The sudden motions from the The Yellow Eyed Lifeform made λ uncomfortable. He did not think that he would fare well in a fight against it. However, it did pose an interesting question.

"I do not know why one would wish to eat me. But I don't know why one would wish to eat any one being over another. I have met many Lifeforms that have eaten many things.  One I know  even eats Dust. And I met another that ate an entire space ship. But that one was larger than you. So I cannot say for sure if you would eat me."

For a moment, λ considered if being called unpalatable was an insult of some sort. 

The Yellow Eyed Lifeform still stood holding some sort of knife. It wore a grey cloth covering over its body, which was also covered in small feathers. The Yellow Eyes still glared at him through the metal face covered in ornate design. And behind it were... Yellow. A massive spread of Yellow feathers that sat behind the head. They were also scattered in other areas, the elbows, legs, and arms. Seeing these, λ knew he must get to know this creature better. He was going to need one of those feathers. λ did his best to relax and remember the correct procedures for interacting with a Lifeform of unknown threat.

"I-come-in-peace. I am λ, of the Riftborn. Custodian, born of the ไ. I came to sojurn here as a member of the Second Wave."

The sentence switched between λ's somber speech and what might be loosely described as music. The first break in speech was short, the sound made of a few interlocking tones. The second was longer. Pitches and strains jumped and interjected without an obvious uniting purpose.

"You may call me Lambda. And you. Will you have a name?"

((Thanks to Iarainn for helping me with his characters description! Mazatl wears a mask, no metal face. λ just has a hard time understanding that.))

λ was glad that The Yellow Eyed One was relaxing and putting the sharp knife away. Its absence allowed λ to focus on the real task at hand. Getting his subarms on one of those feathers...

"Perhaps it is best that you have not meet my people in the future. They are often unwelcoming to others. The Mazatl is a Hissho. These I will hear of, but not met. What are they? And how to you get your feathers?"

As λ spoke, he began to move closer, far past what most species would consider 'personal space'. 

"That." λ gestured with all four subarms at the blood that mared the beauty of The Yellow feathers. "That belongs on your inside. At least most of the time. It should not be on your outside! You must seen the Ships doctor, or the rest of your body will empty out."

Come to think of it, that would make the feathers easier to take. But λ was pretty sure that would also make The Mazatl dead. He did not think that would be a good thing.

λ examined the offered hand. It did seem to have stopped leaking. He would take The Mazatl at his word. λ considered what it would be like to have fluids that one was constantly responsible. It seemed very messy. 

λ decided that the best time to ask for a feather was now. Otherwise, The Mazatl might leave to other tasks and λ would have missed his chance. He paused for a moment to remember his phrases.

"I-am-sorry-to-ask. I-request... a feather.  I-would-like-to-borrow-this-specimen-for-my-research."

Breaking from the monotone delivery, λ quickly continued.

"I know they are a part of your body. But perhaps if one could be removed? Preferably one without blood on it."

Traveling never came difficult to Lazahr, he was a Vaulter after all and his people had been relegated to a quasi-nomadic lifestyle even if it wasn't by choice. The only "home" he'd ever known was an ancient ruin to most but a fresh disaster to him. 

Now here he sits in a corner of the storage bay surrounded by crates and luggage that he had come to use as a makeshift contemplation area on the ship reminiscing about the events that led him here, to the Saviour, seeking out information about beings he wasn't sure if he should be worshipping or reviling. Time would tell. Time and information. As his mind rambled on his right hand gently fiddled with a metal chain hanging from his neck until he at last took a deep breath and stood up. 

For most of the journey thus far he had been nothing more than another security officer aboard the vessel, quietly doing his duty and content to remain an anonymous face among the crew but today that was going to change. Today was a day of remembrance. She gave everything for him to continue on, was he honoring her memory by being satisfied with anonymity and mediocrity? No, he wasn't. 

Fastening the last few buckles of his uniform into place and checking over his gear one final time, he stepped out of the storage bay and into the hall to make his way to the crew quarters. 

While the pair walked toward's The Mazatl's crew quaters, λ found himself considering the nature of his new companion. The Mazatl was a strange lifeform. The Hissho, altered by Endless. Sharp and Dangerous looking. The Yellow on The Mazatl still held λ's fascination but also his respect. It seemed a Yellow that could kill. Definately worth further investigation. 

"The Hissho, altered by Endless. Are they all Yellow? All they sharp like you? Sometimes a people are smooth, othertimes sharp. Which are yours?"

λ caught the glimpse of another Lifeform as they passed through the crew area. One of Ylona's people? λ couldn't remember if he had meet this one before. There were too many of them, he had a hard time telling them apart. 

As was to be expected, other members of the crew happened along the corridor as Lazahr made his way to the crew quarters. He hadn't spoken with either of them before, content to remain anonymous among the crew but today was different. As they drew closer Lazahr nodded in greeting before realizing they were intent on a destination and likely not keen on interruption, particularly given their ongoing conversation. 

Instead he shuffled to the side to let them pass, taking note of their distinctive features which wasn't overly difficult given their uniqueness. A yellow-feathered bipedal avian type creature and a construct of some sort with parts that didn't appear to actually be attached to one another. There were so many life forms and creatures in this galaxy that he and his people had never encountered but they weren't any stranger than those they encounted on Auriga, at least not that he'd discovered yet. 

"Here's hoping some of them are more friendly..." he mused to himself as they passed by. Resolving to not be a nameless shadow any longer he kept a polite distance and followed them a ways until they reached their destination. Once they were inside, he waited until the avian handed what appeared to be a couple of feathers to the construct before interjecting as politely as one interrupting a private conversation could. 

