‘He doesn’t seem surprised by us.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘He’s not surprised by our appearance, our clothing, our tech – he’s curious but it’s not unknown to him,’ she comments.

‘Why should he be? He looks like he could be from Tayi, minus the eyes. Even from Earth.’

‘Don’t typecast me and my species,’ Yoongi deadpans.

‘Yeah- they don’t make them that pretty back in Earth.’

‘Moving on,’ she sends Yoongi a flat look. ‘Our scans can’t place his species- which is saying a lot. He also speaks in a language that isn’t part of the directory- and he looks nothing like the Bhumians we were briefed on.’

‘Not everyone from the same planet looks alike,’ he ruminates. ‘We can’t be sure if he is actually from here or not.’

‘He’s not,’ Yoongi replies easily. When they give him questioning looks he hastens to reply, ‘He’s curious about this place too- he sometimes studies the plants, the soil- he’s new to this place. A bit more familiar than we are surely- but he’s not from here.’

Yoongi glances over at Jimin who was sitting by the stream, a single hand in the cool water, eyes closed. He’s humming under his breath again- a habit, it would seem.

‘I think he has a rank of sorts,’ Yoongi continues.

‘Yeah- in your heart-‘

‘Shut the up,’ Yoongi frowns though it’s without any irritation. ‘He carries himself in a different way- the way he is around us. The way he behaves- he carries some form of title.’

‘No- Yoongi’s right,’ she confirms. ‘We probably won’t be able to figure it out now- but he’s definitely carrying a high title or rank. Also, he looks the part.’

‘Shouldn’t we be more objective about that,’ they laugh though they’re not arguing the statement.

But Yoongi agrees.

‘Any sighting of that ship?’

Yoongi looks questioningly over at the tracking team. They all shake their heads.

‘Nothing shows up on our feed- the planet is blanketed in heavy storm clouds- it’s ing up with our connections,’ they reply worriedly.

‘Well- according to the Director, the tower has those GLA standard machinery,’ she huffs with a small frown on her face. ‘I think it’s safe to say we’ll be able to get our systems charged and running up there.’

‘This ,’ he says with a tired sigh. ‘This place is exhausting.’

‘I know – same.’

‘No- it’s different.’

Yoongi listens curiously.

‘There’s a strange…a strange presence – it’s just…sapping everything- I feel something- I don’t know what- but it feels like waves, rising from the ground and upwards,’ he points upwards at the sky. ‘Like it’s being absorbed away- and I feel like I’m going up too.’

Yoongi gulps at that.

‘Don’t worry,’ she says firmly. ‘We’ll get out of here and I’m taking us all to a resort in Šerdesas- maybe at the Yisheng Headquarters.’

‘ that sounds good,’ they groan.

‘Still- doesn’t make sense why the reports we were given make no sense,’ the others state. ‘I mean- are we even sure we’re in the right place? It’s been weeks.’

‘I’m certain,’ she nods. ‘I heard the messages and saw the clips. But I also don’t understand how it’s the way it is right now. We were sent out 3 weeks after that- there should still be an excess of debris around the planet.’

‘Solar winds? The sun in this System is dying- lots of flares,’ he ruminates before asking, ‘You think they got to that place- uh,-Akramain?’

‘Akramana,’ she corrects them with a roll of eye. ‘And I don’t know.’

‘What the are the GLA even thinking,’ he rolls his eyes and Yoongi agrees. ‘Also shouldn’t the Venture Unit be handling this? Not us?’

‘Well- we just need to get the report through first of all I guess- then we can speculate. For now we should keep our main task as main priority.’ She replies with a shrug and sigh. ‘All right- break time’s over- let’s go.’ She orders before nodding at Yoongi, ‘Go get Jimin.’

‘Why me?’

She gives him an unimpressed look before walking away. Yoongi can feel his face heating up a little and he wants to maybe facepalm into the nearest tree. But before he can do that, he hears Jimin calling his name.

Jimin is standing near the tree line, beckoning Yoongi over. Cautiously, he makes his way forward. He’s not sure why he’s being so cautious- because they had spotted no living being or creature before- save for Jimin. But Jimin’s mimed words from the other day still echoes around in Yoongi’s mind. That they were being watched. And he can’t shake it off.

Jimin points forward, smiling as though quite pleased. He notices someone behind Yoongi and waves at them too. Yoongi hears footsteps and voices but his attention is captured by the sheet of water pouring out from between two cliff faces, creating a curtain of pure light, filtering the ruddy sky into something that resembled a soft sunrise.

And it takes Yoongi’s breath away.

He feels someone pat him on the shoulder and he starts. He’s shocked at how much the sight captured his attention- but then he realizes he was also listening to the sound of Jimin humming. A sweet soft melody that Yoongi feels as though he’s heard before- perhaps from a past memory, or maybe in a dream- but it’s familiar.

He turns slightly to observe Jimin, not wanting to stare outright.

And she was right. Jimin definitely looked the part of a ranked Being- possibly even royal, if Yoongi is being honest.

It wasn’t just his hair or eyes. There was something that called attention and a sort of reverence from deep within you when Jimin was around.

The clouds above break a little more and the permanent sunrise shines across into the cliff edge they’re walking on.

It wasn’t a physical aspect that made Jimin look the way he did. There were no words that came to Yoongi’s mind- instead it’s just an abstract notion; one that he feels might be a little biased. Or maybe a little whimsical. But as Yoongi steals glances at Jimin, he can’t help but think it was in the way the sun shone around him.

It was as though all that was light loved him- the glow of the distant ruddy sun actually casting gentle and soft illuminations over his skin. The way his hair seemed to absorb light and reflect it back with more ardor and brilliance.

It was as though he embodied sunlight.

‘Yoongi! You can go sightseeing later! Let’s go!’

Yoongi finally properly glances over at Jimin who looks over at the owner of the calling voice, a quizzical smile on his face.

Yoongi smiles, jerking his head to the side.

‘Come on sunshine, let’s go.’

*

‘Could you repeat that again,’ Namjoon gestures with his hand. Jimin nods, not needing translation as he slowly repeats the name.

They were renaming the planets in the System of Bhumi- or Menigišiti, as Jimin called it. He adjusted the planets, eyes calculating as he adjusted the distance between the planets through the NaviLet, typing in the correct formula to accurately realign the planets.

To their surprise the System is much smaller than they anticipated- smaller, and fuller.

The planets were closely spaced with little to almost no moons orbiting the planets. The planets further out in the system were tidal-locked; the main one here being the representative planet of Bhumi which they now knew was called Megibīya by Jimin.

Jimin is serious as he concentrates, typing through the number system Namjoon had been able to convert for him with Taeh’yung’s help and input. The Zhak’gri is also there, eyes illuminated by the blue light of the Navigation Table though the green in his eyes still shone through.

Yoongi would be standing there too, if it weren’t for the headaches he got.

They had started building up- slowly and increasing in pain bit by bit. At first Yoongi didn’t notice it – and when he did, he ignored it. But now his mind felt inflamed- his skull sensitive and his temples sore. He had taken pain medication- a first in a long while. But it did little to help. It almost felt the same way it did when the Android-Core had been introduced to his helmet by Zhoumi.

‘Akramana?’ Namjoon asks, his voice cutting through the controlled pained haze of Yoongi’s mind.

Jimin nods once, adjusting the size of the planet they were discussing. Jimin explains something while Taeh’yung leans in from the side, his lower lip jutting out in concentration.

‘It was the planet where they held meetings with GLA,’ Taeh’yung explains. ‘Like Megibīya, Akramana was a planet open to the rest of the Universe- or at least, somewhat visible.’

‘Based on the Venture Unit report at the time, they said the invading force came from Akramanese planet,’ Namjoon frowns. ‘What can he say about that?’

Taeh’yung repeats Namjoon’s question and Jimin is confused. He replies haltingly, head tilting to one side.

‘He doesn’t understand why anyone would think that- it makes no sense,’ Taeh’yung slowly translates, nodding as he listens to Jimin. ‘The people of Akramana were peaceful and were the sole reason why their System was kept safe- it was the Red Evil that destroyed Megibīya.’

‘Whatever report the GLA got was clearly mistranslated or confused then,’ Namjoon frowns while Sk’jin snorts and says, ‘Or purposefully waylaid to redirect the blame and suspicion to another source.’

‘Jimin says his sister meant to go to Akramana, where the Yisheng Ndica said they were headed, while he left for Megibīya to check on the distress signals Ndica forwarded to them.’ Taeh’yung summarizes.

‘So Jimin and his sister, the uh- leaders –of their System,’ Namjoon says carefully, ‘Received a distress signal, forwarded to them, by Yisheng Ndica, about a planet in their System, that was being under attack?’

Jimin nods at the translation.

‘It sounds as though this entire thing was planned,’ Sk’jin comments from the cockpit, eyes ahead as he flies them through space. ‘How did the GLA receive the distress signal clearly sent out for Jimin- if Bhumi- I mean Megibīya, had in fact even sent out a signal? Ndica was definitely involved in the whole mess,’ Sk’jin snorts. ‘Sniveling fool was pathetic and unworthy of his title- it was probably all his doing. This was most definitely a set-up- for what exact purpose I’m not sure but most definitely done to jump Jimin and his people.’

Yoongi wants to agree as well- and he would have said so, if his head wasn’t on fire. He remembers Ndica from the first court hearing held in the Yisheng Directory.

‘Or it could’ve been K’mara too,’ Namjoon ruminates slowly. ‘She was there.’

Yoongi catches Sk’jin’s brief glance at his direction with his words, as though he couldn’t help it. But then his expression turns alarmed.

‘Yoongi- you all right?’

At this, everyone turns to look at him.

Yoongi opens his mouth to say yes but instead he says, ‘I need to sleep.’

His dreams were longer now. Not just images, rushing sound, strange sights and smells.

He had progressed a lot from his first dreams- all colours and forms- blurred and haphazard. Now they were clearer, with purpose- and with continuation. Yoongi looked forward to sleeping, because it meant he was able to understand a little better. To somehow be.

But it also confuses him.

The records Namjoon had given him were still untouched, unchecked. Knowing didn’t always equate understanding. And that was where Yoongi stood.

‘Knowing doesn’t always make things better. It makes it worse.’ Hoseok had said to him.

He doesn’t remember their faces. Only Jimin’s stood out. Everyone else was blurred- their voices a little faded, and their forms somehow wispy. But Jimin is in his dreams- bright, clear, and stark.

