Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

RYLEY:

Silence filled the dark ship, smothering and thick with anxiety, this dark the architect lingering behind the researcher illuminates an eerie yellow hue against the doorway.

In reality Ryley expected this to happen...eventually and figured he'd wing it, but now that he is on the ship, and everything is said and done...

There was no longer any escape if things spiraled wayside, now that they were hours into dead space there was little Ryley could do if they did not like what they discovered, he couldn't help but feel like a cornered rabbit with a snare looped around its throat.

The moment the admission left her mouth Ryley's fingers subconsciously reached for his side, only to hate himself for the tell tale pantomime seconds later..

Both Robin's and the architect's sharp gazes followed the nervous slip, their attention lingering heavily on his wetsuit, he can feel the nervous twitch of the ravaged fins straining to flutter nervously...

"I..I was nipped by some fish, it's nothing serious, kelpseekers get really aggressive after wash down, stumbled by one's nest and it didn't take too kindly to my presence but i'll survive..." He lied quickly, even as he did he could easily see his words were not going to dissuade the duo...

"That's relieving, it shouldn't be too much trouble to clean then.." Robin sighed.

"Umm..No i..i'll handle it myself thanks.." Ryley declined quickly.

"If it is drastic enough to be bleeding it warrants a proper assessment, there is no room for unaccounted afflictions on this vessel, Allow Robin to clean your wounds and assess the state-"

"That won't be necessary! Really I'm Fine! I already said that.." Ryley snapped his panic giving way to defensiveness at the cold tone of the architect.

Something about the way it studied him made his fins shudder nervously under his wetsuit, despite its eyeless face he could feel its cold leer raking over him..it was like the damn thing already knew he was hiding something...

Quickly Robin wedged herself in between the two just as the alien flared an odd shade of burgundy and shifted forward, no doubt she felt the tension rising between them.

"Ryley..it's kind of important we get a look at it, as trivial as it may seem it's a precaution we have decided to upload here, for everyone's safety and since you're kind of stuck with us for the time being, you'll have to meet us halfway on this one..." Robin reasoned easily.

"All inhabitants, new and old are required to undergo a physical examination and a precautionary blood evaluation, this is non negotiable Ryley" Al-an announced coolly but there was a threat there, Ryley could hear it in the alien's nonchalant retort.

Ryley wasn't leaving until he took off his suit, and if he didn't then the alien would most likely do it for him..

"It's just for the safety of the crew, don't worry it's nothing too evasive, just a blood draw and preliminary once over, here just let me-" Robin offered, reaching for his helmet.

"WAIT! STOP, Please don't touch me!" Ryley barked, jerking back, he instantly felt bad for the way Robin froze but at the moment his flight instincts were running wild..

"...Ryley we are trying to help you...please calm down." Robin soothed warily as if she meant to soothe a frightened cat, Which in retrospect was fair, looking back on it this wasn't one of the hermit's best moments up to date, but Robin's words intended to disarm did little to soothe his fears, a feat which in reality was futile as if she were to have threatened him instead.

"Y-You don't understand..I can't..Im.." Should he tell them? Once he did there was no going back, but what if they turned him into Alterra, or threw him off the ship thinking he was contagious..

"Your what..? Ryley..what are you hiding?" Robin pressed, he could see the moment her brain was beginning to realize there was more to the matter than him simply not wanting them to clean his wounds..

Only Robin was speaking but somehow everything around him seemed all too loud in that moment, Ryley's mind was screaming at him to protect himself, to distance himself from dangerous uncertainty, but where?

"I'm sorry.." The words felt hollow on his lips.

Ryley knew he wouldn't make it far, not on this ship anyway, they were stuck in the middle of dead space for god sakes!

Yet this singular shard of logic was quickly deafened by the irrational instinct to flee, it wasn't long before his panic won out and the hermit bolted, Robin's worried voice calling out after him fell on deaf ears as he sprinted deeper into the ship.

Predictably Ryley doesn't make it far not at all, a reckless turn leads him into the dead end of a storage room, excess supplies lined the walls, minerals and machinery reflected the dim lights of the ship, the pleasant scent of coffee, cured meats and dried plants filled the room.

Smells in which the hermit hasn't had the luxury to experience for years...

Quickly he turned to double back the way he came but froze in his tracks at the sight of the architect quickly approaching him, he can't help but recall the nights he promised himself he'd deck one of these assholes in the face, but now with the alien advancing on him like a neon freight train, Ryley finds himself more terrified than anything.

He tries to dart around the alien, throwing caution to the wind as a last resort but that was about as successful as scanning a crash fish's nest without pissing the fish off, the architect's claws snap out with inhuman speed, catching him around the neck and shoving him back until he felt the chill of the ship's wall seeping into his back..

"Get the fuck off me!" The hermit spat aggressively as he strained against its hold, his nails digging into the alien's armored forearm as he tried desperately to pry away its steel-like grip.

Yet it was futile, the alien's unyielding hold may as well have been a bear trap, but it doesn't mean Ryley would go down willingly!

"Let me go! Damn it!" he yelled again furiously, trying to kick at the alien with all his strength.

Yet the glowing asshole seemed indifferent to his ire, instead the architect tilted it's head at him for a moment, regarding him with cold curiosity as it slowly said something Ryley didn't understand.

It's voice was a plethora of languages all sounding off him in various volumes, he had no clue what the alien was saying but in his peripheral he noticed Robin turn away rather abruptly, he wasn't certain how long she had been lingering there in the doorway, but something about her action made a chill run up his spine.

"Robin! I-" he called out with uncertainty, but she didn't turn back around, it was at that moment he understood that Robin was deliberately looking away from him..

Had the alien commanded her to look away? Was her companion about to hurt him?

Ryley felt his blood run cold as began to struggle harder, fear giving way to a boost of adrenaline, yet just as quickly it didn't matter because the moment he turned his head back to glare down the architect the alien in turn leaned in closer.

Suddenly without warning a pulsing array of colors flashed brightly right in the poor man's face, he had no time to cover his face from the light erupting from the glowing streaks marring its body.

Ryley sat there completely frozen, ensnared by its hypnotizing leer, despite how disorienting the bright lights were Ryley found he had little motivation to shield his eyes from the potentially harmful rays..

The room spun for a moment, shrinking in on all sides as Ryley stared back at the alien confusedly, frozen and indecisive.. It wasn't fear that stopped him from defending himself, Ryley couldn't quite understand what gave him pause, his mind was screaming at him to move and attempt to escape..

Yet as the lights died and the alien finally let go, releasing him to fall back against the hull, a wave of calm exhaustion took to the poor man faster than his stressed mind could register his own fatigue, without the alien's strong hold keeping him upright Ryley's legs began to wobble and quickly buckled as he watched the architect drift back to Robin's side.

Ryley could hardly focus on what the alien was saying to Robin who had stepped further into the room to stand beside him, she looked worried and upset and that equally made him upset but for some reason his emotions were misfiring, he felt lethargic and sluggish, everytime panic rose up within him it was almost immediately drowned by a misplaced sense of detached calm.

"Hey, how are you feeling...?" Robin asked wearily, shifting closer to squat in front of him, no doubt so she could maintain eye contact with him as she spoke.

"Tired but okay, I guess.. I'm sorry I ran.." He blurted out before he even considered his reply..

"We need to see your wound, okay? We can't let things like this go unchecked, do you understand?"

"I..I didn't want to scare you..."

Robin paused for a second, gnawing at her bottom lip as her brown eyes flickered over his helmet before she carefully leaned forward to unclip the latches fastening his head gear to his suit.

"Psh, trust me, you haven't seen scary til you've met a shadow leviathan in rut."

Robin hummed softly as she placed a hand on his shoulder, perhaps she took notice of how hard he was shaking and did it to help ground him while she carefully pulled off his helmet..

Oddly enough it helped, just a tad, her skin was warm he could feel it subtly through the thin environmentally flexible eco suit, it was comforting her touch felt almost familiar.

ROBIN:

"Psh, trust me, you haven't seen scary til you've met a shadow leviathan in rut." Robin jokes lightly, she does not allow her unrest to seep into her voice as the man shakes under her hand.

Even with the effects of Al-an's somber Ryley still looked terrified, the way he subconsciously pressed himself into a corner was a tell tale sign that he would likely be putting up more resistance had her architect not taken the precautionary measure of flashing him beforehand.

Behind her Al-an stands by the doorway ready to assist if needed but heeding her command to stay back, she knew Ryley was terrified of the architect and there wasn't anything worse than being set upon when you couldn't technically fight back..

So for now Robin would handle the exam and blood draw and the responsibility of analyzing said blood for pathogens, the protein and any other anomalies would fall on Al-an.

But when Robin gently pulls off his helmet, it quickly becomes apparent to her that there was a hell of a lot more to this matter than simply enigmatic protein.

Robin tries not to let the alarm show on her face when her eyes take in the man under the helmet, but shock gives pause to her careful motion.

"Ryley..what..what happened?" Robin decided on, at a loss of words really, she didn't know what she was expecting but it sure as hell wasn't this!

Ryley shifted awkwardly under her scrutiny, his abnormally pale eyes fixed on a non discriminate spot on the floor, the brown of them had faded into a desaturated almost yellowish hue, leaving the iris a pinkish tone, a fate a lot of his features suffered on various degrees, his skin looked pale and splattered with what looked like then iridescent scales.

"I don't know, they just popped up one day.." When he spoke the gills at his neck fluttered traitorously, tinged blue and feathered with thin elegant scales, they didn't look like deformities and perhaps if they were on a more appropriate creature Robin would have called them beautiful.

"Are you having trouble intaking unfiltered oxygen?" Al-an asked over her shoulder and Ryley immediately stiffened, the small fins donning his throat flaring defensively..

"Hey, let me handle him okay? We need him to stay calm, can you go fetch me a pair of gloves and maybe a butterfly needle..? I want to do a quick physical on him and maybe a blood draw.." Robin ordered herding the architect back towards the doorway to give Ryley some space, no doubt Al-an's curiosity got the best of him when Robin finally got the hermit's helmet off, urging him to drift closer much to the hermit's dismay.

"Of course, if you need me I will be in the storage room." Al-an agreed briskly before setting off to retrieve what she requested, Robin watched him leave internally thankful that her companion was so helpful.

Slowly she turned back to Ryley, only to see his eyes dart back down again, did he think he scared her? Robin pursed her lips while squatting down beside him with a sigh before she cleared her throat.

"Are you having any trouble breathing without your helmet..?"

"Oh..no I just like it.."

"Are your gills fully developed?"

"I guess.."

"What I mean is do they work efficiently to filter the oxygen from water..?"

"Oh..yeah they do.. saved me a few times..they feel like shit though.." Ryley admitted sluggishly, a fidgeting hand raising to scratch at them disdainfully, said fins flutters and flexed under his touch their thin scales glimmering in the limited light

"I wish you would have told me about this sooner, would you be opposed to me examining them..?"

Robin asked subconsciously gnawing at her lower lip, her request urges the engineer to finally look up at her, the apprehension clear on his face, she held his gaze as he searched her face for a silent second before he looked back to the floor with a shaky nod.

"Okay.." The hermit relents hesitantly, and Robin can't help the sad smile curling her lips.

RYLEY:

Things happen pretty fast after he gives his consent to the examination, Robin helps him up and leads him into another room, he finds himself sitting atop a cool table, it's taller then one that would have been used for a human and much wider in width.

"Wait here a moment."

Robin orders before she leaves him there for a moment, returning to the architect lingering near the doorway, he watched curiously as she took the supplies it was holding out for her, again she was speaking that odd language and while the architect remained silent, the streaks of muted yellow coursing over it's dark body suddenly shifted into a dim green.

They looked very familiar with each other, not just with the way they spoke, but with the casual way they interacted with each other, he couldn't help but wonder what exactly tethered these two together, his curiosity is only stoked when Robin suddenly raises up on her toes and the architect instantly leaned down to press its face against the side of her own, issuing an odd and frankly terrifying rumbling noise.

The act was brisk but in obvious endearment, in seconds the alien pulled away and picked up her PDA, casually sitting down as if awaiting Robin's further instructions.

It felt as if he was prying or peeping in on a personal moment yet Ryley couldn't tear his eyes from what he had just witnessed, trying to compare it to what he had seen the last time on the ship when the Al-an was, according to Robin, on a panicked rampage.

He doesn't realize that in his pondering he was subconsciously watching Robin as she set up for the examination, it wasn't until he felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck that he quickly tore his eyes away, he doesn't need to look to the architect to realize it was leering at him..

He's eternally thankful when finally Robin steps in front of Ryley informing him it was time to begin his exam, subsequently shielding him from the alien's intense gaze.

When Robin first begins for a terrifying moment Ryley instinctively flinches but the movement is delayed and sluggish, steeling himself, half expecting her to touch the sensitive webbing with the harsh disdain Ryley himself commonly regarded them with, but in reality Robin's touch is anything but reckless, slowly his webbed fins relax under her feather light fingers, even through her medical gloves Ryley can feel warmth seeping into the cold clammy membrane..

He can't help but wonder if his foggy docile state had anything to do with what the alien had done to him...still it wasn't as bad as he assumed it would be...

They aren't hurting him and the architect stayed at a distance just like Robin requested,

The whole thing is over in the span of two hours, Ryley knew it could have been his hazy state of mind but he also recognizes that the researcher is pretty skilled at what she does.

Robin is careful, fast, and surprisingly efficient, the physical passes swiftly, it's not hard to recognize a lifetime of skill put to use as she calls off clinical notes to her companion as she goes about his exam, his abnormally low body temperature, slower heartbeat, drastic pigment desaturation of the iris.

No doubt she recognized his discomfort and was pushing it along as fast as responsibly possible, it's only when it comes to cleaning his wounds that Robin hesitates...

It takes seconds for her to locate the damaged fins he had attempted to hack off the night prior, he tried to ignore the sharp glance she gave the architect when she discovered the wounds he had sloppily patched up.

"Ryley..what the hell happened?! I thought you said you were nicked by a fish not attacked by a school of bleeders!"

He couldn't look her in the eyes as his mind rolled with sluggish panic, how would he explain what he did?

No doubt Ryley expected them to have healed by the time they found out they found...

"I..may have been bit multiple ti-"

"The jagged ridges suggest the multiple lacerations were sustained with a dull blade, plant life bio matter is still faintly scattered within the wounds, the limited reach and haphazard cuts implies the lacerations were self inflicted using a dull survival knife, yet applied with hesitancy perhaps.." Ryley twitches with sluggish shock as the architect speaks up from behind him.

"You did this to yourself?!" Robin exclaimed, Ryley inwardly cringed, surprisingly enough he felt shame for his actions..? He did not want Robin to think less of him.

But the damn architect just kept running his mouth..

"Perhaps we should keep him under close observation..he may pose a danger to himself Robin." The architect suggested coldly, it sounded as if it simply wanted him quarantined.

"No, It was an accident.." Ryley deflected irately.

"I find that hard to comprehend.." The alien sniffed coldly, the dark orange hue of the streaks of light creeping through its skin flared as if to emphasize its point.

"I..Im not suicidal! Really Robin! Does this jackass make a habit of sticking its head into other people's business?!" Ryley snapped, frustrated bubbling through the foggy haze only to be drowned again almost immediately.

"Not often..Only when they make themselves out to be potentially dangerous to their own damn well being, if you weren't trying to hurt yourself then what the hell were you exactly trying to do?!" Robin shot back pointedly as she cleaned his wounds, the displeasure of her recent findings obvious in her furious gaze.

The antiseptic burned but it was not half as painful as cutting them off, it actually felt much better after she began wrapping them, it still didn't dull the bite of shame he felt...

"I..i was trying to trim them off, i was scared and i made a stupid mistake..im not trying to hurt myself but at the time..it felt like the only option i had.." Rylay finally admitted sadly as Robin took a blood draw, he hardly felt the prick of the thin needle.

"Ryley..you didn't need to do that to yourself..." Robin sighed as she passed the tubes of blood to the architect, she sounded exhausted and stressed.

"I'm sorry.." Ryley mumbled, because honestly he knew little else to say, he did not want to cause trouble but it seems as if he's already screwed up his first impressions.

"Such actions are unnecessary, hopefully he won't feel the impulse to inflict anymore bodily harm on his person.." Al-an said to Robin as if he wasn't sitting right in front of him..

The jackass..

"I doubt he'll feel obligated to do anything extreme like this again, because he is safe here, right Ryley?" Robin huffed, still attempting to mediate between him and her unsympathetic companion.

"Yeah..I won't, I promise.." Ryley quickly affirmed, glaring at the alien leering down at him.

"Robin, can I talk to you for a moment." The architect requested as he turned and left the room, Ryley watched feeling much more relieved once its presence left the room.

"Don't worry about him, he's just about as stressed about this as you are, he just has a broken filter. Stay put, I'll be back in a moment." Robin ordered as she left to follow her alien companion.

Alone for the first time in a while, Ryley finally took a moment to try to settle his frazzled nerves, he looked around the room, it was filled with odd and frankly terrifying looking tools, multiple tables, and various sized tanks, behind him the ship's walls fell away to reveal a beautiful expense of the sky, light from the distant rings of sol crested over a black starry horizon, it was so vast..seemingly empty.

Huh...it looked cold out there, It would suck if they decided to throw him out there...

ROBIN:

"You could be more empathic of his situation Al-an.." Robin fussed as she paced outside the room, Al-an on the other hand was not so willing to accept their new acquaintance's behavior, he showed his dislike for the ideal with a dull shade of mauve.

Al-an didn't reply immediately, not until he had set the blood sample on to process and ensured everything was properly functioning.

"I would not let empathy cloud my judgment of his person, as it stands for someone to do what he has done to his own body..certain thresholds must be pasted, for whatever the reason your human acquaintance took his survival knife and butchered himself with it.." Al-an stated worriedly, she could see he was stressed by the set of his shoulders and the tension in which he clinched his claws.

"I know, but he already admitted his intentions about that..'' She tried to push the image of the bloody ravaged fins from her mind, indeed it looked painful she had no clue why he would keep carving through his fins like that dispite it ultimately being futile...panic? Frustration perhaps?

His disdain for the mutation was obvious in the way Ryley treated them like parasitic growths opposed to mutations of his actual body..

"Pity him if you feel it appropriate, but we should remain vigilant of his mental state, if he is capable of such acts under pressure I'd hate to see what this Ryley is capable of inflicting on others in the situation he feels his person is in danger.

"We'll keep an eye on him, don't worry big guy, just try to get along with him okay? And stop leering at him, it makes him uncomfortable..."

"I am simply curious...he smells..familiar.." Robin's eyebrow arched as her architect suddenly turned away from her, the crimson of his biolights quickly dampening into a pale neutral hue.

"Familiar..? Familiar like what Al-an..." Robin asked worriedly, a hand reaching up to stroke along the spine of his back, but like usual her architect was unwilling to elaborate on his inner turmoils.

"Go, tend to your companion, I will continue studying the sample, already I see trace amounts of the anomalous protein are present, and Robin the effects of my somber will be declining now, be careful." Al-an dismissed her softly, and Robin frowned worry nipping at her mind as she nodded..

"Okay..I'll be back when I'm done okay?"

"Of course.." Al-an trilled softly..he sounded sad and Robin wasn't certain what exactly triggered her companion's sudden spell of grief..

She returned to find Ryley still sitting up on the examination table, he still looked somewhat upset while still partially detached by the effects of Somber Ryley was still vary lucid, He immediately took notice when she reentered the examination chamber and approached him, he stared up at her with pale apprehensive eyes.

No doubt picking up on the researcher's ire before she opened her mouth...

"So.. Now we know why Alterra pronounced you dead..anything else we should know about Mr Robinson, your not hiding a pair of wings in there somewhere right?" Robin ribbed dryly, while she sympathized with his fear she equally did not appreciate being lied to.. even if it was by omission.

To his credit at least the hermit had the shame to look pretty bent up about the whole situation, if the guilty arch of his eyebrows was anything to go by, Robin listened as he sluggishly recounted when the mutations began to manifest on his final days of planet 4546B..

Robin couldn't help but wonder what had triggered such a mutation, most hosts to the bacterium showed no such signs beyond the lime green pustules and cysts among other predictable side effects commonly associated with infection of the bacterium...but then again none had survived as long as Ryley had as a host.

"No, I-I...i'm sorry..i think it was a side effect from the enzyme..? I don't know honestly, I..was afraid if you found out you wouldn't have taken me with you.."

Ryley admitted quietly, and honestly Robin felt bad for the hermit, despite Al-an's sombar he still looked Stressed as hell, miserable and frankly exhausted. Was this what he was hiding behind his facade the whole time they spoke on adelphi..?

"It'd definitely have spurred a different line of questioning..that's for damn sure" Robin snapped, crossing her arms, she wasn't angry with him not really, but she also needed him to understand that things like this would not be tolerated in the future, she was starting get a headache from all this, she had initially suspected Ryley hadn't gotten away from kharaa unscathed but this...this was something else entirely.

It was like the bacterium had successfully altered the man's biology even after getting to the cure in time, and what's more disturbing to Robin was the fact that Ryley claimed that the mutations only began to manifest days after he was cured by the compound...

There was something off about this whole situation, but what Robin couldn't yet decide, hopefully Al-an could dredge up some clues from the affected blood samples, at best it would shine some light on what they were dealing with...

"I know it was wrong..but I didn't see any other options.. Please don't throw me off the ship! I just need to make it to one of the small colonies in Sol's belt, then I'll be out of your hair for good!" His words made Robin pause at the absurdity of their implications.

"What?! Seriously? You think we'd just throw you off ship mid-space? Ryley..don't be ridiculous!"

Robin scowled at the hermit, she wasn't sure if she was more appalled at the idea of it, or insulted that he'd assume them capable of such a sick thing, but honestly what could Robin expect really?

People could be pretty cut-throat nowadays especially outside the confines and surveillance of earth, in reality Ryley's fears weren't one-hundred percent unfounded...

"Ryley..we'd never do anything like that, that would technically be murder, but yeah.. about the colonies..Al-an suggested you stick about until he can complete further analysis on the anomalous protein in your blood..."

"Anomalous protein..? What are you talking about it..?" Ryley asked looking up to her imploringly, she could see his mind slowly trying to wake from Al-an's somber, struggling against the artificial sense of security and lethargy.

"When we came to Adelphi we found traces of a non indigenous protein within the environment, it's been present for a bit, more worrying is the fact that it's pretty much seamlessly integrated itself into Adelphi's ecosystem, we have no idea what effects this protein has on the environment or the lifeforms on it.."

Robin explained quickly, giving Ryley a brisk rundown of what Al-an had discovered during the washdown.

"Wait..I'm infected again?! B-but I got the compound I-I was cured! I swear!"

"Listen Ryley, You're not infected with kharaa, okay? So calm down, this protein whatever it is, seems non lethal? We aren't certain for sure but Al-an suspects you may have contracted it from Adelphi or planet 4546B.."

"Is it responsible for why this happened? why i look like this..?!" Ryley asked worriedly but Robin quickly assuaged his fears before the man worked himself up again unnecessary.

"I doubt it, so far everything infected has seemed asymptomatic, you included..or at least as far as we can tell, but your uh... Scales and fin issue I'm pretty sure that's a side effect of the kharaa bacterium." Robin explained, even still they had no definitive answers for his affliction, at least not yet.

