Late at night, in the middle of the day, any time and any place aboard the Manhattan, one might occasionally hear whispers. People mutter quietly to one another about the things in the walls. Those that have been aboard the ship for the longest have the best tales to tell. In corridors, labs, and even in crew quarters, one might occasionally hear a skitter, a patter, or a scratch coming from the walls. Sounds of things shifting and crawling through the crawlspaces. The clank of metal accompanied by strange yowls and hisses. These things and more were told and exaggerated by the crew.

–

Kaia relaxed in the lounge, slowly sipping from a large mug of milk that was kept at a perfectly cold temperature by the insulating properties of the vessel. Someone a few tables over was talking about the wall monster, and it took a bit of self control to contain her giggles. Of the people who knew the true nature of said monster, over half weren’t even on this ship anymore. The other half were either in on the joke enough to not say anything, or didn’t want to spoil the fun.

Kaia took another sip of her milk, enjoying the moment. Bovine Milk. A thing she’d discovered during her stay on Earth. Oba had a population of Wer’nem, but the protein-rich liquid harvested from the chicken-sized animals was nothing compared to bovine milk. It was so GOOD. Like a human enjoying wine, she savoured the cold drink.

Kaia, Eng