And with every single dream- he remembered. But it was more than just memory.

It was similar to how he felt when the Android-Core was introduced to him- but somehow, despite having the entirety of the GLA database information transferred to him and shocked into him- it wasn’t this heavy.

When he wakes up again, his head is pounding and the strange cloying air of the forests in his dreams lingers in his nose. He’s also filled with a panic-driven impulse. Yoongi follows the strange desperate rush that fills him to make sure Jimin was all right. He’s not sure for how long he’s managed to sleep- but they were still all at the Bridge. Jimin was standing by the windows in the lower tier- talking to Taeh’yung as they point out the nebula they were flying past.

‘Sunshine?’

Jimin’s entire body turns, eyes widened as though stunned. His expression is clearly shocked for a long second before he smiles at him. It’s such a joyful smile, one laced with relief. Jimin rushes forward, cheeks pushed up with the force of his smile. His joy in hearing Yoongi address him with the nickname he was accustomed to was palpable enough for everyone to see. Or perhaps he heard something else- Yoongi’s not sure.

‘Yoongi,’ his smile falters, a look of worry settling on his face as he gets closer.

Yoongi feels better, hearing Jimin’s voice and seeing him standing before him. Not just in a dream- but here, right in front of him. He’s not sure what’s overtaking him but he barrels straight forward and pulls Jimin into a fierce embrace.

There’s a stunned silence that falls over the Bridge.

‘Group hug!’

Taeh’yung charges into them, wrapping his long arms around them both tightly.

‘Yoongi? Na ti vang gne?’ Jimin asks worriedly though he returns his embrace. He’s obviously asking what was wrong- but Yoongi doesn’t know. It’s just a strangely desperate feeling permeating into him through his dreams- it made no sense. Yoongi steps back and Jimin doesn’t try to follow or rebuff him- he’s just there, looking at him carefully.

‘Yoongi- is everything all right?’ Namjoon asks.

Taking a deep breath, Yoongi nods.

‘Chim! Look there!’ Taeh’yung pulls Jimin away and down to the lower tier of the Bridge.

Yoongi shakily makes his way to the Navigation Table. Namjoon is clearly doing a health-read on him. But Yoongi knows he’s going to come up blank. Namjoon doesn’t ask and Yoongi doesn’t say anything. What could he say in the first place?

‘Sunshine?’ Sk’jin smirks from the cockpit. At this Namjoon looks up from his screen curiously.

‘It’s what I called him before,’ Yoongi replies, watching the soft rosy light of the nebula above flicker across Jimin’s hair. It reminds him of his dreams- his memories.

‘Interesting-.’

‘I remember the exact moment I called him that the first time.’ Yoongi continues, unable to stop himself. ‘We were exhausted- we took a break by the cliff. We were making plans for our next move. She told me to get Jimin. And he was watching the sunrise. Which was odd because it never shifted- the sun was always rising- it felt as though time had no effect there. It messed with us a lot- I had terrible headaches too- I kept taking meds for it. We assumed he was royalty- or some titled rank. For a lot of reasons- but I remember thinking, rather foolishly, that it was because of the way the sunlight seemed to love him.’

He’s met with deafening silence and Yoongi doesn’t know how to react.

Namjoon’s eyes are wide, unblinking as he stares unabashed at Yoongi. Sk’jin is no better, mouth agape and his hands no longer holding up the NaviLet which has fallen to his lap. Jimin is also looking at him, head turned away from the window. Taeh’yung doesn’t pay any attention, instead his face is pressed up to the surface of the window.

‘…what else do you remember?’ Sk’jin asks after opening and closing his mouth a few times.

‘Do you remember anything about why you were there?’ Namjoon asks, leaning into the Navigation Table attentively.

‘No.’ Yoongi replies, shaking his head mainly to force himself out of the images of his dreams. ‘I don’t remember their faces, or their names- why we were there. Their voices are all messed up. But I heard words- names of planets- of Akramana- but the information was unclear- we- we didn’t know what was going on either. We just wanted to get to the tower.’

‘Tower?’

‘How long have you been seeing these dreams?’ Namjoon asks.

‘They’ve started becoming clearer ever since Jimin woke up,’ Yoongi replies.

‘It’s…possible that his presence has triggered your memories,’ Sk’jin theorizes, his fingers tapping a beat on the side of his chair.

‘Have you gone through the records?’ Namjoon asks quietly.

‘Memories are tricky Yoongi,’ Hoseok’s words rings in his mind. ‘Because they outline who you are- and sometimes you don’t want to remember who you used to be.’

‘No,’ Yoongi replies.

Namjoon nods slowly before asking, ‘Is it causing you pain? Discomforts?’

‘I have headaches. I had medication, but it’s not going away.’ Yoongi replies.

Sk’jin stares blankly at him for a moment before he clears his throat pointedly and calls out, ‘Jimin!’

Jimin looks around, turning in Taeh’yung’s embrace, expression attentive.

Sk’jin then very exaggeratedly mimes placing hands on Yoongi’s head and points repeatedly between the two of them. Yoongi wants to laugh but he doesn’t. Namjoon looks slightly scandalized and a look of understanding settles on Jimin’s face. He easily slides out of Taeh’yung’s excited grip and makes his way to Yoongi. The worried expression on his face is still there as he approaches him.

He’s saying something to Taeh’yung who gives him a reply in the form of ‘eh’ and a shrug before saying something reassuringly. Jimin seems doubtful but he doesn’t say anything more.

The moment Jimin places his hands over his head, Yoongi’s headache abates.

‘Is it gone?’ Sk’jin asks from where he’s sitting.

Yoongi nods, a soothing cooling sensation gently calming his feverish headache.

‘I think it’s fair enough to say that Jimin might be both the catalyst and inhibitor of your memories,’ Sk’jin states simply. ‘His awakening has triggered your memories, and his presence seems to ease it.’

‘Jimin wants to know what type of pain you’re going through,’ Taeh’yung asks as he steps up as well, eyeing Yoongi curiously over Jimin’s head.

‘It’s my head. It hurts,’ Yoongi replies, explaining it to Jimin despite the fact they didn’t understand each other. Yoongi just continues staring straight into the twin eclipses that were Jimin’s eyes. The anxiety-driven desperation completely vanishes from within him. He’s so caught up staring he doesn’t hear Namjoon’s question.

Instead it’s Jimin who looks away, expression asking Taeh’yung to translate.

‘I think if we can somehow trigger more of Yoongi’s memories to reveal themselves, we might understand what more happened in Bhumi- uh, I mean in Megibīya,’ Namjoon ruminates.

‘That doesn’t sound like the best idea,’ Sk’jin frowns, turning in his seat to look over at them. ‘Memory retrieval forced or pressured can cause more than just psychological trauma.’

‘That’s up to Yoongi,’ Namjoon replies with an irritated look. ‘I’m just saying we need to look into every possible source we can find and seeing as Yoongi was, at one point in one way, present during the moment that triggered the appearance of the Akramanese- I mean “Red Evil”- we not only have a primary source of information, we have another Being who has knowledge of this area of Space.’

‘It shouldn’t be rushed,’ Taeh’yung pipes in unexpectedly, leaning from behind Jimin to place his hands over Jimin’s on Yoongi’s head. ‘Yoongi is my baby too- so I don’t want him to break.’

And it’s an odd word to use, really, but Yoongi can’t think of a better word to describe the way the other GI agents had died from mental and sensory overload. The living body was nothing more than a mechanism- a construct of systems and biological parts that fit in together for a function. And if the construct is pushed too far- if it is pressured into a certain set-up or installation it isn’t made for, or isn’t remodeled for a reboot, then it would break.

‘That’s a little ominous Tae but yes, I agree,’ Sk’jin says, his voice laced with relief. ‘We are all important assets to this mission and even though Yoongi might have information locked inside his…his DNA or something, we’ll just wait for it to unwind at its own pace. We can’t afford losing more than we already have.’

At this Sk’jin gives Namjoon a pointed look and any fight from Namjoon seems to dissipate at that.

‘Well- you’re here so I’m going to lay out our plan for the next few days,’ Namjoon announces.

Taeh’yung leans in suddenly, pushing them into another tight embrace, placing a loud kiss over both Yoongi’s and Jimin’s heads before jumping (quite literally, and very high) over to the Navigator’s Mast.

Jimin removes his hands from Yoongi’s head and brushes through his hair once before tilting his head to one side, as though to ask Yoongi if he was all right.

‘I’m good sunshine,’ Yoongi says quietly.

‘Sunshine?’ Jimin repeats, a small private smile on his lips.

A vivid memory of Jimin saying the same thing runs through Yoongi’s mind- and somehow a voice that sounds like his, but not quite entirely replies, ‘That you are.’

This makes Jimin smile and he steps back a little before pulling Yoongi towards the Table.

‘Based on Sk’jin’s layout of the planet-‘

‘-it’s not the most accurate but I tried,’ Sk’jin cuts in as he steps into the Mast as well.

‘-we’re headed here, above the general equator zone,’ Namjoon points at the 3D holographic model of a large planet. It’s a mock-design, based off of a template used by Navigators to illustrate rogue planets or non-GLA planets on the map. ‘This is where the Venture Unit ship is crashed- we’re headed there to investigate it. And even though it’s been thoroughly searched by both the GIU and the Venture Unit, I think it’s safe to say they don’t have what we have.’

‘What do we have?’ Taeh’yung asks, eyes round.

‘We have me,’ Sk’jin replies, flipping his hair back which Jimin imitates subtly. ‘And Yoongi, and Jimin, and you.’

Taeh’yung lifts a hand, clearly counting his fingers, muttering under his breath and then exclaiming, ‘Jin! You forgot someone!’

‘Well- Hobi isn’t here-‘ Sk’jin begins, a badly hidden grin on his face.

‘Oh right,’ Taeh’yung looks down at his hand before his head snaps up towards Namjoon and gasps, ‘You forgot pa!’

Namjoon gives him a pained smile before he speaks.

‘So we’ll be investigating the remains- see if there is anything there that Jimin can identify or sense- see if there is anything the GIU has overlooked or left behind that we can use to better understand the situation we’re in.’

‘How long,’ Yoongi asks.

‘It depends- but no more than 2-3 days,’ Namjoon replies  as he scratches his chin in thought. ‘If it’s nothing but a dead-end, then we just leave quickly and make our way to Grisial.’

