‘It will take you some time,’ Zhoumi says as he hands Yoongi some clothes to wear. Yoongi looks down at the folded shirt and trousers that were going to be 2 times too large on him. But he accepts them anyways. Most Beings were uncomfortable around .

‘Time for what?’

‘If…if what I think is true, then time for you to adjust to being.’ Zhoumi replies.

Yoongi doesn’t understand. Database is telling him a lot of things, but it doesn’t all add up.

‘When I inspected your helmet and found that it had jacks similar to the ones you can find on Androids I was…’ Zhoumi pauses as Yoongi slips on the trousers. ‘I was confused. Why would your helmet have a jack designed for installing Android systems? I knew you weren’t an Android…so it didn’t make sense.’

‘How did it not make sense,’ Yoongi asks as he ties up the strings of the trousers to fit him better.

‘Well…you’re completely organic. At least a vast majority of you is, not counting the bionic plates on your bones from injury.’ Zhoumi begins. ‘When I scanned you, there was no detection of Android or Cyborg cells in you. But your…behavior, was what confused me most.’

‘My behavior.’ Yoongi repeats, allowing the words to settle and steep, to draw the meaning of the word and its implications.

‘Yes…you look like an adult, you sound like one- and I’m sure what you do surpasses any limitations of matured moral disinclination,’ Zhoumi grimaces good naturedly. ‘But…aspects of your personality- your behavior- reminded me of a child. Of someone who doesn’t know anything. It was odd- I felt like I was looking at a living Being without any sense of self.’

‘Sense of self?’ Yoongi repeats, successfully pulling on his the borrowed shirt.

‘Yes…the perception of who you are- of your existence, of who you Are,’ Zhoumi emphasizes.

‘Database tells me that this is called self-awareness.’ Yoongi replies after some thought.

‘Database?’ Zhoumi repeats.

‘Yes- like when I Sleep, and when I Dream. I Know, and I follow.’ Yoongi replies, standing still and straight again. ‘There is a lot inside Database. But I cannot Dream, so I do not Know how to follow.’

Zhoumi watches him carefully, a deep furrow forming between his eyebrows.

‘Where is your database Yoongi?’ he asks instead.

Yoongi blinks a few times.

‘I do not know how to answer that.’

Zhoumi presses his lips together into a thin line, frowning even more. Then he walks over to the other side of his room, gesturing for Yoongi to follow. There are low couches facing each other in front of a tall window, Zhoumi takes one side and indicates to the other for Yoongi to take. He places Yoongi’s helmet over the table, having brought it from the living room. It’s difficult walking with the bandages around his feet. He’s relieved when he sits, no longer pressing down all of his weight on the soles of his feet.

‘Why did you just do that?’ Zhoumi asks.

‘Do what?’

‘Follow me.’

‘You told me to.’

‘I didn’t.’

‘You did.’

‘I only gestured. How did you know how to follow me?’

‘Database translated it.’

Zhoumi rubs at his chin, clearly thinking hard.

‘Yoongi- what you are calling database is your mind…and your response, comes as a result of thinking.’ Zhoumi explains carefully, watching Yoongi’s face intently.

‘My mind?’

‘You understand, don’t you?’

‘Yes. And no.’

Zhoumi puts his hands together under his chin, frowning thoughtfully. They sit in silence for a long time, Zhoumi thinking hard while Yoongi looked on, no expression on his face.

‘Why did you do it?’ Yoongi asks instead.

Zhoumi looks up in surprise.

‘…do what exactly?’ Zhoumi asks carefully.

‘Give me the Android Core. What is your purpose?’

‘Yoongi…what do you know about the Yishengs?’ Zhoumi asks instead.

‘The Yisheng are Beings with the ability to use their own Life-force and channel it for healing purposes,’ Yoongi summarizes at once. ‘They are key participants in withholding the peace within the GLA Known Universe.’

‘Yes…that is true…but do you…’ Zhoumi pauses, looking greatly troubled.

He leans back against his chair, looking extremely disturbed. He glances over at his screen a few times, clearly calculating a number of theories in  his mind. Yoongi counts up to 213 heart beats before Zhoumi speaks again.

‘Yoongi, I need your help.’

‘Help?’

‘Yes. And I want to help you too.’

‘Help me?’

‘Yes.’

‘How?’

‘I am giving you a mission,- no, this is a mission for both of us- one that if we succeed in, will change everything.’

*

Namjoon leans in closer to his screen, squinting a little as he reads the reports. It had taken him almost 16 hours but he found them.

The murder of Prime Minister Gritha.

The GLA news broadcast had been relatively short and didn’t carry a lot of details. However, using that timeline, Namjoon was able to track every bit of news made with that title directly from Orvan. It had been an extremely time consuming search, wading through all of the media-filtered sensationalist news of a Prime Minister murdered by his wife after a 71 sol long marriage. There had been way too many “In Memorandum” articles singing the achievements of Prime Minister Gritha and already Namjoon doesn’t like him. High sung praises and glory never swayed him in the past, and looking at the pasty-skinned wide-mouthed Orvanan just cemented his dislike. Using his own channels, Namjoon was able to dig out every bit of information on Gritha and Namjoon is appalled.

Gritha, Prime Minister of Tui, one of the largest and most powerful countries inside Orvan, personally ran a slave-trade where he would sell his own people to pirates and other slave-trading markets across the galaxies. This was how he had taken up Tui up to its rich and powerful status.

Tui had been a poor and struggling country- the rest of her sister-countries doing much better as they raised trade with the GLA. With Orvan being rich in natural resources that many other planets didn’t have, such as Palladium and Zinc, planetary trade was easily struck between GLA trade routes. But Tui had been the country that refused to band in with the GLA and thus were impoverished as they could no longer maintain trade deals with neighbouring countries. The country of Tui slowly spiraled into economic crisis after crisis, breaking out several times into civil war between the reformist party, the revolutionist party, and the conservative party. Until after nearly an entire century, one Being rose and suddenly recreated all of Tui.

The Tuisan called it a miracle, Namjoon called it an extremely well planned out coup d’état.

Gritha had been clever in how he overtook the country. Offering what appeared to be peaceful and logical solutions to their problems, providing his own party with luxurious means and sudden increase in wealth.

‘You need to know who can be bribed, how to bribe, and what sort of medium to use while bribing- it’s a fine delicate art. Not everyone has this ability.’

Gritha was an outsider- not originally from Tui so Namjoon guesses this involved several of Orvan’s political  leaders as well. Because as Namjoon reads the reports on the other countries, despite their trade with the rest of the GLA Known Universe, they were failing to really meet and maintain economic stability, with barely suppressed civil wars flowering all over the planet.

And so in a sudden surge of economic growth, Tui was transformed into a flourishing country with an economy so stable and flourishing that other countries banded with Tui to form a united trade front. The people of Orvan rejoiced and planned out their future in blissful serenity of a strong government and a united dedication to battle poverty.

And it worked. Ranks of Tuisan and other Orvanans rose along with their economy.

But no one questioned the sudden disappearances of the less fortunate Orvanans who had to bear the brunt force of their country’s economic crash. But their disappearances were never highlighted, no news, no information about it was ever broadcasted.

These disappearances surfaced from around the time Gritha rose to power and Namjoon doesn’t have to read anymore to understand what happened.

With economic recession and poverty, the population grew unchecked and wild, creating scores of Beings who couldn’t be fed, worked, or taken care of. That made them the perfect trade unit for Gritha to exchange for profit to use to buy out his entire country. And who better to deal with other than pirates?

