Psionics

Sotiel are naturally telepathic and communicate mind-to-mind. When pressed, they can defend themselves with powerful mental blasts.

Wall-Climbing

The ability to climb and stick to any surface with ease.

Jasri is huge and Rodato is tiny, but Nazeki is of perfectly average height for her race. Her skin and carapace are a rich ruby color, while her eyes have an unusual turquoise-green tint over her bright blue sclera. She alone of the trio wears clothing, though it's not a fashion any human could get away with wearing: she wears sleeves and pantlegs on her limbs, but her torso is bear by the necessity set in place by the spikes that run down her back. She also likes wearing chokers of lumi-wire (true jewelry, not embedded cyborware). Her odd attire comes in any color but brown or green, the former because it's boring, and the latter because it clashes.

Nazeki isn't as quiet as the two siblings she sticks with, but it's safe to say she isn't an absolute chatterbox, either. She's friendly and amiable, someone who's comfortable in a crowd or small group of friends, but who doesn't like to be on her own. She's clever and resourceful, but lacks her brother Rodato's wisdom. She doesn't rush into things, but she does tend to overlook things -- details and obvious points alike -- and consistently reacts with keen embarrassment when her error is pointed out to her. She works well under guidance, however, hence her former job with the Ministry of Security: she's excellent at finding information in a suspect's mind as long as someone else is present to keep her focused and help organize her search. She is a definite team player, far more efficient in a group than alone.

Now that she and her siblings are inhabitants of the desert-bound Nidus Caeligenus, her attachment to their little band is stronger than ever -- as is her drive to make it bigger, and therefore safer, by bringing dragons into it.

Akisai Khan -- that furry mutt of a dragon better known as Jigsaw -- sighed as she rested her human-formed head in her human-formed hands and stared at the paperwork arranged on the desk before her. It was incredible -- and more than a little sad -- how frantic some of the offworld applicants got whenever a newborn dragon went unbonded. It was like watching a feeding frenzy for some limited-edition collectible, only with fewer manners. The new policy requiring potential sponsors to speak with her directly had helped cut the chaos, especially after the... incident with Siche Four... but there was still room for improvement. Did anyone remember these were sentient children, not prizes in a raffle?

A monitor blinked on at her elbow, displaying the pinched face of her secretary. "Miss Khan?"

"You're supposed to call me Jigsaw," the shapeshifted dragon replied, lifting her head.

As always, the old human woman ignored her correction. "Your three o' clock appointment is here."

Jigsaw blinked, then scrambled to find her calendar amidst the clutter on her desk.

"It's the Ronijas, Miss Khan, here to inquire about a sponsorship."

"Oh, right! Send them in, then!" she exclaimed, gathering her desktop mess into her arms.

When the Ronijas entered her office a few moments later, Jigsaw's desk was clear but for a single report, though a file cabinet behind her was bulging ominously. "Hi!" she chirped, as the three little aliens bobbed into the room on their overlong, birdlike legs. "How can I help you?"

The trio were all sotiel: those partially insectoid, partially lizardlike aliens that were one of the many kinds that inhabited Star City en masse. The largest of the trio barely topped three-and-a-half feet, while the smallest didn't even reach two-and-a-half feet, and had golden cyborware plating making up a good portion of his body, albeit in such a haphazard manner that suggested it had been installed to repair some kind of horrible injury, rather than for cosmetic reasons.

The three sotiel moved into the room in a cluster, and if Jigsaw hadn't known the species as well as she did, she would have thought they were afraid of her. Instead, she knew it was simple a quirk of the species to cluster together, as they were a race with a hive-community somewhat akin to that of ants and termites. The largest of the three hung behind the others, and after a moment the mid-size sotiel was somehow nudged to the fore. The creature had a ruby-red carapace and was wearing brown sleeves and pantlegs that were strapped to her limbs with little belts. A bright blue lumi-wire choker encased her neck.

::We want to register as dragon sponsors,:: the sotiel announced, the mental 'feel' of its mindvoice identifying it as a female, though there was no false sound to the voice as some mindspeakers had.

"And you have no idea how nice it is to have locals come in for a change," Jigsaw grinned, examining her papers on the three siblings. "Er... which one of you is which?"

::I'm Nazeki,:: answered the first.

::I am Rodato,:: answered the one who was half gold with cyborware, his mental presence steady and warm.

::And our neuter-sib is Jasri,:: Nazeki concluded, and the magenta-toned sotiel lurking behind them bobbed their head shyly.