"..What will you do with me now..?" Ryley breathed running a shaky hand through his hair, the apprehension in his voice made Robin blink as she tilted her head, regarding him thoughtfully before replying.

"Well, nothing really...I think you're forgetting we aren't Alterra, Al-an may be a scientist but you're not our lab rat or anything Ryley..you're just as free as you were when we left Adelphi, we're all just a little confined."

"The architect is a scientist?!" Ryley asked.

"Yes, Al-an is a scientist.." Robin Reconfirmed patiently.

"Oh...Right" The hermit muttered dazedly to himself.

"But please keep in mind there will be restrictions regarding contamination, we'll go over other safety precautions later Okay? in the meantime try to get some rest, it seems like somber takes a lot out of creatures."

"Somber..?"

"Yeah, you got a little panicked back there and Al-an flashed you before you got out of hand..it's a lot like the effect of mesmer but mostly harmless past mental exhaustion."

"Makes sense...I feel like shit." The hermit admitted quietly.

"Yeah..you should probably rest, although..you might wake with a migraine, if so tell us I still have stores of painkillers and if push comes to shove Al-an can cook up something stronger."

"...Can I be honest with you for a moment?"

"Shoot." Robin allowed slowing to lean against the doorway she was exiting, while gesturing for him to go ahead.

"I ..really don't want that thing coming anywhere near me honestly..no offense Robin"

"Well, unfortunately your going to have to co-exist with 'Al-an' until further notice"

"I know bu-"

"It would really be in everyone's best interest, if you two at least tried to get along, I know it's easier said than done but..we'll be stuck together for a bit especially after this discovery, I don't want to spend this voyage stopping interspecies cat fights."

"What if he tries to take over my mind again..? Ryley fretted quietly.

"Al-an won't flash you unless you give him good reason to assume it's necessary, and it's a passive form of emotional manipulation, not outright mind control..." Robin sighed.

"Has he ever flashed you..?" Ryley asked worriedly.

"Nah, couldn't pay him to, guess i don't qualify as enough of a liability to myself to justify it, and that says a lot.." Robin laughed ruefully..

"I still don't trust him..not after-"

"Well, he hasn't given you a reason not to, but if it helps I trust him with my life...if not for him you'd probably have found my chewed up body parts floating around the shallows after Adelphi's last storm! So even if you don't trust him, trust me and everything should be fine..."

"..You almost died on..back on Adelphi?"

"Yeah, the day before you found me, I got distracted for a second, fell behind a few paces..apparently it was enough to mark me as a meal ticket.. almost paid with our lives, either way it's still kind of a sore point for me so I'll just leave it at that..."

Robin smiled wryly as she felt the hermit's unnaturally desautered hazel eyes dance over her worriedly.

"I see, is..is that where those scars came from..?" Ryley askes tentatively mindful of her warning regarding the subject being a sensitive point

"Oh..Those, yeah, that asshole caught me in the face, I like to think it'll make a good scar to show margret when..well if we ever meet up with her again."

"I'm sorry...does it still hurt..?" The worried sympathy in his soft voice was all too human and for a moment Robin was almost caught off guard by his open sincerity.

Was she so used to the subtle nuances and projected emotional cues of her architect companion that honest human emotions outside her own were beginning to feel foreign to her..?

It was an odd and somewhat troubling epiphany for Robin to consider..

"No, not really, but I count myself lucky.." Robin deflected nonchalantly, she didn't understand what urged her to lie to the engineer, was her reaction a defense mechanism? Perhaps shame..

She wasn't ignorant to the way Al-an often studied the scar..his guilt needn't be voiced, and while she seldom minded a scar or two, to see it staring back at her in the mirror was constant reminder of how quickly their luck had ran out, how one little slip put both their lives in danger despite all the precautionary measures they bickered over before departing...

It was truly terrifying just how close they teetered along the edge of death, not just Robin but her architect as well..

Maybe Robin just didn't feel comfortable voicing her vulnerabilities around someone she hardly knew.

"I guess i would too.." Ryley agreed passively, he didn't sound completely convinced by her brave facade but either he was far too uncomfortable to pry, or felt it wasn't his place to question it whatever the reason held his silence Robin wasn't certain.

"Hey Robin can you direct me to my room? I think I've had enough lucidity for the day, i could really use a few hours if that's okay.. if not" Ryley asked uncertainty, she noticed the engineer had started picking at the scales on his arms and she wondered if he did that often when he was anxious, she had noticed the action before and assumed he was just as nervous fiddler but now stripped of his concealing gear Robin can see the nervous tic for what it truly was...

"Sure thing, come on it's this way, we'll likely be up late so if you need anything let us know okay?"

" I will thanks..also.. Do you think I can have my helmet back..? I just feel more comfortable with it on.."

"Yeah, Al-an took it along with the rest of your gear for decontamination, we'll have it ready for you in the morning okay? Now try to get some rest."

"Okay..oh and hey Robin..?" Ryley called out to her as she turned to leave.

"Sup?" Robin asked with a tilt of her head.

"Thanks..for uhh not freaking out and throwing me off the ship, i know i should have said something sooner but.."

"It's okay Ryley, honestly we understand, just try not to withhold stuff like this in the future, K?"

"Yeah..okay."

"Good night Mr Robinson"

Exhaustion nipped at Robin's body, space lethargy always screwed with her at the worst of times, she hardly paid attention to the fact that it had been at least twenty-nine hours since she last slept with Al-an..

Robin didn't have time for rest, she needed answers, clues..anything to shed some light on this mystery, sleep could wait as far as she was concerned!

When Robin walked back into the navigational wing, she was surprised to find that Al-an hadn't taken the blood sample to the lab to study it, but instead her companion decided to use one of the open spaces atop the nearby terminals as a makeshift table.

No doubt unwilling to stray far in the company of a new addition to the crew, she understood the architect's wariness, this would be the first human outside of her he would be coexisting with, but she equally found his fears unnecessary.

"So...Results?" Robin asked leaning against the terminal closest to the window, the cool air filling the ship was a godsend against her frazzled nerves.

What a hell of a day...

Al-an released a terse sigh, a sour yellow streak coursing over the architect's chest, no doubt Al-an had found something and that something had her companion less than enthused...

"I am still processing the sample however I should have gleaned enough data by dawn to make a proper analysis...However, I am not pleased with the implications arising from what I have deduced thus far..." To his credit Al-an keeps his voice calmly clinical, despite Robin recognising the underlying frustration.

"Talk to me big guy, what are we dealing with..?"

"Unlike the aviain specimen we studied earlier, the protein is not simply present within your companion's blood as we initially assumed.."

"What..?" Robin was starting to understand that nothing would be easy on this damn trip.

"Ryley's DNA.. seems to be actively replicating and producing it naturally, this leads me to believe Ryley is not simply a host but the catalyst."

"..And he's accidentally infecting pretty much everything he comes in contact with?"

"Yes, as it stands he cannot go back to your human inhabited worlds, not until we fully understand what risks this unidentified protein is capable of and what its medium of contamination is.."

"Yikes, well that's..something I didn't factor this into my plans..." Robin fretted.

"And what were those plans Robin?" Al-an asks with a tilt to his horns.

"Well, I kind of hoped he'd tag along for a while until..well, until we found him a nice safe world he could settle down in..i mean eventually." Robin admitted wryly, she never expected things to end up like this..

" That will not be possible, for multiple reasons.." her architect pointed out.

"Shit..Shit, I'm so stupid, ugh! I should have considered this..."

"The blame of this conclusion is not yours to shoulder, his affliction was an unanimous oversight on both our parts, once we find the catalyst behind his production of this protein and it's true function, we may be able to neutralize it in the event that it is indeed harmful to the natural order of the ecosystem" Al-an suggested optimistically.

"Yeah i know but still I should have considered something like this would happen, I promised him he could leave if he wanted..but how in good conscience can we allow him to go anywhere when he could potentially be a ticking time bomb..?"

"Im sure your companion will understand, this falls outside of normal circumstances and our perceived expectations, please keep in mind this oversight is equally the result of Ryley's intentional deceit..Had we been informed of his conditions prior we could have easily considered his afflicted state and made and an educated consensus on the decision of whether to take him on-board or otherwise" Al-an stated dryly.

"I'm almost ninety-nine percent sure Ryley was just afraid Al-an, Rightfully so considering everything he's been through.." Robin tried, knowing full well Al-an was judging the hermit with little of the empathy he'd spare her.

"And does his emotional state affect the outcome of his actions in any relevant way Robin...?" The architect inquired coldly, he obviously sought no answer to the inquiry, but his tone alone alluded to just how unimpressed and even less sympathetic her companion was to the engineer's plight.

"Look Al-an, fear makes human's do silly things sometimes-"

"You function rather efficiently under various levels of duress Robin, in the event of catastrophe I'd undeniably prefer your presence over that of Ryley's as it is less desirable"

"Stop being mean" Robin scolds, swatting at her architect before she continued "Yes..Ryley made a mistake hiding it, but as it stands we know now so that's unimportant, it's not like he was aware he was carrying the protein either way, up until now Ryley assumed he was clean, we just need to be careful, we'll enforce safety protocols..maybe a biosuit or something.."

"I am simply pointing out that his reckless actions are to bla-"

"Al-an.." Her architect hissed petulantly, yellow dancing along his chest as he leered back at her, at which point she crossed her arm defiantly meeting the architect's glare until he finally relented with an agitated sigh as he turned back to the sample.

"...Perhaps that will be a plausible option for the time being.. I will assess our technology stores for the proper resources to augment his eco suit into a preventative barrier. It will be used as a safety measure to avoid the potentiality of onboard contamination."

"That would be a great help, Thanks Al-an, and please try to go easy on him, Ryley... He's been through alot..I completely understand if he has trouble.. trusting us..." Robin reasoned reassuringly while trying to stifle a yawn breaking out mid sentence before her architect caught wind and pointed out her fatigue, but it wasn't very easy to hide anything from her perceptive companion..

Al-an's displeased hue melted away as he finally looked up from the blood sample he was concentrating on to study her contemplatively, for a brief moment the architect regarded her with a slight tilt of his horns before finally deciding the best approach would be inquiry, despite the obvious.

"You sound tired.."

"Not really.." She tried to deflect yet Al-an wasn't buying it.

"Do not attempt to deceive me, I can sense your body's exhaustion, humans have been shown to most commonly yawn when their energy stores have been exhausted or when their kin exhibit yawning behavior in their presence, it would be best if you rested"

"No, I can't yet, I need to figure out a plan, if i wasn't so damn focused on dragging him along i wouldn't have put us all in this mess, don't want this to hinder us from our main objective, we need to find your people, but Ryley deserves to be accounted for.."

"I suppose he does..however I doubt the sparse hours you allocate towards restoring your spent energy will alter this outcome."

"But- Ugh I just need some answers before i call it a night...maybe when the results are finished. "

"I am already foreseeing this matter Robin there is no need for you to strain yourself, the analysis will be complete by morning with or without our temperance, as it stands I believe such things can be considered at dawn, if you rested now you will not only feel better but it will allow you to focus more efficiently on the..."

"Ugh..I still hate that word you, and I don't need you scrutinizing my sleep schedule Al-an..."

"Still we both know it would be in both of our best interests, Come here Robin, please rest with me, I will wake you in the morning.."

"Are you trying to placate me so I don't feel so bad now that my selfish actions are backfiring?" Robin accused half jokingly, in retrospect she should have known Al-an would take her comment at face value.

"Selfish?" Al-an trilled, tilting his horns confusedly, he considered her a thoughtful second before continuing.

"I believe you are simply stressed, You've never been one to entertain selfish endeavors, reckless, Perhaps ill orchestrated but never truly selfish..even after our first encounter, within your mind your ambitions were laid bare, your goals were never revolving solely around your person.."

Al-an hesitated, his biolights dimming into a pale light, he seemed contemplative yet unsure, as if he wasn't fully certain of how to continue, Robin gave him time to get his thoughts together before he warily continued..

"In a way Your actions often remind me of the mannerisms of my own caste, constantly reaching for the greater picture, your mind is constantly working but seldom for your own benefit.. Like a dim hum along thousands of harmonies..yet your chord is often...louder...it's quite intriguing how I often forget the reality of your presence.." Al-an admitted tentatively.

"Would you have prefered if I was an architect Al-an..?"Robin asked quietly suddenly curious but unsure if she really wanted the architect's honest answer or if she was simply seeking validation..

"There are fathomless ways I could answer your inquiry.." It was an obvious evasion to her question, perhaps it made him uncomfortable, god knows it would if it were her.

"Hah..I guess I would be considered more efficient by architect standards." Robin mused.

"I would not have you alter your body for my preference, nor does your current species bother me..past your fragility." Al-an answered carefully.

"But would you prefer if I was one..an architect or Precursors?"

"...No, not fully at least, yet sometimes.. what ifs arise and the possibility begs for reconsideration, but I know you, a proud, fragile yet resilient creature, you wear your inevitable faults and biological shortcomings with such dignity, I can imagine many of us would easily become intrigued with your humanity, myself included..if not for your tragically short lifespan it would have been an uncontested decision..still i like to think it is the right one.." Al-an asserted confidently.

"Hah! Trust me on this Al, we humans aren't that intriguing, we can be just as equally boring and even shallow! as I've said before we-"

"Perhaps by your standards, but I think I've grown quite enamored with the beauty of your fragility, it does not weigh you do -Oh.. Robin, you are changing colors...this is pleasing."

"Huh.. what n-no! i.. was just yawning, let's change the subject yeah..?" Robin desperately tried to save face.

"Why? Does fluctuating colors distress you? Is it not a positive response..?" Her architect inquired amusedly, the lilt in his stoic voice hinting that he knew full well she was flustered, and was enjoying her discomfort...the flashlight of a douche.

"No, i-i just happen to flush a lot, stop picking on me! , but honestly i'd really like to just distract myself from the night's events.." Robin huffed trying to fight the flush rising in her cheeks.

"If you wish.. Will you be spending the night out here..?" Al-an clarifies.

"Yeah I guess...I'm pretty sure Ryley is going to get lost at some point in time..may as well make myself accessible for when that happens, wanna watch a movie?"

"A reenactment would be an ideal distraction..until you fall asleep" Al-an agreed airily, no doubt pleased she had decided against her suggestion of distance earlier that morning.

"I may be able to stream something, any pref-"

"Titanic." Al-an answered immediately, the architect hadn't even considered the newer options available..

"Uhh..we just watched that, you realize rewatching a movie doesn't change the outcome right Al-an..?"

"Yes, I am aware, however I feel this reenactment still possesses... a viable source of data to be studied."

"What data..?"

"...I like it, I find their bond very...pleasant.."

"Oh..Okay big guy we can watch it again, but then I want to pick one I think you'll like.." Robin laughed fondly, she had never guessed Al-an would be intrigued by a movie..a romance of all things, it was cute really.."

"Will you not pick a reenactment of your own preference..?"

"Eventually but as it stands movies are relatively new for you, I've seen these countless times and while I still find enjoyment in them, it's much more exciting sharing those moments with you, even if we have just watched it hahaha!"

"Oh...I see." Al-an muttered meekly, Robin could feel the exact moment the architect started fiddling his claws as he settled down behind her.

Was he getting flustered? It seemed so, to see such a thing was such a rare occurrence and honestly a pleasing sight, Robin was almost tempted to snap another picture but unfortunately that wasn't happening now that they were streaming movies.

"Hey, don't think too hard about it, okay? Let's just enjoy the movies, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.." Robin hummed softly as she pulled up titanic, her free hand raising to stroke along his horns, huffing as he tilted his head into her touch.

"Of course.." Al-an sighed whimsically as he tugged her closer, his attention shifting to the PDA resting on her lap, oblivious to the fact that his human's attention was fixed on him instead of the movie in front of them..

She didn't last long Al-an was well aware she wouldn't, her exhaustion finally took its toll on her fatigue, and the soft resonating hum of the architect's vessel lulled her out of awareness only fifteen minutes into the movie.

Robin's dreams are a splash of color, stretching out across a gold skyline, staining a watery stale canvas hues of cerulean and emerald, there is little sound, the dim flicker of countless echos is too loud to hear anything outside of the tireless hum of his content breathing, at some point her light napping was disturbed, the heat left her side, Robin was only lucidely aware that Al-an has lifted her up and moved to lay against something soft and that was fine.

Robin was content to allow the architect a brief reprieve from being a glorified throw pillow, but while her new spot was soft it wasn't half as warm.

Slowly but surely her eyes reluctantly opened to find herself lain on the hull, cushioned against the pillow she had once propped under Al-an's unresponsive form, huddled under the thick warm sheet she had placed over him before she had departed to retrieve the cube..

After what happened Al-an had never offered them back to her and Robin in turn never requested them, instead he kept them folded atop the terminal beside the navigation interface where the architect often idled...

She never questioned his attachment to them, nor did Robin ask herself why she felt so flustered anytime she caught him subconsciously running his claws over the soft fabric.

Quickly Robin finds her missing companion lingering beside the emergency tank containing what could very well be the last of his species...

She tries not to think about how elegantly handsome the scientist looks as the dim murky green of his biolights reflect off his dark carapace.

Al-an looks content.. hopeful even, it's a look that will never stop looking good on the architect, a far cry from the melancholy ant crying out from the tomb of an empty colony, together despite all the odds stacked against them they had come a long way since planet 4546B.

"What are you doing over there big guy?" Robin yawns sleepily, chasing the wayward thoughts from her head lest they take root in her dreams.

"Observing my kin..it is still very late Robin, do you intend to return to sleep?" Her companion Inquired curiously, as Robin sat up and stretched.

"Depends on if my mobile heater decides to run off again the moment i close my eyes.." Robin huffed wrapping the blanket over her shoulders and shuffling over to huddle against her architect's side.

Al-an never turned to her but the pleased sigh that escapes him as his claw raises to press gently against the back of her head is enough of an acknowledgement for the time being.

In front of them the consciouses
Still blazing a vibrant yellow, their previous harmony of usion has long since deteriorated into a erratic spiral of movements, no doubt they were still engrossed in whatever mental debate Robin had triggered between them the previous morning.

"They've been fighting amongst themselves for hours now, while the context and source of their dis consensus is unprivy I suspect it may be a trivial subject.."

Al-an trilled calmly as he stared contently into the tank full of bickering lights, his idle claws grazing her scalp gently as they ghosted through her long hair.

Robin couldn't help the mirth filled snort that escaped her, were the poor. Consciouses still arguing about what she had done?

Architects were very VARY intense species..probably too intense in some cases..not that she'd tell Al-an that..

"You can't ask them what they are arguing about?" She asked far too coyly, her less than sincere tone drew an inquisitive trill from her architect, as the realization that she wasn't ignorant to their dilemma dawned on him..

"No, we are not connected to the network, our communication is vastly limited, they recognize us but not exactly by words, communication requires mental connections..but regardless..Robin what is your involvement in all this?" Al-an immediately asked suspicious.

"You say that like it's my fault." Robin tried to sound innocent even if her efforts were in vain, her companion was already onto her and there was little hope of passing off as innocent.

"I would not rule your tempering out of the possibilities Robin." Al-an muses dryly, she was certain he was glaring at her expectantly.

"Wow you have no tru-" Robin tried but Al-an deflected her distraction just as quickly.

"Robin.. " Al-an pressed and she cringed guiltily, she wasn't escaping this..damn.

"FINNNE! okay yeah i happened to sign to them the yesterday, they were watching, and well i knew they would wake you up if i didn't distract them so..."

"You gave them a human gesture with no context they could decipher and left them to contemplate its meaning with little guidance, how very cruel of you..." Al-an scolded in a tone that sounded closer to amused praise than admonishment, his ever green hues fading into a desautered soft white.

"They asked for it, besides they will survive a little distraction" Robin huffed, before admitting her excitement on the prospects of more architects, Al-an would finally have someone of his own species around!

As much as she enjoyed Al-an's company she knew, deep down, that she could never fill the absence left behind by the loss of his people, the thought of watching him interact with his own kind made her equally excited as well as apprehensive.

Would he still stay by her side as he aptly had during their journey? What if he did decide to leave with him, the idea of him forming bonds with these new architects..honestly terrified her.

But she does not voice these insecurities to him, instead Robin tries to focus on the positives.

"I can't wait to see what their vessels will look like.."

"I would assume they will be quite fragile, as these are.." Al-an tilted his head staring at the tank contemplatively "Of the watcher caste, they are expected to be fast and observant and were built to support such expectations."

"Fragile huh, fragiler then a human..?" Robin jokes, she knew that it was unlikely but Al-an saw fit to remind her anyway.

"You are the one of the most vulnerable species I've ever encountered in my vast life, they in comparison are hardy.." Al-an compared rudely.

"Rude!" Robin scowled, swatting at her architect.

"This is only but a minor setback for your species Robin, rest assured I will protect you...to the best of my abilities.."

Al-an snorted amusedly as the architect finally turned to pull her in, she didn't flee his seeking touch instead Robin relished the warmth of him against her back while she allowed his claws to gently guide her chin up as he nuzzled her jaw affectionately before burying his face into the dip of her shoulder and throat.

Curious fingers dance along the back of her companion's throat, tracing the evergreen light filled engravings marring the smooth expanse of his neck, her actions earned the researcher a deep purr as her companion's grip tightened against her affectionately.

Robin couldn't help the smile curling her lips, it was obvious Al-an often enjoyed her touch..

But he seemed to often steer her to his neck or face, coupled with the way he had avidly been drawn to her neck as of late, she couldn't help but wonder if it meant something more..

"Al-an..?"

"Yes Robin?"

"When you do this...w-what ..what does it mean...?" She asked carefully.

"...my affinity for your neck is natural to our species, our throats are one of the little weaknesses we have, to bare it to another is often seen a sign of intimate trust, amongst many other things, it is a rare occurrence for such vulnerable acceptance amongst even our own caste.." Al-an explained patiently, she could feel him purring easily against her smaller body.

"..so you wouldn't let another architect near your neck, even if they weren't trying to hurt you?" Robin asked, tilting her head.

"No...I would see it as an insult or an unwanted advance...on the topic of boundaries do not attempt to interact in such ways with others of my species.." Al-an intoned suddenly as a flare of fairy crimson rippled across his body.

"..Er..W-why not?" Robin asked.

"They may take your actions as an advance and accept..." Al-an trilled shortly.

"WHAT?!..wait is your neck like..an erogenous zone for your kind..?"

"In some cases..." Al-an deflected.

"Oh..um, does me touching you there make you umcomf-" Robin hesitated, suddenly unsure.

"No. It does not bother me in the least, if it had I'd have requested you to stop long ago Robin..." Her architect assured her quickly, his claws slowly reaching up to cover her hands, effectively preventing her from pulling them away, pressing them firmly against his warm vessel..

"Al-an.." It felt like he was making a statement, and for some odd reason this makes Robin apprehensive? Giddy? Scared? She didn't know!

"As I've said before, I enjoy your touch and feel no urge to reject it..does this disturb you Robin..?" Her companion inquired carefully. She could feel his intense gaze resting heavy on her person and in that moment she blurted the first honest answer that came to her panicked mind.

"I mean if your sure, no..it doesn't really.." Robin admitted flusteredly, as she tried to focus on anything other than the architect leering back at her.

"Good..I-"

Al-an began but his pleased voice quickly died into an irritated airy hiss as he suddenly turned to stare down the hall.

Their timid bubble of tranquility suddenly shatters when the sound of a door screeching against its mechanisms grinds against the silence of the ship...

