Ancient Earth had a lot of cultural and urban myths and lore they were fond of. From the timeless legend of vampires, to the mystical belief in sprites and fairies, Humans never ran out of fanciful ideas and stories to entertain themselves. Out of all of these, the most improbable, according to Yoongi, has always been zombies.

He found the entire notion difficult to believe, even theoretically. Because no theory ever procured could ever rationalize or reason the possibility of zombies. The only explanation Yoongi could accept in regards to zombies changed the whole lore to something else- which was more of a psychological explanation, citing mental deterioration and reducing the unfortunate Human feral and senseless. The actual “turning into a brain-dead flesh eating horror” was laughable and Yoongi used to spend a lot of time debating the entire thing with his classmates when he was still in high-school.

But now as he watches his team members slowly fall apart, their minds fading, their eyes glazing over, and their bodies succumbing to a strange illness that both drained and pained them, Yoongi feels as though he was witnessing the fabled and cinematic zombie apocalypse. Except there was no immediate turn. There was no dramatic overture. No gradual descent into a crazed instinctual blood/brain-lust.

Everyone was too aware of what was happening. Too aware of their own change.

They could feel it in the air, on their skin, in between their hair strands.

They could feel it in their skin, permeating through the tissue and deep into their bones.

And Yoongi knows this because he feels it too.

A strain- a fragile and very precariously held balance was now starting to take over him.

And Yoongi cannot describe it. But he can see it mirrored in their eyes. He can’t explain whether it was an illness of his body. Or if it was just something entirely imagined. Or if it was instead a sickness of his heart, and instead of blood, he pumped pain and sand through his veins.

Each step he took felt disoriented and heavy, slow and haphazard. But it wasn’t so bad.

Especially compared to the others. Especially compared to Amic.

‘You look like ,’ he grinned, his cheeks hollowed out dramatically, his hair falling off slowly. Yoongi is reminded of terminal cancer patients he saw portrayed in movies from Ancient Earth.

‘Yeah- you’re looking really sharp out here,’ Yoongi comments back as he takes a seat next to his long-time friend.

There’s nothing to say. They can’t say anything. All they could do was stretch out the time between the inevitable collapse, between the expected vanishing. So far 2 of their team mates had vanished and there was nothing they could do.

What could they do?

‘You know-‘ Amic coughs out, ‘-I always thought- thought that all those movies we used to watch- were a bunch of bull.’

‘They were,’ Yoongi laughs but it sounds more like a sob.

‘I liked the Dis-nee ones though,’ Amic confesses.

‘Yeah? Me too,’ Yoongi wonders if by pretending they were normal, if by pretending none of this was happening, if they could stall or delay this inevitable truth that was about to become reality.

But Amic makes it hard to pretend.

‘I’m dying,’ he says simply. ‘The movies always made it seem so calm. So…so welcoming almost.’

Yoongi’s heart, or whatever was left of it, wrings out another pulse and pain floods him.

‘But I don’t want to go- I’m just- I’m just falling-‘ Amic’s voice breaks and the fear in his voice is palpable.

I want to catch you- but Yoongi can’t say it. Because he can’t catch Amic. He can’t reach for him. He was falling too and there was no denying the darkness they were plummeting into.

‘If- if it’s any comfort I’ll be joining you soon,’ Yoongi tries.

Amic frowns at him.

‘No,’ he shakes his head. There’s a strange glaze to his eyes- and it’s almost as though he could see past Yoongi, like he could see through him and beyond him. Beyond them.

Beyond this.

‘-you won’t.’

There’s a smile on his face as Amic apologetically calls for them to take a break. And Yoongi knows this wasn’t going to be a short break. He immediately makes his way towards his best-friend, towards the Being who he bonded with- all of his memories of Tayi, of training, of the initial introduction to life outside of Earth, was integrated with Amic.

Yoongi could not recollect any memory that did not have him in it. He couldn’t see himself without this tall lanky Being by his side.

‘I can hear him singing,’ Amic whispered.

‘-what?’ Yoongi’s ears are filled with static, his vision swimming before him.

‘-it’s nice,’ Amic smiles.

Jimin appears behind him, his eyes reflecting Yoongi’s sorrow, Amic’s pain, and everyone else’s fear. Amic tries to mime this praise at Jimin who tries his best to understand. They end up laughing, Jimin holding Amic’s hand in his. Yoongi can see them shaking and he wishes he was strong enough to hold them still.

But he knows he can’t.

When Amic dies, he dies with a smile.

Anger floods Yoongi.

Amic did not want to go. He fought it- he fought so hard. But there was an inevitable force- one they could not fight, one they could not oppose. And they were bent to its will.

Jimin is still kneeling next to Amic, his hand pressed over a still and cold chest. He clenches his hand into a fist over Amic’s chest and raises it to his own, over his own heart. He whispers soft words, gaze directed towards the sunrise and then back down again.

It’s profound, and private. But Yoongi can’t feel it.

He feels far away.

Far away from Amic. From his team. From Jimin.

He was falling and he didn’t have the strength, or the means to struggle.

Quite suddenly, Jimin embraces him close, arms wrapping around his shoulders and head in a way where everything stops and Yoongi is reeling back. The sound of Jimin’s breaths suddenly take over and Yoongi finds that he can finally breathe. Yoongi feels encompassed.

And with the next inhale and exhale,  everything comes rushing back.

His sobs tear out of him the way a scab peels from a wound.

He feels raw and exposed- everything burns and Yoongi almost wishes he was falling again. If it meant not having to feel this, Yoongi would gladly fall again. And as though sensing his thoughts, Jimin holds him tighter, hands brushing through his hair, whispering soft words that Yoongi doesn’t understand.

Yoongi is so exhausted.

He just wants to sleep and sleep and sleep- he just wants all of this to end.

‘Yoongi.’

Jimin’s voice is quiet, afraid to break his grieving or something. And in this expanse of death and pain, the only thing that grants Yoongi any reprieve- no matter how temporary, is knowing that Jimin is there.

Jimin holds him so tight it’s almost painful- but Yoongi craves that closeness. Craves feeling anything but death and this ebbing. Pressing his ear to Jimin’s chest, he can hear Jimin’s heart beating and Yoongi clings to the thrumming pulses, hoping that by placing himself this close to its resonance, that he might be able to feel alive.

*

Namjoon can’t believe he had forgotten about them.

It was Hoseok’s alarmed warning that alerted him to sudden onslaught of Ynqaba ships that were now headed towards them.

They were, to an extent, still entirely hidden and protected. However, Seulgaan’s ship, the Omhlophe ship, and most importantly, the Užkulisai were all in imminent danger.

‘Sk’jin?!’ Hoseok calls out again- but they’re met only with static and silence.

They don’t know if Taeh’yung’s warning had even reached them because after the familiar coloured explosion, all lines of communication had gone off and Seulgaan’s ship had dimmed.

‘That was a magnetic pulse,’ Namjoon puts the engines of the Spardyti in full blast and discarding their initial attempt at discretion and secrecy, he pulls them out of the debris. After all, it wasn’t like Seulgaan or the Omhlophe would notice. Not when they were being attacked. Hordes and hordes of ships were firing missile after missile- bright lights and flares blind them at every second and Namjoon relies solely on the screen before him to calculate their course.

‘ing Spaces-‘ Hoseok curses as they shoot upwards, keeping the sudden attack below them.

