It’s with a strange sense of resignation that the captain tells Yoongi that their numbers were now reduced to just four of them. And it was with a strange sense of resignation that Yoongi accepts this fact.

‘I’ll be next,’ she tells him, no emotion on her face.

She wasn’t trying to be brave. She wasn’t trying to appear strong or even trying to do anything. She was simply stating facts. Facts that didn’t make sense, but facts that became their reality the moment they entered this planet’s atmosphere.

All facts were set the moment Yoongi saw the sharp glimmer of ice, bright and harsh like diamonds, striking of the edge of the planet, bordering the harsh deathly environments this strange planet harbored.

He could have turned around. He could have returned to the main ship. But he didn’t.

He could have done a lot of things.

Maybe not have drunk himself into a terrible hangover the morning before leaving Tayi.

Maybe he should have washed the dishes before leaving. Now his dishes would be moldy and that would be a pain to take care of.

Maybe he should have listened to Amic, and drunk more tea rather than coffee. Maybe he would take up on that later, make Amic proud and show him that he was indeed attempting at a somewhat healthier lifestyle.

Or maybe he should have spoken more. Especially to his family.

Like tell his sister what he was doing.

Or go back to Earth, be the brother he was supposed to be. Be the son he was supposed to be.

‘-oongi?’

She’s watching him closely, as though concerned for him. Yoongi wants to laugh. There was no place for concern here. It didn’t matter.

‘Sorry- I just, just sort of internally passed out I think,’ he replies, trying for a smile. He looks around and finds Jimin listening and nodding to the last mechanical engineer from their team. Without words, he’s explaining to Jimin the function of each device that when put together could create a powerful signal, strong enough to break through the immense clouds of magnetic static that broiled the atmosphere.

‘There’s…there’s something you should know,’ she tells him quietly.

All of his attention is focused on her and Yoongi finds the strength to sit up straight.

‘What is it?’ he asks quietly.

She looks away for a moment, watching the permanent sunrise, her normally sharp and clear eyes glazed over with a strange grey-tint. Yoongi wonders if he has it too.

‘This isn’t the first time the GLA have been here,’ she sighs out.

‘I mean yeah? We know that?’ Yoongi struggles to understand.

She shakes her head, turning around to look at Jimin instead.

‘He is important,’ she tells him quietly. ‘Not because he knew about us- he knows of us- that means someone went to him before.’

Yoongi has so many questions.

‘I heard from her that they had sent envoys here for centuries already,’ she pushes back strands of her hair, a majority of which gets caught in between her fingers and pulls away from her scalp in chunks. She doesn’t seem to notice. ‘But nothing came of it.’

‘Did something happen?’ Yoongi manages to ask.

‘I think…I think so,’ she frowns. ‘But I can’t be sure.’

‘What else did she say?’

‘She said they finally came to an agreement. And that they were headed for a negotiation of sorts.’

‘Do you think Jimin will know?’

At the mention of his name, Jimin looks over, expression expectant. Yoongi just smiles, shaking his head. Jimin smiles in return before turning his attention back to the devices.  

‘Maybe- maybe not- I mean,’ she sighs. ‘I don’t know.’

That was the underlying theme to all of this.

“I don’t know”.

It permeated everything.

The ground Yoongi walked on, the air he was breathing, the sight he was seeing. He didn’t know anything.

They all somehow gain a strange sense of energy as they approach the high mountain, its shadow falling at a permanent angle to the side, where the forest was a strange dark and damp place. The soil was sponge-like and the strong odour of rotting vegetation filled the air. Yoongi tried to make Jimin wear the extra soles he had with him, worried for his feet. But Jimin had shaken his head, caressing his face gently before making Yoongi pack it away again.

Yoongi wonders what it would feel like to fall asleep every night with his cheek under Jimin’s hand.

When they tread dryer grounds and finally break free from the draining shadowed land and look up the tall mountain side, she makes a strange sound and before anyone can catch her, she keels over.

They rush to her side and when they roll her onto her back, Yoongi knows she’s already gone.

When they bury her, Jimin kneels next to the mound of leaves they were able to access to at least mimic some form of proper burial. This was probably a ritual of sorts from Jimin’s planet. Yoongi has seen him doing with every Being- well, every Being that wasn’t taken or missing.

Jimin leans over, pressing his forehead over hers, murmuring soft words. Yoongi notices that Jimin’s shoulders are shaking- was it fatigue or tears, Yoongi doesn’t know. All he wants to do is reach over and hold him close. Instead he opts to touch his shoulder, offer support and whatever strength remained in him.

There’s an odd terrible smell that permeates the air and before Yoongi can register it, Jimin freezes under his hand.

There’s a movement of colour- of the very threads of sight, bending and shifting and it bleeds red, as though Yoongi’s reality was literally bleeding. The movement is gone and so is their last team member.

‘Yoongi-!’

Winded, Yoongi doesn’t know what’s going on except that he’s on the floor, a shaking Jimin over him, trying to cover him as though to hide him. He’s hysterical, his entire body violently shaking.

It’s enough to somehow wake and energize Yoongi enough to hold him back, asking what was wrong despite knowing Jimin wouldn’t understand. So instead he tries his best to placate him. Jimin is stammering under his breath; words, sentences- he’s singing.

Yoongi listens to the broken words, the hollow tune- Yoongi listens to sound of Jimin’s heart breaking.

When Jimin finally pulls away, the eclipses in his eyes bright and shining, he whispers something.

‘What is it?’ Yoongi asks, gently brushing through his hair, hoping to calm him down.

He repeats the words again, sounded even more broken with every syllable. It sounded like an apology.

Maybe Yoongi couldn’t be the brother he was supposed to be. Maybe he couldn’t be the son he was supposed to be. But he would do anything, he would do everything, to be there for Jimin.

Yoongi shakes his head, shifting so that he was kneeling now, taking Jimin’s hands into his.

‘This is not your fault,’ Yoongi tells him quietly. ‘You’re not hurting me.’

Jimin’s attempts at stabilizing his breaths breaks, a sob ripping out of him.

‘Jimin,’ Yoongi gently tugs at their hands. ‘This is not your fault.’

Jimin slumps against him, his face glimmering with tears before he ducks his head, tears immediately dampening the fabric of Yoongi’s shirt.

‘You don’t hurt me.’

Yoongi tries not to think of a crowning ceremony he once witnessed. The Head Council Chief threw the magnificent mantle over the young King’s shoulders, and the High Priestess placed the crown on his head. There is no magnificent mantle- just an ordinary, hard-wearing blanket. There is no crown either- only the reflection of early morning sunlight highlighting a clear ring-like halo around Jimin’s head.

Yoongi can imagine him crowned and garbed in royal gear – a magnificent crown of Grisial crystals that looks like stars compressed and encased inside gems. He can see robes billowing, shifting in a non-existent wind, the silver and gold threads gleaming under the starlit heavens.

But at this moment Jimin is just Jimin. Not royalty, not the future King of his planet. No. Jimin was right now a lost Being, looking for a way to get back home. He was dressed in worn ragged clothing, no jewels on his neck, head, or hands; no robes billowing around him. He was just Jimin.

And yet Yoongi is overwhelmed by his beauty.

Yoongi would do anything and everything. But he knew, they both knew, it wouldn’t be enough.

‘Lead me, and I will follow,’ Yoongi smiles.

Jimin nods, as though understanding his words. He helps him stand, taking his gear into his arms and positioning himself in a way where Yoongi could lean his weight against him. Their hands meet and entwine.

‘Take me where you will, and I will go gladly.’

The wind picks up, the light ripples and falls in rays of gold and amber all around them.

Jimin doesn’t need a crown, doesn’t need rich robes, not when the sun cloaked him in light; not when all of Life seemed to worship him.

Yoongi wonders if Death would tremble at his beauty.

*

It hurts.

It’s not something that could be categorized under a physical pain.

This was more like madness. A strain in his entirety that took over not just his mind, but his body was edging close to a desperation that made him want to set fire to everything around him. A frenzy clawed under his skin and Taeh’yung seemed to recognize it, judging by how intently looks into his eyes, a knowing look on his face.

‘You will come back,’ he tells him quietly with a smile, ‘And you will see again.’

And Yoongi doesn’t know what he means by it, but he takes the space-gear helmet from the Zhak’gri and pushes it on before making his way into the pressurized chamber.

‘All clear,’ Hoseok tells him before the door slides open to reveal a misty environment before him. Yoongi jumps off, landing lightly on his feet, making no sound upon impact.

The space-gear he’s wearing is surprisingly light, a complete polar opposite to the suit he’s used to. It was light, despite offering him protection, somehow made him feel like a part of the environment around him.

There was something about the suit, something about being a part of the GI, that made you not only feel but become excluded from reality. Like he never belonged anywhere. Like he wasn’t allowed to be anywhere.

But here, in this suit, he feels like he’s part of the eroded “mountain-side”, yet completely hidden.

Was this how most agents felt?

Maybe he should ask Hoseok.

He looks up and the Užkulisai is already disappearing into the acid mist.

‘Find a way in,’ Namjoon tells him quietly. ‘Once you find Jimin, we’ll set off the distraction.’

‘Understood,’ Yoongi replies quietly as he walks over the curved edge of what appeared to be a gigantic beamer turbine. Yoongi should be able to find the exhaust funnel and enter through there.

The plan was to create a timed explosion some distance from the area, to draw out most of the Ynqaban or at least distract enough to create a cover for Yoongi and Jimin to get back.

‘This is interesting,’ Hoseok comments, ‘According to the Yisheng Directory archives this ship is still functional and is supposed to be travelling through the Pomoč Nebula, observing a stray pulsar and helping with the evacuation of the nearby inhabited planets.’

Obviously it wasn’t.

‘It’s also registered as a new ship- there’s even a live feed covering the evacuation- and-…wow, there’s the ship.’

