‘Can’t you, I dunno, like take leave or something.’

‘I don’t think that’s possible?’ he laughs.

‘You know what I mean,’ she huffs irritably, blowing her hair out of her face.

‘I’ll see y’all in a bit- you’re both too slow and I refuse to third-wheel emotional family stuff.’

‘Then get the out of here,’ he responds without missing a beat.

‘Language!’

They both flick him off, making him cackle at their identical reaction. He draws some attention to himself as he skips up ahead, gangly form bouncing all over the place with surprising weight for someone so slight.

‘Still not used to seeing others here,’ he comments, watching the way the crowd parted to let him through, gaping after him with some awe.

‘Well- not ones that look like him,’ she replies with a small laugh.

‘Take care of mum while I’m gone.’ He says quietly after a while.

‘You don’t have to tell me that,’ she mumbles.

He feels bad about having to do this. But this was a rare opportunity after all- not everyone was offered the chance to join the Raksane Tayi Scientific Research Panel. And their mother had insisted- lecturing him with a bewildered tone at his hesitation to accept. But that had been during one of her better spells- when she was more herself than whatever it was she had turned into now. And even though he knew that he would be light-years away, this would create a better future, establish a better future for his sister.

The only thing he regretted from all of this was knowing that he she would have to grow faster than other children her age. That she wouldn’t be allowed many of the experiences that she would normally go through for a girl her age. That she would have to give up on so much not out of necessity but out of obligation and love. That was always the worst- knowing that you would hate yourself for not doing it. And he knew that all too well, because that was what he was doing now.

‘Did you go see him?’ she asks quietly as they climb up some of the stairs.

‘No,’ he replies easily. ‘I will when I come back.’

‘That’s…that’s so far away.’

‘You’re starting school and trust me, it won’t feel too long.’ He grins as he bends down to hug her. ‘Remember? I’m ancient, I know how schools are.’

‘Try to come back as quickly as you can.’ Her voice is wobbly, like it was about to break.

‘I will.’

*

The gritty dark soil of Ch’dra’s crust is oddly heavy but strangely soft. Namjoon leaves behind deep footprints that remain untouched even when a strong breeze blows about. Closer to the lakes the soil solidifies to chunkier salt-based rock, forming gleaming graphite-like slabs towards the edges of the overly saturated blue lakes of acid.

Tilting the gravity lift, Namjoon empties the last stack of mechanical waste from the ship and avoids getting splashed. The acid is rather dense, not creating a lot of splash but Namjoon would rather not have his clothes riddled with holes.

Not sure why, Namjoon sits on the edge of the jutting lip of the slab over the lake. He removes his boots, wiggling his mechanical digits a little before he lowers his foot down to touch the surface.

It’s not pain- it’s just a strange sensation. The first outer layer, the polished layer of the bionic metal used to replace a majority of his bone, slowly erodes away.

‘That’s a rather dumb thing to do.’

Namjoon doesn’t have to look up to know it’s Sk’jin.

‘Just testing the acidity level.’ Namjoon replies evenly.

‘You could have just one of the pH papers to do that.’

‘It’s not like it matters to you,’ Namjoon comments with a shrug as he pulls his foot up and puts his boot on again. Sk’jin doesn’t comment and doesn’t speak until after he eases the last of their waste into the lake. Under normal circumstance, Namjoon would have to step back, avoiding the dangerous fumes that could burn his throat and possibly even his bronchioles raw; but seeing as he didn’t exactly have a pair of working organic lungs, Namjoon continues to watch the metal of their junk corrode and dissolve away as it sinks slowly into the deep blue pits of the lake.

‘Did I forget something?’ Namjoon asks, still not turning around. He knows Sk’jin is still there, as his shadow extends over into Namjoon’s slightly wider peripheral vision.

‘No.’

‘So why are you here?’

The last of the waste dissolves into nothing and Namjoon bends down to pick up the handle of the gravity-lift. Sk’jin wasn’t avoiding Namjoon- he was simply ignoring him. And very expertly too. So Namjoon doesn’t know what to expect now that the Khol’isa is here.

‘To talk.’

At this Namjoon finally turns around and faces the Khol’isa. He looks serious, and not like he’s trying to get a rise from Namjoon or mock him in any manner or way.

‘How can I help you?’ Namjoon asks, tugging on the gravity-lift as he sets out into an easy-paced walk. He was exhausted, having worked endlessly without much break. His mind was still buzzing with codes and formulas; this was the sort of thing he enjoyed but given the circumstances under which he was forced to work, Namjoon longs for any form of reprieve- even if it was throwing out the junk.

‘I wanted to discuss what we’re going to be doing for this mission,’ Sk’jin replies, keeping pace with him, hands behind his back.

‘What else is there to discuss?’ Namjoon inquires and it’s not like he’s trying to instigate some sort of argument- he really doesn’t think there was anything more to discuss. ‘We all collectively concluded that this mission was just a scapegoat for the special jury to use for their agenda, and that it was probably going to end with our deaths or worse, and then it was decided that we would follow through on the mission regardless. There’s not much to discuss about it anymore.’

Sk’jin doesn’t say anything for a while, and as Namjoon would rather not look at the Khol’isa, he wasn’t sure what sort of expression he had either.

‘734 sols ago, I was leading my ship through the dead-space between the Systems of Cabcd and Sluchaen. We were tracking a slaver-ship, possibly carrying a few Beings that were closely related to some of my crew.’ Sk’jin suddenly states without preamble. ‘Ever the champion of freedom, I prepared one of my best and fastest ships, took with me my most capable and worthy crew and set out for this dead-space. We didn’t find the ship, instead we found an unregistered planet. It was odd- we could see it, but we couldn’t sense it in any of our scanners. We made up a plan- that we would closely watch the planet. Maybe it was being used to hide the slaver’s headquarters- maybe this was where the Alliance were situated you know?’

Namjoon finally glances over at Sk’jin who was looking up at the sky thoughtfully.

‘I was a pirate yes, but- the the Alliance was doing was too much you know? It’s amazing how things still haven’t changed till now,’ Sk’jin sighs a little, looking away from the sky, prompting Namjoon to look ahead again.

‘Well, we didn’t think much of the planet- space is after all, unpredictable- some spike in radiation could have caused a major block on our scans. like that happens all the time.’ Sk’jin continues and adds with a smirk. ‘There was a short problem though- being from Khol’isa, I have uncontrollable urges to cocoon myself in my own cells and breakdown to a cellular mass of gooey gunk. My “hibernation period” was hitting me and I had to retire- as usual I handed over my title and position to my most trusted crew member who had been with me for nearly half a millennium and I went to “sleep”. It’s not all that great,- sleeping that is,’ he clarifies. ‘We get sent back to a weird hallucinatory state of mind- it’s like being back in Khol’isa all over again. Not the best of times you know? Anyways- so as I broke down to cellular levels in my cocoon, a lot of happened. The unregistered planet happened to be the crash-site of an illegal Venture Unit operation known as the Hyper-Reality Expansion program- you’ve heard of it, no doubt?’

Namjoon nods, wondering where this story was headed.

‘Well, they crashed into that planet due to the entity they were hosting in their ship- called the “First Nightmare”- poignant isn’t it? A sort of strange Being created by the Venture Unit scientists as a result of continuous and horrific experimentation. It could create these rifts in reality- create an alternative dimension with the help of certain technology and its own twisted mind. It was one of the reasons why this planet was hidden from our scans and couldn’t be detected- it was to an extent, existing in its own dimension of reality even though we could see it. I’m not all too clear on the science behind it- but just as you might be suspecting, it had a lot of connection with the Gaia Case.’ Sk’jin pauses a while before continuing, ‘Well, as it would happen, our ship picked up on a distress signal from that planet. My lieutenant sent down a small ship to check on it. We lost communications for a while and only got it back when the ship returned. Except it returned with only 1 of the 8 Beings my lieutenant sent down. The surviving member reported that he had barely escaped- that the others were kept prisoner by some pirates that were stranded down in-planet.’

Sk’jin clears his throat a bit, ‘We have a policy- as all pirates do- we don’t leave anyone behind. And so they decided to go down there, TeorSers blazing, proton missiles ready, and shields at maximum. The moment they were close enough to the atmosphere of the ship, it completely malfunctioned internally. You see, the surviving crew member was in fact an imposter- a doppelgänger if you will. He crippled the ship and we crash landed. I was still in a cocoon but the crash jolted me out- it was strange- I never experienced that state of consciousness before- I was awake, I could see all over my ship, yet I could not move, I could not speak, and I could not touch.

But I could watch my crew members die as they succumbed to their injuries, I could hear their screams of terror as strange carnivorous creatures feasted on the injured, and I could feel it- the First Nightmare.’

A shudder runs down Namjoon’s back. They’ve both stopped walking and Namjoon can’t look away from Sk’jin as he continues to narrate his story with a light nonchalance.

‘It was odd- I could see how it consumed the sanctity of everyone’s minds, mimicking and copying and cloning every Being’s form to lure them into its trap. I watched, without being able to do anything, as every single surviving crew members got into an eternal loop of terror and darkness within their own minds. They slept and slept and slept and in their minds they were trapped, dying over and over again as terror trapped them. I watched as their bodies decomposed, I watched as the ship gave out, collapsing and at some point even mercifully falling over some of the crew, ending their suffering. Or so I thought- their bodies perished but their minds were trapped in that alternative realm.’

‘How did you survive?’ Namjoon finds himself asking.

‘Survive?’ Sk’jin laughs. ‘I didn’t survive- I died too. My body decayed, but my mind wasn’t ensnared by it. It tried so hard, but it could never take me- it couldn’t latch onto my physical state because I didn’t have one when we crashed. But I couldn’t return either- so I just lingered. It soon forgot about me and I just stayed there, unable to get out, unable to kill myself, unable to sleep. I watched many ships crash into that planet- and I watched many Beings die and get trapped. But I remained- I was just there. I just witnessed. I tried to protect- tried to help- some of them could see me. Some of them could sense me- but they were all too freaked out to really understand what was happening- and they all ran away before I could do anything. But I kept trying- I tried over and over and over again,’ Sk’jin huffs out a laughter. ‘I was exhausted. But what could I have done? Nothing- I could do nothing.’

‘So how are you here?’ Namjoon asks carefully.

‘A ship crashed again- like it did so many times,’ Sk’jin replies, carefully brushing his hair, his hands lingering on his temple. ‘Except this time, it wasn’t some trade ship or pirate ship- it was a GIU ship. Carrying a team of Beings sent to investigate the planet- sent to investigate the First Nightmare though they didn’t know what it was. They all died of course- save for one. A young lieutenant from Long-Huo.’

