Humans Are Space.. Pets?  (Entry 10)

Humans are space.. pets?  (Entry 4)

Masterpost

Captain Crow here to say, there is a way to clean off the sand, and it is very unconventional and VERY startling when you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.  I’ll start from the beginning, but just know on a planet where water is scarce they will find other ways to do tasks that usually require water.  

After my last entry, I decided it would be a good idea to try to explore my environment some more since the sapients were not posing any immediate threat to me.  I still brought my swiss army knife just in case, and though I will not specify whenever I’m carrying it because that would be redundant, just assume it is implied.  I won’t risk my own safety by leaving it behind anywhere, plus it’s useful for things other than defending myself anyway.  

I emerged from my hiding spot once again to face the sapients, but instead of paying them any mind I just scurried along back into the room I started in.  (It seems to be the equivalent of a living room.)  There really isn’t much to see, unfortunately, at least not from my vantage point.  From the doorway of the room I just left, which I assume is the bedroom, I can see the ‘couch’ I hid under earlier, a table, and a sort of kitchen area.  All these descriptions are generalizations of course, and comparisons to objects that I personally would recognize.  I could be entirely wrong in my assumptions of what these objects are or what they’re for.  The table and couch are relatively uninteresting to me at the moment, as they appear to just be solid blocks of material shaped for their purpose.  The kitchen area captured my interest the most, so I decided to try to explore it first.  

It really is interesting how many ideas are universal.  Drawers, for instance.  They’re simply a tray with holding space and a handle, and they slide into a space that’s out of the way.  They’re also perfect for opening up into a set of makeshift stairs.  These drawers are a little wobblier than human-crafted ones, which gives me the impression that they slide on an alternate system than the wheels & tracks that we use.  If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say some sort of magnet system.  This has its benefits for me though, as the drawers were amazingly easy to slide open.  I managed to climb up onto the counter with little difficulty.  I considered taking off my boots out of politeness but decided against it in case I needed to make a quick escape.  I wandered along the counter and tried to memorize my surroundings to write here; and here is my recollection to the best of my ability.

Knives are another universal thing, though I would’ve had an easier time using the ones I saw as swords, rather than their intended purpose.  There was a set way up high out of reach, on a sort of magnet strip.  It seems like magnets are a cornerstone of kitchen architecture on this planet.  There was cabinet space above me, but I couldn’t open any without the likelihood of hitting myself in the head.  The counters are made of black stone.  I noticed some appliances that I cannot name the use of as I have no idea, but I can tell you there were appliances that were there.  It looked like four, but honestly, a couple of them probably could have fit together somehow.  

That’s about all I managed to commit to memory before one of the sapients came into the room and saw me on the counter.  It looked stunned for a moment (probably at the stairs I had made out of the drawers, mostly), then I assume called for the other, as that one came into the room as well.  I made a run for it, aiming to jump down off the counter and run under the couch again, but the shorter sapient was too fast and caught me in mid-air.  I fussed for a second, trying to pry my way out of its paws, but the struggle was fruitless and its bigass fingers were concealing my knife.  I decided to save my energy to bolt as soon as I got a better chance.  

The sapient seemed as startled to be holding me as I was to be caught by it and looked to the other for guidance.  While they were busy staring at each other in bewilderment, I sneezed at all of the dust that had been shaken out of my uniform when they grabbed me.  My uniform is supposed to be blue, by the way;  at this point it was closer to a dusty reddish brown.  Spaceship crashes on sandy planets tend to do that to clean clothes.  

Neither of the sapients seemed to know how to react to my sneeze at first.  Then the taller one seemed to connect the dots between the dust and me sneezing and began to chatter with the one holding me. --  I still have no idea how much knowledge these sapients have of humans.  Only time will tell if they are able to provide sufficient care or if I'll have to fend for myself entirely.  I only hope they don't keep me holed up in a situation where I'll be unable to care for myself. 

