"Kill the bastards."

"Steal him back."

"Kill them with fire!"

"Start a riot."

"Go to their planet and make sure that none of them can get anything done."

"Burn their fucking planet to the ground!."

"Tell the GA if they don't give him back we will start a rebellion."

Commander Vir sat at the head of the conference table hands clasped lightly on the table before him He may have seemed calm on the outside, but on the inside he was seething with a rage that threatened to rip through his body and level the entire building. Everything his crew was saying, every suggestion of violence and every urging to go out and do something insane made his insides thrill with eager emotion.

He wanted to do what they suggested, he wanted to rain hell down upon the bastards that had taken Krill. He wanted to sweep down upon them like a destroying angel with all the power to turn cities to salt, and rivers to blood.

Every bone in his body ached to descend upon them with all the fury of humanity at his back.

"No...."

"What do you mean no!" Maverick demanded, "They took Krill, now they have to pay." Her anger caused a chorus of agreement, especially from the other marines, who were so riled up they could barely maintain their seats.

"Yeah, Maverick is right." Ramirez had jumped from his seat

The other marines continued to chorus their agreement.

Then the entire room erupted, and could not be silenced until Commander Vir slammed his hand on the table "THAT'S ENOUGH.". The marines and rest of the bridge crew went silent Heads turning in shock and surprise.. Commander Vir was standing partially from his seat hand in a fist atop the table, "I-said-no. Now all of you SIT-your-asses-down."
Wide eyes and glances were exchanged about the room, but the marines slowly took to their seats shuffling into position the fire in them partially dampened by surprise. Commander Vir stood at the head of the table leaning over the cold metal two hands bracing himself against the cold metal. He stared down for a long moment quietly waiting for the marines to calm down and take their seats looking at his distorted reflection in the face of the metal.

When he looked back up, it was only cold calculation that they saw in his single eye.

The marines shifted in their seats in surprise.

The bridge crew glanced between each other.

"We will not be doing any of that." The man said quietly looking around at each of the marines, "I don't think I have to remind you what kind of political backlash any one of those options might cause to us. Do I want to go in and reign hellfire? Yes, but we have to think about the long term consequences." He stood back up and turned around clasping one wrist behind his back,

"You aren't suggesting we just abandon him, are you?"

Commander Vir turned his head to the side slightly, "I never said anything about abandoning our friend, but I am suggesting that we push our more baser instincts back where they belong." He turned back away from them his head low, "If we do what we all want to, it could potentially result in a galaxy wide war at most and extreme political unrest at least.... We need.... We need to do what Krill would do."

"Scream profanities and write a rant about how stupid humans are."

A small smile tugged at the corner of the man's mouth, "We need to be surgical...."

***

The Vrul Official floated just in front of the entrance to his ship staring out at the alien horizon on an alien planet. He did not bother to hide the fact that he wished for nothing more than to go home. Traveling through space was a delicate matter that required a great deal of risk. The fact that he was willing to captain a ship had nearly ostracized him from much of society that knew of his job.

Of course, he did not find pleasure in his work, but it is what he was good at, and he intended to keep doing it to the best of his ability until such time that he was terminated from his position. He was not inherently a riskater, and would have taken extreme offence to anyone who suggested it, but he was willing to do what needed to be done for the good of his species.

He continued to watch the alien horizon neither interested or awed by its strange other-wordly beauty. It was simply time to return home, with the cargo that had been requested by the council.

If any Vrul had the audacity to think he was a risk-taker, they would soon be proven wrong in comparison. The Dr..... Dr Krill, a renowned Alpha of some importance has and was proving himself to be of some concern. The official had seen in, in the way the creature moved when he stepped aboard the ship, not bothering to float but scuttling along with quick jerky movements. The way his head had turned at every sound, and the strange way in which he spoke.

It was all quite strange and rather.... unsettling .

Completely un-vrul.

Of course, they hadn't worried about this phenomenon so much before. There was even a time where they had let humans onto their planet, but that was before their scientists had discovered this strange change in behavior. Of course the doctor wasn't the only one, but he was the worst having demonstrated signs of deviation even before exposure to the humans.