Long-Huo. Things started clicking inside Namjoon’s mind.

‘He was different- there was something about him- and I knew at once that he would survive- that he would be the key. So I latched onto him- helping him as he too nearly lost his mind. I would sometimes take over his body, controlling him- it was like having my own body again.’ Sk’jin raises his hand, looking at it as though he didn’t quite understand what it was he seeing.

‘Well- long story short, a few other Beings arrived- the First Nightmare was defeated and the planet relieved of its control. All those who were trapped there, all those who were contained, all the minds that were ensnared were all freed. Save for one.’ Sk’jin points at himself with a smile. ‘So I stayed with the Long-Huon lieutenant; he was a little unstable anyways, and he had brashly made a promise to me that he would make sure I was “cured”. We both knew it wasn’t possible, but I let him believe it. Somewhere along the line I met Yoongi- he could see me- odd I know,’ Sk’jin laughs. ‘I didn’t have a form- I just was- there was no explaining it. But I thought to myself at that point- maybe there was some hope to it- then I met Taeh’yung and here I am.’

‘Taeh’yung?’ Namjoon repeats, hoping for some explanation but Sk’jin continues past that.

‘The reason why I’m telling you this is because the Venture Unit was behind all that bull I just told you,’ Sk’jin states. ‘Not just the Venture Unit- but the Yisheng Directory, probably even the GIU, and of course head-members of the GLA.’

‘What are you trying to say here?’ Namjoon asks carefully.

‘What I’m saying is that we both know that there is something beyond the mission- more than what Hoseok or even Yoongi can understand or comprehend.’ Sk’jin replies, an uncharacteristic worried expression on his face. ‘I read through the logs and archives off of that ship carrying the First Nightmare- I read every single file; there were many countless other programs and operations being run just like the Hyper-Reality Expansion program. And there are probably many being run now. And now with the Gaia Case being exposed- even to this contained level that it’s currently in- it’s creating too many opportunities, too many possibilities.’

‘The Being we’re carrying, the “objectives” of this mission- all of us in this ship.’ Sk’jin waves his hand around. ‘Hoseok’s father was directly involved in aiding the Yishengs with the Gaia Case- his father tried to recruit him but Hoseok refused- it’s why and how he was exposed and the Venture Unit held their own internal coup d'etat. Yoongi is from the GI- he was there for everything. And then there’s me, and then there’s you. I know that we all agreed that this was so much more than what we initially thought it would be about- but I think this goes beyond that- beyond any level we thought possible.’

Namjoon doesn’t reply- it’s a little overwhelming, hearing all of this and having to come to terms with it. Sk’jin looks genuinely disturbed, a strange sense of instability to his normally put together countenance.

‘I’m not asking you to trust me- this isn’t about trust,’ Sk’jin sighs, translating his silence to that of distrust. ‘This is about understanding why we’re here. We need to figure this out. The two of us.’

‘And you think going to Bhumi, that actually following through with the mission, will help us understand everything?’

‘It’s the only option there is,’ Sk’jin replies carefully. ‘If you do not choose to believe me then it’s all right, if you cannot trust me that’s all right too- I don’t expect you to; but I hope you can accept the fact that I’m not taking the situation we are in lightly.’

‘You said K’mara offered you a new life- that that was why you accepted this mission- were you lying about that?’ Namjoon asks.

‘I know you don’t trust K’mara- and believe me when I say I don’t trust her even more than you do,’ Sk’jin’s eyes darken as though recalling some memory. ‘I know too much- but she believes that I’m selfish, greedy, vain- kinda like what you think of me. She thought she could use that to manipulate me.’

‘So you’re here to make sure the GLA and every other organization isn’t about to create some ed up operation like the one you were stuck in?’

‘I’m here because I was purposefully chosen and placed in this mission and I would like to know exactly why and for what reason,’ Sk’jin replies as they catch sight of Taeh’yung running out of the ship, waving at them with his long arms. ‘It goes past everything we talked about.’

They start walking again, approaching the ship. The colour had been altered and any possible physical transformation that they felt was safe enough to alter had been completed a few hours ago. Though it didn’t look all that different, the Užkulisai looked completely different from its former appearance. Luckily the Užkulisai-02 wasn’t all too different from the Užkulisai-01, and the first model was rather popular so they didn’t stand out too much. A few ParaBots were still scuttling over the surface, smoothening out the outer layer and checking on the new paint job. According to Hoseok, painting it a rather bright colour would actually help camouflage it more than a neutral colour. Which was why the Užkulisai was now an obnoxious green.

‘This colour still pains me,’ Sk’jin comments lightly. Namjoon hums back in agreement.

‘I still don’t like this plan, of going to Bhumi,’ Namjoon says after a minute of silence. ‘But I agree with you.’

Sk’jin doesn’t say anything in reply. Taeh’yung bounds over to them, a wide smile on his face.

‘Hobi and Yoongi have finished the final check-up on the engines,’ he informs them brightly, skidding to a stop in front of them and throwing himself at Namjoon.

With a grunt, Namjoon catches the long-limbed Zhak’gri.

‘The shipment should have arrived by now,’ Sk’jin looks up at the sky as though judging the time. ‘See you later Captain.’

Namjoon puts down Taeh’yung who immediately makes for the gravity-lift, sitting on it and looking at Namjoon expectantly.

Namjoon doesn’t move, watching the Khol’isa disappear into the ship.

‘Taeh’yung.’

‘Hm?’

‘How did you fix Sk’jin from his previous state?’

‘Oh! He told you?’

‘He did.’

‘Sk’jin is special- Khol’isa’s are special,’ Taeh’yung says in a strangely thoughtful manner. ‘Their Memory is strong- it shapes them, more than their cells, more than their bones- they are who they are, because of their Memory. I just had to help him Remember what it was like- I had to show him where to go back to.’

‘Is that why he doesn’t have horns? Khol’isa have horns right?’ Namjoon asks, pulling on the gravity-lift when Taeh’yung pleads at him with large eyes and a hopeful smile.

‘I think it’s on purpose,’ Taeh’yung replies, bouncing a little on the gravity-lift. He lifts his hands, they glow green and a shape reminiscent of horns form for a moment before vanishing into the air. He smiles up at Namjoon before saying, ‘I don’t think he feels like he deserves them.’

*

He finds his father halfway up the plateau, taking a rest near one of the jutting rock shelves. He looks worn and sunburnt, but still healthy and ail. There’s an aged wisdom to him- in the way his hands are rough and coarse, yet somehow his wrists smooth and only marked by veins that pop out because he’s feeling hot. He wonders if his wrists will look like that too when he grows older.

‘Are you here to help your old pa out?’ his father winks. 

‘Is it your knees?’

‘Actually this time it’s my ankles.’

‘You’re falling apart pa.’

‘You will too when you get to my age,’ his father admonishes with an amused smile. ‘Our crop isn’t going to magically water itself- we need to keep an eye out on the flood zones too- too many things to watch over.’

‘I’ll be able to help you from next season,’ he declares. ‘I’ve learnt a lot from the grain houses. I know I can help out in the fields.’

‘The grain houses will miss you,’ his father grins, getting up with a groan. He instantly steps closer to his father, allowing him to take his shoulder to better balance himself.

‘But I want to help Pa- besides, Ma always puts me in cleaning- I like running the grinders,’ he complains half-heartedly.

‘My Ma used to put me in cleaning too,’ his father reminiscences fondly. ‘It will teach you a lot as you grow older- only the smart ones are put in cleaning.’

‘So you used to be smart?’ he asks innocently.

‘Your older brothers are such a bad influence,’ his father grumbles just as a bright light, something he could only describe as the brightest lightning he’s ever seen flashes through the sky above them.

There are gasps and shrieks.

‘What is that?’

Everyone is staring up at the sky- the sun was still entirely round and full- the moon still hadn’t moved to block it out yet.

‘What’s what?’ he asks, confused- there were no clouds, it couldn’t have been lightning right?

His father frowns, squinting a little as he peers into the distant horizon; his expression quickly transforming from confused to fearful at once.

‘RUN-!!’

There is too much sound, too much light, too much everything. He feels himself flying through the air- the whole world a mess as he spins and spins and spins. What was happening? Did he slip and fall? But the ground wasn’t wet- they weren’t close enough to the lake for the ground to be damp.

The sky is suddenly made clear to him and in this eclipsed light, strange sights- like mountains afloat rings of pure fire fill up the sky. The clouds seem to disappear in their wake and he can’t think straight.

Then the mountains start to erupt into beams of light, rocky discs shooting out of them from their sides. He doesn’t understand, he can’t possibly begin to understand. But all he knows is that this wasn’t good.

Suddenly he hears screaming- and the earth around screams in harmony.

Dirt fills the air and so does light- it’s a strange combination- a strange sight. White fire bounces off of the slopes and he can feel their heat- nothing like the fires he was used to burning in the little kitchen hearth of their hut, nothing like the torches lit up at night to keep the yards safe.

His father is there- half of his face covered in blood- he’s saying something but he can’t hear him- he sees his lips moving but there’s no sound. Just white noise, white light, white screams-

Everything is white.

*

Sk’jin drew too much attention- and the Khol’isa clearly knew this, judging by the way he was more or less strutting around the Station. His walk is somehow even more elegant than before, robes fluttering behind him as though moving along the flow of a breeze that seemed to only blow around the Khol’isa. Heads turn everywhere and he’s instantly super popular amongst the Excavators.

Excavators were glorified titles for historians turned relic/antique/grave robbers. Though they aren’t up in the radar as much as pirates are, they held their own reputation around the Universe. A much more ditsy, more academic, and slightly “mad” air to them. They weren’t necessarily a “bad” lot to hang out with. You wouldn’t have to worry about being stabbed in the back (literally or metaphorically), or something worse (literally and metaphorically) if you hung with the Excavator crowd. In fact, many students from Raksane Tayi’s School of Cosmic Archaeology and Research were known to take their internships with certain guilds of Excavators for at least a year. Sometimes the interns would return- sometimes they’d come back after a decade or so, having been stuck in some prison in another System.

Yoongi has never had an issue with the Excavators before and has used their channels several times before. It was easy slipping into their ships unnoticed because all they ever had eyes for were either very ancient things, or very beautiful things. And at this moment, though Yoongi won’t voice it out loud, Sk’jin fulfilled that criteria.

Excavators had a, putting it mildly, rather manic obsession with any species of Beings who were known to live for long periods of time. And though Excavators aren’t known outside the criminal offence charges of breaking and entering, robbery, desecration, and illegal migration- they were sometimes known for kidnapping. Not for money or ransom; most Beings kidnapped were treated with care and almost all accounts were summarized with “confused, but never endangered”.