"Hm...it seems your new companion is attempting to force his respite chamber doors open opposed to simply using the activation sensor like a logical organism.." Al-an sniffed, unamused by the interruption.

"Astute observation Al-an..astute observation.." Robin sighed trying not to cringe against the intrusive sound.

It's a truly terrible noise, not simply because of the sharp screech but the unnerving sound grating on her ears has only ever been associated with the one time she was forced to wedge her own respite chamber doors open when her architect could not..

Quickly she tosses the cover over Al-an's side and moves to go help the engineer out before he accidentally damages the door frame or gives himself a panic attack.

But as she stood Al-an trilled thoughtfully, as if a thought just occurred to him.

"Oh..I forgot to mention something regarding the architects we recovered from Adelphi..I think this knowledge may intrigue you Robin.. "

"Oh? And what's that?" She asked distractedly as she hurried to put her slippers on, around them the ship's lights blinked to life, colorful and mesmerizing soft light aglow against the backdrop of the starry sky.

"Thanks Al" she huffed, he always made a point to ensure she doesn't trip or walk into a wall again..

As much as the two hated talking about it, such an instance had happened once before..on the early days of their space travel...long before her architect realized human's do not have sufficient night vision..

"Most precursors of the watcher caste more often carry DNA similar to that of your planet's avian species.." Al-an announced slowly, she could feel him watching her amusedly as if he was expecting this information to incite a reaction from her.

"You're implying..?" Robin arched her brow as she called her over shoulder confusedly.

"If I am correct and there hasn't been too large an evolutionary leap of advancement between my time and there's, when we reconstruct their vessels, there is a high possibility they will have feathers" her companion revealed, patiently emphasizing on the feathers, knowing damn well Robin wouldn't be able to grill him on it until later after she helped her new friend out.

"What?! Wait.. No way, Really?! Ugh damn hold that thought!" Robin squeaked in excited disbelief as she hurried down the hall.

Chapter Text

ROBIN:

Acclimating Ryley to the ship took longer than Robin previously had expected, the hermit wasn't problematic in the least, but teaching him common protocols and how to activate the basic features of the ship was simply more time consuming then what she had predicted.

By the time she was done, she was thoroughly exhausted outside the dark void glowed with traces of Sol's solar light, she hadn't planned on staying up but...

Technically it was morning by the time she rested her head against Al-an's side to sleep in military time at least, her companion acknowledged her with a soft trill but remained silent otherwise as not to distract her from resting, at some point she felt one of Al-an claws against her back, idly tracing her spine as he gently stroked her back.

It felt nice..this was probably as peaceful as things would get for them before they found their next planet in a few weeks, Robin thought drowsily, as she recounted the trainwreck Adelphi had quickly spiraled into..

"You should become a masseuse, a girl could get used to this kind of spoiling.." Robin joked sleepily.

"Go to sleep Robin, I am not spoiling you, I am simply attempting to alleviate the stress you've accumulated..it will aid you in obtaining optimal recuperation." Al-an explained softly, he seemed distracted but Robin was far too tired to inquire what had intrigued her companion so.

She would ask him in the morning, she promises herself as she's lulled to sleep by the rhythmic hum of the ship and the soft weight against her back.

Her dreams are vast but seemingly empty, but not lonely just..dark space as far as she could see, only the dim glow of lights illuminating the shadows from a distance coaxed her forward, but no matter how far Robin ran she never moved closer to them.

It was like the darkness was clinging to her, unwilling to let go...

At some point she collapsed down, watching the lights fade into darkness, it was disheartening gazing out at a sea of black, a desert of shadows but when had she ever needed anyone to hold her hand?

She would find her way alone if she had to, she had done it before Sam had left and even after her sibling died..

But perhaps she wouldn't have to any longer..

She felt his presence against her back, peering down inquisitively, one of his claws resting heavy against her shoulder a grounding weight as his other guides her face up to the black sky, only then she takes note of the map of twinkling stars marring the veil of black.

It was like staring into a pool of rainbow dinoflagellates, rippling in usion, it began dripping like a canvas seeping fresh paint, tainting the bed of darkness below with sparkling light.

She felt Al-an press his head against her temple, the content hum of his purr an insistent reminder of his presence.

She wasn't alone, she would not be for a long time, as Al-an had assured her he would stay by her side for as long as she would allow him..

Robin woke up feeling warm, her dreams reluctant to release her into the waking world, draped against her architect's back, her head cushioned on her arm.

Al-an was peacefully still within his pseudo resting state, he only greeted her with a affectionate soft growl accompanying a flare of bright green biolight rippled over his skin when she leaned forward to rest her forehead against his back listening to the rapid hum of his pulse.

"Thanks for last night, you were right it helped.." She murmured groggily as her fingers began to explore his shoulders appreciatively, smoothing along intricate trailways marring his skin, it was cute how the architect reacted to her even from the depths of his sleep, leaning subtly into her touch and glowing a furious green, his soft purr escalating into a full on rumbling akin to an engine when her fingers ghosted over the spines along the back of his neck.

It was a private moment of mutual affection, even if his was technically only partial awake he appreciated Robin's touch no less, without thought but provoked by an unseen instinct she leans in and presses a soft kiss against the architect's throat, she dares not allow anything past a brisk brush of the mouth lest he wake up and inquire it's meaning or...request she do it again...

Which was definitely dangerous territory considering the recent shift in their relationship.

She tried not to think about the fact that he actually had pointed out he didn't mind in the least when she had done it previously even if he had stopped her for her own sake assuming she wasn't in her right mind...which was fair, because she wasn't.

But this, this moment she takes for herself, because she wanted to know how it felt again, to experience it without the panic and confusion and to her horror it felt just as thrilling as it had the first time she had done it...

She wanted to do it again, and again until he woke up, but something put a pause to her inarguably rampant train of thought, and those somethings were all studying her like she was some kind of interesting national geographic show taking place before them.

She could feel their intrigued scrutiny making the hairs on her neck rise..

They were no longer arguing she noticed, furthermore all the consciouses were elated and flaring a positive emerald green, what put them in such a positive mood Robin wasn't privy to...

But Robin certainly had her suspicions...

Damn voyeurs...she huffed exasperatedly to herself, before shuffling to her feet to stretch, checking her PDA's time and realizing she had dozed fairly late into the evening.

"Hey Al, I'm going to get a shower." She announced, just in case Al-an woke while she was gone.

Truth be told she kind of wanted to doze against him at least until he awoke but thought better of it, she needed a cool shower to stave off the inappropriate thoughts invading her stationery mind...

A hot shower was just what she needed to get her head back in the game, and focus on the matters at hand anyways.

Already Al-an had confirmed that Ryley was indeed producing the bacterium, and while without proper experimentation they would not be able to find out exactly how dangerous it really was but Robin was optimistic, there didn't appear to be any damage or strain to the environment of Adelphi nor its endigenous life.

But that didn't explain Ryley's sudden mutations, Al-an had hypothesized that the mutations had manifested the way they had due to the strain of the hermit's ordeal.

Noting his harsh environment and tribulations, gills made fair sense along with his reflectant scleras..

Ryley had mentioned he had built a base deep below the caverns of the inactive volcano..How long had Ryley spent in lava castle..?

They would need to study him more but so far they had no clue as to what the catalyst for his mutation was beyond loosely based suspicions of the khaara bacterium being involved.

Robin pondered this as she washed her hair, noting how ridiculously long it was getting at this point. She planned to trim it a bit ago but..for some reason she always found excuses not to..

This obviously has nothing to do with Al-an's apparent fondness for her hair...

Nope, not at all...

When she comes out drying her hair she notes Al-an is very much awake, and flash stepping about anxiously.

Had something happened?

She immediately noticed his unrest and it made her apprehensive at first, even the consciouses seemed to watch the architect with apt interest as her companion paced around the observation room.

"Al-an What's the occasion..? Keep on like that and you'll wear a trail into the hull" she asked, but the explanation the architect gave her was anything but bad news, quite the opposite actually.

"Oh Robin, what fortunate timing! I have located another tether, it's undoubtedly of precursor origins..." Al-an perked up immediately as he spotted her approach.

"Really?! Wow I didn't expect to pick any leads up for days! Al-an this is great! Is it similar to the distress signal on Adelphi..?" Robin questioned with honest surprise.

"Negative, it's far more promising than that of the one we discovered incidentally on Adelphi, it could be described more as...a beacon in your human terms, the likelihood of this belonging to a major research facility is startlingly high!" Al-an preened, it was obvious the poor alien was over excited and didn't know what to do with himself as he began circling his human with elated interest.

"How far is it? Any idea what we'd potentially find there?" Robin laughed ecstatic, luck was finally shining on them, she had expected at least week or two before their next lead, this was a very unexpected shift in pace!

But not an unwelcome one.

"Major conscious receptacles are strategically stationed within facilities that house large numbers of the network, if we are lucky i expect to find data on the network's last known whereabouts, what became of them and if they ever managed to cultivate an efficient cure, which is unlikely seeing as our home planet lies in ruin, but perhaps they may have left behind findings that may very well prove useful" Al-an announced multiple dialects overlapping his voice for a moment.

The optimistic evergreen of the architect's biolights rapidly fluctuates into a dim purple before waning back into the familiar hue of his excitement.

"We may be able to get a road map to the other places the bacteria spread to as well, can you tell if there are any survivors present there..?" Robin asked reaching up to grab his face and hopefully put a stall to his fidgeting so he could focus better, to her amusement while her architect had indeed halted his rapid pacing, his claws immediately took to fidgeting in place as he purred easily against her hand.

"No, it is too far to decipher such specifications..but I find this unlikely, however I expect we should find the resources to properly restore the lost vessels of the consciouses...that is in the event all emergency husks were not all expended.."

Al-an admitted uncertainty, no doubt he was equally apprehensive as he was ecstatic, it was an unsaid truth that there was a high likelihood this planet too would be another graveyard they would be forced to sift through..

Even if his health was technically much better then it was prior to leaving their homeworld, Robin wasn't in a rush to test the architect's decidedly fragile psyche again, having already witnessed her companion's breakdown.

"Okay so we set coordinance there, take a look, if it's as promising as you say, it's worth a shot even if there isn't anyone there now, we could still gain useful insight" Robin affirms carefully.

"Yes, I believe it is... but if you recall my species is apt to travel, we have bases scattered throughout space, even beyond your solar system, this planet, known as Pettracore Major i believe in particular would teeter on the far outer rings of the Novita system, that is potentially two-hundred-forty eight light years away from your Solar system..."

"Oh..crap I'd be dust by arrival.."

"Not if I can initiate warp drive...I've have been amasing energy reserves specifically for this reason.."

"But..you couldn't do it last time it just sucked all your energy..we should find another way..one less dangerous."

"This opportunity can not be overlooked Robin, it may be dangerous but I am prepared to attempt it again in hopes we succeed. I have recovered drastically since adelphi thanks to your aid and I.. I'm feeling optimistic.." Al-an admitted carefully his voice soft and whimsy.

"Okay fine...we'll try it once! but if you can't launch it the first time don't keep stressing yourself you hear me?"

"Of cour-" Al-an began but Robin wasn't about to let the architect sweet talk his way around her demands

"Don't of course me! i know how you get Al-an and i mean it! if you get hurt this could take even longer! Because we won't be going anywhere until everyone is stable!"

She tried to sound serious but she could feel her architect's pleased gaze resting heavy on her and it was kind of distracting...

Something about the way he had somehow stopped his fidgeting and leaned in towards her before she even noticed made her double take. He was listening but it was apparent to see his mind was only partially with her.

Robin had little time to escape before her companion ensnared her in his claws, lifting her easily from the floor to hug her tightly, a pleased trill resonating from his warm chest had her heart fluttering like a hive of angry wasps.

"I would never have made it this far without you, sometimes i question if you understand the gravity of what you done for the universe..my people..for me.." Al-an sighed softly, his often apathetic voice heavy with something Robin wasn't certain of.

"Are you getting emotional?" Robin laughed, hugging her architect back, resting her chin against her larger companion's shoulder.

"I often look at the stars and wonder what will be of us, if we would fail, expire in the face of odds..it's hard to believe we've already persevered so far..I dont think i would have been able to do it on my own, had you not acknowledged how much I needed you.."

"Haha, don't worry about it, honestly I'd do it in a heartbeat if it meant ensuring this never happened again, too much was lost to this bacteria, so much hurt, but don't give me all the credit big guy, we're reaching for the stars and we're trying our damndest to make it happen..and don't think I'm done yelling at you about the warp drive..."

Robin huffed half exasperated but mostly amused by her companion's sudden pleased affection, basking in his unyielding warmth, she was content to let him hug her as long as he pleased...but.

That was until Al-an huffed with what she could only describe as exasperated fondness, pulling back to study her face, a gentle claws brushing against her jaw for a brief moment before the architect's claw suddenly guided her face up to his own, Robin doesn't have time to realize what's happening until she feels his face brush up softly yet deliberately against the corner of her lips..

Instantly she recognizes the tentative gesture for what it is and her mind freezes, seized by confusing panic!

She was ninety-nine point nine percent sure her architect had just kissed her...oh dear..oh holy sweet penguin bottoms...

Sweetly her companion pecks her again before moving to press his head against her flustered own, even this close in his stillness she could feel the excitement thrumming within his vessel and in turn it made her heart flutter, while his touch felt innocent as any Robin wasn't ignorant to the way his claws were slowly tracing her spine through her shirt..

Want..

Robin could feel it radiating off her companion as if they were still bonded...

She couldn't help but wonder what would happen if she reciprocated and yet the prospect of it terrified her and she didn't understand why..

There were a thousand ways she could have reacted in her situation, she could have rejected him, pushed him away, played it off as a joke...or perhaps kissed him back..

Robin wasn't opposed to the idea of it, well except passed her nerves, her emotions were a confusing whirlwind of a mess in that singular moment ugh she didn't know!

Yet Robin quickly finds the choice stripped from her as the sound of the airlock door initiating down the hall!

Ryley!

In retrospect she didn't mean to push her companion away the way she had, panic over took her nerves and with it logic, which resulted in her hands finding the architect's shoulders and quickly shoving him back at arms length before she squirmed out of his grasp, quickly moving to put space between them.

Her companion let go easily, but not before Al-an made a soft confused sounding trill sadly much of it was deafened by the roar of blood in her ears, as she watched the doors open and an uncertain Ryley walk in none the wiser to what had happened and seconds prior..

"Ryley there you are, how was your night..?" Behind her she felt Al-an shift away drifting over to stand by the emergency tank filled with the consciouses, she tried to shoot him an apologetic glance but his face was decidedly facing away, she wasn't certain if he saw the her attempt to silently apologize as she wasn't explicitly privy to exactly where his eyes actually were.

"It was okay...kept hearing scuttling in the walls, are there space rats on the ship..?"

"Nah, just mischievous drones roaming the inner walls, you'll get used to the sound..want some coffee?" She offered nonchalantly quickly moving to go prepare him a cup, as she passed her architect a stray hand reached out to find his back sliding against his lower spine apologetically, she hoped he understood the gesture and didn't take her brash actions as rejection.

Al-an glanced her way briefly but ultimately remained silent...

Meanwhile Ryley shifted awkwardly in the mouth of the hallway, no doubt sensing the tension she was desperately trying to disperse.

"I could use some coffee if that's alright...h-have my results come back..?" The hermit asked tentatively..

"Well, from what we've gathered-" Robin began but Al-an joined in immediately, his voice stoic and flat as he listed off every worst case scenario first and foremost.

"You could be potentially carrying a contagious protein and pose a possible threat to any environment you come in contact with, it is in your best interests to accompany us until we learn more about what this protein's function and effect on the environment's inhabitants exactly is." Al-an announced his findings with clinical blith, as he walked past them.

"What..?" Ryley breathed, his pale face blanching ever more as the poor engineer's eyes widened at the sudden news.

"Fill him in on the plan we have decided on going forth, I will be in the observatory if you need me Robin..."

"But Al-an.."

"You know where to find me."

"Observatory..Fine got it." Robin sighed exasperatedly as she watched her architect abscond down the hall.

"So..What was that about..?"

"Don't worry about it.."

"It seemed upse-"

"Yeah..I guess he was.." Robin sighed, eyeing the yellow hue clinging to the ship's lights, would she ever tell the architect his emotions were projected through their hue?

No, but for now she needed to focus on Ryley, she would talk to Al-an later..."But let's keep on topic yeah?" Robin evaded as she pressed a warm thermos of hot fresh coffee into his hands.

"Yes it's true, the protein in your blood is indeed potentially contagious but we haven't found the medium of contraction, furthermore it seems as if the protein is being produced from you..while nothing has lead us to believe it's dangerous, it's still advised you use protective gear when your outside the ship."

"Do you at least know where it originated from..?"

"Not yet"

"What if I contaminate the ship? What if you catch it?"

"Al-an suspects it's carried in your bloodstream, there are no signs of the protein within or outside your dermal layers, so as long as you're not about to butcher your fins again and don't lick the entire inside of the ship i think we should be fine."

"Do You have a functioning fabricator? My gear is pretty old... I can't say it'll be too reliable.."..

"We do, but Al-an is going to handle creating a more efficient and comfortable biosuit for you then that old alterra gear, that could take a few days but we're not in a hurry, in the meantime how's your fins doing..?"

As if they responded to her inquiry the fins around his throat flared before he quickly started picking at them.

"A Lot better...thanks."

"keep them dry until they heal..and stop picking at them; they aren't parasites. '' She ordered batting his hands away from his fins.

"I know, I just hate when they do that one their own.." Ryley grunted irritatedly,

"They aren't doing that on their own, they are reacting to your emotions Ryley, they seem to be connected to your neuro system, there is a high chance they will react to strong emotions, such as fear, anger anxiety and so on"

Robin pointed out as she openly studied the hermit, now that he was standing at full height and striped of his diving gear she could finally get a proper look at the skittish man, he was lanky tall man, wiry yet toned slender muscles a tell tale sign of a swimmer, his obvious pigment deficiency caused his brown eyes to appear almost yellow, then scales freckled his skin here and there, slitted gills lined his neck yet they seemed to seal shut when in a dry environment, fins sprouted from several areas on the man's body.

Robin wondered if the virus was present within his gills, surely it was..

"Sure doesn't feel like it..ugh they feel like parasites, i hate them.."

"...Yeah that's kind of apparent, but please be gentle with them okay? from what I've seen they are very frail, and as much as you hate them they are part of you and we want you to get better Ryley..."

"Yeah..okay.."

"Hey, maybe later you could tell me more about what you found on planet 4546B..?" Robin asked, it would be no doubt vital to know exactly what took place across the planet which led to so much environmental changes.

Also she wanted to get to know the hermit better, he was nice but obviously socially awkward.

"My memories not the best but yeah I'll try to recall anything I didn't mention..."

"Good, I'm just still processing the fact that you survived so long alone on that- lets be honest hell hole of a planet"

"Heh yeah it was pretty bad, had to do some questionable things in the name of survival but i managed"

"I'm so glad we finally have a survival guide aboard, up until now we just acted like we knew what we're doing.." Robin jokes, watching as the fins along the hermits neck flare subtly as the poor man gets flustered.

"Really from what I've read you held your own down there pretty well, I don't handle cold well at all.."

"That makes two of us, not even a thermal suit was enough to stave the frostbite..ugh" she tries not to think back on those days..constant brushes with hypothermia was never going to become a fun experience…

"That reminds me..is my suit available by any chance..?" Ryley asked tentatively.

"No, it's still decontaminating, but we fabricated some casuals for you, for when your the ship and don't feel like wearing all that skin tight gear" Robin suggested instead, she was certain he would take to hiding within his gear again the moment he had the outdated stuff back, and honestly she didn't want that for the poor man..

He had hid enough he deserved to be comfortable like the rest of them damn it!

"Oh thanks.."

"Anyways I'll be in the observatory for a few moments..if you need me, I need to talk to Al-an for a bit.."

"Oh okay, I'll just..." Ryley looked around indecisively for a moment, he wasn't not quite sure what to do with himself, and honestly Robin felt bad for ditching him but she really needed to check on Al-an.

"Feel free to look around, showers that way if you want to take a shower, just don't touch the precursor terminals and you're good!"

Robin assured the hermit, there wasn't much he could break either way, the terminals would only respond to Al-an command unless her architect dictated otherwise.

Huh, kind of like a child lock..

The idea of a bunch of adolescent architects screwing with the navigational controls, desperately tripping over their awkwardly long legs as they tried to flee Her companion's ire sounded frankly adorable, it was a shame they all perished along with their homesworld..

What would a human precursor hybrid look like anyways..?

"Hey, do you know how long we will be traveling in space..?" Ryley asked curiously, unintentionally yanking Robin from her spiraling thoughts.

"Nope, but ideally we'll find out tonight..in the meantime let me know if you need anything"

"Thanks..Oh wow, this coffee tastes really great!"

Ryley exclaimed with surprise while taking another appreciative gulp, it was nice to see him actually enjoying himself, the man had been nothing but stressed since take off, Robin was glad he was starting to decompress a bit.

"That's just your average dark roast Ryley, you're just used to that nasty watery crap you assaulted me with back in your base!"

"What?! Come on, It wasn't that bad!" Ryley tried to defend but it was obvious not even he believed that himself..

"Fine you can keep drinking it th-" Robin started amusedly watching the hermit's eyes widen at her implications.

"Wait no I prefer this stuff better! It's nice!" Ryley quickly announced, quickly gulping at his hot drink.

"That's what I thought!" Robin called over her shoulder as she left the man to his coffee.

RYLEY:

Ryley sipped at the warm coffee entrusted to him as he explored the large ship, the pleasant bitter taste was call to a time long past as he drifted from countless room to room, it was very spacious, most necessities neatly placed out of the way, it was obvious they were both either minimalist or hadn't had the opportunity to take much with them before departure..

Had they fled the planet in a hurry..?

The only outlier to this was the resource room, filled to the brim with various storage compartments, and lockers, all overfilled with various resources many of which the hermit was not familiar with.

Ryley couldn't help but think the degree in which the room was packed was just a tad..excessive but who was he to judge?

All in all the ship itself was comfortable, the air was cool on his skin, he couldn't remember the last time he had idled so long without his survival gear and lack of weight restrictions that came with it.

Without his helmet Ryley initially feared it would be too bright..like Adelphi's unforgiving morning sky, but the streaks of thin lights lining the hull's interior were soft on his sensitive eyes the odd luminous glow fluctuating to a demure pattern he was not in the least opposed to.

The ship was quite peaceful even.. it made him somewhat uncomfortable, as in the past silence often alluded to trouble..

Trouble that always happened to find him.

He wondered if he was secretly being observed or if the odd duo had truly trusted him enough to leave him to his own deviances within their ship.

Ryley doubted it...

The architect had already shown signs of distrust or wariness of his presence and as much as Ryley equally did not trust this alien...he probably would have been wary as well if he was in their position, not that the asshole's fears would be warranted of course...

The spacecraft was truly a sight to behold, Far too many times the hermit envisioned himself wading through the dark empty halls of the precursor ruins, his skin clammy and stingy from the green cysts slowly but surely eating through his flesh, he never had time to spectate the beauty of the race's keen sense of architecture or come to appreciate exactly what gave the enigmatic alien civilization the title scientist had decided on.

