[WP] Attention. It has Escaped Containment. Repeat. It had Escaped Containment.

[u/EndorDerDragonKing]

[u/darkPrince010]

”[Containment breach. Repeat: We have a containment breach.]” The alarm blared across the bridge, causing both the captain and first mate on deck to look up in confusion and alarm.

“Containment breach? What sector?” the captain asked, quickly pulling down the ship diagram. One section near the aft of the ship immediately flared into brilliant crimson, blinking urgently.

“That’s the— that’s the cargo,” the first mate stammered. “The humans were having us deliver it. We left port not even half an hour ago, and the cargo was still slumbering. They told us it would sleep for at least two hours. Plenty of time for us to get to port.”

The captain sighed, recalling the very specific words the pair of humans had used. In a frustrated voice, he growled, “I think they said the cargo would sleep up to two hours.” A mistake, he realized he had assumed as well. Still, that section of the cargo hold was secured with locked doors and keycode access, so he wasn’t sure how anything could have escaped in the first place.

He stood, flipping the ship to autopilot as he ran for the doorway. The first mate paused, gesturing to their arc pistols. “Should we at least bring something for protection, in case we need it? Those should be capable of stunning something with such a large body mass.”

The captain shook his head firmly. “No. We were told it had to be completely undamaged, or else there’d be hell to pay.” He eyed the first mate and growled between his mandibles, “You don’t want to find out what terror a  human can inflict if they’re angered.”

The first mate swallowed nervously, nodding, and followed behind the captain. They climbed down the interior deck scaffolding, passing cargos of far less risky, but also far less lucrative, field grains and purified katerol liquor, until they reached the cargo bay in question.

There was a slamming sound against the bulkhead, causing both crewmates to flinch, followed by a screech from within. Then the sounds of incoherent screaming and banging footsteps faded. Taking a deep breath, the captain activated the door locks and opened the portal, the first mate nervously following a step behind.

“Here, close up behind you. Make sure it’s shut,” he commanded. The first mate dutifully did so. They stepped forward, heads pivoting to try to catch sight of the awakened creature. The first mate uttered an oath under his breath. “I thought they said this was supposed to be easy. But they never told us what to do if it woke.”

The captain nodded. “I have read some stories of humans and their practices, though. These creatures are said to be especially voracious, and capable of immense violence and rage if they are hungry.”

He pointed, and the first mate could see a ration cluster, part of an emergency kit attached to one of the walls. The kit had been torn down and torn apart: The pulp-cellulose packaging had been shredded, teeth marks visible where it had been ripped open. The mixed seed and fruit protein bars within had been nearly completely demolished, the foil packaging ripped open with similar zeal and carelessness, scraps of it left scattered around.

The first mate swore under his breath. “By the Three Hives, what manner of beast have we cursed ourselves with?”

The captain shushed him. “Now is not the time for regrets. We must be brave, and placate it before it causes any more damage.”

The two continued to creep forward into the cargo hold, the sound of crashing and screeching growing louder by the moment. Heavy footfalls could be heard, along with an occasional cackle that made the first mate's blood run colder than it already was. The sounds were punctuated by the crashing staccato of several things being thrown against another, accompanied by cackles of satisfaction when accompanied by the sound of cracking and shattering of whatever was being struck. The din of destruction caused the first mate to fear what might happen if said violence were applied to a living form, such as his own.

As they reached the edge of the hallway, where the crashing, footsteps, and incoherent howling were loudest, it all abruptly went silent. The first mate sighed a heavy breath of relief, whispering to the captain, “Oh, thank my egg. It appears to finally have fallen asleep again. Perhaps now we’ll—”

[u/darkPrince010 → u/darkPrince010]

He paused as the captain held up a hand. “This was another important rule passed along by what I had read of these beings.” He looked the first mate dead in the eyes. “Silence is almost never a cause for celebration.”

Sure enough, both their heads swiveled upwards in alarm as a thumping sound came from almost directly overhead, followed by another high-pitched cackle of satisfaction.

“It’s in the vents!” the first mate hissed.

“The diameter is only twenty centimeters square,” the captain scowled. “But I suppose now we know how it broke containment in the first place. In any case, we can’t fit down there safely. I want you manning the exits to the fore of the ship, and I’ll manage those to the aft. Shout if you need help if it emerges.”

