[PI] Your various alien crew mates were so excited to tell you that another human has been found; you aren't the last of your kind, after all. Plus, the other human is coming to meet you immediately. The first thing you think when you see them is "that thing isn't quite human."

Based on this prompt here: https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/s/abr6N9NBjd

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Far-out Fred - Amorphous Anomaly Aboard An Antique

Fred rushed to the hangar as fast as he could, as soon as word spread around of a new visitor who had come aboard. It was not just any visitor; however, this one sent distress calls consistent with ancient signals beamed from Sol III. It was not the traditional kind of signal, however. Translating it revealed bits and pieces of speech from human-made media stitched together to form a coherent message.

“MAYDAY”

It goes on and on until the ship uses massive tendrils to pull in the ruined transport shuttle floating nearby a blue gas giant at the edge of the Sol system.

And by shuttle, it wasn't a vacuum-rated vehicle at all, not even the aircraft-shaped vehicles ancient humans used to send into orbit. It was rectangular in shape, had huge windows spanning its entire length, and had two pairs of wheels. This thing looked like something you used to ferry passengers en masse on solid roads rather than the void of space.

Fred now stood in the hangar, right in front of a mostly intact city bus that the vessel had fished up. He's no stranger to land transport despite being ‘born’ aboard an abandoned space station; he saw similar vehicles being commonly used by many races in the absence of railways.

"Jettisoned perhaps? Someone needed to lighten the load somehow."

Fred turned around to see a bipedal creature taller than him, sporting so much bony armor that it gave his broad, boxy head a skull-like visage.

"No, Tonk. This is an antique model. Why would they throw it away like trash? Early 21st century, based on the wheels alone."

"Escape vehicle perhaps, but...ohh. Then it means whoever is inside boiled and burst alive since it is not sealed."

At least 13 black crab-like creatures the size of a cow poured out from service tunnels on the walls, carrying cutting tools in their digits. The unorthodox design of the vessel is meant to favor flying and climbing species very well. That is, until you take into account the tendrils used in reeling in this relic. Bolatrectoans are among the few races that integrate organic components in starships and are among the few "hivemind" types in the galaxy contacted so far.

These crab creatures sheared off the door from the bus, revealing a figure sitting in the driver's seat. One that was pale, thin, and had a long lock of jet-black hair. It turned its head, Fred now finding himself staring at the face of what he believes to be a woman as Tonk and the crab-critters stood back to allow him to look.

One side of him was fascinated, maybe even aroused by her exotic features as a side effect of yearning for the touch of another human. For a long time, he always believed he was the last of his kind. His friends found him all alone at a space station, inside his pod, lying dormant and ready to be released on demand. As a social being, it was only natural for Fred to look for others like him, even if there were none in sight.

Another side of him knew something was wrong, however. The woman getting off the bus looked perfect...too perfect in fact. Lots of things were loaded into Fred’s mind via his pod, and ideal human beauty standards seem to be one of them. Not an inch of hair anywhere other than her head, skin is as white as his own undergarments, pinched waist, toned body, enlarged...well, the list goes on. Not to mention what Tonk said about vacuums and fleshy bodies.

"Tonk, call Matriarch Nasqira NOW! Evacuate all the drones and seal the hangar immediately." Fred frantically pushes the armored brute away from the bus, trying to get him to leave with him.

"What for? You want Nasie to...squash the visitor just because you got creeped out?" Tonk tilted his head.

"No, you moron, we're not getting her to come down here. That would be like sending a buffet to a starving guy!"

The "human" watched as the aliens left the hangar in panic. Hatches and doors begin to shut, and the giant bugs exit from where they entered. After staring at some of the Bolatrectoan workers leaving, the human began to sprout additional jointed legs, her immaculate skin being replaced with sturdy chitin, and her mouth splitting into multiple parts.

Fred and Tonk ran through the halls of the ship, past the organic light sources mounted on the walls and bone-shaped columns. Some rooms they zoomed past resemble the interiors of insect hives, and others feel like those of bygone Earth submarines. The captain took great care to try and make Fred and Tonk as comfortable as possible despite their biological differences. Humidity was toned down for Tonk, and temperature was reduced for Fred. You cannot get mixed-crew accommodations like these in other Bolatrectoan cruisers.

The pair arrived at the bridge of the vessel, one of the larger rooms just below and further from the hangar. Any Bolatrectoans in the way moved aside to let Fred and Tonk enter the vast room decorated with branch-like spires and holograms. In the center was a gigantic grey arthropod resembling a mantis with hands at the joints of its raptorial limbs tapping away at the screen.

