The cart carrying the Envoy and her entourage pulled up in front of the research labs, where they were met by ten armoured guards, all in the newest models of the Augmentic Armor.
"Oh, this is wonderful. They even brought the new models out on display for us. Look at that. I think it's modelled on the biomechanical armours of the Hunters, isn't it? Yes, and that is Flat Space technology as well. How incredible, both have been fully adapted by humans, using completely different technology, but the same basic idea as the original." She declared, hopping off the cart to inspect the armour.
"Envoy, that isn't a fashion display. Those are the guards on duty to ensure that nobody attempts to break into the research labs." The driver of the cart explained, making her bodyguards chuckle.
"Oh, that one is on me. I thought they sent someone out to meet us." She replied, but the driver could tell she was clearly pouting at being interrupted.
"You can keep inspecting them if you like, but they are a generation older than what is being worked on in the lab, and I am quite sure that you will be even more intrigued by the newest developments." The guard standing at the keypad for the door offered.
"See, now even the guards are going to be mistaken as flirting with the Envoys." The driver whispered to the bodyguards as the Envoy took out a pair of diagnostic tools to begin inspecting the soldiers on duty.
"I think it's a culture clash. What you see as common courtesy, the Innu see as the equivalent of a fancy date. I am afraid to see what happens if one of your people actually does start flirting with an Innu." The bodyguard agreed.
"It could be entertaining, and I think the kids would be cute, but would they have the tentacles, or would they have human hair?" The driver asked.
"I am not certain that genetics works like that. The possibility of a species being able to interbreed and produce viable offspring with species from another galaxy is infinitely low, even if they look very similar." The guard corrected him.
"That's a shame. A lot of fine human fantasy literature involves romantic relations with alien species, and it is a bit of a disappointment to find out that they're not at all realistic."
Both of the Guards, as well as the Envoy, gave him a strange look at those words.
"Is it common for Humans to be interested in other species that way?" The Envoy asked.
"Not even cyborgs are safe from the amorous intentions of Humans. Don't ask me why. It's just how humans work, and there is no particular basis for which species we will find attractive until we actually meet them." The driver agreed.
The Innu seemed confounded by this thought, completely unable to fathom the concept.
"Talk to the Tech Nomads. They can explain it. I heard that they thought some of our soldiers would be hot if they just had tentacles." The guard suggested.
"Humans are a strange lot. No wonder everyone finds you so interesting. But I should get inside and go see what they are up to before they finish and leave me standing out here."
The envoy made her way inside and nearly forgot about the strange conversation that they were having outside when she saw the newest developments for the Augmentic Armor.
The Innu head tentacles were not just ornamental. They were also sensory organs used to help with balance, as well as the direction of their ability to interface with electronics. So, with that in mind, Nico and the design team made an upgraded version for spacewalks and exterior ship repairs that allowed them to move freely while being safely encased in both atmosphere and temperature-controlled surroundings.
When it was disengaged, it looked like a bag with a mask, but as the technician in front of her put the device on, it pulled in and moulded around her tentacles, allowing them free individual movement with an easy-to-wear design that didn't need to be manually slid over every tentacle, or so large as to be unwieldy in order to give them room to move.
In fact, it looked a lot like their natural features but in a plain gray, the same as all the other cloth bits on the augmentic armour.
"In case you were wondering, that is also an augmentic mesh. With the helmet on, she should be able to lift up to ten kilograms with each tentacle. We are about to test that now." Nico greeted the Envoy, who was staring around the room in awe.
"Might I inquire as to how tentacle strength augmentation even became a priority for your design team?" The envoy asked politely.
"Oh, that is actually very simple and obvious. We were doing some testing in enhanced gravity to determine the limits of the suits and noticed that we were completely incapable of effectively maneuvering our tentacles. So, we got to work on designing a helmet specifically for Innu, which should allow us to work in up to twenty times standard gravity without losing any of the precision of our technology interface abilities.
Well, in theory, anyhow. There have been a few setbacks in the development of the form-fitting device, and it has a habit of bundling nearby tentacles into one sleeve."
"That is an incredible design. The forcefield that most technicians use tends to cause agoraphobia in many Innu since there is nothing solid around their heads, and they are in space. I think that this unit, which doesn't rely on a constant power supply to remain intact, would be very well received among a segment of the population." The Envoy agreed.
"Plus, we can put cute masks on the helmet. Look at this one. It's a cartoon cat from a human children's show." The Tech Nomad cheered, showing off the oversized cat-faced helmet with tentacles in addition to cat ears.
"Now, that was worth the effort of coming all the way down here, but I suspect that none of the things that you have shown me so far are the important parts of your current research." The laughed.
"Well, I wouldn't say they're unimportant. But no, they're not our main projects. Prepare to be amazed at the newest and greatest Terminus Trading Company invention. The investigation shuttle Beta design three point five."
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