‘It’s a replacement- a clone if you will,’ Namjoon comments. ‘The real one is here- if we take a sample, we might be able to judge how old it actually is- figure out how long it’s been here.’

‘According to the history of Ynqaba available, there is no record of the Yisheng’s involvement.’ Hoseok sounds like he’s reading from a page. ‘I feel though, that if there was Yisheng involvement, and something this important quite literally fell into a planet, and was instantly replaced by a replica, it has to be related to the Gaia Case.’

‘I was thinking that too,’ Namjoon states rather absentmindedly before adding grimly, ‘I suspected it- this ship- or at least the one in Pomoč is under Yisheng Amme’s authority.’

‘I’m willing to bet this one might be under her name too,’ Hoseok adds. ‘From the trials and court hearings, we know for a fact that 3 of the Yishengs from the Directory were directly involved- three that we know of and were convicted of their crimes-‘

‘-out of which 2 died,’ Namjoon adds. ‘If we want the answers, we’ll need to access the ship logs- I’m not sure if it’s still there or not.’

‘I can get it.’

‘Our priority is Jimin,’ Namjoon replies at once, sounding a little surprised. ‘We get Jimin, and then Jin, and we leave-…’

There’s a sigh from the Kutsoglerin, weary and long.

‘-straying out of our path and trying to understand beyond what we’re capable of handling has lead us here- and it was my doing. It’s a miracle we’re all somehow still together- or will all be together soon. And that’s what we need right now- unity. So even though it would be helpful to retrieve the logs, in the end we will end up with more questions, more confusion.’

Yoongi is a little surprised by Namjoon’s statement. So is Hoseok, judging by the silence that follows. Yoongi briefly wonders if Sk’jin would have some sort of comment in reply to Namjoon’s statement- probably something snarky and unhelpful.

Yoongi has no regrets in leaving Sk’jin behind. Though he can see how that was not the most intelligent thing to do; nor was it the most productive.

He doesn’t really know how to describe how he felt- what he was thinking. All he felt was a rage within him. Not just at how things turned out- not just at how Sk’jin hadn’t even tried to stay back and retrieve Jimin.

It was madness, it was rage, it was frenzy. It was fear.

And most of all it was terror.

Jimin falling out of his reach, away and out of sight- it kept replaying in his mind.

His body ached to follow- to reach out, to defy all of the laws of motion and gravity and physics and time. To jump and reach for him and to just never let go-

It didn’t fade. It wouldn’t fade. He was burning and he couldn’t stop.

His body moved on its own accord- a sort of blindness took over him- and was still taking over him. His entire being was gasping for breath, for light.

‘So no- we’re sticking to our plan, to our mission. We get everybody together, and we follow our original plans.’ Namjoon concludes before adding, ‘Have you found an entrance?’

Yoongi reaches the edge of the wing which could very well have been a cliff from a distance. Acidic decay and erosion had created strange stalactites of oxidized residue like rust. It covered a vast area of the ship, covering the original metal alloy with a strange dark and oddly porous coat of the substance. Squatting down, Yoongi touches the surface and finds that like most acidic salts, was fragile and flaky. There would be no durability or dependence on the rusty growth that covered the ship.

The jump down the beamer-turbine was too deep to jump into, and too steep for him to scale down without wires or a gadget to help him. As all ships were designed to do so, the outer shell lacked any magnetic properties, making it impossible to stick on to with magnetic gloves or the like.

‘Yes. I’m calculating my entry point,’ Yoongi replies, knowing his answer came a little too late.

‘Is it a turbine?’ Namjoon asks. ‘If it follows the general design of all beamer-turbines, there should be shafts around the upper surface o the wings to access the combustion chambers- a pressure valve.’

Yoongi scans the ledge of the wing he’s on, looking over the porous texture with careful eyes. A few seconds later his eyes catch the slightest raised layer to his far right, indicating a sort of hatch of sorts. Quickly crawling over, Yoongi extracts a flat dagger, digging under the fragile but sharp layer of oxidized acid-salts until the blade scratches the original metal, leaving a shiny etching behind. He digs out the salt in flat chips until a hatch handle flap appears. Prying it upon, it reveals a handle of sorts and Yoongi yanks it open.

Everything inside is surprisingly clean. And also unsurprisingly emptied out.

Looking inside, Yoongi can tell that it’s been stripped clean of every salvageable material/device. Even down to the rungs of the side ladder. However the latches were still attached, though there were clear indications that they too had undergone a serious attempt at being removed.

‘Found a way in,’ Yoongi reports as he lowers himself, feet easily finding the small latch. It wasn’t much, but it was all Yoongi needed.

‘Be careful,’ both Hoseok and Namjoon say at the same time, in uncanny harmony that makes Taeh’yung giggle quietly.

Yoongi climbs all the way down carefully, his hands feel hot but a strange cold compression expands inside his chest. It still hurts, but he can’t pinpoint the pain.

‘If it’s a pressure valve, you’ll be able to pry open the valve easily enough,’ Namjoon states helpfully as Yoongi descends lower into the darkness. ‘It should take you straight into the combustion-chamber and you’ll find another latch that will take you to the maintenance chamber- it might be very small.’

His feet land on a rather flimsy surface that bends with his weight. This was probably the valve Namjoon mentioned. It’s trickier than Namjoon had theorized but it still easy enough sliding the discs off. The turbine wings are gone too, leaving behind a strangely empty space, filled with broken wires and debris all over the floor. It’s all too easy finding the latch because the door is missing and Yoongi can see straight into the chambers further in.

‘Yoongi- according to your readings, the air is breathable now.’ Namjoon informs him quietly. ‘We’ve also found a suitable location to plant the timer- we’re ready whenever you are.’

‘Understood,’ Yoongi replies, pushing open his visor.

Yisheng ships didn’t have an excessive amount of security systems. Because Yishengs themselves were their own walking security system. As a result, the entire ship has a very open and exposed layout. There were obvious changes made here and there. Rather crude and roughly placed barriers, levels divided into smaller sections meant for storage or sleeping. There’s a deep and old stench in the air- one that seemed to steep the very molecules of the air with its taint- like a disease spreading around.

Yoongi wonders back to Namjoon and Hoseok’s theory. Was this perhaps a ship previously commanded by Amme? It made more sense that Ndica was the one behind it, after all he was involved in the Gaia Case. What more could the Yishengs have infiltrated? The extent to which they had taken advantage of the blind faith the Universe had in them had certainly fueled their mission to exploit and control the Free-Universe. What else had they done? How many millions of lives had they destroyed in their attempt to “save” the Universe?

When Amme had told him that they would be under complete surveillance inside the Užkulisai, it hadn’t surprised him. Of course not- it was expected almost.

But when Amme had told him he would find the answers to his questions with this mission, he hadn’t expected the answer to come in the form of Jimin.

It was apparent to Yoongi now, that Jimin was what Amme had been referring to. The possibility of the Yisheng not knowing about Jimin was practically 0. It also meant she knew more than she ever told Yoongi. That she knew more about Yoongi, about his kind- about the “eggs”. About his past.

It also meant that Zhoumi knew more.

Had it all been an act? Or had it all been some coincidence? Logically speaking, Yoongi knew that it couldn’t be coincidence- there was no such thing. Not in this Universe. It had all been formulated, all been planned.

Zhoumi knew of Yoongi- of the real Yoongi, who was born and raised on Earth, and then who mysteriously vanished in a planet later abandoned. When he gave him his name, he behaved as though it has been new to him- as though it hadn’t been preplanned.

Would his past help him understand? Would his past make him realize? Make him remember? The data Namjoon had gathered for him was still stored inside his cabin, waiting for him to go through the files.

Amme had said he would find his answers in this mission.

But Yoongi is left with more questions.

And maybe Jimin was the key to his answers.

But it brought another question to Yoongi’s mind; why did Amme want Yoongi to find the answers?

Especially now, with the way things were transpiring- where every single day uncovered some terrible dark secret the GLA, the Venture Unit, and the GIU had instigated or organized.

Why was Yoongi sent on this mission?

Yoongi senses their presence before he even sees or hears them. He ducks back into the narrow opening, keeping incredibly still. A small group of Beings walk past, talking low amongst themselves. Yoongi notices that their younglings were with them too.

He waits until they’re out of earshot before stepping out.

The smell is stronger here but Yoongi collapses his helmet before sliding it into his pocket. He walks past strung up tents, indications of being lived-in evident the further Yoongi steps into this ship. There’s a continuous gyrating sound that fills the air in a low roar- Yoongi isn’t sure but it sounds a lot like rushing water.

There aren’t a lot of Beings around in this area, but Yoongi takes the precaution of picking up a wide and hooded garment slung on a line to the side. Covering his conspicuous space-gear, Yoongi ducks inside a tent before taking out his screen. It was most likely that any area of imprisonment was somewhere downstairs. This was a large ship, judging by what Yoongi could deduce when they had approached the mountainous ship, going down would take a long and tedious time. This would have been easy of course, if he had access the layout of the ship, and had surveillance aid. In a ship where not a single digital port was functioning and everything was conducted through rather archaic technology, they were technically disadvantaged.

But Namjoon was also right in his decision. Because none of that posed a problem for Yoongi.

The tracker indicating Jimin’s position places him directly below where Yoongi was sitting. He was going to have to go through each level to find him.

Making sure the area was clear, Yoongi leaves the tent and heads for the wide door ahead. The walls were covered in some form of mural, covering the original pale metal. There were strange orbs that hung about, emitting a weak fluorescent light around the area. They didn’t have the technology to run this ship, but they made do.

The closer he gets to the opening, the louder the gyrating sound gets and the warmer it feels. The stench is somewhat reduced as well. Not knowing what to expect, Yoongi is distracted by the cavernous opening he walks out into.