They seemed to at least make the connection that dust = sneeze and sneeze = bad.  I guess that's one way to communicate I need a shower.  They carried me over to the other side of the counter, across from the one I had infiltrated, and set me in a basin built into the stone.  It resembled a sink, but there was no faucet, and the entirety of the bottom had little tiny holes- think like an air hockey table.  I did try to scramble out, as I was not particularly interested in the idea of being stuck in a glorified splash pad, but the sapients stopped me from getting out long enough for me to realize this was probably my only shot at getting a shower, even if I would end up sopping wet and miserable for a while.  I resigned myself to sitting down and looking pathetic as I braced myself to be sprayed with water.  

That is not what happened though, interestingly enough.  It didn’t occur to me until this moment that on a desert planet like this they probably wouldn’t use water to wash things if they could help it;  instead of being soaked with water, I was instead shocked by a burst of air from above.  It did sufficiently get a lot of dust off, to be fair to this odd design.  The basin itself was somewhat of a modified vacuum system, sucking all the dust away as the sapients blew it out of my uniform with an air hose that had previously been embedded in the counter.  

I explain all of this fairly matter-of-factly in hindsight, but I can tell you that in the moment I was not nearly as levelheaded.  I will admit to startling and jumping up, trying to climb out of the basin multiple times while I was still figuring out what was going on.  It’s a very scary experience to suddenly feel like you’re falling and the floor is trying to suck you up when you aren’t expecting that exact sensation.  I wish I could say it was over quickly, but it was not.  The sapients had to pick me up to try to get all of the dust out of my uniform, hair, and beard, and though they were gentle, it was still rather dehumanizing to be handled like a kitten getting a flea bath.  Although I suppose I was behaving like one, so, fair play.

After they had finished with the air-bath, they set me down on the counter.  I stood there bewildered for a moment, still processing the experience I had just had and the scientific part of my brain working out the mechanics of it all.  While I was pondering how my life had led me here, they sprayed me over with what I assume was some sort of disinfectant and then toweled me down.  Oh, the indignity.  As soon as they released me again, this time onto the floor, I ran off to hide and journal all of this.  I am thankful that they have a way to wash me and my clothes at the same time though, I suppose.  Although I would prefer it if they weren’t involved at all.  

So now I have caught up on writing down my experiences thus far.  I will be looking more into this technology and seeing if it’s possible to utilize it myself without the sapients' input, or at least to replicate it for the settling of desert planets in the future.

End of Entry.  Capt. Crow.

Entry 5

Making long-form webcomics is like

Humans are space.. pets?  (Entry 5)

Masterpost

As I approach what I estimate is the 14 hour mark since the crash, I find myself longing for the comforting familiarity of my ship, the Dutchess.  I know she’s in ruins now, but some part of me refuses to believe it.  Sure, there were times when I wanted nothing more to get off that muggy ship and into some fresh air, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t love her.  The crash wasn’t any one persons fault.  She was just old and her hull was worn.  I was planning on fixing her up on our next stop.  

Right now I’m missing the day/night cycle in her lighting system in particular.  The suns are unwavering here, and I find it difficult to measure time or decide whether or not I should be sleeping.  There’s also no place I have access to currently that’s dark enough and also comfortable enough for me to fall asleep.  Stars, I miss those crummy cots.  What I’d do to be back on that ship.  

...

The sapients have left the dwelling.  I’m not sure how long they’ll be gone or where they are.  I’m going to take advantage of this quiet time to find a dark place to sleep.  Perhaps under their bed.  Will update after I rest.  Too tired to hold the pen.

...

I’m unsure how long I’ve been asleep for.  The sapients still aren’t back, but I feel somewhat more rested than previously.  I suppose I’ll look for a way out of the dwelling and try to contact my crew.  I wish I had a better way of measuring time.  Right now I’m relying on hypothesis and a sky that never darkens.  

...

I’ve thoroughly explored the dwelling and there aren’t any obvious escape routes.  The sapients seem to have activated some sort of locking mechanism on the kitchen drawers, so I can’t climb up there that way anymore.  I’m too exhausted to try anything new right now.  Despite sleeping (for an unknown increment of time) and consuming a reasonable portion of rations, I can’t quite muster up the energy.  I know I’m a human, and I’m supposed to be resilient and have this constant drive to escape and be free and rend and tear any obstacle, but I’m also just a man.  I’m only 46, but I feel particularly weathered today.  Maybe I got more hurt in the crash than I realized.  Or maybe I’m just finally hitting that adrenaline crash now that I’m not in fear of imminent danger.  

