The curvature of the Earth is pale blue only for a fraction of a second before it turns bright gold. He feels himself jolt in his seat, gravity returning to the ship. If he concentrated enough, he would be able to see the Settlement Arc from here. But he doesn’t.

It was difficult saying goodbye. Knowing that it would be a long while before he returned. How much would it change. How much would still remain the way he remembered?

Would he still be able to get his favorite coffee from the small café across the school compound?

Would he still be able to run up the stairs of their house, knowing, out of sheer habit and reinforced behavior, to skip the 6^th step because no matter how many times they fixed it, creaked ominously every time you stepped it.

Would the lily ponds around the Arc Square still look fake, and would he always go and pinch their leaves just to make sure they were real?

Would the air outside his favorite spot to relax and smoke on the wind-turbines still smell a lot like cat-piss, laundry detergent, and engine fuel?

Would she still scold him for smoking? Would she still remain the same?

Would their mother still remember him? Or would she forget him too, lost in her sorrow and pain.

He looks away from the view to his right, and instead to his left.

He was already flat out asleep, mouth slightly open, snoring lightly. He wants to roll his eyes and maybe put a small piece of candy or something inside his mouth so that he would sort of choke. Not in the sense of wanting to kill him or cause him harm- of course not. Just for the sake of revenge because that’s what he did to him once.

Needless to say now would be the perfect time for revenge. But he doesn’t.

Instead he rearranges his neck so that he won’t get cramps.

He looks back out again and his breath gets caught in his throat. To his horror, he finds himself choked up- eyes starting to burn. Unsure why, he feels as though this was going to be the last time he would see this view again.

He knows he’s being irrational- that his emotions are getting the best of him. But at the same time he allows himself this small moment and repeats his sister’s words in his mind, taking the warmth of her voice, the joy in her eyes, and the beauty of the sorrow of the moment into his memory. To remember it forever.

‘You’ll see it again.’ He says from the left quietly, as though he’d been awake the entire time. ‘You’ll come back before you know it.’

He doesn’t reply, just nods once.

Would he still be able to count the flowers in their garden?

*

It takes a lot to knock Namjoon out.

His head was rock hard seeing as his skull was nearly entirely bionic plates fused together and galvanized with a carbon-based “softening” gel that absorbed any shock his brain (which was still entirely very original and untouched) might suffer from.

But apparently, despite his thin and lanky appearance, Taeh’yung was ing strong and when Namjoon wakes up, feels like his teeth are loose, a strange throbbing sensation that wouldn’t constitute as pain (because he knew, quite intimately, every and all sorts of pain) but a weirdly uncomfortable presence on the side of his face. As he regains awareness, Namjoon finds that he’s been seated, a little carelessly if he’s being honest, on the floor, slumped against a very familiar Hangar wall.

He hears voices- one familiar and the other foreign. He realizes his hearing has gone a little shot and ing Spaces what were Taeh’yung’s bones made of?

Taking a deep breath (not that it was strictly compulsory) and closing his eyes, Namjoon counts to 10. There’s a weirdly congealed feeling that is stuck somewhere in his nasal passage- had something ruptured? Maybe one of the smaller capillaries? , Taeh’yung was strong.

Footsteps approach him as he reaches 7, but Namjoon doesn’t worry. He knows the quiet light gait, the steady and balanced footfall, with no preference over weight distribution.

Sk’jin always favoured leaning his weight on his right leg, his footfall a little uneven. Namjoon doesn’t even hear Yoongi approaching so he can’t really analyze the Human’s walking style. Taeh'yung was a whirlwind of noise and sound, announcing his arrival before he was even in the general vicinity.

Hoseok is eyeing him carefully when Namjoon looks up.

‘You all right?’

Namjoon rolls his shoulders as though experimenting, flexing his fingers and pulling up his legs from where they were splayed on the floor, clearly having been dumped there. Most likely by the Ngfy’widan before him.

‘I’m good,’ Namjoon replies truthfully as he gets up. There’s no displacement or discomfort so Namjoon knows he’s not broken or unhinged anything. He looks around before asking, ‘How long was I out?’

‘Almost an hour,’ Hoseok replies, leaning back on the newly repaired Hangar Bay door. It’s a different colour and sections of it scarred from where Sk’jin hastily reconstructed the damage inflicted on the main frame. But Namjoon isn’t complaining- the ship was ready for take-off at any time and that was all that mattered. They had restocked, refueled, and made sure that every single aspect of the ship was running smooth. All of the parts they had ordered had been delivered- they were ready to go and Namjoon’s next priority (after making sure no one died or worse get caught) was to get them the out of there as soon as possible.

‘What’s happened since then?’ Namjoon asks, wondering why Hoseok hadn’t made to move at all. Instead looking as though he had something to tell Namjoon.

‘Pa? You’re awake?’

Namjoon’s reaction to his sudden new “title” was involuntary and uncontrollable. He practically recoils, not that he was averse to the new nickname or term of endearment or whatever reason Taeh’yung had in mind. It wasn’t a negative sensation either. But something else entirely he didn’t exactly know how to explain.

Definitely not a kink though. Unlike how Sk’jin framed it.

‘Yes- I’m here.’ Namjoon replies.

‘Hooray! I’m sorry for punching you so hard!’

‘It- uh, it’s inconsequential at the moment,’ Namjoon replies with a shrug before getting back to the point. ‘Where’s Van Seulgaan?’

‘I think it’s fair to say he doesn’t know we’re here.’ Hoseok replies. ‘He hasn’t raised the alarm and we haven’t been followed.’

‘You had a tracker on you though,’ Namjoon frowns. 'Related or not- he could trigger an alarm.'  

‘I do. Well- did,’ Hoseok replies with a small grin before turning serious. ‘Sk’jin did some research- Van has a few fighters involved in the Gremio Arena as well as in the Pageant. As far as we know, he’s come alone. He’s been given top-class security as well as his own private quarters back in the mansions. I’m guessing he’s a benefactor or patron of sorts.’

Namjoon nods, indicating his understanding.

‘Is everyone clear? Safe?’ Namjoon asks.

‘We’re safe pa,’ Taeh’yung’s voice suggests he’s grinning and Namjoon can almost see his face, beaming brightly, fingers raised to form “v”.

‘OrTank?’

‘Asleep!’

‘Okay- right.’ Namjoon then nods at Hoseok who has an politely expectant look on his face, as though waiting for Namjoon to recover or finish his niceties, ‘What is it?’

‘I went through the source I sent you earlier today,’ Hoseok begins at once. ‘I was reading into the information collected on Pompa. It was a thought I had, but I didn’t want to bring it up without having actual proof or at least, a decent enough argument to support my theory.’

‘About Seulgaan?’ Namjoon asks sharply.

Hoseok nods before continuing, ‘You’ve heard about how the previous Head of the Infiltration Division was terminated when it was revealed he was directly involved with the Gaia Case?’

Namjoon nods in recollection. That had been Hoseok’s former Division in the Venture Unit before he quit the organization as a whole.

‘The new Head Division is S’ava Hhlai- who was moved from his previous position as Head of the Liaisons and Parley Division,’ Hoseok looks at Namjoon, as though checking to see if he understood his implication. And Namjoon does and almost wishes he hadn’t.

‘You think S’ava Hhlai is involved with this?’ Namjoon asks tersely.

‘For an organization this large and complex, and so completely hidden, you need at least, a few Beings in positions that high up,’ Hoseok tells him blankly. ‘Based on the information collected on Pompa and everything else related to the Pageant, and the fact that organizations like the Cogs and the Pageant are directly under the Liaisons Division- I think it’s safe to bet that S’ava is a benefactor of the Pageant, even if he’s not directly connected or involved with the Alliance.’

‘It would explain how and why Van so easily escaped capture in Grezma,’ Namjoon ruminates.

‘That’s what we thought too,’ Sk’jin joins in. ‘Which also means that someone from the Yisheng Directory is involved. All Beings taken by the Yishengs are under their direct authority. Van was purposefully freed.’

‘There were 6 of them,’ Namjoon muses out, remembering the Central Bridge room and the Beings gathered in there.

‘Only four are left though!’ Taeh’yung pipes in unexpectedly.

‘What? How do you know?’ Namjoon presses.

‘I killed one of them?’ Taeh’yung replies like it’s obvious. ‘During that huge fight- and the other was like, trampled to death when they were trying to escape! It was terrible!’ he adds with a laugh.

Hoseok grimaces at him at that.

‘Well…in that case, yes 4 of them,’ Namjoon says before saying quietly to Hoseok, ‘Taeh’yung will really have to stay hidden- the others from the Alliance- or at least Van or someone from that room, might want revenge.’

Hoseok nods in grim agreement before continuing, ‘It’s not just that- S’ava was here less than a year ago.’

When Namjoon had received the files from Hoseok’s “sources”, he hadn’t checked further beyond files directly relating to the Pageant and the history behind Pompa and her arenas. The data had been heavily encrypted with a code Namjoon knew was designed and maintained by the agents of the Venture Unit.

‘And he wasn’t alone.’

Namjoon frowns at that.

‘Who was he here with.’

‘Chief Shn’ow, Head of the Trade Department,’ Hoseok grimaces. ‘And member of the special jury.’

Namjoon could balk at the sheer implication of this information- and in relation, how that information could potentially harm them.

‘Are you sure?’ Namjoon asks sharply.