So Namjoon digs in deeper. He might not be able to access Sk’jin’s complete history, but he would be able to access Orvan’s criminal archive. But that had been basic. Sk’jin was tried for Class 2 Arson, Class 3 attempted murder, and Class 2 defamation of the Prime Minister of the Orvan State of Tui. No further detail was available and Namjoon thinks that might be because Gritha or other Beings involved in that situation didn’t want other Beings (mainly the GLA) from digging into their dealings and discovering this massive trade.

So Namjoon moves away from Orvan’s criminal archive and starts up the facial recognition software. There weren’t a lot of Khol’isa who even had a criminal background- not since their migration from their home planet. So finding someone like Sk’jin should be relatively easy.

And it is.

And Namjoon nearly balks at the sheer extent of Sk’jin’s criminal record. Not counting criminal offences made in non-GLA Systems, Sk’jin had a jaw-dropping 244 Class 1 murder charges, 587 Class 3 attempted murder charges, 521 Class 1 trespassing charges, 173 Class 1 illegal weapon usage Types A (space shuttle), B (Transporter: Aerial), C (Transporter: Terrain) charges, 318 Class 1 illegal trade charges, and the list continued. But as Namjoon skims through each offence until the very end, he never comes across trafficking.

Sk’jin’s ID in the criminal archive is similar to what Namjoon had been presented with initially- except for one minor detail.

And written there in bold: Pirate.

Sk’jin is a pirate. Or at least, used to be one.

Namjoon silences the dark hatred swirling inside of him, deeply rooted and firmly planted within him. His hand twitches involuntarily and he takes a deep breath to control himself.

Sk’jin was the actual Captain of a huge pirating network. He commanded throngs of Beings to do his bidding, to break all law and order, to wreak havoc in innocent Systems and possibly even galaxies. Written on the side, Namjoon discovers that Sk’jin had at one point, commanded approximately 56 ships, 82 shuttles, and even had an entire Dock under his command.

So what had he been doing in Orvan and what exactly made him try and kill Gritha (though in Namjoon’s opinion, was completely founded)? Sk’jin’s criminal record held no history of trafficking or any involvement in it either despite having touched on virtually every other criminal offence.

Because after a certain point, precisely 735 sols ago, all activity surrounding Sk’jin and his pirating network completely stops. There’s nothing. Namjoon even does a deep-dive through the archives but there’s nothing.

And then suddenly, 4 sols ago, his identity is archived and settled and he was now back on the grid. There was no prison time, no sentence carried out.

Namjoon quickly searches for Sk’jin’s ship. Judging by his records- and yes, he was correct. Sk’jin used a number of ships though never consistently. But after nearly an hour of careful scanning and research, Namjoon was able to find the ship Sk’jin had last been on before completely falling off the grid.

The last place Sk’jin’s ship had docked had been at a Docking Arc in between the Systems of Cabcd and Sluchaen. Then nothing else was mentioned of it.

There was a wide stretch of dead-space between Cabcd and Sluchaen, nothing noteworthy. But nonetheless Namjoon searches up the coordinates of that stretch of dead-space and to his surprise finds an overwhelming amount of reports of missing ships from that area. As he reads on he finds that for some strange reason, all of the activity surrounding this stretch of space abruptly ended 4 sols ago. To the side of the report were the lists of ships that went missing in that area, but before he can access any further information, a GIU active-firewall completely blocks him off. Active-firewalls meant something extremely serious. It meant that the GIU hired Information Analysts to constantly bar and block anyone trying to access information about this stretch of space.

Namjoon knows about active-firewalls because he used to participate in handling several himself. And he knows that it would be impossible to try and hack his way into this. But this didn’t mean he came out without any information.

It validated his first initial suspicion that Sk’jin’s involvement with this case wasn’t random. There was more to Sk’jin, a whole lot more, than he let on. Namjoon is also uneasy with the fact that Yoongi and Sk’jin seem to know each other. But then it could also be the same way Hoseok and Namjoon knew each other through the Gaia Case court trials.

Namjoon doesn’t know how to point it out- but Sk’jin’s behavior, the way he presented himself, felt like an act. And of course, no one in this ship was being their true self (with the exception of Yoongi but Namjoon honestly cannot even begin to try and understand the Human)-, but there was something about Sk’jin that made Namjoon exceptionally edgy and paranoid.

Tapping his fingers along the surface of his table, Namjoon thinks for a while before pulling up Sk’jin’s criminal records again.

Sk’jin looks different in the pictures. Hair colour, sometimes even complexion, hair style, clothing. But there’s one thing that Namjoon notes above all.

Clear crystal-like helix horns emerging from above Sk’jin’s temples, poking out of his hair. They weren’t as tall or impressive as K’mara’s but that was expected; female Khol’isa had taller and more elaborate looking horns than their male counterparts. But they were very much present on Sk’jin’s head.

Why didn’t he have it now?

He also notices a pattern in Sk’jin’s activities across his records. There will be a period of about 2 sols every 7-8 decades where there will be no track record of his direct involvement in anything. Namjoon puts this down as Sk’jin’s period of autophagocytosis.

‘Captain, there is an outgoing signal leaving the Užkulisai-02 under unofficial channels.’

Namjoon stands up at once.

‘Locate source,’ Namjoon orders at once, grabbing his NaviLet.

‘Hangar Bay.’

‘Who is it?’ Namjoon asks as he switches on the surveillance. And he’s not surprised when he sees Sk’jin strolling along the Hangar, quite at ease.

‘Communications Manager Sk’jin.’

‘Please pull up audio,’ Namjoon says through gritted teeth.

‘Retrieving audio.’

Sk’jin is not speaking in the GLA Standard- it’s a language Namjoon cannot immediately identify. Was he speaking to K’mara?

‘Translate to Standard, Lisai,’ Namjoon orders as he makes sure everything was being recorded.

‘Translating.’

*

‘Change everything?’

‘Yes. What we know, what we believe, what we see.’

‘Change is inevitable. Where there is growth, where there is progress, where there is life, change follows regardless.’

‘That is true, but that is a natural event- one that comes from natural evolution.’ Zhoumi replies. ‘No this change. This will change everything.’

‘I do not understand.’

Zhoumi’s talons run lightly over the fabric of the couch, Yoongi can see micro strands of fine dust fly up from the contact.

‘What do you know about the Yisheng Directory?’ Zhoumi asks instead.

‘The Yisheng Directory is an independent organization that brings together all Yisheng-born to train and study their own skills in order to grow stronger in their abilities. They are healers, nurturers, caretakers, and growers. They are the peace that that GLA promises and delivers.’

‘That is the standard explanation yes,’ Zhoumi leans back, ‘Have you been there?’

‘Headquarters,’ Yoongi replies.

‘Of course,’ Zhoumi mumbles, looking a little unsure. ‘Have you met any of the Yisheng?’

‘I do not know.’

Zhoumi leans forward again, resting his arms on his legs as he stares at the smooth matte surface of the table for a while before producing his screen and tapping along it. Yoongi waits, watching with intent as he scans over Zhoumi’s appearance.

Long-Huon were known to be a tall species. They had a strong bone structure, resilient skin that had a scaly appearance in certain lights and over areas such as their elbows, knees, and ankles. Zhoumi’s talons are short and trimmed, making it easier for him to use the screen in his hands.

