Through the heart

[jianai]

[1 - locked to Argos Flight]
[Immediately after the mission ends, someone is checking on VG's downed TSF.

VG himself can see a weird person appearing in the entrance to the cockpit, looking at him with a concerned expression.]

Are you wounded? I know you didn't die, but it'd be a shame if you were hurt because of me.

[2]
[Later, back at Unity Group Bases, someone is making a video introduction.

That someone is an individual with horns and an unchanging smile on their face. Ren switched the old robe to standard, baggy technician overalls. The reason for that is simple: the robe had a gunshot hole at the heart, and was stained with blood - Ren's blood.]

Hello, my name is Ren Ubuntu. I am really grateful for saving those ESUN soldiers. Let me explain. Hmm, where should I start? Ah yes. These...

[Poke at the horns.]

They are real. No, I am not a demon or anything supernatural like that. I am an artificial human-like being, birthed from a cloning pod. I'm afraid that my kin, beings similar to me, are after me. They want to, well, kill me and eat my flesh. I am not too concerned for my own safety, but they started to target people around me as collateral.

So I'm turning to you for help. I know Unity Group is powerful and can defend itself against my kin, and your Commander-in-chief agreed to grant me asylum, at least for a little while. I have a little bit of skills I learnt here and there, so don't worry, I won't be a freeloader. If there is a way I can help you with anything, I will.

This introduction feels... impersonal, but I'll gladly talk to everyone in person. I'd like to get to know all of you better.

I'm sure you are all wonderful people.

[The transmission ends there, but Ren is easy to find in person. They don't exactly blend in with the crowd.]

[3]
Several people have died that night. So many more could've perished, but even that few make me sad. It's a tragedy.

[Ren found the memorial, and puts a lit candle in front of it.]

I know most of them were not members of Unity Group, but I hope it's alright if I remember them this way.

Comments

[jianai]

I was mostly as I am now, yes. Even at the day of my birth, I was physically and mentally an adult.

What I lacked was life experience.

[abugslife]

Gained over the years in both the best and the worst kind of ways, no doubt.

You love Earthlings, even though you are not one yourself. What about other sentient races?

[jianai]

You are not a human - but you are a person, aren't you?

[abugslife]

If I were not, would I be able to talk to you like this?

And I am not an Earthling, Ren. "Human" is how most sentient species call themselves. From my point of view, it is us Gebians who are humans.

[jianai]

Exactly, that was a rhetorical question. You are a person, and therefore, General Hetepheres - I love you.

And I also apologize for the mistake. I have little experience dealing with non-Earth races, you see. The friendly ones at least.

[abugslife]

Do not apologize, I was merely informing you. You have not commited a faux pas; no more than I am about to, at least.

...What is your gender?

[jianai]

What do you think it is?

[abugslife]

I think the fact you asked me this question means it is something non-standard.

[jianai]

Very perceptive!

The truth is, I am neither a man nor a woman.

[abugslife]

How should I refer to you? "They" seems weird when you are not talking to a person of royal blood, while "it" sounds dehumanizing.

[jianai]

Refer to me as you want to. I do not mind. In fact I am always interested to know how others perceive me.

[abugslife]

My people are very knowledgable about genetic manipulation and cybernetics. You are not the first non-binary person I have encountered. Most of them prefer to be referred to in a specific way, though.

[jianai]

I'm really glad to hear you're such an open-minded person, general Hetepheres. Or is just "Hetepheres" alright? Probably not. I mean no insult.

But I am really alright with anything. Call me a he, or a she, I will not mind. "It" is dehumanizing but it's also alright. I am not a human after all.

[abugslife]

Most people here do not even bother with titles when addressing me. Or even a full name, which I find more perplexing.

Maybe you are not a human, but you are a person. I am not going to address you like you are an object.

[jianai]

I see. Hetepheres it is then. And if you insist, please refer to me as a "he".

[abugslife]

Any reason you picked this one specifically?

[jianai]

Does my conduct not emanate pure manliness?

[Ren puffs their chest out.]

That was a joke, by the way.

[abugslife]

Thank you for clarifying that, I would not have figured it out otherwise.

[jianai]

Glad I could be of assistance.

...

Speaking seriously, though. It was one or the other, wasn't it? So I picked whatever was more convenient. I realize that many people perceive me as more female, so call me a "she" if you want to. But it's only a matter of my current appearance and other superficial differences.

[abugslife]

You have an unusually laidback attitude about this.

[jianai]

You could say that. But this is the kind of person I am - it's my body, and I came to peace with its unusual features a long time ago.

By the way...

[abugslife]

Yes?

[jianai]

I cannot help but notice - despite being Gebian, you are also beautiful by Earthling standards.

You must take much pride in your appearance.

[abugslife]

...I am a general. In Gebian culture, those who hold such high positions are expected to be champions and paragons, figures other look up to. I would fail if I did not keep myself presentable all the time.

Besides, this way Earthlings feel less intimidated in my presence.

[jianai]

The work of a general sounds terribly important - even more so than in Earthling cultures. It is as if you sacrifice a lot of yourself to become a living ideal for others to follow.