Yoongi wonders how they’d react to Taeh’yung.

It was probably a very good decision on Namjoon’s part to put the Zhak’gri in the ship at all times, naming him the defender of the Being inside the OrTank. And Taeh’yung took that position with perhaps too much heart and zeal.

This particular guild were restocking their very battered ship, having spent too much time in a planet that was too close to a dying sun- the radiation the star spewed eating away at the atmosphere of the planet and the radiation nearly frying their ship and the guild in question. It would explain why a bunch of them were covered in tissue-plast and had a slightly doped expression on their face- no doubt a result of too much pain medication. Lucky for them, this Station had a very well stocked and advanced Medical Bay and were being treated accordingly.

‘I was there,’ Sk’jin tells an Excavator with a bright smile. ‘And it’s so much more beautiful than the reports have said.’

Yoongi stands behind Sk’jin, a sort of bodyguard because he’s sure that, given the chance, the Excavators would really love to grab Sk’jin and hightail away to record and verify his stories and tales. It’s not quite necessary though, because though the Excavators are eager to listen to Sk’jin and interrogate him in the least creepy manner, they keep a safe respectful distance from the Khol’isa. But Sk’jin is really enjoying himself, answering every question, adding more information, telling them stories and first-hand accounts on certain major events. It really put into perspective how long Sk’jin has been alive, and how much he remembers.

‘You are blessed to have witnessed such a sight Mahodya Sk’jin!’ one of the Excavators says with awe in his eyes. A majority of the guild were from the planet of Pr’thvee; their people were very flamboyant and had a flair for dramatics, using long elegant terms to address each other. They had some of the best poems across the Known Universe and were known for their poets and lyricists. They were also known for their long beards- the longer your beard, the higher you were regarded. This was the norm for all genders in Pr’thvee. If Yoongi isn’t mistaken, the title Mahodya meant ‘kingly guest’ and Sk’jin seemed to know this too as he practically preens under the address. 

‘I wouldn’t necessarily say blessed, but it was something,’ Sk’jin laughs elegantly though the glint in his eyes makes Yoongi wonder under what exact circumstance the Khol’isa was in when he had witnessed the continental rift on the planet of Drar.

‘Mahodya Sk’jin,’ one of them says respectfully, approaching the Khol’isa with an armful of what appeared to be clusters of living crystals. A closer look shows Yoongi that they weren’t crystals, they were flowers.

‘We were stopping by Man’ibv and picked up on a few relics there- these flowers, Vitka’v, are native to the moon and we believe that it’s quite fitting for someone of your legacy.’ He states, handing Sk’jin the flowers.

The Khol’isa looks genuinely moved, taking the flowers with an awed look on his face.

‘You are most generous,’ Sk’jin begins to say.

‘But you have graced us with so much more Mahodya,’ he counters. ‘We are honoured to have met someone like you. A chance meeting, a most wonderful thing!’

‘I will treasure our meeting,’ Sk’jin smiles, bowing elegantly in true Khol’isa fashion- he had even gradually changed his speech, matching the elegance of the Pr’thveen. ‘I am honoured to have met you here.’

There’s a profuse amount of bowing and thank you thrown about. Yoongi wonders if Sk’jin would notice if he slipped away outside. 

‘Sir! I have your items!’

They turn to address one of the Station keepers- an Android fashioned after the natives of Raksane Tayi. He’s entirely humanoid and his silver eyes carry only the slightest hint of the Android gold-tint.

‘Oh thank you!’ Sk’jin bows elegantly to the Excavators one last time before taking the smaller items from the sprightly Android while Yoongi took the handles for the gravity-lift laden with the larger and bulkier goods.

‘The other items are being loaded outside in your vehicle. I’m afraid you will have to wait before we receive our stock of beamer cells,’ the Android states apologetically. ‘The GLA Patrol will be arriving with new stock in 4 days’ time. If you can wait till then, we would be happy to supply you again.’

‘Oh that’s all right,’ Sk’jin replies affably. ‘I understand- but we are short on time so we will make do. Thank you for your service once more.’

‘Not at all, would you like an additional lift?’ the Android turns to address Yoongi, causing the nearby Excavators to finally notice him.

‘No,’ Yoongi replies, wondering if he should tack on a thank you or a it’s not a bother but he’s too late to add anything when an Excavator approaches him, eyes wide and sparkling as he says, ‘Forgive me if I’m wrong, but are you Human? From Earth?’

Sk’jin’s eyes narrow, watching the interaction carefully as he settles the payment with the Android to the side.

‘I am Human yes. I have never been to Earth.’

‘Ah- you are an expat- how many generations now?’ the Excavator asks, looking and sounding genuinely interested.

‘I don’t know,’ Yoongi replies truthfully.

‘Well, it does get confusing I would suppose,’ the Excavator ruminates, his long beard before adding, ‘But I just simple wanted to give my condolences and at least give my respects. Although you said you never were there, the idea of losing the womb that birthed your very DNA must be deeply unsettleing.’

Yoongi supposes it does, and manages a nod. The Excavator seems satisfied, translating his silence to contemplative reflection of the destruction of his home planet.

‘A young planet, not too interesting by Excavator’s standards; but she was a strong little thing,’ he smiles widely, his mouth stretching a little to reveal small sharp teeth. Most might consider it disconcerting. ‘I am glad you didn’t lose a home.’

The tall bearded Pr’thveen hands him a single flower.

Yoongi is at a complete loss on how to reply even more so now. He dumbly takes the flower, finding it softer than he expected. The petals are transparent, opaque only where veins thinner than hair thread through the petals, creating the appearance of faceted gems. It’s exceedingly beautiful and Yoongi feels the urge to wash his hands before touching the flower again.

‘Come on Yoongi,’ Sk’jin calls, saving him the trouble to reply. ‘Let’s get going. It was a great honour talking and meeting with all of you!’ Sk’jin adds with a benign smile at the guild of Excavators.

They all wave their beards merrily at Sk’jin, and some at Yoongi when they notice him.

Sk’jin is definitely in a good mood. The trip would have taken 2 hours, but they were now more or less gone for nearly 5 hours because Sk’jin had decided to befriend nearly every Excavator in the guild. And he really did befriend the guild. Though his title as Communications Manager might have been more or less phony, Sk’jin was certainly a smooth talker. Yoongi finds himself wishing he had at least a marginal percentage of the Khol’isa’s eloquence.

‘Well,’ Sk’jin says conversationally as they leave the Station lobby, he sniffs the flowers delicately. ‘We’re sort of ed.’

Yoongi has to agree as he takes a sniff of the flower. It’s lightly fragrant- something Yoongi isn’t familiar with. It’s pleasant though.

‘How long can we stay up with what we have?’ Sk’jin asks.

Beamers were an extraordinarily important component of a ship- it transformed, distributed, and directed raw energy from fuel cells for the entirety of the ship. And due to the previous tampering of the ship’s system, they were going to have to redo all of the beamer network across the ship if they wanted accurate readings on the ship’s systems. System failure was not an option and they needed to be at maximum functionality if they were going to succeed in this mission.

‘Maybe 5 days,’ Yoongi replies.

‘We’ll need to travel on temporary systems then,’ Sk’jin frowns. ‘We can’t afford to stay here- they know we’re here- or at least in this System; but if we can only fly a maximum of 5 days on what we currently have- we’ll need to land somewhere else quickly.’

‘The GLA Patrol will be arriving in 4 days,’ Yoongi adds as they step out into the sunlight. The entire landscape is bathed in an eerie reddish colour; a result of the sunset- or rather a result of the eclipse. The planet that Ch’dra orbited was now eclipsing the sun, reading the small acidic moon for its own bizarre version of night.

The Spardyti is docked outside, the back open as Androids load up the heavy items to the back, securing the crates of much needed ship parts and extras are latched on to the hollowed out back of the Transporter.

‘I’m not much of a fan of solar eclipses,’ Sk’jin comments wryly out of nowhere, watching the planet eclipse the sun. a strange halo of reds and oranges erupts- casting silhouettes of the high bursts of sulfur clouds from the planet’s surface. ‘We’re a contradicting lot, us Khol’isa’s- hate the sun, yet somehow we can’t rightly live without it.’

Yoongi doesn’t reply back- unsure what to say at that given moment.

‘Is it still called a solar eclipse when it’s the planet that’s eclipsing the sun or is it called planetary eclipse?’ Sk’jin ruminates.

Yoongi shrugs in reply. There’s a flare of light up in the atmosphere.

‘Ship’s coming in,’ Sk’jin comments, squinting a little as he looks up. ‘Doesn’t appear to be of GLA make.’

Yoongi notices how a bunch of the Androids Comm-Devices all glow at the same time and a few of them leave the Spardyti and head back inwards.

‘What do you think?’ Sk’jin asks with a slight frown as he begins threading some of the flower stalks together.

‘Possibly another guild,’ Yoongi replies. ‘Or just a private trade ship. Or pirates.’

Sk’jin sighs out of his nose.

‘Do you think they’ll have the beamer cells?’

‘Would it be worth asking?’ Yoongi asks back, removing his screen from his pocket to use to zoom up into the bloody sky. Sk’jin steps closer, peering down at the screen as Yoongi sets the focus.

The ship in question is large, shaped like a slightly wonky cube, and Yoongi can’t be sure if it’s the light of volcanic planet looming to the side but it appeared to be an ochre hue. But despite the rather unconventional design, it was quite obvious what type of ship it was and who it belonged to.

Pirates.

Sk’jin glances down at Yoongi, one eyebrow raised subtly. It’s a non-verbal question. And if they weren’t stuck in such a situation; Yoongi wouldn’t be agreeing to this situation. But they were in dire need of beamer cells; and it was possible that the pirates would sell them some.

There’s some scuffling sound behind them and Sk’jin is smiling in greeting but the Excavators hasten to make themselves scarce, rushing towards their own Transporter, waving their beards hastily at them in goodbye. Pirates and Excavators left each other alone- sometimes they helped each other out, sometimes they reported on each other to the GLA. Excavators thought that all pirates were either too destructive or crass and pirates thought that Excavators were just a bunch of maniacs with a penchant for weirdness. 

‘Do you reckon they’re bad news?’ Sk’jin asks, gesturing to the approaching ship in the sky as he watches the Excavators drive off. He akes a wreath of the flowers and places it over his head carefully.

Yoongi shrugs again.

‘Looks like a crew of…maybe 100?’ Sk’jin estimates, eyeing the ship carefully. ‘Do you think they’re affiliated with Grezma?’