To an extent they were known as a proud, vain, and haughty species. Database tells him that this is typecasting; and that the rumors about them breathing fire was both illogical and biologically impossible. But it was kept afloat for a variety of reasons, mainly by young-adult fiction novels exported from Long-Huo as a long living joke against the rest of the Universe.

‘Do you know who this is?’ Zhoumi asks, holding up his screen for Yoongi to look at.

‘No. And yes.’

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘I have seen his face before. Database is providing me with GLA-sourced information about him. But I do not know him.’

‘This is Yisheng Tlun’hla - an Elder in the Directory…and he is a close friend of mine.’ Zhoumi explains slowly. 

‘You sound unsure.’

Zhoumi looks up at Yoongi in surprise, evidently not expecting Yoongi’s comment.

‘I don’t know if you understand the context of religion Yoongi- so let me try to explain it so that you understand what I mean,’ Zhoumi begins, looking even more serious.

‘Religion is belief in a superbeing often omnipresent who wields abilities and powers that are often heightened to impossible degree without any explanation or proof, depending solely on faith.’ Yoongi says. ‘I understand religion.’

‘But do you know why so many chose to follow and believe in a religion?’

‘No.’

‘I can only declare this for myself in this, but I believe I speak for many across the Universe,’ Zhoumi says carefully, rubbing his hands together slowly as he contemplated how to best coin his words together. ‘I believe in a higher authority- a higher power, because I believe that where there is evil and destruction, there must be a force of equal good. A balance, so to speak.’

‘But death and destruction are part of the cycle of life, as stated by the Yisheng Code,’ Yoongi counters. ‘They are not evil, but a simple progression of life.’

Zhoumi looks taken aback again at Yoongi’s comment.

‘Yes- that is true Yoongi,’ Zhoumi replies. ‘But what of needless death? Needless destruction? You are originally Human, though you were not born on Earth or strictly of Human parents- but you are aware of your origins aren’t you? About Earth?’

‘I am aware of her history.’

Database provides Yoongi the entire history of his home-planet- or at least Yoongi guesses that it’s supposed to be his home-planet. He doesn’t quite understand the concept behind it.

Yoongi sees flashes of footage, nuclear clouds covering the surface of Earth, pollution and smog casting an eternal night over a majority of her continents, her oceans stagnant and overrun with chemicals and toxic waste. And her people barely surviving the acrid conditions of her land, as they fought country, state, neighbour, family for a chance at living.

Database provides him with full accounts of the Second Age of the Darkness, and how with the aid of the Venture Unit Exploration Division, Earth was rescued and brought back to her former state. But not without a lot of loss and a lot of pain. Earth was once again the blue planet of her solar system, but forever changed, and forever afraid.

‘All of that was needless- caused by selfish desires, hatred, and an inbuilt desire for self-destruction- we all have this. It is inherent to all of us as a species. We build, and we destroy, we create and we destroy- but why- why do we do this? Why do we watch as we destroy ourselves over and over again? Why do we choose to burn?’ Zhoumi grips the arms of his chair, looking uncharacteristically impassioned.

‘We don’t just watch, throwing ourselves into the flames of destruction; we laugh and smile, cheering ourselves on in our hypocrisy as we dress in riches that we have stolen, and we fight to be the first to dive straight into the pits. This happens over and over and over again!’

Zhoumi leans back, breathing hard.

‘We keep making excuses- we keep saying that it’s “natural”- that it’s a part of our cycle- that this was what living really meant. But it’s not. How can it be? How can we say that it is? How can we say that genocide is simply a part of fate, or something that unfortunately had to happen because it was meant to be? And how can we accept it, watching as all of Life screams in agony, inflicted by those who should know better?’ Zhoumi’s voice is simmering with anger.

‘Death is a part of Life, I know this,’ Zhoumi states, breathing out as though to calm himself. ‘But what we see, what we hear- all this violence, this senseless craving for destruction. This is not a part of Life- this is not living. And that is what needs to change. And those who can bring this change, are the Yishengs.’

‘This does not seem plausible,’ Yoongi replies blandly.

‘It doesn’t, does it? But this is what he believes in too- and that is why we are working together to bring this change around.’ Zhoumi nods at the screen. ‘Tlun’hla wants to recreate the universe- regrow what we already have and make it better. Or at least that’s what he says he wants- but now … now I don’t know what to think…’

‘What changed your mind?’ Yoongi asks.

‘You.’ Zhoumi replies bluntly. ‘When I first met you all those years ago, I thought you were similar to me- another believer of the cause, working to use their ability and skills for the Yishengs and betterment of the Universe. And that is what Tlun’hla told me as well.’

‘I have no recollection of this sentiment in my Dreams.’

‘That is what I sensed from you,’ Zhoumi says quietly. ‘Or more like…I just didn’t sense anything from you. It was like you weren’t alive.’

‘I am alive. I have a heartbeat.’

‘Living is so much more than a heartbeat Yoongi,’ Zhoumi says quietly. ‘To Live is to Be.’

‘I do not understand.’

‘I hope you will one day- because we are a part of this Universe. Me. You. All of us. And we have every right to live and continue on.’ Zhoumi says quietly. ‘We were born into this universe alongside countless other Beings. It is our birthright to uphold it.’

‘Uphold living?’

‘Uphold you Are.’

‘I do not understand.’

‘It’s all right.’ Zhoumi replies, a sort of sad smile on his face. ‘One day you will. And the questions will never stop.’

‘If it is something that you believe in, then why do you question it?’ Yoongi asks. ‘Belief is something that inspires no questions- only blind faith and trust.’

‘Things exist so that we can question it Yoongi,’ Zhoumi says. ‘Not everything is at it seems. Tell me, from where you sit, how many flowers are in that vase?’

Zhoumi points at the mantle over his bed. A large black vase sits at the center of the mantle, laden with heavy looking flowers.

‘9.’

‘But from where I sit, I see only 8. Do you see what I mean? From where I sit, from what I can see, I am correct. But from where you sit, and from what you can see, you see 9.’

‘How many flowers are there?’

’10. Actually.’

‘To question is to validate, to understand. Once you start asking questions, you will understand too,’ Zhoumi replies.

‘That doesn’t make sense.’

Zhoumi sighs out heavily, ‘No Yoongi, to be honest, most of anything worth knowing doesn’t make sense.’

Yoongi has no response to this and Zhoumi sinks into a thoughtful silence for a while.

‘I stopped asking questions- after hearing what I wanted to hear, what I wanted to know.’ Zhoumi continues. ‘I trusted Tlun’hla and his words- after all, why would he lie to me- what did he have to gain from all of this? We are all aiming to achieve the same thing- to bring peace and an end to all the destruction and madness.’

‘If destruction is inherent to all living Beings as you stated, it would be impossible to stop or prevent it,’ Yoongi says. ‘A living Being is aware and is capable of independent thought. You cannot control the progression of the mind of every single Being in the Universe.’

‘But we could- we could, if we can find it.’ Zhoumi says with emphasis. ‘We would be able to eradicate all of this destruction- and all the Beings of the Universe would live as they should, and they as they should. No needless suffering, no needless strife, no selfishness, no want of power- just Living.’

Then Zhoumi looks up at Yoongi, a frown marring his handsome features.

‘But…as I…when I look at you- a Being who has no sense of self, who doesn’t understand- are you not, after all, what we wanted and what we were looking for?’ Zhoumi wipes at his face. ‘But it can’t be- because it’s not right.’

