our species. When you touch the plate it creates a moderately long distance channel of direct nonverbal communication between us that can transmit memories, senses, and feelings. I know little of the technology that makes it work; I did not create it, I simply know how to manipulate the technology and configure it to work between us. It is much easier if I show you what it can do. Touch the plate, and then you will see."

Decius slides the box forwards, hoping that he had given a clear enough explanation that the Vodyani would obey him. It was the only way the sharp and commanding figure would understand him. He knew the memory that he would send to him, he knew what he would say. He just hoped that Valorum's mind would not close before he could make his point.

Valorum slowly looked back to Decius, and then to the box he offered. He slowly lifted a hand and reached for the box, as if he were reaching for a viper ready to bite him. His hand was steady as it moved closer to the top of the box, and he was about to touch it, his fingertips bare centimetres away.

But instead, Valorum's core suddenly flickers, and his hand stops short of the box. Hanging there for a few seconds, Valorum then pushed the box from the side, back towards the Craver. His hand returned to rest on his knee and the Vodyani looked at the ground, sighing and shaking his head. His response is, shockingly, a single word, laden with sudden exhaustion:

"No."

And the door to the life-support room opens, revealing Valorum once again, standing against the light of the hallway behind him. The pouch Decius had tossed to him was in one hand, and Stormbreaker was still sheathed at his side.

"You are mistaken, Decius."

Though Decius had left the lounge and Valorum had said nothing, once he was out of sight, the Vodyani stood silently and left the room as well. Slowly and silently, he followed the Craver at a distance by the sound of his footfalls alone. Now he stands just beyond the threshold of the door, staring facelessly at the brute before him. His voice still calm, Valorum continues:

"I do trust you, and cannot reject you. For me to do that would be hypocrisy at its highest. Rather, you give me something I should not have, cannot keep, do not want, and will not need; your pain."

"Valorum," Decius says in his deep and level voice. "My pain is not something that I would wish upon any being of sentience. My pain is something that others, even you, cannot experience no matter what type of technology you cement yourself with. It is my constant struggle.  Do you understand what they have done to us, to make us like I am? They did not simply take us, make us better, and upgrade our bodies. They did not place us in another vessel. You were created into something, into living as a being with consciousness, correct? You have been used to having choice ever since you were conceived."

Standing, the creature steps forwards. His level voice begins to fill with the only true emotion the translation can properly communicate: anger.

"I had no choice to stop eating when I became conscious and could see what I did was wrong. I am sure you have seen the faces of those you have killed, just as I have. It is the consumers dilemma! However, there is no alternative to flesh for me to eat! Do you know how hard it is for me... to... RESTRAIN myself from destroying? I have no... way... to... stop, and... it... is... INEVITABLE! I... CANNOT... STOP!!!"

The poor Craver slams himself on the floor and begins to flail violently. His body seems to lash out at the vital life support pumps and stopping at the last second, his will overpowering Wrath at the very last second. Suddenly, his entire body seizes up and holds still, suspended in air. With a rapid spurt of movement, his arm moves up, slices through the air, and lands directly below the base of his giant "skull". With immense force, the great beast falls to the floor, stunned. The lights in his eyes seem to drain into a murky darkness. As soon as the storm had come, it had passed.

((Is this the end of our battered antihero, Decius? Tune in tomorrow for more stories from the Voyage of the Saviour!))

Just as Laudmas entered the room with a grin, a hasty message from Valorum surprised him.

Other people may have panicked, but the ancient robot stood firm and listened clearly to what Valorum said, making sure to catch all vital information. 

There was trouble. Laudmas had to act fast. Decius is a Craver and had been separated from the hive. If something happened to him, the most likely thing was that he had gone mad. The Captain could resist the Craver but the ancient robot couldn't be so sure. He could contact the other crew members for help, but given how most of them were cautious and possibly afraid of the Craver, that would likely lower the crew's opinion of Decius to the point of no return. On the other hand, could Laudmas handle the Craver alone with Valorum? If he went in alone without any help from others, the Captain could possibly lose his life and the ship's situation would even be worse; without a captain and with a rogue Craver loose. The ancient robot had a bit of strength in him and he wasn't very afraid of death, but he had doubts on whether he can take the Craver on. 

