FFM 2025 7: Meet QWERTY

A direct continuation to FFM 2025 6: Sparring, introducing Beyari’s android partner QWERTY as well as her ship, the Afterglow (which is named after the song Afterglow by Smash Into Pieces because I’ve been listening it on repeat since yesterday (technically the day before yesterday because clock struck midnight for me already but hey, it’s still the 7th for most of the world so who cares)).

Why it took me past midnight to get this out? Well, this (and some other stuff) thwacked me over the head. Went 102 words over the limit and pruning it was a pain. I’ve resigned to my fate of these fools continuing to drive me over the limit for the rest of the month.

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The instinct to catalogue everything he noted about the small freighter — the Afterglow — was too great for Steirdrar to resist despite knowing he was not on an undercover mission (or anything else that required it). The hull indicated it was from the Zal Motorics’s Zzeto family, likely SF-series. Maybe a Zzeto-SF-200. Inside, it became clear it was modified; part of the large cargo bay had been sectioned off into a workspace filled with numerous tools.

The corridor beyond the ladder Agent Ket led him up likely led at least to the engine room while the ladder led to the accommodations floor. Each door was neatly labeled — Crew Quarters, said the first two doors on the left. On the right, Steirdrar saw doors labeled Captain’s Quarters and Bathroom. Agent Ket pointed her thumb at the latter. “It’s got a heavy-duty sonic-based washer too; you can toss your clothes into it while you shower and they’ll be all clean by the time you’re done.” She glanced at the end of the corridor. “Do you mind doing the introductions first?”

“Not at all.”

“This way then.”

Something about Agent Ket’s smirk set off alarm bells in Steirdrar’s head but at this point it was too late to retreat. When they reached the loungeroom, the android he had briefly met yesterday looked up from the tablet in their hands, looking between the two with a blank expression.

“Commander Urrang, meet my partner-in-hunting, QWERTY. QWERTY, meet Commander Steirdrar Urrang,” Agent Ket introduced.

QWERTY raised one of their brows, faceplates still arranged into a blank expression. “Pleasure to meet you, Commander.”

“Likewise,” Steirdrar responded, relieved that his voice remained steady despite the tense undertone of the interaction.

QWERTY turned to Agent Ket. “You certainly didn’t waste any time, Captain.”

Agent Ket chortled. “You know me.” She turned to a visibly confused Steirdrar. “Since you’re in intelligence, I assume you’re already aware that the IR has put a bounty on your head.”

“I am.” Steirdrar assumed — hoped, believed, whatever — that he was not about to be attacked for said bounty.

“Did you read the posting? Particularly the wordy description?” Agent Ket was grinning now.

“I did.”

Agent Ket chuckled. “Good, because it’s the most hilarious bounty posting that’s ever graced the Hunters’ Guild. I’ve had three friends from there send me that already because it’s so funny.”

“Four now.” QWERTY pointed at the tablet on the adjacent table. “Kohar sent a video message with that posting attached while you were out.”

“Hell yeah.” Agent Ket turned back to Steirdrar. “Anyhow, I read that posting, laughed myself sick over the description and got curious about how accurate it was about your skillset, and since as an enemy to the IR I couldn’t hunt you, I decided to see if you’d be up for a spar.”

“Since you were so fast about it, I deduce you could connect the face from yesterday to the name today despite being too out of it to make it back here on your own last evening,” QWERTY mused.

“Yeah, I could. I’d already met him before that, when I delivered the data from yesterday’s mission.”

QWERTY stared at Agent Ket for a while, unblinking. “And you didn’t mention that to me.”

“Sorry. It slipped my mind when I went from laughing too hard to ‘I must spar with this person’.”

QWERTY rolled their eyes. “Eskel-Zai.” They turned to Steirdrar, lowering their brow back to a neutral position. “I apologize on my partner’s behalf if she pestered you into the spar.”

Steirdrar shook his head. “No need. I was on board when she asked me the first time.”

“Good. The powers that be know Eskel-Zai like her get carried away when they find a so-called ‘worthy opponent’. Crazy warriors, that bunch.”

Steirdrar had to chuckle at that. “I don’t mind. I like a good challenge.”

QWERTY inclined their head in acknowledgment and turned back to their tablet, apparently done with the conversation.

Agent Ket turned to Steirdrar. “Well, the bathroom’s all yours. Feel free to use water if you want a break from sonic showers; there’s neutral fragrance-free soap and shampoo that’s suitable for humans for that. Take your time; I’ll check Kohar’s message before I start taking my armorplates off, so it’ll be a good while before I’ll be ready for a shower.”

“Understood. Thank you.” Steirdrar headed to the bathroom only to be surprised by what he saw. Where he had expected a standard bathroom, maybe larger than average to accommodate the washer, he was instead faced with something he would expect more from a yacht than a freighter. It was quite plain in design but the transparent-doored closet next to the washer and laundry basket was thoroughly stocked with multiple types of species in mind and just as thoroughly labeled, and everything had clearly been upgraded to models with more functionality.

Then again, considering the extensive workspace, it made sense that the bathroom would have been upgraded over time too. Bounty hunting paid well, after all. It was entirely possible that even after being adopted into an Eskel-Zai clan Agent Ket had continued to use the ship as her home especially on longer hunts, making it worth upgrading.

Although it made sense, it was still unnerving after years upon years of military-quality accommodations. Far too luxurious for him to indulge in. He had considered taking a water shower but, frankly, it felt too wasteful even in a setting like this. He pulled his sweaty clothes off, tossed them in the washer — noting the list of materials requiring special wash programs attached to it — and got in the shower once the washer was on. He was fairly certain he heard a hoot of laughter coming from the loungeroom.

The idea of turning the sonic off and switching water on and actually taking his time was tempting but Steirdrar resisted and told himself this was as an exercise in self-discipline, nothing more. That was all it was.

That was all it was.