Humane Inhumanity

                                        

                                              

                              
Aeryn ghosted down the crater lip towards the Pantharni ship, eyes and ears analyzing every trace of life around to see if there were any predators or followers. It wouldn't be long before Daniel could threaten, bribe or blackmail one of the others into venturing out this way and even with the constant ash covering the ship; it stuck out as not belonging. The carcass of the Aeyeay was already desiccated and breaking down, various scavengers ripping what they could out of it and the hollow shell of its outer skin was all that remained. It would actually be a pretty good cover from the ash if Aeryn had the desire or need to hide out inside the corpse of another creature. The horned gas mask that Aeryn wore was a familiar, safe weight and provided protection from anyone seeing whatever expression could be revealed as the young scavenger had a sudden idea. If Aeryn couldn't wake the ship up, it might be possible to build up some ash around the ship and drag the carcass shell to cover part of the top of it so anyone else who might come looking wouldn't look too closely. Even dead it was best to give Aeyeay wide birth because other creatures would often make use to the shell as well, and none of them were ever friendly.
                              

                              
The first task would have to be trying to wake this ship up; hiding it from sight was only a delaying tactic and Aeryn was already living on borrowed time, the new tail really drove home how desperately the young Human needed to get off this dead planet.
                              

                              
"Alright you, whatever it is keeping you out, I have to cause a greater need for you to wake up." Aeryn spoke to the ship as a gloved hand rested against the ash covered hull.
                              

                              
The crash landing hadn't done the trick to wake the ship up, which meant that attacking the outer hull wasn't the way to go. So Aeryn went to the entrance and examined the way in, wondering if the ship would allow a human to enter or if the nanite virus had changed genetic material so completely that Aeryn was passably alien enough. As it was the caged tail was more than uncomfortable, thrashing in captivity while Aeryn tried to navigate around without the newest and yet suddenly essential appendage.
                              

                              
"I'm so screwed." Aeryn remarked harshly as fingers probed at the door's edge even as the tail that had far too much focus on it figured out how to worm out of the top of Aeryn's pants. Only to immediately retreat back to safety as it encountered the toxic fog. "I have a semi sentient tail." Aeryn's tone was deadpan and then the young Human thrust all awareness of the damnable thing away. "If I was a door, how would I open?" the rhetorical question was swallowed by the sound of the ship's entrance sliding upwards.
                              

                              
If some carnivorous creature wanted to maul Aeryn now would have been the time to do it because the scavenger was just staring at the entrance in stupefied shock. "No, it can't be that easy..." Aeryn was making a point to speak out loud now, intuition disagreeing with intellect. "Close." and the entranceway obeyed the command. "Open." and it sprang upwards. That was entirely too practical and the analytical part of Aeryn's curiosity wondered if the ship had a safe measure in place that would prevent it from opening to unwelcome visitors. It would be a question to bring to the Pantharni allies Aeryn had left sleeping.
                              

                              
Stepping into the ship without Tokala or Nahuel around felt like a forbidden act, and Aeryn's upbringing as a coward left the Human using small, cautious movements and leaving almost no discernible trace anyone had entered at all. Like before there was only a sluggish sense of the ship being aware that it had a passenger; some of the lights would come flickering on if Aeryn made an overt move but either the ship wasn't able to react due to whatever had crashed it, or Aeryn's stealth was successful and it couldn't properly track the Human.