In all honesty it was beautiful, even if the hermit only begrudgingly admitted this to himself, it was peaceful and while seemingly alien, it didn't seem as intimidatingly desolate as his prior experiences with the architect remnants...this place felt almost safe.

Robin had said they would be adrift in space for a while, until they found traces of something..?

Oddly enough Ryley was fine with this past the obvious issues...

If someone would have asked him if he would willingly be coexisting with an alien species responsible for slaughtering his whole damn crew, Ryley would have laughed...but now everything was so complicated...

What their ultimate goal was he wasn't fully certain, Ryley couldn't recall too clearly what Robin had said about it past purifying the bacterium..

Perhaps he would ask her again, to get some clearer answers, but that would have to be when she came back out of the observatory.

Though she never explicitly stated this, Ryley was certain it wouldn't be in his best interests to interrupt whatever they were talking about in the observatory...

Yet even as he lurked from room to room his mind couldn't help drifting back to the room at the end of the hall that Robin had vanished almost thirty moments ago..

He could always knock..act like he needed help with something, anything to lure her out...

As irrational as it seemed he just felt uncomfortable leaving Robin alone with the alien for long spans of time, rationally he knew she had been traveling with it supposedly since she escaped planet 4546B but..still.

What if it fed on brains or something..?

Ryley was coaxed out of his musings by an odd noise echoing from within the hull overhead, it was a quiet scuttling, he blinked in momentary confusion, pale eyes narrowed into slits..

Robin had said it was only her and the architect on board, but if they were in the observatory...who was up there..?

He considered investigating the noise but wasn't certain if he should go snooping around..even though Robin had made a point to assure him he could look about if he so pleased.

They gave him little rules outside of the obvious ship protocols, not to purposely hurt himself and not touch the alien equipment.

All reasonable, he didn't want to crash the ship, playing around with shit he didn't understand, but that didn't mean he wasn't curious.

These musings is what coaxes the engineer closer to the precursors technology within the navigational room, there were many but the prominent fixtures were situated within the center of the room placed a reasonable distance away from a large window.

Carefully he peered over the navigational interface, it was aglow with streaks of neon light, thrumming through the intricate veins with a familiar resonating energy.

To his surprise he found not a single color coded tablet within the large room or barring any of the alien equipment as he had on planet 4546B.

"Odd..maybe they don't use them nowadays..." The hermit muttered to himself as he moved on to examine the huge cylindrical tank, its depths were oddly empty save for three pale yellow lights drifting about its dark mass like large specks of snow against a void of darkness..

The alien..Alan often guarded this equipment, what its function served he wasn't certain but it looked interesting.

Slowly he moved to place a hesitant finger against its cool surface, the moment his finger grazed its surface all three lights surged towards his finger.

"Ah!"

In an instant Ryley yelped as a hot painful shock rippled up the hermit's arm, his whole arm seizing under the onslaught, though he desperately struggled to yank his hand away it was as if his hand was adhered to the glass like surface!

More alarming was the fact that the pain was creeping further up his arm the longer he touched it, there was a suction his muscle straining as if something was leeching the very essence out of body, but in his moment of panic a blooming pain erupted behind his eyes and for a moment he was blinded by soft color..

And lastly a thought, one Ryley instantly recognized not to be of his own conjuring, and yet it breached his mind as if it were.

"Greetings.."

"..Survivor.."

The forign but oddly understable words resonated within his mind as if someone had spoken right into his ear, it was so terrifying Ryley froze..his mind trying to desperately process what was happening when suddenly he was released.

The sudden lack of resistance made him stumble and fall flat on his butt, quickly he scrambled away from the tank noting that as he did that once green lights flared red.

Quickly he gave himself a once over and found no wounds or evidence of what had taken place... the pain had mostly subsided now but he still felt winded as hell..what the hell was that?

"Holy shit..don't fuck with the equipment got it.." Ryley breathed, his heart still hammering within his chest...this definitely culled his curiosity for a bit.

Slowly Ryley grabbed his cup from the floor thankful it was empty and hadn't made a mess, only to realize the stream of warmth leaking from his nose as he bent over, his nose was bleeding..

Well it served him right for snooping, perhaps he deserved that..part of him wondered if whatever happened was dangerous, or if he'd experience any long term effects..

Should he tell Robin what happened?

Ryley only considered this briefly before brushing the thought aside as he quickly shuffled away from the equipment, making his way to the washroom to clean himself up before he contaminated anything, all the while he tried not to think about the odd and frankly terrifying thoughts that manifested within his mind..

Something was in that tank..it seemed the alien was guarding more than just equipment..what were those lights..?

Does Robin know about that thing?!
Ryley definitely needed to talk to her and fast..

An odd creak sounded from within the walls above again, but Ryley ignored it as he started making his way to the navigational corridors.

Sadly he doesn't make it farther than a step or two before the vent directly above the poor hermit bursts open..

ROBIN:

It's not hard to find Al-an, the architect is exactly where he said he would be...

Sulking in the dim observatory as he watches the stars drift past, no doubt he hears Robin's approach, yet he lingers by the translucent hull with fictitious interest..was he hiding?

Yes...this looked to be the case...

In any other situation Robin would have found her architect's antics amusing but as things stood...

The probability that Al-an had fled because of her earlier actions was pretty high, she definitely needed to clear some things up, as Robin found no joy in toying with her close friend's emotions.

She finds herself hesitating, her mind unsure of what to say, an apology was in the to-do list but for what exactly?

They weren't doing anything wrong nor was there any real reason to have acted as she had..maybe she just wasn't comfortable with PDA... it almost felt irrational..it would definitely be a something she would need to explain to him as she was almost certain Al-an would have a hard time comprehending the logic behind such a concept, how could he when she hardly understood it herself..?

"Hey Al-an..what are you doing in here..?"

"Idling..tracing long forgotten trailways in between the stars..."

"Star charting? You kind of look like your moping big guy... Can we talk about earlier?"

"...I apologize if I was out of line Robin.." Al-an spoke up quickly, the architect's body flaring an anxious orange, it was a color she hadn't seen in a good while and his flight suddenly made all the more sense.

"What? No not what I meant, you didn't do anything wrong... It's just very.. complicated.." Robin assured him quickly, unsure of how to exactly explain what had happened.

"Please if you can elaborate further I would like to understand your provocation for rejection."

"I wasn't trying to reject your affection..I was just, some of us, humans get kind of weird about public displays of affection"

"I do not understand, You are ashamed of our bond..?" Al-an inquired with a worried tilt of his horns, primary claws were twitching as if he'd start fiddling them any minute.

"No, it's nothing to do with that...at least not directly, in all honesty.. I'm not usually comfortable displaying my emotions, I prefer to keep it personal, and when Ryley came i kind of just acted off if instinct..it seems irrational i know but I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings..."

"Many of your human concepts are needlessly complicated Robin, I...was uncertain if I upset you or you had simply decided my touch was too evasive.." Al-an muttered more to himself than her, his pointed attention on the window made it clear he was avoiding her gaze.

"No, that...wasn't the case at all, but uh..in the future maybe we should avoid being too.."

"Please elaborate"

"Affectionate around Ryley..for the time being.."

"Robin, while your new compainion's presence was meant to be temporal, in light of our recent circumstances Ryley's stay aboard is considered indefinite..." Al-an pointed out almost worriedly, having recognized the prolonged period of time the hermit would likely be staying with them.

"I know, but only until he gets more comfortable with us..then you can have me all you want" Robin assured far too quickly.

"...Have you?" Al-an asked with an intrigued tilt of his horns, her slip up was enough to make him turn back around to scrutinize her while Robin flustardly scrambled to save face from her slip up.

"I-I mean to..dote on me all you want! You know physical comfort! Hahaha.."

"Earlier I assumed you were displeased by my actions...even after I realized you were not, i was still upset...it was confusing, It would be convenient if we were still bonded, Our minds feel so far apart, I'm confident in my familiarity with human most concepts but emotional nuances often confuse me, it was much more convenient for to learn such things through your guidance.."

"Yeah, that was my bad, and I'm sorry.." Robin sighed before continuing.

"It wasn't that much easier having you poke around in my head and what not, but even so that won't be happening, at least not any time soon Al-an, you may feel better but your not quite there yet, and we sure as hell won't be straining your body past necessity."

Robin affirms soundly, it would not be a subject she even considered negotiable, even if her architect looked thoroughly disappointed at being shot down again, she continues on her voice a tad softer and hopefully more persuasive...

Robin considers for a breath before continuing, almost tentatively.

"You know you could also learn from Ryley."

Al-an made a displeased noise resembling an airy hiss, no doubt displeased by her rejection or more by the insult to injury of suggesting he commune with the hermit shortly after, whichever the reason he wasn't happy.

"No." He settled on, her companion gave little room for persuasions, his flat unimpressed tone telling far more than the sickly yellow hues he was sporting.

"Al-an! at least give him a chance, there is like so much he's been through, I'm sure he knows alot about what happened on planet 4546B while you were in stasis.."

"This is unfortunate as I do not wish to like, nor expect to glean anything substantial from your new companion, or the irrational knowledge he may impart."

"Wow don't be so stuck up, beggars can't be choosers Al-an, you'll never learn anything past me if you don't broaden your horizons!"

"Then I will remain ignorant.." Al-an huffed snidely, turning and flash stepping away from her, but it quickly became obvious he wasn't thinking his flight through.

Robin couldn't help but snort amusedly at her architect's antics as he made to escape her presence but quickly hesitated at the doorway.

No doubt the realization that if he fled out there he would have little choice but to face her unsavory human companion settled over him.

"I also do not wish to share the ship with him, there is not enough room.." Al-an settles on petulantly.

"But Al-an the ship is huge, big enough to house at least five more individuals..you said this yourself when we spoke about the other architects." Robin laughed as her companion became more irritated and irrational.

"...I don't want to share your attention, human attention span is drastically limited." Her architect complained

"Too bad you'll have to learn to share."

"I don't want to..." Her architect muttered more to himself than her, as he peered hesitantly out the door intently as if watching out for a particularly dangerous beast.

Robin started laughing, when the architect indecisively sat down, simply glaring stubbornly at the door..

Slowly Robin moved to console her testy architect, pressing herself against the warmth of his lower back and wrapping her arms waist, hugging him tightly.

Instantly traces of green sputtered against her cheek only to be quickly smited as the architect remembered he was supposed to be salty.

"Are you attempting to console me Robin...?" Al-an muttered suspiciously as she pressed her face against his dark carapace.

"Hmm I guess you could say that.." She admitted cheekily.

"Your efforts are misplaced, i am in no need of physical comfort.." Al-an huffed dryly.

"So you don't want a hug?" Robin asked knowingly only to break into giggling as her companion gave an exasperated sigh before he turned around to gently butt her with his head sweetly.

"So, when do you want to try this plan of yours?" Robin tried to ask before she became too distracted, already Al-an had turned around to pull her closer, the soft sound of his content purring against her neck and the possessive way the architect began dragging his claws against her sides was all too enticing for her rampant brain to fixate on.

It would be best if they focussed on important things outside of her rampant libido.

"Unfortunately as soon as logically possible.." Al-an sighed whimsically against her skin before reluctantly pulling away from the flustered researcher to glare out the observatory door once more.

"Seriously he won't bite you Al-an! And even if he did it's not like that would hurt you!" Robin huffed swatting the architect away from the door, she was irrationally annoyed at the sudden lack of contact even if she had suggested their attention elsewhere.

"I don't trust him." Al-an offered unhelpfully.

"Oh my g- you know what Fine! Let's just forget it for now, come on, let's go try the warp drive out.." Robin with a sigh as she opened the door only to stop in her tracks at the sight of Ryley pinned to the floor struggling to fend off a mob of inquisitive precursor drones.

"..Perhaps it would have been in your..hmmm or his best interests if you had introduced your new companion as an ally to your drones…" Al-an offered unhelpfully late as he calmly watched chaos unfold in front of them.

Ryley was screaming bloody murder, futily struggling but ultimately buried under a pile of chittering drones but at least they weren't hurting him...

Atop the mound she recognized a singular drone perched on the engineer's face, repeatedly swatting at the poor man's nose in what looked like vindictive retribution.

God she needed a drink.

Chapter Text

RYLEY:

It was two days into this damn voyage and already Ryley been 'flashed with somber ' as Robin called it, and almost murdered by a pack of feral drones!

Well, maybe not actually murdered...

Robin had amusedly pointed out that the drones were just curious and not in fact actually trying to kill him, which doesn't make him feel one ounce better as being pinned to the floor for a good fifteen minutes whilst being slapped by a pissed off god damn wind up toy wasn't the better alternative either..at least not for Ryley's bruised nose.

Now the docile little assholes simply lurked about the ship freely as if they hadn't just assaulted his person less than twenty minutes ago.

He quietly shifted out of the way as a drone carrying Robin's PDA chirped agitatedly at his leg after bumping into it, it scuttled away quickly rushing to Robin's side like dutiful ants within a nest, surprisingly they mostly ignored the architect who weaved its way around the little drones with dexterity he wouldn't expect from a creature of its size.

He also noted her alien companion seemed to be in a much better mood than it had been earlier that morning, it seemed Robin was successful in talking them out of whatever funk they were in..

Ryley tried not to stare at the architect, he didn't want to draw its gaze like he had before. In all reality Ryley was curious about the alien, he wanted to know why only one survived. and if the architect had why they had left things to fester the way they had back on planet 4546B instead of finding the cure?

Why had it left Emphi to rot alone in that prison of walls..?

Those bloodthirsty warpers...his butchered crew..

He wanted answers..but to claim he wasn't scared shitless of the alien would be a lie, it's first impression was a pretty good deal breaker as far as pissed off dangerous organisms were concerned.

Robin had mentioned she found the architect within a abandoned facility back on planet 4546B, but she never really elaborated in depth on what took place besides the obvious them forming an alliance, gleaning information wasn't an easy task either as most of what this Alan said wasn't even in a discernable language!

When the alien did actually speak to him it was usually short, precise and clipped acknowledgements..not that he himself had actively tried to engage the creature without Robin's involvement.

It seemed they had the mutual understanding to avoid each other.

"Hey Ryley!" He was coaxed from his mental ramblings by the sound of the researcher's voice calling to him, a quick glance up shows Robin hovering by the notably dimmer hallway, trying to get his attention...she looked anxious somehow.

Furthermore now that Ryley was actually paying attention the whole ship had seemingly become significantly dimmer while he was.

"What's going on, did it get darker in here...?" Ryley asked, his brows rising in surprise.

"Yeah Al-an dimmed them to save energy, we found a lead to a precursor base abandoned on a planet called pettracore far outside of Sol! we need to investigate it for pontional signs of Kharaa or tech, while we're there we'll disinfect the place and hopefully find some equipment left behind in the bases."

"Outside of Sol?.. I don't know, that seems pretty far, I've never heard of that planet on the star charts either."

"That's because it's outside of our system in uncharted space, it is far but don't ask Al to give you the specific numbers on that.. it's pretty depressing, but he wants to try to warp there, we won't make it otherwise but..."

"But? Is that a bad thing..?"

"Initially no, but If he's not strong enough to actually do it, yeah, the process sucks all his energy and leaves him drained. Even if we succeed Al-an will be out for a few days at the least..." Robin admitted, she seemed genuinely worried even if she didn't voice it, he could only assume this has happened before.

"Is that why the lights are down?"

"Yeah, things around here will be dim for a bit, push come to shove there's always spare flashlights in the store rooms" Robin offered.

"Oh the dark..
It's..It's not really an issue for me anymore..i was just curious mostly, is..is it about to warp right now?"

It was the truth, as much as it distressed him, the mutations did have small conveniences, like never needing to allocate batteries to his half broken flashlight ever again..

"Yep! He's in the navigation room preparing to depart, come on let's go watch, if all goes well it'll be a pretty fantastic view, you won't want to miss it! Let's cross our fingers that this works!" Robin announced with a playful wink, despite her previous worries she still seemed optimistic.

"Lead the way" Ryley hummed trailing after the shorter woman, he was still astonished by how big the ship was on the inside

The first thing Ryley notices when he enters the wide circular room is Robin's companion curled up against the ship's floor...

He wasn't really sure what to make of it, he definitely would have said something, but beside him Robin simply took in the scene with a calm lack of surprise, sighing calmly as she stepped forward to shift the architect's limp body.

Ryley watches curiously as she gives the sleeping alien a small pat against its shoulder before glancing about the room for a second, when she finds what she's looking for she carefully steps over the architect's side with a soft but exasperated huff.

She picks up an oddly placed pillow off a folded sheet atop a nearby interface and carefully begins stuffing it under the sleeping architect's head, this reassured the confused hermit that all was well at least a little bit.

"You can't just drop your body in the middle of the walkway, big guy.." Robin scolded looking up towards the glass much to Ryley's confusion.

"Tending to my vessel is unnecessary, resting against the hull does not inconvenience me in the least, your consideration however is still appreciated.."

Ryley started at the voice manifesting from the ship around them, the thin intricate lights lining the interior blazed a vivid hue of green momentarily before settling back into a dim pale white.

Robin snorted as she moved to stand by what looked to be a steering column or railing. "Might wanna grab onto something Ry, if this does work you'll sure as hell need something to steady yourself ."

"It is in our best interest that I am successful, the unfortunate alternatives are decidedly bleak and would require further deliberation.." The architect pointed out, it almost sounded like the alien was anxiously rambling...

"You know, it's okay to just say your apprehensive big guy..relax I'm sure you'll do fine." Robin hummed softly.

"...I am very apprehensive Robin, thank you for deciphering this emotion for me. Please caution yourselves I am initiating launch..." The architect's resonated with a tone that sounded almost..airy, it was all the warning they received before the ship was suddenly alight.

Ryley had to shield his sensitive eyes as pale rings of energy manifested around the ship, the elegant halos sputtered and flared, rotating so fast it almost seemed as if they were drifting in slow motion.

The whole ship was pulsating with energy as its engines ignited with neon rings, when they launched it was much smoother than Ryley expected, around them the stars and planets became white chalky streaks across a miasma of dark colors speeding by.

Ryley tried not to gawk but in all honesty it was breathtaking! He had never experienced such a sight, even in his time working under Alterra he usually stayed under deck with his trainees, the upper decks were mostly reserved for the military, security and upper rank personnel.

Watching deep space unfolding before him was like salvaging the shards of some childhood dream that reality had long culled out of the hermit by the time he decided to enlist in interplanetary maintenance.

Was this what it was like to travel the galaxy unhindered, perhaps this is why Robin had decided to aid the architect, no researcher in their right mind would turn down such an opportunity..

He turned to glance at her, curious to see if she was in as much awe as he was but to his surprise Robin's head was looking down towards the interface, anxiously chewing her lip as she studied the alien technology, Ryley wasn't sure what she was monitoring or if she could even read all the random symbols appearing rapidly against its surface, its was impossible to see what she was thinking past the weary crease of her brow.

He tried not to take in her features but couldn't help noting that the cryptic researcher was unarguably attractive, from her broad shoulders , her slim waist and full hips, she was all lithe muscle and soft edges, her dark skin was smooth against high cheekbones accented by beautiful bright chestnut eyes, and framed by thick black ebony hair that looked ridiculously long (he kind of wanted to touch it.. Was that creepy? Oh god it was! ), most of which was braided and tied back but a few unruly streaks fell to her face.

The pink streak in her eye was still there, what was it? Precursor tech Implants, or was it an affliction from planet 4546B as well..?

He wished he knew more about the researcher, her bio was interesting but it seemed most of what she's been through she managed to hide from Alterra's eyes, he didn't know much about her past what little she had explained to him so far..

He didn't have to ask her what was troubling her as ten or so minutes after they entered warp drive it became quite obvious..

The ship suddenly choked, sputtering on light like a leaky engine and ultimately slowing to a gradual stand still. Robin let out a diversive sigh through her nose, as if she had expected this to happen but was equally relieved it wasn't worse.

There was a moment of complete silence as the ship seemed to shut down completely, it was eerily quiet being within the vessel void of life, he could hear space's oppressive constriction washing against the outside of it's hull and passively trying to crush it.

"Is everything alright? I'm going to take a guess and say he ran out of steam..?" Ryley asked worriedly, Robin nodded her eyes narrowed with thought.

"Yeah, He won't admit it but he's tired, which is fine but... this isn't going to work.." she glanced down at the navigation interface, tracing her fingers over the starboard but pointedly not touching the smooth surface.

"Al-an? I'm scanning our surroundings, we're still within Sol's central system...we haven't moved too far, we need to discuss an alternative."

"We try again, I am attempting to allocate energy.." The architect suddenly announced, its voice sounding almost strained and distracted.

"The hell you are Al-an...We had an agreement." Robin warned, he could see the shorter women quickly begin bristling at the architect's words.

"Robin we-.." The architect tried but Robin shut the alien down promptly.

"What did we just talk about!? We agreed to one attempt! Now get your ass out here!"

"...I believe we need to reevaluate our course of action.. " The architect settled on.

"Me too big guy, but not when you're in there, come on out you've done your best.."

Robin reasoned, her voice finally taking on a sympathetic tone, she seemed hell bent on dragging her companion away, she was very pushy about it to Ryley's surprise, Robin wasn't satisfied until her companion finally awoke and stumbled sluggishly to its long deer-like legs.

Instantly he noticed that much like Robin feared the alien looked utterly exhausted, the intricate lights along its body were almost non-existent, it took a moment just gasping as it idled there gazing out into dead space.

This was odd as Ryley hadn't once seen the alien open its mouth or seen any sign of nostrils...hell he didn't think it had a mouth but somehow it was breathing so what did he know?

Robin let the architect catch his bearings for a few moments before she moved closer to rest a hand against its arm, the dim red lights along its vessel finally waned into a sour yellow as it turned to fix her in its gaze.

"We are going to take a breather then find an alternative.." She announced carefully, no doubt scouring over any plausible options they had within her head, meanwhile the alien caught its breath all the while looking quite dejected after their recent failure, Ryley almost felt bad for it..." Almost.

"Perhaps we could utilize the consciouses's energy as reinforcement use them a conduit"

Al-an suggested suddenly, glancing at the tank Ryley had touched an hour or two ago.

"Al-an I don't know..is that really safe..?" Robin asked with uncertainty.

"That depends heavily on the success of our next attempt Robin.." The architect spoke optimistically, as if it hadn't just worn itself thin trying the first time.

This was a mindset Ryley already could see would cause issues, namly but the dangerously perturbed arch of Robin's eyebrows.

"Then no, you've already tried it, the consciouses are much weaker than you I doubt it'd make a viable difference, I can't phantom how this would end well"

"They will be in no danger so long as I act as the conduit, as for myself.. In the extremist of cases potential damage to my vessel may be sustained, however It is a necessary risk I am willing to take.." Her companion pressed, the dim biolights up its metal spine flaring crimson as it stared down the researcher.

Ryley felt his stomach flip with apprehension as a silent hiss rose from its chest, like the sound of grinding metal, yet Robin didn't seem phased at all by the architect's blatant signs of aggression and quickly snapped back.

"Don't get testy with me! we're not having another recurrence of last time you tried this, if you run yourself empty again then chances are we won't be going anywhere until you recover..." Robin had a point, really it seemed as if the architect was the one in charge of running the ship, would they be able to run it without it..?

"We need to visit Pettracore, we have little alternatives Robin..I feel I should try agai-" Al-an hissed softly but Robin wasn't having any of it, and quickly shut it's reasoning down.