The ship had indeed been hollowed out and scavenged- to the point where the central foundation of the ship had been entirely removed, and the internal structure had fallen apart. However, a network of wire, smelt metal columns, and reinforced rock slabs held the gigantic structure up. Some areas were entirely caved in, but after decades, had life grow over it in the form of slate floors screwed into the broken floors and ceilings, ungainly walk-boards and pathways strung up together with wire-meshes crisscrossed the area. And amidst all of this barely patched together mess, was a literal city of Beings.

The loud gyrating sound as well as horrendous fumes comes from what appeared to be a waterfall of sludge, blackened and Yoongi is quite sure, toxic that seems to the main source of a somewhat crudely yet efficiently designed hydraulic system that fuelled a series of small lifts, pulleys, and a whole network of moving buckets.

Yoongi quickly studies the massive space, looking for a way down. He finds a rickety stair case over the edge and heads for it. He just simply walks out into the clearing, bustling with locals, laughter ringing about in some place, younglings running around. This was obviously the living quarters or at least the zone for it. All the Beings gathered here appeared to be families- the old, or the very young. No one pays Yoongi any heed and he passes through easily.

‘How’s it going?’ Hoseok asks, all still waiting for Yoongi’s report.

‘This will take time,’ he replies.

There’s a strange familiarity with the ship. The layout, the structure; decades of filth and lack of maintenance had reduced it to nothing more than just the skeleton. But Yoongi catches sight of what appeared to be the metal frame-work for a Medical Bed, even what looked like a hollowed out Navigation Table being used as a sort of furnace cage, where bright fires were lit as a primary source of light.

‘Is it heavily occupied?’

‘Yes- families.’

It’s silent over the Comm and Yoongi reaches the stairs.

‘I think it’s fair to say that the families and sick would be living at the top most areas,’ Namjoon says quietly. ‘Any other form of “business” would be conducted all the way down, where it would easy to access and well…suppress.’

‘I’m gonna go plant the timer,’ Hoseok announces, ‘Do you think I should cover it with an extra WeatherBeat or something- I don’t want the acidity to eat at the device and blow it up too soon or something.’

‘This is a big ship,’ Yoongi comments. ‘Should I get captured and allow them to take me to prison?’

‘What the - no!’ Namjoon stammers out quickly. ‘You shouldn’t be seen! That’s why you’re there!’

‘How many levels are there? Or how many can you actually even see?’ Hoseok asks.

‘A lot,’ Yoongi replies because he honesty can’t tell how many levels there are from where he was standing. There was a mist that hung in the air, the crisscrossing beams and wires making it difficult to actually guess how large the place was.

Raucous laughter rings through the air and Yoongi catches sight of a bunch of young Beings- geared and heavily garmented, they were headed towards the other direction. They were clad in a way similar to the Beings that had entered the Užkulisai after they had crashed. They carried crude spears and spikes, clearly ready for some sort of outing.

‘I found potential source of information.’ Yoongi reports.

Based on his calculation, he could take down 3 of the 5 within a second, the other one a second later, and the final one he would leave for questioning.

‘Potential-‘

‘Yoongi no,’ Hoseok says firmly. ‘Do not engage.’

‘…I found a possible guide,’ Yoongi acquiesces , keeping his head down as he weaves through the tents and randomly placed living space objects strewn haphazardly. ‘They might lead me down.’

He thinks he hears Namjoon sighing in relief before he adds, ‘Stay low and- oh.’

‘-‘

The line cuts off and Yoongi momentarily worries. But the line comes back on and Taeh’yung excited voice fills the line.

‘Woah! Claws!’

*

‘…what?’

It’s the first time Hoseok has heard Yoongi sounding genuinely confused.

‘Uh…we have an…interesting situation here,’ Hoseok doesn’t know exactly how to feel at the sight they were now beholding.

They had landed some ways away from the “mountain”, finding a cleared area in an actual mountain a little higher than the crashed ship. Hoseok wonders if the slaver-ship too would one day meet a similar fate as the Yisheng ship.

They were now just waiting for Yoongi to find Jimin- a task that would take a questionable amount of time, seeing as the ship was apparently larger on the inside and with no clear path to take them to Jimin’s exact location, there was no telling how long it would take Yoongi to get to him. Hoseok was already suited up and geared, ready to take the small but powerful explosive and plant it in the mountain side. It could very well cause some form of avalanche, and despite being keen on creating a chaotic diversion, Hoseok had no intention of destroying any form of livelihood or living area. Which was why they chose this rather remote mountain side.

So Hoseok was honestly just taking his time, trying to catch a small break when until quite accidently, a rather sizeable (though small in comparison to the Užkulisai) honest to goodness, fully functional and very surprised cybortronic and its pilot stumbles across them over the blackened rock surface.

It’s honestly the shock of everything that stops either party from reacting.

The Ynqaba pilot inside is slack-jawed, eyes nearly bulging out of his socket as he stares at them. Hoseok in turn can only gawk back because really? Cybortronics?

Cybortronics were considered a relic of the past- they appeared impressive and threatening but were generally speaking useless in actual defense and offense, unless you were fighting against another cybortronic. And while some had great potential, like every other machine designed and invented, it really depends on the Being piloting the cybortronic. And while Hoseok doesn’t really want to judge a planet by its history, or lack thereof, he honestly doesn’t believe that there would be any decent pilots on these things.

And then simultaneously they both react at the same time.

The pilot fires at them immediately, a loud and fire-based missile that is so weak it makes Hoseok feel sorry for the pilot.

‘We can’t fire or we’ll draw attention to ourselves!’ Namjoon hisses just as Taeh’yung cheers, watching the cybortronic with utmost fascination.

When the smoke clears, the cybortronic and its pilot have painstakingly turned around and were trying to escape.

Hoseok and Namjoon share a look and tossing the explosive at Taeh’yung, Hoseok shoots off immediately.

‘Please bring me back the claw!’ Taeh’yung calls out after him.

Cybortronics were slow. And Hoseok doesn’t like to boast but he’s fast. His helmet collapses and forms over his head just as he shoots out, already crossing the length of the Užkulisai in a matter of seconds.

The soil beneath his feet is very dry and despite looking compact, rather sandy. It does nothing to help with support or traction but Hoseok isn’t a trained agent for nothing. He quickly sprints across, turning sharply without slowing down. The mountainside sloped downwards and it’s more than enough momentum for him to catch up with the teetering cybortronic before him.

There’s a terrified scream of sorts and out of the cockpit of the cybortronic leaps out a young Ynqaban, mask worn hastily over his face. He makes a mad dash for it but Hoseok has momentum as well as gravity working for him and he quite literally dives down the slope, tackling the Ynqaban down.

‘Did you get him?’ Namjoon asks tersely.

‘Yeap.’ Hoseok pants out, regaining his balance quickly by pushing his knee down onto the pilot’s back.  

‘Get who?’ Yoongi asks, obviously still completely out of loop.

‘Don’t forget my claws!’ Taeh’yung adds.

‘Claws?’ Yoongi sounds incredibly lost.

‘We’ll tell you in a moment-‘ Namjoon hastily adds, ‘Hoseok?’

‘Yeah-‘ grunting a little, Hoseok is about to loosen his hold but the Ynqaban was clearly a little stronger and less winded than Hoseok had initially thought and he pushes off rather mightily, throwing Hoseok off balance for just a second.

But Hoseok regains his balance and lunges for the Ynqaban at once.

Fights were not pretty by any means. It wasn’t well choreographed, it didn’t make sense. It was just a desperate rush of sense, adrenaline, fear, and sometimes hysteria. And while Hoseok is very well versed in hand-to-hand combat, his opponent clearly isn’t.

He’s screaming quite loudly and honestly if Hoseok wasn’t trying to take him down, he’d be concerned.

‘What’s-‘

‘Not now!’ Hoseok lunges and blocks a wild punch aimed at his…where was he even aiming? It’s a wild 10 seconds of the Ynqaba screaming his head off, limbs flailing, before he trips and falls backwards, literally knocking himself out.

‘…is everything okay now?’

Hoseok doesn’t even know why he’s breathless. He didn’t even really do anything.

‘Yeah- yeah it’s all good,’ Hoseok pants out, about to reach down and drag this Ynqaban back when a whole half-dozen Ynqaban pilots and cybortronics round up the corner.

In an unwelcome moment of déjà vu, they all just gawk at each other.

They stare in utter disbelief at Hoseok, then down at their unconscious fellowman, and then back at Hoseok.

‘I…might need back up,’ Hoseok manages to get out before he turns heel and sprints up the slope.

‘What-?!’

Loud crunching sounds, heavy robotic limbs, loud hollow shots, and screams rise up behind him. If Hoseok was running fast before, he’s practically flying now. Maintaining a zigzag motion, Hoseok dodges what appeared to be metallic-shots being fired at him.

Ynqaba was definitely lacking in technology. But whatever they lacked in technology, they made up for in gusto.

Nearly slipping on the sandy soil as he turns the corner, Hoseok rights himself and is only very briefly worried about the fact that Taeh’yung was skipping towards him, no helmet on his head, hands glowing green, smiling a bit too widely.

Hoseok is quick, but not quick enough to dodge whatever was fired at him.

It catches him just mid-thigh and honestly it’s just a graze and Hoseok doesn’t think it’s even broken skin, let alone the space-gear  he’s wearing. But that doesn’t seem to register in Taeh’yung. Because the Zhak’gri who was just beaming and excitedly saying, ‘More claws!’ his expression turns incredibly blank.

‘Taeh’yung-!’

Hoseok turns just in time to see a quick but bright ripple of green erupt out of Taeh’yung, the sandy soil around them rising up to float in an eerily still manner and even more alarmingly, the 3 cybortronics, and 6 Ynqabans were also afloat. There was a strange dissonance that rippled in a sphere that gleamed bright green. Hastily, Hoseok jogs back to the Zhak’gri, facing him in alarm to find a strangely twisted smile in place of his usual wide cheery grin.

