‘Dehin?’

Namjoon stops when he notices the GI isn’t following him. Instead he’s standing there, incredibly still, a palm placed over his chest, somewhere above his heart.

‘What’s wrong?’

Namjoon had been informed by a very worried (but hiding it) Sk’jin that he suspects being in Megibīya, especially for the Regurgitated, was not good for them. And Namjoon is definitely inclined to believe the Khol’isa. Not only was it apparent from the earliest hours of their arrival here and subsequently that drastic changes that were painfully visible to behold on Yoongi, the GI- the Regurgitated- seemed to almost wearing out. And though Hoseok isn’t saying it himself, Namjoon has seen the Ngfy’widan giving them medication and shots periodically as well as keeping their health-tabs on high alert.

Dehin has his helmet removed, his eyes are not the usual “GI-blank”; but rather a curious far-away look seems to take over his whole expression. Unsure what to do Namjoon stands before the GI, ready to catch him if he fell. But a few seconds later, Dehin blinks a few times before he looks up at Namjoon.

‘Ready to continue.’

‘Everything okay?’ Namjoon asks slowly, studying the GI carefully as he reaches for his screen to check on his health. There was no alert from Yoongi’s health-tab, which was a good sign as he was more susceptible to any strange occurrences surrounding the Regurgitated.

‘It seems I had a momentary lapse somewhere.’ Dehin explains.

Namjoon is worried that Dehin is headed down the same path as Yoongi. Having his lost memories somehow awoken, pulling in a life lead so long ago, a life that was supposed to have ended then but stretched and pulled to be here, weighing down the Being in question. Namjoon doesn’t know if he can find it in himself to witness it again.

He makes a mental note to talk to Hoseok and probably also Sk’jin to send back the Regurgitated to Lowet when the GI arrive from there. It probably wouldn’t help them, in their somewhat delicate state, to witness the coming of the Verktaë, and what Jimin had in plan.

It’s still a lot to wrap his mind around, but Namjoon knows they do cannot afford the luxury to really process what Jimin had planned out. All Namjoon can do is simply plan further ahead based on what he’s been given. This was, after all, what Information Analysts did.

‘It’s fine,’ Dehin replies before he says, ‘I believe I had heard something once. In this time, perhaps. Or maybe, somewhere else- or nowhere.’

‘…okay,’ Namjoon studies the GI again, ‘If you’re not feeling well, just tell me, all right?’

Dehin raises a slow thumb’s up.

‘All right, so I guess this charge is unusable,’ Namjoon nods towards the quagmire like stretch of land. There were 3 other charges settled into this stretch of land. Namjoon suspects that some deep water reservoir might have broken through the surface, possibly during a seismic shift of the planet’s plates. He’s not sure if much of the landscape in this immediate area was naturally like this, but way the trees seemed to lack height seems to suggest they’re not as old as the trees past the waterfall near the Udāvana region.

‘It is no longer living,’ is Dehin’s extraordinary comment.

‘What isn’t living anymore?’

Dehin pauses, staring down at the thick goopy sandy sludge that stretched out quite far.

‘The water.’

Namjoon frowns at that. He would need to ask Jimin what he meant by that. This area of the map was the most west, closest to the eternally night-fall lands. And deep further into that unforgiving stretch of darkness and ice was the gaping crater.

‘Locking in the next coordinates.’ Dehin responds, pulling his helmet over his head before he gets on to his HoverPort. ‘Captain Namjoon, we’re ready to move ahead.’

‘Thank you,’ Namjoon swings his legs over the HoverPort as well and sets to follow after Dehin. The leave the marshy quagmire area in a blur of greys, beige, browns, and dull greens shapes. Right before they enter the wooded area again, Namjoon glances back above. The waterfall is a thin pale ribbon against the dark grey of the flat-faced mountain it was flowing down against. The mountains that crown either side of the waterfall are high, sun glowing against them in gold and rosy hues. And like a glimmering star, Namjoon spies their ship above the edge of the waterfall.

‘I’m above the waterfall- location check in from everyone please.’ Hoseok’s voice carries over clearly, almost as though sensing Namjoon looking up at the ship.

‘I’m heading past Jalvana actually,’ Namjoon responds immediately as they enter the woods, ‘There’s quite a lot of clogging in this area- most of the charges close to the lake is drowned or clogged up- it’s caused an internal network issue I think.’

‘I’ll make note of that. Yoongi and Jimin reported back all of the charges close to the water as being compromised too.’

‘I guess, it’s because it’s water,’ Namjoon looks around the wooded area as they head back closer to the center of the Crescent. He suspects that the charges to the west-side would be more compromised, ‘Menigišiti has this thing about water- their tech, their System as a whole.’

‘Well, Amad’la and I are trekking it through the fjords past the main lake in Palvana, thanks by the way Namjoon, for an exceptionally damp route!’

‘I did not give you that route personally.’ Namjoon rolls his eyes.

‘I am and will still take this personally!’

‘Thank you Sk’jin. Jimin? Yoongi?’

‘No hanky-panky you hear me! Remember to prioritize!’

Namjoon swears he hears Dehin snort at that.

‘We’re at the border between Udāvana and Jalvana. It’s a high climb- might take a while to ascend.’

‘All right, I’m right here if you need help.’

They cross paths with a pair of GI headed down their coordinates. They give them both flashing thumb’s up and Dehin responds in kind. Namjoon tries not to laugh. They cross paths with another rider- but alone. They too flash them a thumb’s up that Namjoon is better prepared to return this time.

‘Why was he alone?’ Namjoon taps onto the side of his own visor, mainly for the purpose of accessing his screen without having to take it out as he drove.

‘Radiation leak detected in the top fjord region- Okorima has gone to contain the area in case we have an imbalance upon setting up the charges.’ Dehin tells him.

They reach their coordinates and Namjoon is a bit more hopeful for this one. It’s slightly more elevated, and the trees are old. The foliage is thick underfoot as he steps down. It’s also not immediately flooded in mud or clay so that’s one good thing. Dehin finds the latch and pulls it open with ease, almost a food of dark granular soil lifts off like a block, tiny roots cracking like webs.

The lights don’t switch on though when they walk down the stairs.

‘Radiation?’ Namjoon asks.

‘None,’ Dehin reports as he steps down first. Eyes adjusting to the darkness, Namjoon looks around the now familiar layout. There’s nothing visibly wrong with the place. No obvious clogging, no radiation leak, no overgrown roots overwhelming the dome of the charge.

‘I am not allowed access to the charge’s setting,’ Dehin reports as he taps on the blank and unlit dashboard.

‘That’s odd,’ Namjoon looks around, ‘Wonder if Jimin will have an explanation-‘

‘Its root is dead,’ Dehin says plainly.

‘What?’

Dehin points at the charge.

‘The root, that tap down and connects with the harvest cells. It’s dead.’

‘Oh.’

Namjoon finds it disconcerting how Jimin, now Dehin, as well as Taeh’yung refer to this radiation from Yino as living. It’s more unnerving now that he hears is being described as dead.

‘Every connecting charge to this one will be deactivated,’ Dehin explains.

‘How do we find the connecting charges?’ Namjoon asks, activating his screen that sheds a dim soft light all over place. He looks up from his bright screen when Dehin doesn’t reply. He finds the GI staring into the domed area, the gleam of the screen light barely casting a light on the GI’s matte uniform, as though no light could illuminate them. As though no light could find them.

‘The connections we all carry run far deeper, are more complex- and yet, smaller, than we expect.’ Dehin says unexpectedly.

‘What do you mean?’ Namjoon frowns.

‘Prat’tna would contact Šerdesas to keep track of the Užkulisai.’ Dehin replies, not moving an inch. ‘He said that we were all connected, ultimately, in the end, all would be held down by this new strange fate.’

Well, it would make sense- he could have accessed information on them through burrows within the Database.

‘I will access the emergency comms,’ Dehin abruptly kneels before the dashboard, pushing against the smooth surface of front to slide it open and access another smaller screen of sort.

‘Sk’jin?’

‘Hm?’

‘Is Amad’la all right?’ Namjoon asks quietly, watching Dehin carefully.

‘She’s right as rain. I still don’t know what that saying is, but apparently, according to one of Yoongi’s books “The Wonders of the Human Languages Despite it’s Simplicity”, it means she’s fine. Why?’

‘It’s just- Dehin’s been acting a bit strange.’

It’s quiet for a while.

‘Strange the way Yoongi had been acting strange?’

‘Maybe not quite. Dehin seems to…struggle remembering most of his memories as he is right now. Especially unrelated to mission,’ Namjoon says slowly, ‘He gets those bouts of his…older memories. But I think…I think he’s trying to remember something- maybe something important that he overheard, with Prat’tna.’