"Damn it Al-an! I said no! It's too risky, we'll think of another way but in the meantime let's not jump to reckless decisions! I'm certain there's other bases scattered around Sol, we may need to start there first!"

The architect sighed obnoxiously, it was the most human noise Ryley had heard it make so far...

Ryley's gaze flicked back and forth between the two, neither Robin or her companion seemed to be willing to negotiate until they found a middle ground, when their bickerfest exceeded thirty minutes, with no sensible resolution in sight, it swiftly begins to feel like Ryley was spectating a game of tug of war between two short sighted goldfish..

"Hey..guys..I know neither of you asked for my input on this but I've got a suggestion.." He offered hesitantly, but was quickly reassured to find while both seemed irate they wern't unwilling to hear him out, their contesting ceasing at once as they both turned their gazes on him imploringly.

This was a good start, Ryley learned long ago the first steps to solving complex issues was knowing when to ask for help and more importantly when to listen.

"I've worked in engineering for a good part of my career..it sounds like a external power source could be of use here, you know like a thermal reactor or something like one, if what i hear is correct your..uh.. alien's running this ship off own his energy, makes sense he can't power the whole thing mid-space by himself..what did you guys use to power your research bases back on planet 4546b?"

Ryley pointed out from where he sat, it wasn't a perfect plan but it was an idea, which alone was better than watching the two argue anxiously back and forth.

"I mean, you're on to something..I know the architects of planet 4546B often used ion cubes to fuel most technology but this ship was pretty much made without that in mind, this was only intended to be a last minute escape vessel" Robin explained thoughtfully.

"We were not in possession of the resources or materials to build a self-sufficient ship, this was the best we could do in our limited window of time" the architect announced calmly, already the break in their arguing was giving them some time to contemplate which was a good thing.

"Well, if we have anything relatively close to what I used to fabricate the reactor back on my old base, I might be able to whip up a makeshift generator, we could potentially wire it up so that it draws energy from there instead of a single precursor.. It would take strain off of your buddy and we'd maybe be able to warp drive at least once or twice to wherever you guys need to get to, hypothetically speaking that is."

Ryley explained uncertaintly, the more he heard his own idea out loud the less confident he started to feel in it, it sounded absurd and idealistic, but then again he had managed more carrying a deadly bacteria with minus days to live with little to no resources to survive...

Still he didn't know if the others would accept his suggestion or not but Ryley considered it was worth a shot if it helped..

The architect flared a sour yellow hue as it considered the engineer's suggestion, it leered down at him intensely as if it could see through him, yet he could not tell where it's thoughts were on the matter, it's arms were curled close to its waist but he could still see the way it was flexing its claws pensively as it studied his person.

Ryley could feel his fins begin to rise and twitch uncomfortably under the alien's scrutiny, it was only when Robin cleared her throat the architects tore his gaze away if only momentarily to glance at the researcher before making a noise Ryley could only suspect was a huff.

"I believe my plan would be more efficient, we are not in possession of the resources to create such a replicant, your suggestion however may hold future promise and will be considered.." The architect allowed if only reluctantly.

"It might be the only option because we sure as hell aren't trying to initiate warp again back up or not.." Robin pressed, she was obviously still irate about the whole thing.

"What's this back up we're talking about..?" Ryley asked curiously, they seemed to be referring to the odd tank he had touched earlier...was it a generator of sorts...?

He wanted to question her about it but with both Robin and the architect decidedly upset it wasn't the time nor place.

"It's...i'll explain it later okey?" Robin hesitated before she brushed his question off altogether as she began pacing the large room.

To his irritation her explanation was blithe at best, nothing short of a dismissal, a promise to explain it later and the architect hadn't even acknowledged the question, his attention instead remained fixed on the issue at hand.

"I will do what is necessary to ensure the success of this mission, if my species was present at any point in time, the likelihood of Kharaa being present in the ecosystem is high... I-I must know what became of them, I need to know if they are safe Robin.."

"Woah, wait I thought you said he was the last of his kind..there's more of them?!" Ryley asked, suddenly confused and frankly worried, she had mentioned that Al-an was the last of his kind, so what the hell were they talking about? And what was in that tank?!

Living with one architect was stressful enough, Ryley didn't know if he would survive a ship full of them.

Robin groaned deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose as the architect fell silent, perhaps taking note of his unrest...

"Al-an is the last of his kind as far as we know, but in truth we don't really know what we'll find on Pettracore, um.. Hey Ryley could you give us a moment..?" Robin requested shooting him an apologetic glance.

"Yeah..sorry, I'll be in the observatory if you need me." Ryley murmured trying to prevent the uncertainty from tainting his voice.

Really he wasn't all that surprised she kicked him out, truth be told it felt like the researcher was functioning on a totally different level with the alien then he was, no doubt there were things the two hadn't explained to him or perhaps it simply wasn't obvious to him..

He excused himself heading to the dim observatory to gaze out into the dark starry expanse of space as he tried to frustratedly sort his thoughts out..

Earlier he had considered confiding in Robin about his suspicions regarding the odd tank...but now he really wasn't sure anymore, what if she knew already, what if Ryley was the only one in the dark here...?

Were they keeping things from him?

He wasn't sure..

ROBIN:

"You're pretty bad at this filter thing Al-an.." Robin pointed out ruefully as she leaned back against the interface with a stressed sigh.

"My apologies, it was not my intentions to undermine you in any way Robin.." Al-an fretted beside her, not that she really blamed him for the slip, in truth her architect looked upset, but more importantly exhausted.

"It's fine, but let's avoid such slips in the future, I'm just not ready to tell him about the others yet, not until he gets more used to the idea of you.." Robin admitted she liked Ryley she did, but she still wanted to get to know the man a bit better before they divulged all their sensitive plans to the man.

"Do you fear he would stand in the way of our goals..?"

Al-an asked with a curious tilt to his head, Robin had to take a moment to think about it while she gnawed her lip, Ryley's disstrust in Al-an's species was a reasonable reaction to anyone in his situation but while weary of her architect the hermit hadn't shown any real hostility towards Al-an as of yet.

"No, I don't think so, but life's taught me countless times I'm not always right so I like to take precautions.."

"...Hm" Al-an pulsed a dim yellow as he contemplated her words, he didn't seem wholly satisfied with her answer.

"What is it big guy..?" Robin asked curiously.

"My studies of your species has shown It is common for deceit to breed long term distrust amongst your kind, I understand the motives behind your reluctance to disclose our ambitions, However i do not believe it is exactly the best course of action Robin..as Ryley may not want to take part in aiding the recovery of my species, it be unethical to manipulate his actions in the form of omission..I do not predict this would end well if you wish to maintain a positive friendship with your human companion..." Al-an fretted with uncertainty.

"Yeah, well he'll have to deal with it for now, I'm not changing our goal for anyone, but you're right..he deserves to know, just give it some time and when we are certain then we can tell him..." Robin sighed, she wished this was easier, but in reality was anything of worth ever easy?

"I understand your caution, and I appreciate your efforts, however I feel the longer we wait the higher likelihood of your companion losing trust in you..please give this decision reconsideration soon Robin."

"Yeah we will, I just never imagined we'd have to keep him around long enough that he'd find out what we are doing, I figured we'd find him a safe place...but it's the right thing i guess, until then let me handle that kind of information Okay?"

"I will not interfere again." Al-an assured her calmly, he seemed satisfied with their agreement, but already she could sense her companion's attention drifting back to the main matter at hand.

"Hey why don't we stop by some nearby planets to forage some resources, if we strike gold we could potentially take Ryley up on his offer, then you won't need to use your or the architect's energy to launch."

Robin suggested optimistically, even if it was only a temporary fix, getting to Pattracore was their main objective, once they made it there and recreated the vessels for the consciouses they would likely have more help.

Al-an however wasn't sold on the plan, the yellow streaks of light flaring through the intricate engravings marring his vessel was the only tell-tale sign that her architect didn't approve of the hermit's plan...

"I have little faith in your companion's capabilities as he is not fully familiar with my species equipment, though his offers is admirable it seems only distantly plausible at best.." Al-an hesitated glancing out the ship's large window, scanning their surroundings before he finally spoke again albeit oddly hesitant..

"Furthermore there is only one planet reasonably close enough that may by chance be in possession of a substantial amount of the resources we would potentially require to build such technology..but to get there will take days.."

"Then we can set a course there.."

"It would be more efficient to warp from here Robin.."

"You mean reckless right? Have you even asked them if they are willing to help? What if they aren't strong enough, you can't just assume they will align with your ideals Al-an, i sure as hell don't!"

"We have to consider what's at stake before all else Robin.."

"Exactly! Why are we wasting time on uncertainties when we could simply waste some days getting something that might work?! We spent hours preparing for Adelphi and it got us nowhere Al-an! I'd like to avoid any mishaps if we can this time...and if the sacrifice is time then so be it! "

Al-an made an irritated hiss, glancing to the tank and back to her, no doubt Robin struck a nerve but as bad as she felt about dredging up sore subjects she needed him to understand..to consider options outside his linear viewpoint..

"There is no network however we still can hold a consensus, a vary limited one but it would be enough, your proposal against my proposition, however please understand in the event that my proposal is favored amongst the collective, I will go fourth with my plans with or without your consent or approval on the decision Robin.." Al-an intoned with calm stubbornness, as he turned away from to flash step over to the emergency tank.

"Fine! But you better be prepared for things to backfire as well, namely if the little guys side with me! I want you to shut up and drive to the nearest resource rich planet! No more complaints!" Robin snapped agitatedly as she followed him to stand before the tank, she was beyond fuming at her architect's self-destructive mindset as of late, she understood that he was anxious, anyone in his position would be.. but holy shit her architect was unreasonable at times!.

The consciouses took note of their approach and immediately drifted closer, the three eager lights flaring bright with elated intrigue, their innocent joy in simple acknowledgement hurled a wrench through Robin's sour mood.

They looked bright and healthy, nothing like the dim wisps they just managed to get to the emergency receptacle in time..

She hates thinking about losing the little guys...

Robin couldn't help but smile as they bobbed around in synchronized patterns, no doubt excited they were getting attention, they were really kind of adorable in an alien fairy lights kind of way, even Robin had to admit that.

Even if they were mischievous to the limited extent in which they could be, it was almost cathartic watching them flutter about safe and sound, a reminder that they had indeed succeeded and secured the minds of three younger architects within the ship.

She wondered what they thought of her, of Al-an, her architect had mentioned that they were intrigued and accepted her presence instantaneously but he never explained his bond with them...

She couldn't wait to see them!

Fondly she hovered her hand close to the glass, heeding Al-an's previous warning regarding touching but still holding it close enough she could almost feel the static energy radiating off the glass, she huffing amusedly as the little lights mirrored her hand as if they were her glowing shadow.

"Are you attempting to play with them Robin..?"

"Do they play like this..?"

"Sometimes our young offspring would reenact games of mimicry, but these are not children, they still take pleasure in your attention.."

"Oh..so you guys are too old to play games anymore? Sounds stuck up to me!" She joked lighty, wrinkling her nose as she felt Al-an come up behind her, just as soon she felt the architect's claws running through her hair curiously, he was flaring an odd neutral color and she couldn't help but wonder what was on her architect's mind.

"Yet you still entertain them immeasurably, they seem quite enamored by your presence, I was not wrong in my assessment, you will be popular amongst the network..." Al-an pointed out his voice heavy with an unspoken emotion, his claw caught her jaw and guided her head up to softly press his face against her cheek.

"So do adults take time off to play around or just enjoy themselves..?" Al-an's species, while advanced was not without their own shortcomings, no species was perfect, having lived with an architect herself, Robin knew this to be true her snarky architect was far from it.

This didn't mean she didn't lov- er adore her architect any less…

"When we are not preoccupied.." Al-an evaded as if the architect suspected where she was headed with her line of questioning.

"And when exactly are you guys not preoccupied?" Robin deadpanned,

"..." Al-an just sighed, but his silence said it all, it was all Robin needed to make her point.

"Exactly! Your species needs to take time to research the virtues of a vacation big guy!" Robin snorted.

"Why would I need to invest in such pursuits when you seem to be perfectly suited, if not eager for this role..."

"Because you're stubborn and don't always listen unless it aligns with your agenda..?"

Al-an made an amused chittering noise before burying his face into her shoulder as he pulled her into a soft hug, his vessel warm against her back, a faint purr rumbling against her spine, Fuck she missed cuddling with this idiot, just being held felt so immeasurably safe and pleasant, he tried to focus at the task at hand and not the architect behind her...

But Robin quickly found herself subconsciously pushing back into the architect's chest anyway as his claw gently snared her right hand and pressed it flat against the receptacle's thick glass.

It's not as jarring as the first time they did it, when she was greeted with the resonating hum it was like dipping her palm into a puddle of cold liquid metal, it stung like ice but far more tolerable the last time.

"I will initiate the inquiry, please focus on your proposal and I will translate it for them, they will pick the most logical path to take.."

"Okay, let me give this a go.."

"Take your time, they are...being difficult..." Al-an complained with mild exasperation.

"They are..? is..something wrong with them?"

"No, they are simply excited and restless but their lack of focus is..tiring."

"Let them enjoy themselves!" Robin snorted, she would probably pay to see her architect attempt to school a classroom full of five year olds.

Al-an simply snorted before falling silent as they focused, a few moments later the three consciouses flared a bright sage green and pulled away, fleeing deeper into the tank, beside her Al-an trilled lowly, it wasn't pleased noise.

"The consensus has concluded and a verdict has been reached..." He announced as he took to examining her hand, carefully tracing the veins in her palm.

"And..? What did we decide?"

"...it seems your argument was most appealing, it will be the route we pursue.." Her architect admitted with mild reluctance.

"Ha! It was the most logical option!" Robin beamed whilst her companion brooded behind her.

"Their logic is flawed, It is apparent they only agreed to your proposition only to garner your favor Robin.." Al-an sniffed offendedly

"Uh huh, sure now shut up and drive"

"But.."

"We had an agreement didn't we?"

"That is correct..I will initiate the scanners and begin scouring the surrounding planet's for the required resources."

"Good, Wait! What about the planet you mentioned earlier?"

"It is located four days off course.." Al-an evaded immediately.

"And..? We were adrift for days before we located Adelphi's tether, and expected to be for far longer before your discovery of the signal..."

"..."

"Speak to me Al-an, what's the real issue here? because as I see it it's not time.."

"These resources may prove to be expensive...very expensive..."

"Expensive..?" Robin asked, her eyes brows raising confusedly.

"Yes, I fear we may invest time into visiting this location and be unable to afford what we seek..." Al-an fretted,

"Wait the planet is inhabited? I-is it like some intergalactic trade planet or something..?"

"No, the planet known as Marighettis 047 is the home of a species we once considered allies, while I am unsure as to where our species stand with each other after such a long absence from the net work, I have doubts this has changed.. "

"The architects had alliances?"

"A few.." Al-an noded

"Huh that's surprising, you never spoke about them before.. but you guys were on good terms with each other, the last you were aware..?"

"To be honest I've given them little thought in the last few decades, but yes we were still allies, however their hostility is of little concern as they are a very docile species..by most means."

"Then what's the problem here..?" Robin pressed crossing her arms, but her persistence earned her no answers..at least not yet.

"They were very...opportunistic, go fetch your companion and inform him of our consensus, you will find me in the the botanical observatory, I believe it would be in our best interest if I impart my knowledge regarding Marighettis 047 to all parties aboard our ship before we attempt to dock there for resources Robin."

Despite Al-an's calm assurances her architect sounded very weary which confused the researcher, whatever the issue was Al-an was dancing around it in his very unique fashion, ugh why did she suddenly feel so anxious?!

AL-AN:

Apprehension surged through the architect's trembling vessel as he watched his human leave to retrieve her human companion, the moment Robin was out of eyesight the consciouses expressed their disappointment in a dramatic cardinal display..

Al-an did not move to console them, nor did he give them a second glance as he left the room, in truth he was quite irked with their reckless behavior, they hardly considered their respective proposals before they recklessly threw their fate into Robin's hands.

And while he held equal faith in his human, their bond was not always what it was, nor did they grow to understand her brilliance as he had, the collective motivation for their choices had seemingly been to gain his human's favor.

It was reckless but harmless in this case.

Still it was more irritating than anything else, he did not like the idea of others attempting to garner his human's favor, architect or human..

This of course was the least of his worries, Al-an would accept the conditions they agreed upon because even if he did not agree with her reasoning nor held faith in the precarious hermit's plans, he trusted Robin to keep their wellbeing at the forefront of her mind.

But that doesn't mean he doesn't still worry..

The botanical observatory was cold against his carapace, the welcoming solitude helped numb the sting of failure on his part, he should have known his limits and yet it seemed to be becoming a predictable pattern of shortcomings.

With a shaky sigh Al-an rests his head against the glass, gazing listlessly at the blooming flora spiraling against the other side of the tank..

How easily they thrived under the simplest circumstances, their existences governed by the chemical balance of equation, if only life was as naively simplistic the architect thought bitterly, crimson streaks creeping along his vessel as he brooded in silence..

He was so tired, he wanted this to be over so he could take Robin to a planet that would please her..she said she wanted to go to a warm planet, someplace safe, there is no preference on his part so long as she flourishes like the garden under his care..

If only reality was so simple..

But for this to come to fruition they will need to find what was left of his kind, or at least plant the seeds of khaara's demise across the galaxy.

Only then Robin would be willing to allow him to take her away from all this..

What he told her was true. It was likely the Elisskat would have what they desired, they always did but the price they would want in retribution for such a hefty sum could be dangerous without the proper negotiational sway.

They possessed so little that would be considered desirable to such a race, they were a fickle species, particular in their pursuits and interests, Al-an had come to learn that Elisskat were more predatory than anything...

Robin had sacrificed nothing short of everything and he was unwilling to put her in the situation in which she felt obliged to give anything more, such a boon would fall on his shoulders and rightfully so..

The architect had little suspicions of what the ruthless parasites would seek to strip from him.

This truth is what worries the architect most..

Chapter Text

RYLEY:

Around him the ship creaks with life, it's not so much of a disturbing noise as the sound of life upon a ship dredges up the melancholy sense of familiarity.

He tries to avoid the lingering threads of doubt brewing within his chest as he sits in the dark corner of the room, while the soft lighting of the ship didn't agitate his eyes in the least, he had spent the last three years slinking around the shadows..

The dark felt inexplicably safe, a familiar constant... So naturally that's where Ryley ended up, sitting on the floor, his head pressed back against the cool hull of the ship, his fins were starting to really ache..pain meds didn't last forever.. he would need to ask Robin for more painkillers...

if she ever came out...

Ryley couldn't help but wonder what they were up to in there. Perhaps they started on new plans already, more reliable options and scrapped his suggestion all together, and decided on a new course of action.

Ryley didn't know because he was never in the loop of things, sensibly Ryley recognized that he technically was still an intruder as far as their conquest was concerned, an outsider looking in, but it still stung that they would dismiss him from big decisions like this!

Despite himself, Ryley wanted to learn more about Robin and..well the alien too..

But to do that he would have to gain Robin's trust at least, something told him he would make little progress with the architect, nor would he get any closer to the researcher if it was always clinging to her like a symbiotic parasite..

He would need to prove himself to be a competent crew mate and not a self destructive psychopath like they both probably suspected he was..not that he blamed them..Ryley needed to become part of the crew! even if it meant coexisting with Robin's alien warden..

Slowly he stood up leaving the observatory and drifting aimlessly back into the halls, Robin had given him the grand tour already but Ryley could hardly recall what most of the rooms she had whisked him past were anymore, not besides where his stuff was stored..he was so anxious when that all took place.

Tentatively he picks a doorway and opens it at random, taking a cautious peek inside, it's a another storage area filled with unused alien equipment, there settled atop some clear counters were several orange data tablets, strikingly similar to the ones Ryley had found scattered across planet 4546B, a heavy looking cube like structure, and five large empty but seemingly still partially functioning tanks, all in which screens were damaged in some way or another..

All of the content in the room looked to have been salvaged and in various states of repair.

Most of the equipment in there looked salvaged now that he thought about it..which was kind of odd.

Maybe they didn't have time to repair them or possibly couldn't, Robin had mentioned Alan was a scientist not an engineer, and didn't know his way around repairs as well..

Maybe he should offer to help them repair some of it...

"That's the spare room, we haven't gotten around to fixing most of the stuff in there yet, but Al-an thinks this salvage could still be of use if we're ever in a pinch." Ryley started at the sudden intrusion to his calm thought filled solitude, whipping around to see Robin lingering not far to his left, the instinctive action so fast he almost stumbled into the room.

"Robin!..it's just you." Ryley sighed attempting to still his erratic heart beat.

"Oh! sorry did I uhh.. Startle you..?" Robin asked apologetically, raising her hands only to drop them with uncertainty seconds later, it was apparent she wasn't really sure if he would appreciate her encroachment on his person and ended up just lingering nearby.

"It's alright! I'm fine.. I just lose myself in my head sometimes, months of being stalked by fish who would like to pillage the metal off your gear could do that to a person haha.." He assuaged quickly, trying to hide how embarrassed he was by his reaction.

"Still, I'm sorry I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that..can i ask why you do that?"

"Huh? Do what..?" Ryley asked quickly, inwardly praying Robin always wouldn't inquire about why his fins flared when he became flustered..

"You uhh... sometimes sign when you talk?"

"Ah..Well.. it's kind of a habit I guess, many of the crew mates stationed under my care served on the front lines...i'm sure you're familiar with the expansion.."

"Noise induced hearing damage..?"

"Yeah, apparently sound frequency cannons were not safe for the pilots either..Not that it stopped Alterra from capitalizing on them anyway.."

"Wait! They knew they were faulty and didn't recall them?!"

"Yeah, the waiver was signed so, they're not liable.."

"What?! That's terrible!"

"Yeah, many suffered permanent hearing damage but I like to think those minor setbacks.. They didn't slow my crew down, while most of them were unfit for the military they still were pretty handy around mechanics."

"So they just sent you everyone they deemed no longer useful..."

"Well, yeah.. if you look at it that way, but I mean where else could they go?
It wouldn't be safe to have them on the field and..well i felt they were better off in my care.. At least at the time.."

"I'm pretty sure it was..did you teach them all IGSL?" Robin asked Tentatively, steering the conversation from the darker aspects the hermit inadvertently stumbled into.

"Yeah and no, many refused to learn or felt their hearing was decent enough without it, but I did manage to drill a few pseudo shorthand training sessions into their heads, it was easier and it didn't make them feel like we were simply patching up what was broken.." Ryley continued, almost wistfully, he was glad she hadn't let him hone in on the darker memories, he wanted to honor their memories without having to constantly relive the pain or their departures..

"I'm sorry about what happened, to you and your crew, it must be hard to lose everyone familiar under such traumatic events.."

"Yeah...its..It's alright, I won't forget what I've learned from them, in...in a way, I..hope they'll live on in my head, besides, there's nothing you could have done to help it..." He offered softly, but Robin hesitated, Her sharp hazel eyes filled with sad contemplation, he wondered what was going through the woman's mind as she gawed her lower lip, silently Ryley hopes she believes his words of assurance..

"..."

"...So did you guys finally decide on what we're doing next..?" Ryley asked, hoping to steer their focus away from rebounding back the darker thoughts haunting them...

"Oh right.. Yes, we did, Al-an wanted to call a group meeting real quick, important details he feels we should all be aware of before moving forward."