Yoongi nods.

‘When will we get there?’

‘We’re a few hours away from the borders of Ymir,’ Namjoon closes the hologram and pulls up their current trajectory. ‘Then we go to warp for a day, and we’re there.’

‘What about the GIU observation crew?’ Yoongi asks.

‘Not an issue,’ Sk’jin replies with a shrug. ‘Trust me on that.’

Yoongi nods though Namjoon doesn’t seem comfortable. Sk’jin stretches before he says, ‘I think you need food- how about I cook you something hm? Jimin? Tae? Want to help?’

Taeh’yung takes Jimin’s hand and lifts their hands together, making Jimin stretch up to his toes to accommodate the height.

‘Yes!’ Taeh’yung exclaims.

‘All right- Lisai, take over for me will you sweetheart?’

‘Of course.’

The moment Jimin leaves the Bridge, a sight throbbing takes over Yoongi’s head. But it’s not painful- just a soft throb that he could ignore for now.

‘You’ll be all right?’ Namjoon asks as he takes a seat back in his chair.

‘I will,’ Yoongi replies though he’s not sure. ‘I recovered from something similar before.’

‘…you mean when you uh- gained awareness? Or something like that?’

‘When the Android-Core was implicated into my system yes.’

‘How long did it take you to recover?’

‘I cannot determine the point of recovery or the completion of it. I theorize that it is an ongoing process.’

Namjoon nods slowly at that.

‘If there’s anything I can do to help- then let me know,’ Namjoon says slowly, as though choosing his words carefully. ‘I wasn’t thinking- about how what we are doing would affect the others. Or how they might look at it. And while I know that- intention put aside- that we all want the same thing from this, I want us to do it on the same level of understanding, taking into account everyone’s input and deciding what’s the best thing to do.’

‘I’m not leaving, if that’s what you’re worried about.’ Yoongi finds himself saying.

Namjoon looks surprised before he says, ‘That’s good to know.’

‘I believe if you contacted and asked Hoseok, he will come back.’

Shaking his head Namjoon sits back on his chair. ‘I don’t think he will. But if he ever does decide to come back- the Užkulisai will always welcome him back .’

*

There’s a nervous energy emanating from Sk’jin. It peaked even more as they hit warp and the Khol’isa is anxiously going about, occupying his time doing any and everything.

Jimin learns that he cannot sleep- and it sorrows him. There’s a strange strain, an ancient barrier around Sk’jin’s stormy soul. It’s a strange description- and Jimin can’t help but feel anxious about it. But instead of the usual anxiety, suspicion, and frustration Jimin normally detects from Sk’jin, he can sense apprehension and fear.

But amidst this, he can sense a strange sense of anticipation.

The closest Jimin can come to describing what Sk’jin was feeling was when he had been a child, and he stayed out much longer than his sister or tutors had allowed him. The feeling of returning home, but knowing you were going to have to take responsibility for the wrong you did.

Because Sk’jin always felt oddly hollowed out- a great storm brewed in him- but it only existed to occupy the void within him. The storms were born from this chaotic void, in hopes of filling it up. But there was a great strain- one that stretched and pulled within the Khol’isa.

Overextending itself to somehow cover how incomplete Sk’jin really was.

Then it hits Jimin.

‘You lost someone there,’ Jimin states out loud as he stirs a bowl Sk’jin had given him to take care of as he cooked endlessly, ‘Who was he?’

‘I don’t think he’ll want to answer that,’ Taeh’yung tells him plaintively as he creates a coloured mosaic from dyed sugar cubes- Taeh’yung was useless in cooking, and so was assigned menial tasks around the Kitchen to keep him occupied. ‘It’s gonna be difficult for him.’

‘I know,’ Jimin replies, smiling at Sk’jin, hoping to relieve the obvious distrust he had in Jimin. Not that Sk’jin was hostile towards him. He was just wary and though he hid it very well, Sk’jin was fearful of him.

‘He lost all of his crew in this planet- he died in there too- and he watched his crew, his friends, countless strangers, all die there.’

Jimin feels as though there might be more to the story than they could guess.

‘Then why return? Or maybe he should have stayed back as we investigate the planet?’ Jimin suggests.

‘But I think he has a reason to go,’ Taeh’yung explains, popping a green sugar cube into his mouth and holding up a blue one for Jimin. Jimin takes the cube, feeling the texture of the cube between his fingers carefully. ‘He isn’t the type to do things unless he wants to do it. Or unless he feels…-‘

‘-like he needs to atone for something?’ Jimin suggests. ‘Because it feels as though he’s going back to seek justice- against himself.’

‘Being alive is so complex Chim,’ Taeh’yung says randomly. ‘But it’s the greatest thing- next to death.’

Taken aback, Jimin can’t help himself when he asks, ‘Why do you say that? How do you know?’

Taeh’yung gives him a secretive smile, holding his finger up to his lips and whispers, ‘We all live to die Chim.’

A shiver runs down Jimin’s spine, a scratchy voice itches at his ears, in his mind, in his very soul.

‘We do not bring death. We bring life.’

*

‘Pompen news is still the same,’ Namjoon says out loud to no one in particular. He hates to think of it in this way but Spaces he missed Hoseok’s presence in the ship. Hoseok was the most stable and sanest mind in the ship and his absence was astounding loud- especially for Namjoon.

Hoseok was always on top of the information game- he was constantly monitoring the channels, both from the Known Universe and the Underverse. He had a way of shifting along the information, finding the most feasible and dependable sources amidst the mess of misinformation and lies.

Namjoon feels strangely disabled.

Of course it hadn’t been personal. Not in the way most Beings would assume so. Hoseok left because he could no longer participate in the direction the mission was taking them. Or at least, in the direction Namjoon was leading them in.

His NaviLet lights up and Lisai’s automated voice sounds at his ear.

‘Captain- we are 1 hour from our destination and pulling out from warp in 30 minutes.’

‘Thanks Lisai,’ Namjoon sighs out before sitting up properly. It’s odd to see a mop of styled pink hair rather than the messy shaggy cut of Hoseok’s dark hair by the cockpit below the Navigator’s Mast.

‘Sk’jin- you want to make the Pilot’s log?’ Namjoon asks, feeling weirdly odd saying those words.

Bu he gets not response.

A little confused, Namjoon stands up and walks down to the cockpit. This expanse of space was rather empty and vacant so there was no need to really keep an eye out for stray asteroids or debris. But Sk’jin has been rooted in his seat for past his schedule cycle by a few hours already. At first it was as though Sk’jin was avoiding his duties as Head Pilot- remaining only as long as was required of him and then bolting to the Kitchens to cook overly complex meals, using Jimin and Taeh’yung as taste-testers (Namjoon thinks he might be a bit mental but he thinks he sees Jimin’s cheeks filling out a little and Taeh’yung’s jaw softening just the slightest). He was clearly stress-cooking. And stress-sewing too because he suddenly took to taking away the hem of Jimin’s new-found trousers and sleeves, a weirdly forced animated force to his actions (oddly enough Yoongi helps him out, displaying his neat stitches to the delighted surprise of everyone in the ship). If not he was loudly discussing inconsequential topics with Taeh’yung who was more than eager to laugh and talk.

‘Sk’jin-?’ Namjoon reaches over to touch Sk’jin’s shoulder, leaning in to get a look at the Khol’isa’s face. There was an alarmingly vacant look in Sk’jin’s eyes- as though he wasn’t all there. And for a startling moment, Sk’jin’s eyes roll back into his head before he snaps back into reality, eyes flashing and he’s reeling away from Namjoon, a low hiss escaping him.

‘Don’t in’ touch me.’

Namjoon takes two whole steps back, hands raised up.

‘I won’t,’ he immediately replies. ‘I was just checking on you-‘

Sk’jin turns in his seat and looks away for a few seconds, shoulders rising up and down as though he was panting. When he turns to face Namjoon his expression is incredibly poised – as though nothing had happened.

‘We’re ready for landing in an hour so everyone get ready to buckle up- atmospheric pressure shouldn’t be too bad for Lisai- right honey?’ Sk’jin calls over the Comm pleasantly.

‘Of course.’

Sk’jin smiles though there’s no warmth in his eyes; only fear.

‘Everyone get ready for the Pilot’s log.’

*

The planet is rather ordinary. It had no satellite and was a more land than water. They’re at the very top of the planet- the whitened polar caps of the planet gleaming from below. Great masses of clouds cover parts of the planet from view, but from what Namjoon can tell, it’s rather lush and green with little variation.

Sk’jin’s expression is vacant again, eyes reflecting the planet below ominously.

‘The GIU station is unresponsive,’ Namjoon calls out as he studies the bogey-signal he had sent out to check if there were any active scans around the planet. ‘Your source was right.’

The Khol’isa doesn’t appear to have heard him. So instead Namjoon shifts his attention to Taeh’yung and Jimin.

‘Can he sense anything?’ Namjoon asks, glancing over at Jimin who eyes the planet with confused concentration.

‘He says he wants to get closer- to be sure,’ Taeh’yung replies, also watching the planet with a thoughtful frown.

Yoongi was at his station. He didn’t look well in the slightest. His health-tab read him at normal and with only the slightest of fevers. He had said he had a headache but Namjoon hadn’t heard anything more. He also didn’t have any more random outbursts of speech. He did however, go to sleep more often than before. For the past 3 days, Yoongi had spent more time asleep than awake. And despite their conversation, Namjoon is still worried over the Human’s health condition.

But Taeh’yung wasn’t worried. And though Jimin was obviously worried, it wasn’t to the extent of being alarmed.

Namjoon briefly wonders if he’s projecting his worries and guilt over Hoseok leaving over Yoongi’s slight illness. He sighs quietly to himself and checks on the small tab on his screen.

He’s sure Hoseok wouldn’t appreciate it but he’d been tracking the Ngfy’widan ever since he left. He still hadn’t left Ts’ets’khli- maybe he was waiting for a ship to take off. Namjoon tells himself it’s just to make sure Hoseok wouldn’t go back to the GLA and report them- but he knows Hoseok wouldn’t. He would never.

Hoseok was too loyal, and possibly too kind.  

Looking away from the tab, Namjoon glances about the Bridge one more time before calling out, ‘If anyone wants to remain back in the ship- they’re more than welcome to. I’m not expecting anyone to go out of their comfort zone, and I don’t want them to either.’