‘Be patient with him,’ Sk’jin tells him, ‘He will remember on his own, slowly- we don’t want…well, I don’t think Jimin could bear watching his close friend go through what Yoongi is going through.’ Sk’jin says before adding quickly, ‘And yes, I still don’t trust Jimin, but I don’t trust anyone in general- I just think keeping him as secure as possible for what’s coming for us is important.’

‘I suppose so,’ Namjoon looks up when Dehin stands up straight again, pulling out a thin and fragile looking wire. He extends a hand out for Namjoon’s screen.

‘To check the registry of this charge’s main root.’

Namjoon hands him the screen.

‘Are you almost done?’

‘We might be able to even go past the sea and into the other regions if we keep at this pace,’ Namjoon says hopefully, switching channels over to their complete one. ‘It will make me feel better knowing we have the whole set of protection rather than the minimum.’

‘Anything interesting?’ Sk’jin asks.

‘Jaen’s was just updating me,’ Hoseok replies, ‘Our warrants have been lifted apparently, and we have all been declared deceased.’

‘Well, jokes on them because-.’

‘Already?’ Namjoon is taken aback, ‘Do you know who issued this?’

‘No- I’ve asked Jaen to check on it,’ Hoseok replies.

‘What news from Axudar?’ Namjoon asks as Dehin taps over the screen a few times, scanning the registry.

‘They’re keeping watch around the border but there’s been no activity so far. They’ve actually even gotten closer now to see if they’re missing anything but they’re not.’

Already lifted the warrants? And by who? Not only would that need to processed for at least 6 Standard months, but warrants at the level they were in? If someone from the Special Jury placed that warrant on them, it would be unlikely that they would remove it as well- meaning the warrants were discovered and removed by another Being. That is to say if anyone from the Special Jury would actually support them.

‘Still nothing? What if…what if they don’t come?’

‘There’s no way they won’t,’ Namjoon says firmly, ‘They know they have a higher chance at winning by coming here- or at least, to escape. If they remain in Axudar, they will be tried in Court, alongside the others involved in this case. K’mara will be more than delighted, I am sure, to stand for each trial.’

‘It is done,’ Dehin turns and hands Namjoon back his screen. ‘We can cancel out 5 of the charges in our route, as well as 3 more for Jimin and Weapon Specialist Yoongi, 6 for Communications Manager Sk’jin and Amad’la, and as Taeh’yung and Jungkook have completed their route, they may stand by.’

‘Thank you,’ Namjoon looks over the registry and is met with an overwhelmingly complicated index of charges.

‘There’s no movement?’

‘Nothing.’

Namjoon saves the registry immediately.

‘Maybe they’ve developed some form of flight engine, or something like what Jimin has that completely renders them traceless,’ Sk’jin remarks, ‘I mean, who’s to say they haven’t? With how far they’ve been travelling and all that.’

‘That’s a terrifying thought to entertain.’

‘I think we should set up scanners for every possible traceable agent,’ Yoongi says quietly, ‘Charged ions from engines have a distinct pattern regardless of whether or not-‘

‘Midget has a point, Hoseok could add that in-‘

‘Dehin, is it possible?’ Namjoon asks, ‘What Sk’jin is suggesting.’

Dehin doesn’t reply.

‘Jaen says that they’ve already tried that,’ Hoseok tells Yoongi, ‘They’re going to send a scouting ship next, possibly hijack a satellite.’

‘What other method could we use to track them, we know next to nothing about them-,’ Namjoon looks over at Dehin who still hasn’t answered.

‘Would a Yisheng be able to detect their arrival?’

‘If we’re able to contact Lim, then yes, we can definitely track their approach,’ Jimin answers immediately.

‘We need 5 more charges to hit what we need for now-,’ Namjoon says just as Dehin turns to look at him again.

‘Everything you do is being watched.’ Dehin tells him, ‘Because you have always welcomed it, and you always look out for it.’

Namjoon is almost mad at the statement but he pauses. Dehin isn’t moving- almost as though he were struggling.

‘-we should continue increasing the number of charges. Taeh’yung, follow up on Sk’jin’s route and help him.’

Something was wrong. Something was obviously wrong- not with Dehin- but with them. With him.

‘I don’t need help we’re almost done!’

Namjoon had clearly missed something- something that glared straight at him, obvious, obliviously, just lay there before him.

And with a dreaded sensation that he feels in every single inch of his body, the darkness of this domed room a reminder for their blindness, for his blindness- Namjoon finally sees it. He can finally see.

‘We’re on it!’

‘I think I’m going to come back,’ Namjoon tells Hoseok quickly in what he hopes is a calm tone, ‘Is Ems online?’

‘Well, I have her on my tab yeah. What’s wrong?’

Namjoon quickly starts disconnecting their servers from Database- but he was too late. He was too late now.

‘If the Axudarians don’t come here, the next closest location they could possibly go to are other places Ndica frequented- that includes Lowet,’ Namjoon replies tersely, ‘How close are the GI?’

‘They’re 7 hours away,’ Hoseok sounds confused.

‘I’ll be at the landing spot in 10 minutes.’ Namjoon turns to Dehin, ‘Thank you, for trying so hard.’

Dehin simply nods.

‘Please continue,’ he tells him as he steps up and out of the place, ‘Send the updates of the deactivated charges to Hoseok.’

‘Understood Captain.’

Namjoon’s mind is reeling- he’s almost unable to process his own thoughts. It made so much sense when he thinks about it now. Ems had been the one who steered him into this whole issue- had forwarded the Gaia Case, the information regarding the GI, the betrayal of the Yishengs, and its whole inner workings to him, and Namjoon had stepped forward to the GLA Courts as witness to the information.

But Ems had not sent him the information so that Namjoon could be her scapegoat to expose the Gaia Case and the existence of the GI to the GLA. Ems had sent him that, the same way Hoseok’s father told him what he was doing, the same way Ndica had Camil switch complete loyalties to him despite everything Camil himself had been through.

Ems had expected Namjoon to look at everything she sent him, and believe in what Ndica had wanted to create.

Expect it didn’t quite work out that way.

‘Prat’tna would contact Šerdesas to keep track of the Užkulisai.’

Namjoon thinks of all of their screens, of Lisai, of their systems all connected to Ems, at the ready.

‘Jaen,’ Hoseok connects their call to the Comms, ‘Do you have any information for me?’

‘Yes. The removal of your warrants and announcement of your deaths was issued by the GIU- under the orders of the Trifecta.’

This was not surprising in anyway. He had expected K’mara to be the one to clear them- in fact, had Yoongi been in Māho any longer, he’s sure K’mara would have found a way to have him bailed out. He also thinks Amme would have done something, had her authority not been stripped of her rank and reach.

‘Oh K’mara you absolute .’

Neither is Sk’jin’s reaction.

‘Okay.’

‘But it’s the order that worries me,’ Jaen tells Hoseok, ‘Your arrest warrants were issued by the Department of Planetary Relationships, Chief Lmiura.’

Namjoon hits the brakes, his mind suddenly blank.

‘What? Lmiura?’

‘Lmiura?’ Sk’jin sounds incredibly taken aback. ‘Namjoon- isn’t that your-‘

Namjoon speeds up again and shoots through the forest. This was worse than they could have ever expected.

‘Namjoon had previously requested us to look into this matter and well, we’d been busy and all of that but-,’ Jaen understandably sounds hesitant because Namjoon knows where this is headed he knows-, ‘I think…well- her husband died.’

‘…yeah,’

Hoseok still didn’t know. How did Namjoon not put two and two together?

‘Her husband died 5 sols ago. He was one of the Heads of the Venture Unit Board of Divisions.’

‘Namjoon is that true?’ Sk’jin demands quietly.

‘Yes,’ Namjoon manages to reply tersely.

‘And I uh- well, we looked into it and he’s-‘

‘It was me. He was part of all of this- in league with Ndica. And I killed him.’

There’s a strange withdrawal in Hoseok’s tone.

‘Yeah- so well, we think,’ Jaen says slowly, ‘We think that she might be too.’

‘It makes sense then. It really does.’ Namjoon can see how it all fits in now.

‘She’s the Head of Planetary Relationships – as an ally to Ndica, she would have been powerful- very well acquainted with everyone within Axudar- and her husband-,’ Sk’jin pauses. ‘This is also personal.’

Prat’tna’s words come back to him in a cruel mocking way.

‘Someone in your crew is betraying you.’

It was Namjoon. It was himself. He had unknowingly, unwittingly been the access point- the anchor by which they were being tracked. How somehow, their actions were unfolding.