"Oh? What details?"

"I don't really know yet, but it seems important...so I guess we'll find out. Come on, he said he will be in the green house.." While her voice was completely calm about it, something told Ryley that the younger researcher was worried or at least on edge about something...

Perhaps this wasn't going to be good news...

Quickly he followed her back into the hall, oddly enough the walls had fallen away again...they often did when Robin was around..

The lack of solid barriers gave way to a spectacular view of the void encompassing them, outside the ship's translucent wall he could see that they had indeed started moving again, sluggishly drifting along a turrent flooded with a milky splatter of tiny meteorites, they sputtered and flared brightly as they bounced off the ship like harmless specks of rain, deflected by the space vessel's protective barriers.

They were coasting at a much slower pace then they had been had previously, instead allowing the passive gravitational current to ferry them forward whilst small stars and miscellaneous debris sped past them...

And god...what a sight it was..

Again.. that odd sense of surrealism overwhelms the poor hermit as he slows to a stop, his eyes entranced by the depthless expanse before him.

"Quite a sight huh..?" Robin asked with a low whistle as she joined his side, to gaze out as well.

"Yeah...I'll admit I never imagined I'd be seeing space like this.." Ryley admitted.

"Heh, neither did I, in fact I always envisioned myself trapped on planet 4546B..never thought too far into what I'd do once I reached there...just that I had to know.."

"How long were you stuck down there again..?" Ryley asked sympathetically.

"Before I found Al-an? about a month and a half floundering about chasing clues that lead to mostly nothing, freezing my ass off..honestly i wasn't as prepared as I thought I was.. but I managed i guess.."

"I mean you made it all the way here! So you must have done something right.." He laughed softly, simply because he didn't know what to say, he really wished he was better suited for social situations like this!

He was never good at socializing to start with but now he was floundering, luckily Ryley's inward fretting about his lack of social skills was derailed when Robin hummed a reply beside him.

"Yeah I guess I did, Funny how things work out..." Beside him Robin fell silent, the sudden warmth in her voice bagged the hermit to tear his eyes away from the starry spacescape and study the shorter women beside.

Robin's gaze was affixed to the stars drifting by, but it was obvious her mind was lost elsewhere, there was a soft light in her eyes that almost reached her lips, it made him curious as to just where the researcher's thoughts had drifted off to..

Alas it was only a fleeting glance behind the woman's stoic mask, within seconds she tore her gaze away from the beautiful sight and continued down the hall.

"Come on, Ry we can sightsee after debriefing!" She called over her shoulder amusement coloring her voice.

"Right! Coming!" The hermit answers, scrambling to catch up.

"So..we're going with Robin's plan?" Ryley asked as he shifted through a curtain of tangled streaks of long pale web-like vines, the soft velvety leaves dragging over his skin and suit like microfiber.

"Yes, it seems it was the most logical option.." Al-an allowed blithely, slowly the architect moved around the plant-filled containment with careful consideration, scrutinizing various odd and elegantly outlandish plants filling the surprisingly large chamber.

"Yep, we're going to dock on a planet called Marighettis 047. Hopefully there we'll find the components we need to reinforce the ship like you suggested earlier Ryley, then you can put your plan into play and try to build the generator... " Robin explained, as she casually explored the room, it seemed almost as new to her as it was to him..

"What'd you do to convince him to change his mind? He seemed pretty dead set on warp drive..." Ryley asked curiously.

"We voted on it" Al-an sighed sourly, bioluminescent yellow rippling through the deep engravings marring the alien's vessel, dimly pulsating as it surged through the creature's veins.

"And I won..so Mr huffy had to shut up and drive." Robin laughed softly, Al-an hissed softly at her jab but seemed ultimately unperturbed by his companion's snark.

"Guess he wasn't pleased with the outcome..." Ryley fished for any context regarding what took place when he was dismissed, it must have been a negative display as the architect's voice was anything but enthused, but to his surprise the alien responded to his off hand comment directly.

"This would be inaccurate as I appreciate Robin's willingness to contest my ideals and decisions, the superior rank I held often warded off those who would challenge my resolve, it gives me not only perspective outside my own, but vital understanding of your species, our the method moving forward is irrelevant in my preference unless it simply does not work.. still I am apprehensive.."

"Don't worry big guy, I'm sure we can handle whatever this Marighettis throws at us..so about what you wanted to tell us...?" Robin assured the architect, trailing a casual hand down its back as she walked past to take a seat atop one of the many empty shelves.

The alien did not respond to her words past a ripple of pale green trailing up its spine where the researcher's fingers had grazed seconds before, instead it contemplated for a few moments, settling its mind before it spoke.

"If we are to be visiting Marighettis 047, I would like for you to understand the basis of the species that colonizes its crust, this will ensure we prepare accordingly..safely." The architect intoned.

"You said they might have the components we need..?" Robin affirms.

"Wait, the planet's inhabited?!" Whoah, whoah..

What did Alan mean by colony?! Despite the fact that yes aliens did exist, Al-an was a testament to that, Ryley hadn't thought they would be meeting other species! Ryley hadn't expected to see any extraterrestrial life at all!

"Affirmative, the likelihood they are in
possession of the materials we need is high, and yes there are countless alien species littered throughout the galaxy Ryley, Marighettis 047 has been their substitute homeworld for thousands of years"

"Substitute.? What happened to their original world" Robin intrigued, she was taking this alien life forms thing far better then Ryley who was still internally reeling...

"We encountered them long ago, at the time their species had been deemed far too problematic and set under a culling order, those who failed to flee their planet fast enough were eradicated by brutal extermination." Al-an retold, Ryley couldn't tell if the architect felt bad about it or not as its voice was apathetic as always...

"What?! A whole species culled? What did they do to deserve that?!" Robin asked, her brows rising in surprise.

"I'm am unsure, it was not our place to inquire, nor did our collective care for the squabbles of alien species outside our network, we did however believe that no species should be allowed to be eradicated in totality, and so we intervened, we preserved as many as we could and offered them protection from those who would see them eradicated."

Al-an sniffed coldly, the alien's less than enthusiastic shift in tone led Ryley to suspect the architect wasn't too fond of the aliens that he was teaching them about...

"In ways they were like us, in others they were vastly different, they were collectors of unique taste, their technology whilst feeble was in some ways superior to that of our own at the time, and while they were indeed a docile race, and even by distant circumstances considered allies if only for their own benefit. I can only suspect their culling was tethered to their insatiable thirst for the unobtainable and claiming it by any means necessary regardless of how taboo their method of coercion might be..."Al-an admitted coldly.

"At the time there was only a few thousand of them left, but their species recovered quickly, spreading rapidly once we relocated them to Marighettis, and while we made it known, our provocation was an act of duty, and not necessarily compassion for their cause...yet our naïve aid unintentionally placed them heavily under our debt, they called us saviors but we were never ignorant to the fact that they would have no doubt demanded one of our very own, or something more irreplaceable in barter if not pinned within such an incomprehensible situation.." For a moment crimson rippled over the architect's chest.

"When beckoned to barter we blindly sought knowledge of their unfaltering power sources, to which we've come to know now as the ion mineral, in which energy cubes were created.. However they were reluctant to surrender such otherwise valueless data to a race that highly regarded knowledge as a fundamental necessity within our culture, they sought to exploit our inclination for the unknown.. but under their past circumstances held little power to do so.."

"Wait but didn't they technically owe you guys..?" Robin scowled, her eyebrows raising in disbelief no doubt at the species in question's gall.

"Yes..They had recklessly offered us a boon for our aid, and reluctantly had little choice but to surrender it to us, they took knowledge of us as well, to supposedly even the scale, but it was a trade hardly of any worth in their eyes..." Al-an explained.

"What knowledge did they take..?" Ryley asked curiously, before he could stop himself.

"I am unaware as the information was stripped from us long ago as par their terms, it is now theirs alone to keep, whatever it was, it must have surely held value but was also deemed sacrificial in the mind of the network...What they take becomes theirs alone, I've seen many creatures stripped from mere existence from an ill placed trade or baited bargain, they sought to bargain with us a again but the network had long agreed that it was not to be risked."

"So they take anything that holds value..? We have a lot of rare material..maybe they would accept them.." Robin suggested but Al-an slowly shook his horns.

"They will value only that which holds strong significant value to an individual or group..currency holds little value unless one would be willing to die for it.."

"And what kind of trade would they ask for?"

"Hairlooms, keepsakes, significant gifts or knowledge, memories perhaps even the organisms, they are collectors of the obscure, but they're trades are often gilded and uneven, they originate from a depraved and hostile world lost far beyond the star's light and such was their mindset..." The architect evaded.

"They sound like con artists.." Ryley sniffed, alarm bells going off within his head, it seemed as if Robin felt the same, a worried frown had formed her face as she contemplated her companion's words.

"I see them as little else, but..they are likely to have what we need, it would be best if I go alone, and if i am successful in securing the resources i will bring the them back upon return"

"Whoa there big guy did you not just finish telling us about how predatory these guys were and probably still are..? And you want to go alone!?" Robin scowled.

"I do not want them to target you..this debt is my responsibility Robin, your unannounced presence will merely draw their intrigue, which could be dangerous.."

"Robin's right, you literally just said your peo- err network deemed business with them way too risky, it would be foolish to go alone, what would they even demand from you?" Ryley asked curiously to his surprise the architect hesitates.

"I..am not certain but I have suspicions.."

"They'd want to take one of us wouldn't they...?" Robin asked detachedly as she gazed down at one of the small speckled spruce bushes.

"Yes...I assume they would if I fail appease them with something else, which is why it would be best if they did not have their sights set on either of you.."

"Al-an..."

"That won't be happening, I don't get it! what is even the point of taking living creatures..?"

"Significant value is seen as a currency, it matters little what it is just how important it is to you.."

"Robin must be really important to you.."

"..Robin is." Al-an agreed almost stiffly.

"Guys, we need to figure out what we're going to do.." Robin snapped quickly steering their focus back onto the topic at hand.

"We need to all go together, even if they want to suck us dry, Alan here is technically still their ally, hopefully we can figure something out, and if not...well you said they're not much of fighters right..?" Ryley suggested, perhaps they could just brute force the whole thing, take what they needed and flee..

"What sway does their combat prowess have in this situation..?" The architect asked, tilting its head.

"Ryley..What are you suggesting...?" Robin asked her eyebrow arching, as if she was catching on to what he was implying but needed confirmation just to be certain.

"We fight them and take what we need..?" Ryley suggested, with a shrug.

"They are not fighters in nature, but that does not mean they are not capable of self defense in overwhelming force.." Al-an pointed out cynically.

"Then we be sneaky about it, someone keeps them distracted while we make off with the goods" Ryley tried but the architect shook his head slowly.

"You would not make it far, nor would you appreciate their punishments for theft.." Robin's companion intoned, something about its warning made a shiver crawl up its back.

"Ugh, we need to think of something.." Ryley sighed as he ran a hand through his hair to help vent out his stress.

"...Why don't we offer them a flask of the cure, if they travel as rampant as you said they do i'm certain at least a few of their kind encountered the bacterium.." Robin suggested carefully, Ryley could see her brain working a mile a minute building on her idea and weighing its cons of failure.

"We would not have enough serum on hand to support such a large trade Robin, nor am I certain of their willingness to accept such a bargain..." Al-an began but Robin quickly elaborated on what she meant.

"It won't be large. Because we'd only offer them one.." Robin explains cooly, this revelation had the architect slow to a stop plants forgotten as he tilted his head curiously at the shorter women.

"Robin..? I don't understand..."

"If they are suffering from the bacterium any reprieve would be priceless, there is no point collecting anything if your dead and your buddies are just going to pillage your grave, so we offer them only one, even if they want something or someone else, no one in their right mind would pass up a death cure that would be priceless.." Robin pointed out coldly.

"We would be preying on their potential suffering.." Al-an stated grimly..

"As they would be preying on our misfortune, trust me, I don't like the idea either, but it might be our only shot.."

"I mean it sounds like the safest option here, I think it's a good idea compared to going in alone and praying for the best outcome.." Ryley agreed, it wasn't fair, but honestly if what Al-an said was true the tables wouldn't be even anyway..

"But..."

"Look, I know your network would never do this kind of slimy thing, and frankly we wouldn't either, but we kind of have our backs against the wall here Big guy, we need those resources.."

"Yes, I understand.. it is simply the idea of leaving them to their fate is... Somewhat discerning to me..despite our differences.." Ryley found his eyes narrowing at the architect's words..it sounded like empathy but was the race that ravaged planet 4546B capable of experiencing such an emotion..?

"Don't worry Al-an, if the bacterium is there we'll purify it, the Elisskat and Marighettis just like every other planet.." Robin assured her alien companion softly.

"Oh I see..this is relieving..." Al-an admitted quietly, Ryley noticed he the architect had taken to fiddling with its claws subconsciously.

"So now that we're all on the same page, I'll reiterate the plan, we go in.. all of us, offer them one single vial get the resources and load up, while where there if the bacterium is present we can release a vaccine probe like we did on adelphi..is there like a main water source..?" The researcher pondered as she deliberated their course of action.

"Marighettis 047 is a very dry planet, many creatures have little need for H2O or produce the substance naturally, otherwise rare water pockets can be found several meters beneath the planet's crust, that said i don't think water will serve as a viable medium, perhaps we can convert the antigen into an airborne substance and release it into the planet's atmosphere if needed." Al-an suggested instead.

"We can do that..?" Ryley asked uncertainty, she wasn't really versed with their technology but if the alien suggested it it was likely so..

"Potentially, I'm certain it is plausible, however we'd need to monitor the planet for a day or two to ensure the vaccine survives long enough to pumiate the planet's atmosphere and its inhabitants." Al-an explained softly, this is probably the most freely the alien has spoken to him, and probably him to it..

It felt so odd to finally talk to the creature he had only learned about through his PDA, it turns out it was indeed capable of emotions as it became quite expressive during its retelling of past events, and even actively engaged him and Robin unbiasedly..

Even more unsettling the more Ryley witnessed the creature speaking so freely the more it started to seem like an intelligent individual with a conscious.. opposed to just some creepy bilingual alien sharing the ship with him..

"Doesn't hurt to try!" Robin agreed, her voice sounding more optimistic by the minute, Ryley hadn't noticed when she had arisen, but the researcher had taken to pacing at some point, venting her unrest through constant movement whilst she wrung her hands.

"Yeah.. I dont think we'd want to be within arm's reach when they realize we pretty much conned them anyways..." Ryley grimaced dryly, they may very well destroy an ancient alliance between two species eons older than humans, but it was their only logical option..

This would prove to be interesting..

"Yeah.. I doubt they would take too kindly to that..but hey if it works they'd have agreed to the deal themselves!" Robin huffed unsympathetically.

"They won't be pleased, but we have little options.." Al-an accepted seemingly unphased by the risk of becoming the catalyst to potentially deteriorate the fickle alliance.

Which was reasonable, to what end would an extinct race benefit from such a thing anyways?

ROBIN:

Hours after their little meeting, the three managed to carefully finalize their plans and set course for the planet.

Al-an had reluctantly admitted he still needed another night or so to recoup energy before they could return to normal pace, which left them a few days of free time.

Still the party found themselves lingering within the botanical observatory, with important matters out of the way the crew was left but to idle at their own discretion, an odd yet peaceful silence settled over the room.

"So.. this is where you store all the plant life we collect?" Robin asked, scooting out of the way as Al-an shifted away from a shelf overtaken in creeping alien plant life, however the architect slows to a stop behind her anyways.

"Yes, this observatory houses more than four hundred thirty-six different plant species that would otherwise be extinct.." Al-an trilled distractedly gesturing brifely to the various tanks before stepping closure.

She felt the weight of Al-an's claws rest against her shoulders momentarily as the architect leaned down beside her head and spoke, his voice was a soft murmur but was also stained with an apologetic air to it.

"I apologize if I've been difficult about this situation Robin, I hope you understand my actions were not out of disregard for your decisions or emotions..I appreciate your willingness to guide us away from potentially reckless situations.."

There was a soft content rumbling within his vessel as he spoke, sweetly the architect brushed his face against her cheek as he squeezed her shoulder affectionately before releasing her to continue his dutiful pruning, his claws drag over the fabric of her shoulder with obvious reluctance.

Robin tries not to let her state of fluster reach her face as she watches her close friend drift away, shifting his attention back to the gorgeous flora surrounding them.

She wondered if her companion found gardening cathartic, he seldom came here, but when he did the architect would spend hours dutiously tending to the flora they had collected together...Ryley had said he had turned to gardening as well.

Maybe it was a guy thing..

She turned to ask the hermit what came of the plants the hermit had supposedly taken aboard with him, but found Ryley was gazing after Al-an, his eyes narrowed with something she couldn't quite decipher on his expressive face mostly due to the awkward man tearing his gaze away the moment her companion turned around..

Was it curiosity, maybe intrigue..?

Whatever it was Robin had little confusions about the provocation of the man's aversion to her alien companion, Ryley was still very weary of Al-an..

Whether his curiosity would turn out to be a good or bad thing Robin hadn't decided yet.

She really wished the two would make more of an effort to socialize or at least interact past necessity, which from what she witnessed was surprisingly productive, it would make their whole ship sharing situation a lot less...strained.

And while she realized that was far too idealic to be a realistic outcome, especially with what took place in their respective pasts, the two really did need an icebreaker of some sort, or Robin could expect her architect to continue leering at the poor man from afar, and Ryley acting like he was locked within a cage with a carnivorous but very picky horse!

Ugh this wasn't going to be easy..but Robin had to try..

Maybe the two could bond over gardening...? Both males seemed to enjoy it as a hobby even if her architect claimed his care for it was purely to progress science, it sounded like a good start if any.

"Hey, Ry where are those plants you brought along..? Maybe we should plant them here so they don't die." She asked noting the way the hermit stiffened at the suggestion.

"I have them in my room...I don't know if they'll fit in here...they aren't really-"

"They'll survive just fine, What species have you grown so far?"

"..I have some creepvines, eye stalks and writhing weeds in stasis, I...also managed to grow a voxle and beau!" Rylet announced almost proudly, It was cute to see the man brighten a little as he talked about his pursuits and achievements, no doubt he had a green thumb or at least took pride in knowing his way around plants.

"Well damn I'm impressed, I could hardly get a marble melon to sprout, Hear that Al-an we got a gardener! You should show him some of the plants we salvaged from your homeworld!"

"I believe your inability to rear a successful flourishing marble melon shrub belied in your unwillingness to expose the flora to the frigid temperatures in which it required for proper growth, not technically in your lack of skills Robin.."

"No, Marguerit said it sprouted in warm climates Al-an!"

"And has it..?" Al-an sniffed dryly.

"...No."

"Then Margurate's instructions were miscalculated in some way, you should try again in a colder controlled climate."

"Well, how do you think she got hers to grow? Damn thing was huge! Apparently I'm doing something wrong, I just don't know what.."

"Like you, I am not familiar with the methods in which your human acquaintance utilized but I'm certain intimidation was amongst them.."

"She wasn't that bad! She was a really nice lady, just a little rough around the edges!"

"She was an exceptionally terrifying creature.."

"I could try my hand at them if you still have any seeds left, I kind of like to have things to do, helps keep my mind busy.."

"Sure if you want... honestly that sounds like a great idea! I didn't want to waste anymore seeds so I didn't attempt it again after the fourth failed rearing, we have a bunch of them left you could try with!"

"Yeah sure I'll give it a try, see if i can get them sprouting."

"This is great. I'm sure you and Al-an can figure out what I did wrong the first time, wait here I'll go fetch some seeds for you two to plant."

"Wait-I..I would rather work al-"

"They're high maintenance, besides that you two need an icebreaker, you two may as well be wild cats sharing a litter box."

"I am not of your feline's caste."

"And precursors aren't antisocial either, your point is?"

"Look Robin..I'm not avoiding him, I... I just don't particularly trust him..not like you do..I don't trust any of those aliens not after what they did back on planet 4546B!" Ryley admitted coldly.

"Your crew and all others before them met an unfortunate fate by trespassing onto a intergalactically quarantined planet, our plans may have gone array for whatever reason but the deaths as a result of our precautions, and the your species ignorance have garnered, are not to be blamed solely upon my kind." Al-an deflected coldly.

"What the fuck does that mean? You created those monsters, they were hunting us! Like prey!"

"Our warpers were the last line of defense against ignorant lifeforms unknowingly spreading kharaa to vulnerable ecosystems and destroying uncontaminated, unprepared worlds in the event they escaped the exolone beam" Al-an explained pointedly.

"You call that defense? it was a damn culling, my crew members were slaughtered!"

"They were not hunting you, they were hunting khaara, your past crew mates were just in the way."

"The way of what?!"

"The precautionary measure, we ensured the reapers lacked empathy as we could not risk the chance of something escaping with the bacterium, they are even designed to cull our own if the right conditions are not met, there could not be any chance of bias leniency"

"Precautionary my ass, you maniacs brought the bacterium there! You poisoned that planet, then fucked off after you made a reckless mess of everything!" Ryley shot back..

Robin wanted to mediate but also recognised this would happen sooner or later..

"We do nothing recklessly, we desperately needed to find means of controlling the bacterium, Enzyme 42 was our only chance, in the absence of more appealing options, we were forced to weigh the odds."

"What odds?!" Ryley demanded his usually calm voice sounding strained and nearing hysteria.

Even if they did not come to an agreement, they were gaining an understanding of the other's reasoning, which was better then if they avoided each other...as hard as it was Robin did not mediate, she allowed the two to state their views and differences.

"The odds of the galaxy's survival, I'm certain you've experienced what small scale destruction the bacterium is capable of if left uncontested... Would you doom an entire galaxy for the sake of a singular dwarf planet?"

"I..I would find a way, there's no way in hell I'd have allowed that to happen, all those creatures to suffer."

"Then enlighten me Ryley, how would you achieve such a feat..?" The question was an unfair one even Robin knew this, but she also knew that as things were the cure they created came with many sacrifices..

"I'd...I would figure something out! Like I did before!" Ryley grunted, his eyes unfocusing as he wracked his mind for an answer, not to just the architect's cruel inquiry but one that would have rectified the whole situation, a answer Robin knew in truth Ryley would not find as countless had already died long before planet 4546B was even discovered..

This is what provoked such desperate measures to begin with..

"Your past success relied heavily upon the ruins left behind by precursor efforts and our sacrifices, your foundationless optimism in the face of such odds is truly distressing Ryley.." Al-an sniffs dismissively.

"You know what screw this, I'm sorry Robin, I don't think I can do this..." Ryley snapped before walking off, the fins hiding the gills along his neck flaring a deep maroon, Al-an followed his path with muted intrigue but did not move to stop the hermit from fleeing his presence.

Well... that went about as bad as the situation could have spiraled..at least Robin hoped.

"Robin, is it so common for members of your species to exhibit such foolish idealism..?" Al-an asked, it was obvious the architect was troubled, no doubt the argument that had taken place was still heavy within her companion's mind.

"It's not foolish Al, sometimes it's hard to see things from the otherside of the table, especially if your suffering at one side of it and all you see is the bad, Remember how anxious you were to tell me the truth about what happened, because you were afraid i would not understand and stop helping you?"

"I suppose but what does that have to do with your companion..?"