"Ahh, there you are, dears. Any of you hurt?" The giant arthropod bent down to place its four eyes on the level of the smaller sapients. "Oh, and save your apologies, Fred. This error was on my end. I have vented the hangar when you left, so it should expel our unwanted guest\~."

"Uhh...you seem too calm, Matriarch Nasqira." Fred questioned the Bolatrectoan queen. "Sorry, but I am still kind of getting used to having a-..."

"...big fat bug as a boss? I am aware, but do refer to me and Tonk as friends. We are all family aboard this vessel\~" She capped off with a friendly chittering noise from her mandibles. "Besides, I released you from your vat in that decrepit station, which would make you my son since I 'birthed' you."

Tonk watched the banter between Fred and the queen bug. While Fred groaned at the matriarch's antics, his mind raced back to that human lookalike from earlier. If she looked that close to a human, then that would mean she had to have copied that look from somewhere.

"Hey guys, how did that thing back there end up looking like a female Fred?" Tonk interjected. Fred stared at him while Nasqira twitched her several antennas.

"Tonk, either whoever made that thing built it from memory, or she ate someone and copied her looks." The human sighed. Even if the fake human did get that appearance from somewhere, whoever she was based on was long dead, most likely.

"Wait...you raise a good point, Tonk. Why would a predator disguise as Fred’s kind if none remain?" Nasqira wondered. "Hear that, Fred, it means your little quest to cure your loneliness is far from over!"

Fred struck Nasqira's shell playfully. "I did not say I was lonely; I just needed someone to...relate with me."

"Okay, I know two Lithornan females with interest in space animals and old machines. Want to meet them?" Tonk placed a hand on Fred's shoulder.

"No, I don't want your species' giant, armored women, Tonk." Fred responded. "By the way, where are your drones Nasqira?"

"Signaled them to enter the engineering hub, Fred. Diagnostics as usual for any issues...but odd that they have not returned yet." Nasqira would wiggle her antenna about for a moment before letting out a deep screech. "Oh dear...I cannot feel my drones. Why can I not have the control mastery of my sisters?"

"I think I know why..."Fred pointed at a holograph screen, depicting a giant arthropod-like creature in the engineering room impaling some of Nasqira’s drones with its limbs.

"I thought you vented the hangar."

"It has been done, swear to the Grand Titan Empress!" The hive queen's chittering grew louder and started to lose its rhythmic, almost musical pattern. "I never intended to let aboard such a virulent pest...without a deep scan of your relic".

"And maybe...I should have stayed behind, maybe packed a vacuum suit to make sure to check if the job is done. I apologize too, Fred." Tonk kneels down to bring his own towering stature to Fred's level. "We only wish to assist you in your quest. Nasqira also saw how your yearning was eating at your body too, hate watching that happen to my honorary brother."

The human shook his head, watching a hardened warrior of an alien and a massive hive queen appearing to be on the verge of sobbing before him. He reached out, one hand touching their sturdy exteriors as he whispered.

"No, I'm not mad...it's just...I'm glad you guys went out of your way to find me a friend...one with more in common with me." He rubbed Tonk's bony plates and Nasqira's chitinous shell. "Let's just...think all of these as an accident, okay? Just an act of God...or...Gods, look you get the point you guys okay?"

Fred would feel a sudden crushing pressure on his ribs as he was hoisted up in the air by a massive figure almost twice his height. "You mean all that? I cannot find words for this, Fred." Tonk's voice can be heard from behind him, just as his pal also felt himself be lifted in the air, followed by upbeat chittering.

"This is how your species' physical style of affection works, is it? Or must I correct myself?" Nasqira's limbs that are closest to her head clutched the two tightly against her neck. The two remained quiet in her grasp before she let them down with slight panic. "By the Grand Titan Empress, Fred is silent!"

"Calm your senses, Nasie. That was my error for not allowing Fred to breathe."

Much of Nasqira's vessel has gone into lockdown after camping out for hours on the bridge. None can be found within the empty corridors of the vessel, save for the occasional stray Bolatrectoan drone...and Fred running down the halls with a Lithornan-made rifle in hand. He tapped into his comms upon reaching a fork in the halls as he asked his friends for guidance.

"Tonk, you really are certain this is the smallest weapon in your collection?"