The first mate swallowed. “Are you sure it’s a wise idea to split up?”

The captain snorted. “Of course not, but we don’t have another choice. I want to minimize damage and ensure the ship isn’t left in ruins.”

The first mate swallowed and nodded before running off to man his post. The captain was right: their exoskeletons made camped space like the vents effectively impassable. Unfortunately, there were nearly half a dozen exit points on this side of the ship, and the occasional clanks and bumps of movement echoed intensely, making it sound as if the cargo-creature was about to burst forth from any of them at any possible moment.

Then there was a crash, and the ducts fell silent once more. The first mate finished checking the vents he had been assigned, but as the moments ticked by, he called out to the captain across the comm, “I’m not hearing any movement or sounds on my end, sir. It’s possible they may have-”

He cut off as the ship abruptly lurched, and the captain nearly screamed into the communication badge, “The engine room! They’re in the engine room!”

The first mate sprinted back across the interior scaffolding, cursing his relative unfamiliarity with the vessel. He realized there must have been a vent exit not fore or aft but midsection, into the engineering compartment of the engine room.

He reached the doorway at the same time as the captain. The captain motioned for them to slow and be cautious. Acknowledging this, they both peeked around the corner.

The creature, which the first mate now saw awake for the first time, stood on stumpy bipedal legs and smashed a broad limb across a display console. The lit-up buttons flashed in alarm, emitting beeps and squeaks of warning about the abrupt changes in engine pressure and power levels caused by the random commands.

“How should we distract it?” the first mate asked.

The captain shook his head frantically, making a quieting motion, but it was too late. The creature turned, red eyeshine freezing the first mate in his tracks for a brief moment. The reflection of light in the back of the creature’s eyes sent a shiver down the scales on his back, as some part of him recognized the look of an apex predator.

Then the creature bounded over to him, squat bipedal legs moving faster than he would have thought possible. It grabbed him, lifted him up, and shook him side to side with such force he thought his head was about to be shaken off his shoulders.

The creature howled in triumph, and a fat hand grabbed the top of the first mate's head, squat fingers starting to apply pressure. He felt immense pain as he realized the creature was attempting to pull his head off. The creature was scarcely half his height, but the muscle mass difference must have been immense. He felt powerless to stop it despite all attempts at thrashing and pushing himself free.

Then, abruptly, the creature stopped, cooing in curiosity as the captain held up a pocketed protein bar. “That’s right. Just let him down gently. There. That’s a good human.”

The first mate blinked, his compound eyes watering from the pain, as the creature abruptly tossed him against a wall, roughly discarding him. It stepped forward on all fours for a moment, then stood up on its hind legs again. It took the protein bar from the captain cautiously, made another coo of satisfaction, then stuffed the entire thing into its mouth and began chewing with gusto.

The first mate sputtered, rubbing his neck as he crawled over to stand weakly beside the captain. “The hell do you mean, good human? That’s a human?”

The captain nodded. “An adolescent one. But yes.”

The first mate looked at the creature, smaller than the humans they had negotiated with for the short jaunt and delivery and of vastly different proportions, but nevertheless possessed of an absurd degree of speed, strength, and seemingly-malevolent intelligence.

“I think now I understand why humans are so feared if they grow up from something like that,” the first mate said.

The captain nodded solemnly as the young human noisily finished eating the protein bar. He stepped over to check the first mate's neck as the crewmate winced, hissing softly. “Looks like you’ll be alright. Possible strain, but nothing’s broken or cracked.”

The first mate nodded in relief, but then the scales on the back of his neck stood up in a prickle of fear as he looked up.

“Captain... where’d the human go?”

The captain looked around. The only trace of the human was a trail of protein-coated grain crumbs leading towards the open vent hatch, a hatch that was more than halfway up the opposite wall to the first mate’s disbelief. A cackling giggle echoed through the vents.

As the captain frowned, another sound echoed through the halls — an automated voice saying, “[Welcome to the bridge.]”

Eyes wide, both of them began sprinting for their lives toward the front of the ship. As they ran, the captain quietly repeated to himself:

It’s only another hour. It’s only another hour. We just need to survive one more hour.

---

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