‘t’s a bit late for that, in’it?’ Sk’jin mumbles from below.

Namjoon sighs to himself. It probably was.

*

His entire being protests. His mind, his heart, his very soul seemed to be screaming at him.

But his hands move on their own accord. Safely passing through the light atmosphere of the planet. It’s so different.

So so different from when he first landed here all those centuries ago.

Everything had been bright flashing lights- heat, pain, darkness, and more pain. But now the contrast is a little too much. It’s too gentle and there is no screaming, no mounting fear.

No haunting eyes and pleading voices.

And most of all- no pressing presence of darkness.

Sk’jin’s calculations were pretty accurate.

The huge area that housed the extremely large and broken down remains of the Venture Unit ship gleams at them from a deep valley. There’s no immediate landing space large enough for the Užkulisai so Sk’jin flies them over to the top edge of the valley. The cliffs were strong here; Sk’jin would know.

And despite having existed in a surreal state during his entire stay here, Sk’jin remembers every single aspect of this area down to the most painful detail.

‘We’re green,’ Sk’jin announces, his voice strained no matter how hard he tried to control himself and sound casual.

‘Sk’jin-‘ Namjoon is already saying and Sk’jin hates it- hates the pity and understanding.

So instead of responding to Namjoon Sk’jin gets up and walks out of the Bridge, claiming he needed to change to appropriate gear.

He tries to keep his mind blank- he’d been preparing himself for this moment ever since he made the executive decision to actually see it done. But he’s still not ready. And Sk’jin doesn’t think he’ll be ready either. He wanted to see Jimin’s reaction- to ask Taeh’yung what he thought in his point of view. He wanted to ask Yoongi his opinions as well. But he can  barely keep himself together so asking the others about how and what they thought felt a little redundant.

He changes into more practical clothes- something he did own because though Sk’jin loved walking and lounging around in his beautiful robes, he was a practical Being and this situation required a lot of it.

By the time he gets out of his Cabin and makes his way down, he can smell the air and feel the humidity of the planet. Sweat forms on his brow and it’s not from the heat. Taeh’yung is standing by the doorway, clearly waiting for him. He smiles brightly, reaching out for Sk’jin and he gladly takes the Zhak’gri’s proffered hand.

‘It’s all right,’ Taeh’yung whispers into his ear, squeezing him into a hug. ‘It’s all right- nothing is here. It’s fine. I won’t allow you to get hurt or go back, okay?’

Sk’jin feels incredibly small and he nods shakily, squeezing Taeh’yung’s hand hard.

The urgency to turn back and hide overwhelms him. But he can’t hide.

Not again.

The Hangar Bay door is opened wide and the Spardyti ready to leave. Sk’jin had forgotten about the state of the Spardyti until the other day when he came across Yoongi tinkering around it. It had sustained some damage from its stay in Pompa but it was nothing Yoongi couldn’t fix. Speaking of Yoongi, the Human was standing behind Jimin who was quiet throughout their descent.

He made no noticeable or definitive reaction towards the planet and Sk’jin thinks that he’s being careful before jumping to conclusions. But Taeh’yung wasn’t uneasy- he was smiling, and this reassures Sk’jin.

Namjoon appears behind them, expression wary and careful.

‘Everything is ready so that we can leave immediately,’ Namjoon states. ‘We cannot leave the ship unguarded so Yoongi is staying back.’

Sk’jin is surprised. But as he looks over at the Human properly, he notices how unwell he seemed. He wasn’t recovering or improving- it almost appeared as though after every nap he took, he got worse.

Sk’jin feels a strange sense of disassociation as he walks towards the Hangar doorway. He notices how the others remain back a little- as though waiting for Sk’jin to make the first move.

It really hits Sk’jin, as the balmy sunrays and moist wind whip around him, that though he spent so many years trapped in this planet, this would be the first time he’s actually stepped foot on it.

It was still every bit muggy and hot as he remembered it to be. Or at least, could sense- he was never in the physical state of actually sensing on his own. But the heavy oppression is lifted- the weight of some shadow no longer pressing down. It was just another planet- a wild and uncivilized planet- but it was no longer trapped.

Distinct sounds of wildlife filter through the air and the nearby bushes and trees rustle with unseen creatures, watching them. Sk’jin remembers the great strange beasts that roamed this planet- some more animalistic, while the others were truly mind-boggling. He hopes they don’t spend too much time here to meet the creatures; either that or they were going to have to be careful not to spill any blood in case they attract attention.

Taking a deep breath, Sk’jin fully steps out.

‘Good?’ Taeh’yung asks from behind him, voice much more distant than he thought.

To Sk’jin’s surprise, he’s standing at the very end of the lowered ramp with his eyes closed.

‘Yeah- yeah, t’s good.’ he exhales out in reply.

The Zhak’gri steps up to his side, a wide grin on his face before he inhales deeply.

‘It’s old here,’ he comments. ‘Old and lost.’

‘Don’t insult me like this,’ Sk’jin tries at humor. But it’s lost on Taeh’yung who is now staring out, head tilted a little as though curious.

‘…is it safe?’ Namjoon asks carefully as he too steps closer, also eyeing the jungle curiously.

‘Oh yeah- nothing bad or weird!’ Taeh’yung replies a second late. Sk’jin tries to find any sign of falsehood or apprehension in Taeh’yung’s eyes but comes up blank.

There’s sound of movement behind him and voices. The Spardyti starts up and Namjoon is calling for the ramp to be cleared. Sk’jin side steps and to his extreme discomfort, finds that the eaves of the thick and extremely tall jungle woods sprung up entirely too close to the ship. He finds himself peering into the murky dark light of the jungle and he shudders despite the heat.

‘Sk’jin?’

He tries to look back but he can’t- he can’t look away from the depths of the jungle, can’t tear his eyes away from the blurred background of endless trees, vines, huge trunks covered in decades of moss and climbers, shifting columns of light, hollowed eyes finding his line of sight-

‘Sk’jin.’

Sk’jin starts as he feels a hand on his arm. His immediate reaction is to shake it off but the calm that spreads into him makes him want to lean into the touch. Ducking down to avoid staring into the jungle that was staring back at him, Sk’jin allows himself to be pulled away and closer to the Spardyti.

It’s Jimin.

He has a worried look on his face, eyeing Sk’jin and then the jungle behind them. He doesn’t say anything and just one look at Jimin, Sk’jin knows that whatever was looking back at him from the jungle was not just in his head.

‘Jin! Chim! Let’s go!’ Taeh’yung calls, waving violently at them as he jumped off of the ramp, bouncing along on the soft jungle floors.

Jimin pulls him back towards the ship and it’s all Sk’jin can do to not scramble forward away from the intensely buildup of suspense attempting to grab him from the back.

They make their way back to the Spardyti where Namjoon is standing by the door. He’s watching them approach curiously, eyes flitting behind them towards the jungle.

‘Here,’ he says gruffly, ‘Emergency rations.’

‘It’s not like we’re going to separate or get lost,’ Sk’jin mumbles though he takes the small sling-bag and straps it over his shoulder.

‘Are you all right?’

Sk’jin is about to roll his eyes and reply with some conviction that yes, he was all right, and maybe mention something about how Namjoon should stop projecting his guilt towards him but he realizes it’s not directed at him. Namjoon is looking past Sk’jin and the Khol’isa turns in alarm.

It’s Yoongi.

His eyes roll behind his head and his body crumples almost gracefully off of the ramp.

There’s sharp gasp and Jimin’s blurred shape runs past Sk’jin and he’s in time to catch the Human before he hits the ground.

‘-‘ Namjoon curses as he too quickly moves forward.

Yoongi has always been pale- but he’s pale to the point of transparency. His vein stick out like tastelessly painted on streaks of blue and violet- dark circles blossom around his eyes, his breathing shallow.

Jimin is carefully lowering him to the ground, pushing back Yoongi’s hair before placing his palms on either side of the Human’s temples.

‘Is he dehydrated-‘ Namjoon skids to a stop before the Human, lowering the emergency-rations he was carrying to the floor as he looks over the Human with scanning eyes.

Taeh’yung comes slipping back on the moss-covered floors, expression bewildered until he sees Yoongi.

‘Oh no baby!’ Taeh’yung squats down, mumbling in Jimin’s language and the latter lifts him up.

‘Is he all right?’ Sk’jin asks, ignoring the prickle on the back of his neck- a warning that he was being watched.

‘It’s nothing to really worry about,’ Taeh’yung says quietly as they scurry back into the ship. ‘Yoongi isn’t…he isn’t himself in the way we are.’

‘What does that mean?’ Namjoon presses, eyeing the Human apprehensively.

‘Who he is, what he is- it isn’t a result of a natural progression of being,’ Taeh’yung says with light emphasis as they quickly make their way into the Medical Bay. ‘I can sense who he is- I can see him- but he’s like a child.’

‘Mentally?’ Namjoon asks but Sk’jin already knows that answer to that.

‘No,’ Taeh’yung shakes his head. ‘His memories are young- very young, but his mind-’ Taeh’yung smiles widely at that, ‘-His mind is wide and expansive.’

‘So…what’s happening to him now?’ Namjoon asks a little impatiently as they gather in the Medical Bay. Jimin carefully places the Human on the Bed, worry pinching his features.

‘His old memories are coming back- he doesn’t know how to process it,’ Sk’jin replies, finding it easier to breathe now that he was inside the Užkulisai, away from sight. ‘It’s information overload. It’s been happening for a while now.’

Namjoon grimaces, probably thinking back to all the odd moments of Yoongi’s recent behavior and obvious deterioration in his physical appearance. 

‘Will he be all right when he wakes up?’ the Kutsoglerin asks, his chin jutting out in thought.

Taeh’yung shrugs as he helps Jimin pull out the IV patches and bag, ‘Physically he’ll be fine- I don’t know who he’ll be when he wakes up.’

Namjoon looks unsure at this statement. And rightly so.

‘But I could be wrong- maybe sleeping like this will be better for him.’ Taeh’yung smiles at Jimin who smiles back reassuringly, hand still resting over Yoongi’s head. Sk’jin doesn’t know how to feel about this. ‘Maybe this will help him become.’

It’s obvious from Namjoon’s confused expression that he didn’t really understand Taeh’yung’s words. So it was all just conjecture- and Sk’jin cannot come up with a sound hypothesis regarding any of this. He just wants to finish this and get over with it.

