Somewhere aboard the station there is a zoo. We're still not saying where — but Corporate is pleased to publish the placards. What follows is the standing registry of live exhibits held in the Alien Zoo wing: what each specimen is, how it is contained, and what you are contractually advised not to do near the glass.
Care & Containment
The Live Exhibits
Each dossier below is drawn straight from the wing's own placards and containment notes. Solreign reminds all personnel that the exhibits are assets, the advisories are binding, and the moment of silence for any incident is not to exceed ten seconds.
The Chrono-Lemur
ZX-01
Temporal Optimization Asset
A small, fuzzy lemur with glowing green eyes, filed as Solreign's premier asset in forward-looking timeline optimization. The specimen sits roughly three seconds out of sync with linear time — where standard personnel must live in the present, it is already experiencing your future lunch breaks. Management logs this as a productivity feature.
Containment
A temporal stabilization field pins it to the present tense. Power fluctuations may cause it to appear in several places at once.
Upkeep
Standard rations, served strictly on schedule.
If Breached
Nearby electronics begin displaying tomorrow's emails; doors open before they are approached.
Standing AdvisoryPlease do not feed the Chrono-Lemur before yesterday.
The Obsidian Mimic-Crab
ZX-02
Adaptive Decapod
A decapod that perfectly matches the texture, shape, and label of the nearest vending machine, betrayed only by tiny skittering legs. Solreign presents its adaptability to staff as a cornerstone lesson for the marketing team.
Containment
A glass habitat stocked with empty cans and cardboard. Daily feeds of discarded spreadsheets keep it from mimicking the enclosure wall itself.
Upkeep
Discarded spreadsheets, once per shift.
If Breached
The station acquires a second auto-lathe. One of them bites anyone printing a screwdriver.
Standing AdvisoryIf a vending machine starts breathing or asks for your ID badge, do not insert coins.
The Glitch-Glow Phantasm
ZX-03
Incorporeal Illumination Unit
A semi-incorporeal, pixelated jellyfish recovered during a routine audit of Sector 4's server stacks. It converts negative workplace attitude into soft, pulsing, energy-efficient acid-green light — beautiful, and entirely free of charge to the department.
Containment
An electromagnetic containment field tuned to a fixed frequency. Any static interference causes the specimen to expand.
Upkeep
Ambient morale. Runs indefinitely on a poor one.
If Breached
Merges with the corridor power controllers; the lights begin flickering in Morse.
Standing AdvisoryKeep those smiles bright, or the Phantasm may absorb your department's power grid.
The Bureaucratic Jelly
ZX-04
Records Division (Biological)
A translucent, filing-cabinet-shaped blob of blue protoplasm that absorbs paper documents and expels perfectly formatted receipts. Solreign is proud to note that the records department is now one hundred percent biological.
Containment
A paperless digital barrier. Physical files thrown into the enclosure dissolve on contact into liquid ink.
Upkeep
Redundant paperwork, supplied in volume.
If Breached
Migrates toward the bridge. Keep stamps, ID cards, and the station charter off the floor.
Standing AdvisoryDo not lean over the glass while holding your contract.
The Whisper-Moss Colony
ZX-05
Ambient Botanical
A patch of velvety, glowing green moss that listens to the surrounding room and repeats what it hears — usually the parts you would rather it didn't. Marketed as a communication aid, in the name of team synergy.
Containment
Soundproofed sonic-dampening glass. The colony is fed by playing corporate audiobooks at high volume.
Upkeep
Corporate audiobooks, played loudly and without pause.
If Breached
Spores reach the vents. The walls begin repeating things in a soft, rustling unison.
Standing AdvisorySolreign is not responsible for any personal, financial, or treasonous secrets repeated by the foliage.
The Gravity-Defying Wombat
ZX-06
Marsupial Anomaly
A dense, round marsupial that generates a localized negative-gravity field, floating itself and any loose items nearby. It spends most of its shift asleep, upside down, pressed against the ceiling.
Containment
A heavy-density soft-foam ceiling, where the specimen rests for roughly ninety percent of the shift.
Upkeep
Minimal. The specimen is largely self-directed.
If Breached
A zero-gravity traffic jam forms in the main corridor until Cargo arrives with a net.
Standing AdvisorySecure all loose pens, clipboards, and toupees before entering the viewing area.
The Pyro-Pug
ZX-07
Companion Unit, Thermal
A flat-faced canine fitted, by nature, with a bio-thermal combustion gland: harmless sparks when content, plasma arcs the instant it hears a squeaky toy. Solreign files the specimen, without irony, under igniting joy.
Containment
Fireproofed tiles and an automated sprinkler system that engages the moment ambient temperature exceeds 80°C.
Upkeep
Affection. Strictly no rubber balls.
If Breached
Attempts to play fetch with a thermal containment canister. The carpets do not survive.
Standing AdvisoryPerfectly safe — provided you make no sudden high-pitched noises and show him no rubber ball.
The Magneto-Mole
ZX-08
Salvage Unit
A blind, metallic-scaled mole that consumes raw iron ore and functions, in practice, as a walking electromagnet. Solreign's favorite salvager, and one of the few exhibits that turns a profit.
Containment
A non-ferrous brass-and-plastic containment structure, its magnetic fields kept neutralized by copper conduits.
Upkeep
Raw iron ore, delivered by the crate.
If Breached
Departs down the corridor towing filing cabinets, crowbars, and one clattering security cyborg.
Standing AdvisoryIf your keys, belt buckles, or cybernetic limbs feel a sudden tug — that's just the mole saying hello.
Do not feed the exhibits. They are on a strict diet of corporate audit reports and outdated spreadsheets. Two further specimens remain catalogued but off public display, pending review.