I shouldn’t waste paper on these ramblings.  I’ll save it for when something of interest actually happens.  Even though I doubt anyone will ever find or read these anyway, even if I do make it off this planet.

Capt. Crow.

Entry 6

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Why I haven't been posting

I know this post is old but I've always wanted to do an illustration for it and I didn't have the skillset before so here's this

living in the countryside really strikes the fear of god into you at the most random moments. you’ll just make eye contact with a cow or stare for too long into a brook and all of a sudden you’ll think something like “these are old bones and i am merely a passing occupant” and then you have to go and put the kettle on to cope

Captain Crow,

May I ask your ancestory, and how it affects how you look/function?

{Hi all! Sorry for my absence as of late, life caught up to me! Luckily I've got a break coming up soon so I'll be able to dedicate a little more time to this story. In the meantime, if you're interested in my art and other stories, my Instagram is @safiraandocs where I post much more frequently. (Although the humans are space pets story is a tumblr exclusive) Thank you for being patient with me, Captain Crow will be back soon!}

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Humans are space.. pets?  (Entry 6)

Masterpost

I apologize for the emotional tone of my last entry.  I have since rested and eaten a sufficient meal and will hopefully come off as less pathetic now.

The sapients returned shortly after my little mental break bearing gifts; I suppose they went off to gather the supplies necessary to keep a human happy and healthy according to their research.  I was hiding under their bed at this point, and they left some food and water on the floor at the edge of the bed.  After they left, I examined the provisions and found them to be the same type of rations my crew & I usually pack for long distance travels.  I appreciated it nonetheless and decided to eat my fill.  (The only rations I had managed to get off The Dutchess’s wreck was a couple of granola bars and a few canteens of water, most of which were split up amongst my crew shortly after the crash.)  I already felt much better after eating and rehydrating, so I decided to go see what else they were up to.  You’d be surprised how much a good meal and adequate hydration can do for your psyche.  

Both sapients had exited the dwelling out of a side door in the ‘bedroom’ by the time I was finished eating.  There wasn’t any way for me to get this door open and follow them, as the handle is above my head by a foot or so and also seems to operate differently than human made ones.  There are, however, windows.  I quickly plotted out a path to jump up to get to a windowsill, via the storage unit and a couple of miscellaneous pieces of furniture that I don’t know the name or use of.  The windows are narrow and horizontal, at the sapients eye level.  I’d say the windows themselves are about a foot tall and three or so wide.  I was able to peer out while standing on the storage unit.

Outside was strange to see after being stuck in this dwelling for over 20 hours (my best estimation).  The inside of the dwelling is furnished mostly with black stone, the furniture is a dusty reddish-brown, and the kitchen area is furnished with silver-colored metal(?) and the black stone present throughout the house.  The outside is all dusty, a lighter shade of what the furniture appears to be made of.  There are hardly any native plants in view of the window, and what I can see from there are all shrubby and short.  The ‘backyard’ to this dwelling is fenced in, in a sort of split-rail style.  From this distance, I assume it’s made of the same composite as the ‘couch’ inside, and most of the other furniture.  There aren’t any tree-like plants around anywhere nearby, so it would make sense for them to utilize the sand.

Aside from the main yard being fenced in, there are also two separate pastures.  These appear to be empty, with nothing but sand and a few twiggy plants.  There does seem to be holes in these enclosures, but it’s hard to tell from this distance.

You’re probably getting tired of my ‘apparent’ observations, nameless reader who is probably just me in the future, but you’ll have to cut me some slack.  It’s hard to see anything from this little window across the entire space, and hindsight is 20/20, if you ever get out there and see it all closer up.

In the middle space between the gates to either enclosure, the two sapients were making something.  It’s the same black stone used in most of the house.  It seemed to be clicking together with magnets, but once again it’s hard to tell from this distance.  It popped up, after a few minutes and some work from the sapients, into a quaint little doghouse.  Or that’s my best description of it, at least.  A box with a triangle roof and a little door in the front.  I could assume it’s for me, but the sapients haven’t even let me outside yet, and I doubt they trust me not to run off.  This begs the question; what it is for?  Perhaps these sapients have decided to try to adopt another intelligent species and are going to try to coop them up out there.  Time will tell.