At the time everyone had just thought it an eccentricity of an Alpha. If the Doctor's official transcripts were to go buy, he was more than a simple alpha, he was a genius, a strange creature that thought differently from the rest of them, but still this behavior was just outrageous.

He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he did not see the human approach.

It was a fact that gave hi great unease, the way the large creature could be so silent despite it's clunky misshapen frame.

He only noticed it when he heard the hissing humm of his own dialect being spoken through the things rubbery lips.

"Official, it is I, Commander Vir. I desire to speak with you."

He nearly leaped out of his skin. The words sounded strange and distorted coming from the human mouth, but it was unmistakable as the Vrul language. How the human had even managed to learn it was a surprise, and the fact that he could utilize it even more surprising.

The Vurl remained at a safe distance, "Speak your peace, human."

"I think, Officer, the title you are looking for is, Commander. That is your custom, to call people by the title they hold?"

The Vrul officer pressed his mouth tight closed, "Very well Commander, speak your peace."

"I wish to accompany you."

The Vrul was very unsettled by the unwavering expression of that single green eye.

"I am afraid that is not possible commander, and besides, don't you have a fleet to command?"

The human crossed its upper appendages over it's trunk, "Not currently, my ship is being serviced."

"I still cannot allow it."

"Quite to the contrary. I think it can be allowed once you hear my reasoning."

Reasoning with a human, now wasn't that a fun thought experiment, "Go on."

"If what you say is true, that the simple interaction of our two species causes irreparable psychological changes to your species, than I wish to see it. Humans need to understand the danger we put you in, if there is danger at all. I need to know in order to make an accurate statement to my human counterparts about the issue because if they do not see it, they will not believe it. I must learn how this has affected you, and what I must do to mitigate the effects."
He ... had a point.

"Forgive my caution, Commander, but humans are known to be rather.... impulsive . How can I be sure you would behave yourself."

"I came alone didn't I? Even if I weren't to behave myself we can assume that you would quickly take care of the problem."

The Vrul floated a bit closer to the human, "It can be argued that even one human aboard our ship could be quite disastrous."

"But now you have warning and can prepare." The human pulled something from behind his back buckled it around his waist, and then engaged in some sort of control. And then, he floated from the ground gently kicking himself until he was eye level with the Vrul who quickly paddled backwards in shock.

The human's cold green eye fell upon him without so much as a waver.

"Official, you must trust me. And know that, If I were going to behave rashly, I would already have done so."

The vrul pulled back slightly not entirely sure if that had been a threat or not, but it's meaning was clear. The human could have killed him at any time, but he had CHOSEN not to, and his words made sense. As far as they knew the human brain seemed capable of reason and logic, so it wouldn't make sense to anger the humans by refusing their civilized offering.

"Very well Commander, but you will be isolated as much as possible during our voyage. We would not want to expose you to any more of our unsuspecting crew members. Our conversation is already pushing the limits of what I consider to be acceptable. I will escort you to a room, but beyond that your interaction will be limited.

"Understood, Official." The human lowered his large head in a strange nonverbal gesture that he couldn't have determined the meaning.

Was he making a mistake.

***

Krill was escorted through the 3 dimension-ed maze of hallways curving upwards and backwards and downwards. Considering their use of helium sacks, the Vrul did not require such structured floor-plans as the humans did, and made a habit of utilizing all space possible including vertical.

It was a rather strange and alien scene despite being a produce of his own species, after spending so much time with the humans he had grown used to their geometrical architecture laid out in very meticulously planned grids. Granted the Vrul were almost as organized, arguably more so, but in different ways.

The two beta guards and their Omega assistants escorted him up a long vertical tube and through another lateral passageway to the left. The ship was designed to operate with a minimal amount of Vrul crew members, generally equaling less than fifty, a fact that made the ship seem wide, quiet and deserted, a far cry from the human ship which was always bustling with active life.