‘I’ll stay back with Yoongi,’ the Zhak’gri says unexpectedly. ‘You guys go ahead. There’s a lot of daylight left, but it’s best to get back in time.’

Namjoon looks a little taken aback by Taeh’yung’s clear and practical statements but he nods nonetheless. Jimin seems to understand and he doesn’t seem too worried as he looks back down at Yoongi. He asks something and Taeh’yung replies with a grin and a teasing tone towards the end of his statement. The idea of venturing out without Taeh’yung unnerves Sk’jin and he can’t help the way his stomach coils and twists. His mouth tastes bitter and he’s sweating again.

‘Jin.’

It’s Taeh’yung but it’s not him at the same time. Sk’jin can sometimes differentiate the voices, the faces. Not always, but sometimes. And he’s not sure what to expect he looks up at the Zhak’gri.

‘You’ll be all right- Chim will be there,’ Taeh’yung says in what Sk’jin guesses is reassuring.

‘How do we communicate?’ Sk’jin blurts out. ‘If Tae isn’t there, how do we understand Jimin?’

‘We have basic words of communication,’ Namjoon pats at the screen-pouch to his side and nodding at Jimin. ‘We just need him to see, need to verify our questions; besides, it’s not like we can’t use the Comm.’

Sk’jin’s attempt at a humming response dies in his throat, so instead he nods. Of course communication channels would be stronger now that everything has changed.

‘Let’s go then?’ Namjoon asks a little hesitantly, clearly not knowing how to react to Sk’jin and Taeh’yung’s previous conversation.

Feeling a slight flare of irritation, Sk’jin uses this and spurs himself into movement. He hears Namjoon follow him out, can feel his eyes on him but he doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t want to hear anything else either and Namjoon seems to sense this too.

‘What do you think will happen to Yoongi?’ Namjoon asks in a low voice as they cross the Hangar. The overwhelming feeling of being watched comes back and Sk’jin wants to shrink away immediately.

‘I don’t know- Tae is not worried- we shouldn’t be either.’ Sk’jin manages to reply, averting his eyes and staring at the floor instead as he walked.

‘It’s what they wanted I think,’ Namjoon says as they make their way to the Spardyti.

‘The Special-Jury?’ Sk’jin asks, still not looking up.

‘At least some of the Special-Jury,’ Namjoon clarifies as Sk’jin feels him carefully nudge him to the side, indicating the doorway for him. Namjoon obviously noticed Sk’jin’s sudden inclination for the floors, but he doesn’t say anything. Sk’jin climbs into the well ventilated Spardyti and doesn’t look up until he’s seated.

‘Maybe they want to know what he knows too?’

‘Yeah- maybe.’

Jimin enters, a small smile on his face.

‘Yoongi?’ Namjoon asks, turning his head to address him. Jimin nods in reply, holding up a thumb’s up.

‘All right,’ Namjoon pats his seat-buckle before adding, ‘Security on.’

Jimin makes sure to secure himself in and sits back, eyes searching the jungle.

They don’t speak at all. The coordinates were already implemented so the Spardyti simply follows the trajectory on autopilot. Sk’jin barely has to do anything. Jimin is simply looking down, sometimes making soft sounds of exclamation. Namjoon is studying the environment too, eyes narrowed as he clearly used whatever enhancement he possessed to take a look around.

Sk’jin just stares at the sky above.

‘How dangerous is it to stay out while it’s dark?’ Namjoon asks after a while.

‘Remarkably dangerous - I wouldn’t advice it,’ Sk’jin replies. ‘There are really weird things about the place- why?’

Namjoon shrugs, ‘I’m just thinking of all the possibilities. What sort of danger? Creatures? Toxins?’

‘Creatures,’ Sk’jin replies. ‘It’s best if we leave quickly. They hide in the jungles so stick to open places rather than hide.’

Namjoon nods.

It’s quiet again and the Spardyti starts to dips gently. Sk’jin looks at his lap determinedly the moment he sees the tops of the jungle trees.

‘I’m sorry.’

Sk’jin glances to the side. Namjoon is looking out of the window, eyes reflecting the bright noon sky.

‘It’s fine,’ Sk’jin says tersely. ‘I wanted to know too. No one is forcing me.’

‘Regardless,’ Namjoon looks away to meet Sk’jin’s gaze, ‘I’m sorry.’ 

Sk’jin tries to shrug in response but it’s more of a twitch. He hears Jimin exclaiming as they dip lower and Namjoon’s attention is diverted as well. A shadow falls into the cockpit of the Spardyti and Sk’jin finally looks up.

The remains of the titanic ship looms ahead of him.

They had called it the Ghost Ship, Sk’jin remembers vividly, listening in on the GIU meetings and conversations. But they were wrong- they were so wrong.

A ghost was a term used to describe the spiritual remains of a once alive living being.

This ship was more than just alive.

The Ghost Ship is almost the size of an average GLA Immigration Office building with massive turbine engines spread out on long extending wings, curving into the main body of the ship like a crescent. Half of one of the mammoth wings had torn off, buried in centuries of vegetation and growth, off to the side. The remaining intact body is half buried, half uncovered- and what was exposed, was covered in thick vegetation and growth.

It lay on its side, tilted at a strange angle. A great broken dome shimmered, its glass broken through and replaced by strong and thick networks of vines and climbers. There was a tree growing out of one of the domes- one that wasn’t there before.

‘Spaces,’ Namjoon whistles. ‘This is something.’

Jimin is out of his seat, his gaze confused and his brows furrowed. His lips are pressed together in a thin line, as though aggravated.

‘Yeah- it gets old quickly,’ Sk’jin breathes out, hands gripping the controls of the Spardyti. ‘Jimin?’

Jimin looks back, his eyes searching for a connection. Sk’jin nods jerkily at the seat.

‘Sit- we’re landing.’

Jimin nods a second late and goes back to his seat.

His heart hammering in his chest, Sk’jin lands the Spardyti down safely in the massive grassy clearing.

He ignores the vivid imagery that threatens to overtake his present view- fleshy shadows emerging- imitation skin melting off- screams of horror and pain- lifeless eyes and bodies- outstretched hands desperate for help for answers for relief for-

Sk’jin shakes his head, inhaling shakily as he gets up before Namjoon or Jimin can ask him if he was all right. He doesn’t want their understanding looks, or apologies, or anything- he just wants answers and to get the out as quickly as possible.

‘TeorSers?’

‘ yes.’

Jimin refuses the weapon and Sk’jin isn’t surprised by that- and he would have voiced this if his mind wasn’t so preoccupied. Stepping out of the Spardyti is less dramatic and a whole lot more anticlimactic than Sk’jin had imagined. Though he’s not sure what he was expecting in the first place. He knew that this place was safe. That there was nothing to fear anymore. That the Nightmare he survived was gone and would never come back again.

But the Nightmare in his mind was still very much alive- and he can already feel it creeping up on him, watching from the thick shadows of the jungle beyond the wide field.

‘It’s odd that there’s no growth around the ship,’ Namjoon remarks, eyeing the reedy grass around the crash-site.

‘It’s always been like this,’ Sk’jin comments, his instincts telling him to reach a water-source to hide himself. But instead he faces the looming ship and despite the slight tremors running down his body, he stands firm.

‘All right- I think it won’t be too hard to find an entrance-‘ Namjoon is saying but there’s a sudden eruption of wood, leaves, and general foliage from their right.

Sk’jin remembers these creatures. And he doesn’t like those memories either.

Massive- nearly 8 feet tall, and strangely lean, these oddly reptilian creatures ran at a tremendous pace, and in packs.

‘What the -‘ Namjoon raises his TeorSer but Sk’jin is already grabbing the back of the Kutsoglerin’s shirt, his immediate fear and shock overwhelming his crippling anxiety and he bodily drags Namjoon back into the Spardyti.

‘We need to get the out-‘ Sk’jin hisses before nearly choking on his own tongue when Jimin walks out into the grassy field- towards the stampeding pack of carnivorous creatures.

‘JIMIN-!’ Namjoon yells out, pulling away from Sk’jin’s grip.

Jimin pauses, not because of Namjoon’s yell- but for no direct reasoning.

And once again, he displays nothing out of the ordinary- no flashing lights, no surge of power- nothing. Jimin just simply stands there, posture at ease and carefree, as though nearly 2 dozen beasts weren’t charging at him-?

The great pack of beasts break to a halt feet from Jimin and Sk’jin’s eyes water at the rank smell that they bring with them. How was Jimin standing that close and not recoiling? Namjoon is cursing under his breath, TeorSer still raised.

Jimin raises his hand and the creatures flinch- one snaps its long jaws at him. But Jimin doesn’t mind, instead he gently pats their scaly heads.

Then in one sudden motion, the entire pack seem to perform a strange bow, their forearms lowering their upper torsos to the ground.

Namjoon gawks at the sight and then back at Sk’jin as though to confirm what it was that he was seeing. Sk’jin has no explanation.

The pack leaves, the ground thundering in their wake as they break through the jungle and disappear into the shadows. Jimin turns around to face them and makes a sour face, miming throwing up and exhaling violently as though to get rid of the smell now stuck in his nose.

Sk’jin wheezes out a laugh, the nervous agitation seizing his body now somehow gone from this extraordinary display. Namjoon sort of laughs too, though it sounds more like a strained groan.

‘That was something,’ Namjoon comments weakly.

Sk’jin can do nothing but nod slowly in response.

Jimin looks up at the massive ship, taking in all of its broken glory and destruction. He points at it, and then at Sk’jin, a questioning expression on his face.

‘Not me- this isn’t me,’ Sk’jin replies, shaking his head for added effect. Jimin doesn’t respond exactly but just presses his lips together in a thin hard line before looking at it again.

‘Tae, could you ask Jimin what he’s thinking?’ Sk’jin asks as they slowly make their way across the short distance between the two ships.

‘Gotcha!’

It’s a moment before Jimin starts speaking again, hands gesturing lightly though Taeh’yung wouldn’t be able to see.

‘He’s asking how old the ship is.’

Sk’jin can feel Namjoon’s gaze on him. But Sk’jin isn’t 100% sure either. Of course the Venture Unit had started experimentations for a long period of time- but this ship was special.

‘We don’t know for sure- but it was already this broken up and destroyed when I got here,’ Sk’jin replies. ‘From what I overheard and was told, I think it’s almost 1500 years old- possibly more.’

Jimin listens to the translation, still studying the ship with intrigue and wariness.