Yoongi doesn’t know and he wonders how many times he can shrug before it looked too repetitive.

‘Guess we’ll risk it,’ Sk’jin claps his hands together with a resigned sigh. ‘I’ll do the talking. Do you think you could like, sneak in and steal it off of their ship?’

‘I don’t think that’s a smart idea. Beamer cells are large- they can’t be snuck in and out of a ship that’s most likely still active after it lands.’ Yoongi replies.

‘Worth a try,’ Sk’jin mumbles off, arms crossed as he regards the approaching ship, clearly thinking of how to approach them. He looks like a deity planning on his next step towards creation, crowned with those flowers that were glowing red and pink in this lighting, flaring out into bright beams of violent orange at some angles.

‘Do you want to stay back or sit with me?’ Sk’jin grins.

‘My feet hurt,’ is Yoongi’s reply, making Sk’jin laugh out loud. Yoongi doesn’t know why that’s funny. His feet did hurt, he would probably have to purchase some new soles for his shoes.

‘Sir. Your Transporter is ready, would you like to be driven back?’ one of the Station Androids approaches them.

‘Bless your heart, that’s quite all right,’ Sk’jin spins on his heels, flashing a beatific smile at the Android. ‘Thank you for your hard work!’

He waves at the other Androids as well who smile in response.

‘Do you happen to know who they might be?’ Sk’jin points at the landing ship. Yoongi can hear it now, a distinct low hum of heavy engines and machinery.

‘Fuel stop,’ the Android replies with a smile before adding. ‘You are perfectly safe here.’

Sk’jin has a slightly amused smile before he thanks the Android again.

‘Do you maybe want to take back the Spardyti and I’ll talk to their lot?’ Sk’jin nods towards the Transporter, ready with all their goods.

‘No. I’ll stay.’ Yoongi replies, making sure that the Heliord handle was in reaching distance and the TeorSer set to stun. ‘Please hold my flower.’

‘You’re so sweet,’ Sk’jin grins as he adds Yoongi’s flower to his own bunch. ‘Staying back to protect me?’

‘Staying back to witness everything so that you and Namjoon don’t have another argument over what you have been doing,’ Yoongi replies bluntly.

Sk’jin’s smile slips off of his face with a rapidity that’s comical but Yoongi doesn’t laugh. He pulls a face, groaning dramatically.

‘Guess that’s also sweet of you,’ Sk’jin snorts, throwing his head back before he adds: ‘I think we should go back inside and sit? If we’re standing out here they might think we’re making to confront them or something- pirate, you know?’

Yoongi nods his agreement and they step back into the Station in silence. Yoongi wonders if he should apologize for what he said, though he’s not entirely sure if there was anything offensive in what he said. Sk’jin’s ear was no longer bandaged, having been carefully treated by Taeh’yung who cooed and petted Sk’jin’s head every time, blowing gently on the wound even though the ointment was designed not to sting.

‘What do you think?’ Sk’jin asks out of the blue after they sit in a rather strained silence inside the lobby. It’s entirely empty now, save for the serving Android behind the bar. It’s a lot wider than Yoongi had estimated, without the guild sitting inside of it.

‘About what?’

‘This mission.’

‘That’s what I want to find out.’ Yoongi replies.

‘…as in?’ Sk’jin looks like he’s struggling to understand what Yoongi meant. But they’re interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps and raucous laughter. Sk’jin rolls his eyes at the approaching sound.

The Station lobby doors burst open and a rather robust Being bellies in. Quite literally. His belly proceeds him and he waddles inwards. He appeared to be a guard of sorts, looking about the Station with beady eyes. He spots Sk’jin and Yoongi- or possibly only Sk’jin who has shifted to lounge very elegantly over the inelegant chairs of the lobby. The flowers gleam white under the Lobby lighting and only highlights Sk’jin’s beauty to the newcomers.

The guard appeared to be watching over someone who clearly thought he was very important, judging from the way he strutted inside, holding an expression of self-importance and purposeful criminal intent; as though he was actively thinking about the best way to be evil in all of his actions. Yoongi hears Sk’jin stifle a chuckle.

He was probably the Pirate lord- or captain level at least.

A bunch of other pirates come bumbling in, whistling in appreciation at Sk’jin who does a great job of acting out “fake” nonchalance as they enter. Sk’jin idly fiddles with one of the flowers in his arms, feeling at the petal with rosy fingertips. The pirates gather around the Lobby, throwing themselves onto the more comfortable lounge chairs while some took on the long bar table, calling for drinks from the serving Android behind it.

‘Hey! What a pretty thing you are,’ one of them grins at Sk’jin as they get closer. ‘Are you headed to Kyakkyawa? I’d like to place my bet on your serial number.’

Yoongi doesn’t need a better light to see Sk’jin’s face to recognize the distaste on his features. It’s subtle, and he doesn’t think anyone else other than himself notices. This Being was from Ceteri, Yoongi is sure of it- more specifically from Bakin Karfe. A majority of them seemed to be from that general planet or System. They had a reputation of being erse and the planet was overall avoided by planet-hopping tourists who would rather not be harassed or d whilst touring their host planet’s countries. Unless you were into that sort of thing of course- if that was the case then Ceteri was a planet for you.

‘I’m afraid not,’ Sk’jin replies easily, blinking demurely up from his flowers and adds, ‘Might I know what you’re referring to?’

‘But you have to be- you’re replying smart and - is the little twerp your manager or something?’ another other asks, slinging his arm over the first Karfine nodding at Yoongi.

‘What he means, my pretty, is if you were headed for the annual Kyakkyawa Hosting Pageant.’

Yoongi has to stop himself from firing his TeorSer as the captain leans over to whisper into Sk’jin’s ear. Sk’jin seems to be containing himself from letting loose an elbow or something as well.

‘The Kyakkyawa Hosting Pageant?’ Sk’jin repeats, glancing over at Yoongi who honestly doesn’t know what this pirate scum is talking about. A few others gather around, eyeing Sk’jin with another type of appreciation that borders on disgusting.

The captain takes his time walking around the couch, clearly thinking he was quite the alpha-male as he sits on the table in front of Sk’jin, legs spread wide as though to emphasize his presence. Yoongi has the intense desire to shoot his kneecaps.

‘It’s a…contest of sorts,’ the Karfine captain says slowly, smiling at Sk’jin. ‘Only the most beautiful are put up on stage and a massive panel of judges vote to see who will win.’

Sk’jin smiles but it’s not the elegant beatific smile he had earlier. This was somehow rather dark, a little bit more dangerous.

‘I’m flattered but no,’ Sk’jin replies, his eyes narrowing just a little.

‘Pity- you’d be a very good contestant,’ he leans back a little, regarding Sk’jin with a critical eye. ‘Maybe a bit old- but you’d do.’

Yoongi notes the slightest hint of annoyance spark up in Sk’jin’s eyes.

‘That’s where we’re headed- needed a little break y’know? Away from the prying eyes of the GLA, gives us all the time we need to appreciate real beauty,’ he drawls, looking around and jumping a little when he finally notices Yoongi.

Sk’jin and Yoongi both quickly glance at each other. Yoongi gives him the slightest quickest nod and Sk’jin’s mannerism entirely changes.

‘Is that so?’ Sk’jin angles his head to the side a little, leaning in to talk to the captain, coyly fiddling with the flowers in his hands as he looks up through his eyelashes. ‘Tell me more about this contest.’

*

It takes a while for his eyes to adjust to the intense burst of light.

‘What was that?!’

‘What was what?’

‘Shh-!’

They pause momentarily, ears pricked.

‘There-‘ he points, his voice sharp.

He watches carefully, the sloping lands around them still and seemingly serene. The light was starting to tint, a strange colour taking over- and there.

‘Start us up now-‘

‘What is it-‘

‘Do it now!’

‘- it’s them- something’s wrong with the ship-‘

‘Send out the breakers- how the did they get through the atmosphere it’s crumbling even as it moves-‘

‘Wait-! They’re-‘

‘-!’

‘He’s still there! They’re- they’re still there-‘

‘We can’t go back now it’s not- we don’t know what it was or-‘

‘No! We’re going back now! We’re not leaving anyone behind. Set us back and put all ers on stand-by for emergency warp- I don’t care if we lose some of our beamers.’

‘But-‘

‘Did I ing stutter?! Get to it now!’

*

Watching Taeh’yung “work” is equal parts fascinating and confusing.

For one it’s absolutely breathtaking. Hoseok feels like he’s witnessing something akin to real magic.

‘It’s not magic,’ Taeh’yung had tried to explain. ‘It’s just…it’s part of Life, and of Time.’

That did nothing to explain or help Hoseok understand but it seemed like Taeh’yung himself didn’t really know what he meant either. So instead he sits at the kitchen counter opposite Taeh’yung, and watches him remove the trace remains of whatever radioactive isotope Yoongi had mixed in with their food.

Taeh’yung’s skin is warm in tone with a hint of some copper-ish shimmer under this natural lighting. It’s even more obvious when he’s doing…whatever it is that he’s doing. His hands were glowing green- and Hoseok isn’t just describing the light that glows out from a source in his hands- but Taeh’yung’s entire hand glows a tinted light. Lines and shapes form and move over his skin- too fast for Hoseok to really catch proper sight of but somehow still visible. Taeh’yung’s eyes also seemed to glow; not in the same way Sk’jin’s eyes gleamed a neon-red; and not the way Namjoon’s eyes sometimes caught the light at a strange angle, making his eyes look like pale glowing orbs reminiscent of pale moons. There was something distant and hollow about it- as though staring into his eyes for too long would somehow transport you elsewhere. Hoseok couldn’t bring himself to look at Taeh’yung’s eyes for too long, feeling a strange sense of intense un-comfortableness from doing so. But it was all right because Taeh’yung, much like his wide and exaggerated body movements, never looked at one thing for longer than 3-4 seconds.

Taeh’yung struggles a little with a sealed container of tea leaves. As expected, most of the contaminated items were used in drinks. Sugar, salt, tea, and other food items the crew members used most frequently. Yoongi certainly kept a sharp eye on everything. But Hoseok can’t bring himself to really mind it all too much. After all, Yoongi’s less than savory technique of tracking did sort of save their lives in Grezma.

‘Hobi!’ Taeh’yung grimaces in a comical manner, handing Hoseok the container he’d been struggling with for the past minute.

Hoseok takes the offending item and opens it easily, making the Zhak’gri clap and pretend to swoon.

Other  than Taeh’yung’s nifty abilities and tricks (the extent and capacity of which Hoseok doesn’t think he’ll ever understand), having the Being aboard the ship was almost therapeutic.