"Remember all the trust we built, along the way, you taught me about your specie's values and goals and what exactly you were trying to achieve, it helped me understand that there was no easy choice in the hand you guys were dealt, but Ryley is not privy to any of that, all he knows is the fractures left behind..maybe if you guys sat down and had a heart to heart, it would clear things up"

"Negative, it is common for your species to hold irrational grudges even if the recipient is only distantly responsible for your misfortune, I have deduced that while cohabitation is possible, we will not get along in the least.."

"You're being cynical again, he just needs to warm up to you, and you could try a little harder as well.."

"I do not wish to, he is merely a hindrance, I have little intentions of pursuing further relations with him."

"Al, your going to need to make friends other than me-"

"I need no one else but you Robin, my tolerance of Ryley is and will only ever be to gain your favor, while his plight is unfortunate i have little interests in the swaying of his understanding or judgment of our actions" while Al-an's words sounded cold yet there was a lingering sadness hiding within his words.

"You think he won't forgive you? He blames you guys because he doesn't understand. not fully, even then he likely won't stop holding you responsible because yeah you guys did make the call.."

"Does it matter..?"

"Yes! It does alot Al-an, you need to talk to him, let him talk and then you talk. Even if he's angry I'm certain he'll want to know why this all happened, his mind won't rest until he does, just like mine wouldn't until i knew what really happened to Sam...okay? Just try to make yourself more available, he's still hurting and it might take time but.. try to be optimistic."

"I know optimism to uphold those with the will to survive despite odds stacked against them, you have taught me this, but i also understand that no matter how we tried or expected to find a cure thousands, millions succumbed to the bacterium, our efforts were wasted Robin and in a sense Ryley is correct it was pointless, optimism had no sway in these events as I was more than confident our answer was there..."

"Al-an..we're still fighting, there were a few hiccups in the long run but we're still in the game.."

"I am aware..We will not fail again."Al-an agreed solemnly.

No, we won't..so are you gonna drag him back in here so you two can make up or should I?"

"...No." Al-an settled on stubbornly, obviously he was still salty...

"No..?"

"I have no interest in further interactions with your human companion."

"Ugh, fine I'll do it, just stop being so territorial, we need to get there without a bunch of cat fights in between, wait here." Robin sighed before she turned to leave, but Al-an soft voice called to her.

"Robin..?"

"Mm?"

"Thank you for your attempts at mediation Robin, as futile as I perceive it to be, your efforts are still very much appreciated..." Al-an breathed softly, she could feel his attention lingering on her, even as her companion moved gracefully about the garden.

"Yeah, anytime big guy. Just please… remember what I said..." Robin called over her shoulder, she did not turn around as that would reveal her rapidly flushing face to her architect, instead she hurried out to the hallway the smell of floral still clinging to her clothes as she set out to track down the hermit.

She found the hermit sitting cross legged on the floor within one of the storage rooms, shifting through his stored supplies.

"You know, if you don't plant those guys soon they'll wither..." Robin pointed out bending down to her knees beside the sulking man.

"Yeah..I know..." Ryley murmured despondently, she gave him a few moments to settle his thoughts, but when hermit remained stubbornly silent, she gave him a small nudge, reaching out a tentative hand to rest against his shoulder.

"Hiding in here isn't going to make your problems go away, some time or another you're going to have to leave here and face the issue.."

"I..i didn't mean to cause a scene with your friend back there, but that doesn't mean i didn't mean every word of what i said to it..."

"Heh... Yeah, I'm pretty sure Al-an knows that as well, but I'm not here to judge your resolve.."

"Then why are you here? Why are you even helping me Robin? Was there even a point..I mean it looks like you two have it all figured out..and it's glaringly apparent you don't need me.."

"We took you with us because you needed help, all of us did at some point, Ryley, and you know what? Not everyone had a hand reaching out to them, you may not stay long or be a super intelligent alien species but that doesn't mean you didn't deserve to be helped....."

"You should have just left me back on Adelphi..I don't think I can do this Robin.."

"You know, someone once told me my worth wasn't measured by my limitations just by how i made the best of them, i like to think that applies to everyone...yourself included Ryley, it may seem hard acclimating, learning to live with a species that hurt you.. but in reality nothing of worth is easy..."

"I'm sorry..everything is happening so fast...I..I shouldn't have lost my temper.."

"Hey look..It's not easy, but there's no need to act like it is, it'll take getting used to..when you're ready come out and join us within the garden and we'll get these bad boys planted before they wither...okay?" Robin pressed as she examined one of the plants waning leaves, they wouldn't last much longer if they were left in there..

"Yeah..Just let me gather these guys up.."

"Take your time..but if you're not back in there in ten, I'll come back and drag your ass out myself…" Robin encouraged before pushing up from her knees and making her way towards the door.

She wasn't a pro at pep talks by any means but it seemed as if she made some progress with the hermit...and while the small victory wasn't by any means the end of their issues..it was a start, so long as both Al-an and Ryley were willing to listen.

Perhaps Robin could somehow convince them the other wasn't their enemy eventually...

Robin's train of thought is derailed when Ryley's voice manifests close behind her, calling out with that uncertainty that was always tainting the poor man's voice.

"What's u-"

She hardly had time to turn around before she felt a cool hand land softly on her wrist, and within seconds she was pulled into a full on hug.

It was such an alien feeling, the press of fabric against her face as his strong arms held her close...

How long had it been since she experienced a hug from another human..?

Robin hadn't realized her body had instinctively stiffened until the poor hermit pulled away only to start apologizing profusely.

"Wow, I-I didn't mean to do that, I'm so sorry Robin, I understand if that made you unco-"

"Ryley..Ryley it's fine really, Im..just not used to hugs.. please warn me next time.." She assured the panicking hermit who had taken a good amount of steps away from her person once he released her, no doubt ashamed by his actions.

Still it was the truth the hug wasn't bad..just different and while she wasn't really a touchy feely person by any standards Sam had taught her it was okay to spare a hug or two to a crewmate in need..

"Well... you know where to find me if you need me.

"Oh...okay.." Ryley mumbles pitifully as Robin flees the fretting man's presence.

RYLEY:

Minutes drifted by as he sat brooding over his small stash of memorabilias, dead leaves of his dying plants scattered over all of his past belongings.

Mr squiddles's egg ley nestled safely within its mini cryo pod, awaiting hatching conditions, he felt bad keeping Sean Paul in there for so long but Ryley had learned a hard lesson, he would not be hatching the poor cuddlefish until he was certain he found a safe, ideal environment for his little friend to grow up in...

He glanced back at the doors, Robin had assured him he was still welcome to take his plants to their garden..but he wasn't particularly keen on being around her companion..

Ugh..why did he hug her like that

She was nice about it, but he was certain he overstepped the poor girl's boundaries..or at least made her uncomfortable..

His crew onces commented that he was too impulsive, he never believed them.. but now it's starting to make more sense..

He missed his crew, his life..god he hated this so much...even though he knew he was essentially getting a second chance whereas the other didn't..He still felt so trapped..

But Robin was right, he needed to man up and face the elephant in the room..yet Ryley had in a way said his piece but it wasn't satisfactory..it didn't feel like the closure he longed for so long on planet 4546B..

Slowly he placed Sean paul back into his personal storage bin alongside a dozen or so pilfered metallic teeth and a half broken flashlight he took with him, all symbols of his struggles...

The plants..he needed to take them to the botanical observatory or they would die..

When the door opened and he stumbled in with his burden the first thing Ryley noticed was Robin perched on an empty metal table watching the architect bury some bright yellow cubes into an artificial flower bed embedded within some kind of alien technology.

They were in the midst speaking that strange language again..he needed to ask Robin about it..

Robin perked up upon noticing his arrival, a warm smile gracing her full lips as she gestured to him, beckoning him over, the architect's gaze followed her but didn't seem to care other than giving him a brisk once over.

"Hey, we prepared a spare flower bed for you! Here bring them over here, Al-an could you get me that hose from up there..?"

"Of course.." The alien hummed softly, reaching up to clasp a long translucent tube, its flexible tubing was pocked with tiny holes and leaking turquoise liquid..

"What's that for..?" Ryley asked curiously.

"Set those guys down, it's botanical decontamination serum, we can't allow bacteria, pollen or the other microscopic organisms these guys could potentially be carrying into the garden-"

"Botanical observatory..." Al-an corrected quietly behind her, but Robin just swats amusedly at her alien companion.

"Garden, so we're going to hose 'em down for a few minutes, kill any unwanted bacteria and fungi then you can transfer them to the plant beds we set up, Got it?"

"That sounds great...Thanks.." He watched as Robin attempted to turn on the hose, yet found some difficulties, carefully twisting the odd rings around its hose had successfully increased the water levels but it simply would not come out of the main mouth instead it trickled from the sides.

Ryley was going to offer his help but the alien beat him to it, stepping up behind her to reach over the shorter woman's shoulder whilst his other claw rested against her.

"It often congeals, in this event simply remove it's head to release the blockage, this should rectify the issue"

The architect did not move to fix the issue itself, but instead it chose to simply point out directions as it watched Robin pry the head nozzle off..

"Eww look at that..it looks like llama vomit, you know some people drink that stuff...so is it edi-" Robin sniffed wrinkling her nose.

"Please do not attempt to consume this substance Robin, its decontamination probabilities render it highly caustic to a human's internal organs... "

"Fine! jeez! i wasn't even going to try, I just wanted to know for...science, anyways let's try this again.." Robin huffed triumphantly as she placed the head back and it sputtered to life within her hand.

The architect praised her but it's exact words were spoken far too soft for Ryley to hear, it was obvious his words were for the researcher and her alone..and yet it still lingered at her back, silently observing as they cleaned the native soil off his plants, its claws still resting against her shoulders, and to his surprise Robin didn't seem to mind it's invasive presence one bit, she hadn't even stiffened when it touched her unannounced..

The architect- Alan had admitted he held Robin in high regard, perhaps it's clingy behavior is naturally like this..

Still...

That didn't mean seeing Robin in such a state of ease with the alien didn't give rise to an emotion that was as confusing as it was uncomfortable to the engineer…

"So..do you want us to clear out so you can focus or..?" Robin asked as she scanned a exotic looking shrubs.

There was little left to do after Ryley's plants were settled and stored within their own areas on the shelves in which he could visit them if he so desired, they were mostly just sitting about now..

Ryley had expected the architect to agree and send them out as it worked, but instead the alien made a soft thrumming noise, the dim lights along its dark body flaring evergreen, it wasn't an unpleasant sound much to Ryley surprise, it sounded almost pleased or..friendly, at least when it's attention was directed towards Robin..

"Oh, No Robin, that will not be necessary, please stay and enjoy our success, the green house is not restricted to my presence alone, it is simply secured due to its fragile environmental requirements, the botanical observatory like the ship's common areas is freespace, do come to view or study the plant life as you please."

"I wanted to check it out a while back but just the sight of those tablets pissed me off and then..well i forgot."

"It provides an ideal space for deep thought and meditation, the encryption simply stands as a means of ensuring its stability.."

"Is that what you do here when you go to your man cave for hours?"

"No, most of the time i allocate to the botanical observatory is simply tending to the flora, they must be maintained with utmost care, to ensure that they succeed their expectancy and no unintended fungi or disease takes root...and i believe you are mistaken this observatory does not belong to any males of your species nor is it a cave, it is a botani-"

"It was a figure of speech Al, sometimes I forget most of your nuance is learned from me..."

"Oh, I see..however I still..cannot decipher the relevant connection between a cave and the botanical observatory, in what context is man relevant among these subjects philosophically speaking?" Al-an inquired with a curious tilt of his horns.

"The only connection is that guys like you, like man caves..or gardens in your case. stop over thinking it big guy.." Robin huffed amusedly

"..But I do not like caves in the least, I prefer temples.. They are much more convenient for learning.."

"So you're a bookworm?" Robin poked mirthfully

"My most recent records show no viable data indicating my species has any known relations to invertebrates…" The architect sighed dryly.

"Shhh I'm teaching you about nuance Al-an, let me enlighten you with my wise human logic.."

"No, in truth you Robin are a subpar teacher as many of the skills I've observed from you are self destructive.. however i still glean vital information from you once in a blue moon but I assess all data learned from you warily.."

"Wow, use some of that vital information and learn some manners!" Robin scowled.

"We value honest clarity over fragile self esteems, I trust you've come to understand and accept this."

"Yeah yeah, insults over manners got it, Yal just rude that's all! anyways, real talk, it looks like you worked hard planting all this, it looks pretty great Big guy!..will we be growing anything from Adelphi..?"

"...We have minimal specimens.. After you were attacked your drones managed to recover most of the samples we had collected, but many of those specimen tubes were damaged and rendered potentially contaminated, most were unsalvageable..."

"Oh, right..Shit sorry about that..." Robin visibly deflates, and Ryley distinctly recalls her mentioning the attack that took place the day before he found her collapsed in a swarm of drones..

"There is no need for apologies Robin, what happened was unpredictable an unfortunate event, We are fortunate our losses were of lesser significance"

"We're only lucky you decided to send our drones foraging behind us! Which was on a whim Al-an..we would have been screwed..ugh let's talk about something else..i hate thinking about it..."

"I believe this would be for the best, the topic at hand is inciting a stress response within you Robin, here smell this.. I suspect this might please you."

"You're not trying to test if we find these things stinky by human standards are you..?" Robin asked suspiciously, eyeing her companion, who in turn simply made a deep amused purring noise but visibly shook his head.

Despite their earlier argument the architect's mood seemed to have improved even if it hadn't actually acknowledged him since his return..

He watched as the architect casually plucked a withering bud from a shrub, they studied for a moment before twisting around to pass the delicate specimen off to Robin, who gave it careful sniff before passing it along to the hermit himself.

The fleeting action as seemingly thoughtless as it was on his new acquaintance's part... left him feeling odd and Ryley really didn't understand why..

"Smells kind of similar to a polianthes tuberosa just, hmm.. A bit more fruity." Robin pointed out, wrinkling her nose as if she found the fragrant scent unappealing.

The bud itself was slowly withering yet still held a strong floral aroma, its velvety nub of a bud left traces of goldish residue on his fingers when he rubbed them along its silky smooth malformed surface.

"Is it sick..?" Ryley pondered as he carefully set the discarded bud aside, he wondered why it was struggling whilst the others flourished.

"No, just an unnecessary outlier, it has no place amongst the flourishing buds and would eventually grow to hinder the shrub's progress, it is best to prune it as soon as possible to ensure the best possible outcome…'' While Robin's alien companion spoke calmly, the silent pointed intensity of its voice implied the alien wasn't just referring to the bud Robin had given him to examine moments prior.

It didn't even flinch when as Ryley glared back in silent defiance at the jab the catty asshole had thrown his way, if there was something he loathed it was passive aggression!

if the light bulb wanted to say something the glowy bastard should have just spat it out to face...

Apparently it was indeed still peeved about his less than amancible words earlier..

Unfortunately the luminescent shrimp is spared his scathing retort when Robin challenges the jab herself.

"Even the underdog has a place in society Al-an, pruning every 'outlier' will simply ensure there is no unique traits or evolutionary jumps within an already linear pool, I thought you said that's why humans were so intriguing, or were you just pulling my leg when you said all that..?" Robin stared up at the architect from beside Ryley, her gaze like steel.

Al-an was silent for a moment, his claw flexing as he contemplated the researcher's comment, the lights along his sides and neck flared a sour yellow, then dulled into a soft white as he finally turned away.

Ryley couldn't stop his eyes from tracking the mesmerizing display, colors rippled across its body almost consistently, but often stabilized into deliberate hues and culminating patterns, it was like a secondary language he was unprivy to.. Franky it was still hard to even begin to comprehend that humanity had actually found a living alien...but that alien was his unwilling ship mate .

"In some circumstances spontaneous characteristics are quite welcome.." Al-an allowed finally, it seemed he could think of no further rebuttal or simply did not wish to argue with the researcher.

"In that case stop being fickle and also drop that sass I'm not deaf, Ryley isn't going anywhere and you two are going to start treating each other like shipmates.."

Robin said pointedly, glaring at both him and the architect who in turn ignored her comment and continued to tend to the shrubs.

"Well, I don't really plan on staying too long anyways..." Ryley tried, honestly he wasn't sure where he would go, but he definitely didn't want to be anyone's burden..

"Your going to have to, at least until we figure out what's going on with your body Ryley, after that sure your free to go, but i was kind of hoping you wouldn't just ran off blindly the first chance you got, space is pretty dangerous and your kind of worth a lot dead or alive.."

"But probably not as much as your glowing friend over there..."

"Robin is right, to release you from captivity without knowledge of what you're carrying or the origins of your adaptations would be irresponsible" The architect agreed giving the hermit a once over, it was odd he could feel the alien's gaze rest on him, like static creeping over his skin.

"I'm not some kind of specimen!" The hermit scowled, yet the architect seemed unmoved by his ire.

"The protein in your blood is, rest assured you will be free once we've confirmed it's safety..." her companion replied stoically, the alien spoke as if it was already decided..

"And what if it's not safe..?" Ryley asked with uncertainty.

"I am uncertain at this time."

Al-an looked to Robin before turning to leave the room, Ryley looked to her as well, searching her face for any tell tale sign that might give him a clue, Robin in turn seems momentarily paused in consideration.

When Robin finally spoke it was with a heavy sigh. "I'm not really sure what we'll do yet either, Ry, but it sure will cut out the odds of you settling down in some illusive human settlements..
We might be able to cure you but I won't get my hopes up just yet.." She gave him a sad smile .

"I wouldn't..not with my luck" Ryley grimached sardonically.

"Don't worry we'll think of something eventually, in the meantime whatever happens we'll help you, Al-an may be prickly but he'll do his best to make sure you get cured. Now come on, let's hurry before Al-an gets his claws on my pda and gets too sidetracked.." Robin suggested lightly, and for the first time Ryley noticed that the architect had indeed pilfered her PDA off the glass case on its way out of the room.

"Yeah, okay.." Ryley muttered, he didn't feel bad for starting an argument with the architect, nor did he have much faith that the alien had his best intentions in mind but Robin..

He wanted to believe her, she seemed genuinely interested in helping them both, no doubt she wanted them to get along..

"You know..i think you should talk to him...about what happened on 4546B..its..its a lot more complicated than what you might think, it might help you come to terms with the tragedy that happened.." Robin suggested, her pink streaked eyes glancing up at him as he fell in step with her, he was still curious about the streak cutting through her bright chestnut eyes what exactly it meant.

"Robin..I don't know.." He tried to deflect feeling uncomfortable but Robin pushed on despite his reluctance.

"I know it'll be hard, trust me he can be difficult himself, I won't force you but i..i really think it will help, We'll be stuck together for a bit..it would be alot more l...well easier if we were all on the same page.." Robin admitted her eyebrows pinched with worry, a soft sigh escaped her chest as she placed her hand against the door's sensor.

Ryley nodded slowly, his throat felt tight with unsaid words..in truth he knew there was more, but he was still angry, the events that destroyed his life still haunted him today, and he was unwilling to let that grudge go so easily...

It was irrational but damn it, that was the truth! Ryley wanted to believe ignorance was the better option but in reality that was simply his anger talking, anger that had taken root and festered over the years...it wasn't so easily shed.

Still...Ryley would try nevertheless for Robin's sake, she had tried to help him every step of the way, even rescued from the purgatory he had found himself trapped within.

She was the first human who had actually accepted him, mutations and all, if she made one seemingly harmless request he would at least try to please her...

He owed her at least to some degree despite her never requesting anything from him in return for their aid..

"Thank you.." Robin nodded, giving him a small smile.

It was a pretty sight, her face was often impassive and sharp, but when the woman smiled the facade fractured, revealing her to be an innocent and impish thing.

Surprisingly Ryley wanted to see the researcher smile more often...

Unfortunately their calm companionable silence was shattered when they entered the navigation wing only for their ears to be assaulted by an unknown women's voice faking a falsetto western accent, quickly joined by a deep male's flirty voice and a campy music roll.

Ryley's confusion only increased as Robin hesitated a breath before she physically bristled beside him, her eyes widening with recognition then dawning horror...

"God damn it Al-an, you didn't!"

Suddenly the shorter researcher dashed off towards the architect who was sitting neatly out of sight, huddled against the ship's glass, gazing down at her PDA's flickering screen with apt intrigue.

It was so enthralled with her PDA that it hardly took note of Robin's swift approach, it's only when the irate women made it within arms reach of the pilfered device did the alien flare a deep green hue before the creature gracefully stood and danced away from the angry researcher, holding the stolen device out of the poor women's reach as it continued to watch the screen.

Ryley was about to ask what the hell was taking place only for the question to die in his open mouth as the distinct sound of exaggerated moans of pleasure filled the once tranquil room.

After this point everything escalated very very fast!

Robin literally launches herself at the poor alien, somehow managing to scale him despite his attempts to multitask between watching the screen, keeping the PDA out of the angry resercher's reach and trying to dislodge her.

It wasn't long until she reached it.

All the while Ryley watched the chaos unfolding before him in stunned silence..

"Robin! you shouldn't be ashamed of your preference in intim-! Ah..Robin is this really necessary..?" The alien hissed as Robin literally climbed his outreached arm and pried the PDA from his claws.

"YES!" Robin yelled, as the architect attempted to snatch back the device as she hit the power button on its side, finally cutting off the sound of the campy porno.

"Your species is as insecure as it is impulsive, you should not be so distressed about your natural-" Al-an huffed testily.

"Oh cry about it! No grubby claws in my personal files! I told you that before and you even agreed! YOU AGREED AL-AN!" Robin accused the alien, who didn't seem the slightest bit upset by her ire.

"I have, as you've agreed to a lot of things Robin... many of which abandoned subjects have yet to be acknowledged. However I still seek to explore them whether you are a willing accomplice or not.." The alien sniffed almost petulantly as he again attempted to reclaim the PDA from Robin, it was very apparent the two momentarily forgot about Ryley's presence as they devolved into bickering.

The tone the architect took to was dry but also heavy with something Ryley didn't understand, he did however sense a passive accusation from the alien but didn't really understand what he meant...was Robin in its debt somehow? What did that have to do with...what it had on her PDA..?

"Ughh god! Why are you still harping on that!? I said I would, and I will damn it! Just not any time soon you impatient mule!" Robin screeched flusteredly yet Al-an simply snorted at her distress.

"I am still very curious.." Al-an explained.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?! Robin what is he talking about?" Ryley asked, trying to get a grasp of the situation but neither party was being very helpful..

"You know what! No!" Robin said with an air of finality.

"No..?" Al-an asked, tilting his head.

"No?.. No, what?" Ryley's parratoed confusedly.

"We are not doing this right now! I'm going and taking a shower, and You! you two are going to get along or shut up and cohabitate until i get out!"

"Can I acco-" the architect began shamelessly but Robin shut him down just as quickly..

"No!"

Ryley didn't know what to say..still he could still hear Robin ranting within the wash room long after she slammed the door, he wanted to ask what that was about but didn't want to risk the woman's wrath.. Meanwhile the architect silently sat down in his normal place beside the navigational interface to stare out at space broodingly.

What..in the nine rings of sol just happened...more importantly what the hell had the poor hermit gotten himself into...?

Chapter Text

ROBIN:

Early dawn greets the crew with no sun, their ship coasting far astray from Sol's familiar light, but mid voyage insomnia plagues the researcher nonetheless.

Initially she woke late night to find the ship's other two occupants in their respective states of rest, her architect resting within his docile state beside the navigation interface, and Ryley having retired to his chambers hours ago.