‘Based on the design of the ship I’d say you were correct,’ Namjoon says beside him. ‘The model and make- the materials, the overall appearance isn’t from this millennium even.’

The ship was a tad bit opulent and excessive- Sk’jin has gone through the interior of the ship and he knows that there was no actual functional use to many of the gran lobbies and atriums that lined up the ship layers.

‘Chim says it feels older.’

‘Yeah- probably because time was weirdly altered,’ Sk’jin replies as he takes the first step forward. It felt as though both Namjoon and Jimin were waiting for him to make the first move.

Jimin asks no questions after listening to Taeh’yung’s translations, as though he had been expecting to hear that. Feeling somehow oddly hollow, Sk’jin steps into the long shadow cast by the ship and into sprawling green mess of vines. The ground beneath his boots is soft and black, the grit of the clay loose and ash-like almost.

The climbers are young and easy to tear off, but the deeper they get, the stronger the vines become. Namjoon steps in a few seconds later and calmly pulls at the vines. They snap easily under his hands even though the Kutsoglerin is exerting no real force or strength. Jimin looks around the thick alcove of vines they’re walking through, the sheen of sweat highlighted in this strange lighting. His eyes glow brighter in this weird twilight inside the thicket of vines and climbers, a strangely non-violent and less traumatic version of a solar eclipse.

‘I understand what you mean. I’ve flown past nebulas and supernovas and black holes and nearly everything you could think of but-…but there’s something that will always captivate me about the solar eclipse.’

The memory is vivid- tinted red from the Bloodmoon that chased him tirelessly.

‘There’s a special tour just to watch eclipses; you should consider taking it up.’

The atmosphere of the planet was pale and bright as the curvature of the globe expanded beneath them-

‘No way!’

‘I am not kidding- I swear on- on…on my life!’

‘It’s not worth much then.’ His grin is teasing, dimple showing clear on his cheek. And his eyes bright, warm, and clear. Too clear, too kind, too naïve.

‘Shut the up.’

Jimin smiles when he notices Sk’jin’s staring. Sk’jin tries to smile back and it works a little. He hears Namjoon stumble a little before the vines suddenly give way in a series of cracking sounds and they meet a dark metallic surface. Namjoon presses his hand over the face, pushing back the vines.

‘You sure it’s near here?’ Namjoon asks looking back, barely sweating or effected by the heat.

‘It is,’ Sk’jin nods with surety. He remembers the broken gaping hole on the side of the ship, blasted open by a bunch of rowdy pirates who were screaming for their lives only to be consumed by the creatures Jimin had so easily placated a few minutes ago. There had been a massive nursing den of them, and the pirates had been careless enough in their fear to trigger the violent protective urges of the creatures. Sk’jin could do nothing but watch as their blood pooled around the large atrium.

He walks forward, surprised at how his body seemed to listen to him despite the initial gripping fear that threatened to paralyze him just minutes ago. He squeezes past a few thick vines that were more like trees at this point, and his hand slips over aged metal edges, covered in centuries of moss and vegetation.

‘Here-‘ Sk’jin is starting to say but Namjoon is quick to walk out first, angling a hand out as though to stop Sk’jin and Jimin from walking in.

‘What in Spaces are you doing.’ Sk’jin asks in a deadpan.

‘Making sure it’s clear,’ Namjoon grunts back before he vanishes around a mossy edge. Sk’jin feels a hand grip at his arm and Jimin is standing next to him. He nods forward, an expectant look on his face. Sk’jin sighs and he’s about to make his way forward when he’s alarmed by a thought.

Was Jimin somehow calming him down right now? Had he suppressed his anxiety and fear while they were out? Deciding to question him via Taeh’yung later, Sk’jin guides them out.

The atrium that had been one of the locations of many bloodbaths and torturous nightmares opens to him in a disturbingly anticlimactic manner. It’s wide as it is tall and in their current location, they were walking on the walls rather on the designated floors.

‘The GIU entered through the roof?’ Namjoon remarks, looking upwards.

‘From the walls I’d say,’ Sk’jin glances up and finds that a large hole had been drilled through all the way down on one side of the tilted walls of the ship. Vines hung down, offering the possibility of climbing it.

Jimin is talking quietly to Taeh’yung on the Comm, his hand over his ear as though he couldn’t help it.

Namjoon walks over to the middle, glancing downwards instead at the floors covered in natural fauna and soil to the point where they couldn’t see any of the original metallic walls. Water is dripping somewhere- condensation of sorts, Sk’jin presumes. At one point, there had been a strange outburst of mini waterfalls inside this ship- but that had been centuries ago.

If it had been surreal to enter the planet, Sk’jin would categorize this very moment as a feverish relapse into a nightmare you couldn’t escape. Sk’jin looks at the ground, covered in at least 4 sols of growth and the general circle of life. It felt both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Looking upwards again and into the drilled ceiling above, Sk’jin finally allows himself to wonder if his ship was still intact where it had crashed.

‘Namjoon, Sk’jin,’ Jimin calls out to them, pointing to one side of the wide atrium.

He’s pointing a little upwards, towards a slope that lead up to tilted doorways.

‘That’s the way into the lower levels,’ Sk’jin tells Namjoon quietly before adding, ‘Tae- tell Jimin to go wherever he wants to- and that we’ll follow him instead.’

Jimin pauses in his movements before he nods in their direction.

And then walking with a sense of confidence and familiarity, Jimin walks up the vegetation covered slope towards the slanted walls.

‘I’ll bring up the rear,’ Namjoon says quietly, taking a step back. Sk’jin is briefly thankful- his back covered, he won’t have to look back. It’s quiet the further they walk inwards- all about are signs of the GIU’s expedition of the planet and the ship. The remains of light fixtures, new pipes and wires not yet covered in layers of moss or entirely buried. There are broken gravity-lifts and what appeared to be empty crates and OrTanks as well. Sk’jin hears Namjoon side-stepping briefly as though to scan the objects.

Things changed- and Sk’jin doesn’t recognize many parts of the place. He’s also not sure on how to maneuver in the ship in this form of solidness. And the further they walk, the higher they climb, yet it feels as though they were entering into the very core of the ship. They don’t talk- no one says a word. Jimin walks the tilted walls and ceilings like he’s been doing it for a long time, only occasionally looking back as though to check on them.

His feet were bare, and it reminds Sk’jin of bare scaly feet, untrimmed talons scratching along the earth and grass.

Jimin stops in front of a wall- or at least the point where a wall and the ceiling met, before going up and opening into several wide doorways.

‘Elevator doors,’ Namjoon comments. Jimin clambers over a few broken debris and mounds of sedimentation and heads straight for the second-left opening. With more strength than Sk’jin thought he was capable of possessing, Jimin pulls the rusted and jammed door apart and sticks his head into the darkness.

‘I doubt those are operating,’ Namjoon remarks.

‘The wires should still be strong- vines as well,’ Sk’jin sighs as Jimin pulls his head out, a small frown on his face. ‘What’s wrong?’

Jimin looks around at the elevator doorways again, head tilting like he’s not sure about something. Then he proceeds to check every elevator doorway.

‘Tae- could you ask Jimin what he’s doing?’ Sk’jin asks as he takes a break against a fallen over ventilation shaft, crumpled in a heap up against the slanted floors.

Jimin starts speaking, quiet voice filling the dilapidated lobby area. Namjoon is carefully observing the area, eyes narrowed as he takes in the interior.

‘There was a lot of funding for this,’ Namjoon states quietly. ‘Not just the size- material and make. It’s been centuries but under all this dirt, the entire ship is still intact. I won’t be surprised if you could start it up if it’s fueled again.’

‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,’ Sk’jin replies dryly. He feels exhausted though it’s not in a physical sense. He felt the intense urge to sleep though he knew there was no option there.

‘Chim is saying he lost it.’

‘Lost what?’

‘The sound he was following,’ Taeh’yung explains, his voice sounding a little stuffed, as though he was eating. He probably was. ‘It’s gone.’

‘What sort of sound?’ Namjoon asks, taking out his screen.

‘He didn’t specify.’

Jimin makes a small sound of exclamation suddenly and spins on his heel and rushes towards Sk’jin.

‘I think he’s heard it again,’ Namjoon is saying when Jimin charges straight towards the floors behind Sk’jin.

Before either Namjoon or Sk’jin can warn out a yelling, to their intense shock Jimin simply vanishes through the wall.

‘What the -‘ Namjoon immediately steps forward, hand stretched out.

‘This isn’t supposed to be here anymore,’ Sk’jin can’t help but retract backwards, eyeing the seemingly solid wall with heart pounding fear. ‘It’s not supposed to be here-‘

Jimin appears again, his expression bewildered but not surprised at the seemingly fake wall he just walked through. He gestures for them to start moving but then the wall behind him vanishes as though it was never there in the first place, taking away the grime covered, aged barrier, revealing a seamless continuation of the broken remains of the ventilation pipes Sk’jin had been sitting on, and downwards to wide staircases.

‘What is doing that? Is this digitized-walls? But those require excessive amounts of energy and fuel,’ Namjoon asks sharply, his posture defensive and apprehensive.

Jimin starts talking again and this time jogs towards Sk’jin. Taking his hand Jimin guides him forward and Sk’jin knows he’s using his abilities on him. It worries Sk’jin that any one Being has such an ability as Jimin’s but he’s distracted by what lay at the bottom of the stairs.

An even wider atrium opens to them, lit up by broken beams of sunlight filtering in from high broken seams above. Sk’jin is vaguely aware of Namjoon starting up the headlamps and the area starts to light up properly as the lamps soar past Sk’jin’s head and straight outwards.

It’s a huge computerized core, stretching up like some strange mountain in the middle of this atrium. And like wires meeting an electric outpost, great thick pipes as large as Sk’jin’s entire body string through the air, feeding into the very top and cavernous mouth of this core. And Sk’jin feels shivers overtaking his body as he eyes the glass chamber at the top, large enough to fit one single Being inside of it.

‘Spaces- what the is this place,’ Namjoon whispers, as though afraid of being overheard.

Jimin lets go of his hand and jogs downwards.

There are more glass chambers around the main floors of the atrium- and in them are clear signs of imprisonment and restriction. Sk’jin doesn’t have to look at Namjoon to see how it affected the Kutsoglerin.

‘They worked on It here,’ Sk’jin says as his feet continue to take him down. The headlamps situate themselves midair, offering more than enough light over the place that saw the birth of the First Nightmare.