‘Tlun’hla said…if we take what he said as a lie…I-‘ Zhoumi pauses, as though incapable of thinking anymore. ‘Then he lied to us all- this is not peace- this is tyrannical oppression. Something we want to get rid of.’

‘If what you say is true, then why not report this matter to the Yisheng Directory.’ Yoongi rationalizes.

Zhoumi’s eyes narrow at that.

‘I have to first make sure that my case is strong- if not, then all of this would go to waste.’ He says after a long period of silence.

Zhoumi is an extremely suspicious and shrewd Being. That much Yoongi can tell with ease. But he was also first and foremost, selfish. Zhoumi wanted recognition, power, and most of all, acclamation. If he was discovering something that would grant him that power, something that would grant him that platform of rank- then Zhoumi would place himself forward rather than share the glory with anyone else.

Zhoumi spoke of hypocrisy, and Yoongi wonders if he sees it in himself or if he, like the rest of the Universe, believed that they were in the right.

‘Do you understand?’

Yoongi doesn’t know if he understands. Yoongi looks over at the vase of flowers. He now saw only 7. He leans backwards and finds that he can see 8 again.

Zhoumi is looking at him curiously, waiting for an answer.

Yoongi wonders what it means to really understand. Did anyone really ever understand anything? Zhoumi was speaking from a point of view that only saw 8 flowers. There would be others who saw 9, 10, 11, or maybe even no flowers at all. What matter and ideas did they have then? Was it all the same? Or was it different? And if so, did they understand it from where they could see 8 flowers, or 9?

Yoongi nods in reply.

‘I want you to report to me everything you…you dream of, everything that you know, where you go, where you sleep, who you see.’ Zhoumi breathes out deeply. ‘There’s something that Tlun’hla is doing that goes against everything we stand for. And with your help, I think I will be able to uncover it.’

*

Hoseok taps along the edge of his screen, waiting for the data-encryption to finally finish.

He had the Bridge to himself for the next 6 hours. Then after him it would be Yoongi’s turn to man the Bridge. Sk’jin and Namjoon were once again engaged in some passive-aggressive cold-shoulder treatment and were both actively avoiding the Bridge.

So the Bridge was entirely under his command at this moment. And Hoseok likes to take advantage of any alone time he can get. Mainly to do some intensive snooping.  

He probably wasn’t at Namjoon’s level, but Hoseok was a pretty decent Analyst when he needed to be one. After all he did infiltrate a planetary federation by pretending to be an Information Analyst some sols ago (which was stressful in more than one way because one of the presidents of the rebel federation had developed a “fondness” for Hoseok which Hoseok wouldn’t have minded but he’s not into shell-like exoskeletons that oozed slime. As a result he also learnt how to actively dodge unwanted advances for nearly 8 months- Hoseok was never more relieved to be done with a mission). So Hoseok is confident in his abilities. Not to mention he did own a bunch of devices to help him in these particular cases. Particular case here meaning Namjoon’s history.

Of course digging out information of a Being who not only worked for the Venture Unit under the Information Analysis Division but was probably one of the most paranoid and cautious Beings Hoseok has ever met was close to impossible. Which is why Hoseok doesn’t even try to begin digging up his private files from the Venture Unit archives and instead goes into the Yisheng Archives to find the raw and unabridged history behind Kutsoglera.

The files were of course protected, but it wasn’t something Hoseok couldn’t get by. He knew a couple of Information Analysts and a few incredibly talented less-than-savory individuals who created and customized digital-bots that could infiltrate certain spaces within the vast digitalverse of online data and information.

There’s a small light that blinks at Hoseok, indicating the finalization of the data-encryption. Tapping along the screen to access the decrypted data, Hoseok checks around one more time, making sure the Bridge really was empty (because Yoongi was so ing quiet) and he begins reading.

It wasn’t all too surprising reading the raw unabridged version of what happened in Kutsoglera. When “working” for the Venture Unit and that too as an Infiltration agent, it was practically second nature to immediately think the worst of every and any “corrected” information. The history of Kutsoglera that was widely available to the rest of the GLA Known Universe though was horrific, didn’t cover the deeper and darker secrets behind it either.

While it was definitely true that a massive pirating organization had raided and overtaken Kutsoglera, it had not been a random attack.

There were a lot of secret organizations and unions between both GLA Planetary Systems and non-GLA Planetary Systems regarding biological experimentation. Any form of study or experimentation imposed upon Beings that went beyond what the GLA Code on scientific studies set up was instantly banned and made punishable by both planetary and GLA laws.

There were a lot of reasons for many planetary governments or entire systems to want to divulge into illegal biological engineering and study. But the main reason came down to one factor: power.

The GLA are extremely powerful and strong, there was no doubt about it- however everyone knew that it was the Yisheng Directory that granted them this intense extensive reach in their governance. Using the abilities and doctrine of the Yishengs was one sure way to always guarantee a peaceful transaction into the GLA Known Universe.

And everyone knew this.

But there were some who opposed this, and wanted to exert their own form of superiority or display of power. Therefore, the most popular subject for any illegal biological experimentation was to build a super form of Beings that could be controlled and used to attack or counter the Yishengs.

In retrospect, Hoseok finds this a little funny because it was the Yishengs that who succeeded in building such an army of Beings in the form of the GI.

The main issue with creating such an army was that Yishengs could command every and anything that contained Life-force. And Life-force was found in everything.

But often times, the hearts and minds of cruel and power-crazed Beings in positions of power are resilient towards factual truths.

There have been many situations in which Hoseok has had to watch as innocents are taken advantage of, used for the benefit or profit of those who were stronger, richer, and by all rights of the universe, should have been smarter than what they did. And he hadn’t been able to do anything.

And this is exactly what happened in Kutsoglera.

They were a very young planet, their civilizations just barely forming over their continents that boasted lush and gentle terrains, mild and temperate weather, and hard-working simple Beings who enjoyed life on a daily basis, their biggest worries mainly related to the agrarian lifestyle they led.

According to archaeological findings and what could be surmised by those who survived long enough to describe Kutsoglera before that happened, the Kutsoglerin had only achieved what Hoseok dubs as the “ax-age”. Where the Beings of the planet had collective progressed enough to create and hone crafting skills for everyday purpose and use.

Hoseok grimaces as he reads through the accounts of the events that followed, skimming through the contents briefly, not wanting to add more to the index of dark history into his memory than was required.

A total of 83,211 Kutsoglerin survived the 54 sols of torture they went through as a species. Hoseok runs a comparison to the total Kutsoglerin population from the most recent census carried out and isn’t surprised to find their current population at a mere 32,862.

Hoseok glances at the census briefly, wondering if Namjoon’s name was his actual name or not. But he tries it anyway and to his surprise finds Namjoon within 2 seconds.

Going back to the encrypted data, Hoseok starts a cross-search to find Namjoon’s original files and almost regrets doing so. If Namjoon knew what he was doing, there was no doubt in Hoseok’s mind that the Kutsoglerin would be angry. And though he hasn’t seen anything other than petty passive-aggressiveness from the Captain, Hoseok has no doubt that he was probably extremely formidable and terrible to have as an enemy.

Hoseok glances behind him again just to make sure the Bridge is empty, and performs a brief systems-check before going back to his screen.

Namjoon had only been a child- according to the data provided, estimated at 7 to 10 sols of age, when the pirates had attacked. But his young age didn’t stop him from facing equal, if not worse, infliction of cruelty.

Taking a deep breath, Hoseok quickly skims over Namjoon’s medical report made when he was found, age approximated at 65 sols, barely alive, and entire changed.