And to Hoseok’s immense horror and Namjoon’s choking gasp over the Comm, the Ynqabans seem to distort within the sphere, followed by a strange lack of sound despite the obvious pain they were under.

‘Hey, Taeh’yung? Tae?’ Hoseok steps in front of the tall Zhak’gri, carefully reaching out to grip at his raised wrists. ‘Hey- I’m fine, it’s all good right-‘

Taeh’yung blinks once, twice. And again, for a brief frightening moment, Hoseok doesn’t recognize the Being before him. But it’s gone in a second and the bright neon in Taeh’yung’s eyes vanish and at the same time loud crashing sounds fill the air, followed by groans of pain, and to Hoseok’s immense distaste, violent retching.

‘Hobi! You’re okay?!’ Taeh’yung cries out, reaching forward to grasp Hoseok by his face, looking over him with child-like worry in his eyes.

‘Yes Tae,’ Hoseok attempts to put some distance but it’s futile so he just allows the Zhak’gri to inspect his face and head though he’d been shot at his legs. ‘I’m fine- really I am-‘

Taeh’yung’s face actually wobbles, tears forming in his eyes as he hugs him tight.

‘I- okay-…’ Hoseok looks around wildly for…well, for anything really. Namjoon is at the windows, near the Mast, face nearly pressed up on display, expression completely dumbfounded.

Hoseok really doesn’t know what to make of this- but if his training in correct emergency responses ever taught him something, it was to always make sure that vulnerable or unstable Beings were very quickly made calm.

‘Hey buggy,’ he lowers his voice, making sure to sound gentle, ‘I’m okay- see? No scratch, no bleeding, nothing.’

‘Okay,’ Taeh’yung says thickly, his arms still incredibly tight around Hoseok, before he ask ,’What’s buggy?’

‘You didn’t know? In the Ngfy’widan culture, we call our children bugs. So you’re a buggy to me,’ Hoseok gently pats the Zhak’gri’s head.

‘T-that’s really cool,’ Taeh’yung sniffs, sounding better as he pulls away, eyes wide and a little teary. ‘I didn’t know you laid eggs!’

Hoseok supposes he should have foreseen that misinterpretation. They did call their children “bug”- a sort of affectionate but at the same time reprimanding term. It seemed to fit Taeh’yung and it just left Hoseok’s mouth without warning. Either way, the Zhak’gri seems to like it and Taeh’yung pulls away, smiling his characteristic grin as he says, ‘I’m your bug!’.

Hoseok can see Namjoon facepalming by the window. His shoulders are shaking, and Hoseok isn’t sure if it’s from laughing or sobbing.

‘So...’ Yoongi sounds unsure. ‘…did you get the claws?’

*

Yoongi is not sure that the explanation they gave him about what just happened was entirely true seeing as it all sounded a little too ludicrous even by their standards.

‘Well, we have one- we’ll get him to talk,’ Namjoon had grunted, sounding as though he was lifting something heavy. ‘Just a sec.’

It was well over a “sec” and Yoongi still doesn’t know if Taeh’yung got the claws he’d been fawning over. He’s also still very much unnoticed, trailing after the loud and tall group of Ynqabans nearly half an hour after Namjoon’s last call.

And as far as he’s noticed, the young Beings he was trailing were the only physically able, full-bodied Ynqabans around. He’s gone down at least 20 different levels, and each level housed only the elderly, children, or the sick.

‘Yoongi, are you there?’

‘Yes.’

‘All right- all prisoners, or well, parcels,’ Namjoon says distastefully, ‘Are kept at the basement. The easiest way to access the basement is to head towards the central-store Bridge, where there is a still functioning lift of sorts that’s the only way in or out the basement. It’s not too deep- just 3 levels. And uh…’

Yoongi waits, trying not to scratch at the building ache inside his chest. Instead he tugs the hood over his face so that it covered a majority of his features instead. He’d found more suitable garments to disguise himself in case anyone was to take a closer look. He was even carrying a random shaft, crafted to form a spear of sorts.  

‘-right so-‘ there’s some more grunting and a terrified squeal ,’-the central-store Bridge is also the most heavily occupied and heavily guarded area. So keep an eye out there.’

‘Understood,’ Yoongi replies. After spending nearly 45 minutes with the Ynqabans, he’s figured out the structure they had created in terms of crossing over to different levels. Every 10 levels or so, there would be a lift of sorts, which they had to wait for as the main hydraulic pump cogs worked to lift the weights balancing the speed and movement of the rickety metal boxes. Yoongi fit right in, shuffling in behind them casually and easily. Each lift was located at a random place, often times rather hidden behind the towering masses of tents, make-shift houses, and forgotten cargo boxes stacked in heaps.  

‘How did these even get here,’ Namjoon mumbles, suspicious metallic sounds can be heard over the Comm.

‘It’s not unheard of in certain areas- especially mining zones,’ Hoseok replies.

‘But they’ve been replaced with cyborgs for over 3 centuries now,’ Namjoon explains. ‘And these aren’t mining cybortronics- they’re designed for mechanical repair and maintenance.’

‘No one’s winning anything in this,’ Hoseok exhales out noisily. ‘I can’t really refer to any existing cybortronics that I know- so I don’t know if these are GLA make or not.’

‘The thing about cybortronics, is that they were employed by the GIU for a lot of their construction work, especially when it came to their ships,’ Namjoon says quietly. ‘The last mass usage and production of cybortronics was for the workforce unit to build the GIU motherships.’

‘If we can find the original hardware still intact in them- we can find out where and when they were produced,’ Hoseok adds. ‘Maybe figure out a timeline of their creation.’

That made sense- the way the Yisheng ship had been taken apart was not done through small hand-held hardware but rather via larger operation-machines.

Namjoon hums a response, clearly lost in thought. ‘We have clear indications of the involvement of the Yishengs, the GLA, ties with the Gaia Case, and now with the GIU-’

‘And now I’m guessing the Alliance is also involved- I mean, where else would they possibly deliver the “parcels” to? Pirates can only do so much – you need GLA involvement or the Venture Unit to really kick-start any form of trade-off.’

‘Not to mention the Omhlophe,’ Namjoon sighs out. ‘According to Khonen they were expecting more “eggs” from here. Or at least, some of the sister-planets.’

The lift grinds to a stop, only for it to slide down a bit more, causing a few to yelp. One of them even grabs onto Yoongi for support but doesn’t pay him any mind, even throwing back some form of thanks that Yoongi, after 4 seconds of intent calculation, purposefully waves off in the most casual manner he can. It’s unnoticed.

When he steps out after them, keeping in step with the sudden harsh shadow that’s thrown over them from a bright light source overhead, Yoongi knows that they’ve reach the bottom. Or at least the main base, away from the living quarters, and much closer to the ground. He easily steps away from the group, heading for one of the large piles of what looked a lot like the smaller cargo-freights from Seulgaan’s slaver-ship. Towards the front of the large chamber which Yoongi recognizes was once a large docking bay, bright numbers indicating landing pads still visible through the dirt and erosion on the ceiling and walls, were massive gateways. And though far, Yoongi can make out the terrain outside- a dull, windswept terrain over which glimpses of thundering clouds were fast approaching past the acidic mist.

He takes a moment to survey the new area. It’s smaller than the levels above, but much taller and with a vast number of cybortronics. Another thing Yoongi notices is how the stench is worse down here. The rank waterfall was nowhere to be seen, and Yoongi wonders if the smell had anything to do with the waterfall in the first place. Maybe it was the very air that smelt of it.

‘I think I’m close,’ Yoongi reports.

‘I’ve finished planting the explosive- we’re ready to come get you and Jimin,’ Hoseok replies back before adding, ‘Also- I don’t know how this will effect anything, but it looks like it’s gonna storm really hard.’

‘What do we do about them?’

It’s silent for a moment before Taeh’yung chimes in, ‘Why don’t we put them inside the machine and lock them in? I think they’re strong enough?’

‘Yeah- let’s do that.’

‘You mean I should do that,’ Hoseok huffs while Namjoon mumbles an apology.

Yoongi quickly climbs the freights and is able to see a clearer view of the large bay. They were obviously very busy right now, what with a massive slaver-ship rich with resources and materials for the taking. No wonder the Ynqabans Yoongi had been following were practically abuzz, distracted to the point of not noticing Yoongi’s very solid presence behind them.

Cybortronics of all size were marching around, carrying heavy and large torn off bits and shrapnel from the slaver-ship. It’s odd seeing small remains of such a mighty and evil vessel as Seulgaan’s slaver-ship being carried around, being received with cheer and roars of approval. It should resonate some form of karmic justice, but Yoongi feels nothing as he watches on.

It was just another cycle- one form of evil and misery diminished when Seulgaan’s ship crashed. Then it was picked apart and put together to create another form of evil and misery- but now, just in another shape, from another side of the spectrum. And it would continue on and on.

‘If you’re close to one of the entrances, you should be able to find the central-Bridge quickly- they all connect to it. It’s where “The Collectors” stay.’ Namjoon informs him. ‘They’re kind of the bosses- I have a feeling they’re the ones who sell off the parcels to the pirates. Or at least handle that part of the transaction.’

‘Should I get rid of them.’

‘No Yoongi,’ Namjoon sighs. ‘Please stay low and do not engage unless strictly necessary.’

The pain is worse than before and Yoongi itches to break free of it. The pain was acting like a strange energy- spurring him on faster. It was making him sloppy. And Yoongi knew this. But he couldn’t really control it.