‘They’re trying to drag it down to their planet- they want the resources,’ Namjoon spits out, realizing what the Ynqaba were trying to do. ‘Seulgaan’s ship is basically one massive mine of resources and materials they need but can’t afford.’

The Ynqaba were fighting a brutal and draining war against each other- the Underverse was providing both sides of the war with equipment but at a very high price. So upon seeing a ship like the slaver-ship, and also the Omhlophe ship, the Ynqaba were quick to prioritize. Someone lost a battle, clearly, and now they were headed over to claim their reward.

They had practically traipsed in and handed themselves over on a shining platter.

‘We need to get them out,’ Taeh’yung pleads, eyes wide and looking hassled.

‘We can’t go in like this- we don’t even have tactical shields on this thing,’ Hoseok curses.

Sk’jin, Yoongi, and Jimin were in there. And they had no way of knowing if they were all right.

Their plan had gone along smoothly- down the timing, down to what to expect from Seulgaan. Sk’jin had done an extremely good job at predicting what would happen. And Namjoon cannot rue him about the Ynqaba. Because he should have seen it coming. They should have all been more aware.

He knows that Yoongi had made it back up. That Sk’jin was already inside the ship judging by the gloating comment he had directed at Namjoon just seconds before their lines of communication went down. He also knows that the Uzkulisai was an incredibly designed ship, made to survive extreme conditions. But with the magnetic pulse that went off, and with the confusion and chaos-

‘- they’re firing at the engines- they won’t be able to fly,’ Hoseok looks away from the window to look at Namjoon. His expression is helpless.

‘What do we do?’

There’s nothing they can do. They can’t dive in- not with their current transporter.

They could only wait. Only hope that the Užkulisai would somehow pull through and burst out of the slaver-ship.

‘They’re pushing them towards the planet,’ Taeh’yung reports quietly. His expression is blank, eyes eerily wide and glazed. Hoseok scrambles around, turning and running down towards the opposite end of the Spardyti.

‘The other ship is being overwhelmed,’ he reports, peering through the small window at the rear of the Spardyti. ‘They’re not moving either.’

‘It’ll be some time before they can- or unless the Ynqaba fired another magnetic pulse at them,’ Namjoon says tersely. His hands are gripping the controls so hard they bend slightly under his fingers.

‘-amjoon-‘

Sk’jin’s voice breaks through the static and it’s nothing short of a miracle. Hoseok sprints back, quick to try and stabilize the channels again.

‘-rying to fly out-…’ the frequency pitches up to a shrill whistle and Hoseok visibly winces, trying to focus the channels.

‘-n’t control the ship-‘

‘Is Jimin all right?!’ Taeh’yung asks immediately, gnawing at his lower lip in what Namjoon can only describe as the most normal display of emotion he’s seen from the Zhak’gri.

They get no response from Sk’jin- only more static.

The anticipation and stress reaches breaking point when a burst of light erupts under the slave-ship, lighting up that expanse of space and suddenly the slaver-ship is glowing.

‘They’re being pulled down by the planet’s gravity,’ Namjoon hisses under his breath.

The edges of the ship burst into bright light and with a rapidity that was almost fake, the entirety of the ship is tugged down with a force none of them were ready to witness.

‘-- can you ing hear me-‘

‘Sk’jin! We can hear you-‘

Out of the ignited slaver-ship burst out a thin small blazing white line and Namjoon knows it’s the Užkulisai.

‘-it’s collapsing- the engines are burning up I can’t pull out-‘

Namjoon doesn’t even think twice when he puts the engines on full-power and sends them hurtling towards the small speck of light.

‘It’s too close to Ynqaba’s gravity border-‘ Hoseok begins to counter but he that’s all he say.

‘Sk’jin- we’re coming to get you-‘ Namjoon is saying but something erupts in a strong powerful light below the slaver-ship and engulfs that entire region in a bright neon white cloud.

The line turns static and cuts off again.

‘- connect to main OS in the Užkulisai now!’ Namjoon orders.

‘Užkulisai offline. No channels are in operation.’ Lisai’s cool voice replies.

‘Namjoon- incoming.’ Hoseok reports sharply, his head turned towards the back and gaze locked on something behind them.

But before Namjoon can say anything Taeh’yung stands up.

There’s a burst of green light and Namjoon flinches violently at the sight of a wrathful Taeh’yung, exuding a powerful pulsing green light around him.

In Namjoon’s personal opinion, Taeh’yung reminded him of the gods of ancient lore.

Not a deity for good, existing not to guide or destroy, but existing simply as a manifestation of some primal and wild force. There was no rational reason behind any of Taeh’yung’s decisions, the way he carried out his life, or the way he chose to be. And while he proved no threat to them, for now, Taeh’yung was in himself, more dangerous and destructive than a fleet of war-ships.

Taeh’yung raises a hand up.

Where Jimin exuded no palpable or visible force of strength, Taeh’yung was the opposite.

Everything about him is chaotic and unstable. For a moment Namjoon feels almost as though the very atoms in the air would break apart at their bonds, reducing all elemental cores to nothing more than vacuum.

Rings of light erupt out of him and the light is so loud, Namjoon is momentarily deafened. Hoseok looks pained as he covers his ears, eyes closed and mouth open in a silent roar.

Then all at once, the light quiets and blinking to clear his vision, Namjoon finds that the space behind them is nothing more than a large expanse of thick dust. Shivers run down his spine unbidden. And when Taeh’yung turns around, Namjoon does not recognize him.

The air around him is pulsing, vibrant, and warped. Taeh’yung’s eyes are solid neon green and his gaze falls on the burning slaver-ship descended into the planet.

The Zhak’gri utters a strange sound- a word. And it vibrates through the air, pushing back Namjoon’s hair with a force similar to a violent gush of wind. But this was no wind- no gust of air, no might storm- it was nothing but pure raw power and Namjoon’s breath is crushed from the sheer strength of it.

Then the space outside warps and a green light, as powerful as a solar flare, erupts from behind Namjoon and heads straight down.

‘Taeh’yung no!’ Hoseok gasps out. How the Ngfy’widan had the wherewithal to move or even remotely think is beyond Namjoon. Hoseok is flinging himself in front of the Zhak’gri, arms flung wide. ‘Hey Tae, stop- we don’t know what’s happened to the others- we cannot guarantee their safety- or of the innocent Beings inside the slaver-ship!’

Namjoon hadn’t realized how much Taeh’yung had morphed until he shrinks back to his lanky and stringy form, eyes sparkling, and hair a mess.

Namjoon realizes that he was scared.

His body had stopped- his mind overwhelmed and an all too familiar pained weight pulling at his throat, wrists, and ankles burns him into absolute submission.

‘You’re right!’ he exclaims as though his voice hadn’t just echoed around them in terrifying tolls that Namjoon is pretty sure could have sounded in the depths of the Universe. ‘I wasn’t thinking! Sorry Hobi! Sorry pa!’

Gathering what will and self-control he had left, Namjoon pushes himself out of the paralyzed frightened stillness that had come over him. He hopes it goes unnoticed. He rubs at his wrists where no metal burnt him- not anymore at least.

‘Pa?’

It hadn’t gone unnoticed and Namjoon quickly shakes his head, turning back towards the window where the slaver-ship was now entirely aflame- a white mass falling into Ynqaba. The Užkulisai is nowhere to be seen and judging by how the rest of the Ynqaba ships were headed back downwards, they had succeeded in drawing both ships down to their surface.

