Over the course of their six-month communication, Angelika and Eyuy had taken to sharing words from their native languages. One particular word from their exchanges came to Eyuy's mind. Staring at the covered face of Ppnlak, the only thing he could think was, 'Scheiße.' The various rules and regulations he was breaking also came to mind.

Section 5; article 1: Do not, under any circumstances, make contact with unknown alien life before a complete assessment of their intelligence. In compliance with the Treaty of Four Nations, the Exploration Division of the ICC has listed the requirements for the Acceptable Measure of Intelligence (AMI) on page 546.

The one rule he was meant to be following was broken, and the promotion he so longed for was now a distant memory. Eyuy had no idea if this species was registered with the ICC, nor if it was telling the truth about not being the native species. Although Eyuy tended not to believe in fringe theories like alternate universes, he hoped that another Eyuy was luckier than him. 

Are you alright?

"I'm fine." Eyuy was brought out of his catastrophizing by the sound of the Ppnlak's voice in his head. He needed to calm down and focus on what were the most pressing matters. The first order of business was to find out where Ppnlak was from. "State your ID number and planetary classification."

I don't know what either of those are.

The introduction of more bad news threatened to crush Eyuy. If the alien didn’t know what an ID number or planetary classification was, there was a large chance their species wasn’t recorded with the ICC, which meant his contact before a proper assessment was disastrous. Eyuy said, "Does your species have a name?"

We call ourselves the Tenlaup.

"Excuse me for a second." Eyuy closed the door on Ppnlak for a second time before marching into the control room of the ship. He called, "LOIUY, can you please search the ICC database for a species by the name of Tenlaup?"

[I WOULD BE HAPPY TO PROCESS YOUR REQUEST. PLEASE GIVE ME A MOMENT TO FIND THE INFORMATION YOU HAVE REQUESTED.]

"Take all the time you need." Eyuy impatiently waited for the AI to look through the database. Its response would determine how he would proceed with Ppnlak.

[I'M SORRY, BUT THE TENLAUP IS NOT A SPECIES REGISTERED IN THE DATABASE. DO YOU NEED ANYTHING ELSE?]

"No, that will be all." Eyuy was officially freaking out. He had an unknown species outside his spaceship that he made contact with before he assessed its intelligence. The ICC would toss out his report within a single glance, and there wasn’t anything he could do about it.

Section 23; article 2: In the event of an invalid report, the reporting explorer will be put under review. The review can either be concluded with the explorer in the right or in the wrong. If the explorer is considered in the right, the explorer may continue activities as normal. If the explorer is considered in the wrong, the explorer may face disciplinary measures. An invalid report will never be reinstated as valid no matter whether the explorer was considered in the right or wrong. For more information on invalid reports, please refer to the annex.

Eyuy walked back to the door and took a deep breath before he reopened it. Eyuy said, "You're not in the ICC's database."

Two of Ppnlak's tentacles made a shrugging motion. I knew that was a possibility. My home, Svkstir, is far away from here. Far away from the coalition.

Eyuy narrowed his eyes. "You know about the coalition."

I travelled with the Architeuthis for many years. I am well aware of who the ICC is.

The Architeuthis was a distantly familiar name to Eyuy. He must have heard about the ship sometime on the station, so there was a high chance it was an enemy ship. Ppnlak didn’t look like an insurgent or a pirate, nor did he act like one. However, Eyuy knew the dangers of assuming based on appearance. A mistake that got him into his present situation. Eyuy asked, "The Architeuthis. I'm unfamiliar with that cargo ship. What did you transport?"

Eyuy was interested to see Ppnlak's glow fade from white to a dim yellow. Ppnlak replied, We were not a cargo ship.

"A passenger ship?"

No, it wasn't a passenger ship either. 

"A corporation's vessel?"

Something like that.

Although Ppnlak couldn’t see his face, Eyuy imagined the tenlaupian could understand his skepticism. All employees in major corporations had to be recorded with the ICC. Ppnlak's species would have been added to the database after the record would have been uploaded. Eyuy said, "I don't believe you, and you know that."

Ppnlak's glow shifted from yellow to red. I don't know why you're having us play this guessing game when you already know what kind of ship the Architeuthis was.

"I wanted you to tell me of your own volition. Verbal affirmation would be the best, but it seems you are incapable of that."

An echo of a laugh entered Eyuy's mind. Is this the kind of service one can expect from the ICC? I understand why my fellows called yours pretentious.

Eyuy flicked his tail and said, "I'm an explorer, not a diplomat. I don't owe you anything."

Will that attitude take you far in life?

"What would a pirate know?"

I know that I was taken from my planet and forced to work on a pirate ship. I know that I escaped execution from its captain by fleeing via an escape pod. I know that I've survived on this planet for almost 200 days. But more than that, I know that I need your help to leave, even though all you've done is disrespect me up to this point. 

"You need my help. With what?"

My pod crash-landed onto this planet, and I can't fix it. I don't know how to read the dashboard, and I don't know how to read numbers. So, I can't put in coordinates.