"And you are certain you are the only fleshling for the job? If we lose you...the galaxy loses one of its finest lifeforms. Your extinction, to be truthful."

"Tonk, we went over this. That phony bitch came with that disguise for a reason. She wants me, and that is what I need for my master plan."

"Fine...take your left-hand side. I will continue to escort Nasie to her shuttle for your other plan. Also...is the guest’s species name 'Phony Bitch'? I do not recall any vacuum-grade lifeform like her in the All-Codex."

"Maybe ask that some other time when the stakes are lower."

After making a turn, Fred kept on running forward into the now dimly lit corridors. He was starting to notice that it was getting harder to breathe the deeper he went. It was a good sign that it meant he was getting closer to engineering, but it wasn't good for the lungs when you feel like choking on second-hand smoke from phased-out cigarettes.

"Smart idea to have brought the sealed suit, here is hoping it stays sealed, however."

Taking a ramp leading downward brought him to one of the entrances of the engineering room. Unfortunately, however, dozens of Boletrectoan drones of varying castes had the same idea to cram themselves into the passage. Fred halted his advance, hiding behind a corner as he observed the strange behavior of the drones. Normally, they would find an alternate route inside, like one of the many service tunnels, but they seem to insist on taking this path.

"Fine, if they want to leave the maintenance tunnels be, so be it."

Inside one of these tunnels, it was dark and a little sticky. Fred had to harvest parts from dead drones from earlier, using their claws to scale up the tunnels and lower himself into the engineering room. Nasqira wouldn't mind that one bit; however, non-leader castes were basically subservient animals/robots, but some welfare-focused organizations in the galaxy do have their objections with how eusocial societies treat lower castes.

Using some cables, the human would descend onto a huge battery, one of many arranged in a row that could power entire continents. Just standing on its flat, insulated surface allowed him to witness his target in all its mutant glory.

"How did it...shit...NASQIRA!"

Meanwhile, Matriarch Nasqira was dragging all 35ft of her pulsating, engorged abdomen towards where the shuttle was docked at the second hangar. She was assisted by whatever was left of her drone army, with Tonk packing up supplies inside the shuttle and ensuring it was in good condition.

"Oh? Looks like friend Fred might need help...again. I will attend to him, Tonk. Run along now\~."

Upon responding to the call using the device mounted close to her head, her antenna suddenly drooped and began shaking. Her irregular chittering returned as she took in the details from her trusted friend.

"Yes...I am living but-...repeat that again...you wish to choose the second plan?! I can sacrifice all of my living drones in your place! Do not throw your life away, please..."

On the other side of the line, Fred watched as the shapeshifter not only took the form of a Bolatrectean but chose the form of a queen, just like Nasqira. He felt his skin crawl when he made out bony plates on its body that matched Lithornans like Tonk. As a cherry on top, the abomination kept its human-like head on top of its Bolatrectean-Lithornan hybrid body. Fred felt as if this monster that was currently tearing out components from the ship's reactor was designed to mock his found family. Nasqira's drones even appeared to be growing all sorts of parts that they never even should have started with. Give them a few minutes, and they can take the thrusters and FTL drive offline to leave them stranded in space.

"She assimilated them all, too. Now that’s just unfair. Big Freaky here would have been easy if it were just her, but regardless, that reactor needs to blow up."

Fred took out an electronic chip from his backpack. It was rather huge, the size of a sheet of paper. He can't believe that he somehow convinced Nasqira to hand over her authorization code to this chip. The only condition was to use it only if there was no other way to take back the engineering room, and therefore the ship itself.

"Guess it has come down to this..."

This oversized drive chip needs to be plugged into a console somewhere on the floor, according to Nasqira. That console should be easy to spot if it were not for the dozens of mutated drones all over the place. Their de facto leader of sorts also happens to be sitting in the middle of the swarm, fiddling away at circuitry.

"Clever bastards, I can see why you all stayed under the Galactic Commune's radar for so long. I'm no longer going to take a gamble with my makeshift disguise..."

The turned Bolatrectoans continued to tamper with machinery when, suddenly out of the passage Fred had just entered through, more of them began to pour out. Fred was ready to fire his oversized rifle at them until he noticed something.

"Huh...they got these buggers here all riled up all a sudden. Wait...they got no growths, these are Nasqira's!"

Hostile drones abandoned their current task and rushed towards the friendly drones coming out of the ceiling. Claws and pincers slashed and pierced at each other from above, cutting off limbs and tearing out bits of carapace as both sides engaged each other while clinging from above.