Then this meant, that without a doubt, Axudar knew full well of their coming before they could even consider or even imagine that Axudar would be involved in any of this.

‘As Head of Planetary Relationships, she could have also arranged for places like Lowet and Ynqaba to remain completely under the radar for Ndica to do as he pleased. It was probably her doing to keep Megibīya under complete isolation too. Probably her department that handled the Treaty between the GLA and Menigišiti too.’

‘Well…that’s all I got for you,’ Jaen is replying, ‘I’ll report back in when there’s something.’

‘Thank you Jaen.’

‘So…I’m guessing we now know who wanted us to fail in the Special Jury.’

‘Where is Lmiura right now by the way?’ Yoongi asks.

Namjoon already know they won’t be able to find her. He has a feeling both Amme and K’mara might have something to do with it. They need to contact both of them immediately.

‘It says on the GLA Database here she reported into office 2 weeks ago and hasn’t completed logs or reports since,’ Hoseok reads out. ‘No reason has been given.’

‘That’s on track with what happened with us,’ Namjoon calculates quickly. He sees the ship.

‘Spaces, has it only been 2 weeks?’

‘Do we know where Amme is?’ Jimin asks unexpectedly.

‘No,’ Hoseok answers, ‘She’s missing too. I’m at the landing point now.’

‘I see you,’ Namjoon tells him, ‘I’ll be there in a minute.’

‘Should we be coming back?’ Jungkook asks.

‘No,’ Namjoon finds Jimin echoing his words, ‘No- but everyone be at the ready to change course of action.’

‘Understood.’

Namjoon finds Hoseok coming down into the lower Hangar on his way to meet him.

‘We need to contact Amme-‘

‘I’ve already done it,’ Hoseok looks a tab bit sheepish, ‘I’ve already asked Ems to look for Amme.’

‘I don’t think it’s only Lmiura,’ Namjoon doesn’t know how to tell Hoseok this, ‘I think we have one more-‘

‘Haenoon? Xmi? Sh’now?’ Hoseok names quickly, ‘K’mara?!’

Instead Namjoon reaches over and takes Hoseok’s screen and finds the tab connecting to Ems directly and disconnects it completely.

‘W-what-?’

‘I didn’t understand at first,’ Namjoon goes through his whole screen to disconnect all servers as quickly as possible. They would need to get everyone’s disconnected individually at this point just to be completely safe. ‘At first it didn’t even occur to me to even guess but-‘

Hoseok is stunned, his skin losing colour with every word Namjoon speaks.

‘Database being compromised, tracking layers installed into our systems, into Lisai- our information and location somehow being accessible and available. This goes back to the start, before we started our mission- with those other Beings- with Chen, Kai- Ems was Kai’s Information Analyst- she lead him to Yoongi in Nuqtai. When we were there with her, meeting with Kai and with Chen, going through database, she lead us to the information regarding Ynqaba; she gave me information against all of you to keep.’ Namjoon is throwing out all of his thoughts, ‘And I didn’t think it could have been here at all before, of course not- not when-not after what happened to her, her background as a Klia’ban and how they were made. And how she came to be.’

He disconnects Lisai from the server as well.

‘What’s the possibility that all of our plans,’ Hoseok grabs Namjoon’s arm, ‘-what if, everything we’ve been doing is-‘

Namjoon shakes his head. ‘I don’t know.’

‘. .’

‘We need to contact Amme- what did you want to contact her for in the first place?’ Namjoon asks, looking up briefly.

‘I was thinking about what Jimin had said, about what he saw and heard when he was…in that place with the black water,’ Hoseok replies, ‘And what he said about the Omhlophe- and it made me think-‘

‘The GIU are here.’ Ilya suddenly calls, stopping Hoseok mid-sentence.

‘Oh- okay-,’ It doesn’t quite register in his mind just yet.

‘No one’s left Axudar?!’ Sk’jin asks incredulously.

‘We saw no one- none of our scans saw a thing I don’t understand. Namjoon I think you need to double back and get out of there at once.’ Ilya presses.

‘Right- right, absolutely. Ilya I also need your help contacting the Yisheng Amme if you can,’ Namjoon tells the Ožkan leader, ‘We’re going to have to go through with Plan G at this point, Jimin, Yoongi could you two-.’

A small alarm rings out on both his screen, and Hoseok’s screen in his hands. Namjoon doesn’t need to look down to know what it meant- and it’s-

Taeh’yung.

‘Namjoon get everyone out of there right now-!’

Another alarm note goes off- the lights designated for the GI sets off as well and it’s Okorima. Another alarm rings through the ship and Hoseok is already turning, running full speed as he start to roar orders. Ilya is saying that they’re already headed towards them but there’s that all-telling sound of a faint click in Namjoon’s ear of all communications dropping. The power within the ship blinks and resets to emergency-settings as Namjoon registers a powerful magnetic pulse and shuts down the screen in his hands.

A bright light erupts somewhere and despite all of that, there’s a sudden moment of strange clarity in Namjoon’s mind. Something Camil had said when Jimin had interrogated him.

‘Did you inform Axudar that I was here?’

‘I did.’

‘What did they say?’

‘They said they would be ready to welcome you home.’

‘Were they prepared to come to Cuab-D2?’

‘Yes.’

‘Were you delivering your crew to Axudar?’

‘I was bringing them home. So that we could all live in peace and unison. And with Ilya’s network, we would be able to branch out and connect us all.’

They had brought Ilya’s network to them.

They had brought Jimin exactly where they wanted him.

*

‘Jimin?’ Sk’jin calls.

‘Yes?’

‘All good there?’

‘We’re doing okay,’ Jimin replies earnestly, still thinking through what Hoseok had just revealed to them.

‘Okay, good to know, you two sticking close?’

Jimin laughs quietly at that as Yoongi quickly taps over the dashboard, setting up the charges. There’s an aching familiarity of being back here in these rooms. An aching familiarity filled with regret.

‘I thought you didn’t want us to do stuff like that?’

‘You brat,’ Sk’jin scoffs, ‘I’m just saying- stay close, keep an eye out- I don’t like any of this.’

‘I know,’ Jimin replies quietly.

‘Jungkook and Taeh’yung are here- Taeh’yung’s being strange. It’s keeping Jungkook on edge.’

‘What do you mean?’ Jimin asks. ‘What did Taeh’yung do?’

Yoongi glances over at that, eyebrow raised in question. Jimin replies back with a shrug.

‘It’s not something I can see in Taeh’yung, rather something I can hear- you know how those uh, things, hang around him?’

‘Yes.’

‘There’s been something off about them-‘

‘Ever since he was shot by that anti-core,’ Jimin says slowly.

‘Not just that- since being here,’ Sk’jin says with light emphasis. ‘I don’t know what to think princeling- but I can tell Jungkook’s uncomfortable.’

‘I…I honestly don’t know what it could be,’ Jimin thinks back to both Jungkook and Taeh’yung. Admittedly he’d been very preoccupied.

‘Well…just thought I’d tell you. Go back to your disgusting midget of a Human and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.’

Jimin giggles to himself.

‘Jiminie,’ Yoongi calls for him, a sort of petulant frustration bleeding into his voice, ‘This is not working.’

‘Let me see,’ Jimin walks over to where Yoongi was standing, smiling at the frowning Human. After going through it, he finds an error in the scans.

‘Why is this one not working?’ Yoongi frowns at the domed area.

‘I think-,’ Jimin looks at the area properly and because he was looking for it, finds it almost at once. ‘Look, Yoongi.’

Yoongi squats down to where Jimin is pointing to.

There’s a small fungal sprout, impossibly fragile, pale, and also incredibly recent. Yoongi looks up at him, his smile clear and bright even in this dim light.

‘It’s cute,’ he grins. ‘We should get to the other dome- I don’t think I could remove this little guy from here.’

Jimin thinks it’s adorable that Yoongi would be so adamant in not simply removing the tiny sprout from the area to get on with their plans. As though the fate of this one fungi stalk outweighed the importance of the meaning behind setting up the charges.

‘It’s a good sign,’ Yoongi tells him, ‘Life is returning.’

A pang of pain echoes through the hollow of Jimin’s chest, where borrowed treasure rested in utmost care.

‘So even the smallest form of life,’ Yoongi says, clearly enamored by this little fungi. ‘Stops the domes from closing, therefore the charges won’t activate?’

Jimin nods.

‘That’s cool,’ Yoongi grins up at him again, ‘Safety is the most important after all.’

Somehow this makes Jimin laugh.

‘Yeah, yeah it is,’ he nods in agreement.

‘The GIU are here.’