‘100% sure,’ Hoseok replies, not at all offended by Namjoon’s questioning. ‘The data collected and saved by agents are kept as sources in planets- to help each other out,’ Hoseok explains. ‘We all work for the Venture Unit, but we know they won’t hesitate to drop us if it serves their purpose better. So we sort of create a safety net for each other- to save us from the system we’re working for.’

‘And S’ava and Shn’ow’s arrival was listed in the data?’

‘It was- they stayed for a week.’

‘So the Isbahaysiga Alliance continues to exist and the Pageant is most likely its commercial link with the Venture Unit,’ Sk’jin summarizes before he adds a: ‘Smart.’

‘So if we’re not careful,’ Hoseok shrugs, not having to complete his sentence.

And Namjoon knows.

If they weren’t careful, and if Van Seulgaan saw them, reported them back to S’ava, who would then report it to Shn’ow; then they would have the entirety of the Venture Unit, GIU, and GLA forces after them. Also, they could stand to lose the OrTank once Van Seulgaan catches wind of it.

‘If the Yishengs are involved in this- do you think it could be Amme?’ Namjoon asks. 'Do you think Lal Haenoon and the others know about this?'

‘It’s possible,’ Yoongi says quietly. ‘It is also highly unlikely.’

‘Not a lot of high-ranking Yishengs exist anymore,’ Hoseok says thoughtfully. ‘Not to mention, they’ve lost the respect they once had with the higher working circles of the organizations.’

‘Still doesn’t stop them from being incredibly powerful,’ Sk’jin puts in. ‘Losing respect won’t stop you from still being the most powerful Being in the room. If they can’t command respect, the Yishengs could always use fear- they’ve already proven that they’re not hesitant in manipulating their status and positions for power; what would stop them now?’

‘Because they’re not all like that,’ Taeh’yung chimes in unexpectedly and says gently, ‘You saw it.’

It’s silent from Sk’jin’s part after that.

‘So it’s safe to say the Venture Unit definitely knows about this, but still allow it to happen?’ Namjoon asks.

‘It probably still exists because of the Venture Unit,’ Hoseok scoffs. ‘It’s not like a lot of these things are secret- the Venture Unit is quite open with their dealings. It’s what we’re known for.’

‘Does that mean you were involved in stuff like this when you were in the Venture Unit?’ Taeh’yung asks, voice a little awed.

Hoseok has a strangely haunted expression on his face for a fraction of a second before his expression goes back to nonchalance and he shrugs saying, ‘We all were. In the end.’

‘Well- one way to make sure,’ Sk’jin comments before Namjoon can say anything, tone even. ‘Hoseok?’

‘Right- so, remember my tracker?’ Hoseok questions.

‘Yes?’

‘He’s in the Lobby.’

‘What?’

Hoseok starts to move towards the door leading to the aforementioned Lobby. Namjoon quickly catches up.

‘How did you catch him?’ Namjoon asks as they step out and sure enough, there sat a Pompen, tied up with just a single rope on the Lobby couch. Closer inspection shows that he’s not exactly sitting- he appeared to be suspended, only an inch from the couch, at a very strained angle, from the vent above.

‘Hm? We’re practically best-friends,’ Hoseok shrugs one shoulder as he waves at the Pompen. ‘I invited him in.’

The Pompen spits angrily at that, wincing as the cut on his lip widens.

Hoseok has used only a single length of mechanical rope but it’s to great effect. It must be something agents knew how to do because despite being looped only once around the Being’s torso, it cleverly twists around the Pompen’s wrists, elbows, neck, crisscrossing behind on his back and looping under his upper-thighs in what should be a nearly painful strained angle at his crotch.

‘I told Hoseok to interrogate him- we need inside information.’ Sk’jin explains.

‘I think we all know why you’re here,’ Hoseok begins simply, his stance doesn’t indicate any threat or aggression, neither was he playing with the Pompen or trying to taunt him. He was simply speaking in a business-like manner. ‘Answer our questions. And we’ll negotiate your release.’

‘This is bull-‘

‘I have no issue killing you now and getting another one of you in here,’ Hoseok interrupts coolly. ‘First question: who are the Beings controlling both the Pageant and the Auctions?’

‘I’m not answering you-‘

Hoseok doesn’t even approach the Being- he doesn’t inflict any of the usual interrogation tactics Namjoon has witnessed (and suffered) before. Instead he tilts his head to the side, expression hidden from Namjoon.

The Pompen’s eyes are locked into Hoseok’s, unblinking and strained. His jaw tensing and veins popping on the side of his forehead. With some difficulty, his breath coming out in forced exhales, the Pompen grits out: ‘-what-…what did you- do?’

‘Your name is S’gui Tllo, 93 sols by GLA Standard, and currently unemployed,’ Hoseok lists. ‘You were born in Métrico-11 out of wedlock between a Pompen and a Pompain. Which is why you cannot find employment, and also the reason why you are currently “working” for the Auction, is this correct?’

Namjoon is stuck between wanting to ask Hoseok how he knew this, and also asking why the Pompen/Pompain was slowly turning purple for no apparent reason. The rope around his throat wasn’t tight and it wasn’t digging on his trachea either.

‘I also have reason to believe that mixed Pompen are not regarded highly; and I think it’s safe to believe that though you volunteered to work with the Auction, you also have something being held against you. False charges? Accusations? Have you been framed for the wrong doings of some Pompen and they’ve baited you with the promise of removing all charges from your background?’ Hoseok hasn’t moved, hasn’t changed his posture from the casual stance. The Pompen sends a pleading look at Namjoon, desperate and tear-filled as his eyes start to bulge a little, his skin blotching.

‘Don’t say anything. Let Hoseok finish.’ Sk’jin warns quietly in his ear. ‘He knows what he’s doing. And he won’t actually die- it’s just a simple drug used by agents for interrogation in most prisons.’

‘But it couldn’t just be that? That’s too easy; too simple,’ Hoseok continues. ‘You have family don’t you? You were one of the luckier ones I’m guessing. For a while at least. Your hair is more red than the others descended from the Pompain. But unfortunately, your sister took on more of your father’s genes.’

The Pompen/Pompain’s eyes close, spit dribbling down the side of his mouth uncontrollably.

‘Did they say she would be freed after the Pageant was over?’

It’s a while before S’gui Tllo nods.

‘Like I said- I won’t hesitate killing you,’ Hoseok repeats. ‘Your life and existence don’t matter to me. However it matters to your sister. So are you ready to talk?’

A few seconds later, there’s another nod.

‘Thank you,’ Hoseok says as he finally moves, holding up a sealed compressor-syringe. Applying it to the exposed skin on the Pompen/Pompain’s arm, the effect is instantaneous. He’s retching as he coughs, finally able to breathe normally.

Hoseok steps back, waiting for S’gui Tllo to recover a bit more.

‘Who are the Beings controlling the Pageant and the Auction?’ Hoseok repeats.

‘I don’t know everything,’ S’gui Tllo coughs out at once. ‘We’re just- we’re just pawns, being used for this event. I don’t know who outside of Pompa are involved- and the ones here- I’m not sure either.’

‘Tell us what you know,’ Hoseok sits down and Namjoon follows suit.

S’gui Tllo continues to float at an awkward angle, but his head is no longer angled to strain upwards to talk to them. He wasn’t comfortable, but one of the annoying strains on his body was removed.

Gradual and systematic “rewards” while letting your captive still know who was in power; straight out of basic agent training.

‘F-from what I know,’ S’gui Tllo begins. ‘Nearly all the Ministers of all the districts are involved- at least from the Nationalist party.’

‘There’s an opposing government party?’ Namjoon asks curiously. He hadn’t heard about opposing government factions in Pompa. Pompa was run by Nationalists who clung to their old cultures and beliefs, implicating them into the policies and laws while still somehow maintaining a decent relationship with the GLA.

‘There aren’t- officially. But in order to live under the GLA policy, there’s a neutral party- mainly consisting of GLA authorities who are involved in the government in each of the districts,’ S’gui Tllo explains, his voice still strained and weak.

Before Namjoon can even begin to search for a screen, Hoseok hands him one at once.

‘Are the ministers here?’ Hoseok asks.

‘Not all,’ S’gui Tllo replies thickly, swallowing with difficulty. ‘9 of them are. The others are in their own districts. But-‘

He stops, looking like he wasn’t sure if he should continue or not.

‘What is it?’ Hoseok asks, tone still neutral.

‘You’re…one of your items was taken up for the auctions, and I understand that you’d be angry- I’ve seen all sorts of reactions; it’s not just the Pageant that starts off this sort of arena you know? The government here does things like this frequently; it’s just never been this big before,’ S’gui Tllo says slowly. ‘If you’re…you’re trying to get revenge or something- it won’t work. It can’t.’

‘What do you mean?’ Namjoon asks, looking up from the screen from his search.

‘They have connections- within the GLA, pirates, others,’ S’gui Tllo tells them quietly. ‘A lot of cases have taken place- where the Ministers will get killed, or assassinated- or will go missing. But they’re always replaced. It’s not the Beings here that controls this entire situation- they’re replaceable. If one falls, two will take over. It won’t stop. It’s why we’ve given up. Every time we try to stop it, every time we try to put an end to it, we’re crushed at once.’

Namjoon feels incredibly bad for these Beings- stuck in a vile situation that exists only for you and your kind, while the others around you have adapted your pain and suffering into a culture that is celebrated, where profit is made from the your torture.

But Namjoon has also seen this before. So many planets, countries and regions within planets- even entire systems. The root of the problem ran so deep that there was no real method of finding the main cause and destroying it. It was just left to continue to grow. Allowed to exist.