‘It’s- it’s fine- sit down, we need to get to the Užkulisai,’ Namjoon hurriedly waves Taeh’yung and Hoseok back to the seats. ‘We need to fly down there- they’ve been drawn in. How’s the situation in the back?’

‘-‘ Hoseok curses, neck strained as he looks back out of the rear-window. ‘I don’t know what you did, but good call?’

Taeh’yung beams at him, raising both hands in thumbs up.

‘Pull up the trackers- let’s find them as quickly as possible,’ Namjoon orders.

‘Do- do we report to the GLA- or to a patrol somewhere? Seulgaan is still a GLA officer- we could send a distress signal- one to distract,’ Hoseok offers as he switches the tracker from finding his own before taking over the pilot functions.

‘No- not with the Omhlophe around- besides this area is not under GLA law or jurisdiction. They won’t come no matter what- it would just create more political strife,’ Namjoon shakes his head. ‘And even if they do come- it would be the Yishengs.’

‘Then that’s-‘ Hoseok pauses, distracted. ‘-hey, isn’t Jimin supposed to be on this too?’

‘What do you mean?’ Namjoon grabs the screen, eyeing over the screen.

Hoseok jumps when a huge broken wing suddenly orbits its way in front of them and he has to turn them sharply. Namjoon takes the screen from him in the meantime and Hoseok concentrates on making his way past the debris with great care. Just because their presence was masked, didn’t mean they couldn’t be visibly spotted or have things crash into them. The Spardyti was not built for this sort of mission and despite being quite successful in still surviving in a Transporter that wasn’t supposed to be used off-planet, Hoseok is not taking his chances, regardless of whatever alien technology they were implementing.

‘Jimin- Jimin is not in the Užkulisai,’ Namjoon realizes. The screen clearly indicated that the slaver-ship had crashed near the shores of one of the continents, whereas the Užkulisai had crashed deeper and center of that continent. And Namjoon spots the two tracker lights- one for Yoongi, and the other for Sk’jin, clearly situated where the Užkulisai had crashed. But the other light.

‘He’s still inside Seulgaan’s ship.’

*

Sk’jin hates falling unconscious with a vengeance.

When he comes to, he’s filled with anger at everything.

He’s angry at Van Seulgaan for being a general all-round .

He’s angry at Namjoon by default.

He’s angry at the Omhlophe for choosing this area to negotiate.

He’s angry at the Ynqaba war.

He’s angry at Lisai’s voice, alerting him through the Comm-Device that the Užkulisai was in dire straits.

He’s angry that he’s even actually here.

He’s angry at the burning pain around his shoulders, his right thigh, his head, and for no visible reason, his left pinky-toe.

He’s angry that his robes are torn and covered in what appeared to be centuries of dust and debris.

He’s angry at Yoongi for nearly killing him.

Sk’jin’s memory is still very fresh with the way Yoongi had literally screamed at him to take them back into the slave-ship. Sk’jin could have never imagined Yoongi looking so unhinged and crazed but the Human had come bursting into the Bridge, a mad and disheveled look to him as he ordered Sk’jin to go back.

And Yoongi looked like he was about to launch himself at Sk’jin and kick him out of the cockpit (and maybe even the ship who knows) when there’s a massive thunderous boom and light like a tsunami comes crushing down inside the Bridge.

So yes, Sk’jin purposefully flew them out of the Dock, knowing full well that neither Yoongi nor Jimin were securely placed inside the Hangar. But it was a risk he had to take.

Their immediate purpose was to get out of the place, to leave as quickly as possible, and most importantly make sure they had a way to get out. Meaning they couldn’t lose the ship. And despite reassurances that the Užkulisai was an incredibly strong and customized ship, Sk’jin wanted to take no risks. And Sk’jin had seen an opening in the middle of all that missile barrage and he ing took it. Who knew when the next window of opportunity would open for them. The ship was strong yes, but being on the receiving end of 100+ missiles in a span of 10 seconds was not something he wanted to test whilst being inside the ship.

He’s still angry at Yoongi.

And a little amused.

But he’s angriest at the glaring light that’s threatening to blind him.

He was definitely inside the ship- something he could sense despite not being in complete control of his senses and being heavily disoriented. And also-

‘Artificial atmosphere generator is at critical levels. Reboot?’

Lisai’s voice is very clear, meaning that wherever he was- either crash landed in Ynqaba or floating senselessly in space, or Spaces forbid, stuck in some nightmarish reality- the ship was still intact. So maybe he did owe Yoongi an apology for leaving Jimin behind.

His senses come back to him slowly and so does a lot of pain.

Sk’jin realizes that the burning pain on his head was a result of hanging upside down.

Sk’jin disengages himself from the cockpit seat and lands heavily on his side on the roof of the Užkulisai. It takes another minute to sit up and understand his surroundings. The thick glass ceiling that covered the Bridge was miraculously intact and only somewhat shattered in some areas but there was no breaking. Sk’jin has to hand it to the design of the ship. It was sturdy as . Maybe all those rumors about how the Užkulisai could drill through the core of a planet was true.

The annoying glaring light was coming from outside- where had they crashed into? It appeared to be a powerful spot-light of sorts.

‘Artificial atmosphere generator is at critical levels. Reboot?’

‘ I know,’ Sk’jin groans out as he stands up. ‘Reboot all systems at critical level.’

‘Understood.’

‘Where am I?’

‘You have entered the country of T’tenga in the planet of Ynqaba illegally. Please obtain your pass at the nearest Immigration Office, located 3.1 light years in the System of Ymir.’

‘Well ,’ Sk’jin whispers under his breath. ‘Where are Namjoon and Taeh’yung? And Hoseok and Jimin?’

‘Captain Namjoon, former head-pilot Hoseok, Taeh’yung, and Jimin are offline.’

Using the hanging chair for support, Sk’jin looks about for Yoongi. To an extent he wasn’t too worried about Jimin.

Sk’jin has a feeling that he was more than capable of taking care of himself and surviving a crash into the planet and a few explosions. No big deal. He was also wearing whatever super-suit that Yoongi normally wore. And this was why Sk’jin is worried he’ll find a splattered Human body somewhere in the Bridge.

But he comes across no such body. There’s no blood or remains of gore.

‘Please try to reconnect with the missing crew,’ Sk’jin coughs out, his side burning and his shoulders incredibly sore.

‘Understood. All systems restored. Right wing turbine compromised. Engine 05 needs manual realignment.’ Lisai announces in reply.

‘Find weapon-specialist Yoongi,’ Sk’jin orders, looking about for a screen or NaviLet. Anything at this point.

‘Weapons-specialist Yoongi is in the Second Level Lobby.’

Stumbling on his feet, Sk’jin makes his way as quickly as possible out of the Bridge. They were upside down, and he has no idea how they’re going to right themselves. He also has no idea how he’s going to make his way to the Second Level.

With no mean level of strength, a lot of calculation, and balance, Sk’jin climbs up to the Second Level, breathless and with quaking limbs.

Only to find Yoongi standing in the middle of the Lobby, half of his face covered in blood, staring down at Sk’jin blankly.

Other than the blood Yoongi seems entirely all right. How that’s possible, Sk’jin has no idea. But he’s relieved.

‘ing Spaces-‘ Sk’jin scrambles to push himself up and flails towards Yoongi. ‘-, you’re okay-‘

The next thing Sk’jin sees is the ceiling (floor? Technically floor), his jaw probably dislocated, and his mouth full of blood. Was that a tooth? Teeth. Yoongi punched him so hard two of his teeth fell out.

