“You think it isn't? This by itself is a bad sign.  Foreigners used to very rarely get near Reglom, especially if they had no permit. But now, it's happening more and more often. Don't you see?" explained the Deputy.

Brigitte then asked the Chief: “Why is it necessary to take him there?”

“He has to be, it's too risky to keep him here, for all we now. We just don't feel comfortable with leaving a foreign stranger on the nikean homeworld.” further explained the Chief.

“Well... I sort of see your point. But why do we have to do it?” she replied.

The Chief explained: “You're one of our best and strongest officers, you alone can be trusted to handle this matter. You should bring your closest co-officers too.”

“Uhhhh... you mean... two men and two women isolated inside a ship for a long while... wouldn't that...  raise questions among the Department?” questioned a reluctant Brigitte.

“You will use the prisoner transport ship, the Paralus. The On-Ship Chaperone always keeps security and guarantees there is zero potential or worry for... happenstance.”

“Why do we have to go right now...” asked an incredulous Maroon.

“Cause the higher-ups said so, that's why. Which, if you ask me, is an overreaction. I didn't find this foreigner really dangerous.” the Nikean-in-pink explained.

Rob tried to lighten the mood: “I mean... it could be worse.”

Ben, hesitantly, nodded at this. 

“So we are going on a space trip.”, Maroon sighed as she rolled her eyes, “Of course, just after my birthday.”

“Where's your sense of adventure, Roony?” said Rob.

“At least we aren't getting fired... well, we are being fired into space anyway.” Ben expressed with a hint of sarcasm.

The four nikeans went directly to the Police Department's shipyard and beheld the ship.

“It's... bigger than I remembered.” observed Ben.

“Around 40 meters in length. And recently repainted too!!!” specified Rob.

Indeed, the Paralus was high-end average-sized ship, consisting of two main floors with a jail cell area at the back. It had a vaguely rectangular shape, with an outer structure made up of multiple tin and copper-like plates riveted and/or welded together; two exit doors on one side (with a single one at the other); four large thrusters at it's rear end; and hatches at it's bottom from which landing gear emerged.

Rob was about to say more when he noticed two officers bringing over Forge (bound in trapper-wrap), again inside a cart

Noticing the Nikean-in-pink's presence, Forge (semi-jokingly) said: “Uhhm, hi?” 

She simply ignored this, of course. Rob observed the Man in the Jacket for a moment and asked “So this is the foreigner?”, with genuine interest.

Maroon added her own question with: “Why is he blue, literally?”

“What exactly is he?” asked Ben.

“Are we sure he's a he?” further asked Maroon.

Forge tried to respond: “'Am pretty sure I-”

“What does he eat?” interrupted the ever-curious Rob.

One of the other two officers took Forge inside the Paralus, the other staying behind. During the short wait he informed them: “We're locking him at jail cell PA4. Be careful.”

“Good thing none of us is claustrophobic.” Ben said half-jokingly, fully resigned to the situation.

The other officer walked out of the ship, saying “Have a good journey.” as our four nikeans entered the ship.

The inside of the ship had typical porthole windows on the walls and a floor made of the same riveted metal as usual. Noticeable were the terminals with more typewriter-like keyboards attached to the walls and a large quantity of pipes lining up the the edges of the ceiling. The ship's door closed behind them, it's cogwheel mechanism adjusting as it locked.

Suddenly, they were greeted by an odd automaton. Emerging from an opening in the wall, it's lower half resembled a crab's legs, the torso a nikean's, and it's head a simple riveted sphere with six camera-like eyes.

The robot's chest, shoulders and back each had a pair of eyes, too. It's arms were long, with over four joints each, ending in what looked like tasers; and the body covered with multiple plates and parts riveted together. It greeted them in a jolly voice.

“Hello there, folks!!! Chap' here!!!”

Maroon responded with: “...Hi there?”

“Wow, a Chaperone A.I., I hadn't seen one yet!!!” Rob gleefully said to Ben.