According to this report, Namjoon was more or less 80% bionic. And while this wouldn’t necessarily be shocking or strange for many Beings, the method and application of his non-organic form was to the point of resembling a Cyborg. Basically, only his head was original, and that too most of his exterior was grafted and sculpted after his rescue. So that meant that what Hoseok saw of Namjoon now was just a guess made based on what remained of his original skull.

His finger hovers over the tab for the original images taken. Deciding against it, Hoseok scrolls downwards instead.

The report also claimed that due to the nature of Namjoon’s biological growth, his adaptation, and the timing of the stages in which he was “introduced” to a new “addition” to his body, his life and survival was interwoven with his crudely constructed internal bionic system. The Yishengs healed him as best they could, but so much of his original self was so entirely destroyed that they could do nothing but fortify what already existed and replace what could be replaced without adding further harm or damage.

As Hoseok reads into Namjoon’s medical history, he can’t help but feel a surge of anger, sadness, and pain.

This happened, for over 50 years, and to Hoseok’s absolute disappointment, the Venture Unit had found out about it a decade after it had all started. But they hadn’t done anything. And when they decided to do something, found that they couldn’t due to legality issues concerning non-GLA planets and the laws on space conflict.

S’ava Hhlai, Hoseok’s Division head, had been the one to propose the plan of letting in their field agents to infiltrate the situation to find a criminal offence taking place within the pirating organization and apprehend them based on those offences.

Hoseok hadn’t been involved in that, having been too young at the time. He’s also pretty sure his parents hadn’t been involved. He’s read through both of his parents personal case files and knows for a fact that they’ve never been near Kutsoglera.

So a few agents were sent in, and after being able to find a handful of criminal offences (honestly not too difficult considering this was a pirating organization), they were able to finally put an end to most of the pirate’s tyranny. Because while they were able to arrest the shuttles and ships off-planet, due to galactic laws, weren’t able to do anything in Kutsoglera.

But the Yisheng Directory had come to the rescue at this point, claiming the planet under the Extinction clause of the GLA Treaty on non-GLA planets that basically put all of Kutsoglera and her people under the protective care of the Yisheng Directory.  

Hoseok scrolls down to find a recent picture of Namjoon, listing him as resident of Raksane Tayi under the Extinction clause along with the remaining surviving Kutsoglerin. But under this Namjoon’s whereabouts are put under “unknown” and hasn’t been updated in over a century.

Hoseok finds the list of bionic replacement surgeries Namjoon has been through and his gut clenches at the sheer number of it all. Namjoon didn’t exactly have organic blood running through his bionic arteries and veins. Instead his specially constructed heart pumped a sort of fluid similar to Android-blood, something that helped de-magnetize and reduce conductivity of the Android from the inside. But Namjoon’s was different because his brain still required nutrients and oxygen to survive. No additional information is given about it so Hoseok has more questions now than he did before.

There were notes on how Namjoon’s body somehow registered all of the proceedings to the way someone would with prolonged conditioning and natural evolution. So to an extent, Namjoon’s young age had helped him survive and adapt to the cruel mutilations reformed into his body.

Hoseok notes with a sinking heart that Namjoon didn’t have a digestive system. It made sense that Namjoon didn’t eat now- because he didn’t need to. But how did the rest of him survive?

‘Medication.’

Hoseok nearly falls off of his chair when he finds Yoongi standing calmly behind him, like he’d been there for some time now already.

‘Yoongi-!’

‘I can smell it on him,’ Yoongi replies, indifferent to Hoseok’s startled defensive stance.

‘So you know? About him?’ Hoseok asks, ignoring the fact that Yoongi could smell out medication on random Beings.

‘I asked him. But I knew the answer. I looked him up.’ Yoongi replies.

‘You- you asked him?!’ Hoseok repeats.

‘Yes.’ Yoongi replies.

‘Was he…was he um, mad? That you asked?’ Hoseok asks carefully.

Yoongi looks away from the HUD window to look down at Hoseok. Suddenly, Hoseok feels excruciatingly scrutinized under Yoongi’s blank stare.

‘No. He seemed surprised.’ Yoongi replies.

‘Ah…how did you know it wouldn’t upset him?’ Hoseok asks curiously.

‘He mentioned it. Meaning there was an invitation open for further inquiry,’ Yoongi explains.

‘…if you put it that way…’ Hoseok blinks before glancing down at this screen. ‘You still have some time before it’s your turn. Why don’t you rest up?’

Yoongi doesn’t reply and Hoseok wonders if he’s upset instead.

‘Do you want to be left alone?’ Yoongi asks instead.

‘Um- I mean, not necessarily? I was just…looking out for you?’ Hoseok replies hoping he doesn’t sound as unsure as he did to his own ears.

‘Thank you. I am staying here.’ Yoongi replies.

‘Ah- okay,’ Hoseok replies somewhat lamely and then adds, in an attempt to diffuse any awkwardness though he’s sure any awkwardness he was feeling was pretty much one-sided because Yoongi looks completely unaffected.

‘Have you eaten?’

‘I was trying to,’ Yoongi replies, his answer surprises Hoseok who was expecting either a yes or a no from the Human.

‘But Namjoon and Sk’jin were in the Kitchen. I ran away.’

It takes Hoseok a few seconds but the moment he’s recovered, he’s laughing until his stomach cramps.

‘I- I have some-‘ Hoseok manages to wheeze out as he recovers. ‘I have some snacks- you wanna share?’

Yoongi looks at Hoseok thoughtfully before he nods and sits on the chair next to Hoseok’s.

‘I was thinking,’ Hoseok grins as he pulls out a compressor bag full of dried fruits from the compartment under the arms of his chair. ‘Out of the two, I think Namjoon is going to be the first to snap and possibly punch Sk’jin.’

Yoongi takes a dried fruit, looking at it as though studying it for a while before putting it into his mouth and chewing slowly.

‘Good?’ Hoseok asks.

‘Yes,’ Yoongi replies, mouth full as he reaches for another fruit. ‘And I think Sk’jin will be the first to snap.’

Hoseok doesn’t know why he’s so pleased and excited that Yoongi is speaking this much.

‘Wanna bet?’

‘What are we betting on?’

Hoseok is positively gleeful.

‘Shift hours.’ Hoseok replies at once. ‘If I win, you take my shift hours; if you win, I take yours.’

Yoongi pauses chewing, as though contemplating and then he nods.

‘Deal.’

*

Database- his mind- provides him with everything he needs to know.

Yoongi “understands” why Zhoumi used the Android Core. What Yoongi translated as Sleeping, Dreaming, and Knowing, was the basic skills he would need for the mission he was assigned to, supplied to him through his helmet, or back in Headquarters in his insulated bedding. But now Yoongi doesn’t need any of that. Or maybe not, because he still finds himself not Knowing what to do with all of what was now in his mind.

It’s overwhelming as he watches, as he sees, as he smells, as he feels, as he hears.

Everything he sees is the first time he’s ever seen it- yet database gives him full information at once. He was in Šerdesas, past midnight. Those were stars, the asteroid belt, building lights, ionized motorways.  

Everything he smells, is the first time he’s smelled it. And again, database identifies what it is, where it came from, what it was. His mind tells him that this is petrichor, the smell of earth after rainfall.

Everything he feels: wind, fabric, water, warmth, cold, pain, medication. The shock of the first sensation gives away immediately to a known response that translates his sensory overload into basic reactions.