Taeh’yung seemed to bring out a gentler, somehow much more honest version of Sk’jin than how he was before. Though Hoseok has never doubted Sk’jin’s honesty before, there was always a layer of “glamour” over his actions and words- making him seem untrustworthy and suspicious. Most of that act had been reduced and Hoseok was looking at a whole new side of the Khol’isa.

The effect on Yoongi was probably more on the subtle side, but it was one that Hoseok noticed nonetheless. He was more inclined to talk, more visible, if that made any sense, and somehow strangely more real. There was a strange sense of illusion to Yoongi’s overall presence and having Taeh’yung around somehow created a lucidity over the Human.

In Namjoon’s case, Hoseok puts it down to the line of events that led them up to this point. It had been nearly 4 days now, since Yoongi’s mind breaking reveal and their Captain was somehow strangely more relaxed though Hoseok wouldn’t word it that way. His behavior was changing, not forcibly presenting himself as a leader or captain, but rather slipping in with them as part of the group, rather than someone controlling them. He was normally cooped up in one of the lobbies where he’d set up his screens to create a whole new system for the Užkulisai and rarely spoke unless spoken to. And Taeh’yung being Taeh’yung, spent most of his free time sprawled on the couches, pillowing the Kutsoglerin’s lap and talking a mile as Namjoon actually did respond.

It was close to nightfall and it was going to be their last night here. They had been delayed a full day due to late deliveries on some of the parts they needed for the Užkulisai. Sk’jin and Yoongi were at the Station picking up their items; speaking of them, they were late. Hoseok grimaces at the idea of those two in specific being late and how Namjoon would react to it. They would probably work into the night and hopefully everything they had fixed would work well.

But Hoseok has no doubt about it.

Despite the chaotic combination of the individuals forced into this team, they were very skilled in what they did. Combining skilled Beings who were somehow all united in the same crisis miraculously brought about effective and constructive teamwork.

Not only did Namjoon recalibrate and reprogram nearly more than half of the ship’s systems, but created new ones from raw code in a matter of 2 days. Not to mention Sk’jin’s shocking expertise in mechanical-engineering, working down in the engine hull with Yoongi for continuous hours on end. They were both able to rewire the entire engine beamers and recalibrate the gages and readings.

Hoseok himself had finished working with Namjoon on the commandeering systems for the Užkulisai just that morning and had worked with Yoongi on the weapons/defence systems.

‘Thank you Hobi,’ Taeh’yung beams, taking the container and his hands glow again for a split-second before he nods emphatically as he did after every object he “cleaned” out. ‘Everything is good now!’

The Zhak’gri leaps off of the counter and randomly selects a tin.

‘We should brew some to celebrate!’ Taeh’yung declares, looking around for cups.

Hoseok gets off of the counter as well, wondering if he should get something to eat before he heads back to the engines room.

‘Which cup do you want?’ Taeh’yung asks, dangling a bunch by their ears on his fingers. Hoseok glances at the cups with some surprise- first he didn’t know they had that many cups; second, he actually does find one to his liking. He points at the glossy green cup with a flower-shaped imprint all over the surface creating a nice texture.

‘Nice choice! This is the Hobi cup,’ Taeh’yung declares, actually whipping out a marker of sorts and with flourish writes the letter “H” on the bottom.

The sound of a door opening alerts both of them and Namjoon appears. He waves at them, walking over towards the Kitchen area.

‘Namjoonie!’ Taeh’yung holds up the cups again. ‘Choose one!’

Blinking a little slowly, as though tired, he squints before he’s close enough and points at the obnoxiously yellow mug. Hoseok tries not to judge the Kutsoglerin.

Taeh’yung, sticking his tongue out a little, writes down “N” on the bottom of the cup before settling it down. His own cup, an all too dainty white cup with elegant filigree painted in gold around the rim is placed carefully down next to Namjoon’s. He measures out the tea leaves with a lot of care before pouring out hot water. Beaming with satisfaction, Taeh’yung turns around with the cups, handing one to Hoseok and then to Namjoon.

‘Tea?’ he asks the Captain, handing him the cup.

Stretching stiffly before accepting the drink from Taeh’yung, Namjoon glances down at the tea dubiously as though remembering what it used to contain. With a sort of amused grimace, he nods his thanks at the Zhak’gri before taking a seat at the dining table.

He looked exhausted- as though he hadn’t been able to sleep all too well. There were dark shadows under his eyes and Hoseok wonders if the Kutsoglerin was somehow in a state of malnutrition. He’s still not entirely sure how he managed to sustain his metabolic functions and wondered if it would be too sensitive a topic to probe into. His hair was damp- probably just showered to freshen up and stay alert for the final push before take-off.

‘Hey- are the ParaBots done?’ Namjoon yawns before taking a sip. 

‘The paints all done,’ Hoseok replies.

‘Baby do you want some tea too?’ Taeh’yung skips over to the OrTank stood up on the floor to the side and hoists it up and over onto the dining table seat. ‘I think you’d like this cup- it’s small and cute like you!’

Taeh’yung busies himself with a small soft orange cup with a curled lip before he drops said cup, eyes widening as he stares at the OrTank.

Alarmed, Hoseok too quickly looks about to observe the OrTank and his heart nearly leaps out of his chest because-

‘Is he crying-?!’ Namjoon chokes out before recovering and adding, ‘I thought he was encased in fluid-‘

But even from where he sat, the little droplets were apparent. At first they clung to his cheeks, as tears normally did- however after a certain period of time they just floated off- little globules of tears floating in the misty substance that sustained the Being.

Taeh’yung approaches the OrTank, saying something low in a soothing tone as he pats the OrTank.

‘Is he- uh, is he saying something?’ Hoseok asks nervously. No matter how many times he tried to tell himself that the Being inside there was probably harmless, he still can’t help but feel greatly unsettled by him. Hoseok felt as though he could not only sense them, but hear and see them too.

‘No- I think,’ Taeh’yung makes a cooing sound before continuing, ‘I think he saw a nightmare.’

‘…is that possible?’ Namjoon asks as he shifts his chair further away from the OrTank.

‘If you can see dreams, you can see nightmares,’ Taeh’yung replies simply.

Sk’jin and Yoongi walk in just at that moment. The Khol’isa looks extraordinarily beautiful in a crown of crystal-like flowers; he’s carrying an armful of the flowers with him whereas Yoongi’s overall presence seems to diminish entirely beside him. And not for the first time, Hoseok wonders what Sk’jin would look like with his horns, before whatever it was that happened happened to him. Because right now Sk’jin could probably go to some non-GLA planet and declare himself a deity of sorts and it wouldn’t be entirely unbelievable. Hoseok is reminded of the sculptures put up on display in Šerdesas’s art galleries except Sk’jin is not a statue carved out of diamond geodes. Light refracts off of him and fills the Lobby with bright spots of dancing light and everyone has to take a moment to blink at the sudden brightness.

Sk’jin and Yoongi pause, studying them and their expressions carefully.

‘Did I miss something?’ Sk’jin asks after a few seconds, eyes darting around the Lobby before latching onto the Being in the OrTank. Yoongi is already making his way to the OrTank, putting down the items he was carrying in his arms.

‘He’s crying. Why.’

If Hoseok didn’t know Yoongi any better (though he can’t rightly say he knows Yoongi), he would think he wasn’t interested and was asking out of politeness. But he knew Yoongi (or as well as anyone could possibly familiarize themselves with the Human) and could hear the strained worry in his voice.

‘We don’t know,’ Namjoon replies. ‘He just- it just happened.’

‘Is he in pain? Hurt?’ Yoongi asks Taeh’yung who has his ear pressed against the cool surface of the OrTank.

‘No- but I think he feels better now- he’s heard everyone’s voices. It’s calmed him down,’ Taeh’yung beams at them.

‘He heard our voices?’ Sk’jin repeats, looking at the Being in some confusion. ‘He can hear us?’

‘I don’t know,’ Taeh’yung shrugs a little. ‘He can sense you; I don’t know about hearing, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he could.’

Taeh’yung looks proud, like a parent would of their child.

‘It was just a nightmare,’ he explains to Yoongi who was bent over, watching the Being intently.

‘Nightmare?’ he says the word carefully, like it was foreign.

‘So- how was your trip?’ Namjoon asks. Hoseok glances over at the Khol’isa with some wary expectancy. Sk’jin normally didn’t answer Namjoon’s questions directed at him, so he glances at Yoongi instead who, as expected, doesn’t reply. The Human’s attention is drawn entirely to the OrTank.

‘Wow! Those are amazing!’ Taeh’yung walks around the table and bounces up to Sk’jin.

‘They’re called Vitka’v,’ Sk’jin informs the Zhak’gri, holding up the bunch for him.

‘They smell great!’ he adds, sniffing the flowers (!?!?!) enthusiastically. ‘Can I have one?’

‘You can have all of them,’ Sk’jin smiles benignly at the Zhak’gri who takes up the bunch enthusiastically.

‘I take it you met with some Excavators?’ Hoseok asks, as Sk’jin brushes his hands delicately over the side of his robes as though dusting them off.

‘Yes- as well as some hot-shot pirates; and I have information that I think we can use,’ Sk’jin adds, walking up and sitting on a chair regally.

Taeh’yung plops himself next to Hoseok, fiddling with the flowers in his arms- now table- and Hoseok has to admit that they smelled nice- which was odd considering how unusual and fake they appeared.

‘Did you buy those? They’re expensive,’ Namjoon asks, eyeing the flowers on Sk’jin’s head with some trepidation.

‘They were a present- a thank you present from some very nice Excavators,’ Sk’jin replies serenely before he adds, looking a tad bit too pleased with himself. Hoseok is surprised Sk’jin actually answered Namjoon’s question. ‘Let me tell you what happened, but first I have a question.’

The Khol’isa leans forward on the table and asks, ‘Have you heard of the Kyakkyawa Hosting Pageant?’

Hoseok has heard of it- it was supposed to be a sort of beauty pageant- except it was actually an extremely illegal and horrifying fighting arena. Most contestants were genetically modified or reconstructed to enhance not only their appearance but their bodies as well. The most recent winner that Hoseok remembers hearing about, was a slender female, no more than 4 feet tall with hair as blue as the sky and the strength to literally rip the spine off of her pageant competition in under 8 seconds of stepping into the arena.