 After setting up this little dwelling outside, the sapients returned inside.  I decided to stay where I was, sitting on top of their storage unit, purely out of curiosity as to how they’d react and also doubt that I’d be able to hop down in time without running into their legs.  They both seemed bewildered to see me so blatantly out in the open and mostly ignoring their presence (I was keeping an eye on them but acting uninterested) but they did not approach me.  They went back into the front room, and after a minute or so, I hopped down and followed them.  They were unpacking rations of human food into the cabinets above the counters, out of baskets made of the sand-composite (which seems to be a prominent structural/multi-use feature here).  They had also acquired a huge pillow- queen size mattress sized.  I hadn’t thought they would have such a thing in supply on this planet at all, as their bed was barren of anything resembling human bedding and the plants, few that there are, don’t seem to be suitable for making things like fabric.  

Apparently this was a gift for me, as upon spotting me, the smaller sapient took the pillow in their paws and placed it on the floor a few feet from me.  After they stood back up, I bolted over and grabbed it.  This may surprise you if you’ve gotten a good rest in the last 24 hours, but when you’re sleep deprived and you see the equivalent of a cloud placed in front of you, you’ll do almost anything to commandeer it as your own and drag it off somewhere to sleep.  And thus I did.  It was somewhat heavy, but lighter than an actual queen sized mattress would be, and since I could’ve dragged one of those around for a while, this was a breeze.  I got it all the way to under the sapients’ bed and passed out almost right away.  It was practically heavenly.  I’m almost positive I slept for at least 10 hours.  When I woke up, I actually felt good for the first time since the crash.  I was rested, fed, and hydrated, and I felt like I could take on the challenge of finding a way out.  The first thing I’m doing, of course, is updating this journal.  I do feel a little embarrassed about the tone of my last entry, so hopefully this one will redeem me.  Next, I’m making a plan.  I still have that human fighting spirit, I promise.

---Captain Crow.  [There’s a crude doodle of a bird next to his scribbled and underlined signature]

Entry 7

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Humans are space.. pets?  (Entry 8)

Masterpost

I did not have to enact my escape plan to get outside.  Unfortunately, there is an invisible barrier between the slats of the fence, so my plan was stunted there.  I’ll have to rethink.  Until then, it’s plan B; which the sapients have made a fairly easy task.  They seem to want to teach me their customs and their world.  When I was writing my last entry, I heard them chittering in the main room and decided to investigate once I finished writing.  I did so, and found them having a meal on the couch.  There was a little tiny (relative to the sapients) table set out next to the couch with human rations on it.  It might’ve been endearing to someone with a weaker will than I.  I approached cautiously, and they pretended not to notice me.  I say pretended because although they did not turn their heads or eyes, their antennas were tilted in my direction the enitre time.  I assume these are sensory organs, likely sensitive to sound or vibrations.  I watched them as I approached the little table and sat down on the floor by it.  I ate my ration while watching them pretend not to watch me.  Once I finished the food and stood up, the smaller one actually turned to look at me.  When I didn’t run away, it got up and came over to sit down about eight feet away from me.  I was prepared to bolt if need be, but I figured it would be useful to have friendly relations with the sapients if I was going to try to learn anything about them.  

The sapient chattered at me, reaching one paw out and resting it on the table.  I tried to speak to it, but obviously there was a language barrier.  After a moment of us both chattering back and forth incoherent nonsense to the other, the sapient seemed to decide to change its tune and start to mimic my speech.  It wasn’t very good at it, but it was making slightly more human sounds than before.  It was somewhat disconcerting, to be honest, but it was an effort.  I copied one of the squeaks I’d heard it make previously, and it got extremely excited and began chattering at the other sapient, who was watching intently from the couch.  