"Nasqira...she really is a stubborn one, isn't she? Who's going to do her dirty work now?" Fred smiled a little before evading a severed claw that just fell from above. Nasqira's drones are finite and not invincible, so each one that falls increases the risk of a fake drone turning its attention to Fred. He had to double time or lose his window.

There was one shapeshifter who never joined in on the free-for-all, and it was none other than one who tried to prey on Fred in the first place. And of course, the console that Fred needed to access was just being smothered by its bug abdomen. It turned around, its mixture of Bolatrectoan, Lithornan, and Human parts all proudly on display before Fred. Claws and fists are all ready to throw hands with the tiny human before it.

"You just had to block THAT panel, didn't you?"

Fred may be frail, but being far smaller than Tonk and Nasqira gave him advantages. Aside from needing far less nutrition to survive, he's also difficult to hit, his agility enhanced by Tonk's training and his suit's own servos. The human practically danced around the monster, dodging limb after limb that tried to destroy him. However, he still has no opening to plug the chip into the console.

"Stubborn faker won't let go of the console. Not sure how I can keep doing this before I break something."

The shapeshifter tilts its uncanny head upon noticing its blows all failing to connect with Fred. Its added bulk turned out to be more of a curse than a boon, despite the perk of needing no effort to deny access to the console. Still, like it always does, it always adapts. To counter the human, it needed to go back a few steps to find the answer.

Its massive bug abdomen was quickly reabsorbed into its body. The added limbs retracted back into its torso until only two pairs remained. Its overall size shrank to the point that it could stare at Fred in the eye, but avoided being close enough to do so as it backed away from him and focused on protecting the console.

"Oh great...going back to your supermodel form now, aren't you? What are you going to do, seduce me to death?"

Its pale humanoid form remained silent before darting towards him, its hands distorting in shape to form wicked claws as long as Fred's arms. The man held up Tonk's rifle with all his might and pulled the trigger as hard as he could. As it was designed for a larger person to wield, on top of being a mini-railgun in terms of functionality, Fred was knocked back from recoil and landed straight on his butt.

"Oh, good...didn't take my arm off at least. Wish I could say the same for you, space bitch." Fred remarked before running off to the left side, avoiding the shapeshifter as he took out the chip upon approaching the console.

The shot severed the shapeshifter's left arm entirely. It took a look at its own damage before new strands of muscle began growing where the arm should be. Instead of regenerating a hand, it grew a massive spike in its place, dragging it on the metal floor as it prepares to impale Fred out of retaliation.

Fred tapped some buttons on the console before the appropriate slot for his chip revealed itself. He held the chip with both hands as he plugged it in, the display on the console initiating a warning, then starting a 10-minute countdown to allow Fred to escape as the reactor of the vessel hidden just below the room heats up to prepare for detonation.

He was just about ready to make a run for it when suddenly he saw a shadow looming over the console, which prompted him to duck down as a huge bony spike attempted to stab him.

"10 minutes should be-...HOLY SHIT!"

The human was crouching down, his heartbeat elevated, and sweat covering his face. He was thankful that he was alive, but the sizzling and crackling noises next to him meant that something else bore the brunt of the attack instead. He got up and turned to see something that caused his heart to sink.

"Oh no...there goes Plan B then. I guess it's time to go manual..."

The shapeshifter's spike pierced through the console itself. The countdown sequence and the reactor's detonation were both cancelled out as a result of the damage. Fred was contemplating whether he should seek alternatives, but seeing the hostile drones start to regroup not far from them meant that was out of the question, too.

"Okay...looks like my time is up, and Nasqira's fodder has run dry." Fred sighed before turning his attention to the shapeshifter, who was still trying to get its arm unstuck from the console after stabbing it. "But I do have enough time for some sweet revenge..."

The human grinned as he raised his loaned rifle towards the shapeshifter. Finger on the trigger and proper posture this time around to avoid being flung away, he fired away at the creature, blasting its head and torso apart with multiple shots. His indiscriminate firing also ended up shattering a strange organ resembling a marble inside the creature, leading to its flesh rapidly melting into goo. The other shapeshifters in the distance that took the form of drones only watched and refused to approach Fred at all upon watching their ‘leader’ be destroyed like that.

"What, you want some of this too?" Fred barked as he pointed the rifle at the drones, which backed away in response as he approached them. "Yeah, that's right, y'all better run!"