He didn’t even switch on the information HUD on his visor- he Knew, without Dreaming.

It’s raining. And though his uniform provides him with protection, Yoongi can sense each drop against the fabric that covers him head to foot. The alley he’s standing in is empty, the Transporter he had parked remained hidden under the CamoTarp where he left it nearly 5 days ago. He removes his glove and allows the drops to linger over his palm, falling into the grooves of his fingers, forming smooth temporary pockets of water over serrated and harsh skin.

It spills away immediately.

Carefully removing his helmet, Yoongi allows the rain to fall over his head. And if he listened closely, he could feel his heartbeat thrumming inside his chest.

Each drop is like electricity that sparks and instantly dies as database translates each sensory trigger into a known response. By the time his hair is soaked through, Yoongi is able to understand it.

He decides that he likes the rain.

‘Living is so much more than a heartbeat Yoongi.’

Was this what Zhoumi meant by being alive?

*

‘We’ll be arriving in Avasana in 12 hours,’ Sk’jin calls from where he’s sitting.

Despite the entire ship being free for their benefit and use, somehow all of them ended up assembling inside the Bridge more often than not. Sk’jin puts it down to Namjoon’s stiff regard he held towards his crew (of course Sk’jin is realistic and knows that this is mainly because of him) as a whole, therefore everyone felt obligated to sit at the Bridge when they weren’t in the middle of their sleep-cycle. So despite having a schedule, they more or less intermingled in the Bridge.

‘Yoongi I’ve been meaning to ask,’ Namjoon says quietly from where he’s sitting, yet again preoccupied with his screen. Namjoon was more or less literally attached to his customized NaviLet- he was never without it and kept consulting it. Sk’jin wondered if Namjoon was continuously reading or gathering data, a kind of forced habit from his extensive years as an Information Analyst or if he was maybe secretly into trash-fiction readily available online. Sk’jin really wants it to be the latter but knows that it’s probably the former instead. No one could look that serious reading some star-crossed romance novel about ridiculous inter-species couples and their overly dramatic families. It was always the families that raised issues. Who cared if your daughter wanted to marry the 6-tentacle-d and heavily toothed Pamn’dadt – this was true love and true love transcended biology. Let them marry and have weird kids dammit!

Besides, not all Pamn’dadt were ravenous carnivores that ate their own kind when caught in a brawl like some books portrayed ( though it should be noted that an entire saga aptly named “The Six Hands of Our Love” written by a famed and celebrated shadow-author who went by the pen-name “Azure Nebula” probably romanticized the species too much) - they could be very sophisticated Beings with refined educated knowledge on the best fabrics from around the Universe. Sk’jin knew one such Pamn’dadt and had once been robed in fabric that felt like how fluffy clouds would feel like for many a sols.

‘Have you made a recent surveillance on the weaponry on board?’

‘I have.’ Yoongi replies from where he’s sitting, staring straight out into the white expanse of warp space. Sk’jin wonders what fascinated the Human so much that he kept staring out of the window. Or maybe it wasn’t fascination, and maybe Yoongi just zoned out entirely, going off somewhere in his own mind. But as Sk’jin studies Yoongi, he can’t hope to even begin to guess what he might be thinking about. There was nothing about him that indicated what subject content he would be thinking about.

It wasn’t difficult guessing what Hoseok or Namjoon would be thinking about- Sk’jin knows that they’re more or less all in the same page with what was most pressing in their minds: this mission. And among other things extreme distrust, overthinking everything, and in Hoseok’s case, regret in ever being asked and agreeing to be part of this mission.

But with Yoongi it was all blanks and even more questions that made no sense. Sk’jin suddenly wonders if Yoongi would enjoy “The Six Hands of Our Love” and has to suppress a laugh at the very idea of Yoongi reading such a novel.

‘Is the official report correct then?’ Namjoon asks, not looking up from his screen.

‘No. Official report does not record the stock of the proton-missiles,’ Yoongi replies causing Namjoon to look up in alarm and Hoseok to facepalm.

‘We have proton-missiles?’ Namjoon repeats.

‘Yes. 50 of them.’ Yoongi replies.

Namjoon and Hoseok share a look before the Kutsoglerin stands up with a heavy sigh.

‘Yoongi, could you show me the missiles?’ Namjoon asks.

Yoongi stands up immediately, and Namjoon follows him out of the Bridge.

‘I don’t think it’s surprising that we’re carrying proton-missiles,’ Sk’jin comments conversationally.

‘You don’t think so?’ Hoseok raises an eyebrow.

‘No- I mean, it adds up to what we’re doing and what we could potentially face- or not face,’ Sk’jin shrugs. ‘I’m surprised you’re surprised.’

‘Rather than surprise I think I’m just generally high-strung,’ Hoseok grimaces, automatically scanning the system profiles in front of him. Spaces, it must be so bothersome having to be Head-Pilot with such a small crew. ‘This will add to other security and safety measures we will have to take- regarding the ship and legal limits while on Docks.’

‘It’s not like it’s difficult sneaking in proton-missiles,’ Sk’jin ruminates, remembering all of the weapons he snuck around with ease.

‘No- but we’re going to have to filter more of the docks and planets based on their security checks,’ Hoseok replies. ‘Some scan specifically for Grade B and above weapons and we’re going to have to avoid that.’

Hoseok stands from where he’s seated, making his way to the Navigation Table. A small furrow appears between his brows as he scans the list of Docks in their newly assimilated trajectory.

‘We’re going to have to cancel Avasana,’ Hoseok frowns. ‘Though most ships are easily passed through, trade ships larger than an S-IV are required to get scanned as they pass through the launch-rings.’

‘But if we can’t get to Avasana, then we’ll have to double back at least,’ Sk’jin calculates briefly, ’8 light years back and fly towards E’gri I think.’

Hoseok grimaces as he finds the planet in question.

‘Yeah- and it’s in-planet docking, they don’t have a Docking Arc outside,’ Hoseok sighs. ‘Namjoon, we have to reroute.’

‘Yeah- I figured. This is a lot of missiles, we can’t talk our way out of this, not with this kind of fire-power.’ Namjoon replies through the Comm. ‘I think we’ll have to reroute back to E’gri.’

‘What’s in E’gri?’ Hoseok asks Sk’jin.

Leaning back more comfortably, Sk’jin sends details on the planet to Hoseok.

‘Does anyone have a criminal record there?’ Namjoon asks, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Sk’jin snorts faintly, catching Hoseok’s amused grin.

‘If you’re referring to Communications Manager Sk’jin then no, he does not have a criminal record in E’gri.’

‘And thank you Yoongi,’ Sk’jin chuckles.

‘Has anyone been to E’gri?’ Namjoon asks before he appears at the doorway to the Bridge.

‘If I don’t have a criminal record there, then no,’ Sk’jin replies with a proud grin. Namjoon briefly rolls his eyes.

‘Never been,’ Hoseok replies.

‘I have,’ Yoongi chimes in. ‘For a brief period of time.’

‘Ah…’ Hoseok sounds uneasy but curious. ‘For what?’

‘I was assigned an assassination task.’

Namjoon, Sk’jin, and Hoseok all share a quick glance with each other before Sk’jin rearranges his features and asks, ‘Were you successful?’

‘Yes.’

‘So I guess…we can rely on you for information about E’gri?’ Hoseok asks hopefully.

‘It’s hot.’

‘…well it is rather close to its sun…’ Namjoon comments as he reads the information on E’gri. ‘Anything else?’