"Forgive the intrusion into your privacy and your conversation, please. We've not been introduced and it is among my duties to know the members of the crew and passengers. My name is Lazahr Valeth, security and crisis response aboard the Saviour." 

λ took the feathers a little too eagerly, holding them carefully with two subarms. The excitement was momentarily stalled by the interjection of The Human behind. λ's head spun a full 180 degrees, the rest of his body remaining motionless. 

"Crisis response? I will currently be in a crisis. My samples have been confiscated to the armory. I need access to retrieve them, since the armory will been locked."

The rest of λ's body turned to match his head in a sharp motion only possible by those with detached limbs. In the excitement of the idea, λ words began to tumble out without care for 'grammer' or 'conjugation.'

"My samples were very important and not at all dangerous. Have you assisted me?"

Lazahr cocked his head to the side slightly, dragging his gaze over the construct before him while his lips twisted into a very slight frown. 

"That will depend on what your samples are samples of, who confiscated them and why?" 

Stepping a couple of steps into the room from the entry so he could be more clearly seen, he offered a polite smile to the two afterward and waited expectantly. 

"Excuse them," Mazatl said, indicating the distressed Riftborn with a brief nod. "I'm Mazatl Redsail, auxiliary helmsman. This is Lambda, who... honestly, I have no idea what their actual duties are."

Mazatl turned to stow his ceremonial implements in the footlocker, then shut the lid and pushed it back beneath his bunk. His right knee still pulsed with blunt, arthritic pain that refused to be ignored, and he sat awkwardly on his bunk, slouching to avoid banging his head on the railing of the bunk above his. They were obviously built with human proportions in mind, though he suspected even humans found them cramped.

"I am still curious as to your interest in my feathers," Mazatl said, addressing Lambda directly. "Though if your other 'samples' are missing, I suppose that explains your haste to acquire new ones."

Turning his attention to Mazatl as he spoke, Lazahr nodded appreciation at the introductions. Stepping a little further into the room, he moved to the side so as not to be blocking the exit in an effort to not appear quite so entrapping to the construct creature before him whom he just learned was expressing distress. 

"The endless creativity of this galaxy never ceases to amaze me." Spoken more as an aside to himself than a statement begging response, still no attempt to mask it was made and Lazahr visibly took a few moments to admire the two creature before him. 

Finally he turned his attention back to Lambda, "There's no cause for alarm, maybe I can help but I will need information first." 

"I am not of this galaxy. Nor this dimension even. But that is neither yesterday nor tomorrow." 

λ paused to consider how he want to procede. His next sentences could be key to getting his samples back.

"As I will state, I and my people are not from this dimension. I am a researcher, seeking to better understand this and other dimensions. My research is... may prove vital to my people. But my samples of The Yellow will be taken and locked in the armory. So I have needed someone with clearence to return them to me."

λ stopped again. Speaking with more than one Lifeform at a time was stressful. So many considerations. All he wanted was to get his samples back... Time, so linear and cruel, was slippping away. As much as he tried to deny it, he could feel its passing, pressing like the gravity of a dense world. He could not escape it. And each moment missed was a chance failed. So many lost... So few left. When was the last time he had seen The Counts? It had been... years? Possibly. λ did not like to think of what those numbers would show now. λ turned back to The Lazahr.

"Please."

"We need them."

Lazahr listened quietly, folding his arms casually and keeping a respectful distance from Lambda. When Lambda finished speaking, Lazahr's gentle frown remained and he looked to both Mazatl and Lambda before responding. 

"I understand what it feels like to be a stranger everywhere you go and to feel out of place every minute of every cycle but I suppose not quite to the level you experience it. So these samples you seek are all samples of Mazatl's feathers?" Lazahr motioned toward the Hissho indicatively as he asked. "Who confiscated them and why?" 

Mantovani once more reached the bridge. 

'why is it that i never tend to stay here long?' he pondered to himself.

He corrected his posture once more and entered the bridge again.

"I apologize for my sudden disappearance, what was this about a space station?"  

Mantovani had unintentionally said this at an abnormally loud volume and in a way that seemed like he had posed the question to everyone present. 

'WHAT IN THE PRIMES GREATNESS DID YOU JUST SAY???' screamed Mantovani internally. 

'you sounded like some ship captain in a bad Telovid drama! keep it together man!'

Whislt this storm of thoughts raged, Mantovani's expression remained characteristically stern.   

'I suppose i will have to play this off as intentional' he reasoned to himself whilst dismissing odd looks from ratings with intrigued glares in return.

((as alice and zeros are unresponsive currently, im hoping either the cap or the helmsman can get me involved in the station situation.))

Upon seeing Sister Skeler pause with a thoughtful look on her face, Valorum knew that the matter wasn't as simple as he made it out to be. He was no scientist and might well have been 'talking out of his ass' as one particularly irreverent Sheredyn corporal had once said in his presence. The intrusion of a loud Horatio into the bridge, therefore, wasn't wholly uninvited. Still, the Vodyani's expressionless face spoke none of that sentiment in the long pause he spent staring at the intruder before remarking:

"Mantovani Laboran, I presume? Brother Corvus has mentioned you."

Turning to the display-table with its many charts and holographic maps of the moon, the Captain briefly explained:

"The other celestial body of note in this system has yielded a unique moon more akin to a space station of sorts. However, our first attempts at remote surveillance have failed, and I am hesitant to risk the lives of my crew by landing anyone on the construct's surface."

"These samples are a variety of objects. I have collected them in many places and times."

λ's subarms began to flit around with a nervous energy. 

"They will be confiscated because I will not... had not completed my duties with the desired haste. Many things are considered 'urgent' that are not. And it is difficult to know exact quantities of passing time. One of the engineering staff took them. I do not remember who, humans all look alike." 

((The person who took the samples is just a generic crew member, not a part of the roleplay))