Fighting arenas were of course, illegal under the GLA. However, this was a truly primitive source of entertainment that seemed to delight many many Beings all across the Universe. In fact it was so popular that the organizations that hosted this “event” collected impossibly massive sums of money and units from the gambling it produced, leading them to make deals with the GLA to make the officials and patrols suddenly turn a blind eye to the weeklong event. It was similar to the Cogs- the highly illegal planet-hopping racing competition. And similar to the way the GLA sent scouts to select Racers from the Cogs, they had scouts sent to collect potential assassins or guards from amongst the “beauty contestants”. Hoseok is pretty sure some of the Venture Unit Heads of Divisions had one or two of these contestants as part of their personal vanguard.

Judging from Namjoon’s expression, he too seems to know about this “pageant” because his expression changes to disgust.

‘What about it?’ he asks.

‘Well, it’s going to be hosted in 2 days’ time- not so far from where are actually,’ Sk’jin tells them pleasantly. ‘In a planet called Pompa. Less than 30 hours from here.’ he wiggles his eyebrows at them.

Namjoon looks contemplative as he mulls over Sk’jin’s unspoken but clear suggestion.

It was actually a pretty good idea. They could use this event to cover their tracks while still being able to access everything they could need as well as have time to wait for orders to be delivered. The organizers of the event practically paid the GLA to look away and right now that was what they would need. Not to mention there would be a lot of Beings from all over the Universe from every side and “faction”- they could blend right in.

‘Don’t we need to bring in a contestant ourselves to enter the planet that’s hosting the event?’ Namjoon asks, one eyebrow raised.

‘Not necessary- even if that’s required, we could I was a contestant,’ Sk’jin poses elegantly. ‘I think I’d fit right in.’

‘Too old.’

Sk’jin glares at Yoongi who doesn’t seem bothered by Sk’jin’s death stare. Namjoon turns his laughter into a hacking cough.

‘So what’s the consensus?’ Namjoon asks around the table. ‘Do we go to Pompa?’

Yoongi nods his agreement, while Taeh’yung beams in response. Sk’jin also nods and then turns to address Hoseok. Glancing quickly over at Namjoon who seemed resigned to the situation, he too nods his consent.

‘Then that’s what we’ll do,’ Namjoon declares, standing up.

‘Another thing,’ Sk’jin says suddenly, ‘A GLA Patrol will be arriving in 4 days’ time here.’

‘We’ll be gone by then,’ Namjoon shrugs.

‘And we couldn’t find any beamer-cells.’

Namjoon swears under his breath before turning to address him, ‘How far can we make it on what we have?’

‘Around 4-5 days?’ Hoseok replies, looking over at Yoongi for confirmation who nods.

‘Then I guess we really should go to Pompa,’ Namjoon scowls. ‘Let’s get back to work and get out of here.’

‘Here Hobi,’ Taeh’yung says suddenly, a little too close to his ear. He places a crown of flowers on his head, clapping with delight.

‘Absolutely stunning,’ he declares with a proud nod. He has a flower tucked behind one ear as well.

‘Thanks Taeh’yung,’ Hoseok manages to smile as he secures the item on his head before standing.

‘Can I have one?’

Hoseok does a double take at Yoongi’s question but Taeh’yung more or less flies towards Yoongi, using his hands to take measurement of the Human’s head.

‘We’re all going to look very handsome!’ Taeh’yung declares emphatically.

Namjoon slowly walks back as though hoping Taeh’yung wouldn’t notice him. But it fails of course and after 15 minutes, everyone is walking around the ship with crystal flowers on their heads.

And everyone still has the flowers on their heads 10 hours later as the eclipse over the planet moves away to welcome the morning and the sky is no longer a strange fiery colour but instead a familiar watery blue. They were now all nervously gathered in the Bridge; Namjoon stands at the Navigator’s Mast, NaviLet in hand and his lips pressed tight together into a thin line.

‘All ready?’ he asks tersely.

Everyone nods in reply, holding up screens in their hands.

‘Wait-‘ Sk’jin interrupts before addressing Taeh’yung. ‘I think he should be put back into his original storage? If something goes wrong, it would be safer for him to stay in the tank’s original casing.’

Taeh’yung looks down at the OrTank in his arms and then up at Namjoon as though for verification. 

‘Sk’jin is right; put him back in the storage Taeh’yung,’ Namjoon orders. ‘We don’t know what will happen but OrTank cases are designed to withstand any technical issues- so he’ll be safer in there than anywhere else when we start up.’

Taeh’yung pouts but nonetheless nods in agreement.

‘I’ll see you later all right?’ Taeh’yung says as he makes his way across the Bridge.

Hoseok wonders what transpired between Namjoon and Sk’jin because they were both being…normal with each other. And not just as some civil front of sorts.

‘Ship locked and secured?’ Namjoon asks Yoongi who nods in reply, staring down at the offline screen in his hands.

‘Containment and emergency procedures ready?’ Namjoon turns to Sk’jin who also nods in reply from where he was sat.

‘Hoseok?’

Hoseok glances over at the dashboard in front of him, his hands already on the controls. He too nods in reply.

They stand in silence until Taeh’yung returns.

‘On 3,’ Namjoon calls out. ‘1…2…-3!’

Everyone taps on the green tab on their respective screens and for a split second nothing happens and then-

The Užkulisai hums to life, a whirr of electronic movement, some clicking sounds, small pops and then complete and utter silence.

‘Welcome to the Užkulisai. I am Lisai- the Užkulisai AI System under your command. How may I aid you today?’

There’s a collective exhale of relief from everyone in the Bridge.

‘Hoseok, start her up.’ Namjoon orders, carefully watching his screen. This entire situation would have been a lot more serious and stressful if they weren’t all crowned with Vitka’v.

‘Starting up engines and systems,’ Hoseok replies, voice light but strained.

The Užkulisai engines hums to life, the air outside the windows billow with dark soot-like dust and dim the light that filters inside briefly.

Namjoon doesn’t say anything for a while, only intensely perusing his NaviLet but then, after a solid minute of strained silence, his shoulders loosen a little, his posture easing.

‘We’re green,’ he declares, looking relieved. ‘All systems are running- no indication of original setup detected. We’re off the grid.’

Taeh’yung cheers and Hoseok slumps against his chair, utterly relieved but it’s only for a while.

‘All right- getting readings,’ Sk’jin announces from where he sat, frowning at the screen and mumbling under his breath what were clearly curses before he says. ‘I think we’ll need a whole lot more to really fix up the ship.’

‘But we’re at green to take off,’ Namjoon says as he readies himself behind the Mast. ‘Let’s get out of here quickly- I’ll lay out the trajectory for Pompa; Sk’jin, create a list of everything we’ll need. Yoongi, as soon as we’re stable, double-check on the engine gages.’

‘And me?’ Taeh’yung raises his hand up.

‘Uh- you can…’ Namjoon trails off.

‘You can go get your baby out of his case,’ Sk’jin cuts in. ‘After we’ve safely made it out.’

Taeh’yung gives them both a thumb’s up, which Yoongi returns for some odd reason. Namjoon gives him a brief amused smile before saying, ‘Trajectory set for Pompa- take us out of here Hoseok.’

Hoseok taps across the dashboard, tapping on the engine tabs and he feels the ship respond to every slide of his hand.

‘Aye aye Captain.’

*

After the final flash of light, it’s too quite. Too still.

But it’s not cold.

Everything is quiet again.

Sound waves and frequency was nullified in space- and even if all the screaming and yelling and shouting had abruptly come to an end, he knows he’s still going to hear it.

Sweat drips down his face, his skin burns hot and blood oozes from his many wounds.

Bodies litter the floor, blood splattered everywhere.

The knife is still hot in his hands- with some difficulty he drops it.

It felt like a dream- a nightmare. He felt strangely unhinged from reality- like this wasn’t really him.

Everything has shifted- has tilted from perspective. The entire Universe seems warped; and the only thing he can feel is the intense heat that spreads over his body from the knife that was in his hand.

It’s not the sight of blood that gets to him. It’s not the bodies that litter the floor that unsettles him. It’s not the stench of death that laces the air that disturbs him.

It’s the heat in his hands.

His footsteps echo loudly behind him and all around. The emergency lights had been activated and it casts long shadows on the obsidian black floors. Somehow he finds himself in front of a large ornate sink. The metal of the tap is hot on his skin.

Methodically he washes his hands. He’s not sure if they’re his hands though- he doesn’t necessarily feel connected to them- the only thing he could sense was that strange heat. The water worsens the feeling and it’s starting to boil now. Switching the tap off, he looks up, expecting to find the mirror fogged up from the amount of heat he must have been exuding.

But the mirror is clear.

The mirror was definitely reflecting him, covered in blood, many cuts and wounds and burns decorating any visible surface of his skin. He’s surprised he’s not on fire. And just to be sure that he was looking at himself, he raises his hand, pressing a wet finger on the surface that should have made a sizzling sound because of how hot it was.

He doesn’t recognize himself. But then again, wasn’t this just a dream?

*

Pompa was a planet that felt entirely too designed for Namjoon’s personal taste. Even from this distance, the planet looked oddly fabricated. The oceans too blue and sparkly, the clouds too swirly and the continents too geometrically aligned. The continents line up across the equator in a band of geometric-triangles facing each other to create a literal belt around the planet. The poles of the planet are capped with nearly perfectly circular continental plateaus of unnaturally smooth ice. According to what Namjoon read about the planet, it was in fact entirely natural.

‘Pretty,’ Taeh’yung comments as they approach said planet. ‘In like- a very weird way.’

The planet was quite rich in phosphorescent elements laced into their thermosphere and exosphere, causing the rather “plastic” glow around the planet. The sky as seen from the surface of the planet was a slightly kaleidoscopic view of space intermingled with the tranquil blue of their ozone. “Sky-fortune” was apparently quite a popular practice in Pompa; where their fortune-tellers (who preferred the titles “Skryer”- a play on words that Namjoon begrudgingly finds amusing) read the patterns of the phosphorescent patterns in their atmosphere and predicted futures, fortunes, and any other thing you could think of asking.

Just the other day, they had watched a screening of a popular “Skryer” from Pompa who predicted the winner of the Pageant over dinner. This “Skryer” had described the “King/Queen” as a true noble, with silver blood in their veins (‘is that a thing?’ Taeh’yung looked fascinated), and with the sun hidden in their eyes (‘I feel like that’s really practical- especially at night- wait would there even be a night if you had the sun in your eyes? Or is it inverted? But then that would blind you? Joonie, what does it mean?’). This sent a mass-mania amongst avid fans and they were lined up to watch the matches out on the streets already. But then another rival “Skryer” had predicted that a quote “shrouded demon of many faces” would win the Pageant.