Namjoon doesn’t ask any questions, simply observing instead. Jimin is at the bottom and he sprints straight forward.

Namjoon hurries and Sk’jin follows the Kutsoglerin.

‘What’s gotten him-‘ Namjoon is beginning to ask when he pauses. Because Sk’jin can hear it too now. There’s a distinct hum in the air.

‘Something’s still running,’ Sk’jin frowns as he glances up at the core. If it weren’t for what Jimin did, he would be a shaking mess at the stairs, unable to move, speak, or even think.

‘Something left by the GIU?’ Namjoon asks as they get to the bottom just in time to see Jimin pulling open a large metal door with a groaning creak.

‘Something tells me they never got in here.’ Sk’jin comments before adding, ‘Tae get ready!’

There’s choking sounds, proving that the Zhak’gri was most probably eating. Jimin disappears inside and they pick up their pace. They skid over the atrium floors, nearly tripping on the countless wires and ancient roots that had entwined itself over the place.

Jimin reappears, face ashen and eyes wide. And in his hand he’s holding a small device that shouldn’t be eliciting such a reaction from the latter. But Sk’jin knows better than to question seemingly normal things.

‘What is it-‘

Jimin starts speaking, haltingly, like he was in a state of disbelief. He’s twisting the item in his hands, incredulous and shocked as he literally has to take a seat. He plonks down on the ground while Namjoon walks over to the doorway to investigate. Sk’jin crouches down, any excuse to sit really, and waits for Jimin to finish speaking.

‘It’s a part of the technology from his System,’ Taeh’yung translates slowly. ‘It’s part of their security- uh-it’s supposed to use orbital magnetism and converts that energy to create a…refraction? Deflection? Of its surroundings and like…project a dense non-penetrating shield…and uh, it’s not supposed to be here.’

‘So it is- this is tech from his System, they’ve been using his technology to fuel their research and experiments,’ Namjoon states harshly as he reappears .

Jimin looks up helplessly at them, his expression so plainly confused and desperate. Like he was asking them how his System’s technology got here. He opens his mouth as though to speak but nothing comes out.

‘Can I?’ Namjoon asks, reaching for the cell. Jimin places it in his hand and gets up immediately, feet hurrying him along the girth of the atrium as he continued going through every doorway and opening he could find.

Sk’jin just sits still, concentrating on breathing in and out.

‘Just this…this one single cell,’ Namjoon can’t even seem to vocalize his thoughts at the moment. ‘Of course, it’s possible that they were already messing with a lot of things, and this just added to it…was using this the cause of everything?’

Sk’jin glances at the small cell, wondering the same thing.

Was that small, insignificant and incomplete cell from Jimin’s System’s technology the reason why the First Nightmare even existed? Was it the reason why all of this had happened?

‘It makes sense- they knew for a fact that Bhumi- Menigišiti, had this sort of tech. They were able to tie in the connections- it’s how the Venture Unit was able to figure it all out. They saw the connections between this planet, the Akramanese, and then traced it all the way back to this treaty.’ Namjoon is mumbling to himself.

Jimin reappears empty handed, his expression not as wild and lost as it was some minutes ago.

‘Taeh’yung can you ask Jimin if there’s anything else in here he can sense or hear-‘ Namjoon begins as he hands the cell back to Jimin who immediately reaches for it. There’s a small pang in Sk’jin’s chest- this was a piece of his home.

A piece of his home that was most probably responsible for the destruction of so many other homes.

Jimin shakes his head in reply.

‘We should get going then,’ Namjoon says as he checks his screen again. ‘Let’s not stay too long.’

The sun was still out and Sk’jin is surprised that the Kutsoglerin isn’t pushing their stay. But he wasn’t going to argue this suggestion so he gets up. He glances upwards at the empty glass chamber.

Pale elongated groping hands, sightless eyes, screaming mouths, melting skin.

‘WHY ARE YOU HERE?’

Sk’jin looks away firmly.

‘Does Jimin want to stay longer?’ Namjoon asks hesitantly, eyeing the area warily as the headlamps float back towards him, darkness following in their wake. It was as though confirmation of his theory did nothing to placate him or make him feel confident.

Jimin shakes his head again after Taeh’yung translates.

Namjoon gestures forward, jerking his head to the side with a look directed at Sk’jin, ‘Let’s go.’

Jimin is quiet as they make their way back, clearly deep in thought. He’s holding the cell in his hands, and his posture is a little stooped, as though burdened by the lives lost as a direct result of that cell’s existence.

‘Do you realize that this is the only time something has come out how it was planned?’ Sk’jin asks absently.

Namjoon hums a noncommittal reply before adding, ‘Has it really?’

When they reach the tilted atrium, they’re surprised to find that it’s much darker out than they anticipated. The sky above was a watery inky blue and Sk’jin can just about make out the stars. Jimin’s pace has slowed down; his movements seemed weighed down and he was tripping over roots and wires. He was clearly very distracted and upset.

‘We should hurry,’ Sk’jin says at once. Namjoon nods, feet hurrying in response.

‘Jimin?’ Sk’jin calls, looking around at the slightly distracted Being. ‘Let’s go- it’s getting dark.’

He points upwards and at his palm to indicate time. Jimin nods, still distracted but hurries nonetheless. Namjoon is waiting for them at the broken down entrance, already pushing aside vines with one arm.

‘All good? We can come back tomorrow if we need to,’ Namjoon says uncertainly at both Sk’jin and Jimin.

‘It’s all the same to me,’ Sk’jin replies, exhaustion seeping into him.

It’s cooler out now that it was evening and Sk’jin can hear nightly sounds of creatures and insects and general night life in the wild. He hears Namjoon breathe in sharply and Sk’jin can smell them before he sees them. The carnivorous creatures are asleep in heaps all around the Spardyti, darkened lumps, barely visible under the starlight.

A soft light movement catches Sk’jin’s eye and he readies himself to face some nightly creature but he’s mistaken. A cold rush holds him in place and Sk’jin is paralyzed.

It’s not the sight of the creatures that spooks Sk’jin, freezing his legs and stunning him to his core.

‘Spaces,’ Namjoon curses softly next to him. ‘They won’t chase after us when we lift off will they?’

Namjoon and Jimin continue walking forward but Sk’jin is stuck, eyes unable to look away, his lungs refusing air. The Spardyti lights up with their approach and throws a harsh light all over the wide clearing. The carnivorous creatures don’t stir, deep asleep as they slumber, ignoring the glaring lights.

And if Sk’jin thought what he was seeing was all in his head, he’s mistaken.

‘Sk’jin?’

Namjoon’s voice is careful and soft.

‘What’s wrong?’

Sk’jin wants to shake his head. His heart thundering, and the jungle seems to expand, red light bleeding into his sight. Under normal circumstance, he would joke it off. He would make a crude remark to embarrass Namjoon and make him go away. But he can’t.

Because he’s there. Watching from the depths of the jungle.

His silhouette is familiar, it’s clear, and it’s painfully familiar. A form he knew well. It’s imprinted into his memories: outlined by lights of a bright display screen, by flashing traffic lights, powerful headlamps near the edge of cliffs, by dim ceiling lights above his bedposts, by warp-light shining across the Bridge.

His hands extends out to him, reaching for him even though they both knew he was going to fail. And to this very second, to this very moment, Sk’jin doesn’t know if the look in his eyes were of condemnation or forgiveness.

Sk’jin startles backwards when a pair of very real, warm brown eyes appear before him. He blinks and he realizes there are tears in his eyes. He hears the last distorted words spoken in Taeh’yung’s voice and for a moment everything spins sharply and vertigo hits Sk’jin like a sack of rocks.

‘It’s not real,’ Namjoon says evenly as he holds him upright. ‘It’s not real. There’s nothing here Sk’jin.’

Sk’jin lets go of the breath he was holding; he would be ashamed to find himself shaking- his breaths uneven and almost hysteric. But he can’t find it in himself to care. Jimin is there too, staring out into the jungle as well. And quite suddenly, Jimin reaches forward, his hand over Sk’jin’s chest right above his heart, and the Khol’isa knows for certain that he was doing something. A calm settles into his muscles, his shaking stops and his breath returns to him at a normal pace.

‘There’s nothing here,’ Namjoon repeats again. Sk’jin realizes Namjoon’s leaning down slightly, keeping them in the same eye-level. ‘It’s all gone. You said so- and Taeh’yung said so. There’s nothing here.’

Sk’jin takes a deep breath, finally able to look past Namjoon’s eyes and back into the jungle.

They’re all looking back at him now.

‘You promised.’

‘I know.’

‘No,’ he manages to get out, raising a shaking hand and placing it over where Jimin’s hand rested against his chest. ‘They’re always here.’

*

Jimin can feel Sk’jin’s soul straining even more- almost to breaking point.

Planets were aligned to their suns, pulled by the gravitational forces exerted by the star, drawing them into various distances and maintaining this velocity to create a stable orbit. And Jimin has often thought that the very core of anyone’s being- their Souls, were very much like planets in their dependence and existence.

But Sk’jin was unlike this- he orbited an unknown force- one that was barred from him, but one that drew him in at violent velocities. And at this very moment, Jimin can feel it pulling at the Khol’isa with brutal force.

Jimin places his hand over Sk’jin’s chest, right where his heart was.

Strong, powerful, and forthright- Sk’jin’s heart hammered under his palm and Jimin can taste his fear, his anger, his pain- and most of all, his overwhelming guilt. Whatever had happened here was eating away at Sk’jin- beyond what Jimin could possibly hope to understand. The weight of this burden- of this storm-  was so excessive, it was nearly overtaking the Khol’isa’s wearied and strained soul.

And it progressed into higher velocities the moment they landed on this planet.

Similar to the way planets were aligned to their stars; adjusting and composing themselves to the pull of the center of their solar system, this planet, like Sk’jin, felt as though it orbited another force. But Jimin knew this was not the case. There was nothing wrong with the planet. It felt tilted- almost as though the living core of the planet had shifted axis- altering its existence.

When they had first approached the planet, Jimin had sensed a strange sort of familiarity. And he hadn’t wanted to jump to conclusions, but it’s almost the same form of illusion or retraction of immediate mass as the technology they had developed in Akramana. But if that was the case, how was it here? And how was it obtained?

Jimin cradles the cell in his arms as the Spardyti lifts up. Those were the questions he had before landing on the planet. But now he knew.