Yoongi looks at the 3D holographic projection of E’gri and says in his normal monotone, ‘It’s extremely dry.’

‘We’ll have to moisturize ourselves then,’ Sk’jin chimes in, winking at Namjoon, ‘I can help you.’

Namjoon’s eyebrow twitches by itself before he says, ‘Hoseok pull us out of warp and let’s reposition ourselves. Everyone buckle in.’

‘Offer still stands!’ Sk’jin sings as he turns on his chair, facing the HUD windows, the safety straps automatically wrapping over his frame.

Hoseok hears Namjoon sigh quietly before he too sits back down on his chair.

‘All seated?’ Hoseok calls out though his dashboard signals him that they were all secured.

‘All right then, pulling out of warp in 10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1.’

The stars diminish and the lights fade away, opening into wide open space.

‘All right- safety can be removed in a minute,’ Hoseok calls out from the -pit. ‘We have 5 minutes before we can jump back into warp. Namjoon is the trajectory locked-‘

A massive shuttle hurtles overhead out of nowhere, clearly pulling out of warp as well judging by the bright blue energy frequency that rippled at its wake.

‘-what the -‘ Hoseok doesn’t get to complete his sentence because the Bridge is filled with a warning sound- the alarm for a lock-rift being placed on them. The shuttle in front of them has markings and serial numbers all from Orvan and it halts in front of them, looming in front of them, nearly 3 times as large as the Užkulisai-02.

Hoseok watches helplessly as the dashboard in front of him freezes and locks down. This was not good.

‘Shields up, missiles ready to launch.’ Lisai’s smooth voice reports in.

‘WAIT YOONGI DON’T FIRE!’ Namjoon yells as he recovers from the suddenness of everything.

‘We’re receiving a call-‘ Sk’jin announces from where he’s sitting.

‘This is the Orvan Far Space Operative- all crew members of the Užkulisai-02 will surrender immediately for Level 2 Bribery and obstruction of GLA Docking Procedures. Be prepared to dock’

Everyone’s heads spin to look at Sk’jin who looks mildly impressed before he turns to look at all of them in turn. Then with a sort of resigned shrug and smile, he says, ‘Oops?’

‘Spaces!’ Namjoon exclaims as he undoes his safety belt and addresses Hoseok, ‘Hoseok, ready the ship to dock. Yoongi, for the sake of our mission, please lay off the trigger- it makes me nervous.’

Hoseok glances over at Yoongi who has indeed launched the entire interactive-weapons control frame and had his hands over trigger controls and the HUD in front of him was already locked in place, ready to fire. Yoongi extracts his hands out of the controls looking dejected.

‘And you,’ Namjoon rounds up at Sk’jin who is also standing up, ‘You best hope we can get out of this you’ve put us in or we’re going back to Šerdesas and you will have to explain why we failed not even a month into our mission to the special jury.’

Sk’jin actually has the gall to chuckle as he says, ‘Don’t worry Nammie, I got this.’

‘You better,’ Namjoon replies distractedly as he gathers his NaviLet and rushes out towards the exit way with Sk’jin at his heels. ‘And Yoongi- please don’t fire at anyone or anything.’

Hoseok watches with great alarm as Yoongi lowers the TeorSer that somehow just appeared in his hands, looking even more put off. Then to Hoseok’s complete disquiet, Yoongi actually sighs and says, ‘I’m going to have some tea. Would you like some?’

Hoseok glances out of the HUD window and then back at Yoongi. He’s vaguely aware of Namjoon and Sk’jin very loudly bickering about something. Then he looks back out of the window and thinks, why not?

‘Yeah sure Yoongi. Let’s have some tea.’

*

Yoongi walks inside the wide spacious apartment. It doesn’t look lived in for at least 5 months now.

Yoongi isn’t too surprised by this. There were times when Zhoumi left for months on end. One time he had been away in Long-Huo for over a year due to family matters. Yoongi hasn’t seen Zhoumi in the past 17 months, but he had completed a mission commissioned by Zhoumi to deliver an OrTank to the Ubhuku planet in the System of Ymir. But there had been other missions he had to see to. From other Beings like Zhoumi. And Yoongi had accumulated a long list of information based on these Beings and Yoongi knew that Zhoumi would want to see it.

Yoongi doesn’t think much of Zhoumi’s absence, but there was a staged setting to the interior of the apartment Yoongi was very familiar to.

Nothing had changed. The table was where it was supposed to be, with a folded bit of paper under one of the legs to balance the slight rickety default it had. The kettle was on the heater, there were a set of dishes on the rack next to the cooker, the spice shakers aligned a bit too much to the left, in danger of being knocked off constantly. And as usual, Yoongi quietly pushes them back into the counter an inch or two towards the center.

Someone had been in here. And it wasn’t Zhoumi or Yoongi.

Yoongi can’t smell the Long-Huon or his presence inside the rooms. Instead there’s an almost faint lingering smell of sodium. Everything had been wiped down. But the main thing that is entirely out of place was the fact that all of his plants were still flourishing.

Database tells him that this looks like something he would do. And that meant that someone else from the GI was here. Someone other than Yoongi.

And the only reason why he hadn’t been attacked yet, was because the other agent hadn’t heard him come in.

Quietly making his way into the hallway, Yoongi waits in complete stillness and silence.

The door to Zhoumi’s bedroom opens without a single sound and a figure steps out.

Their movements are fast.

Yoongi does not have his helmet, but he had the element of surprise. He dodges the silent TeorSer fire shot at him with ease, feeling the burning heat of the shots graze past his exposed cheek as he scales the wall of the hallway, landing with grace and purpose as he easily knocks down the other agent.

Yoongi has never engaged in a fight against another GI agent- there was no protocol regarding this issue and that was probably why the other had seemingly confused responses. But Yoongi knows better now. Or at least thinks he does.

When he compares this fight to the countless others he has engaged in, Yoongi finds that it’s extremely quiet, fast, and lasts 26.31 seconds longer.

Yoongi suffers a punch that definitely cracks a rib or two, but he’s faster than his opponent. Faster, and much stronger. Making sure not to leave any trace or evidence of even a scuffle, Yoongi is quick to disarm the agent and with swift practiced ease, deflects their attempt in breaking his wrist by easily dislocating their arm out of their socket, making sure the joint throws out completely.

But one armed, a GI agent is still dangerous. Yoongi would know, because database is telling him of a situation where both of his arms were compromised and he had completed his mission by using only his legs. The agent attempts to tackled Yoongi down to the ground, clearly to overweigh him seeing as they stood a clear head taller. But Yoongi is expecting this and deflecting the attempt to misbalance him, Yoongi hooks his arm around their neck. 

The GI agent falls limp to the ground, its helmeted head twisted all the way back. Yoongi would have to dispose of the body but that wasn’t his immediate concern. He scans the bedroom beyond the open door and finds everything relatively the same. Stepping over the body, Yoongi detects a digital warmth emanating from the massive screen Zhoumi used for his own personal use. It had recently been switched on and off. As Yoongi approaches the table, he detects a faint fragrance. Glancing over at the mantle over the bed, Yoongi notices a large vase of flowers, filled with luscious white flowers- the kind Zhoumi favored.

Yoongi notes that there are 10 stalks of flowers.

A low hiss permeates the air and Yoongi crouches down immediately, his hand reaching for his retractable dagger.