‘There was a Being in the Auction,’ Hoseok’s voice hasn’t changed- still neutral, his expression as impassive as before, showing no emotion or change from what he’s heard. ‘From Raksane Tayi. He’s a high-ranking officer in the GLA, by the name of Van Seulgaan. What do you know of him?’

S’gui Tllo frowns a little, expression of disgust.

‘He’s one of the slavers- he buys fighters from the ministers, and sells some to them too. Is he really a high-ranking officer from the GLA?’ he looks stunned and appalled.

‘Have you seen him here before?’ Hoseok asks just as Namjoon’s search completes and the complete list of Beings who were involved the Pompen neutral-party unfolds in front of him.

A total of 43 Beings- and at the very top of the list was Van Seulgaan’s name.

‘He’s the Deputy Minister of the neutral-party.’

‘Wait- who’s the Minister then?’ Hoseok asks with a frown, glancing at the screen in Namjoon’s hands.

‘There’s never been one,’ S’gui Tllo shrugs with difficulty. ‘At least we’ve never known one. There’s only ever been a Deputy.’

‘If that isn’t suspicious as .’ Sk’jin chimes in. 'My unit is on Shn'ow.' 

‘S’gui Tllo, have you heard of the Isbahaysiga Alliance?’ Namjoon asks, ignoring the fleeting glance thrown at him from Hoseok.

S’gui Tllo’s expression darkens, spitting out again before he asks, ‘Who hasn’t?’.

‘Your race weren’t exterminated were they? They were sold to the Alliance,’ Namjoon says quietly.

S’gui Tllo nods, looking down, anger emanating from his tied up form.

‘Well- that ties everything in quite well. Full offence but the Pompen are ed up.’ Sk’jin scoffs.

‘They come here every year- choosing amongst us- those who are taken never return,’ S’gui Tllo growls out. ‘They’re here now- their ship is stationed outside; broadcasting the arena-event to all the sick s who couldn’t be here to watch first-hand.’

‘Van’s ship is here? It can’t be the slaver-ship can it? That’s too obvious and blatant.’ Sk’jin ruminates.

‘What about the deal with the arena- will they really let you go if you win the rogue-rounds?’ Hoseok asks.

‘If you win, then yes,’ S’gui Tllo replies. ‘But they normally lose- I have personally never seen anyone win- a non-contestant never wins in rogue-rounds. I’m sorry- but your friend will probably die tonight and you will lose your item.’ S’gui Tllo pauses for a moment before he says, ‘You’re not a trade-ship. You’re agents- but, you’re also in hiding. If you weren’t- then you could always get Van or the other GLA officers here to help you. I’ve seen that happen before too.’

Hoseok stills entirely.

‘Your item- it’s…it’s caused a lot of excitement. They’ve tried to open it; but they couldn’t,’ S’gui Tllo continues. ‘Normally the contestants from the Ransoms are slotted to fight first- they’re not entertaining you see. Too easy to defeat; but…your friend has been pushed back. Much further down the timeline.’ S’gui Tllo looks unsure before he blurts out, ‘I think they’re trying to delay your stay here. I don’t know why- but…but I think they want the OrTank. Or they’re trying to get higher bidders for the OrTank- the Pompen are known for their greed. It’s possible they’ve put him for auction beyond the one here- over on the underverse channels with the Alliance.’

It’s completely quiet; both inside the ship and over the line.

Hoseok grimaces a little before he makes to stand. The look of apprehension is back in S’gui Tllo’s eyes as Hoseok approaches him. But with a simply tug, the rope binding him comes undone and he falls onto the couch, limbs finally free. He’s shaking a little, uncertainty and anxiety apparent in his movement.

‘You understand that you’re not allowed to tell anyone about our conversation here, correct?’ Hoseok asks.

S’gui Tllo nods fervently in reply, ‘I won’t- I swear, I won’t.’

‘All right.’

It happens almost too quickly and Namjoon barely has time to register Hoseok’s movements. Hoseok reaches for his TeorSer and raises it up, is set to fire mode, finger on the trigger.

‘Hoseok-!’

Namjoon reaches over, pulling away Hoseok’s arm just in time for the shot to just graze over the Pompen’s scalp, singing his hair.

‘What the-!’ Hoseok looks livid. ‘He’s a liability! We can’t let him go- and we can’t stay here to watch him either. They’ll notice he’s missing and track him back to us-‘

S’gui Tllo is screaming in pain, doubled over, clutching at his head in clear agony.

‘We can’t just kill him- Hoseok, this is not one of your missions-‘

‘No it’s not!’ Hoseok ignores the pained cries of the Pompen as though he doesn’t hear it. ‘This is our mission- this could expose us- much more than just to the special-jury- just- , Namjoon- think!’

Namjoon gives pause.

‘The auction is already interested in us, they want us to stay longer, until they can figure out the OrTank,’ Hoseok hisses. ‘Van Seulgaan is here as well- and right now literally nothing can get us out of here, except for ourselves and that too only if we’re extremely careful! If Van catches wind of us, or if the auction somehow informs him of the OrTank- we’re ed. The only thing keeping us alive is this ed up planet and its people’s greed. And this-‘

He points down at S’gui Tllo who has passed out from his pain, his inky blood staining the Lobby couch.

‘He’s desperate- we owe him nothing. Him helping us will do nothing for him. The fact that we’ve taken him in has already signed off the death certificates over his own head and his sister’s head!’ Hoseok continues without pause. ‘The only thing that could save him and his sister is telling the closest authority figure in the auction about what’s happened to him. He knows this- if we let him go free, then he’s definitely going to expose us!’

‘-I know what you mean- I understand the decision you think we need to make,’ Namjoon tries to interject but Hoseok isn’t done.

‘Do you!?’

‘I do!’ Namjoon spits back out. ‘But this isn’t-‘

‘No,’ Hoseok replies firmly. ‘There are not “buts” and “ifs” in this- we all made the choice of following through this mission. And that’s what I am doing right now. For this mission to be successful, we need to understand that we’re not going to able to do this without blood-shed. Do you think Yoongi wants to fight? You think he doesn’t know that he’s fighting other Beings, with their own agendas, their lives, their family’s lives, even their planets lives on the balance?’

Namjoon doesn’t have a reply- he has nothing to say. Because Hoseok is right.

‘Do it outside,’ Namjoon finally gets out. ‘Take him outside and do it there. Not in here. Not in my ship.’

‘It’s not your ship-‘ Hoseok begins.

‘I don’t ing care Hoseok!’ Namjoon yells as he steps away. ‘Take it outside!’

*

Namjoon washes his face, taking deep breaths. There’s no swelling, no bruising. Just some slight dents that would even out later. You couldn’t bruise if the capillaries under your skin didn’t break and swell, causing slow asphyxiation over the cells there. You just couldn’t bruise or swell if you didn’t even have capillaries in the first place. He presses over the tissue around his jaw. Shifting the layers under his skin to rearrange them properly. He turns his face around, pushing until he felt it looked nearly back to normal.  

Stepping out of the en-suite, Namjoon immediately reaches for the thin oblong box over his bed. He takes out the red, blue, as well as white lined with purple pill.

‘What are those for?’

Namjoon doesn’t need to turn to know what Hoseok is referring to.

The past few days of working around the ship, going in and out of places and rooms, conditioned Namjoon into forgetting to close his door. Also, at this point, he no longer really cared much for secrecy or privacy.

‘Medicine- life-support,’ Namjoon shrugs, placing the box on his desk before dry swallowing the pills.

‘What do they do?’

‘Stabilize my body’s pH balance, makes sure my “circuits” are working just fine, makes sure the rest of my remaining biological functions are still operational,’ Namjoon lists off as he digs for a new shirt to wear. ‘Just things to make sure I’m in my optimal health.’

‘Do you have to take them every day?’

‘Not all of them.’ Namjoon replies as he removes his shirt and wears a new one.

‘What if you forget?’

‘Do you forget to breathe?’

‘I beg your pardon?’

‘Do you forget to breathe?’ Namjoon asks, finally turning around.

Hoseok is already carrying a bag, his jacket changed out for another one.

‘No.’

‘That’s my answer to your question.’

They step out of the Užkulisai, the sound of the sea rushing up to the shore greets them. It’s almost tranquil and peaceful- and it would be if the knowledge of what was happening, of what happened, and what would happen wasn’t so staggering.

Namjoon doesn’t find any evidence to suggest what happened to S’gui Tllo and he’d rather not ask. The sea was a convenient enough place to get rid of a body.

Hoseok doesn’t offer any answer, and doesn’t bother telling Namjoon what happened either.  

‘Can someone please bring food, I swear on my if I don’t get any food I’m going to ing eat Yoongi.’

‘I don’t think Yoongi would taste good? Not enough fat.’

‘Taeh’yung honey, no. That was just a joke- I wouldn’t eat Yoongi.’

‘Ah, okay.’

‘Because you’re right- not enough fat.’

‘Theoretically who would you eat?’

‘Why is this conversation taking place?’ Yoongi asks quietly.

‘Well- Namjoon is out of the list- sorry hon.’ Sk’jin replies with genuine seriousness, as though actually contemplating the entire situation. ‘Not Hoseok either- he’s all lean muscle. He’d be a bit dry.’

Hoseok looks like he doesn’t know if he should be relieved or insulted.

‘Tae, I love you with all my heart, but I don’t know where you’ve been, and what you’ve been doing, and I like to know all of these before it goes into my mouth- to an extent.’ Sk’jin declares. ‘In the end, I’d eat myself, because I think I have the perfect balance of fatty muscles.’