Both Yoongi and Jimin stare at each other- the weight of Ilya’s words hitting them hard, muting them momentarily.

‘Oh- okay-.’

Yoongi looks at him, eyes wide and confused and afraid-

‘No one’s left Axudar?!’ Sk’jin asks incredulously.

Something in the air shifts- a strange ripple that, like the thin surface of water, undulates in slow motion. The light of Yino blinks, as though she too were surprised, turning her gaze onto them, to shed her light into this darkness.

‘We saw no one- none of our scans saw a thing I don’t understand. Namjoon I think you need to double back and get out of there at once.’

‘Jimin,’ Yoongi is turning him around and practically pushing him forward, ‘We need to get you out-‘

‘-Yoongi-,’ Jimin turns a little, taking Yoongi’s hand and pulling him to his side, ‘I need you to leave if something is wrong immediately.’

‘Right- right, absolutely. Ilya I also need your help contacting the Yisheng Amme if you can,’ Namjoon tells the Ožkan leader, ‘We’re going to have to go through with Plan G at this point, Jimin, Yoongi could you two-.’

‘Jimin there’s something wrong we haven’t been able to foresee-,’ Yoongi is saying when they both hear it.

But Jimin doesn’t need look at the screen Yoongi is flipping open to know.

Suddenly everything is wrong.

Suddenly everything has been upturned. Shakily he gets up and out into the open and he feels it all the more harshly- the air is changed- like great big domes unfurling above them from all sides of the Crescent and a surge of power crackles in the air.

‘- -,’ Yoongi is cursing as he runs up, ‘Taeh’yung-?!’

The line clears and high up in the sky close to the waterfall something massive explodes and before its light can fade, their communications go down.

‘Sunshine-?’

Jimin grabs Yoongi and runs with him before they leap deeper into the forest. Immediately the ground rumbles violently- lurching them where they lay. The trees sway violently- the leaves roaring and shaking as though some great wind were billowing about them.

‘Jimin-?’ Yoongi gasps out, crawling on his front to quickly cover him.

Then all sound is absorbed- all sound is absorbed and Jimin’s ears pulse with the desperate and uncontrollable desire to just hear anything- the silence is overwhelming and Yoongi is clutching his head, mouth wide open in a scream Jimin cannot hear.

And Jimin knows what this is. At least, he knows where it originated from.

In between the two planets of Dzmbaal and Űy’ler stretched a small but dense asteroid field. Once in a while, the asteroids would misalign, and both the planets would use the charges in their planets to target and destroy any stray asteroids that posed a threat. However, if the asteroids would fall into the planets, their ships would take care of the falling asteroid by targeting a tracking seismic charge onto it, basically disintegrating it mid-fall.

This sounded just like the tracking seismic charges Jimin remembers. The explosion occurred at such a loud frequency, it caused temporary deafness to those who would hear it, before finally lowering to a pitch that was mostly discernable. Trees fall at random- one large one falling directly over them but is blocked by another falling tree and they both thud down, their fall silent from the absolute havoc permeating the air all around them.

Lights flicker in painfully bright succession before it completely dims- taking away the rosy-gold light of the permanent sunrise.

Everything roars around them in one horrendous rendering scream. Jimin grabs Yoongi where he’s clutching his head, body jolting in shock. The sounds feel heavy- crushing almost. Leaves and branches fall like rain, a large branch catching Jimin’s left shoulder as he manages to sit up. Eyes watering, his skin feels fevered: he can’t imagine what Yoongi must be going through. He reverses their previous stance, Jimin covering Yoongi’s body with his own, holding onto the Human, placing his palms over Yoongi’s as the woods crumble and break from the weight of all this sound now crashing over them. Almost as though it was finally letting go of what it was holding in- centuries and centuries of contained agony and rage – all of Menigišiti screams at him and Jimin can do nothing but listen.

When the sound is little more than a thundering roar, Jimin let’s go slowly. Yoongi is breathless, unable to open his eyes, heaving as though about to throw up. The Human doesn’t seem to realize that Jimin is moving him around, still not opening his eyes, body occasionally jolting from the intense sounds. Jimin gets him to sit up, lean back against the wall.

‘Quie-quiet-,’ Jimin barely gasps out the Word. He breathes in again, leaning in until his forehead touches Yoongi’s. He reaches in around him and draws the Words of Quiet and Peace.

‘Quiet.’

Yoongi’s body goes lax, his head rolling back but before it can smack against the crumbling tree bark, Jimin cushions it with his hand. Almost as though waking from a deep slumber, Yoongi’s eyes flutter open but with great struggle.

‘What- what’s happening-?’ he asks groggily. ‘What- what is that sound?’

‘I think-,’ Jimin swallows, ‘I think I have made a terrible mistake.’

‘What-?’ Yoongi is struggling, still heavily disoriented, doubly so due to his physical state overall.

Jimin couldn’t leave him alone, but he can’t think anything good will come if he were to step out of here with Yoongi like this. He had to rejoin with the other.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the closest team to them right now were Nineti and Yagal. If he can get to them- reinforce the defense around Yoongi, have them take the Human back to the ship immediately. They could still somewhat continue with their plan.

The earth shakes again and another tree falls close by. Somehow, the fallen trees have them sheltered, hidden from immediate sight. Jimin makes to stand but Yoongi grabs his arm, shaking his head painfully.

‘Don’t-,’ he whispers, ‘-don’t leave me here.’

‘I won’t,’ Jimin shakes his head at once, ‘I won’t- I promise I won’t.’

‘Just- I need a moment-,’ Yoongi is already trying to sit up straighter and Jimin is desperate.

The fallen trees have given them shelter yes, but it’s also stopping Jimin from being able to look out at their surroundings. But before he can think of what to do next- strange rumblings echo from deep down the earth. Yoongi’s grip on his arm tightens.

‘Help me stand,’ is all he says. ‘Please- quickly.’

Just then, the radiation detector blares loudly.

Jimin hastens to help Yoongi stand, painfully reminded of when they were last here and he had to do the same thing. But he pushes that thought away- he couldn’t think like that. He wouldn’t allow it to happen. Alarming crashing sounds make their way towards them and Jimin senses trees are falling at great speed as the roaring sound from the deep within the earth pick up in volume.

‘Why- why is it dark?’

Jimin doesn’t know, but he can guess.

‘Was there a reason? A cause?’ Sk’jin asks, glancing down at Jimin who is quick to ask, ‘When did all of this happen?’

Jn’young looks uncomfortable as he says slowly, ‘I do not know, how much of what I say you will believe when I say this but- but time does not function the same way we understand it, in Axudar.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘As I mentioned before, Axudar has some of the lowest life-spans, right?’ Sk’jin nods slowly whereas Jimin’s eyes widen as though in realization.

‘This doesn’t necessarily have to do with their physical capacity as living Beings, but rather the state in which their System exists.’

 ‘That’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard,’ Sk’jin announces, ‘Time is the same- it’s linear and will continue to be so.’

But Jn’young shakes his head and so does Jimin.

‘What do you mean by shaking your heads,’ Sk’jin scowls at both of them. ‘You’re saying Axudar exists in a different time frame?’

‘I think- Sk’jin I think,’ Jimin says carefully, ‘I think Axudar might have been, a place where the First Children once were.’

Half-dragging, half-running, Jimin guides Yoongi out of their cramped shelter and out into a strange flickering world.

Suddenly, Jimin cannot feel Yino’s warmth on his skin- feel her light in the air. He can’t see past the thick dust in the air, can’t see past the strangely misshapen forest canopy overhead.

‘Sunshine- something’s wrong,’ Yoongi is saying urgently, doing his best to move as quickly as he could.

His balance is completely gone- which makes sense, but he wasn’t hopeless- strength remained in his body. They would need to find a way to return- and for that, Jimin needs to understand his bearings. They had jumped away from the charges in the opposite direction to where they had come from. So Jimin surmises they will need to turn back around somehow, and retrace their steps to return back. Hoseok had said he had landed – Namjoon would be there too and-

Taeh’yung.

‘They’ve been here,’ Yoongi says quietly as they rush forward, the sound of crashing still behind them but not as imminent. The ground shakes a little less harshly too. ‘They’re here. They were just- just waiting-.’

They were here.

It was all planned from the start- this was what they wanted to make happen. And this is what happened- just as they had planned. Again. They knew, with Lmiura’s involvement, Prat’tna’s- and almost as though falling into perfect place, they were caught up with Ilya, and Jn’young- Camil.

‘Did you inform Axudar that I was here?’

‘I did.’ ‘What did they say?’

‘They said they would be ready to welcome you home.’

‘Were they prepared to come to Cuab-D2?’