Increasing his speed, Yoongi ducks even lower and sprints over the emptied and hollowed OrTanks strewn around, as though abandoned. He only slows down when he reaches the massive corridors, pacing himself alongside an approaching cybortronic before shadowing its massive movements. He jumps from shadow to shadow easily, all in open sight, until he easily mingles with a crowd of Ynqabans entering the central corridor he had spied earlier. Easily grabbing hold of a freighter-case from someone else and ducking around them, Yoongi passes the gateway security who were taking account of the items being brought in.

Yoongi passes through the long dark corridor and into a wide chamber inside with even more branches leading away randomly. Small cybortronics were walking about, stacking the cargo-freights to one side as another massive group of Ynqabans pried them open, pulling out the items inside and separating them. This was like the factory zone, where the items were separated into different groups. And quickly enough, Yoongi spots the zone where other living Beings other than the Ynqabans were being pushed into. Beings that Yoongi recognizes as the slaves he’d seen in Seulgaan’s previous ship back in Grezma, as well as a few of his guards. Yoongi briefly wonders if Seulgaan survived or not.

Yoongi swiftly dumps his case into a passing Ynqaban’s arms and makes his way over to huddles of Beings, all terrified and whimpering as a bunch of Ynqabans kept an all too close watch over them.

With more speed than was safe or advised, Yoongi strides through, urged on by whatever strained energy was buzzing under his skin. Yoongi realizes he’s sweating and that his breath was coming out faster as well. He didn’t feel unwell. This was nothing like how it had been when he’d collapsed when they had landed in the Nightmare planet. Or how it was when he was injured.

Yoongi briefly wonders if he should ask Namjoon to check his health tab. But he also knew that Namjoon was always keeping an eye out on all of their health- making sure they were all healthy and functional. If anything was amiss, then he would inform them of it. Besides, Yoongi doesn’t know how to ask. None of the books he has read could formulate his question because he didn’t understand what needed answering. The closest book that comes to mind for his situation was for the manual guide he’d read for GLA employees on how to apply for a sick-leave.

Yoongi doesn’t think that would apply in this situation.

He’s not sure, because he’s walking too fast, but he thinks he sees the way the prisoners catch sight of him. Their eyes widen, shocked at his presence no doubt. But he quickly walks past and quickly finds a narrow alcove behind some broken pipes and takes a few purposeful breaths.

He raises his hands up to chest level and to his utter bewilderment, finds that they’re shaking.

‘My hands are shaking.’

He finds that his voice is stable as usual, no emotion betraying him.

‘What? Are you okay?’

‘I don’t know.’ Yoongi replies. ‘I feel strange.’

‘…we never got to check you after the crash- what if you have an injury-‘

‘No it’s not that,’ Yoongi whispers, flexing his fingers. ‘I’ll be fine.’

‘-but Yoongi-‘

Yoongi steps out of the alcove and makes his way forward, balling his hands into tight fists.

The air was getting heavier down here, it started smelling a bit more like fire, a bit more like something burning- or maybe instead something that was being seared. It’s a coy oily smell and gets heavier as Yoongi steps deeper into the hallway before it opens into a chamber that looks like a standard Bridge of sorts, raised daises for Navigation Tables and meeting tables set about in a half-moon pattern, encircling a lowered pit that ended with 3 doorways. Whatever systems that were housed in this Bridge were completely removed, judging by the hollowed walls, gaping wire-holes, drained beamer cells that were now being used to store what appeared to be a sort of pickle in the corner. Only the shape and outline of the mechanical engineering that outlined and powered this Bridge remained.

‘I’m here. I’m at the central-Bridge,’ Yoongi reports. ‘I don’t think we’ll be able to find any access to ship’s archives. Everything has been scavenged.’

‘All right,’ Namjoon sounds uncertain. ‘You’re close. Just hang on- we’ll get you out the moment you get Jimin.’

He sounded nervous- concerned, as though worried that Yoongi might collapse. But it wasn’t like that. Yoongi studies the Ynqabans gathered in the chamber. It wasn’t as crowded as it was outside, but there was a fair number of them gathered in here, all bustling around, seemingly all making reports and calculating things over large sheets of hammered metal and graphite.

At the center of the chamber, where a hollowed out Navigation Table stood, were gathered a group of Ynqabans who clearly felt very important and powerful. They were dressed better, looked better off, and weren’t ashen in colour. In fact their skin appeared quite healthy, and by the planet’s standard, rather plump as well.

They were clearly the Collectors Namjoon had mentioned. They’re talking amongst themselves- more like 3 were engaged in a loud conversation, some dramatic retelling of some story that most seemed to have heard already, judging by their lack of facial expression.

There’s some commotion as someone brings in a few of the prisoners from outside, pushing them in roughly. One of the Collectors just waves a hand without much regard, as though the slaves that had survived Seulgaan’s ship were hardly worth looking over. They’re pushed past where Yoongi was standing and he follows them silently, matching their steps easily.

There’s a momentary pause, when one of the slaves trips over their feet, sending them and another sprawling to the ground. Yoongi pauses, stepping aside a little, instinctually angling himself away from sight and shifting to the side. The other prisoners are being shoved into the middle doorway and Yoongi redirects himself.

‘All set here Yoongi- just give us the word,’ Hoseok tells him quietly as Yoongi casually dodges an incoming irritated Ynqaban guard of sorts, yelling loudly in a mix of Standard and their own language.

‘I’m almost there-‘

This was a filthy place. And not just because of the place. Not just because of what transpired here.

No, there was a deep seeded darkness, a rot that took over everything.

And in that rot, no light could penetrate- no promise of relief could be hoped for. Not for the prisoners with their bleak and unknown fate, nor for the inhabitants of this planet, destined to die in the toxicity of their own making.

And yet in that rotting darkness, a brilliance of light, the full spectrum of colour, gleams faintly at Yoongi like starlight- clean, distant, and small.

One of the Collectors, who isn’t engaged in the loud conversation, but just instead nodding along to what was being discussed distractedly while keeping an eye on the scuffle with the slaves, was holding onto something soft, something small- something fine.

‘Yoongi?’

Yoongi would recognize it anywhere. The colour, the brilliance- the uniqueness behind every single strand.

‘-ey are you all right-‘

Pain erupts out of him like a corporeal force and the burning rage that has burnt inside his chest ever since he woke up inside the crashed Užkulisai flares out of him like a roaring furnace. It made sense now- the pain, the fiery burn- it all made sense.

The sound of his thundering heart drowns every other sound- in fact it’s so loud that it was probably why the Collectors and the other Ynqaban all seem to jump, their heads whipping around to stare at Yoongi in escalating alarm and panic.

Or maybe it was the fact that Yoongi had activated the Heliords he had carried with him, the bright blue blades humming and shining neon bright, casting a sharp shadow to fall over him.

‘-oongi what’s going on-?!’

The Collector drops it. Fine locks of golden silver, of sun and starlight, falls slowly out of the Collector’s gnarled fingers in his surprise.  

Jimin’s hair.

Overwhelmed with rage and pain, Yoongi charges through in a storm of neon blue.

*

Sk’jin comes to find that his would-be captors consisted of a group of broken families.

Bhān and his daughter Camat, A’āpyu and her brother Dilag who was an especially skilled pilot and driver, and another pair of brothers, Rejši and Lajši. They all appeared older than Sk’jin, though actually meeting anyone who could potentially be older than Sk’jin was probably very unlikely.

Upon entering their “residence”, a natural network of caves that branched not too deep into a tall mountainside, where a string of small orb-like objects illuminated the place, Sk’jin can finally study the odd group.

Masks off and their bulky protective clothing shed, they appeared malnourished and weak. Stick-like arms and disproportionately widened bellies that was very telling of some form of intestinal infection (Sk’jin internally shudders), and upon closer and clearer inspection, a strange stain over their skin that wasn’t natural yet seemed to seep into their very pores. But they moved and worked with strength and energy. They clearly made do with what they had, and lived as best as they could under their circumstances.

The cave is outfitted with shrapnel and devices that were all obviously scavenged and assimilated through years of collecting. Sleeping areas were lifted higher, further into the cave. The storage area, a caged area that obviously stored the most important items was right next to the sleeping area. Everywhere else was basically like a gigantic outdated and cluttered mechanics bay.

Sk’jin is a little fascinated with their lighting system. He could see no wires, no batteries, no cells.

Sk’jin is surprised with the medical supplies, they were a little out of date, but were powerful and effective. He hasn’t seen that particular model of TissuePlast but then again, he can’t exactly identify the timeline from which it might have come from seeing as he was out of action for quite some time.

Camat, still heavily cloaked and dressed is sitting opposite him, carefully rolling out the TissuePlast into equal lengths. Sk’jin is…for lack of a better word, disrobed.

He sighs at the sight of his ruined robes, folded in a heap of blood splatter, dust, and who knows what else. They’re looking for clothes for him to wear, mumbling as they check their sizes. The air was very strange. It had an acidic quality that Sk’jin finds vaguely alarming, justified by how his robes were faring, practically turning to bits and fragments with his movements. To stop him from ending up stark , they sat him down and told him to stay put. Sk’jin is a little surprised by the somewhat conservative consideration for his .

The weather is odd- it’s damp, but not humid. It’s not exactly cold either and for some reason there’s a lack of air. It was windy, but it felt stuffy at the same time. It makes Sk’jin’s skin work up a sort of half-sweat, overall making him feel damp and it was a disgusting feeling. The first thing Sk’jin is going to do when he returns to the Užkulisai is to shower. Actually no. He’s first going to punch Yoongi, and then shower.

‘It’s very pretty,’ Camat tells him quietly as she places the TissuePlast over his very bruised and battered sides.

Sk’jin absentmindedly tongues at his weirdly empty gum sockets before asking, ‘What is?’

She points with her chin towards his robes. Thunder momentarily deafens Sk’jin, his ears filled with a high-pitched ping that fades away after a full minute. The others don’t seem effected but Sk’jin guesses that’s what happens with conditioning.