Hoseok grimaces uncomfortably, shaking his head quietly.

‘I’m still learning.’

Hoseok looks unsure how to reply, glancing over at him with a questioning look, clearly still caught up with the whole “he’s be a bit dry” statement.

‘I’m still learning about working in the field- not to the extent of how you or Yoongi or even Sk’jin have done so far,’ Namjoon clarifies. ‘There are beliefs I have; either influenced or created by myself, about how the universe around me should and shouldn’t be. My view is based on what I saw, what I read, what I was able to live through the screens of my office. The ideas and logic I live by are reflected off of digital space- on electrical code, systems, and networks I know I can control. And that’s what I like. What I am good at.’

‘I understand that,’ Hoseok says slowly.

‘So I am still learning- the universe beyond the one I know. It’s not one I’m fond of. The heat, the realness, the instantaneous spontaneity of tens of hundreds of other Beings around me. They’re all things I would rather ignore, rather stay away from,’ Namjoon snorts. ‘You’d think it was something that wouldn’t or shouldn’t faze me; but that’s just how it is.’

They stop in front of the parked Hover-7 by a crop of sea-worn rocks.

Hoseok had been right. And Namjoon knew that. He wished he wasn’t right.

‘So I’m learning that now. I need to learn- if I want to lead our team, to complete this mission. I need to know. So next time there’s a situation like that- and if I argue, just tell me I’m being an idiot.’ Namjoon half-grins.  

‘Namjoon-‘

‘No- you were right.’ Namjoon says as Hoseok looks somehow conflicted. ‘We couldn’t risk it. We couldn’t risk him- I wasn’t thinking for the mission.’

Namjoon had felt terrible for S’gui Tllo. His situation, the life he lead, the burdens he carried, and the weight of the responsibility he had for his sister. It all felt too much. But Namjoon also knew, that they couldn’t risk the  mission. They couldn’t risk being caught, couldn’t risk losing when they’ve come this far, this deep.

Hoseok remains quiet for a while before nodding. Namjoon wonders if he imagined the slight shake in the Ngfy’widan’s hands.

‘Come on- let’s go get Sk’jin his food. I don’t trust him or Taeh’yung with anyone or anything.’

*

Red is all he sees.

For hours. Days. Weeks. Years. For a hundred lifetimes.

Red stains the surface of his skin. Red stains the vision of his eyes. Even when he’s given a reprieve. A rest. Or even when his eyes close without his knowing, everything is red.

Red is pain.

Red is death.

Red is horror.

Red is the colour of his tears, burning his red skin, as red fire is applied, in a room full of red objects.

Red is sharp.

Red is cruel.

Red is shrill.

Red is the colour of his bones, exposed in the red air, as red metal replaces it, in a bed covered in red sheets.

Red is final.

Red is death.

Red is the promise of hopelessness.

*

The waiting room was supposed to be a neat sizeable room with comfortable chairs, full length mirrors, even a shower, and a table with refreshments (long depleted), and a large entertainment screen that couldn’t be switched off and only played the live Pageant fights above-ground. It smells slightly moldy and some attempt was made in covering up the smell by planting excessive amounts of potpourri around the room in precariously placed crystal bowls. When Namjoon was previously here, it had still been somewhat neat and orderly, but now it’s changed entirely. Not just in terms of furniture placement but also in number of Beings inside the room.

Namjoon finds that the entirety of the Obere clan are there, and the large fluffy N’nukwu is also there, dozing with its head on Taeh’yung’s lap. The Zhak’gri is chatting animatedly with the Obere in their own language before he notices them. Jumping up, Taeh’yung dives at Namjoon, nearly in tears, apologizing for hitting him.

‘I’m so sorry pa!’ he wails, eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

‘It’s all right,’ Namjoon replies, trying his best to gently break out of Taeh’yung strong hold. Honestly, how strong was this kid? Namjoon stops himself there; Taeh’yung was most likely older than himself- possibly older than all of them with the exception of Sk’jin.

Speaking of Sk’jin, he’s lounging rather majestically on a day-bed of sorts, greeting them with a regal wave of his hand, looking effortlessly handsome. Hoseok is handing him his food and all appearances of looking elegant and regal is gone in a flash.

But what is most surprising is Yoongi. More accurately: Yoongi’s hair.

Yoongi’s hair is a neon pastel blue.

It’s practically fluorescent the way it’s so stark yet somehow soft. Namjoon doesn’t know how to describe it. He’s never paid attention to hair colour before, let alone shades of colour in general. So he finds it quite hard to describe the shade of the Human’s hair.

The Human in question looks as passive as ever, seemingly uncaring about the state of his hair, his clothing (in Sk’jin’s robes, turned inside out and trimmed so that it was gold with red lining), his accessories (Sk’jin’s ridiculous gold circlet), or the state of his face in general (made up with make-up Sk’jin procured from Spaces knows where).

‘He looks great doesn’t he? He’d qualify for the actual Pageant upstairs,’ Sk’jin grins through a mouthful of food.

There’s a high-pitched chorus of agreement and the Obere flock around Yoongi again. The single Obere, who was probably the owner of the N’nukwu, was seated next to the Human, tiny minute hand clutching onto Yoongi’s sleeves, short legs swinging from the settee they shared.

‘What are they doing here?’ Namjoon asks quietly, smiling at the Obere who have to literally lean back to smile up at him. They were cute, in a rather creepy way. Maybe that’s why they were fond of Yoongi and Taeh’yung- both of whom could very well be considered cute but rather creepy.

Birds of a feather- or something like that.

‘They came here to wish Yoongi luck- and to thank him again,’ Sk’jin explains, waving Namjoon over to sit down.

‘We need to talk,’ Namjoon says as he sits on the floor, leaning back on the day-bed.

Yoongi must have heard him (how, Namjoon doesn’t know, what with the Obere’s high-pitched voices, the Pageant on the screen, Taeh’yung’s loud and deep voice, and Hoseok’s laughter as Taeh’yung tells him something) because he quietly leans down to the Obere next to him and says something.

Within a minute the Obere have packed up, and with a final shrilly cry, and a loud bark from the N’nukwu, they leave.

‘Well, that solves that,’ Sk’jin says with an amused grin before biting into a pastry like baked-item. ‘Considering the fact that we’re royally ed, what’s our next step?’

‘I asked Sehr about the rogue-arenas,’ Taeh’yung pipes us as he settles down on the floor, cushioning Namjoon’s thigh under his head. Namjoon can only imagine that Sehr was one of the Obere. ‘No one whose stuff got taken has ever won. They’re all lost.’

Namjoon grimaces down at Taeh’yung.

‘How do they know?’

‘I think they kidnapped someone too; got information out of them,’ Taeh’yung replies with an uncomfortable expression on his face, wiggling a little. He sits up and scooting across on the floor on his , goes and pillows Hoseok’s thighs instead. ‘Ah! Much better!’

‘I’ll win them all.’

Every head in the room turns to look at Yoongi.

His expression is as neutral as ever, as though he was talking about some inconsequential topic like the weather from that morning.

‘It’s not that I don’t believe in you,’ Namjoon begins. ‘There are a lot of variables to this- these fights are designed so that the Beings trying to fight back their items all lose- and in our case it’s even more so.’

‘I will win. I won’t lose.’ Yoongi repeats.

‘We’ll leave the fighting to Yoongi,’ Sk’jin speaks before anyone else can say anything. ‘Right now we need to plan what to do next.’

‘First we need to make sure we’re not spotted or seen,’ Hoseok says at once. ‘Secrecy is key here- Van cannot know we’re here. He’s never seen me, Yoongi, or Sk’jin before. But we can’t be 100% sure on that. If S’ava Hhlai is involved in this and Van is working for him; then it’s possible that he knows who we are- and what we carry. If he sees us, he’ll know at once. We need to make sure Yoongi is unrecognizable or Van is at least, unable to watch his fights.’

‘It’s not just Van too- there are other Ministers involved- we can’t rule them out. If all of this is connected, we need to make sure that they’re all compromised,’ Namjoon adds. ‘Also let’s not forget this entire thing is being broadcasted through the underverse as well.’

‘Can’t you stop that pa?’ Taeh’yung asks, turning on Hoseok’s thigh to look at Namjoon with wide eyes.

‘I could- but I don’t know where the distribution source is located- it’s safe to assume it won’t be here,’ Namjoon replies.

‘Van’s ship is here isn’t it? Or well, nearby,’ Sk’jin corrects himself. ‘Based off of what our friend said, I think it’s safe to assume that Van is always here even for the local arenas- so the distributor is surely in his office? Or maybe it’s in-planet? Does it say where the neutral party’s office is located?’

‘It’s in Métrico-01,’ Namjoon replies, remembering the information he pulled up on the GLA’s headquarters here.

‘The main recording system would be down here- but the distribution channel should be on the ship,’ Hoseok ruminates.

‘Why don’t we like blow up the Minister’s offices here, and the ship, distract everyone involved, and Yoongi will win his fight- we grab my baby, and we leave?’ Taeh’yung suggests with a mad twinkle in his eye.

‘Tae honey that’s-‘

‘-a good idea.’

Even Taeh’yung looks at him as though Namjoon was mad.

‘What?’ Sk’jin sits up. ‘That’s not going to stop the arena, or the Pageant-‘ Sk’jin begins rationalizing.