‘What the -‘

‘You left him.’ Yoongi states plainly before appearing in Sk’jin’s very blurred vision.

Yoongi punched hard.

Sk’jin was flat on his back, at least 3 meters from where he was originally standing, and his body painfully numb.

‘Before you punch me again- can I at least explain why I did it.’ Sk’jin croaks out.

‘I don’t care,’ Yoongi replies simply, he’s not even looking at Sk’jin anymore. ‘You did what you thought you had to do. And I will now do what I have to do.’

Sk’jin sits up with sudden alarm, heart in his throat.

‘Don’t-!’

Sk’jin honestly thought Yoongi was going to possibly kill him. Honestly it wouldn’t surprise Sk’jin. Not after that maddeningly crazed scream Yoongi had let out prior to their crash. Also because Sk’jin reasons that to an extent, it was deserved. But Yoongi is already moving out.

‘What the -‘

‘Intruder alert. Security systems have failed and are no longer working.’

Cursing under his breath, Sk’jin tries to stand up but his disorientation (and pain, thank you Yoongi) pushes him around until he collides with the wall. Or was that the ceiling.

Sk’jin can’t tell.

‘Intruder alert. Security systems have failed and are no longer working.’

‘ ! Yoongi!’ Sk’jin gasps out, flailing a little as he tries to stand. But the Human doesn’t reply.

And that’s when it hits Sk’jin.

Yoongi left him behind.

‘Wow-‘

Sk’jin is laughing hysterically when half a dozen armed dangerous looking Beings appear inside the Lobby. The bright spot-light made sense now. It was probably their transporter or something.

These Beings were not the same ones he saw in Seulgaan’s ship. They weren’t wearing what Seulgaan’s guards were wearing either.

These were, no doubt, natives of Ynqaba. The ones who shot them down, pushing them towards their planet’s gravity. They’re rather anthropomorphic, but their features are incredibly sharp and cruel. Their skin is an ashy colour, as though they were malnourished. And maybe they were. Sk’jin can’t tell with his blurred vision and anger simmering inside him.

They didn’t appear too old, though a few had facial hair. They seemed to regard him with contempt and curiosity. Not the best combination but better than greed or smugness.

Sk’jin stops laughing after a while, and they approach him slowly. They’re armed with incredibly heavy looking gear and at the same time, incredibly made-up looking ones. Rustic almost. In fact, one of them is holding a pitch-fork.

Were these scavengers? Pillaging and looting areas after the war left? Or were they military personnel? Police? Sk’jin can’t figure it out. He’s still angry at Yoongi. him and his ability to simply vanish.

‘He looks out of it.’ One of them remarks. ‘Never seen his kind. Looks weak to me.’

‘Wouldn’t say that for sure. He survived the crash didn’t he?’

Good, at least they spoke standard.

‘Check for more survivors. I thought we scanned two Beings.’

‘Maybe there was a fault- I only see him.’ The other replies. ‘No one else.’

Wow, thanks Yoongi, Sk’jin thinks, laughing again and harder this time. He can’t see, but he’s pretty sure the Ynqaba natives are eyeing him with a lot of judgment.

‘Think he’s lost his mind?’

 I wish.

‘Looks like it. We can get back ransom for him- or we can give up to the Collectors. Might get a good pay.’

‘The Collectors are a better idea. There’s no guarantee for a ransom pick up.’

Sk’jin briefly wonders if it was at all probable that the others would come back for him. He was going to be taken out of the ship, and that was what they would need. If they got Hoseok back, they had a more than capable pilot as well. And the only other Being who had been with him left him behind.

There was no use for him.

‘Search him and then bind him.’ A voice barks out. Sk’jin hears the familiar sound of a scanner and he laughs even harder. ‘And maybe shut him up too. Clear the place out and let’s get going before the others arrive.’

‘Got it.’

*

Hoseok is glad to be back.

And by “back” he means back to the endless -luck and consequences of wildly planned actions and involvement of forces that honestly made no sense. Back to piloting a transporter that shouldn’t be used off-planet but here they were, using the transporter off-planet, and attempting to enter a foreign planet’s atmosphere with little to no functional protection.

Nothing had changed.

Great.

Hoseok braces himself as they enter the planet of Ynqaba.

But whatever was being used to shield them inside the transporter was strong enough to prevent them from burning to a crisp.

The planet was sizeable and was made up of 8 entirely separate continents. The land seemed dark and dry- probably a result of continuous war. The loss of their ecosystem was obvious, because even as they approach the surface, any sign of visible vegetation is rare, if not entirely missing. They had high mountain, but only a few had snow on them.

This was a planet ravaged and broken by war.

‘We’re not far,’ Namjoon says tersely, staring straight ahead, his mouth a thin line.

They had no contact with the Užkulisai, not a single signal or frequency from any of the channels.

However Yoongi’s obsession with poisoning all of them seemed to work for the better, and they were able to pinpoint everyone’s locations.

‘They’re moving apart,’ Taeh’yung comments from behind him.

‘Who?’

‘Yoongi and Jin,’ Taeh’yung replies, a frown obvious in his tone of voice. ‘Chim is also moving, but he’s still inside that ship I think.’

‘At least they’re all still mobile,’ Namjoon mumbles under his breath. And Hoseok privately agrees.

‘It’s only Yoongi who is moving,’ Taeh’yung adds. ‘Jin isn’t moving.’

Hoseok frowns at that. Why would they separate? In situations like these, numbers mattered. They would be better teamed up. Or was Sk’jin injured? A crash like that could easily render them incapacitated despite the security and stability of the Užkulisai.

Flying into Ynqaba was no easy task. Not with an ongoing spatial battle as well as continuous air/land battles. There was a lot of debris outside the planet, as well as within the atmosphere in forms of stations and arcs. They used the masses of debris to hide themselves though it greatly held them back in terms of speed and time management. Hoseok was sweating by the time they were at landing distance from the surface below.

The entire System was at war and going through unnoticed was a feat, even with their camouflage/defense tech, or whatever it was. Hoseok knows that Namjoon and Taeh’yung don’t have the time to explain what any of tech actually did; but that didn’t stop him from being intrigued. He wants to know what happened in that planet- what did they find, what did they see.

But that was going to have to wait.

The plan was to get to the Užkulisai first thing and deposit Namjoon there so that he could fix what needed fixing. Then Taeh’yung and Hoseok would quickly make their way to where Jimin was and pick him up. It was a basic and simple plan but Hoseok has lost all trust in those now.

‘Yoongi has stopped moving,’ Taeh’yung reports, sounding even more confused. ‘He’s just…he’s not that far from Jin but-‘

He makes a confused sound.

‘What is it?’

‘Jin is moving- and very quickly too.’

Unsure what to make of the whole thing, Hoseok puts the Spardyti on neutral and they cruise quietly over the graveyard of a city below them.

Hoseok feels Namjoon’s questioning but quiet look directed at him. What was going on?

The area the Užkulisai had crashed was in what Namjoon discovered was an abandoned mountain-side city. And when they fly over a particularly high and blackened sharp mountain, the entirety of the mountain-side city is revealed to them.

And it was indeed quite literally a mountain-side city.

What must have been great and beautiful structures that seemed to grow from the high mountain sides were carved out and exposed, their natural sandstone walls grey and ashen in colour. What was once a vibrant and obviously flourishing city was reduced to faded and crumbling remains.

High broken structures stretched out from mountain sides, suggesting a complex motorway of sorts must have crisscrossed here before. And a very recent path of destruction cuts an almost bloody gorge which like a huge indicator, points them straight to an upturned Užkulisai.