There’s a strange movement from the body of the GI agent, a strange compression taking place over the black-uniform before the body starts steaming. Moving quickly, Yoongi removes the helmet from over the GI agent’s head, causing it flop back to face Yoongi.

It’s only for a second, but the face of the GI agent is emblazoned in Yoongi’s mind. She looked not unlike himself- her features were unremarkable and plain, part of her face burnt no doubt from a previous mission.

It must be some form of emergency failsafe in case an agent died during a mission. Yoongi watches with an odd sense of melancholy as the agent dissolves into a pool of liquid before evaporating entirely, not even leaving a scent behind.

It was probably in their uniform, disintegrating nearly everything organic it contained. He works quickly with the helmet as well, finding and extracting the slots that held the transmission chip along with Database. Not even 3 seconds later, the helmet crumbles in Yoongi’s hands and into soft fine powder that diffuses into the air like dust.

Walking back into the bedroom, Yoongi access Zhoumi’s files with practiced ease. He’s seen and heard Zhoumi using the screen countless times, and it’s with sensory memory that he types in the password to access Zhoumi’s personal files.

Reflected on the surface of the screen, Yoongi counts the bouquet of flowers at 11 separate stalks.

Recalling the most recent search and operations within the screen, Yoongi waits a while as the screen recalibrates to its former performance stage.

The screen is momentarily a blank white before code runs through it and the screen is set back to what it was 15 minutes ago.

Database tells Yoongi that the screen has been optimized to run as a sort of Navigation Table as well. The most recent page it exited was the tracking application. Yoongi glances over to the other open tabs. They were all ordinary trade commissions, and even Yoongi’s most recent completed mission has been registered as complete and finalized. Scrolling down, Yoongi comes across terms that database does not possess, and articles that were collages of accumulated research conducted on individual Beings, all linking to the tracking tab that had been closed most recently.

Tapping on the tracker tab, the screen blinks up an interactive display.

[UPDATED INFORMATION AVAILABLE_DOWNLOAD_Y/N]

[_Y]

Yoongi waits as the tab updates, a small model of a ship is on display and an index of the ship crew-members pop up to the side.

[STRAVECHI NAVA_AUTHORIZATION CODE: 0924-4291-537]

[OWNERSHIP UNDER FAMILY REGISTRY WU, LONG-HUO_LINK]

[CURRENT CAPTAIN: HEAD-PILOT WU YIFAN_LINK]

[NAVIGATOR: KIM JUNMYEON_LINK]

[CREW MEMBER: 5]

                        [CO-PILOT CHANYEOL DAN YONG’IN_LINK]

                        [CO-NAVIGATOR DO KYUNGSOO_LINK]

                        [TECHNICIAN MIN-SEOK_LINK]

                        [COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER BAEKHYUN_LINK]

                        [ANDROID MAINTAINER SEHUN_LINK]

[PASSENGER CREW: 2]

                        [GIU LIEUTENANT HUANG ZITAO_LINK]

                        [VENTURE UNIT FIELD AGENT KAI_LINK]

[ANDROID/CYBORG: 1]

                        [ANDROID MODEL X1-07 LU HAN_LINK_UNAVAILABLE]

[UNDER INVESTIGATIVE SURVEILLANCE]

[TRACKING]

                        [CARGO]

[LOCATION]

                        [CABCD, YAAIG’RA ARI]

[INVESTIGATIVE THESIS]

                        [DIGITIZED SOUL_ENGINEER JONGDAE_LINK_UNAVAILABLE]

Database tells Yoongi that this investigative data was nothing out of the ordinary. This was a simple trading ship that belonged to a long line of pilots from Long-Huo. The crew was minimal but efficient, and seemingly normal. A quick background search on the crew members shows Yoongi that the ship consisted of Beings who fell well below the standard of normalcy. Everything from piracy, mercenary backgrounds, illegal racing and participation in the COGS, to criminal offences in the Ghandar Planetary Federation, the Stravechi Nava carried within her the strangest mix of aliens. But this wasn’t enough to call in the attention of the GLA, or of Zhoumi who seemed to be tracking this ship through its cargo.   

However, the investigative thesis is what catches Yoongi’s eye.

Database tells him that digitized souls, or the Theory of Digitized Souls as it was registered in the GLA archives, was a scientific theory turned myth that stated that immortality could be achieved by being able to transform a Soul from a dimension-less form to that of a digital mass which could then be downloaded into any willing body or platform.

And while immortality was the main objective and goal behind the thesis, there were deeper and darker quests that branched off of this theory.

So if Zhoumi thought he found a Being who was a digitized soul aboard this ship, and he was tracking it in real time, adding that with his disappearance and the presence of the other GI agent, database tells Yoongi that all of this was interconnected with each other.

Database also tells him that their current location was an interesting choice as well.

Yaaig’Ra Ari was a massive gas-planet engulfed in a storm but most of all was also the planet where the GIU Mothership was docked, charging the hulking ship with its chaotic energy. And it was in this Mothership that Admiral K’mara, one of the Trifecta that lead the GIU,  was stationed.

There’s an odd feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. Database identifies this as apprehension.

He glances down at the chip in his hand and back at the door where the body of the GI agent had dissolved. Did she know where Zhoumi was? What was her mission statement? Placing the chip from the GI Agent’s helmet over the slot on Zhoumi’s desk, Yoongi finds a mission awaiting him.

[DATA DETECTED- APPLY_Y/N]

[_Y]

[INCOMING JOINT MISSION FROM HEADQUARTERS]

[ACCEPT]

[RECEIVING DATA]

[COORDINATES _NUQTAI]

[TARGET: VENTURE UNIT FIELD AGENT KAI {JONGIN} DAKAṢYAII]

[ASSASSINATE]

[TIME: IMMEDIATE]

[SHUTTLE IN WARP IN 27 MINUTES FROM HEADQUARTERS]

[ACCEPT_Y/N]

Yoongi taps across the screen with a single gloved finger, reading carefully. This wasn’t mere coincidence that Zhoumi would have a file pertaining to a Being that was now the target of assassination from the GI.

[ACCEPT_Y/N]

Yoongi’s finger hovers over the screen, unsure why he was hesitant.

[_Y]

Yoongi activates self-destruct within Zhoumi’s screen and watches as millions of terabytes of information and data scramble and erase itself. And just to be sure, Yoongi introduces a malware into the system to thoroughly destroy all traces of digital data.

Satisfied, Yoongi picks up the chip and pockets it. He would now have to pose in as the GI agent it originally belonged to. But database tells him this won’t be difficult because GI agents rarely scanned each other.

Yoongi pauses at the bedroom doorway and glances at the bouquet of flowers.

From where he now stood, he could see 12.

*

(Author’s Note)

So my sister graduated this week. Sumna Laude. And she got a ing legit gold coin for her 4.0 GPA HOW IS SHE REAL HOW ARE WE RELATED I’M STRUGGLING IN UNIVERSITY AND HERE SHE IS LEADING HER ENTIRE YEAR OF STUDENTS I’M JUST-

I’m just struggling with art and cgi and writing fanfic.

It’s fine.

Also if anyone is a fan of Lord of the Rings and you’ve always wanted a Lord of the Rings au with bts in it, ask no more, because lo and and behold: The Sons of Middle Earth.

YEAP- MY LOTRAUXBTS IS HERE LIKE I PROMISED. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE AND LOOK FORWARD TO TOLKIEN GOODNESS.

I also like to post the occasional moodboard regarding my fics so please check out my tumblr/twitter  for random updates ^_^