‘We’re not trying to stop the arena,’ Namjoon explains. ‘Distract- without punching anyone- get any potential officer or Being who might know about our mission away from this place. They’re doing this out in the open- but I don’t think they’d appreciate everyone in the GLA knowing about their connections and dealings with organizations like the Pageant- their headquarters or offices getting blown up or invaded will distract them from watching.’

Hoseok, who had reacted similarly to Sk’jin, has a look of understanding on his face. He nods slowly in agreement as he grabs his screen, absent mindedly balancing it on Taeh’yung’s head.

‘But we all can’t just go and blow up these places,’ Sk’jin argues.

‘We won’t have to go there ourselves,’ Hoseok remarks, ‘If we can sectionalize areas around the offices or headquarters, cut off the power supply or trigger a false alarm, or like Taeh’yung said, blow something up via their computerized systems, then we won’t have to even leave this place.’

‘Van’s ship?’

‘I can do that by myself- or with Hoseok,’ Namjoon replies at once. ‘We can borrow a ship or Transporter up to Van’s ship.’

‘Which is it though?’ Sk’jin asks skeptically.

‘Well it’s not the slaver-ship, but close,’ Hoseok faces his screen towards them, displaying the Pompa Dock log. To the side of the screen, Namjoon sees the tab open for the registered GLA officers on duty in Pompa.

‘Yeah,’ Hoseok snorts, ‘He’s using his official ship. He’s very confident in himself, this one.’

‘But if we block out the video feed- won’t Van be notified? You’ll get caught in the ship,’ Sk’jin argues.

‘Not if I cut the feed at the distributor- Van’s ship will still receive the footage, but it won’t get sent out,’ Namjoon replies.

Sk’jin still doesn’t look happy about their plan.

‘Look I don’t like it either- but we have to,’ Namjoon says as he stands up.

‘Wait- you’re going now?!’ Sk’jin asks incredulously.

‘Yes? I can access the city-systems while getting to Van’s ship- signals might actually be stronger than down here,’ Namjoon replies before looking over at Hoseok, ‘Ready?’

Hoseok is about to stand, gently removing Taeh’yung from his lap with a friendly head-ruffle when Sk’jin speaks up, ‘Wait- Hoseok should stay here- keep an eye out on Van down here. He can follow him around without being noticed.’

‘But Taeh’yung has to stay here-‘

‘I’m coming with you,’ Sk’jin states plainly.

Namjoon can feel 3 pairs of eyes going back and forth between Sk’jin and himself.

‘Right- well, stop eating and let’s go,’ Namjoon nods.

‘I eat when I’m stressed, ing sue me,’ Sk’jin growls out over a mouthful of pastry but he’s already getting up, brushing off crumbs from the front of his robes. It should look disgusting, but the Khol’isa manages to do even that with elegance.

‘I’ll go check if the coast is clear,’ Hoseok says, ‘Come out when I say so.’

‘Yoongi’s match begins in 90 minutes,’ Taeh’yung says as he occupies Sk’jin’s former day-bed, reclining back with no semblance of grace or elegance. ‘Will you be back by then?’

‘We should be back by then,’ Namjoon estimates. ‘If not- we meet back up in the ship.’

Yoongi nods in understanding before adding with two thumbs-up, ‘Good luck.’

‘Uh- you too,’ Namjoon replies.

Yoongi still doesn’t lower his hands, an expectant look in his face.

Taeh’yung from the day-bed subtly (read: not subtly) gestures a thumbs-up as well, nodding in Yoongi’s direction.

Hesitantly, Namjoon raises his hand into a reluctant thumbs-up and Yoongi finally lowers his hands.

Suddenly Namjoon is gripped with a strange sense of fear as he looks over at the Human. He’s not sure if it’s the new hair colour, the clothes, the make-up; but he looks incredibly slight, fragile almost. He’s seen what Yoongi can do. What he has done. All great feats of extreme physical and mental prowess, exceeding nearly everything Namjoon has witnessed in terms of skill, forethought, speed, and strength.

Yoongi is no longer looking at him, just looking down at the floors with blank interest. And Namjoon is frightened.

For a single moment he’s suddenly lost- unhinged from the reality surrounding this mission. What about this was so important that Yoongi was going to risk doing all of this, knowing for a fact that his survival was low, that losing would bring about a disaster they couldn’t even comprehend- a disaster that was still somewhat theoretical.

‘Right- I’m ready, let’s go,’ Sk’jin butts into his thoughts. He’s changed clothes, to something darker and more practical instead of robes. Closer inspection shows that it’s Yoongi and Taeh’yung’s clothes combined.

‘All clear you two. Take the right and through the normal route- most of the Beings have gathered to the arena to watch the fights.’ Hoseok lines in.

‘Yeah- we’re on it.’

*

They start to appear before him.

Voiceless, shapeless, formless.

Just-…nowhere, everywhere, somewhere, elsewhere.

He tries to speak to them. He has a voice. He can speak. He can almost touch them.

But they don’t know.

They just don’t know.

But they gather around him. Those who still clung on. Those who were still trapped. Those who still remained.

Sometimes he could see their faces.

On those days he would cry, his heartbreaking as this nightmare continued over and over and over.

And sometimes it was as though they knew. They would come to him, formless and shapeless yet somehow trying to approach him.

Although it was possible he was just wishing for that. He couldn’t tell.

‘Do you remember me?’ he asks all of them every day.

He gets no response.

Sometimes it came back- sometimes surprised as though it had forgotten he was there.

How long has he been here now? He doesn’t remember.

There were some days that felt so extraordinarily still- it was as though he was timeless- and he wanted to give into that endlessness. But he liked to believe they wouldn’t want that. He liked to believe that they wouldn’t want him to go.

‘I can’t go not because I don’t want to- but because I don’t know how to,’ he tells them one day.

He can move. He can be outside the ship, in the forest, in the waterfall, in other destroyed ships- but he could never leave.

He wanders and wanders. Wading through the thick stagnant drag of Time and nightmares- but he would always end up back there again. Back in that broken ship, in that broken room, in the darkness that awoke him. And they’re always there too. Waiting for him.

‘Do you remember me?’ he asks again. ‘Because I don’t.’

*

‘So what are we doing?’ Sk’jin asks again, yawning.

Namjoon wonders if Sk’jin’s abilities extend past his Khol’isa ones into being a permanent pain in the . His in specific. Not that Namjoon would mention it. Sk’jin would probably smirk, wink, and then say, ‘if you want me to be the reason of the pain in your , then of course,’ and Taeh’yung will burst out laughing, Hoseok will try not to laugh, and Yoongi will (as usual) look like he doesn’t want to be there. It’s strangely quiet out and the sky is a dark hazy techno-coloured mess, holographic advertisements blocking out the view of the stars. The neighbourhood is quiet and dark and littered with parked terrain-transporters all over the main streets. It almost feels wrong to be walking with Sk’jin of all Beings down this seemingly normal street, surrounded by family homes (albeit filthy rich and dubiously associated) on either side.

‘Well first we get a Transporter that can go off-planet,’ Namjoon replies.

‘Where do we get that?’

‘I was hoping you would use your communication abilities to get us one,’ Namjoon replies lightly.

‘Ah!’ Sk’jin smirks at him. ‘Well of course Captain, your wish is my command. Upon whom should I bless my dulcet tones? What worthy fool shall hear temptation-‘

‘The closest Dock is located not too far from here,’ Namjoon interrupts, ‘But I think we’ll stand a good chance of snitching some of the guest’s ships.’

Sk’jin looks around at the rows and rows of Transporters.

‘Well, security is off,’ Sk’jin scratches at his chin in a dramatic manner. ‘And we’re not being tailed I see.’

‘It’s probably the timing,’ Namjoon replies.

‘Or they’re just confident that no matter what we do, they’re going to gain the upper-hand anyways.’ Sk’jin shrugs, walking over to one of the Transporters.

‘You don’t like this plan do you?’ Namjoon asks.

‘No. But it’s the only one we have, and I have nothing else to offer. So I’m going to help in any way I can to make sure it succeeds,’ Sk’jin replies before adding as he points at the Transporters, ‘These have pretty good security in these,- I think it’s better to get to the Dock.’

Namjoon nods in agreement and they continue walking.

‘Hoseok didn’t kill that tracker by the way,’ Sk’jin says conversationally.

‘What?’

‘He didn’t kill that Pompen. He just knocked him out and shot him with some sleeping pill or something.’ Sk’jin clarifies.

Namjoon suddenly doesn’t know how to feel about it.

‘They’re doing this because they want to- because this means something to them,’ Sk’jin adds. ‘And as their team-members, as Beings who have agreed to take part in the same mission, we have to respect and accommodate their actions and intentions- whatever it is that they need to do- whatever it is that we need to do in turn.’

Sk’jin jogs forward a little until he’s ahead of Namjoon and begins walking backwards, facing Namjoon.

‘You’re going to fall,’ Namjoon warns.

‘I won’t- I trust you,’ Sk’jin winks before continuing. ‘I saw the way you were looking at Yoongi, and at Hoseok as well. The way you look at Taeh’yung, at me. We’re all doing what we’re doing because we want to. Because of what we believe in, what we know, what we want to know. We’re all doing this within our capabilities- Yoongi knows what he’s doing. He volunteered for a reason. Hoseok knows what he’s doing. His actions are not influenced by what we say or do. And Taeh’yung…’ Sk’jin trails off with a laugh. ‘Taeh’yung is just Taeh’yung.’