‘Yes.’ ‘Were you delivering your crew to Axudar?’

‘I was bringing them home. So that we could all live in peace and unison. And with Ilya’s network, we would be able to branch out and connect us all.’

Again and again. Jimin falls for the traps and lies laid out for him. And this time he has everything to lose all over again.

They lay in wait for him here, anticipating his every move- anticipating his next time. But no- not just his. Anticipated Namjoon’s moves, Hoseok’s moves, Sk’jin’s, Yoongi’s- everyone except Taeh’yung which was why now…

Jungkook.

‘We need to find Jungkook,’ Yoongi seems to speak Jimin’s thoughts out into words. ‘He was with Taeh’yung- we need to get him-‘

There’s a very abrupt pause in the sounds and they both recoil- tensing as they crouch, senses on high alert. They wait for a few seconds, holding their breaths. But nothing comes. Yoongi takes a step forward and then pauses. Jimin takes the next, cautious, quiet, crouched.

They wait a whole minute.

But they could not simply stay put here.

Just as they stand a little straighter, Jimin sees the strange flicker of light momentarily just as he feels Yino’s light on him and he pushes Yoongi aside, clenching his hand before him as his own light erupts around them.

Something hits his light hard.

Jimin pulls out his TeorSer and swings it as he activates it before releasing his fist and propelling the light forward in a gust of shock, calling upon him the Words of Time.

Night crashes around him again and standing before him are three Akraman. They’re as tall and slender as Jimin remembers their species being- they’re no longer cloaked in the deep red cloaks they often wore as the colour was one they regarded as the most beautiful. Instead they’re clothed in a strange iridescent garment, almost like a simple tunic. At certain angles, like a prism, the colours of the spectrum of light shimmer over the surface.

Jimin was expecting this, to seem them like this but it’s still- it’s still heartbreaking.

‘Welcome home,’ one of them says. ‘Yino’s children have now all returned. You have called the Hidden out, thank you.’

‘What-,’ Jimin doesn’t have time to register their words. Yoongi is not here- not in this specified Time where the Verktaë hid, waiting for them to separate and be vulnerable.  

‘Will you stay with us?’ they ask at the same time.

And Jimin knows they know his answer. Because this was not his home. Not anymore. Not for a long time.

‘No.’

They are already leaning forward to leap at him but Jimin is ready.

As the Fate of his people, as the Yemenifesi Ch’inik’eti, Jimin has a broad range of how he can use his Words. Words to invoke, Words to inspire, Words to instill, Words to integrate, Words to immerse; Jimin rarely uses these Words though. All of the Fate who came before him in their studies, diaries, and notes always advise against it. Jimin frequently uses Words of peace, and calm- Words of clarity, of ease. These were harder to maintain and to carry, more draining than other words.

And rarely, unless in training for combat, does Jimin use Words of force. Dehin was his best sparring partner as the youngest of 14 never backed down from a challenge. Nineti would help him refine his technique, and develop his own method of incorporating his Words into defensive techniques. However, Words of force were easier to execute- short quick bursts- the necessity to hold them up for long practically unnecessary. 

Not all Fates were trained to fight- but Jimin, as a young child as well youngling no older than Jungkook was right now, found himself restless from his studies and tours. So his tutors, as well as the guards he was growing up with, readily advised regular exercise. So Jimin would join his guards in their training, and they then trained amongst themselves. And sometimes Dehin bemoaned Jimin’s usage of Words, as that normally always guaranteed a win during a more casual practice, but he would also be the one discussing with Jimin on how to better improve his skills as well.

There was a strange disconnect when Jimin fought the Omhlophe, or upon subduing crowds of Beings out there in the GLA- he’s observed from watching Hoseok, and Yoongi. There were new priorities, new rules, new openings- and Jimin starts of with something he has learnt from Hoseok.

Rather than block or raise a shield, Jimin keys in on one singular Akraman, darting sharply to his left to openly deflect their blow with the handle of his TeorSer. The Akraman were carrying a kind of guard-grade weapons- the kind Nineti and his unit of guards carried on them. They were long, spear like in their form and shape, but with a charge at the end that could both fire as well as expand to create charged strikes. The handle of the Heliord holds up against the uncharged spear-head as a result of the Akraman’s surprise at Jimin’s unexpected move. They might have suspected that Jimin would first try to deflect them with a shield during which they would fire at him.

But Jimin isn’t done yet- using the other Heliord handle he uses it to sharply backhand at the Akraman, sending them spinning out in the air before landing in a heap. Activating the Heliords, Jimin waves it in tight but wide arcs before him. The other two are quick to recover and shift their stances. But Jimin doesn’t give them time to pause or think- he sprints forward, aiming for both of them now instead, switching the pace of attacks as he pushes them backwards on the ashy dull ground.

They don’t say a single thing to him. No words of spite, or anger- no taunts, almost as though this was simply all…all just expected.

Jimin cannot feel Yino within them- not in this strange night.

The Heliord grates across the surface of the spear, raining down sparks that fall like solid rays of light onto the strangely soft dust. The two Akraman clang their charged shields together, doubling the seismic charge before slamming it to the ground, pushing Jimin backwards at an alarming rate before he manages to stop himself.

Jimin nearly stumbles down the steep cliff face that lead down to a pitch black yawning cavern. The mountains still stand, but there waterfall is not there. There are no trees, there is no life- fading or not- there was only darkness, illuminated by the weakest of light shedding from an incredibly tiny dying source where Yino’s power and might was normally settled.

Even the air is still.

He adjusts himself and braces for the sweeping attack from the two Akraman. He parries their attacks, dodges their shots, and evades their joint tactics- then just as he disarms one, the drops his TeorSer and grips his hand to a fist.

‘Stop!’

The Akraman smacks hard against nothing, falling backwards in a lump and there’s a flash of daylight- of Yino’s warmth in the air around him and he’s still in the forest but he can smell the lake-

‘YES!’

Jimin finds himself being pushed off with terrifying ease. Suddenly the Akraman he had just disarmed throws down the long dagger on their side and with a frighteningly maddened expression of glee, they shriek at him, suddenly overwhelming Jimin as they push up against him, crazed motion of their arms almost embracing him. ‘YES!’

Jimin manages to push them off but it’s temporary as arms suddenly crush down on him. Jimin immediately stops struggling as they continue to scream and he’s immediately dropped from the shift in weight. Jimin shoves them off of himself before sprinting forward to grab the Akraman- no, the Verktaë.

These were the Verktaë- no longer Akraman.

He and twists and turns them so they fall down with his body weight on top of their chest. The light of Yino shines around him again and there’s a loud explosive sound somewhere. The Verktaë kicks him off, their foot hitting him square on the chest and he slams into a tree. He barely has time to to brace himself when they reaches for his throat again.

Then they suddenly cough blood, crazed eyes dimming though their smile is still mad and wide as a bright blue light erupts from his side and Yoongi is there. His TeorSer shines purple as blood stains down the energy blade. With a hard shove, Yoongi pushes them away, not even looking down as they fall in a heap.

‘Jimin what happened-?!’ Yoongi asks, looking around wildly in confusion. Only in some areas the trees were fallen and completely faded and eroded.

Areas that Jimin now recognizes as spots where he clashed with the Verktaë. Pockets of time unexplained and unhinged from the loop of Continuum. This was why Taeh’yung was immediately taken down- a child of the First Children held no anchor onto this Continuum. 

Jimin realizes that they’ve moved forward quite ahead by a lot. Yoongi still has both of his Heliords, and he doesn’t seem to have been engaged in any fights other than this one just now.

‘I think Ndica was doing so much more than just creating the Eggs, the New Borns,’ Jimin tells him, standing up straight. Yoongi pulls at him, as though ready to move ahead but Jimin shakes his head. ‘Ultimately in the end- it almost seemed useless, to have the New Borns- that’s what I just…-that’s what I just kept thinking. Especially when I met Jn’young, heard what he said, saw what he saw- the Eggs were there yes but-‘

‘-Jimin,’ Yoongi stops trying to pull him along, looking around quickly at their surroundings, eyes lingering on the strange pockets of night that fades slowly, the dust and air and light of this Time slowly gnawing at its edges, rejecting what shouldn’t be here, living amongst them. ‘-Jimin, what did you see?’

Jimin takes a deep breath.

‘They have entangled Menigišiti and Axudar,’ Jimin explains shakily. ‘We are living in our timeline- in our- our reality- they are not.’

‘What?’

‘That is-,’ Jimin points at the nearest pocket of night, where the cliff he had nearly slid down could still be seen, the dried leaves of this Time fluttering in and disappearing in an instance of ash and nothingness. ‘That will be Megibīya in the future: we are now seeing an entanglement of  everything as it was, as it is, as it will be. And no matter what happens, you cannot enter this place.’