“I am here to regulate and make sure 'decency' is maintained. So, please, no hugging or kissing!!! Or I'll be forced to shock you... painfully. Also, don't try to deactivate me without admin approval or I'll be forced shock you... painfully.” Chap' warned as it went back to it's initial position, saying “Happy trails!!!”

“Noted.” replied Brigitte.

Maroon gulped, Ben looked resigned, while Rob was as interested as before, saying:

“Machines like these are hard to find on Reglom!!! Impressive design!!!”

Looking around the ship, Maroon said: “This is just swell... I hoped I wouldn't have to go off-planet this month.”

Not much later, Maroon and Brigitte were on their shift, guarding the blue-looking convict, who just lied on the cell's bunk with a resigned look in his face. The two lady nikeans sat on their respective chairs, each on the other side of the door leading to the cell area.

Brigitte sat cross-legged, looking at her TypeTalky, with her usual uninterested expression; while Maroon was trying to make a star figure with some strings in her hands.

“Heeey, Breege!!!” she whispered.

“What?” the Nikean-in-pink asked, the expression in her face unchanged.

“Look, I made a star!!!! You see it?” Maroon said, showing Brigitte her string figure that very vaguely looked like a star.

Brigitte squinted her eyes and raised an eyebrow. “...Kind of. But don't do this in front of the foreigner!” she warned Maroon.

Maroon groaned a bit and attempted to untangle her hands.

Forge figured this moment was as good as ever to ask something.

“So... y-you're takin' me wher' 'xactly now?”

“As I said, we aren't telling that to a foreigner.” Brigitte responded coldly.

“I... I forgot, o-okay?” the Man in the Jacket answered, exasperated.

“Do foreigners like you have bad memory?” she asked.

“We-Well, sorry for forgetting... Officer.” he replied.

“It's okay, I forgive you.” she replied back, also sarcastically.

Maroon couldn't contain her laughter. 

“Maroon!!! Don't laugh in front of the foreigner!!!” Brigitte scolded her.

“Seriously, why not?” 

“Just... don't.” the pink officer responded.

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Just... use your TypeTalky, like usual.”

“Fine...” Maroon reluctantly did so.

A short time later, her TypeTalky made a sound. Maroon quickly read what it said:

“It's telling the messages I sent you couldn't be sent.”

“Just in time.” Brigitte replied, rolling her eyes.

Suddenly, Ben and Rob entered the jail cell room, with the dark-skinned nikean asking: “Hey, Brigitte, when exactly is our shift?”

While they discussed that, the Man in the Jacket observed the TypeTalky, wondering what it was. Once they stopped talking, he asked: “Wh-Whas' that thin' your' typin' on?”

Maroon replied “This thing?”, as she held up her TypeTalky (before Brigitte could stop her), “We used this write, send messages and for calls.”

“Don't tell him that!!!” Brigitte tried to dissuade Maroon, who just ignored her.

“...So, it... it's a phone?” the Man in the Jacket asked.

“Uuuuhh, no? Phones aren't mobile.” Maroon denied.

A confused Forge simply said: “Heh... wh-what?”

“Many foreigners use some type of 'mobile' phone. Or so I've heard.” Rob informed her.

“Mobile phones? Why call them 'phones' then, when that's more like what TypeTalkys do?” asked Maroon.

“Thos' things ar' littr'lly phones.” added Forge.

“Don't be ridiculous, foreigner, phones aren't supposed to be portable.” said the Nikean-in-pink.

“Th-That's 'xactly why they call-called mobil' phones, ca-cause they ar' carried!!!”

Brigitte scoffed at this: “That's a stupid name, we don't call our ships 'flying houses' now do we?”

To which Maroon added: “Ugh, foreigners are so... confusing!”

“Wha'ever...” said Forge, giving up.

Back at Reglom, from Forge's now-confiscated ship, a strange fluid the color of dark crimson oozed from the opened door, sliming it's way outside the shipyard and down into the sewers. 

Once inside, the reddish liquid began to take form, coalescing into the full shape of a woman.