‘And you? You still want to know what this is all about?’ Namjoon asks, remembering their conversation in Ch’dra.

Sk’jin smirks at him, cocking his fingers at him as though holding up a TeorSer and says, ‘Bingo. And it seems like all of this is a part of what we’re trying to understand.’

He turns back around, walking in pace with Namjoon.

The walk to the Dock is spent in relative quietness, only interrupted by random updates from Hoseok or Taeh’yung. They’re close to the local Dock, already stuffed with parked Transporters of all kind. There are a few eateries as well, packed with locals or the drivers/pilots of the Transporters belonging to the rich Pompen.

‘Why don’t you go get us something quick to eat,’ Sk’jin gestures towards one of the eateries. ‘I’ll go get us a Transporter.’

Namjoon frowns at that.

‘Trust me- you being there won’t help me,’ Sk’jin snorts. ‘I can’t have you looming behind me trying to persuade someone into giving me access to their Transporter.’

‘We could just steal-‘

‘We don’t want to raise alarms- besides, we need the authorization code and all of that while leaving the skies,’ Sk’jin rolls his eyes at Namjoon as though he was being purposefully obtuse. ‘We should invest in a small Transporter- something to use outside for situations like this.’

‘I’ll…look into that.’ Namjoon says somewhat lamely.

‘Good boy- I mean, daddy,’ Sk’jin winks at him before skipping off. ‘Get me some food!’

Sighing, Namjoon enters the closest eatery. If they were being followed, it could look as though they simply wanted to go somewhere to eat, or even try and get sponsors outside the venue. This wasn’t strictly legal (there were many laws and regulations within the arena apparently- which was ironic considering the entire thing was illegal through and through), but it was far better for them to act like they were doing this rather than show what they were really up to.

The eatery is stuffed with Pompens and tourists alike. Their attention is riveted on the match- apparently they had reached the semi-finals and everyone was betting units by the thousands like it was nothing. Namjoon doesn’t think even Sk’jin would enjoy the food served in here so he orders some Pompen beverage instead- a lurid orange in colour. It has a clear slightly bland taste that’s rather refreshing. Positioning himself with his back to the empty bar save for the Android server facing the crowd ahead, Namjoon reaches for his screen and casually hacks into Pompen’s city system. It takes a while finding the electricity/energy channels and locating all of the district minister headquarters and offices as well as their private homes or residences. But once he’s in, it’s child’s play. Internally apologizing to their neighbours and in some cases, entire regions, Namjoon starts decoding the pathetically easy firewall and enters the control panel. Choosing a random pattern, Namjoon selects an even number of office to residence and purposefully creates a sudden surge of power through their electric/energy lines in that region. The first "glitch" in the upcoming series of electrical surges.

‘Hoseok- you there?’

‘Here.’

‘Van?’

‘In the arena- he’s watching the match,’ Hoseok replies. ‘I’ve seen a few of the other minister’s here too.’

‘All right good. Sk’jin?’

‘Please don’t break my flow.’ Comes a quick and hissed whisper.

Namjoon looks over to the screens mounted high up on the eatery wall. The fight is nothing short of violent. Except it’s been shot to look aesthetically pleasing. There are over a hundred cameras, focused and trained on individual fighters. They pan, zoom, stretch, the fights- even do dramatic slow-motion during recap, adding effects of strobes and lens flare during the play-backs at break time. The eatery is cheering- clearly divided in the center, one side supporting one fighter each.

An arm curls around his waist and a pair of lips all too close to his ear whispers, ‘Hey, you come around here often?’

Namjoon really wants to punch Sk’jin, because of course it’s the Khol’isa.

‘Got a ship? Let’s go,’ Namjoon knocks back the last of his drink.

‘Wow- won’t buy me a drink? Straight to business?’ Sk’jin is still a bit too close to him.

Sighing, Namjoon swipes a unit-card over the till and leaves, Sk’jin clinging to his arm.

‘You’re never going to be able to pick anyone up with that sort of expression-‘ Sk’jin begins berating him the moment they leave the eatery. Sk’jin still hasn’t let go of his arm.

‘I’m not interested in picking up anyone from anywhere,’ Namjoon sighs out, wondering if he could ask Hoseok to partner with him instead of Sk’jin. But Sk’jin did make a strong argument so he gives in.

‘Well- if someone is really interested- or they’re drawn to your dark brooding thing you’ve got going on- you might not have to,’ Sk’jin laughs lightly.

‘Dark and brooding?’ Namjoon finds himself repeating to his horror. Sk’jin looks surprised that out of all he said, Namjoon would pick up on that.

‘Yes? You have that whole tall dark mysterious down to an art- it’s great, you should learn to use it to your advantage,’ Sk’jin grins.

‘I’ll consider it.’

Namjoon wonders if he’s slipped into some weird dimension or alternative universe where he’s having a rather amusing and equally footed conversation with Sk’jin. Or maybe something was in his drink. They walk around the Hangar a little, and if Namjoon finds a completely unconscious Pompen posed to appear as though he were asleep or drunk on the floor, leaning on a mechanic’s stool, then he doesn’t mention it.

‘Well, here’s our ride,’ Sk’jin waves an arm casually.

It’s a maintenance-transporter; one designed to go up the highest levels of the stratosphere and even a little beyond that, to maintain the holographic billboards.

‘Perfect disguise I say,’ Sk’jin nods proudly, quite pleased with his catch, eyes flashing red. ‘No one will look twice.’

‘You make it sound so simple,’ Namjoon grumbles, looking over the small sturdy ship before adding, ‘You can fly this?’

Sk’jin snorts.

‘I could fly this in my sleep.’

‘You don’t sleep.’

‘I said what I said.’

The maintenance-transporter carried a maximum of 6 Beings. Or at least it was supposed to. The transporter was clearly designed for the Pompen anatomy and Sk’jin and Namjoon find themselves uncomfortably squashed at the cockpit, their shoulders rubbing and their heads nearly brushing over the ceiling.

‘Cozy,’ Sk’jin comments as he starts up the Transporter and speaks into the communication board, his voice changing, his accent pulling and slurring much like a Pompen: ‘Control, this is MT-09-332-TB9 headed out for a round. Did I do that right? What else do I say? Do I say “copy”? Copy?’ Sk’jin acts as though he’s conversing with someone, adding suppressed giggles and sounding convincingly intoxicated.

‘Gotcha- you guys  have fun out there,’ a similarly accented voice replies followed by a snicker.

‘There’s no security check though?’ Namjoon questions.

‘Yeah- but this Pompen was pretty chatty with the rest of his mates,’ Sk’jin replies. ‘Gotta make sure there’s a sort of story to follow up on why he took the ship out. Why not for wild night out in the sky y’know?’

‘I’d rather not know.’

‘Poor innocent baby, I’ll protect you,’ Sk’jin says in a mockingly babying tone.

Namjoon rolls his eyes in response, reaching for his screen again as the Transporter takes off with a might rumble of its powerful engines.

‘Makes me realize how quiet our ship is,’ Sk’jin says loudly over the sound of the turbines.

‘Hoseok- what’s the situation?’

‘Everyone’s still in place.’ Hoseok replies at once. ‘You’re up?’

‘Yeah- I’m cutting the power,’ Namjoon replies, looking up to check on the view below. The city beyond the suburban area was sprawling and chaotically lit.

‘3…2…1.’

The effect is instantaneous.

Huge sections suddenly flicker and go off, some areas lighting up again and the others bathe in darkness.

‘Anything?’

‘Nothing yet.’

Sk’jin takes them up steadily, allowing them a wider view of the planet below.

‘Visibility will go down for a bit,’ Sk’jin says over the sound of the engines. ‘We hit the stratosphere and then we’ll be out in the clearing again.’

Namjoon nods in reply.

‘Wait- yeah- I think they got notified; wow, a whole bunch of them just got up and left.’ Hoseok reports back.

‘Van?’

‘Yeah- he’s leaving too.’ Hoseok replies, ‘I’ll follow him out.’

‘Be careful.’ Namjoon, Sk’jin, Yoongi, and Taeh’yung all say at the same time.

There’s a slight stunned silence from Hoseok before he chuckles and says, ‘I hope you all know I’ve never been captured even once during my time as an agent.’

‘That’s so cool Hobi! I hope you get to experience it once!’

‘Uh-‘

‘Let him be,’ Sk’jin says dismissively, waving a hand.

‘Thank you?’

‘You’re welcome!’

Sk’jin shrugs as though saying, ‘there, see? Handled’.

Namjoon continues to fluctuate the power grid, switching on and off the power, flooding some areas with bursts of power, in some places weakening them to barely there levels. He can see how a little later, efforts were made in trying to stabilize the energy but Namjoon has complete control. He’s concentrating so much he barely registers the fact that the engine noise has completely gone and they were momentarily floating as the gravity function took a while to initiate.

‘All right Captain and Navigator- guide us to the Dock,’ Sk’jin looks over at him expectantly.

The Pompen Dock is like any other regular Dock- only a little smaller seeing as they knew now that most tourists who came to Pompa for one particular reason- and that reason being the sole cause of this entire mess. So the Dock wasn’t used much, and most Beings landed their ships or Transporters in-planet.

Namjoon keys in the coordinates into the small NaviLet planted on the dashboard of the Transporter and they slowly shift, the position of the beamers changing. The purr of the space-engines vibrates the small Transporter and they start moving upwards.

‘How much time left for Yoongi’s match?’ Namjoon asks, just to confirm again.

Sk’jin doesn’t even look down at his screen or at the dashboard when he replies, ’47 minutes.’