Eyuy thought about what Ppnlak said. He was under no obligation to help the tenlaupian, but Eyuy did feel some regret from how harshly he had been treating Ppnlak. Eyuy was responsible for his own mistakes, and there was no need to take them out on the cause of his frustration. However, Eyuy also sensed an opportunity. If Ppnlak was to be believed, and Eyuy was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, he had been on planet IF 329714628-419 for six months. That was plenty of time to become acquainted with the surroundings. 

"I'll help you on one condition."

What is it?

"You help me with my mission. Making contact with you has already jeopardized my status with the ICC, so I need excellent findings. Findings that will make my sector chair think twice about labelling my report as invalid."

A tentacle rose in front of Eyuy, who looked at it with confusion. Ppnlak said, Squeeze it.

Eyuy stared at the stationary limb before lifting one of his hands to squeeze it. As soon as Eyuy let go, the tentacle retracted back to Ppnlak. Eyuy asked, "Why did I just squeeze your tentacle?"

That means we have a deal.

"Understood. What—" Eyuy was cut off by LOIUY's voice.

[EXPLORER AEUM-YINH, ANGELIKA MÜLLER IS WAITING TO BE PATCHED THROUGH.]

Eyuy quickly said, "I have to go, but I'll be in touch."

It's not like I can go anywhere. You know where I'll be.

"I understand." With that, Eyuy closed the ship's hatch and scurried to the control room. He jumped into his chair, removing his helmet. He said, "LOIUY, please patch me through to Angelika."

[PATCHING SINGAL...]

Angelika's tired face greeted Eyuy. She smiled at him before getting straight to the point. "Have you made any progress?"

A grimace crossed Eyuy's features. "I have."

"Your face tells me the opposite."

"It's about the progress I've made."

Angelika leaned back in her seat, peering down at the screen. She asked, "What sort of progress?"

"The alien I've been following approached me today."

Angelika cursed, and Eyuy could see her lowering the volume on her dashboard. "Eyuy-yinh, what is the one thing I told you not to do?"

"Not to make contact before I assess its intelligence."

Angelika rubbed a hand down her face. "This is enough to call for an invalidation."

"I'm aware," Eyuy sighed, "I have a plan."

Angelika motioned for him to proceed with his explanation.

"I’ve enlisted the alien's help." Angelika let out a breath of air through her nose at that. It was decidedly less amused than Eyuy was used to hearing. "He will help me draft a report the sector can't afford to lose."

"Do you even know anything about the alien?"

"His species is the tenlaup, and he's from the planet of Svkstir. He used to work on the Architeuthis." Hopefully, Angelika wasn’t familiar with the ship.

"He's a pirate!" she screeched. Angelika looked around, making sure no one heard her before whispering, "You’re getting help from a pirate."

So, she was familiar with the ship. "I can't afford having my report get marked as invalid. A black mark would spell the end of my career."

Angelika sighed, "LOIUY, can you hear me?"

[I AM LISTENING, EXPLORER MÜLLER. DO YOU NEED ASSISTANCE?]

"Wipe this conversation from the records."

[EXPLORER MÜLLER...YOU ARE AWARE THIS IS AGAINST ICC POLICY, CORRECT?]

"Yes," Eyuy glared, "LOIUY is right. Section 54; subsection c states that it is unlawful to try to hide audio transcripts without proper authorization."

Section 54; subsection c: Any removal of correspondence without proper authorization from the appropriate sector is considered unlawful under ICC regulation. Removal refers to wiping, overwriting, or deleting in the digital space; it refers to burning, shredding, tossing, waterlogging, or breaking in the physical space. If an officer is caught removing correspondence, they will be immediately removed from service. Officers can protest this decision through the Legal Sector.

Angelika glared back, "I'm trying to help you. It doesn't matter if you write a report to end all reports if the sector hears that you worked with a pirate. LOIUY, wipe it."

[EXPLORER AEUM-YINH?]

Eyuy turned his glare to his desk, berating himself. He wouldn’t be in this situation if he had been more careful. Was his career worth more than his sensibilities? Eyuy said, "Wipe the conversation."

[AFFIRMATIVE. I WILL BEGIN THE WIPING AFTER EXPLORER MÜLLER DISCONNECTS.]

"Eyuy-yinh, I won't keep helping you if you mess up."

"I understand."

"Make sure that you do. Explorer Müller signing off. Thank you for your time."

The call disconnected, and Eyuy felt a weight lift from his shoulders. Now, all he had to do was focus on the mission. The mission he currently had no progress on. Eyuy spun in the chair, contemplating his existence. He hoped alternate universe Eyuy was on Anmlonh, drinking a glass of sulfuric acid and not worrying about a thing.

LOIUY chimed in, [I HAVE COMPLETED THE WIPING OF THE DATA.]

"Thank you," Eyuy replied, "You have no idea how much that means to me."

[I HAVE NO NEED FOR THANKS, EXPLORER AEUM-YINH. I AM MERELY HERE TO ASSIST YOU.]

"LOIUY, please just take it."

[IF YOU INSIST, I WILL ACCEPT YOUR THANKS. PLEASE GIVE ME TIME TO FORMULATE MY FEELINGS ON THE MATTER.]

"Let me know when you figure it out."

[I WILL.]

Eyuy stared at the reflection of his face for a moment before turning off his monitor and trudging to his tiny bed. He laid down, closing his eyes. Sleep would make him feel better.