‘I’m sorry they’re ruined.’ She adds, looking at the fabric again.

Sk’jin sighs and shrugs, wincing a little at the pain.

‘It’s fine- I have more. Or I can buy more. Or better, ask my Captain to buy me more. He owes me.’

‘Is that a common practice for payment? Buying robes?’ she asks curiously, waiting for the TissuePlast to align to his wounds, the bioengineered fabric adjusting to Sk’jin’s injuries and changing its chemical balance to support and neutralize his inflamed skin.

‘Uh- I mean, it’s not a custom,’ Sk’jin grins, ‘It’s emotional blackmail.’

She looks confused and doesn’t ask anymore questions.

‘You’re not from Ynqaba are you?’ he asks instead.

She glances up at him, a sharp look in her eyes.

‘No,’ she replies. ‘But I’ve never been anywhere else.’

Sk’jin cannot rightly place her species, but feels as though he’s seen her kind before.

‘All right- everything is set. I can’t do anything about your teeth though,’ she tells him as she gets up.

‘Camat, do you have any bottoms he can wear?’ Bhān asks, holding up a somewhat not too badly stained and sort of clean tunic for Sk’jin along with a long dark hooded cloak.

‘Yeah okay,’ she nods, getting up and jogging over to another side of the cave.

‘This is the best we have- but it will last longer than that,’ he nods at Sk’jin’s robes.

‘Excuse me for trying to look aesthetically pleasing,’ Sk’jin grumbles, accepting the tunic that though didn’t look at all like leather, felt a lot like it. Sk’jin decides he’s neither in the place or situation to wonder about the hygiene of the clothing and slips it over his head.

‘Hey, you almost look like one of us!’ Lajši calls from his corner of the cave where he was sorting out the food they had raided from the Kitchens in the Užkulisai. Obviously the food is foreign to them, because Lajši and his brother were attempting to understand how to consume one of the many packets of tea, their expressions bewildered.

‘You- you boil that with water- it’s a drink.’ Sk’jin tells them. ‘And probably poisoned.’

They gawk at him.

‘Why is your food poisoned.’

‘One of the crew members, you’ll love him, it’s kinda his hobby,’ Sk’jin explains, standing gingerly without help because obviously Bhān doesn’t care for him.

Expressions of doubt and confusion takes over and Sk’jin doesn’t blame them. Bhān is clearly not amused, judging by the gruff way he clears his throat.

Stretching a little, Sk’jin tests his injuries.

The Khol’isa were built of strong stuff, mildly put, and in all honesty, Sk’jin’s been through worse. What does irritate him is the empty feeling in his mouth. Now he was going to have to get fake teeth, all thanks to a scrawny puny Human. His headache is building again, and Sk’jin knows that none of the outdated pain-relief medication they had in here would help. He just needed sunlight, modern and very potent medication, and to annoy Namjoon for satisfaction.

Thunder erupts around them like a ing bomb, shaking the cave a little and Sk’jin winces a little, his ears suffering. Flexing his weirdly damp bare legs, Sk’jin looks around for Camat who should be coming back with those trousers for him. He really doesn’t want to walk about without any trousers. He has a bit of a complex regarding his legs, not that he’d ever own up to it. Instead Camat has her back turned to them, also changing out into something else. And generally speaking Sk’jin is really not interested in any Being, regardless of gender, , or species. So seeing Beings really means nothing to him, though sometimes he’s offended because there were some things he really didn’t need to see. It’s in these moments where he wishes deleting selective memory was an actual thing that was possible. But regardless of how he felt, he understood and respected that most Beings did not appreciate being stared at while , regardless of how he felt about it. So he’s about to look away when something draws his attention rather abruptly.

For a second Sk’jin thinks it’s a trick of light but it’s not.

Down her back, is a deep indent beginning at the bottom of her nape and all the way down in a straight line over her spine.

Bhān appears, blocking Sk’jin’s observation and Sk’jin wonders how he’s going to explain that no, he was not ogling his daughter or anything of that sort, when the look in Bhān’s eyes were not accusatory or aggressive, but rather curious and at the same time knowing.

‘How long is the storm going to last,’ Sk’jin asks, looking away from Bhān and over at Camat who was now fully clothed again.

‘No more than 3 hours if our radars are right.’ Bhān replies.

‘In that case, how about we have that chat eh? From one oldie to another?’ Sk’jin looks away to coolly eye the Ynqaban in front of him. He had after all, confirmed Sk’jin’s non-verbal inquiry from inside the Transporter.

‘Here- these should fit,’ Camat reappears, holding up a pair of draw-string trousers.

‘You are a breath of fresh air in this rankness,’ Sk’jin bows elegantly before taking the trousers.

Camat’s eyes widen, a flush overtaking her features as she stammers a reply. Bhān is clearly not amused as he shoves Sk’jin away with a mumbling, ‘wear the ing trousers’.

Appropriately dressed and pretty much shoved about until they arrived near the mouth of one of the entrances to the caves. The Transporter they had arrived in was parked and basically drip-drying, while a draining system with some form of rudimentary filtration system was funneling the collected liquid into hollow OrTanks.

‘So,’ Sk’jin smiles, getting to the main point as well. ‘Normally at this point in my culture, I would offer you a beverage. But seeing as I am a humble guest clothed in the garments of your house, I will ignore any offering of refreshments.’

Bhān shoots him an nonplussed look before he digs out a small compact bottle and throws it to Sk’jin. It doesn’t smell bad, but Sk’jin can tell it was probably not the cleanest or freshest.

‘You know who Camat is- or what she is.’ Bhān comments as he takes a seat next to him. ‘I saw the look of recognition in your eyes. The mark on her back- you’ve seen it before.’

‘Where did you find her?’ Sk’jin asks after he swallows, not denying Bhān’s statement but reigning in his own questions. If directed well, Bhān would easily spill his story to him. Sk’jin just needed to guide the conversation away from the hopeless-monologue-you ain’t seen what I’ve seen kid talk and get the information he needed.

‘You look young,’ Bhān says without preamble.

‘I can only hope so,’ Sk’jin snorts, wondering where the Ynqaban was going with this.

‘But I can see.’

Sk’jin looks at him with a questioning expression. But the elderly Ynqaban just shakes his head.

‘When the Alliance first came to our System, they promised us protection- they promised us wealth, trade, a chance to improve, a chance to heal,’ Bhān tells him. ‘They came in their massive ships, filled with strange looking Beings who were there to help us develop and improve our lands, our oceans. We’re not…our System is not a healthy one. The planets are weak, not a lot of resources that we can use to survive or trade in. But our people, we were tough, hardy- we survived, we evolved- but it was tiring and strenuous. And no parent wants that for their child- but here we had the hope that our children would have a better world, a better System, to live and grow in. That’s what my parents wanted. But it wasn’t what they thought it would be.’

‘Was it slavery?’ Sk’jin asks.

Bhān looks surprised, ‘What? No- there was no slavery involved.’

It’s Sk’jin’s turn to be surprised.

‘What- wait, what do you mean there was no slavery involved. The Alliance is all about trafficking and slavery.’

Bhān pauses to give Sk’jin a searching look.

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about- but the Alliance didn’t enslave us.’ Bhān tells him clearly. ‘We’ve heard about their other dealings of course- the pirates later brought information, and many of our own travelled outside as well. But we were never enslaved.’

That was very surprising.

‘So…what did they do?’

‘They said they would help us- but that we should also help them in return. This was expected of course, a trade can only work when other parties are involved.’

Sk’jin nods in agreement.

‘The Alliance consisted of many Beings, all of them looked different to each other- but I still remember their leader the clearest. He was extraordinary looking, and powerful- many worshipped him quite immediately as a god.’

‘I mean I guess being handsome has its quirks-‘

‘He could heal with a single touch of his hand,’ Bhān tells him with a roll of his eyes at Sk’jin’s previous comment.

‘He could what?’

‘He could heal- him, and many of his people, could heal at will.’

A shiver runs down Sk’jin’s spine.

‘He wanted the smartest, ablest, young minds of the population to be trained by them, to essentially work for them- transcribe our history, write down our languages, learn and experience other cultures- they wanted to educate us, and by doing so, educate themselves about us,’ Bhān explains.

Sk’jin wants to make a smart- comment but doesn’t. Of course they took the children to plant their propaganda and “education”- children’s minds were like sponges, absorbing and keeping all sorts of information. If you wanted to change a planet, start by changing the Beings who will live in it later. Instead he nods for Bhān to continue.

‘I was amongst them- and to answer your previous question, that’s how we came to speak “Standard” so well- it’s what many of us can only speak now. Our mother’s language is known to only some, and it’s not the original either.’ Bhān adds.

‘So what happened to you? You were educated weren’t you? Why are you saying it wasn’t what you expected to happen?’ Sk’jin asks, urging the narrative on faster.

‘We were taken to their ships, and while we were away, learning and educating ourselves, they were conducting research on not just the species, but on the planets.’

‘Planetary experimentation?’ Sk’jin is thoroughly confused. The Alliance never did things like that. At most they would go, raid some poor defenseless planet like what happened in Kutsoglera, and just leave it. They were only interested in the profit that came from slavery, not from planetary experimentation.

‘They placed massive devices in the atmosphere, they altered the weather, changed the atmosphere. They drilled the surfaces of our lands, drilled deep into our oceans. They removed things, they put things- I still don’t know the full extent of what they actually did but…but slowly…’ Bhān sighs out slowly. ‘Slowly things just started to die.’

‘You saw the moon as you came here?’ Bhān asks.

Sk’jin nods, his mind whirling with all of this information.