Yoongi looks at the disappearing pocket before turning back to Jimin.

Something in the distance explodes, loud and powerful. Jimin knows they’re destroying the charges, by bringing in pockets of a time yet to come, and having it rejected by this timeline- creating catalysts of pure chaos.

‘The others cannot go here too,’ Jimin tells him, urging him quickly, ‘Yoongi listen to me-‘

‘-I have a feeling you’re going to tell me to go-‘ Yoongi closes his eyes tight.

‘-you have to,’ Jimin says firmly. ‘You have to go, and warn the others, and try and leave.’ Jimin turns to him, taking his face in between his hands, ‘Do everything you can and leave- find Jungkook, Sk’jin, Namjoon, Hoseok- and- and just take everyone and go. Call Ilya, and Jn’young- they cannot come here-The charges will not work, you need to go the Sanctuary and there call Yisheng Lim. Call him, and tell him to release the charges set around Megibīya.’

Yoongi doesn’t seem to understand his words for a few seconds before he’s shaking his head out of Jimin’s hands.

‘Please listen to me,’ Jimin hates himself as he speaks Words of persuasion. He hates the way the eclipse reflects briefly in Yoongi’s eyes, hates how his words are lost now, hates how his expression quieting into one of awe. A sob stuck in his throat Jimin continues, ‘Listen to me, and take my message to the others, and leave. Please.’

Yoongi doesn’t say anything for a while, simply looking at Jimin with a sort of muddled clarity.

'Please,' Jimin whispers again, almost unable to look him in the eyes any longer.

‘You know that I love you?’

Jimin jumps, taking a step back, the world around him jarring with Yoongi’s words, his breath stilling in his lungs.

‘I will always love you.’

And then Yoongi quietly turns, presence diminishing in the grey woods as he steps away, making no sound.

Letting out a shuddering breath, Jimin turns to face the quiet space before him. When he looks behind him, Yoongi has vanished past the trees. With weakened limbs and his heart pounding and raging like it wasn’t his own, protesting with all its might but unable to stop, Jimin faces the truths he had been unknowingly blinded to many ages ago.

*

Taeh’yung’s light is grey.

He turns, to where he last saw Taeh’yung and Jungkook but-

‘What-?’

He hears Jungkook’s anguished roar from somewhere further down the forest, its echo clear and wretched-

‘Jungkook-!’

In the distance, something explodes- many things explode- targeted shots from a massive tear that renders the sky halved- a strangely dark sky- as though night had fallen over the Crescent in Megibīya.

Sk’jin watches in paralyzed horror as massive spheres clear the air in an explosion of colourless brief flashes of light. It’s followed by a massive ripple of sheer energy that causes the forests to sway as though it were underwater. And then the sound hits him like an actual physical force.

Sk’jin loses his bearings, his breath snatched from his lungs, suffocating him momentarily before Sk’jin realizes he was in fact breathing- harshly at that too- but his senses weren’t able to quite catch up. Amad’la appears before him and her hands wrap around his neck. For a moment Sk’jin wonders if the GI is going to kill him but her thumbs press down below his ear and suddenly Sk’jin can hear clearly, his senses normalizing as he regains his wherewithal. He also realizes he’s on the ground and with a startled rush, he gets up on his knees. But it’s too much all at once and he retches hard, throwing up on the side, splattering Amad’la’s shoes a bit. He barely has time to wipe his mouth as he stands again.

‘Jungkook-!’ Sk’jin yells, touching his ear to make sure his Comm-Device was on there. it was. There was just no line.

‘For ’s sake!’ he pants out in rage, trying to sprint forward but Amad’la bodily carries him and throws him over her shoulder and starts to run the opposite direction. ‘What the -?!’

Something tears through the space above where he and Amad’la had been chipping away at the layers of sedimentation covering the hatch leading down to the charge. It’s strange, because rather than emit light, it seems to absorb it. A strange rendering of misplaced darkness; it almost seems fake, like a badly designed projection in a virtual garden space so loved by administrative offices in Šerdesas to attempt to boost team morale in the office spaces. But then everything is rapidly pushed aside, the air, the sky, the ground- all around it- as though forcibly making space for itself before everything turns white.

Sk’jin feels himself losing tie with gravity before it suddenly pulls him back down in a crushing heap. Chaos rains down on him as trees fall over as though they were nothing more than dried reeds.  

Something heavy and large falls too close to where he is and Sk’jin feels himself being dragged towards it as more chaos falls all around them. After what feels simultaneously too long and too short, Sk’jin finds himself being sat up. Amad’la is there again- of course she is, but she’s bleeding badly, the stain wet and attracting more dirt and dust even in the matte black of her uniform.

‘Communications Manager Sk’jin, we have lost all communications. I believe some form of magnetic detonator was launched, disconnecting us from all channels. We must return to the ship.’

‘Jungkook-!’ Sk’jin shakes his head, not quite able to find his words, ‘First we need to get Jungkook-‘

‘My priority is to protect you,’ Amad’la says firmly, pulling Sk’jin up and half-lifting, half-dragging him through the still chaotic forest. Sk’jin twists in her hold, dodging her attempt to hold him back.

‘Amad’la sweetheart, I have sparred with other Beings with your height and with your strength, do not test me,’ Sk’jin points at her, ‘I am the Communications Manager yes?’

‘Affirmative.’

‘As Communications Manager who do I answer to?’

‘Captain Namjoon.’

‘And who does Captain Namjoon answer to?’ Sk’jin grits out.

‘Jimin.’

‘Perfect. Has Jimin not said that we need to priorities the teams safety?’

‘He did.’

Sk’jin flinches when something very large crashes quite close, the ground rumbling.

‘Jungkook is part of our team- is he not?’

‘He is.’

‘Does that not mean, that by ranks of authority, we should be answering to Jimin’s order of safety and rescue in the team?’

‘…that is correct.’

‘Great,’ Sk’jin turns around, facing the direction, if he’s right, of where Jungkook had been before all of this blew up. ‘Let’s go get our team and head back to the ship.’

‘Understood Communications Manager.’

Staying low, Sk’jin doesn’t know what to expect or what to think. Other than the overwhelmingly obvious fact that they had been so wrong in everything they had thought was capable of being possible in the realm of possibility itself.

‘Were you able to determine if the attacks came from above?’

Had the Verktaë and Axudarians flown out much more in advance and reached them now, earlier than they could have expected? Or were they waiting for them somewhere out there, hidden, until they were all separated, a little more at ease with being here, and then making their move?

‘No,’ Amad’la replies.

Sk’jin pauses by a fallen tree, trying to see past the fine dust and falling leaves but it’s near impossible. His mind is reeling. The attacks didn’t come from above- they had not been shot at. And Sk’jin does not hear anything from above either. No flashes of light from above as transporters fly past the permanent light fixture to their east. He tries to remember the details of what he saw- of the rendering of the strange darkness he saw. He’s never seen anything like that- has never witnessed something like that before. He cannot explain what it could be. Was this something wrong with the planet itself? Was something happening to the charges they were not aware of? But Taeh’yung was not anywhere near the charges- so what happened to him-

Sk’jin cannot think about it. The screen in his pocket is cracked and useless and the dull grey of the previously green light that indicated Taeh’yung’s tracker and health-tab blurs out the red that tints his vision. He needs to hurry- needs to get to them, to Taeh’yung, to Jungkook-

‘Time…’ Amad’la says quietly out of nowhere, ‘Time, is not Continuum here.’

‘What?’ Sk’jin looks back at Amad’la in shock, ‘What do you mean?’

But Amad’la does not explain what she meant. And Sk’jin’s mind is reeling.

Namjoon and Hoseok- he’s pretty sure they’re together at the moment- so were Yoongi and Jimin. Ilya had- Ilya had told them, told Namjoon to leave at once-

A cold shiver overwhelms Sk’jin, hearing the fear and agitation in Ilya’s voice. The GIU had already arrived at Axudar, no activity was recorded or seen or detected near and around the System of Axudar. Nothing was detected in this area around Megibīya either. The Axudarians, the Verktaë, they would have never just given up like that.

There’s a sudden roar and it’s Jungkook. It had to be Jungkook.

Amad’la immediately turns slightly to the left and Sk’jin follows right at her side. He doesn’t want to call out- doesn’t want to be noticed- they were working with minimal visibility here and-

Amad’la tackles him again for what feels like the millionth time (twice) that day as something with a lot of weight and pressure swipes through the air close to where his head was. But Sk’jin manages to catches sight of two figures. Figures of Beings he has never seen before in his life. Ducking around behind a freshly fallen tree, Sk’jin struggles to find a way to observe the Verktaë.