After the sapient realized I could mimic its sounds, it began to repeat one over and over again.  It put both paws on its chest and repeated the sound a few more times.  I copied it, and once again it burst into excited chatter with the other.  The sapient pointed at the one sitting on the couch and repeated the same sound.  The word they’ve taught me, which I assume is what they are called as a species, is ‘Lumarian’.  Of course I’m sure it’s spelled differently in their language, but that’s my best translation to the English alphabet.  They seemed thrilled to be teaching me, and they continued with this word until I got it close enough to their pronunciation that they were happy with it.  At this point, the second sapient Lumarian moved from the couch to sit next to the first one.  I tried to teach them the word ‘human’, but they just seemed to want to teach, not learn.  They only cooed at me when I tried to speak English words.  Even so, this was a huge leap in communication level.  After a few more minutes of it, they both got up and went to the second room.  I followed them, and they opened the door to the outside.  I was almost amazed at how easy it was-  I wasn’t even trying to convince them to let me out, they just decided to.  The first thing I did was try to test the fence, and there was some sort of barrier between the slats that made it impossible for me to get through.  It may be electromagnetic.  I think the fence slats are either entirely decorative or hold the power source for the invisible section of fence.  

Once I gave up on the fence, the Lumarians showed me a few of their native plant species; I didn’t learn any of the names well enough to write down yet, but I’m sure upon inquiry the Lumarians will tell me again.  They have a garden along the wall closest to their dwelling, wherein they grow a mix of their plants.  I’m assuming most are food plants, as I saw them eating some similar to ones I see growing here.  They didn’t show me what is in the two enclosures at the far end of the yard yet.  They ushered me inside after showing me a few plants and realizing I was more interested in looking at all the species rather than learning the names of just a few.  Once they got me inside they picked me up and subjected me to another air bath.  I am still searching for a way to show I’m very much capable of cleaning myself given the right tools.  

When they released me from the kitchen again I came back to my little hideout here under the bed to update.  I think my next major goal will be to learn more about the native wildlife and plants, and at the same time see about measuring time.  There are fluctuations in the light levels outside, but they’re so subtle it’s easy to miss.  Because there are two suns, on opposite ends of the sky, there has to be a time when both are on the edge of the horizon, in theory.  I’m not sure exactly how this planet’s orbit works, though, so I suppose I could be wrong about that.  Once I’m out in space again I’ll have to study that aspect more closely.

Captain Crow

Entry 9

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Humans are space.. pets? {Masterpost}

A little collection of Captain Crow’s entries to his data log so far to make your reading experience a little easier :) 

If you’d like to be added to the tag list for this story & be tagged whenever a new part of the story goes up, just let me know in the comments of this post or message me directly!  

Entry 1

Entry 2

Entry 3

Entry 4

Entry 5

Entry 6

Entry 7

Entry 8

Entry 9

Entry 10

Entry 11..?

Extra 1

Ask 1

Ask 2

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Humans are space.. pets?  (Entry 3)

Masterpost

Much has happened since my last entry, though it’s only been a matter of hours.  As I wrote in my last entry, I was sitting in the cage they brought me to their dwelling in when both of the sapients came back into the room.  I had hidden this journal under my uniform and decided to sit safely away from the door of the cage, lest one decide to stick its hand in here with the intent to grab at me.  Thankfully, they did no such thing.  They unlatched the door and then both stood back a respectable distance.  I have never empathized more with the way my own cat must’ve felt when I brought him home.  It really does make you rethink the way we treat pets when you’re put in their shoes.  Paws?  Haha.  

I waited until they left the room to come out of their human-pet-carrier.  I wasn’t going to let them trick me into walking straight into their hands.  As soon as I was out of that cage, I ducked for cover under the nearest piece of furniture - I’d compare it to a couch- and watched to see if they’d perhaps been hiding out of my line of sight.  They weren’t anywhere I could see from this vantage point either, though, so I considered myself safe and began to plot out my next move.  

I did find myself wondering at this point if these sapients knew of our reputation in the Galactic Federation.  But if this species doesn’t have the universal translators, I can make the tentative assumption that they aren’t space-faring yet and therefore haven’t been integrated into the Galactic Alliance.  I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt here that they aren’t just ignoring the fact that my crew & I are an intelligent species.  

I decided it would be a smart idea to stash my tools and resources in a secure hiding spot, in case the sapients tried to take them from me, and began to look for any loose gaps in the underside of the ‘couch’ I was under to maybe use.  No luck.  It appears as though their furniture, much like their houses, is built from a complex compound crafted from the sand that covers their planet, and is therefore built solid.  