And pulling out from the crash-site is another transporter.

Tensing, Hoseok quickly veers them off to the side, hoping they weren’t sighted.

‘Someone got there before we could,’ Namjoon states tersely. ‘They’re taking Sk’jin.’

‘Where’s Yoongi?’

‘He’s moving now-‘

And because Hoseok is looking for him, he spots a small dark figure dart out from large piles of rubble, steadily making his way to the Užkulisai.

‘What the ?’

‘What do we do?’ Hoseok asks, eyeing the transporter that moves further and further way, taking Sk’jin with them. Namjoon doesn’t reply for a moment, his eyebrows deeply furrowed, clearly doing a lot of thinking.

‘Land us,’ Namjoon orders. ‘We get answers from Yoongi.’

The air is harsh and smells heavily of pollutants. It’s also strangely stale and Hoseok wants to cover his mouth and nose. Taeh’yung obviously does not like the smell and he’s making loud retching sounds as they exit the Spardyti. Namjoon is the only one who doesn’t seem to have an issue with it. Hoseok lands them close to the ship, realizing with a panicked jolt that the crash had created a rather deep crater inside of which the Užkulisai lay. This was not a good tactical position. They could be ambushed and would have no way of properly defending themselves. It was also going to make taking off difficult.

They rush out, craning their necks to look up at the forcibly opened Hangar Bay gates. They were going to have to climb up.

‘- Yoongi!’ Namjoon yells.

‘I got it pa!’ Taeh’yung says cheerily and honestly Hoseok has no idea what to expect from the Zhak’gri but there’s no need to panic because Yoongi suddenly appears overhead and nimbly leaps down, landing quietly in front of them. His face covered in dried blood, parts of his hair matted down, and his eyes aflame, Yoongi doesn’t even spare them a glance and he’s already briskly walking.

‘Yoongi what happened-‘ Namjoon asks at once while Taeh’yung exclaims out in horror, reaching for the Human at once.

‘Sk’jin left Jimin behind,’ the Human states bluntly as he pauses momentarily. ‘Scavengers found us. They took a majority of our supplies and resources, as well as Sk’jin. We need to bring Jimin back.’

It’s silent for a few seconds and Hoseok speaks up, seeing as Namjoon seems to have lost the ability to speak.

‘Yoongi- Jimin is all right, his tracker is still lit up-‘

‘We need to get him back. We left him behind. I have to go back to him,’ Yoongi states and that’s when Hoseok realizes that Yoongi is carrying a sling-bag of sorts. A very familiar sling-bag of sorts. In fact, Yoongi is draped in familiar looking devices that Hoseok didn’t even know they had on board.

‘I cannot leave him again.’

‘Wait-!’ Namjoon yells out. ‘You’re not thinking straight- Yoongi calm down for just a second-‘

‘Sk’jin left Jimin behind,’ Yoongi repeats. ‘I need to bring him back.’

Something clicks inside Hoseok’s mind and before he can even properly form the thought in his mind he says, ‘There were at most, 10 scavengers, judging by the size of their transporter. Armed like that, you could have easily taken them all out.’

Namjoon seems to understand exactly what Hoseok was saying. His eyes darken and he glares down at the Human.

‘Yoongi, did you let those scavengers take Sk’jin?’ Namjoon asks in a low serious voice.

‘Yes.’

Hoseok isn’t sure why he’s not surprised.

‘What the -‘

‘In a mission, we get rid of things we do not need. We use only what would profit or strengthen our mission’s success rate. My mission is to protect Jimin. I didn’t need Sk’jin for that. So I left him.’ Yoongi states simply.

‘Yoongi no-‘

‘If you wish to discontinue, then I will not stop you. But I going to Jimin.’ The Human declares bluntly.

‘Yoongi wait-‘

But the Human pushes past easily, making his way towards the Spardyti.

But he doesn’t manage to take another step past as a neon green ring erupts around him.

Yoongi looks back, only his head turned, eyeing Taeh’yung who looked sheepish but at the same time frustrated.

‘Yoongi!’ he actually stomps his feet. ‘This is not how you do things! You can’t just leave Jin like this!’

Yoongi blinks once, twice.

‘He left Jimin.’

Taeh’yung seems at a loss for words and actually makes a loud whiney sound before looking over at Namjoon as though begging the Kutsoglerin to fix this situation.

‘If it is true that Sk’jin left Jimin behind- then he was, in many ways, wrong to do so,’ Namjoon says carefully, one hand raised a little as though to placate both parties. ‘However, we cannot decide if it was all done out of malice- it’s possible he had no choice. However, what you did was wrong. You simply allowed Sk’jin to be taken by a bunch of Beings we have no idea about. And you will apologize when you see him later.’

‘He needs to apologize to Jimin first.’ Yoongi declares.

‘Yes- we will all apologize to each other when we get out of here- and in order to do that, we need to upright the ship, make sure it’s all right- and then collect Jimin and Sk’jin.’ Namjoon states very clearly, looking very much like he was talking to a very stubborn child who was purposefully throwing a tantrum.

Yoongi seems to be struggling, expression still blank but he’s clearly thinking hard. Then he looks away, and if Hoseok isn’t mistaken, he’s actually pouting.

‘Understood.’

Namjoon nods at Taeh’yung who releases the Human, still looking apprehensive, as though expecting to be told off. A high contrast to how he had behaved outside of Ynqaba.

‘Right,’ Namjoon eyes Yoongi carefully. ‘We’re going to install the cell in the Užkulisai, make sure it’s at full function, then we’re going to track both Jimin and Sk’jin, and pick them up. Is that understood?’

‘Understood.’

Namjoon sighs heavily, glancing over at Hoseok, his expression exasperated and tired. Then he looks over at the ship with a frown.

‘We’re going to have work fast,’ he comments. ‘It’s going to get dark- we don’t know what could be around.’

Hoseok looks up and back around the city above them. Sure it looked empty and abandoned, but they couldn’t be too sure.

‘First order of things we need to make sure all the systems are still intact,’ Namjoon declares, studying the thankfully intact wings with sharp eyes. ‘Then we flip her over.’

Scaling the back of the Užkulisai is no easy feat but they do manage getting in, no words exchanged. The success of their new journey depended on speed, efficiency, and tact. They all quickly make their way towards the Bridge, avoiding fallen objects as well as the mess that had leaked all the way down from the Kitchens.

‘Lisai how are the internal housing-systems?’ Namjoon asks as they trip into the upside-down Bridge.

‘All systems are functional. Right wing turbine compromised. Engine 05 needs manual realignment.’ Lisai surmises.

‘All right- I’m going to reverse the gravity so we can all walk properly,’ Namjoon calls, arms stretching up to reach for the Navigation Table above him. ‘Grab on to something.’

Taeh’yung takes this as an invitation to cling to Namjoon, face mushed up against the Kutsoglerin’s throat with a pleased smile. Namjoon doesn’t even bat an eye, bracing himself onto the arm of his chair on the Mast. Hoseok also grips his chair, his hands placed in a way where when he adjusts in reverse, he would land upright. Yoongi has outdone all of them without trying, already seated on his chair in the tower-mast (it was finally living up to its name up there).

‘Reversing,’ is all Namjoon says.

There’s the familiar pull in the lining of Hoseok’s stomach indicating the switch in gravity. Slowly but heavily, everything falls upright- or at least is placed the way they should be if the ship were still upright. Landing on the balls of his feet, Hoseok takes a few seconds to adjust himself before sliding into this seat. Looking out into the now darkening space outside the window, Hoseok starts up the ship.