At that Taeh’yung had looked up from his bowl of potato soup and rather blankly said, ‘That’s rude- Hobi isn’t a shrouded demon, he’s an angel!’; causing Sk’jin to swallow his soup down the wrong pipe, spraying an unfortunate Hoseok as he coughed most unattractively.

There was even a live-stream of the skies of Pompa for those who wanted to try their hand at “Skrying”- most Beings used the live-stream as aesthetic background visual effects for their eateries or other similarly pleasant establishments.

‘Seems like the perfect place to host the Pageant,’ Hoseok had commented with a snort.

‘It’s always been like that,’ Yoongi had offered.

‘You’ve been there before?’ Sk’jin looks surprised.

‘417 sols ago- I assassinated the parliament from Métrico-05 and made it look like they were all infected by the same virus they caught during a diplomatic trip to Métrico-11 and died as a result of the combination of jungle-fever, dehydration, and sunburn.’ Yoongi replies, blowing on his food to cool it before eating it and adding: ‘I have no record in Pompa- we’re all right.’

Sk’jin had choked again, this time splattering an unfortunate Taeh’yung with tea.

Namjoon had obviously conducted a thorough search of the case later and found to his utter dismay that Yoongi’s cover had been so thoroughly convincing in its strangeness that had he not known about it, would have really thought it was an unfortunate (17 Pompen parliament members all died hours within each other in the exact same manner) and fascinating incident.

‘Uh- how exactly did you do that?’ Hoseok had asked warily, handing Taeh’yung a tissue without looking at the Zhak’gri. Yoongi takes a long time to chew and swallow his food before he replies.

‘I poisoned their food.’

Needless to say none of them continued eating their dinner that night.

‘All right- we’re close enough to make our call. Namjoon?’ Hoseok turns in his seat a little to look up at the Navigator’s Mast.

‘Right- as we’ve already pre-ordered the stuff we need, we’ll be able to collect everything within 6 hours of landing- during this time we can restock on stuff we couldn’t find before, maybe actually buy things that aren’t just Flotsam and Jetsam branded goods.’

‘Hear hear,’ Sk’jin mumbles as he taps along his dashboard.

‘I for one, would like more tea,’ Yoongi comments.

‘Yes well- tea and all that,’ Namjoon waves. ‘Hoseok and Yoongi will go pick up our stuff from the docking station- I’d rather not have anyone, Android or not, come over to the Užkulisai. We’re trying to stay hidden so I’d prefer it we remained so- which leads me to Sk’jin and Taeh’yung-‘

Sk’jin makes an affronted sound though he doesn’t look up from the screen.

‘-you’ll both be getting the other supplies- please don’t draw attention to yourselves,’ Namjoon ends bluntly.

‘Okay!’ Taeh’yung gives him an enthusiastic nod that does nothing to reassure Namjoon.

Rather than believing in his team members, Namjoon trusted in their loyalty to their own agenda. It was clear that none of them were doing any of this for each other, or out of respect for each other, or even for the sake of the Universe- but instead were bonded through a unanimous agreement to see through the mission for their own reasons. And whatever agenda they might have, they all knew that the secrecy of their presence was the most important factor weighing in on achieving whatever it was they wanted. Namjoon doesn’t know how much of that is actually a good thing, but if that meant that they weren’t going to jeopardize the overall mission or the Beings directly involved, then he was willing to accept it.

‘Is everyone buckled in?’ Hoseok calls out even though he has indicators on his dashboard telling him the same.

The ship was running smooth and well. They all kept a careful eye over the systems, constantly checking over the most important components of the ship. Their schedule was stricter and everyone much more vigilant- the slightest sound triggering responses such as screen/NaviLet extraction, running out of the Bridge/Kitchen/Cabin/Engines-Room and sprinting off towards the Bridge/Kitchen/Cabin/Engines-Room, pulling out tool kits, readying emergency doorways just in case there was a vacuum breach though that system wasn’t even remotely touched. So after nearly 24 hours of living in intense level of anxiety, coming upon the enhanced planet of Pompa was honestly a relief.

‘We’re good,’ Namjoon replies for everyone as he checks on Taeh’yung specifically.

They descend into the atmosphere and already their windows are alit with strange lights that almost seem solid, bokeh like effects roll off the panes like actual physical masses of light.

‘Trippy,’ Hoseok mumbles, blinking a little with the continuous flashing of light.

The moment they’re past the top most layer of Pompa’s atmosphere and they close in on the sight of the curvature of Pompa’s circumference Hoseok announces that they’re free to move about. Taeh’yung jumps down to the tower-mast with Yoongi and sits on one empty chairs. Namjoon makes a mental note to make the weapons inaccessible for Taeh’yung.

‘Oh wow they’re really not hiding the fact they’re hosting aren’t they?’ Sk’jin snorts from the side.

Floating amongst the clouds and honestly creating flying hazards were gigantic holographic advertisement boards each with a face of the Pageant contestants. Many of the contestants looked like very young males and females with delicate bone structure, fragile looking skin, and rosy cheeks. But according to their “promotion videos” could probably break Namjoon in half in a matter of seconds. There were other contestants who were of varying aesthetics but the Pageant this time around seemed to really like the delicate look over others.

Sk’jin snorts again as he reads one of the holographs they fly past.

‘Excuse me, but I am far better looking than all of them,’ he comments in a superior tone.

‘But old.’

‘Look you Earthian piece of -‘

‘What’s our launch-ring number again?’ Hoseok interrupts pleasantly over Sk’jin’s would be tirade about his age (a comically touchy subject with the Khol’isa).

‘M13-04-229,’ Sk’jin grumbles, arms crossed and honest to Spaces pouting as he glares at the back of Yoongi’s head.

‘Thank you,’ Hoseok beams.

‘While we’re here can we go watch a match?’ Taeh’yung asks eagerly, pressing his face on the surface of the HUD windows while Yoongi grabbed the hem of his borrowed shirt in a cautionary manner.

‘That’s not legal,’ Hoseok rolls his eyes, ‘And in events like these, the GLA might have an agreement with the Pageant but their agents still hang around- it’s best if we stay away from the arenas and gambling pools.’

‘Legality is a construct of powerful Beings,’ Namjoon finds himself saying absent-mindedly as they fly past another hologram; this time of a sprite-like Being, his skin shades of soft magenta and with pitch black eyes with crystal-like wings that looked more like decoration than actual anatomical use but Namjoon is willing to believe it was probably some strange defence-mechanism. ‘It doesn’t really mean anything.’

A rather profound silence follows his statement and Namjoon feels a little sheepish.

‘But what about slavery? That’s considered illegal or is it also just another construct of the powerful?’ Sk’jin asks, breaking the silence. There’s no actual challenge in his voice- it was as though he was just simply wanted to know Namjoon’s opinion on the matter. Understandably, this really takes Namjoon aback.

‘That’s basic moral principle,’ Yoongi replies from the tower-mast before Namjoon can. ‘But that too is conjecture,- morale and ethics are variables that are ever changing depending on whatever principle or form it is implicated upon. Most of which are selfish.’

No one speaks for another 15 seconds, just looks shared.

‘That’s fair,’ Sk’jin nods slowly in agreement, tapping along his arm in thought. Hoseok seems to be suppressing a smile of sorts as he steers the Užkulisai towards the launch-ring. 

In their attempt to make their planet a true exotic/tropical getaway, the Pompen refused to construct buildings or structures past 30 meters at most. And most of these tall buildings were part of their Docking Bays and Spaceports.

At this distance, the water below looks less fake and more familiar- the sky over Pompa really did cast a filter over the whole planet. There were a total of 21 geometric continents, all quite close to each other so expansive colourful bridges were built to connect each continent to each other. As the majority of lived-in continents were clustered in a ring around the equator, Namjoon figured their stay, however short, would be a rather warm one. And as luck would have it, it was high summer in Métrico-15 and Namjoon doesn’t even have to step out of the ship to know it’s hot. He can see heat waves warping the air around the Dock they land on and to everyone’s amusement Yoongi complaining in the most neutral tone about how much he disliked hot weather.

Muted black bands now ringed all of their left earlobes; a new set of Comm-Devices that Namjoon had customized. Sk’jin had clearly thought he was being overly paranoid but Namjoon ignored the raised eyebrow when he explained the changes he made. It would now act like a tracking device with added sensors linking the wearer to the health-tabs on the ship. It was also custom designed to only work when the Being it was designed for used it.

The Docks are wide and open, as though built so that any tourist who came there wouldn’t miss the scenery. And Namjoon appreciates good scenery but there seemed to be more holograph than actual scenery from where he was sitting. The sun was also directly above them and so the sunlight was pouring down on him inside the Bridge and despite the filters and deflective shields over their ship, Namjoon feels like he’s surrounded by whatever humid heat awaited the others outside.

‘Do you want anything?’ Taeh’yung asks as he hops up to the first tier after they land.

‘No, I’m good,’ Namjoon smiles. ‘I’ll see you all later.’

Taeh’yung gives him a loud smacking kiss on his cheek followed by a throaty giggle as he gleefully runs off. Hoseok waves, smiling at Taeh’yung’s antics while Yoongi raises one hand in a random salute of sorts. Sk’jin smiles wryly and says as he walks past, ‘Don’t have too much fun by yourself.’

Honestly Namjoon would have been irritated before but now he replies with a ‘I’ll try,’ making the Khol’isa cackle in mirth. He opens up the tracking application, keeping note of where each Being was headed. Rather than have their cargo delivered to them, Namjoon thought it better if they went themselves. A ship and details regarding the ship could be easily remembered whereas faces could just easily get confused and muddled especially during such a busy time.

Switching on the camera feed outside their Hangar gate, Namjoon watches the others leave, all complaining about the heat except for Sk’jin who seemed to welcome the warmth with great delight. Making sure that the perimeter around the ship was covered and properly under surveillance, Namjoon dives back into tweaking some of the Užkulisai’s systems again. Though the ship was running smooth, Namjoon caught up on some small glitches and aspects that he knew he could improve upon. But as they had been flying through space, thought better than to try something while they were out there.

Namjoon loses track of time though he periodically glances at the screens for the surveillance feed and the tracking application. Hoseok and Yoongi had reported every hour or so on their progress whereas Taeh’yung and Sk’jin were a lot more random and sporadic, updating Namjoon on arena matches and some grizzly detail on how a contestant’s jaw was punched clean off of their face.

‘Hey, can you access the traffic report? My hands are a little occupied,’ Hoseok comms in.

‘I’m sure they’re quite busy,’ Sk’jin suggestively comments.

There’s a resigned sigh from Hoseok while Taeh’yung makes inappropriate sounds in the background. Namjoon hopes no one around them notices.