Given as this first attempt to stash my belongings was unsuccessful, I began to look for alternate options.  It would be ideal to plot out a way to navigate the space without leaving myself exposed for long.  While the sapients seem docile, they are so far unpredictable.  I don’t want to let my guard down and end up in a bad situation because of it.  I’d prefer to be overly cautious.

The dwelling of these sapients is sparsely decorated.  I’m unsure whether this is a species consistent or just an individual trait.  Either way, there weren’t very many places for me to hide or stash anything, to my knowledge.  It was supremely frustrating.  I decided to just make a run for it and see if there were any places in other rooms I could use to my advantage.  Worst case scenario, I could just run back to under the ‘couch’.

Luck be on my side, the next room over had more furnishings.  Luck be against me, both sapients were also in that room.  I had gathered too much momentum to turn around, so instead I executed an (admittedly clumsy) side slide under the storage unit(?) directly across from the doorway I had just run through.  From my new hiding spot, I could hear both sapients chittering, which I assume is their version of laughter.  This theory is definitely not bolstered by my own embarrassment towards the actions I had taken.  

Thank the stars, though, neither came after me, AND there was a little nook behind the supports for the storage unit where I hid this journal.  It was a perfect fit, and I will continue hiding it there unless compromised somehow.  I also found this to be an ideal spot for my other gear.  I decided at this point to compose myself and take the time to make long-term preparations; who knows how long we’d be stuck here.  I took the batteries out of my translator (it’s no use here anyway) to reserve them for my radio if needed.  I also tucked the majority of my supplies away so I wouldn’t be carrying them and risk losing them.  I kept on me my swiss army knife and radio only, for emergencies.  Both I kept tucked into the hidden pockets built into my uniform specifically for this purpose.  After I had organized myself, I decided it was time to face the sapients.  It had to happen at one point or another, it might as well have been of my own volition.  

Upon coming to this conclusion, I emerged from my hiding spot and stared at one of the sapients right in their three weird eyes.  (They kind of remind me of goat’s eyes.  Their pupils are horizontal)  The sapient peered right back at me for a moment, then looked at the other.  I turned my attention that way as well, giving that one the same stare I gave the first.  Hopefully very cold and intimidating.  They both looked at each other, and then at me.  I tried to stare at both of them right back, but frankly, it’s quite hard to divide your attention between six eyes.  After a moment the smaller of the two got down onto the floor and extended a pawlike extremity in my direction--  I’d call them hands, but they only have four fingers and are quite round and stubby.  They also have the same type of padding seen on the paws of many animals from Earth.  So I’m calling them paws.  

The sapient extended a paw in my direction, turning all three eyes down so as to not make direct eye contact with me.  I do wonder if this is their custom or just a universal ‘non-threatening’ symbol.  I dared a step forward, which earned a peep of excitement from the other sapient, who was watching from across the room.  I found this somewhat amusing.  Cautiously, because I’m not reckless even when all is going in my favor, I came close enough to put my hand on the sapient’s paw.  This really brought more into perspective how big this species is, as if I wasn’t already aware they dwarfed us.  My hand was only about the size of one of their chubby fingers.

Both sapients seemed supremely pleased that I had warmed up to them so quickly, as the second one came over next to the first and also reached its paw out to me.  I eyed them both suspiciously, but then went along with it and touched the second sapients paw as well.  It seemed thrilled, chirping excitedly at the first.  

I don’t think this species is dangerous, but I’ll need to document them further before drawing conclusions.  For now, though, they just seem overly excitable and appear to believe I’m an interesting, or perhaps ‘cute’, commodity.  

After this first contact, I decided it was important to document the situation, so I slid back under the storage unit to write everything down.  They seem disappointed I’m hiding again, but they know enough not to bother me.  I’m thankful that the sapients that chose to take me don’t act the way I’ve seen human children act around new pets.  I much prefer this over being poked or prodded or grabbed at.  That is all for now.  I’m going to see if there’s a way to clean all of the dirt and sand out of my hair and uniform; this planet is very sandy.  

Captain Crow, signing off.  

Entry 4