‘All systems stable. Prepare for planetary take-off?’ Lisai asks.

‘No- reverse turbines and switch engine to neutral hover,’ Hoseok calls out even though he’s manually doing all of it. ‘Set us 30 meters above ground.’

‘Of course.’

It’s odd seeing the way they move, seemingly downwards, and instead behold an upturned darkening horizon.

‘Those look like storm clouds,’ Namjoon comments darkly. ‘Lisai- weather forecast for our coordinates.’

‘Thunderstorm approaching. Expected duration 6 hours. Precipitation at 3pH. Proceed with caution.’

‘What the -‘

‘-the planet is polluted,’ Namjoon explains in a low voice. ‘Look at the land- it’s obvious the entire planet is dying.’

‘It’s not,’ Yoongi says quietly from the front as they rise higher. Hoseok would ask what he meant but he’s concentrating on stabilizing them enough to successfully flip them around. If they were in motion, then it would be easy- but their engines were not at full power, so he was going to have to maintain a perfect equilibrium of jet-expulsion from the turbines to flip them over, time their rotation and make sure they don’t veer off elsewhere.

Hoseok has honestly not stopped sweating from the sheer stress of piloting since he was rescued rather extraordinarily by Taeh’yung no more than an hour ago and he just wants to catch a break. He successfully flips them around and Namjoon corrects their gravity once more. But there is no time for congratulations or break.

‘All right- I’ll go install the cell out of the Spardyti- Hoseok could you go to the Engines Room- Yoongi, could you check the turbine?’ Namjoon orders, already exiting the Bridge before adding, ‘Keep tracking Sk’jin and Jimin!’

Yoongi doesn’t reply but simply makes his way out as well. Hoseok is quick to steer them away from the lengthening shadow of the mountain-side city and out in the open and dry expanse outside. Landing them properly but only at stand-by, Hoseok makes to get up and head for the Engines Room when Taeh’yung suddenly appears before him.

‘Spaces-!’

‘They didn’t do anything to you?’ the Zhak’gri asks, his expression rather blank.

His stay with the Omhlophe had been an odd one, Hoseok admits.

After he’d been trapped in that room with the OrTanks, no one came to check up on him for almost an entire day. He had felt the ship he was in hum to life. Then he felt movement and had braced himself in the narrow gap between two OrTanks, adamantly trying not to look at their faces. Then a Being, not one of the Omhlophe, had appeared, cuffed him, and taken him out of the area, out of the ship, revealing that the ship Hoseok had snuck into had in fact been landed inside another ship. He didn’t see any of the Omhlophe- it had been dark and Hoseok could only sense and somewhat deduce he was inside a Hangar of sorts. Then he was led into a storage like facility through a lift and deposited into one of the cells.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

Hoseok had been extremely paranoid, jumpy at every little sound. He was under observation of course, but that was it.

‘Nothing,’ Hoseok replies. ‘It was odd- I only saw one of them. Once. And then after that, nothing.’

‘What about the other babies?’

‘They were like Jimin- asleep, floating.’ Hoseok replies before he remembers a key detail. ‘They all had that indent on their spine- like Yoongi does.’

Taeh’yung blinks slowly a few times, eyes never leaving his. It’s disconcerting, especially at this proximity. Because looking at Taeh’yung like this forced Hoseok to come to terms that he knew nothing of this Being before him. And the worst part of it, was that Taeh’yung himself didn’t seem to know much about himself either.

‘I’m glad you’re back,’ he smiles softly, eyes turning into crescents before pushing himself quite comfortably into Hoseok’s space and sitting on his lap. His long arms wind around him and he nuzzles into the side of his face affectionately.

‘Please don’t ever leave again.’

Squirming but trying not to offend the lanky Zhak’gri, Hoseok stammers out, ‘Uh- yeah, I’m staying Tae- don’t worry.’

Taeh’yung gives him a happy smile and kisses his cheek sloppily before pulling away and saying, ‘Good! I missed you so much!’

And with that he runs off, all limbs and bouncy hair.

It takes Hoseok a moment to recover and remember that he was headed for the Engines Room. He gets up without interruption, but this time he’s got a wide smile on his face.

*

It takes longer than it should but Jimin is weak and his limbs don’t want to listen to him. But he manages to crawl/push himself along the vent. It’s dark and Jimin cannot see- his surroundings are oppressive and narrow and if he was capable of being a little more aware of his immediate environment, Jimin would be frightened out of his mind. But at this moment his mind is slow and his reaction limited. But his instincts were taking over and Jimin blindly crawls forward to the best of his abilities.

There is no indication that he was even headed for a potential way out. He just had to move. Had to get out.

With a pained cry, Jimin slides downwards abruptly. It’s momentarily wet and Jimin panics at the idea of falling into a body of water in this darkness and not being able to find his way out. But it’s extremely shallow- barely an inch or so. However it does reduce friction and causes Jimin to slip even more until he’s landing heavily on his side.

His breath is knocked out of him and he nearly blacks out once again.

For a moment Jimin thinks he’s seeing stars but the more he blinks, his vision clears and he realizes he’s looking at actual points of light. Gathering himself as best as he could, Jimin pushes himself up back to a crawl and slides across the slippery surface towards the light.

Jimin hadn’t expected the lights to appear that close to his face- his perspective was clearly skewed. Taking a moment to steady his breathing again and summon whatever will he had to hopefully realign his perspective, Jimin pauses before what he figures is a vent-cover.

As his vision clears, and he’s able to focus again, Jimin realizes he’s staring down into a heavily dilapidated atrium of sorts, flooded with emergency lights that aren’t as bright as Jimin had initially thought. Taking a deep breath, Jimin pushes at the vent until he realizes that he needed to pull at the vent. Sticking his fingers through the holes, Jimin manages to yank the cover away and with an irrepressible urge that practically ejected him out of the narrow and dark vent, Jimin collapses heavily onto the cold floor a foot below.

His breathing escalates and his vision darkens again.

‘You are experiencing a panic attack. Please remain calm.’ Lisai tells him.

But his ears are ringing in a high pitch and trying to do anything beyond just hyperventilating was too tasking.

And maybe because he wasn’t all there just yet, Jimin fails to sense their presence or the loud explosion. He does, however, register the flash of light and he only has a second to brace himself.

There’s a strong wave of heat and light and Jimin feels himself being shoved around the floor before he hits something with his back. And then before he knows it, he’s being bodily picked up from the ground. There’s a voice, and before Jimin can focus on what it is, he feels hands on the helmet over his head.

It’s instantaneous.

As though a burst of electricity hit him, Jimin is suddenly mobile and his senses return to him with a vengeance. He struggles against the grip that’s holding him up and falls on all fours. With a burst of adrenaline, Jimin shoots forward in a low run. His vision is blurred but he can just about make out an opening he prays is the door.

But before he can reach it, something hits the back of his legs and Jimin is sent skidding off of the floor again. But that doesn’t stop him from reacting.

With his vision returning to him slowly, Jimin notes that his would-be assailants are cyborgs- Seulgaan’s cyborgs. There are 3 of them. Shifting his weight and ignoring the flare of pain that radiates from his side, Jimin readies himself to attack. He had no weapons on him, and he was too weak to do anything of great consequence. All that was left was to physically fight.