‘Do you guys have enough time?’ Hoseok asks.

The Dock looms ahead and above them. Docks felt even larger than they normally did when you were in a Transporter this small. Apprehension washes Namjoon anew and he nods grimly before replying, ‘It’ll do.’

*

‘Are you all right?’

He doesn’t know.

They all approach him from a distance. They stay back. Wary. Unsure.

He can feel the Yisheng’s ability working; knitting open skin, numbing aches and pain, relieving exhaustion. But his hands are still on fire. And it doesn’t purify him.

He once witnessed a sacrificial offering- a live Being walked straight over a board over a great roaring furnace. He could clearly see the way their eyes were glazed- hypnosis or drugs, he’s not sure. He also sees the surgical marks on the side of their throat, removing their vocal chords so that they wouldn’t scream once they hit the flames below.

‘Sir? How do you feel?’

He felt nothing when they jumped into the large drum of fire.

He felt nothing when the drum fell apart in a ceremonial representation of birth, and the Being inside writhed around, looking as though they were dancing in ecstasy.

He felt nothing when their skin got caught on the floor, peeling off.

He felt nothing when the smell of burning flesh wafted around him. He simply watched on, intrigued by the reactions of the others around him.

‘What you did was necessary- what you did had meaning. It wasn’t pointless. You have saved us all.’

They all applauded- almost seemed to envy the Being, but didn’t approach them to replace them. They just watched, and spoke and spoke and spoke. They all look up to the high-priest who doesn’t move, doesn’t say anything.

The officers around him watch him carefully, before looking over at the Yisheng, as though to check if they could approach him or not.

When in the end the Being burnt out, collapsing in a twitching state that he knows was caused more by asphyxiation rather than actually burning, the entirety of the temple breaks out into song. The high-priest raises their hands into the air, leading the song into full volume. A song to guide and lead the noble sacrificial spirit into an afterlife of glory and pleasure.

‘You did well- right now it doesn’t feel like it. But you will see. What you did, what has happened- this will change the Universe.’

The temple empties, and the burnt charred remains of the Being is abandoned. The songs sung about their spirit is sung elsewhere now- somewhere below where they will feast and dance- praising exaltations over the charred bones.

‘What will you do?’ he asks.

‘Nothing,’ the high-priest replied. ‘The birds and rats will come to eat it.’

*

They don’t have enough time.

By the time they land, move around unnoticed (a difficult feat considering they were both rather tall, and Sk’jin was just generally very eye-catching and was naturally inclined to be the center of attention rather than not), and get to the Bay where Van Seulgaan’s ship was docked, they barely had 20 minutes left before Yoongi’s match would start.

‘We coloured his hair, and I put make-up on him,’ Sk’jin argues next to him. ‘Not to mention the fact that this is a fight. No matter how skilled you are, you’re gonna get hit, Yoongi’s face might get bust and swell up-‘

‘-I don’t want to sound like I’m judging you from an ethical platform here but that’s exactly what I’m doing-‘

‘-I’m just saying even if we don’t make it in time- there might still be a chance of some kind,’ Sk’jin scowls.

They were standing at the platform crossing over the Bay where Van’s ship was docked. It’s a massive ship, 4 times taller than the Užkulisai and 6 times as wide. They had managed to snag the Dock’s maintenance uniform  and so they were properly disguised. But it wasn’t as though they would be allowed to casually enter the ship. There wasn’t a lot of security around the place, but any possible point of entry was being guarded by Beings similar to the slaver-guards they had seen in Grezma. Sure they could take them out, but they didn’t want to get caught.

‘Can’t you just access their core-system by like, I don’t know, throwing in your Comm-Device somewhere close by, latching on to the frequency, or something like that?’ Sk’jin asks.

‘That’s…impossible?’ Namjoon replies, wondering where in Spaces Sk’jin came up with that idea. ‘You need access to the direct source of all the ship’s systems and programs to manipulate it.’

‘Huh,’ Sk’jin raises both eyebrows. ‘He really was something then.’

‘Who?’

‘Hm?’ Sk’jin looks over at him as though realizing they were on a timed mission to get to the central-core station. ‘Nothing- I was just remembering some stuff.’

‘Right well- I think we can sneak under the ship- go up through the water cells,’ Namjoon glances down at the ship. ‘Might be a tight squeeze through the vents.’

‘That’s risky. We could still be seen,’ Sk’jin argues, looking down at the ship with a frown.

‘Well- I can’t hack into the ship’s internal system but I can mess up the Dock’s ParaBots and have them swarm the ship.’ Namjoon holds up the screen displaying the interface for the Dock’s mechanical station functions. Sk’jin gives him a vaguely impressed look.

‘How much time would that give us?’ Sk’jin asks.

‘The Dock will be able to fix the error in a few minutes- we’ll be able to sneak in.’ Namjoon calculates quickly.

‘You seem confident,’ Sk’jin comments before they start making their way down.

‘I’ve done this before,’ Namjoon replies, pulling the hood of the uniform over his head. It was uncomfortable, seeing as the uniform was made for a Being who did not exactly fit his build. Luckily it was long enough. ‘Well- not personally, but for an agent.’

Sk’jin doesn’t press for answers.

The ParaBots suddenly burst out of their alcoves lining up the walls of the Dock. They scuttle over in a massive hoard and begin analyzing and scrutinizing the exterior of the ship.

Standing behind a few of the cargo crates close to the ship, Namjoon and Sk’jin wait until the guards and sufficiently distracted and make a quick walk towards the underbelly of the ship. Finding an opening, Namjoon and Sk’jin squeeze through the water-cells and immediately climb up the plank, pressing their backs onto the narrow scaffolding lining the water-storage hull.

‘And now?’ Sk’jin asks before adding, ’11 minutes left.’

‘We’re taking Yoongi out now,’ Hoseok adds, his voice strained with stress. He had followed Van out, seen him take off on his Transporter and headed back in just over 10 minutes ago.

‘We’re getting there,’ Namjoon replies tersely as he accesses BluePrint and the full working outline of the ship lights up on his screen.

‘Right, the central-system core is located below the Bridge- we can get there through the Bot-lines,’ Namjoon quickly shuffles along the scaffolding, as an orange line makes a path from their location on the screen to the room they were headed for. Bot-lines were small ducts that veined most commercial and or cargo-ships so that ParaBots and other smaller bots could enter for maintenance purposes. Though ParaBots were very efficient in their tasks, most ducts were made to fit the average Being inside of it. And by average, definitely not Namjoon or Sk’jin’s size.

‘Lead,’ Sk’jin says simply.

Every passing second feels like a large ax swinging closer and closer to his neck. There’s a bolted down barred blockage in front of the Bot-line which Namjoon easily removes with a quick tug. They both wince at the jarring metallic sound that follows but they don’t linger long. Namjoon hoists himself up with difficulty before waiting for Sk’jin to climb in as well.

‘Small cramped spaces- my favorite,’ Sk’jin grunts.

Namjoon has no time to reply, so instead making sure the screen in his hand was stabilized, starts following the line.

They were both too tall, too broad to be doing things like this. They couldn’t crouch properly- it was more of a prolonged and weirdly angled plank-crawling more than anything. Every few seconds, Namjoon scrapes his head on the jutting metal lips of pipes and tubes and smaller vents bringing in wires. Namjoon ignores Sk’jin’s complaints of pain as they creep through the cramped vents.

‘I hate everything right now- I can’t see anything except for Namjoon’s flat ,’ Sk’jin hisses.

‘This is not helping!’ Namjoon whispers quietly as they wait for the steam vent ahead to clear.

‘I’ll complain as much as I want!’ Sk’jin snaps back quietly.

‘You guys realize that you don’t have to whisper right?’ Hoseok chimes in, his voice laced with amusement.

‘Are we almost there?’ Sk’jin continues to whisper.

‘Almost- I see the wire frame from here.’ Namjoon replies. It was starting to feel very claustrophobic in here.

‘Wire frame? Don’t we have to go into some room?’ Sk’jin questions sounding suspicious.

‘No- I just need the main wiring system-‘ Namjoon manages to get out before Sk’jin lets out a huff of annoyance.

‘So why am I here?’ Sk’jin asks emphatically.

‘I told you I would have gone myself but-‘

‘-they really are like two kids aren’t they?’ Hoseok chuckles.

‘It’s cute!’ Taeh’yung adds.

This promptly shuts them both up.

After some more pained crawling/planking, Namjoon and Sk’jin pull themselves over to a thickly coiled nest of wires.

‘Is it just me or does it smell peculiarly foul?’ Sk’jin asks as he manages to somehow squish himself over and across Namjoon, crawling ahead. Namjoon doesn’t notice and he doesn’t care. Instead he goes straight into the wiring system.

‘The air-ducts are down here,’ Sk’jin comments before adding, ‘6 minutes.’

‘No sign of the ministers coming back,’ Hoseok says quietly. ‘Yoongi?’

‘I’m just outside the arena gates.’

‘Tae?’

‘I’m inside the waiting room- don’t worry! I won’t let anyone see me!’

‘Namjoon?’

‘I’m going in now,’ Namjoon grits out as he quickly rewires one of the mainframe wires into his screen. Most systems will alert the ship for intrusion if you were to do this outside the Bot-line wires. However, seeing as Namjoon wasn’t planning on just separating some wires and checking to see if any were burnt or damaged, but doing a deep-dive into the ship’s system, that was definitely going to trigger the firewalls. So instead Namjoon activates his own personal and customized virus; it allowed him to duplicate the exact same coding used in the ship’s system to enter unnoticed without raising any alarms despite being a rather direct and obvious intrusion.