"Now, if you excuse me, I got myself a reactor to blow up manually..."

The cruiser had two shuttles docked aboard. One was in the hangar where the shapeshifter was first brought aboard. The other was at the opposite side of the vessel, ready to be released on demand.

"Was sending out your remaining drones necessary, Nasie? You told me before that you cannot make more with only calories from emergency rations alone." Tonk took a look at the Bolatrectoan queen looming over him. Her species can consume just about any organic material, but the total amount of rations stocked aboard cannot meet her dietary requirements. The shuttle was cramped with supplies and the personal belongings of each member. Nasqira's remaining eggs, larvae, and pupae are also sharing the same space, these being vital for the matriarch's daily life once they mature.

"I...cannot let him be alone. You and Fred are not replaceable like my drones." Nasqira chittered softly as she watched the lights all over the corridors flash a vivid red upon the self-destruction sequence being initiated. "Bolatrectoans are born to spread, Tonk. We are not so different from the monster I allowed entry to."

Tonk stood at the hatch of the shuttle, waiting for any sign of Fred to show up. He once again faced the bug queen, who seems to have difficulty moving on from her mistake. "As Fred stated, it was all unintentional. Once we erase all traces of these monsters, we will have no need to worry about future charges from the Galactic Commune's Fauna Regulatory Board."

"If only it were that simple, Tonk. Their enforcers will take us in for 'suspicious activity' regardless. I cannot blame them. Bolatrectoans are responsible for devouring multiple First Contact Envoy Teams." Nasqira replied shortly after licking one of her larvae clean.

"And we Lithornans are a common sight among private armies and pirate bands. The fact that we are in the Sol system, where the Sol III archaeological site is located at does not help at all. We resemble burglars in the eyes of enforcers!" Tonk huffed before turning around to watch as the corridors violently shook with each chain reaction going off elsewhere. "Before I forget, did you consider where to fly the shuttle to after this?"

"Oh yes! The largest gas mine in the system is present on the nearby blue gas giant. Freighters have been known to dock there, so there...could you do me a 'minor' favor perhaps?" Nasqira tapped her antennae together, to which Tonk could only growl in disapproval.

"That will only worsen our allegations as burglars, Nasie. I decline your proposal to hijack a cargo freighter. This conversation is over."

Their banter would be interrupted as light footsteps came aboard the vessel. Though some parts of Fred's armor were singed, he was otherwise unharmed upon entering the shuttle.

"Shut the hatch and launch now! Core is melting and frying everything back there." Fred shouted at Tonk, who quickly punched the button to seal the shuttle and send it off into space. The trio watched solemnly as sections of the cruiser blew up one by one from a display screen inside.

"All those memories we made there...worry not, I carried them all with me here!" Nasqira held up several drives' worth of data in sealed cases held by each of her limbs. "But regardless, welcome, friend Fred! I could not resist sending my assistants to your aid, I apologize."

"All your toys, as well as mine and Nasie's, I carried and stashed there. So, has my gun served you well? Answer that question later, we rejoice in your return!" Tonk snorted with glee as he tapped Fred's back. "We do not need a lot of time to resume your quest for...companionship. All we need is a new ship for Nasie, it is all."

"And maybe nutrients...lots of them. Starving again, it would be nice to be a small as you, Fred! You only need a fraction of a ration." Nasqira added. She grabbed the two with her limbs and held them close as she would with her spawn.

"Hehehe...couldn't have wished for more supportive fellows than you two. You know I can hold off my little quest for a short while. Could use a break from all that action and splattering Phony Bitch's brains all over the floor." Fred laughed as he passed his rifle to Tonk after borrowing it.

"What, giving it back already? Keep it, Fred! I have spares. Perhaps you are more Lithornan than I assumed." Tonk pushed his rifle towards Fred.

"So, guys, where to next? Next time, somewhere that isn't crawling with shapeshift-...wait, why are we going to that gas mine?"

Tonk simply grinned, not giving a mind that Fred and Nasqira could only stare at each other with visible confusion.

“What has gotten you eager, Tonk? Were you not hesitant to the idea of ‘borrowing’ a vessel earlier?” Nasqira asked after having set aside all her young right after grooming them. “Wait…are you contacting the station down there?”

“Nasie, Fred, we are about to meet some old work friends, it seems!” The Lithornan laughs heartily before speeding up the shuttle towards the station orbiting the planet. "Seems like there is a way to grab a ride without brute force after all!"