He knew he had no chance in running- he didn’t know the layout of the ship, and he was not physically capable of outrunning cyborgs. If he could just deactivate them at the neck- where he hopes the main circuit wires were located like they were back in his System- then he should be able to at least, buy himself enough time. Jimin was not the strongest fighter, but he was fast.

But before he can take a step forward in offence, a pair of cyborg arms cage him in, holding his arms down at a painful angle. Jimin chokes out a pained croak, his vision darkening at an alarming pace. He tries to kick but he’s held down and the hands are back on his helmet.

‘No-!’ Jimin shouts, trying to push backwards but it’s too late.

The air smells stale and like air-coolants and like death.

The lights are glaring without the protective filter-shield and Jimin flinches at the onslaught of sensory assault.

How was he going to contact the others now? How could they know where he was? Would they be able to find him?

‘-lease do not resist. We will take you to medical aid now.’ The cyborgs echo at him in unison as soon as his hearing clears a little. Jimin realizes he’s breathing harshly, the ringing in his ears settling to low white-noise instead. His throat is parched and his temples were throbbing. Pain racks through his body again and he can’t help but cry out. That is until one of the cyborgs approaches him with what looked like a syringe of sorts. The implant is quick and painless but the relief it brings Jimin is monumental. It also brings a strange state of complete relax over his body.

‘What- what is this-‘ Jimin stammers out.

‘Prisoner is communicating in unknown codec. Refer to Director.’

The grip on his arms is loosened just a little and his legs are dropped, but it didn’t matter because Jimin can barely put on foot in front of the other. His mind however, was clearing up greatly. They used some form of tranquilizer on him. That was for certain. His mind was not affected, but his body was very rapidly losing all sense of mobility. Jimin could barely keep his head up straight.

He’s effectively dragged down hallways and other atriums. At one point they’re going over a narrow bridge below which a great fire was raging. Jimin’s mind was clearing but he’s still disoriented.

They walk out of one small atrium that’s dark save for neon orange head-lights when the door bursts open and Jimin is smothered by the stench of death and pain.

Gagging and trying to pull himself away from the overwhelming ocean of pure carnage, Jimin struggles his best. But it’s futile. Gasping for breath and trying not to retch as his mouth waters in protest over the assault on his senses, Jimin is instead hauled up as though to stand and he understands why.

They were outside towards the center of the massive ship, if Jimin is seeing right. They had entered a large hollow cylindrical shaped atrium that stretched up and down in great measurement. Broken bridges and pillars stretched around and to Jimin’s horror, piles of bodies were strewn about, and the stench of blood lingered in the air. Crudely built cages were broken everywhere and great piles of rubble and debris, some the size of the Užkulisai, were embedded all around. Yet despite all the chaos, it’s surprisingly calm. No screaming, no wailing- just a strict and almost stricken sense of calm. And at the center of it all stood Van Seulgaan, half of his face soaked in blood, his clothes covered in who knew what, and most frightening of all, a look of terror in his eyes.

He spins around as Jimin and the cyborgs approach him. The Tayian looks at him incredulously before his eyes gleam in recognition. The cyborgs holding him stop and one continues over, presenting the helmet to Seulgaan and speaking to him. Jimin is too far to hear, but Seulgaan doesn’t look away from him.

The look of terror is replaced with a calculative one. And Jimin already does not like where this was headed. Seulgaan holds onto the helmet before approaching him.

‘You’re not that GI agent,’ Seulgaan narrows his eyes.

Jimin knows he’s too weak to subdue them. He was at a great disadvantage and Seulgaan was clearly looking to reap whatever benefits he could possibly gain in this truly low moment for him.

‘You’re one of the abominations. I saw you- in Pompa.’

Abomination? What did he mean?

‘So that Khol’isa was lying…’ Seulgaan eyes him warily, he's clearly talking to himself now.  ‘How are you like this?’

Jimin wishes he understood what Seulgaan was saying. What did he mean?

‘What- what talking- about,’ Jimin manages to ask.

Seulgaan looks taken aback at his words.

‘You understand me?’

Jimin nods slowly.

‘Who were those Beings? In the white ship,’ the Tayian asks sharply. ‘Were they after you?’

‘I- I don’t know,’ Jimin replies honestly. They didn’t know, in all honesty, what the Omhlophe were after in the long run.

Suddenly, the entire ship shudders and there’s a loud explosion. It’s coming from outside.

‘Is there no possible way of escaping?’ Seulgaan asks sharply, clearly at one of his crew. He clearly doesn’t get the answer he wants.

‘There’s no helping it then,’ he says quietly before nodding sharply at someone behind Jimin before turning around. Jimin is instantly moving, following the Tayian. There’s a loud sound and just as they enter a corridor that closes behind them, a flash of light goes off and some of the heavier chunks of debris crash through.

‘Pack only the most essential cargo,’ Seulgaan orders, talking to his crew again. ‘Leave the others behind- this ship and the others will be our payment.’

Jimin realizes, with sudden and horrified clarity, that Seulgaan was about to give over his ship, his “cargo”, and everything else over in order to escape the planet.

‘Call whatever channel they have and make the deal- it’s one they can’t refuse.’ He concludes sharply before he’s turning the corner to access a large lift. ‘We’ll meet you in Hull E-45.’

Jimin feels them ascending. The lift shakes frequently but the cyborgs and Seulgaan make no notice of it. In fact, Seulgaan is simply staring at Jimin, eyes narrowed and calculating.

‘You’re different,’ is all he says.

Jimin refuses to look afraid. So he looks straight back at Seulgaan, his expression as blank as possible.

‘We’re getting out of here,’ Seulgaan tells him simply. ‘This is a dangerous planet and we’re extremely disadvantaged. No GLA platoon will rescue us and I’m not going to expose myself either. You can follow and not cause any issues and we’ll leave this place quietly and safely. Do I have your cooperation?’

Jimin does not like Seulgaan.

But he was the only available option for Jimin to get out of this situation.

Van Seulgaan, in Jimin’s opinion, was perhaps not a Being he would trust or categorize as a “good” being. However, his dedication to his business meant prioritizing his assets and making sure his source of income was taken care of. After all, no one wanted to buy or own a product that was already damaged. So there is at least the fact that Seulgaan would do everything in his ability to secure his cargo- or at least the most valuable ones, and that included Jimin now.

He nods in reply.

‘Do anything to hinder our escape, I will not hesitate to leave you behind.’

Jimin doesn’t bother responding to that so he looks away instead. The lift comes to grinding halt and the doors open with some difficulty.

It’s noisier here, and the overwhelming wave of death and destruction is somewhat lessened. Jimin still has no control over his limbs, held up only the cyborg behind him, he feels like an object whose value and price had just been stamped over him.

And maybe it didn’t reek of death in this area of the massive ship, but it didn’t stop it from being any less worse.

Because it reeked of sorrow.

Seulgaan had amassed a lot of Beings to work for him- all part of what Jimin understood to be something called the “Alliance”- all working in trafficking and selling living Beings for the morally and ethically depraved. And here they all were.

And it breaks Jimin’s heart.

Because it wasn’t as though these Beings wanted to be here out of choice. Not all of them. Jimin is hoisted past grieving Beings, clutching at sisters and brothers, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters. The Universe was not separated by those who did good, and those who were bad.

The Universe was separated into Beings who were allowed the chance to do good, and those who weren’t.

Jimin is distracted by the arrival of a small rag-tag group of Beings, all in various stages of injury and medical aid.

