The Flight Academy was equipped with a great security system, but even it had its flaws. Skylar knew the system, even drunk. The cameras outside Door V were broken, and the electronic lock glitched every third minute, for a window of thirty seconds the door was unlocked and didn't register being opened. Keeping their height less than six inches, their eye submerged in their skin, and moving using only tiny cilia along the skin against the tile floor kept the other cameras from setting off the automatic alarm. As far as fooling a Qwortarian eye, Trex was in on the prank, and their security partner Wuolson was always asleep by now.
It didn't take long to reach the sign, a giant yellowed plastic placard posted outside the mess hall. Black block letters filled three quarters of it. The cameras in this hall no longer functioned.
Stretching back up, a spray paint can in one tentacle, and pooing their eye out from under their skin, Skylar read the sign once more.
Rules:
1. Obey your teacher and other staff at all times.
2. No foul language.
3. Always read the safety manual.
4. No bullying.
5. No shape other than your own is allowed, except for the purpose of demonstration as deemed appropriate by your teacher, or within a simulation.
6. Memorize the protocol, and follow it!
Skylar scrawled underneath with black paint.
6A. Unless our protocol greatly offends another party, then use your best judgment. No wars is the best policy.
6B. Unless more lives can be preserved through a break in protocol. Lives are very important.
6C. Unless there is imminent danger which will be increased or not be mitigated by the use of protocols.
6D. TL;DR if not using protocol leads to a better outcome then forget protocol!!!!
Skylar may have added more, but 6D was already tightly squeezed together at the bottom.
Carefully squishing themselves back down, Skylar slipped back into the night the way they came in. Their laughter muffled by their body as they had stuffed their beak in between their organs.
The extra rules stayed up nearly a full day, most agreeing with the sentiment. In fact, Skylar was convinced their graffiti was cleaned up because one student protested. “The rules are rules for a reason! This is a disgrace! Without the rules as is, what would stop us from running amok!”
When Skylar recounted the story to Trex, the old, graying Qwortarian simply shook their beak. “And that young one, is why there are mood stabilizing pills on every ship.” Trex’s eye took on a glassy appearance, but Skylar could not get the rest of the story out of them.
Word count: 447