‘Give me a minute,’ Namjoon replies as he extracts Hoseok’s location.

There were no airways in Pompa as they didn’t want to “mar” the scenery with extended and high airways so instead all traffic was directed on ground. That and the added sudden peak in tourists and avid Pageant watchers, made for terrible traffic conditions.

‘Seems like you’re gonna be stuck there for half an hour so,’ Namjoon says as he studies the traffic-level indicators of the area they were in.

‘ not having airways here,’ Hoseok mumbles.

‘It’s their aesthetic- it’s fine,’ Namjoon grins, scanning the area and finding that the traffic eases up closer to the Docks. Seeing as the Pageant had already started, most of the heaviest traffic was located further inside Métrico-13.

‘My aesthetic is not being stuck in traffic.’

‘What other aesthetic do you have?’

‘…uh, what do you mean?’

‘I don’t know- I was asking so that I could understand what you meant and why you would classify being stuck in traffic as a possible aesthetic some Beings might enjoy while you don’t.’

‘I don’t think anyone enjoys being stuck in traffic-‘

‘But the word aesthetic means something concerning great beauty or an appreciation of beauty- if you are addressing traffic-jams with obvious contempt, then using the word “aesthetic” is incorrect.’

‘This is the most hilarious thing I’ve ever heard this entire month,’ Sk’jin chimes in while Taeh’yung is laughing his head off in the background.

‘It’s uh- it’s supposed to be ironic- like sarcasm Yoongi,’ Hoseok tries to explain.

‘I see,’ Yoongi replies.

‘You do?’

‘No.’

Namjoon hears Hoseok sigh just a little before he rather naturally starts explaining the nuances and subtleties of sarcasm. Sk’jin will randomly comment while Taeh’yung laughs appreciatively at the examples Hoseok makes up on spot. Oddly enough this entire situation feels pleasant and comfortable.

‘Oh this is too heavy for me!’ Sk’jin exclaims dramatically out of nowhere. Glancing over at the tracking application, Namjoon notes that Sk’jin and Taeh’yung were just downstairs.

‘Whatever will we do?’ Taeh’yung declares with a plaintive sigh.

‘Oh no, you must carry on young one! Leave me behind! I will defend our burdens!’

Namjoon literally facepalms.

‘Oh no Jin! Fear not! I know our Captain is strong and capable! His arms are so smooth and strong and-‘

‘You both realize there are lifts in this Dock?’

‘But the walk from the lift to our docking bay is so far!’ Taeh’yung whines. ‘Pretty please help us?’

‘All right, all right, I’m coming,’ Namjoon rolls his eyes. He’s pretty sure Taeh’yung and Sk’jin could easily bring back their “shopping haul” by themselves. He hears them sniggering. He also notes that Hoseok and Yoongi were now close by, no doubt looking for a gravity-lift near the terminal. They would be able to leave in an hour or so, depending on how long it took to install the beamers.

With a resigned sigh, Namjoon leaves the Bridge, making as much noise as he wanted down the stairs.

In the Lobby before the Kitchen was the OrTank. The Being was floating serenely as usual and Namjoon is happy to note that he hadn’t cried or done anything remotely strange or unanswerable and was as normal as he could be. He’s facing Namjoon, as though he had heard him come down the stairs and had turned to greet him. Namjoon is only just a little disturbed by that but decides to ignore it. Namjoon waves at the OrTank, then rolls his eyes at himself.

However he’s startled when the Being inside lifts his hand with swiftness he hasn’t witnessed before. Pausing in front of the stairs, Namjoon squints a little even though he can see clearly. There was no follow up movement, no change. Taking a tentative step closer, Namjoon notices that though he wasn’t crying, the Being’s eyebrows were furrowed, eyes moving rapidly behind his eyelids. Was he seeing another nightmare?

‘Hey, you okay in there?’ Namjoon says quietly, remembering how Taeh’yung had said that the Being had relaxed once he heard their voices.

The rapid eye movement ceases but he still looked a little disturbed.

‘You’re okay- we’re just-…’ Namjoon struggles a little, wondering what to say and wondering if any of it would make a difference and also why was he attempting to placate this Being.

‘-we’re just making a short stop- we’ll fly soon okay? We’ll get you back to your planet?’ Namjoon says, patting the OrTank hesitantly.

The Being inside relaxes a bit more.

So perhaps he did understand- or perhaps it was all just sensory. Babies didn’t understand speech but speaking to them in soft soothing tones calmed them down. Maybe it was the same case?

‘We’ll be there in a few minutes- Namjoon could you ready the payment?’ Hoseok asks, sounding a little breathless, jolting Namjoon out of his revere.

‘The “shrouded-demon” speaks,’ Sk’jin cackles as Taeh’yung laughs boisterously.

‘Please- I beg of you.’ Hoseok sounds both amused and fed-up.

‘Yeah, I’m headed down anyways,’ Namjoon replies, tearing his eyes away and quickly heads for the stairs. He was going to have to ask Taeh’yung to check on the Being just in case.

It’s terribly hot out but luckily the sun was going down and it wasn’t as harsh as it was when they had landed. Making sure that the ship was locked up, Namjoon heads for the elevators, watching the distant horizon that wasn’t glossed over with holographic billboards of ethereal Pageant contestants.

‘That took you forever,’ is the first thing Sk’jin says when the elevator doors open to reveal Sk’jin and Taeh’yung with what appeared to be at least 6 crates of goods. They’re both wearing completely different clothes in obnoxiously colourful pastel shades of yellow, lavender, and green.

‘What in the fuck-‘

‘Don’t swear, there are children here!’ Sk’jin hisses admonishingly, covering Taeh’yung’s ears.

‘We’re the only ones here!’ Namjoon gapes at the crates. ‘What did you buy?!’

‘Stuff!’ Taeh’yung explains. ‘For me! I needed clothes! And other things!’

‘I-‘

‘Okay let’s get these loaded and into the ship!’ Sk’jin beams, pushing one of the handles of the gravity-lifts at Namjoon and breezing past, hands empty. Taeh’yung shoves a flappy looking garment into his face, hands him the other handle and also breezes past.

‘What’s this?’ Namjoon shakes his head to remove the affronting item from his face.

‘A present!’ Taeh’yung declares. ‘I saw it and thought of you!’

‘Uh-‘ Namjoon looks at the garment, a rather large pale blue smock-like garment but with excessively long sleeves. Then he looks up again and notices that both Sk’jin and Taeh’yung were wearing similarly designed clothes.

‘Thank you?’

Taeh’yung just beams in response before Sk’jin gestures at him to hurry up. Grumbling, Namjoon pulls the lifts into the wide elevator.

‘Please wear it!’

‘I uh- I will, after we leave- or later after we get in- or now- now is good too,’ Namjoon hastily adds because Taeh’yung’s eyes widen as though sad.

He ignores Sk’jin snort as he shrugs on the thin garment.

They struggle a little out of the elevator, because Taeh’yung insisted on sitting on the crates, causing him to hit his head on the elevator’s door post when they exited. Taeh’yung is clutching at his head while Sk’jin is doubled over with laughter and Namjoon is struggling pulling both gravity-lifts out of the elevator with impossible sleeves when Hoseok and Yoongi appear from inside the neighbouring elevator; Hoseok looking deeply unimpressed while Yoongi looked impassive as ever.

‘Well- I suppose we should get going now-?!’ Hoseok splutters when Taeh’yung throws a flappy garment at him- this one in soft orange.

‘Present!’ Taeh’yung hands Yoongi a soft petal-pink one which the Human takes without question and pulls it over his own clothing.

‘Uh-‘ Hoseok looks over at Namjoon, eyeing his clothing and then somewhat slowly and carefully pulls the garment on as they start making their way to their docking bay.

‘The colour really suits you-‘ Taeh’yung stops smiling suddenly, eyes widening, head turning towards the direction of the Užkulisai sharply.

‘Taeh’yung-?’ Sk’jin begins but suddenly Yoongi pushes past, sprinting forward towards their docking bay. Hoseok is second to move and Namjoon follows up a split second later.

‘Guys-?!’ Sk’jin is calling after them, sounding confused but alert as well. Hoseok has already removed and readied his hidden TeorSer from the holster on his side, aiming in preparation to attack/defend. But there’s no need to fire, because as they make their way towards their ship, Namjoon already knows that they’re too late.

The Hangar gate of the ship has been pried open and exposed.

Namjoon’s mind is reeling- he hadn’t even been gone from the vicinity for more than 5 minutes at most- the entire ship was locked and their security incredibly tight. There was surveillance everywhere and it was still day. There were sensors all over the ship, with alarms and reports sent to Namjoon’s NaviLet at every subtle disturbance.

How did this happen without their knowing.

Then suddenly, a cold rush of fear overtakes Namjoon.

Taeh’yung and Yoongi are already sprinting in, but they don’t stop at the Hangar. They don’t check to see if their cargo was touched- they both head upwards at once.

Namjoon is vaguely aware of Sk’jin cursing behind him while Hoseok deviates a moment, reaching for the screen over on the Lobby. Namjoon sprints up the stairs to find Taeh’yung and Yoongi standing extraordinarily still in the middle of the Lobby.

An empty Lobby.

‘He’s gone.’ Yoongi stares blankly at the Lobby couch where they had last left the OrTank. Where Namjoon had last seen the OrTank- he had even waved at the OrTank, even spoke to him, touched the OrTank before he walked down.

‘He has to be here-‘ Sk’jin stammers, eyes widening as he looks about helplessly.

‘No-‘ Taeh’yung is staring blankly at the table. ‘He’s gone.’

*

(Author’s Note)

DID YOU SEE MY BAG??? DID YOU SEE MY BAG???

Sorry

NOT SORRY

DNA

BYE

LOVE YOURSELF-HER

BYE

PIED PIPER

BYE

THIS ENTIRE ALBUM BYE

I HATE THEM SO MUCH this is a lie I love them so much I can’t even

Also but uh, Mic Drop is gonna be my wedding song. Idc what anyone has to say about it, im gonna walk down the aisle to Hoseok’s rap. And like, why wasn’t I born with dimples.

I would also like to sacrifice a kidney in order to learn the choreo for고민보다 Go

Also, I don’t think I can properly say when I can update anymore T_T because of uni that’s why. God, it’s like, a sudden outpour of assignments left and right. One class has 5 assignments that NEED TO BE COMPLETED IN ONE WEEK WHAT SORT OF BULL IS THIS I DID NOT PAY YOU TO KILL ME THANK YOU

So as an apology for being a whole week late, here is a very long chapter ^_^

Also happy belated birthday to the other half of my Moon Children, Namjoon.