‘We didn’t do that- that came as a result of something they did. It just stopped moving- And after that, Ynqaba really started to fall apart- the storms hit, the atmosphere soured- we just…we just started to decay.’ Bhān pauses a while, staring at the dripping water. ‘We say we fought the Alliance and threw them down- but it was just…it was just timing I guess. Something went wrong with the ships- there was a temporary failure and over at Lowet, one of the ships actually detonated completely. So the leader went there, leaving behind the ship docked here. And for a while, we already knew something was wrong- we could already sense that they were bringing us harm. So many threw themselves forward, and they overwhelmed the ship. There weren’t a lot of them- those who came with the leader. So it was easy to overthrow their defenses once they got into the ships. One of them crashed not too far from here, and ended the experiments. But the effects still lasted. One by one, the Alliance was overthrown, and they were defeated.’

‘What happened to your god?’ Sk’jin asks.

‘I don’t know- no one can know for sure,’ he shrugs.

‘You said they experimented on the people? What happened?’ Sk’jin presses.

Bhān gives him another keen look.

‘It was not what you could call a biological or physical experimentation,’ he says carefully. ‘What they did to the planet, was related quite directly to how it effected the people…when we- the ones who were taken into the ships, would return, we noticed how strange everyone had become-…a sort of…alteration, in who they were. Almost like hypnosis.’

‘I’m surprised you didn’t kill me instantly considering Ynqaban history,’ Sk’jin grins, leaning back gingerly. ‘I basically did something like hypnosis.’

‘I know the difference,’ Bhān tells him rather absentmindedly, as though reliving something deep in his memories before he snorts and looks up, ‘Oh- I know you’re a dangerous Being Sk’jin,’ Bhān smiles wryly at him. ‘But I felt no threat from you. Malice, anger, pain yes but…you have no threat in you.’

Sk’jin would be offended. He was plenty threatening, thank you very much.

‘There was a strange uniformity- a sort of echo in how they functioned,’ Bhān shrugs as though unsure himself. ‘It was weird- they would suddenly all do something alike, behave the same, or all suddenly go blank- and then nothing.’

‘Were they aware of what was happening,’ Sk’jin asks tensely, already not liking where this was going and what it was implying.

‘They were- it’s why they revolted,’ Bhān answers easily.

‘How are the other planets faring?’ Sk’jin asks, remembering what Khonen had said about their planet and how it was dying from intense famine and hunger.

‘The same, worse, better,’ Bhān scratches at his face with a sigh. ‘We’re all just…just trying to recover- of course, some places are better. Ynqaba never had much of a chance in the beginning- we were one of the poorest planets in the System- and then all that happened. It’s a miracle we’ve come here.’

‘Yeah- a whole ing miracle,’ Sk’jin mumbles under his breath before asking, ‘And then what? I think I heard the mention of governments or something.’

Bhān actually lets out a loud ha! before chortling to himself.

‘There were those, who were driven by their anger and rage, to try and reform what happened- and it worked for a while. We weren’t a very strong planet, neither were we very advanced, but we had good strong cities, and later those changed into factories- news must have got out, and the pirates came. We sold what resources and materials we could scavenge from the Alliance ships and exchanged them for what we could obtain to fix our lives. We tried to bring back our planets to what they were- we reinstated our government- improved it even. And then well- you can’t sustain an economy off of nothing, and you can’t trade if you have nothing to sell.’

‘So the government revolts started? Civil wars? Fighting for resources?’ Sk’jin quips.

Bhān nods and the gestures around them, ‘And here we are.’

‘What was all that fighting over above your atmosphere?’ Sk’jin inquires. ‘They really ed me and my ship over you know?’

‘It was a fight between Ynqaba and Lowet- the neighbouring planet- they decided to raid us,’ Bhān rolls his eyes. ‘They’re worse off than us.’

‘So how did you come across Camat?’ Sk’jin asks without preamble.

‘You’ve seen her kind before?’

‘Yes,’ Sk’jin replies. It’s not a lie because though Sk’jin doesn’t exactly recognize her specific species, he does recognize her make- and that was the same as Yoongi.

‘I was scavenging alone,’ Bhān explains. ‘Before I met with A’āpyu and her little group. The ships have become…a sort of port- for everyone to gather around, to recreate a sense of community- to live together. It’s better off in there, shelter, safety from the weather, a better flow of food. Those who are in there have better deals as well in terms of trade.’

‘Then why not live in there?’ Sk’jin asks, knowing the answer.

‘I found Camat by mistake- I don’t think anyone other than the Collectors were supposed to know of her. Or her kind.’

‘There were more of her?’

‘A whole room,’ Bhān replies. ‘OrTanks stacked over each other in long rows-…they were just…there. It was so odd- it felt…it felt wrong.’

Sk’jin can understand that all too well as he nods again.

‘I was just there to steal provisions- I had nothing that week, nothing to trade. And I knew where they kept store, where they kept their goods. And I was once young, able- I was fast, quiet- I just needed some provisions, but I found her instead.’ Bhān explains. ‘And I also found them.’

The hair on the back of Sk’jin’s neck stands on end.

‘I really wasn’t supposed to be there- and to this day, I still don’t know who or what they are…’ Bhān shudders, ‘I couldn’t see their faces- but they spoke in “Standard”- they were making deals with the Collectors at that time. They took the OrTanks with them, and I haven’t seen them since.’

Bhān sighs out slowly, ‘I followed the Collectors after that. I noticed that there would be times when they would leave to go on “meetings” with other Collectors. It took me a long time, but then I found them all, heading far too deep into the Corrupted Zones.’

‘Corrupted Zones?’ Sk’jin repeats.

‘The main areas where the Alliance conducted their experiments- it’s too toxic, too dangerous there; is what they told us. And maybe it was before- but not anymore…- then they went in with their cybortronics. The Alliance’s devices still existed there, all too strong for them to breach or take apart with what they had…I stayed behind after they left and I investigated the area myself.’ Bhān turns to face Sk’jin properly who leans back a little, a little surprised by the change in posture. ‘The area was rotting, the ground soft and in many places sinkholes caved the down so I was extremely careful. There were pods, or at least what appeared to be small Transporters of some sort…some were all opened, some were still secured. I don’t know for how long I walked there, but I counted a total of 11 pods, and 4 had been emptied. The final one I came across before I got too spooked was sinking slowly. I didn’t have to look inside to know what was there- the idea of … the idea of all of them just sinking- just disappearing into that blackness…’ Bhān trails off.

‘I don’t know how they got there, or what they were. But that’s where I found Camat- the pods were surprisingly easy to open and… she was just a child, so small, encased and helpless- I just…I couldn’t do anything. I knew I couldn’t save all of them- I couldn’t…I didn’t even know why I was doing what I did- I just took her, and I just left.’

Bhān turns in his seat, looking behind him and into the cave where Sk’jin could hear them talking around, in good spirits apparently as they had raided a lot of food. Sk’jin absentmindedly keeps a mental note to empty out their second pantry and give them all of their food when they return him to the Užkulisai and maybe give Camat one of his robes.

‘How long did it take for her to wake up?’ Sk’jin asks.

‘Wake up?’ Bhān repeats, ‘No- I broke the OrTank.’

‘…you what?!’ Sk’jin splutters belatedly.

‘I broke the OrTank- I was worried- I didn’t know what she was encased in, how long it would last, was it in fact poisoning her? I didn’t know- so I broke it. And she woke up an hour or so later.’ Bhān replies with a frown. ‘And since then I’ve raised her as my own. We can’t go live in the ports, because the Collectors will want to take her. Some of the patrol units know about her- but they think she’s just deformed- maybe mutated. That’s not exactly uncommon here.’

‘Do you know what happened to the rest?’

‘I went back- I went back many times.’ Bhān sighs out. ‘They were completely empty. Only the pods remained. The entire area has sunken now- there’s nothing left.’

‘Do you still have the OrTank in which Camat was kept?’

‘No- I destroyed all of the evidence,’ Bhān replies with a shake of his head before he levels Sk’jin with a determined heavy gaze. ‘How do you know about this.’

Sk’jin pauses for a moment. He couldn’t tell this Ynqaban everything of course- but refusal to do so could lead to a lot of trouble and Sk’jin isn’t strong enough to take down 6 Beings.

‘I’m on a mission from the GLA,’ Sk’jin tells him easily. ‘I am investigating the Alliance and other related organizations. We believe that they’re involved in a very serious crime against the Known Universe and we’re tracking their possible relations with third-parties.’

‘But the Alliance is done-‘

‘What you saw wasn’t the full extent of the Alliance,’ Sk’jin tells him with a shake of his head. He decides not to tell him that they were most definitely not the Alliance either. ‘Just a small portion- they still exist today. And we’re trying to put an end to them.’

‘You mentioned slavery.’

‘Yes- it’s their main “business” you could say.’ Sk’jin replies.

There’s movement behind them and one of the brothers, Rejši appears.

‘Storms dying out- we can leave.’

‘That was faster than I expected,’ Bhān remarks.

Sk’jin frowns, eyeing the small bit of opening he could see from where he sat. It was still storming very hard, so he’s not sure what either of them mean by “dying out”. Regardless, he still follows them after they’ve packed up again and pell-mell fall into the back of the Transporter.

And to Sk’jin’s complete amazement, the weather has cleared. So much so it was almost as though it hadn’t even rained. The ground didn’t even appear wet. Camat wiggles her eyebrows at him, clearly amused by how shocked he was with the way the weather changed. He pulls a funny face at her and she bursts out laughing.

The ride back is nothing like how it was before. There’s conversation, laughter, and even an attempt at singing from Dilag who is promptly shut up by his sister’s fingers, pulling at his ears harshly. They swerve dangerously and Bhān barks at them for order, which they both listen to grudgingly. Sk’jin shares his stories- funny anecdotes from his past, not giving away much. Camat listens to him with rapt attention while the brothers join in with loud laughter at his punch-lines and puns. Bhān even chuckles a few times, though he looks like he regrets it every time.  

Despite their appearance, Sk’jin reckons they were all probably less than 50 sols old.