It doesn’t surprised Jimin.

He has spent lifetimes in thought- occupied by singular notions or drowning in every conceivable idea- all born from the series of events that led up to his arrival in Megibīya. Every action executed, every word spoken. Jimin has drowned over and over again in these thoughts- in this guilt. And he long came to conclude, only to be cemented now by information given to him by Taeh’yung, that he had been betrayed by the Panel.

What happened in Megibīya. The coming of the Red Evil. The death of his people, of the bystanders in the form of Yoongi’s team- this was all a ploy- a carefully planned divisive attempt to enter Menigišiti. 

And the cell in his hands was proof enough that the Panel had been interfering with his Home- probably long before they were introduced. And the ship below was also prime example of this betrayal- of this treason.

The cell in his hands was proof  enough to know that they- in part himself- were responsible for the numerous pain and destruction that took place in this Known Universe. A small part of him is worried that once Sk’jin regains himself, once he’s far from this planet, he will conclude that the result of his current state- both physical and spiritual- was Jimin’s fault. But he doesn’t think about it, and pushes the thought out of his mind and instead focuses on the cell in his hands.

Jimin could always feel his planet- could always sense his sister. And the moment he awoke- the pain and fear that he had been shocked into, that he had been woken into- had long informed him that he was, in every sense of the word: alone.

But Jimin keeps a small and quiet hope deep in his heart. He has never left his System before- has never travelled beyond the ridges of their borders. He has existed within its security measures, within its technology and power- so Jimin has no conclusive comparison to contrast the lack of connectivity he felt with his Home and with his sister.

Would their own technology hide them from each other? He knew he ordered the Akramanan Wenedi Yyna to destroy the two-way cell that powered and charged their shields. Would that have effected how Jimin can reach to his own Home?

He almost feels a sense of pride- he hadn’t been able to detect the defensive barrier or see past the illusion.

Jimin carefully turns the cell in his hands; this little device had singlehandedly disoriented and confused him. Infused with foreign technology and implicated to be used for something certainly more nefarious than a security system, it had still undoubtedly, thrown him off-guard. So it was possible, that his Home, still existed- and continued to move on in safety.

And even if he was away, unable to fulfill his duties as the Yemenifesi Ch’inik’eti of his people, they would still be left under the protection of the Heart of their Home.

Sk’jin exhales shakily.

This planet, and Sk’jin, felt dislodged and incomplete.

While it was true that the technology from Akramana allowed immediate space-mass to be manipulated and altered, deviating and refracting channels of communication and or observation, their technology did not create this emptiness.

Jimin felt nothing harmful from this planet- but he did sense a strange gaping void. As though scooped out and completely eradicated. A strange void- barren and desert like. Only the distant memory of it existed- and Jimin feels as though it should remain so.

Some memories were made to linger, to remain. Some were meant to be forgotten- out of fear of what it might birth.

So he looks past the void- and instead he listened to the voices. There were countless voices- audible once the ship was close enough to the planet. Jimin has never experienced something like this- the space he existed in, the expanse of white, had been different to this.

It was as though whatever was here was waiting.

Just waiting for a return.

The same way Sk’jin’s soul seemed to be waiting- drawn towards a strong and powerful pull. But it’s too chaotic for Jimin to properly divine. He can’t pinpoint what it is exactly about the Khol’isa that seems to simultaneously drain him, yet rage about within him to bursting point. But the way he had stared out into the jungle- there was a strange joy in his eyes- but most of it had been fear and guilt.

‘Being alive is so complex Chim. But it’s the greatest thing- next to death.’

Namjoon is quiet as well.

He had guessed, theorized, that there was a possible connection- the GLA who sent them out had feared it. And now it was true. That the technology from Menigišiti fueled and powered countless research and experimentations- most of them for selfish and cruel reasons. And it was probably this very technology that led to the series of events that made Sk’jin who he was today- and what he went through.

Namjoon subtly glances over at him and Sk’jin.

Jimin knows Namjoon wants answers. That his search for answers does not only come from the need to fulfill this mission- but from a deep seated desire to know why.

Why any of this happened.

Why the GLA evolved into this state. Why the Yishengs betrayed the Universe. Why Jimin’s Home was subjected to cruel attempts of invasion. Why Hoseok had to live through what he had to do. Why Sk’jin was the way he was. Why his planet was destroyed for no reason than to serve as a sick experimental facility. Why Yoongi was the way he was.

But Jimin doesn’t know either.

He has no single clue- not an inkling to understand why any of this happened. What else had been effected, what else triggered and started, by the technology stolen from his Home? What other souls and hearts were completely destroyed and forgotten, as Beings of vain self-righteousness attempted to shape the Universe to their ideal?   

He wishes he could give Namjoon the answers.

But he can’t.

When they land the Spardyti in front of the Užkulisai, Taeh’yung is waiting for them at the Hangar gate.

‘How is he?’ Jimin asks immediately the moment he’s close enough to the Zhak’gri.

‘He’s still asleep- I think he might wake up soon,’ Taeh’yung replies gently before going over to Sk’jin who trails in tiredly. Namjoon hovers outside, watching carefully.

The Kutsoglerin was obviously at a loss.

He was right after all- his theory had been proven correct. But what did that mean now? What could they do with this information?

Jimin quickly makes his way to the Medical Bay and quietly peaks inside.  

Yoongi was fast asleep on the Bed, the drip connected to this hand halfway finished. His features were disturbed and restive, a slight furrow between his brows. He was just as pale though his veins weren’t that prominent anymore.

Jimin stands by the doorway as Sk’jin and Taeh’yung walk past. Taeh’yung is half-carrying Sk’jin, speaking in a low comforting voice. Sk’jin has calmed since- but it’s also because Jimin had made sure to ease his mind.

His heart, however, was an entirely different story.

The sound of nightlife and gentle shifting of naturally moving air quiets down again, replaced by the barely audible hum of the ship. And then Namjoon appears, looking quite haggard, as though he was finally letting go of the confident and upright visage he put over his lost and confused self. He catches sight of Jimin and his posture changes immediately.

‘Yoongi?’ Namjoon gestures to the room behind Jimin, his tone questioning. Jimin nods and raises his hand with his fists clenched and thumb sticking out. This seemed to be a generally widely used gesture to indicate that the user was in agreement with the other in question. Namjoon gives him a small smile, glancing at the Bay behind him before moving upwards himself.

Jimin finally walks into the Bay. He knows he should probably wash- his feet were leaving darkened tracks of old soil and ashy vegetation and mechanical dust. But he’s tired. And being by Yoongi’s side is as comforting as it has always been since the beginning.

No matter how changed he was, Yoongi was still effortlessly reassuring- even despite his own confusion and how lost he was; Jimin has never felt a more steadfast or reassuring presence in his life.

As the Yemenifesi Ch’inik’eti of his people, Jimin was the pillar of comfort, of reassurance, of peace and harmony. Yet he rarely felt these things given to him. An occupational hazard, his sister had once said to him. But Jimin had never minded- because being able to bring his people together in peaceful harmony and unity was what brought him joy and fulfillment.

But being with Yoongi.

Was this what it felt like? To be reassured and comforted?

Jimin sits on the chair by the Bed, leaning his head on his arms crossed over the cushioning. Already his mind is settling, his limbs less strained. The cell rests inside his pocket but Jimin pays it no mind now.  

However, now that his mind has quieted down, a lingering question still prevails in his mind. This is the one that baffles him the most.

Why was Yoongi here?

And how?

Jimin hums quietly under his breath, his hand finding and taking Yoongi’s into his own. He automatically closes his eyes, feeling at peace.

It’s strange because this Yoongi is different.

Like Sk’jin he’s incomplete, a little unhinged, and yet strangely wearied.

Yoongi’s breathing changes audibly and the hand in Jimin’s hold twitches just a little before his entire body shudders. Jimin stops humming and stands up immediately to find Yoongi opening his eyes, struggling with the shift in light. Jimin leans in, anxious to see if Yoongi was delirious or not.

There’s a strange film over his eyes- one that resembles the delirium of fevered Beings. And Jimin knows Yoongi’s not all there. But the Human’s eyes meets his and Jimin’s breath is caught in his throat- he’s taken back to Megibīya, back to that tower- back to that last straining moment-

Yoongi reaches up, hand cupping the back of Jimin’s head and gently pulls him down.

He smiles and Jimin’s heart is breaking- was this a dream? No- it was a nightmare- he was reliving his nightmare over again.

But this time he hears Yoongi’s whispered words and keeps them in his heart- memorizes the syllables and sounds. Because he would remember them this time- and he would never lose Yoongi again.

Yoongi was clearly going through some strange state of sleep, his body moving and his awareness confusing dreams for reality. Or in this case, memories with the present.

And Jimin knows this memory so well- because it’s acutely clear in his mind. So this time Jimin leans in first, pressing a soft kiss over Yoongi’s lips, lingering long before pulling away.

The difference in that few short seconds is staggering. Colour returns to Yoongi’s face, his breath restful, and the strain between his brows gone. He was simply asleep now.

Jimin misses Yoongi.

The one who gave him bright gummy smiles, the sunrise painting him soft muted colours. The one who would mime stories out to him in funny voices and expressions that made Jimin sometimes physically fall to the ground. The one that stayed by him, shielding him from any and everything- defending him from his own team-leader.

But that Yoongi was gone. Or at least, was gone for now. The Being before Jimin, this Yoongi, was here- and that was what mattered. Leaning in again, Jimin kisses the Human’s lips softly once more- but this time it’s a promise.

‘It’s all right if you don’t remember- you don’t have to try so hard,’ Jimin whispers- hoping that though Yoongi couldn’t hear or understand his words- his Soul might.

‘You’re here; that’s all I want.’

*

(Author’s Notes)

I can smell

A mixtape

I am ready to be slain

This week has been a little kinder to me in terms of uni, thankfully.

BUT THE NEXT UPDATE SHOULD BE UP FASTER THAN THIS ONE BECAUSE- well I can’t tell you I won’t spoil it. Also! For anyone curious about when Kookie is showing up I’m sorry to say it won’t be too immediate but it will be within the next 10 chapters!! Muscle bunny will make his appearance!!

Have a good weekend!! BECAUSE I SURE AS AM GONNA ENJOY MY SORT OF NOT REALLY FREE TIME BY WRITING LIKE A MAD MAN