After a few seconds of thought, Laudmas threw a weak excuse at Ylona ("Oh wait! I forgot to lock my Cephlapod from my acquariums!") and rushed off to the life-support room.

The ancient robot checked the medical pouches he strapped on his waist. Fortunately, all his significant equipment were there. Unzip the pouches and bandages (which were coated with a tiny layer of dormant dust) would fill out at the very bottom. The sides of the pouches were lined with neatly arranged syringes that were mostly filled with MDAN-Morphine and shots of common but life-saving antibiotics along with energy packets. There was a space left out for Laudmas' favourite tools. Empty vials, altered droppers, and packets that securely contained dust. All of these equipment and items helped the ancient robot out of very grim situations and saved plenty of lives. Unfortunately, Laudmas had no prior experience with a Craver. If Decius wasn't mad and was just incapacitated, he would have a very hard time aiding the creature. 

The ancient robot reached the life support room. It was a macabre site. Decius was sprawled on the floor, looking weak and shriveled up. The captain was there and more importantly, an unknown weapon was adjacent to him. Laudmas was amazed. He knew that the Vodyani were known for the combat prowess but he never expected for them to overpower Cravers. 

The robot suddenly perked up. The captain was a Vodyani after all. Truth be told, Laudmas preferred the Cravers to the Vodyani. While it was true that the Cravers are thought to be more savage than the Vodyani, one can deduce the goals and objectives of the Craver quite easily. But the Vodyanis were different. They were mysterious and cryptic. Deadly and vindictive. For the robot, having a opponent that was strong but had a simple (not necessarily dull) mind sounded better than a slightly weaker opponent but with a much more complicated intellect. 

Regardless, a life was on the line. Laudmas rushed to the Craver and tried to check for a pulse. He then looked at his Captain meticulously and slowly but firmly asked him "Did you? Of all the people. Did this?". 

A pulse responded to the robot faster than what Valorum's could respond. Laudmas turned his attention back to the Craver and slowly rolled the Craver so his face would not be lying face down on the floor. He then began examining him for any signs of ailments. He was unconscious for sure, but why? Cravers were known for their great resistance and strength. They could stand against shots, diseases, and possibly anything the entire universe could throw at them. How could a Craver go unconscious? Perhaps he was choking but there doesn't seem to be any oral cavity that the robot could easily find on Decius. His life support system could had broke down but that would be very hard for the robot to detect and fix. "Hmm." the robot thought to himself. "The most common causes that could create unconscious in normal organic beings are illnesses, trauma to the cerebrum, drugs and substances abuse, and lack of nutrients." The last option sounded very peculiar. 

He thought further of the situation. How could a small explorer ship have enough food for a Craver? A light-bulb suddenly lit up, and the robot began searching in his pouches. 

Laudmas took out a vial, a syringe, a energy packet, and a dust packet. He began work immediately. The robot poured (due to advancement in technology, the content in the energy packet rapidly liquefied in contact with air) out the energy packet to the vial, swirled it a bit, and gave it some time to settle. The dust packet was opened and it immediately went in to the vial. Normally, only a few trickling of dust was needed but given the size of the unconscious creature, the robot poured all of the contents in (a life was more valuable than a sum of dust). The vial glowed a warm gold. Laudmas inserted the syringe to the vial and took out some of the liquid. He then thrusted the syringe in deeply (fortunately, the syringe was able to pierce Decius' thick skin) in the center of the Craver (presumably his belly) and pushed the liquid in forcefully. The robot repeated the process until all  of the liquid was gone in the vial. He then took a step back, and hoped that the Craver would be revived wouldn't anymore damage. 

As Ylona cursed, Dhanyl realised that he didn't tell her everything he knew about the Cloud. Yeah, it was big and would melt the saviour upon contact, so he obviously assumed that everyone already knew about that. It wasn't that hard to spot! And the ship had a scanner array for a reason!

"Wait, so you noticed that just yet?! I thought the shields were already on!" Dhanyl knew that Humans were less observant than Sophons, but that was a damn huge Cloud. "How could anyone overlook that?!" He yelled and ran after Ylona. He didn't want to sit in his lab while the saviour was heading to its doom.