::...hi,:: they whispered. ::You... you're really a... dragon, right?::

"That's right, I'm the mutt of all mutts," Jigsaw snickered. "But it's a whole lot easier to fit in my office when I'm not twenty-five feet tall and shedding on the upholstery," she grinned, giving the largest sotiel a wink.

::Ah,:: Jasri murmured, though its posture was immediately more relaxed. Jigsaw wondered why. Nervous at finding a human where a dragon had been expected? Most people were more comfortable around her human shape!

Jigsaw didn't dwell on the curiosity for long. "So, you want to sponsor. First question, of course, is why?"

::We decided we're too small to bond,:: Nazeki answered, lazily waving her long tail. She was apparently the spokesperson of this little group. ::Sure, some smaller dragons have been coming in since the station opened up again, but for the most part dragons are just too big for one little sotiel to take care of. But the three of us have always wanted a dragon or two around... so we figured we could band together and sponsor! Our whole community will be in on it, really, but we'll be the... leaders, of sorts. A bunch of sotiel can take care of a dragon when one alone couldn't!::

Jigsaw smiled. Their logic was sound. "Where will you house any dragons you are permitted to sponsor?"

::With the community, of course. Do you know how sotiel communities work?::

The human-formed dragon laughed. "Enough to know your little 'hives' will buy out entire apartment complexes and completely renovate the insides. You're almost as bad as those xenos and their resin when it comes to that!"

::But we don't drool all over the place,:: Nazeki grinned, while Rodato smirked and Jasri's eyes creased with silent laughter. ::But yeah, that's right. And if you know that, you probably know we usually go after the complexes with dragon-sized additions, since the size of those rooms means fewer walls to tear down, and if you know that, then you know we have room enough for dragons!::

"Guess you've got me there!" Jigsaw laughed, flipping through the papers before her. "Looks like you already submitted everything, got all the signatures in, so technically this is just a formality. And I have to say: it's so nice having applicants who actually plan ahead. You'd be amazed how many think they can just roll up and walk out with a dragon like they're a carnival prize."

Jigsaw pulled up the sponsor queue, and frowned at seeing the Ronijas buried all the way at the bottom -- probably submitted early, quietly, and without fuss. Which meant, given how few dragons were available per clutch, they'd be waiting years if she left it untouched.

So, with a devilish little smirk, Jigsaw tapped the control panel on her desk, calling up her holographic computer screen, and did some quick rearranging of the glowing files.

"Alright!" she crowed when she was done. "I have you three slotted as permissible sponsors for the duowing Kaliinse's clutch, and her eggs are expected to start hatching any day now. Make sure you're there the instant you hear the call go out on the overheads!"

The sotiel all blinked with mixed levels of surprise, then grinned broadly or smiled quietly as suited their personalities. ::You got it!:: Nazeki promised.

Things sure did have a way of changing as the years went by.

Once upon a time, the Ronijas had said they only wanted to sponsor dragons. And they had! A delightful little fellow named Bhriibuthat had come home with them, adding silliness and vivacity to their lives.

With him, and with the ease with which their community had raised them, had come a startlingly simple revelation: why had they ever assumed that bonding a dragon meant that you and you alone had to care for it? So out Rodato had went to a proper bonding, returning with his little Sirius Moonling -- and again, the community helped raise him.

Then came the infestation of Star City. The utter takeover by hostile xenodragons. Resistance had been mustered, even successful for a time, but ultimately... futile. The station was evacuated, much of their community among the survivors.

Their new home: Nidus Caeligenus.

Sotiel adapted well to the sun-seared mountain, climbing its sheer faces and digging into its rocky caverns. And when all was stable, and dragons began to be born again? The desire to bond, to expand and protect, remained with them.

Jigsaw was still around, too. No longer affixed the hefty title of Delegate for Star City's Ministry of Flights and Hatchings, now she was simply Administration -- multipurpose, wearing many hats (some of them cowboy style) as was necessary to get the fledgling Nidus established and strong. And dragons, as is sometimes said, have long memories.

Some habits are hard-broken. The mutt is still fighting with organization on the day-to-day, though never enough that she can never find what she really needs when she really needs it. The Nidus is established enough that they're back to monitoring and advertizing for off-world clutches to facilitate the bonding of young dragons to willing, welcoming minds.

And Jigsaw absolutely recognizes the sotiel who walks into her office, though time time it's alone, without the cluster of her hive-bonded brethren.

::Long time no see!:: Nazeki says, leaning her arms on Jigsaw's desk. ::Got any clutches to recommend shipping me off to?::