‘So there’s this wonderful application,’ Sk’jin begins, voice carrying over quietly to where Namjoon is patiently waiting on tenterhooks as his little brand of virus makes its way into Van’s ship’s system. ‘You simply input the name of the dish, the planet of origin, and the list of ingredients comes out. Then you have the option of recreating this dish, with similar ingredients found in your vicinity. Many of the Flotsam and Jetsam have been asked to cooperate with this software, so that travellers who prefer cooking for themselves, or are perhaps craving home-based meals, have a close match to their native ingredients. It’s what I did when I cooked Yoongi food from Earth. Do you think I should that? I should cook him a great meal for his win. Maybe this thing called pizza.’

Namjoon isn’t sure why but he asks, ‘What’s that?’

Sk’jin makes a sound suggesting that he’s extremely pleased with Namjoon’s question. The installation is completed and all the channels open up.

‘It was listed on the Top Ten Most Popular Dishes from Earth, ranked by both Humans and other Beings in a poll conducted by the GLA Universal Culture Report,’ Sk’jin says rather excitedly. ‘The most popular version of this pizza – spelt P, I, Z, Z, A- pizza, is a flat round dough, covered in a sauce made of tomatoes, garlic, salt, and some pepper. A thing called cheese is added on this, and a wide range of assorted vegetables and meats- some of the more popular choices are mushrooms, greens, ham, something called pepperoni. It looks amazing. I want to look for replacement ingredients.’

‘Uh- yeah, we can do that,’ Namjoon replies somewhat absentmindedly as he finally reaches the broadcasting channels under the communications mainframe.

‘Really? How marvelous! Yoongi would appreciate that, right?’

‘Uh- yeah sure.’

‘Joonie? 2 minutes.’

Namjoon doesn’t bother replying to that as the entire networking system finally uploads on his screen. He wishes he had a bigger screen as he scrolls down to find the main distribution channel. It wasn’t as though this was difficult- the time constraint was really stressful and Namjoon  could honestly do without that.  

He exhales with relief as he disconnects all of the ports, scrambling the signals. No alarm is triggered and the main distribution channel is still sending out signals except it’s all scrambled and irreversible. Namjoon doesn’t know how long it will take to alert Van about this situation- or if he would be alerted about it. He cushions his head on his arms for a brief second, his muscles strained and his body rushed from intensity of it all.

‘It’s done,’ Namjoon quietly whispers out.

‘Yoongi’s just stepped out into the arena,’ Hoseok says almost at the same time. ‘They’re introducing the fighters and the stakes.’

‘The OrTank?’

‘He’s not shown,’ Hoseok sounds confused, ‘Taeh’yung?’

‘He’s asleep- they haven’t moved him.’

‘What’s wrong?’ Namjoon asks, pushing himself up again, getting ready to leave. How was he going to turn around in this cramped space?

‘It’s just…the item the fighters are battling for is normally placed up on a dais,’ Hoseok mumbles.

‘We know they’re interested in him,’ Namjoon replies, pulling back the wires and coiling them back to their sockets. ‘They probably don’t want to cause more Beings to be interested. Sk’jin let’s go-‘

Sk’jin is nowhere to be seen

‘Sk’jin?’

‘Namjoon- crawl up ahead- I…you have to see this.’

‘Sk’jin we should leave-‘

‘Namjoon. Now.’ Sk’jin sounds unsure.

‘Are you coming back pa?’

‘Yeah- in a moment- stand by all right? Get ready to leave as soon as possible after Yoongi wins.’ Namjoon grits out as he crawls forward quickly, not liking Sk’jin’s tone of voice. He makes it down the vent and he comes across a cross-section. But he doesn’t have to guess where to look next. To the right, the duct widens out a little, allowing Namjoon to actually crouch on his hands and knees. Sk’jin is at the end, looking through a ventilation turbine that was slowly spinning.

And only now does the smell Sk’jin was talking about before hits Namjoon.

It’s strangely rank- not rotten or fermented; just incredibly old and stale almost.

‘Are you guys almost out? What’s wrong?’ Hoseok asks, by whatever agent-honed senses he was able to pick up on their silence, knowing at one something was awry.

‘We’re- we’re finding another exit out,’ Namjoon doesn’t know why he’s lying.

Sk’jin turns his head, eyes gleaming red in the weird light that filtered through the shifting fins of the turbine. Namjoon quickens his pace until he’s shoulder to shoulder with the Khol’isa. Sk’jin just nods at the gap between the fins and Namjoon peers through.

It’s clearly a laboratory of sorts- sterile white walls, a Medical-Bed just a little to the side, and a bunch of cabinets. But that wasn’t what was the most alarming, or why Namjoon is reeling in his mind.

‘Guys what’s wrong?’ Hoseok asks.

‘We can’t tell them,’ Sk’jin says at once in a barely audible voice. ‘I don’t know how Yoongi thinks or processes information- but I can guarantee this isn’t going to help him in the arena!’

‘Just a dead end,’ Namjoon replies tersely. ‘Sorry- we got spooked. Is the fight starting?’

‘The final bets are taking place.’

Namjoon takes a deep breath.

The laboratory is filled with OrTanks- not just any regular OrTank, but identical to the one Yoongi was about to fight to death for.

And they were all empty.

‘We need to get out of this planet.’ Namjoon grits through his teeth, crawling backwards quickly. ‘Now. Taeh’yung? Are you there?’

‘What’s wrong pa?’

‘I don’t care what you do- I need you to get to the OrTank, pull him out of there and start heading for the ship,’ Namjoon orders as Sk’jin also crawls back towards him

‘What’s wrong? Why? Pa?’

‘They’ll see us- they’ll know it’s us-‘ Sk’jin argues at once from behind him.

‘I know-‘ Namjoon flattens down as they reach the smaller vents. ‘-and at this point I don’t care- we just need to get out as soon as possible-‘

There’s a distinct clunking sound that resounds through the vents.

Namjoon stops immediately. Turning around to look at Sk’jin as though to confirm what he heard, he finds that the Khol’isa is frozen, eyes wide, looking tense.

‘Was that-?’

Something metallic; a canister of sorts, falls through vent on the other side of the cross-section in the vents. And almost immediately a white smoke starts to fill the vent.

‘They know we’re here-!’ Sk’jin hisses, shooting forward. ‘Hurry and get out-!’

‘Namjoon?! Sk’jin-?!’

Not caring about the wires or that they were definitely making a lot of noise, Namjoon scuttles forward but he knows that it’s too late. He doesn’t need to breathe for an extended period of time but Sk’jin is a different story. His pace behind him has slowed down dramatically in the past 5 seconds and the white smoke around them thickens even more. Sk’jin’s eyes gleam faintly in the weirdly viscous white smoke before blinking shut and he collapses.

‘Hoseok get ready to leave- Taeh’yung-!’ there’s a pop in his ear and Namjoon knows they're doomed now.

Cursing, Namjoon reaches over to pull Sk’jin but at that moment the entire duct shudders. Freezing his movement, Namjoon manages to catch hold of Sk’jin’s hand and grips hard.

The duct thunders again and this time wires around him snap, catching at his skin. Moving without realizing what he was doing, Namjoon rushes backwards towards Sk’jin, shielding the unconscious Khol’isa.

There’s an ominous grating metallic shriek and suddenly Namjoon is falling and bright light surrounds him.

The horrible stench of something foul and rank overwhelms him as he opens his eyes properly, trying to shake off his disorientation. He finds himself on the floor of the laboratory, surrounded by even more OrTanks.

‘Perfect,’ a voice says just as a booted leg comes into Namjoon’s view.

‘Tell Seulgaan we got them.’

There’s a sharp blinding pain that blossoms on the back of Namjoon’s head and right before he loses consciousness, Namjoon thinks: not again.

*

(Author’s Notes)

Guess who actually made it in time with the update?? Yes me. 
I don’t know why, and I’m suspicious AF but university has gotten less stressful after midterm. Did they lower the pressure on our assignments and projects, or is it that I’ve gotten used to it now? Or is this a combination? Because I find that I have a bit more time? And I don’t know if I should be suspicious or not…
I also found that I’ve been getting unexpectedly good grades in my 3D classes like, okay? Since when?? These two classes were the ones I was most worried about?!?! And I suddenly have legit good grades??? *is shook and confused*
ALSO SOMEONE NEEDS TO WRITE A ZOMBIE AU WITH BTS IN IT. NOT A SCARY FEELS TRIP ZOMBIE AU BUT LIKE A CRACK ONE. I love how Jin practically threw Yoongi to the zombies to save himself. 
also someone needs to write a Snow White and the Seven...Six dwarves au or something. ing hilarious.
and and and and!! 
i've had this WIP since like, March this year and it's a chaptered yoonmin arranged-marriage ABO-ish au. it's gonna be like, 5 chapters is anyone interested. it's also i think an apology to the people have read passengers and cried at me about it so...like a super fluffy fic as a "please forgive me"? even though it's late? i swear i wanted to put it up before uni started but i got caught up with...a lot of stuff...ehe, and then i tried to put it up for jimin's birthday but then...uni...and i haven't had the time to really write it so it's been slow....but i enjoy writing a lot of fluff to take a break from the intensity of adegu *sweats *
so yeah, i should be posting the first chapter like next week ^_^ 
i hope you all enjoy this.