‘We’re surrounded,’ the one at the front reports. ‘They’ve shut up all of our communication channels- we can’t even call for aid-‘

‘We won’t be getting any,’ Seulgaan shakes his head. ‘How’s the evacuation holding up?’

‘We need at least 15 more minutes,’ he replies, looking tense.

‘Take it,’ Seulgaan pats the Being on the shoulder, ‘And get as much of us out of here as quickly as you can- prepare the shields and jump to warp immediately- understood?’

‘Got it- what about you?’

He looks a lot like Seulgaan, Jimin notes. Undoubtedly, they were the same species.

‘Not until you all leave,’ Seulgaan replies grimly before nodding tersely at the others. ‘Now hurry- and bring me that headset.’

They nod in understanding and sprint off.

Seulgaan was undoubtedly a villain to thousands- possibly millions. He was vile, responsible for the pain, separation, death, and complete degradation of humanity and ethical value. However he was also the leader, the guide, of many who looked to him to secure their lives. To keep them safe- to fend for their families.

Villains did not exist, plotting against the weak and defenseless out of pure evil or sadistic tendencies. Villains did not exist to simply create discord and pain for the sake of being a villain. Every action taken had the potential for pain, had the potential for evil.

Van Seulgaan was a villain for Jimin. But how many Beings did the Tayian actually save? How many Beings saw Van Seulgaan as their savior?

How many Beings saw Jimin as their savior?

And how many saw him as the villain?

‘Take him to the pods,’ Seulgaan orders, looking back at the cyborgs, not even sparing Jimin a glance. ‘Secure him in there and set him to our planned trajectory.’

‘Understood,’ the cyborgs reply in unison.

Jimin hears it before he sees it.

A strained impossibly high-pitched ringing that makes the hair on the back his neck stand on end.

The ripple of energy that rends the air before him warps his vision and everything is sent careening down to the floor.

The cyborgs holding him up crumple to the floor and the distinct hum of the ship, indicating that at least a few of the systems were still running, immediately dies.

And for one odd moment, from where Jimin is on the floor, his vision seems to really warp as the very walls of the Docking Bay they were in peels off. And to his horror he realizes it’s not a trick of his eye or even a result of some mirage. But massive constructs with colossal pincer like extensions were indeed pulling the walls of the slaver-ship apart.

The floor shakes and there are hordes of Beings running past Jimin. He’s paralyzed and he cannot move, an open and easy target for the stampede of petrified Beings. But by some miracle he’s spared being kicked and stepped on. The cyborgs around him are instead casualties of this stampede. There’s a lot of yelling and screaming, as well as the unmistakable rhythmic pulsing blasts from firearms.

Thundering thuds echo around and Jimin tries to right himself, unable to see more than just the floors. With a cry, Jimin manages to turn himself over to the side and he regrets it instantly.  

Bright lights rapidly fan out, almost slow, almost beautiful, from high up- as though stars were falling down.

And each falling star hits someone, flares erupt and screams rend the air, before they instantly crumple to the floor.

Massive chunks of the ship is torn apart, and Jimin thinks he’s hallucinating but the sight before him is all too real.

The sky is a washed grey, no star in sight as massive broiling storm clouds amass over them, promising lightning, darkness, and destruction. Thick and chaotic forks of lightning vein the clouds, and silhouetted against this depressing backdrop are dozens of battle-ships, all of which Jimin had seen in combat out in space. They were clearly surrounded and were in the process of being ransacked.

Floodlights pour in and illuminate the whole Docking Bay with blinding light. The firing stops and the screaming stops as well.

‘Surrender now and you will be spared.’ A voice echoes out from above them.

‘We surrender!’ a voice responds back.

Van Seulgaan has managed to stand, despite the great injury he suffered on his arm and the blood splattered across his face. His expression is tense and angry and fearful.

‘I am Van Seulgaan, captain of this ship, and board member of the Isbahaysiga Alliance,’ he announces boldly, doing an exemplary job at sounding confident and sure. ‘I surrender this ship, and its cargo to you, the Reformist Union of the Beings of Ynqaba! We will leave you to all you wish, in exchange that my crew and I are allowed safe passage out.’

It’s silent for a long while.

‘Tell me, Van Seulgaan. Would you allow a thief to safely leave your home?’

Jimin does not like Seulgaan.

But he was the only available option for Jimin to get out of this situation.

And he can’t do anything as a clean almost slow bold of light, fires through the air, and rather casually passes through Seulgaan’s chest and out towards the back.

‘No. You wouldn’t.’

The Tayian doesn’t seem to register it at first, he’s blinking a little slowly, a curious expression on his face.

And just like that, Van Seulgaan keels over.

Jimin’s immediate reality changes in an instant.

The lights blind him, and Jimin doesn’t know what’s happening around him. He desperately hopes that he’ll be overlooked, buried here amongst the heaps of cyborgs. Yoongi always went back and forth unseen, and it was more effective when he wore this suit. And for nearly an hour of waiting, paralyzed against his will, watching with watering eyes fleeting movement just beyond the white glare of the edge of light, Jimin thinks he might just be overlooked.

But Jimin has no such luck.

The air is filled with muffled whimpers, the thud of metal of flesh, the echo of a blast, the sharp ring of coarse and crude laughter, and a constant strange drilling sound that doesn’t go away. Seulgaan’s body is some ways from him, his oddly greyish blood turning an odd black as it began to dry up. The air is no longer thick with grief, pain, and death- but an added odour of greed, bloodlust, and hysteria blends in thickly.

‘Well well- what a beauty.’

Heavy boots appear in peripheral vision. There’s a soft scratching sound and the stench of some form of smoking weed assaults Jimin’s nose.

‘Abi, take a load of this one. Don’t he look familiar?’

Another pair of boots appear in front of him.

‘Huh- ain’t he one of them?’

Jimin is doubly alert.

One of them?

According to what he learnt about Yoongi’s most recent years through Taeh’yung, was that he was part (or at least created into) a secret organization that assassinated and infiltrated a variety of places, organizations, countries, governments, and even planets to fulfill a mission or duty given to them. They all wore this very suit, as well as the helmet.

‘Well well- looks like we really struck gold. You might wanna ring up the Collectors- tell them what we found.’

A rough hand pushes him on to his back and 3 separate heads loom down at him, silhouetted against the glaring spotlight above. Jimin cannot make out their faces, but he can sense malice, greed, and wanton cruelty rolling off of them like smoke.

‘Yeah- they’re gonna be real happy.’

*

(Author’s Notes)

UGH UNIVERSITY COULD KILL ME NOW AND HONESTLY I WOULDN’T EVEN REALIZE I WAS DEAD BECAUSE I’D STILL BE WORKING ON MY PROJECTS IN SPIRIT FORM I can’t believe I have 1 more year of uni please save me someone thanks

All black-hair bangtan however, did give me some energy- so I was screaming about it while rendering my animation in 3 different computers, staring at one very low resolution picture for hours

Then EUPHORIA HIT AND I JUST

There’s some trick- time bending going on here isn’t it? Like, the HYYH au is canon- then euphoria is like that, alternative reality au with only fluff tagged on it. I can see the tags ao3 style for hyyh and euphoria it’s epic please take a moment to imagine it too

Burn the stage has been giving me so many feels- like I never thought I could become fonder of bts but look at me now, feeling like I literally gave birth to 7 wonderful men and wanting to protect them for the rest of their lives my children you’re all such wonderful human beings

Im gonna go cry over how perfectly sly yoonminv were in bts run b y e