They’re clad in simple clothes- tunic like with trousers that seem to drag. They have a strangely altered look to them- one that Sk’jin cannot place or point out why. And that’s how Sk’jin immediately understands that he’s looking at the Verktaë. 

They’re carrying a sort of spear like weapon- and Sk’jin cannot tell if it’s long-range or short-range. He’s never seen a weapon like that before, he has no way of knowing how they fight, what they used it for. Was it ceremonial? He remembers fighting the Czibet once, who carried massive mace like ceremonial weapons only to fight with their bare fists. But Sk’jin doesn’t think that that is the case.

‘Amad’la? What sort of weapon is that, have you seen it before?’

‘No,’ she replies, ‘Scanning is unclear, it seems to be a projectile weapon- there is energy emanating from the blade up top.’

Sk’jin has a TeorSer and two daggers on him.

They say something to Sk’jin, it’s almost similar to the language Jimin spoke.

‘Don’t know what you’re saying,’ Sk’jin calls back, his voice echoes loud and wide in the area, ‘So y’know, maybe off?’

It’s silent for a while.

Something explodes- an actual explosion this time, not some strange ripple of power that seemed to absorb it’s surroundings. The ground beneath his feet shake again. In the distance, Sk’jin notices how a whole cliff-face falls, almost in slow motion.

There’s a resounding and unsettling deep tremor that shakes the whole place. Sk’jin’s worry for the integrity of the pipe-lines delivering Yino’s radiation spikes up higher.

Before he can think of what to do, Amad’la stands and starts to fire with her own TeorSer, one he hadn’t even noticed her removing or loading.

They fire back immediately and Sk’jin yanks Amad’la down.

‘Amad’la! No!’ he hisses.

‘Needed to understand their skill and technique, and pinpoint their location- eliminate possibility of others we cannot see.’

‘Ah-…you should have said so!’ Sk’jin scolds.

‘I am sorry Communications Manager Sk’jin.’

‘Well so? What did you deduce from that?’

‘…there’s two of them.’

Sk’jin could roll his eyes.

‘We could take them on?’ he suggests.

‘We have the disadvantage, they’re on higher ground,’ Amad’la replies at once. ‘They also have a clearer view than we do. This was also planned. We are caught unprepared.’

‘Well ,’ Sk’jin looks around carefully to where the two Verktaë are still standing, waiting for their next move.

‘What did you think of their aim?’

‘Average.’

He looks up ahead at the forest they just came through- the trees were close and large enough to hide them. The visibility inside the forest was worst than the wider space out here. He was a good shot- but these things they were firing at them was terrifying and Sk’jin doesn’t want to be too familiar to the radius of their erosion and power.

And then an idea comes to his mind.

‘We need to pull them back into the forest- there, I’ll work as bait- you just cover me, and round them up,’ Sk’jin fervently whisper-yells. ‘We need to get closer- reduce the gap.’

Amad’la gives him a quick thumb’s up and Sk’jin, gets up, aiming for the forest, and sprints fast.

Immediately he’s hailed with shots but he also hears Amad’la firing. The shots aimed at him stop for a while, switching directions. A few seconds later, nearly screaming at her sudden appearance, Amad’la appears next to him, no effort in catching up to his speed.

‘One down.’ Is all she says. ‘The other is coming forward.’

‘What an idiot-‘ Sk’jin gasps out as a shot fires close past his head.

He ducks around a large rock framed by two trees. They were downhill once more but this time, they could use it to their advantage. Amad’la keeps running forward, occasionally firing back. Sk’jin waits, purposefully holding his breath and listening hard.

The Verktaë barely makes a sound- it turns around the trees, clearly intending to follow behind after Sk’jin and not Amad’la though her back is exposed to them. But Sk’jin is waiting for them and all he does is literally stick his foot out.

The Verktaë trips hard, skidding down to tumble. But they manage to stop themselves, long hand gripping down on the dusty soil and drying leaves to stabilize themselves. They immediately spot Sk’jin and they’re already pointing the strange spear at him when Amad’la’s TeorSer makes its presence known a bit too intimately.

They’re not insanely skilled fighters- they were not soldiers. Somehow Sk’jin’s standard of battle tactics, offensive and defensive encounters, and general physical skill and technique has been skewed. Surrounded by the GI on the daily (and regretting every single day of it), Sk’jin is always somewhat taken aback by how his expectation for general prowess has increased.

These Axudarians- they were just about average. With Amad’la with him, Sk’jin is almost a nuisance to her instead. She casually walks up to him, holding the strange spear the Verktaë had been carrying.

‘Okay so I think next time we encounter other Verktaë, I just hide a while, shoot from a higher ground, and you take them on?’ Sk’jin finally allows himself to pant, holding at his waist as he leans against a tree.

‘That seems to be the best plan.’

‘You could pretend to at least consider fighting by my side.’

Amad’la’s stare is apparent even through the helmet and Sk’jin wonders what she’s going to say next.

‘You are my favourite.’ She says, handing him the spear.

Despite everything, Sk’jin manages to laugh.

‘NO!’

Sk’jin’s heart is in his throat.

That was Jungkook- that was Jungkook’s scream. It resonated so loud, so close. Immediately Amad’la points to their right, upwards ahead. Sk’jin crouches a little as he picks up a quick jog.

There’s another scream- louder, and forward ahead.

They pause every other step to listen closely, ducking by still remaining trees, listening intently. They’re at the gentle crest of a hill that Sk’jin is surprised they’re only going past now considering it hadn’t been that far away from where they had been standing previously when Amad’la grabs his arm and pulls him back gently.

‘Communications Manager Sk’jin- look.’

Past some fallen trees that lean up against the more steep side of the crest is the strangest sight Sk’jin has seen.

There’s a strange sunken area- cleanly scooped out almost the way it did when Taeh’yung used his triangles. But the shape is not clean cut and symmetrical as was Taeh’yung’s signature style. Instead there’s a strange intricate pattern of loops erupting, blossoms etched into the dark soil as though blooming into the earth rather than out of it.

‘,’ Sk’jin curses, unsure what to make of what he was looking at. Was this something the Verktaë brought with them?

‘NO!’

Sk’jin jumps, Jungkook’s voice so close- his scream filled with rage and fear.

‘JUNGKOOK!’ Sk’jin screams back, running towards the voice as Amad’la sprints ahead too.

Sk’jin is nearly too late to dodge the strange pulse of energy shot in his direction. He skids to a stop on his knees, heels digging deep the opposite direction before he rolls to a defensive position.

Jungkook yells again but there’s something wrong- something strange-

There’s a massive pulse in the air- absorbing the light momentarily before expelling all of the dust in the air and suddenly Sk’jin can see the area clearly. The trees are cleared as though in one fell swoop, and before him stands another Verktaë.

She looks similar to Jimin and the Yisheng, Lim.

In her hand she’s holding something and then it repeats Jungkook’s scream. Sk’jin’s vision turns red. He doesn’t need to see himself to know he’s transforming- he can feel it. Feel the pain of anger- anger linked to Khol’isa, anger linked to their curse, anger linked to the Bloodmoon.

The Verktaë actually takes a step back, a sort of delayed look of surprise in her face as though not quite expecting herself to be in this situation.

‘I need her alive,’ is all he says.

Amad’la sprints off first, firing from her TeorSer. The Verktaë responds to her fire with her own from the strange spear like weapon they carried. Her clothes ripple as though light were refracting off of her but Sk’jin sees no light from her or any of the Verktaë. He starts to walk ahead, hands curling and uncurling, stretching his lengthening fingers.

His temples burn, missing something but that didn’t matter now. The device in her hands screams in Jungkook’s voice again and Sk’jin shoots forward.

The Khol’isa rarely fought. They didn’t feel the need to either. But Sk’jin was no ordinary Khol’isa. He was not like the others, indolent in their pompous nature of superiority gained from the belief that their suffering made them better than others. He was not like the others who would rather twist and play with the minds of others. He was not like the others who would break their promises. 

Amad’la responds instantaneously, firing shot after shot around the Verktaë in wide speeding circles, giving the Verktaë no time to respond to Sk’jin as he jumps up, turning high with the spear and brings it swinging down against her. She barely manages to hold parry it but Sk’jin literally has the heightened space around them. He lands heavily onto her, uncaring that the spears dig deep down to her torso. She tries to throw him off but Sk’jin twists them so that he’s on the floor instead, surprising her by turning her above himself.

‘You piece of I’m going to have fun punching your face,’ Sk’jin seethes, grinning wide.