Ahead of him, the organic structure of their ship drew back with a soft slithering noise, and he was pushed into the room and left the wall closing behind them.

"Beginning diagnostic examination."

Krill sighed but remained very still as the sensors in the walls rolled around him.

"Good morning, Doctor." The voice said "Please complete this short psychological survey. How are you feeling."

Krill blinked at the wall, not amused, "Annoyed."

"Word does not translate, please be concise."

Krill huffed. He forgot how nebulous annoyance was, "I am displeased with the situation as of now. I wish to leave."

"Why are you displeased."

"I was taken away from my friends and crew and accused of things that have no bearing on the rest of my species."

"Please repeat again, and be more precise."

Krill growled in frustration, "I have been removed from my duties and accused of something that does not directly involve the Vrul as a species."

"Psychological evaluation complete, please wait for a physical representative to come speak with you. Enjoy the relaxing array of lights while you wait."

The voice clicked off, and the walls began to glow with a soft blue light.

It only made Krill more mad.

He turned back to the door waiting, and it seemed as if he was waiting for a while before the door opened and another Vrul stepped inside. This one grey with yellow prisms for eyes, "Greetings, doctor, I am here to complete your psychological evaluation. The results to your physical tests are out of my range of expertise, but I am told they were ... worrying."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean diagnostics indicate changes in core body temperature, movement patterns, neuron arrays, and brain waves. The brain waves being the most worrisome. How are you feeling."

"I am displeased." Krill snarled

The expert watched him with a dark expression.

"How would you consider your current emotional state."

"I already said. I am DISPLEASED. The humans have a lovely word for the emotion. It is called annoyed, when a slight inconvenience leads to almost anger but not quite. You have removed me from my duties against my will, that makes me annoyed.""

"How ... interesting."Do you often find yourself using human terms in conversation."

Krill glowered, "Of course I do, I work with humans. I MUST use their language structure to communicate. I also find they have words that are more accurate than our speech."

"Do you understand why you are here, Doctor."

"Of course, I understand why I am here. This is a termination evaluation, an absolute load of chicken shit."

The Vrul stared at him in confusion, "I am sorry? I do not understand."

Krill turned in a frustrated circle, "I mean that I think it is illogical and a waste of time."

"Why do you insist on using these human terms while you speak."

"Because human words more accurately represent how I am feeling."

The evaluate shifted on his four limbs adjusting the amount of air in his helium sack.

"Doctor, you understand why the council is worried. Even after our first few minutes of discussion, I can see that your behavior has deviated from the correct Vrul behavior and towards human behavior. You are showing increased aggression, agitation, and your body utilization has changed."

"I am behaving this way because you are being illogical. By taking me you risk angering the humans, and that is a bad idea. Not to mention that my departure from the ship leaves the humans in danger."

"You think you are that important to them?"

"I AM that important to them."

"And what makes you say that." The Vrul didn't turn his gaze from Krill who shifted in annoyance in the air.

"Because the humans have accepted me into their pack. I am one of them now."

"Does this mean that you identify more with the humans than you do with your own species?" He questioned his face so smooth and expressionless, Kril was having a hard time telling how he was feeling. Then it crossed his mind that he had never needed facial expressions when he did not live with the humans. In fact, the Vrul had never assumed to know anything about the inner workings of other vrul, but here he was, presenting open emotions to this emotionless creature.

He was trying to interact with his creature as if he was interacting with a human. He was using human speech patterns, human terms and even human body language. A fact that he had not realized he was doing subconsciously until just now.

He was behaving just like a human would....

How fascinating.

"No, I simply accept a way of behaving that does not align with my original behavior This is adaptive for my survival aboard a human ship."

"Are you afraid of the humans."

"More afraid FOR the humans."

"Why would you be afraid FOR humans."

Krill turned away from the questioner facing the wall and its uniform gleaming surface. The room was a ball, not a square lie the humans preferred, the ground was bumpy and uneven.

"I am afraid for what they might do.... Humans are rash you know, and they might get themselves hurt."