It’s a sad, Sk’jin bitterly reflects. It’s also almost nostalgic.

The rough and easy banter, the individual compatibility- the lack of tension, their combined trust within each other; it’s painfully nostalgic.

The drive back is much shorter than Sk’jin had imagined it would be, but he guesses it might be because of the weather, which though definitely not sunny and clear skies, was much lighter and less damp than before.

Lajši is cracking a joke when they arrive, and Sk’jin is wheezing a little too much to actually really notice at first.

‘Uh- Sk’jin?’ Dilag calls from the front.

Sk’jin turns around mid-laugh at the sound of his name and stops abruptly.

The crater is still there from where they crashed in, and Sk’jin can very easily see the tell-tale signs of the Užkulisai’s take-off around the area.

Quite abruptly, Sk’jin starts laughing hysterically, clapping his hands loudly. He notices how the others are giving him worried and wary looks again. Wiping the tears from his eyes, Sk’jin manages to gasp out, ‘I’m definitely going to kill Yoongi!’

They give him a wide birth, amused and worried in the way they regard him as they decide it was better to keep  moving rather than stay at the crater. They had given Sk’jin some time outside to scream and kick at the dirt.

It’s relieving, but also a little embarrassing in hindsight. But Sk’jin does feel a little better and when he comes back to the Transporter roughly apologizes for the drama.

‘We’ll take the mountain pass this time- the rain might have uncovered some extra shrapnel,’ Rejši calls from beside Dilag as they start up the Transporter. ‘We might be able to see if your ship’s been taken into one of the ports.’

‘I want to see the new ship that’s crashed,’ Camat puts in eagerly.

There’s a chorus of “no”s and she grumbles, sitting down with a comic frown. Sk’jin snorts and pats her head.

‘Is it safe?’ Sk’jin asks, clearing his throat.

‘Don’t worry,’ Lajši chimes in, ‘Dilag is an excellent pilot- he’ll get us through the mountain.’

‘I wasn’t worried about the mountain exactly,’ Sk’jin retorts dryly but trusts the locals to the terrain anyways. He’s quite sure they wouldn’t sell him out so he’s a bit more relaxed. Giving him time to be irritated again.

Yoongi took the ship and left.

He actually left.

Would they come back? Would any of them come back?

‘Do you think it’s safe for anyone of you to go check if my ship or crew are somehow inside one of the ports?’ Sk’jin asks.

Bhān shrugs, ‘Can’t say for sure- I’m pretty sure A’āpyu is still welcomed inside the port.’

‘It depends on the “mood”,’ she explains. ‘We’ll check and see if it’s okay to go take a look. If not I can’t make promises.’

‘I understand,’ Sk’jin sighs out.

‘Hey- this is good,’ A’āpyu she says kindly. ‘It means that he’s all right. He’s safe if he can still pilot the ship. You said that only the crew could fly it right?’

Sk’jin nods in confirmation, irritation bubbling inside of him.

‘You’ll get back to your crew- a crew is like a family,’ Lajši nods wisely. ‘We don’t leave family behind.’

That stings. It really does.

Sk’jin can only nod in agreement.

Guess we really aren’t family, he thinks, wondering how Jimin was faring.

‘You can stay until you can get back,’ Bhān says unexpectedly. ‘You’re doing something beyond any of us here- beyond what any of us will ever hope to understand- it’s important you survive and keep going on. Don’t give up just yet.’

Sk’jin wonders what expression was on his face for him to receive such a comment. He nods numbly again.

They pass the city on the side of mountain again, apparently it was run by some truly odd nightly Ynqabans who created a sort of toxin they inhaled, giving them “powers”. Bhān just rolled his eyes, mumbling something about stupidity and addiction.

The mountain pass was well- there was no pass. It was just a mountain side and it just so happened Dilag was exceptionally talented in driving and piloting the 8-wheeled Transporter over the terrain. At one point, they’re almost entirely sideways. A’āpyu curses, clearly not enjoying it while her brother cackles at her from the front. Camat laughs with the pilot, thoroughly amused.

‘What are you looking for?’ Sk’jin asks as they finally start driving over flatter terrain.

‘All that space-battle, and what happened before- you can randomly find materials and shrapnel- good for exchange,’ Lajši explains as he hands him a mask. ‘The mountains are always a little misty, so you’ll need a mask. Makes talking difficult though- you really have to shout.’

‘What makes you think I want to step outside,’ Sk’jin grumbles though he takes the mask.

They continue to drive, merry conversation and jokes flying about.

There’s a weird feeling inside Sk’jin’s chest as he looks around the Transporter. For a moment, he almost feels like he wants to forget the mission. Forget the GLA, forget everything. He glances at Bhān who is listening with disgusted incredulity over something gross Lajši is describing to him. The elderly Ynqaban catches his eye and Sk’jin somehow knows that if he chose to stay, then Bhān wouldn’t say no.

Should he stay back?

For all they knew, for all the GLA knew, he was dead at this point. The ship was gone. Yoongi was gone. Jimin was possibly not even alive anymore. Namjoon and Hoseok could potentially have been captured. And then Taeh’yung-…he would be all right.

‘What’s happened here?’ Dilag mumbles out loud and then lets out a laugh. ‘Well me sideways but will you check that out.’

‘No one is ing anyone sideways- woah…’ A’āpyu whistles before laughing. ‘Serves them right.’

Sk’jin looks up from his hands to peer out from over A’āpyu’s shoulders.

It’s quite the sight if he’s being honest too.

What appeared to be 3 huge cybortronics were stacked over each other in a way that was technically impossible, and trapped inside them were several unconscious Ynqabans.

‘What in the -‘ Bhān whispers.

‘I’m not saying we do this,’ Dilag says slowly. ‘But this is a great opportunity and those are some pretty decent cybortronics.’

‘I’m saying we do this,’ A’āpyu orders at once. ‘Even if it’s just one- that’s still good enough to take apart. We can take it to the next port over.’

They’re gearing up in seconds and opening the doorway.

‘Come on Sk’jin!’ Camat calls after him. ‘Let’s go-‘

Her voice is instantly muffled as she wears the mask.

Sk’jin steps out gingerly, looking around the mountain side with some distaste. He feels a tap on his shoulder and finds Bhān there. He nods towards the side and Sk’jin follows.  

They walk some ways from the strange sight and over to a much more open mountain side that’s surprisingly wide and offered a clear but still misty view of the blackened mountains. But that’s when Sk’jin realizes it’s not a mountain. Frowning he squints a little, adjusting the mask over his face properly and cursing at the scratched visor of his facemask.

A Yisheng ship.

That was 100% most definitely a Yisheng ship.

Swallowing thickly, Sk’jin walks further out into the clearing. Something felt strangely off. Reaching the edge, Sk’jin studies the Yisheng ship far below. It had crashed right into the mountain-side, and then promptly melted into it. You could barely tell it apart except for the large print at the side that was still legible despite all of the years of erosion.

Things were really starting to add up based on what Bhān had told him. The elderly Ynqaban stands next to him, also observing the place.

‘Alliance,’ Bhān sighs out before walking back to help them take apart the cybortronics.   

Sk’jin just stares, his mind oddly blank.

The Yisheng had come to this System, under the pretense of being the Alliance, and had essentially destroyed billions of lives. For what?

And then the eggs were there. Bhān didn’t know what it was, but Sk’jin knew at once from his description that he was talking about escape pods. That’s what those pods had been. And inside them were the OrTanks. Released for safety measure when the Yisheng ship started to malfunction.

‘Hey! Sk’jin! Come look here!‘

Sk’jin tears his eyes away from the mountain/ship and back to where the others were gathered, pulling out and dropping their fellow Ynqaban without much care or thought. Whoever placed them in there had cared enough that they wouldn’t be in harms way…

Sk’jin pauses, a strange feeling creeping over him. He looks down at the ground and then all around.

Clear marks and indications of some large vessel was imprinted all over the black and sandy floor. Deep indents of landing pads, heat blasts from beamer-engines. Turning around again, Sk’jin eyes the mountain, heart hammering in his chest. Then he stares back at the sight of the cybortronics.

Yoongi couldn’t do that alone. He was a terrifyingly skilled and strong Being yes- but he didn’t have the ability to tie up and stack the cybortronics over each other like they were toys.

Taeh’yung.

That meant Namjoon. And Hoseok.

They were all here. They met Yoongi, clearly, and they were on the ship. They were here. Not too long ago. Wildly, Sk’jin takes to spinning around, looking all over the mountain side, towards the Yisheng ship, and into the skies. He can sense the puzzlement coming from the others but he ignores it.

Sk’jin’s heart leaps to his throat when he catches a glimpse of the Užkulisai flying high above over the Yisheng ship.

It was them. They were here.

And they had all left without him.

‘Hey! What’s this?’ Camat shouts loudly, holding up a familiar OrTank casing. Sk’jin would know the design of course- even from where he stood he recognizes the make and stylization of all the devices that belonged to the Uzkulisai because he’s had to archive and go through each and every single one to make sure none of them were were altered with tags or trackers.

Suddenly the tracks on the ground, the cybortronics containing neatly bound and gagged Ynqabans makes sense. Everything adds up.

It all happens too quickly and yet too slowly.

Camat opens the OrTank case, her expression curious under her mask as she tugs on something inside.

‘CAMAT NO-!’

Camat vanishes in a bright flash and the mountain comes down right after.

*

(Author’s Notes)

I swear to god, every time I listen to the Tear album and I reach the end and Outro plays I just i n g pray to god and thank her for rapline.

So yeah this chapter.

I beg for your forgiveness, please expect great things next week!!!

And thank you so much to all the people who have commented, sent me messages, and recommended me!! It really motivates me to write and I’m so happy that what I do for fun is by extension providing other people with momentary joy and distraction from their lives.

Thank you so much!!!