She’s about to retaliate when Amad’la appears, using the blunt end of her TeorSer to knock her off sideways. She sways alarmingly and Sk’jin kicks her off.

There’s an odd resilience to her- one that Sk’jin isn’t sure if it’s native to her species, or if it was something else entirely. Blindly, head still tilting, and as though her body moving out of strange violent instinct, she rushes forward again with the spear but Sk’jin easily blocks it, turning on his heel to bring the blunt end of the spear against her very obviously bruised ribs. But she still manages to pull Sk’jin with her, grasp on him still desperate before she shoves him off.

Sk’jin rolls over twice before crouching to a standstill, watching as the Verktaë tries to gain her bearings but he doesn’t give her the chance.

‘Restraint!’ he yells.

Amad’la is there in an instance, well aimed punches on the Verktaë’s knee, sending a resounding crack in the air followed by a gargling scream, and another as Amad’la rises to grab her arm, twisting her backwards in momentum with her own weight. There’s another horrendous scream but Sk’jin meets it head on.   

His hands, thin and fragile appearing to most, wraps around the Verktaë’s still screaming head. But she pushes harsh- mad screams suddenly dying out when Sk’jin locks eyes with her.

She’s still struggling, but Sk’jin doesn’t relent. Amad’la is being pushed back, her feet digging into the dirt but she’s unrelenting too. Sk’jin stares deep into the Verktaë’s strange eclipsed eyes. She’s cursing at Sk’jin in her language- you didn’t need to understand a language in order to understand you were being cursed at. But Sk’jin doesn’t pay heed to that.

There was something so wrong- something so incredibly disturbing about their eyes. Jn’young’s memories did nothing to truly highlight just how wrong they felt.  

‘Show me,’ Sk’jin grits out, fingers tightening around her head, the glow of the Bloodmoon seeping into the light of the tainted eclipse, ‘Show me what you’re hiding, ya little piece of !’

*

He’s always been alone.

When Taeh’yung hits the ground, he registers silence around him.

He was born into a void made of noise- noise that echoed to him from lives not lived, lives long past- hatred, anger, fear- all his to bear, but none his own to feel. Taeh’yung is the Fifth- born of the Zhak’gri, cursed to wander in their escape from a wrath that tore into shape the Universe they now dwelt in.

And since then, Taeh’yung has carried with him that weight, pulling him down endlessly, disconnecting him into this Continuum- reaching through into Continuum to remove it if he chose to do so.

Fifth Generation.

He laughs to himself.

Only the Fifth, and yet here he was, alone.

Centuries and millennia and longer- moons and planets and systems and suns and stars fading turn by turn replacing each other forever multiplying like some grotesque never quenching wretched desperation for affirmation of life yet lived to perfection to fulfillment to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection to perfection-

Taeh’yung would destroy it all if he could.

Because he’s seen it over and over and it’s never enough. He’s had enough.

But he’s just always been alone.

It had been interesting. When he had met the Yishengs. When they spoke to him.

They were afraid of him. Of course. But they didn’t understand what they should have been afraid of. Taeh’yung in all honesty, genuinely didn’t care. He didn’t- but he was also curious now.

Because he had been going about, walking the edges of wormholes and blackholes, watching the tear in the fabric of this Universe, of this lifetime. He knows that the Third had stepped through the tear- rendering them void for many many millennia before appearing once more into a lifetime that wasn’t really theirs, but one they lived anyways.

So he was curious because he remembers so clearly, Ndica, that fool who thought of himself as so great, say something that was maybe the most original and intelligent thing he ever said in his weak and foolish life.

‘He is too deafened by those before him to really understand.’

And they thought it was punishment sending him to Teronko’ng Punishment where this deafness would subdue him further. But it wasn’t quite so. Instead, it made Taeh’yung realize something. It took him very long to piece it together- after all, he couldn’t always hear himself when he thought or spoke aloud to himself.

He had been piecing it all together, bit by bit, when he met them. And Taeh’yung wasn’t interested at first. Why should he, why would he?

But then he felt something displaced in the 2 of 3 that were there. Something- something very forcefully quiet. And so Taeh’yung left with them to see where and how this happened.

And oh- oh did he see.

Deep within that ship- deep within that place, seated and hidden and scattered and connected and stretched and compressed and perfect and broken and lost and found- deep in there- something lived in there that could silence all of this for him.

But somehow, Taeh’yung cannot do that. He watched as they pulled out the central-core that contained Jimin from the Red Evil’s ship. He followed, listening to the breaths- thinking of all he saw, all he experienced- all that he felt.

He thinks of those he met there- their connected souls, entwined with Equilibrium.

And they were beautiful.

So he follows closely, listens to what is said, follows paths and directions. And then, he finally gets to him and Taeh’yung knows Jimin will not do what he asks of. And right now, maybe that didn’t matter just yet. Because there was something more to this now. There was something more and maybe, just maybe, Taeh’yung can actually do what he has always wanted. What he has always craved.

So he remains patient.

Because now he was the Fifth.

And he would be the Last.

Here he was alone.

Or maybe not.

Maybe not anymore.

Because it’s silent now yes. Silent as he’s always craved- silent as he’s always dreamt of.

And now that silence allows him to finally hear, finally see- finally feel.

He hears the approach of Yino’s wretched ungrateful children.

He sees the fear, the rage, the sorrow, in Jungkook’s eyes.

And he can feel- oh he can feel so much.

He feels guilt for taking Jungkook down around with him, his spirit the strongest, the purest- the brightest in this planet: a spotlight for all to see- and for all to see Taeh’yung.

He feels surprise at the warmth in their eyes- Namjoon, Hoseok, Sk’jin, Yoongi, Jimin, Jungkook. Warmth, a genuine harkening of his words, of what he does- of an integration Taeh’yung can now feel too.

He feels a rush of protectiveness, knowing what was to come now- he feels rage too, at the possibility of harm, of the promise of lives lost.

He feels pain- all of it wrapping him in the kind of fire that burnt through Hoseok’s hands.

He feels honour- all of it supporting him up like the kind Namjoon spoke in his words.

He feels hope- all of it caressing him like the kind Jungkook held in his eyes.

He feels heavy- all of it uplifting him like the way it did Sk’jin in all of his steps.

He feels loss- all of it pushing him forward the way it did Jimin’s thoughts.   

He feels love- all of it consuming him like the kind Yoongi held in his touch. 

The sky is rosy and fading slowly – peaceful almost. But that, that, Taeh’yung does not feel.

Peace.

Peaceful.

What a joke.

Because now, now, igniting deep within him, the terror of vengeance shrouds him just as all turns void.

(Author’s Notes)

Hello have you heard of our good friend, the quantum physics theory, Quantum Entanglement? 
*laughs in 2 years of unnecessary and pointless research done for an art thesis*
Quantum physics defines quantum entanglement as two particles that interact briefly and they influence each other so that their properties are somehow connected. But we cannot measure these properties so that we can preserve quantum uncertainty. Quantum mechanics as a whole requires us to describe this pair of particles with a single wavefunction that encompasses all possible states that is observable (but remember we can’t observe it) of both particles. This theory has sparked a very big debate in the past and it’s really cool and im honestly just using this as a basis to layout the connection of mengisit and Axudar and with the strange misplacement of time and how we seemingly abandon the idea of realism/locality/causality when it comes to what happened with mengisiti/Axudar 
But!!!!!!!!!! You don’t need to understand quantum entanglement to enjoy this story- well, stress about this story! But if you want to understand more! Please watch this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tafGL02EUOA&ab_channel=PBSSpaceTime
I don’t understand all of it myself, but I love the idea of quantum entanglement because it’s just!!!!!!!!! So cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do not look to me or this fic as a representation of quantum entanglement or any form of physics I am
Simply twisting it to fit what I need sorry to all physics students I am just a BFA and unemployed
Ah I’m sad, got7 will not renew their contract with JYPE and its not that im sad about because jype for their inability to promote and prioritize got7 as they deserved but just sad because they won’t continue as got7 anymore and we wont hear come and get it, got7! Im emo I could barely watch the GDA performance but I just- they looked so happy and so pleased and im also just really happy that they’re free of this bull in jype and they will flourish!!!!!!!!! FLOURISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Talented beautiful boys I love them so much

also y'all, blond jungkook 
i am
nervous
why does he suddenly have blond hair
what does it mean
it can't possible mean
a new album
could it?
i mean mots7 came out february....and BE is not part of MOTS- because we have Persona and 7, and we know BTS release these in trilogies
or am i just really looking to far into this lmao
tell me what you think!!!!!!
hope you all had a good new year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!