It wasn't lonely roaming the ship alone, still the drones scuttered dutiously through the walls, looking for mischief no doubt.

She could subtly hear the hermit snoring softly even through the respite chamber doors much to Robin's amusement, the ship around her pulsed with her architect's energy, unyielding and resolute ferrying them through a gravitational stream.

They had drifted far throughout the night, their surroundings odd and almost desolate, unfamiliar to the path the Trans Gov commonly navigated, it looked as if they were teetering near the outer ridges of Sol, far from the sun's reach..

She could just make out a large dull bronze planet in the distance, it looked almost twice the size of earth's moon, pocked with odd black patches, this far Robin couldn't properly identify what it was.

It wouldn't matter though, because
This planet was exactly where they were headed, the planet Marighettis 047..

She tried to act optimistic, she knew in a way her resolve reinforced her architect's even if he never stated it explicitly, But in truth.. Robin was really worried, the likelihood these collectors would demand irreplaceable requests from them was high..

Potentially dangerous requests, vaccine or not..."

Robin tried not to think about the nightmares that shook her from her sleep, accidents like what happened on Adelphi couldn't be allowed to happen again..

Fortunately the researcher was quickly torn from her dark thoughts.

"Robin? It is very early...was your sleep not optimal?"

The sound of movement tears her mind from its downward spiral, she glances up from her coffee to see Al-an standing in the room, curiously gazing down at her.

"It was fine, just couldn't sleep, don't worry about it" While internally she's appreciative of his presence, she still recalls too freshly the bullshit her companion put her through a day ago.

"...Are you upset with me Robin..?"

Al-an inquired carefully from behind her, his worried voice speaking up meekly just as the thick silence clogging the room became nothing short of suffocating.

"I don't know Al-an, what would give you such an impression, hm..?" Robin scoffed.

She didn't have to look at her architect to know he had started to fidget his claws together anxiously while he silently contemplated her less than pleased words.

At least he had the tact to seem at least a little shameful for what he did. Robin inwardly scowled at the mortifying memory, it was apparent she was still very much pissed about his antics the day prior and both of them were well aware of this.

That said, Her architect was either trying his luck and hoping she had gotten over it, or seeking an angel to gain her favor again..

"You haven't spoken to me since.." Al-an pointed out softly, the silent angst buried within his apathetic voice was enough to coax an angel from heaven...too bad that wasn't enough to sway a very salty Robin Ayou..

"Then that answers your question now doesn't it?" Robin challenged, if it was forgiveness the smarmy flashlight of a dick was looking for, it wasn't going to be so easily obtained.

"I see...would you prefer I approach you with an apology in hand Robin..?" Al-an inquired softly, plucking up Robin's full coffee mug from the table in front of her to study it curiously for a moment before carefully surrendering it back to her.

"Apologies aren't a free pass to forgiveness, I trust you realize that ...right?" Robin asked, squinting up at her hovering companion.

"Of course, but I've learned from you that...it is an ideal position to start such ambitions." Al-an pointed out resolutely, flaring a hopeful sage.

"Hmph, sure i guess...that doesn't mean I'm forgiving you though." Robin relented stubbornly, if he wanted to be sweet and passive let him, she was very aware of the monster his impassive face hid..

"...You are upset, this is unfortunate..would physical co-" Al-an assessed worriedly, she hated how cute he looked when he fretted over nonsensical subjects...not that Robin's temper was nonsensical, she cut him off quickly, the more he spoke the more the little shit weaved his siren's spell.

Al-an was a particular type of stubborn, the type you wouldn't immediately suspect with his calm inquisitive demeanor, much like a mule the architect would never forget, nor let it die, not once he's established something as a subject of interest.

It was only a matter of time before something like the other day happened again..

"Nope, but you staying out of my personal video files would definitely be a good place to start, god I know your network shared a lot and privacy was virtually non existent but we human's don't work like that Al-an, we have endless reserves of insecurities and...well guilty pleasures."

"Insecurity? Are you insecure about your preferences in a mate, or your enjoyment of your species' explicit materials..? I Don't understand why such natural impulses garner such a distressing response amongst humans, it is only natural."

"No, I'm insecure about sharing materials i..its.. it's, well there are things we prefer to enjoy alone without other's opinions on it, much like what I said about people's naked bodies..."

"You should not be ashamed of your body Robin, it is a very impressive asset.." Her architect preened immediately, she tries not to let the conviction in his voice fluster her.

"I..thanks I guess..but that doesn't change what I meant...you know what? You're never going to let this go, not until your curiosity is sated, so fine! Let's do this right here, right now!"

Robin decided on a whim, she was done beating around the bush, he would never forget she promised to indulge his curiosity if only reluctantly.

"Do what right now..?" Al-an asked with a curious but intrigued trill.

"Ask me anything, I'll answer what I can, that's not saying I will answer all your questions in the event you get too nosey, but I'll try to help you understand human sexual preferences to the best of my abilities.

"Oh, is it finally an ideal time to answer my questions regarding your sexual preferences and behaviosms..?" Al-an asked gently, poking at her coffee mug again, his attention had circled back to her thermos again oddly enough.

"Yeah, I guess nows as good a time as any...D-did you want some of this..?" Robin asked uncertainty, Al-an was notoriously fickle when it came to food or anything concerning eating and honesty she offered assuming her companion would decline immediately but oddly enough the architect did not.

"What are the benefits of drinking this substance again Robin?"

"It's kind of a caffeinated drink people use to give them energy, but it's also become a huge part of pop culture and many of us have come to see it as a treat or means to socialize and pass time..sometimes we even use it in things like detoxes!"

"I see, may I drink this?" Her companion requested Tentatively, Robin's eyebrows rose in surprise before quickly nodding.

"Yeah, sure here, be careful it's still hot."

"Such temperatures do not bother me Robin, your warnings are however noted.." Her architect trills sweetly, carefully accepting the mug from her.

She watched curiously as her architect dipped a single claw into the hot drink, taking a moment to examine the substance between his clawed digits before bringing the mud up towards his face.

To Robin's amazement the liquid vanished despite the fact that her architect had no visible mouth she could see, he didn't stop to breathe or seemingly taste, instead the architect emptied the large mug within seconds before gently setting her mug down.

"How was it...?" Robin asked.

"Different, but not repulsive...when will I feel this energy enhancement..?"

"Mmm, I'm not entirely sure, your body being advanced the way it is could require a lot more, you might not feel anything at all with a single cup's dose.."

"Oh.. I see, should I consume more for such optimal results?"

"Let's see how that has you feeling within an hour's time, before trying for more big guy.."

"Vary well, How many sexual encounters have you partaken in Robin..?" Her architect asked, sharply steering the conversation back to the subject previously at hand.

"Wow okay, cut to the chase why dont you.." Robin huffed at how uncouth he could be at times but hardly blamed him, just because sex wasn't popular amongst his network didn't mean the rare subject wasn't an interesting one...even to aliens who put evolutionary progression and research at the forefront of their mind more often then not..

"I am simply following up on a long over due inquiry." Al-an deflected, tilting his head innocently down at her.

"Well, I think you're just too damn nos-Ah! Al-an!" Robin squeaked, scrambling to brace herself against said alien's shoulders as her architect suddenly picked her up, this close she could hear the soft purr emitting from his vessel as he carried her over to the terminal with him, Robin found herself deposited atop one of the stationary interfaces near by the navigational terminal.

"Warn me!" Robin complains half heartedly, as much as she actually liked her companion lifting her up, and the shameful thrill the coursed up her spine at how easily he had done it, she was still annoyed at him, stubbornly recalling that she was supposed to be peeved at her architect's actions the previous day.

But..the feeling of his claws digging into her thighs was a clarifying reminder of what he was capable of if left to indulge their own reckless impulses...

"My apologies" Al-an snorted unapologetically. "Please continue."

"Fine, but I'm not going to tell you how many times I've had sex, to keep such a tally would be...i don't know odd i guess but ive had three partners, all of which I've engaged in sexual relations with, does that saitiate your nosiness?"

"What led to such intimate arrangements..?"

"Most were close friends, the few I had, socialization was not a big to-do on my list back then... Mostly work, but there were a few people I knew and I don't really regret any of them.."

"Then, why are you not with them now..? I assume you were not seeking long term relations with these humans..?"

"..No, not always, sometimes we human's use things like sex and masturbation as means of blowing off steam, or even fun..we don't always pursue someone with the intent to...you know lay down roots and start families, that's usually reserved for people we fall in love with, sometimes it's just about feeling good..these were cases like that, I was close with them but not in love.."

"Did they find you undesirable as a mate..?"

"What? No! I mean most of them were not serious, it was more experimentation then anything, simply physical enjoyment with no strings, no emotions or all that messy jazz..at least not most of them.."

"..Did you perhaps seek something more than just intimate fulfillment with one of them..?" Al-an pressed carefully.

"...I mean once, I don't know..we were close and things got really confusing really fast, at one point i felt like I could see a future with her but..like most things It didn't work out.. Not like I thought it would at least..she just kind of drifted away.."

"Rest assured I will not drift away, my vessel's weight requires me to actively tread water to remain afloat.." Al-an pointed out quickly and Robin had to snort despite the old memories dredging up within her mind.

"Oh my god! Al-an shut up! You know I didn't mean it like that!" Robin laughed as her companion chittered sweetly pleased that his attempt at a joke was well received.

"In my opinion I believe they were foolish to overlook such an opportunity, while many breeding pairs are assigned to us, it is not often we willingly pick partners to engage in such activities, or form such intimate bonds..."

"Don't think it out to be more then it was Al, it was just sex, young and stupid nothing more, nothing less..."

"But it's obvious you sought more out of one of those instances Robin, with that failure you must have experienced a heavy sense of disappointment..." She appreciated that her companion mercifully danced around the obvious heartbreak of the situation while still acknowledging it subtly.

"Yeah I guess but it was a long time ago, and it doesn't really bother me anymore.."

"I still find it hard to believe they possessed such limited preferences..You're in possession of many attractive traits, many in my network would not overlook you so recklessly.." Al-an sniffed with what she could only compare to disgust.

"Haha, thanks big guy, enough about my failed forays into dating, last question!.."

"Mmm.. I guess that is fair.. I've noticed your kind only compulate for limited stints of time.."

"Yeah, we need breaks inbetween, stamina varies but...uh after we you know.. err orgasm we need a break before engaging in sex again, how long that break is depends wholly on the person, I guess." Robin tried to think of the situation as clinical as possible, but it still felt awkward as hell giving her close companion a run down on their sexual behavior..

Why did he want that kind of information anyways? Is this what it felt like when she blatantly asked if he was still in possession of his genitals?!

Karma is a bitter taste, Robin prefers coffee...

"Does prolonged stimulation become problematic or perhaps uncomfortable in some way?"

"Yes, over stimulating someone can be uncomfortable and or even painful, some people are into that kind of thing so I can't talk for everyone but generally that's how human bodies work."

"Peculiar..are you able to withstand overstimulation Robin? How long do you often engage in sexual inte-"

"Okay, too invasive Al! why don't you try having me ask you how long you can screw for!"

"I can withstand a constant pace of intimate stimulus for more than eight hours if it-"

"What!? That's terrifying! I couldn't phantom having sex anyone that long"

"Is it..?"

"I mean, by human's standards that's kind of really long, especially since I doubt you guys are big on foreplay... Haha."

"...it won't be an issue as my species is instinctively accommodating.."

"Relax big guy, no need to convince me.."

"There isn't..?"

"Nope, not after watching the way you consume porn, I would be a fool to not assume you guys capable of some sexual feats if you put your minds to it, I guess that's why nature saw fit to give you guys such a low sex drive.."

"Oh..? And what gave you the impression we posses low sex drives Robin..?"

Al-an questioned, there was a lilt to his apathetic that urged Robin to assume she had somehow amused the precursor.

" I...well I assumed since you mentioned sex was rare and all..was i wrong to assume that?" Robin explained confusedly.

"No, it is a fair assumption, however that is not entirely correct it will suffice for now.." He dismissed casually.

"For now..?"

"Yes..this insight was useful, I believe my curiosity is sated for the time being..however i would still like to more in depth studies of your mating rituals Robin..they are very insightful."

"No more outernet surfing for you, I'm sure you have at least five worms on my PDA by now!"

"I will simply conduct my studies when you fall asleep, it would be pointless to attempt to limit my exploration and research.." Her companion pointed out, as he turned away from the navigation interface and back over to her.

Idly she reached up towards her architect, the instinct to touch him was like a yearning flame under her fingertips, it felt like a lifetime since they basked in each other's mutual affection.

Al-an leisurely snared her hand before it reached his face, examining her much more fragile limb before slowly pressing it against his face affectionately.

It didn't take him long to lean into her space seeking to brush his face against her own, but Robin boldly caught the poor alien by the jaw, lifting his face up and away from her.

Watching the frustration of her rejection dance under her fingertips, tiny bloom in the manifestation of yellow rippling under her touch, brought an exasperated smirk to the researcher's face.

He was being sweet because he sought to smoosh her, but Robin wasn't deaf to the blatant warning signs of his future hubris, peace was only temporary.

"Yeah, well you just try to pull that crap you did the other night again here, buddy I dare you.."

"Please Robin..i miss your touch..." Her companion purred deeply against her hand, the blatant want coiling
in his voice made her stomach flip, but she held her resolve.

"Then promise to stay off my pda..at least my files."

"...."

" Al-an..."

"..."

" You're unbelievable! I hope you know that.."

"Yes...I have come to terms with this assessment." Her companion trilled snarkily, turning to press his face against her wrist, she knew instinctively he was listening to her fluttering pulse.

"I haven't had enough coffee to deal with you yet.."

"If you intend to concoct more coffee, may I have more as well..?" Al-an inquired, the mention of the drink instantly ensaring her companion's attention.

" How are you feeling after that first cup?"

"Fine...it has had little effect on my vessel.."

"Hm, I guess another wouldn't hurt.." Robin relented, unaware of how much she would regret the decision.

Al-an hesitated for a moment as if a thought just occurred to him, a thought that had the biolights along his body fading into a sour hue.

" Robin...are you only interested in females of your own species..?"

"No, Gender isn't really a big factor for me, as I've stated before things like compassion and g-"

" Ruggedness..?"

"What...?"

"That is what his mate called him in the reenactment, moments before they started engaging in particularly enthus-" Al-an began to recount with intrigue, but Robin quickly shut the poor architect down.

"AL-AN!"

"Robin is this what provoked you to engage in sexual encounters with your past acquaintances...? Am I considered Rug-"

"Oh my god! Shut up and come get your coffee!"

Al-an simply hissed cheekily, as he followed her to the coffee maker, she could have used the various fabricators around the ship, but found the simple pleasure of having a physical coffee maker helped make her time amidst space travel just a little more tolerable, not that the ship was hard to acclimate to..

Al-an was far beyond accommodating to her needs past his strict insistence to keep the temperature just below uncomfortably cool to stunt potential pathogen growth, but that didn't mean the researcher didn't miss basic necessities that only earth could provide, like the smell of fresh brewed coffee in the morning!

She felt Al-an studying her as she underwent the steps of preparation, changing the filter before adding a three generous scoops of fresh grains to the pot, certainly Ryley would appreciate some morning joe as well whenever the elusive hermit arose.

Robin hadn't even considered it would probably be a bad idea to teach her architect how to concoct a partially addictive drink he seemed to only associate with means of artificial energy...

She's not surprised when she feels his claws wrap around her chest as her architect stepped up beside her still seeking the validation she denied him moments before, however this time she allows him to take what he seeks, huffing with mock exasperation as he rests his head against her own..

His touch was as reassuring and sweet as the first time he had done it before they disembarked the ship on his planet, yet much of the tentative uncertainty has since waned.

"You'd think I'd been gone exploring for a week and left you behind.."

Robin huffed flustardly, reaching to rest her hands against her architect's neck, instantly he leaned further down into her touch, his interest shifting into pressing soft pseudo kisses against her jaw and neck.

One of his claws slowly reached up to grip at her side through her night shirt, Robin flinched away from the ticklish touch with a startled laugh but quickly relaxed back into his hold.

Already the memory of their time on the architect's home planet was fresh at the forefront of her brain, how her architect panicked when he thought she was dying, the moment would forever be a fond memory.

"Humans have such fragile bodies, it feels so...strange, sometimes I forget how easily I could break you if I'm not careful.." Al-an trilled softly, his claws fiddling with the hem of her night silken night shirt, one would suspect the unfamiliar material would have snared the alien's attention but Al-an's content gaze was fixed on her.

"We are only fragile by your specie's standards..on earth we humans actually q-quite sturdy.."

Robin pointed out her heart rate picking up as she felt the heat of his touch, it was practically smoldering against her cooler skin, his unforgiving claws brushing against her stomach as the architect curiously lifted her loose night shirt, taking a patient moment to study the soft fabric again before bunching it almost entirely upward to reveal her smooth ebony skin...

"Is that so..? We should consider testing your body's limitations then, perhaps you may prove me wrong..."
Her companion mused aloud, his voice dripping with condescension, part of Robin was certain he was well aware of the insincerity of his tone..

There was no logical reason his comment should have sounded so sexy when the douche was outright mocking her...

Yet any complaint her mind formulated died in her when her architect's claws creeped over her ribs possessively..

His touch was exhilarating, it was such a stark contrast to the subtle chill that hung so common in the air of the ship, Robin tried to resist the full body shudder that overtook her but quickly found it useless.

"Am I scaring you..?" Her architect breathed curiously against her throat, he didn't sound worried not truly, the familiar bleeding of voices splintering into countless languages within his speech was more likely do to the architect's lack of focus

Despite her better judgment, Robin felt herself instinctively pushing her quivering body back against her companion's eager claws, knowing full well nothing good would come from indulging this behavior...

Especially since it was quite obvious the architect was in a mood..

But that wasn't to say Robin wasn't also indulging herself..

What exactly had excited her companion was a mystery to Robin, but nevertheless she could tell he was more than eager to express his fickle spell of enthrallment, perhaps the coffee was indeed getting to the poor alien's system after all..

She could practically feel the deep growl thrumming through his vessel as he began slowly dragging his open claw up against her skin, entranced by the feeling of her soft pliable flesh.

Robin couldn't help but watch enthralled as streaks of pale welts raised under his claw's less than gentle caress against her smooth skin, she was almost too distracted to answer her companion's inquiry.

"Ah..No, no.. But.. I-I should probably check on the coffee before uhh.. it burns.." Robin evaded desperately trying to break free of her companion's spell, reluctantly pulling away from her architect's compromising touch to feign interest in the still brewing coffee machine atop the table nearby.

This was a bad idea, a really bad one, and while Robin's body was actively thirsting after the alien's attention, her mind distantly recognized that this probably.. shouldn't be allowed to happen..

"It is not yet complete.." Al-an hissed softly, Robin quickly finds her lackluster attempt to distract the architect only goaded her architect's interest.

The moment she pulled away, fleeing his grasp to pointlessly check the coffee pot, the architect huffed with dark amusement, before immediately closing the distance between them with little more than a step, a claw wrapped around her waist quickly dragging her back against his warm vessel, casually he begin to nuzzle her jaw affectionately.

"Al..we shouldn't-what about Ryl- ah.." Robin's words died in her mouth as she felt one of his claws sneakily find its way back under her silken night top, creeping up her chest only to graze appreciatively over the stiff curve of her nipple.

"Ryley isn't here to distract me Robin..please...humor me.." Al-an deflected shifting forwards herding her back with him, using his heavier weight to literally bully the smaller researcher into leaning back.

Robin found herself leaning back against the table beside a still brewing coffee maker, she could feel the looming alien's gaze raking over her with pointed interest.

She could feel her heart hammering around in her chest as she gazed up at the alien, in truth she was not afraid, but to say she wasn't apprehensive would be a flat out lie.

Al-an made an exceptionally intimidating spectacle, especially when the alien was leering down at her like he wanted to eat her alive..

As unfortunate as it was, her attempt to derail his attention failed, Robin wasn't complaining...not really, frankly the thought of her architect so thirsty for her acknowledgement, and touch made that fire in her groins begin to stutter to life.

He seemed content that she accepted his touch no matter how intimate it felt, his claws wandering over her body, ghosting down the smooth expanse of her abdominal and thigh, he seemed particularly fond of her breast and often gravitated back to the perky soft mounds with apt fascination.

She couldn't recall if their females possessed them or not but assumed the latter..

In a way it felt almost domestic...if that revolved around being pinned down and felt up by a seemingly horny alien that she kind of really wanted to screw...where was the domestic part of that..?

Oh right, nevermind she was simply reaching.

In all honesty her brain was going all kinds of ways, she felt like she was getting lost in the feeling of his claws as he casually left possessive welts across her body.

He was pressing affectionate kiss after kiss against her jaw, collar bone and chest, it all seemed overwhelmingly intimate but what was most terrifying was the fact that her body was quickly betraying her, so easily she could wrap her legs around him and urge him forward, steer his seeking touch downward to where she was craving him.

It felt like a game, his touch was sensually imploring, bold yet still passive, silently begging her to reciprocate his affections, but instinct alone told Robin that the moment she did there would be consequences.

Consequences her architect would not so easily allow her to cower away from as he so often had.

Yet pinned against the table with her companion looming over her, hunger tainting his eyeless leer, careful claws anxiously mapping her body, venting out his intent and desires against her vulnerable flesh, Robin realized she was fighting a doomed war.

That dark part of her mind wanted to let him have his way with her, she wanted to take him with the delightful smell of coffee flooding her senses and his pleased purr filling her ears.

She wondered what it would be like to see her companion helplessly aroused, part of her recognized Al-an wasn't half as innocent as one would assume, nor were his obvious passes now that the revelation was as translucent as day.

It was blazingly clear now that morning on adelphi..he had riled her up on purpose, then left her like that, seemingly just to do it, or perhaps make a point..

It almost wasn't fair, yet she also recognized that turning the tables on the architect was a very dangerous game, even if he deserved to be suffering just like she was!

It could be exactly what he wanted, as it seemed he'd been actively pursuing her since that hellish planet..or maybe even before then..

The memory of his desperate pleas filling her ears, she can't help but feel he was a little unhinged that night, desperate and reckless.

Damn it! her brain would take the idea of a horny and desperate Al-an and run miles with it come night..

God what a dangerous cliff they were teetering along, Robin could hardly remember why she should resist the architect's obvious advance to begin with...

That was the exact moment when the coffee maker decided to chime, its energetic digital annoucement once adored by Robin felt unwelcomed, and frankly annoying as hell, Especially since the sound immediately ensared her companion's attention and tore it away from her...

"Oh.. Robin the coffee is ready, and i believe your companion has just roused from his slumber..." Al-an announced almost disappointedly, a flare of sour yellow pulsating sluggishly over her architect's thick skin.

And just like that the spell shattered and her companion briskly pulled away, hesitating only to briefly butt his head against Robin's own, a bright teal igniting over his thorax before shifting his attention to the coffee maker expectantly.

"Al...y-you..you can't just pin people to surfaces and take what you want ...then..then leave them there shirt up and exposed to the little voyeurs.." Robin groaned, her fuming body disappointed at his sudden lack of appreciation.

Even still her complaint held its truth as all three consciouses were leering intently at her, the prickle of their invasive curiosity brought goose pimples up against her skin..

"They are simply curious and learning. It has been long they have slept. They will need a role model to teach them how to resocialize when they wake, especially with a species mostly foreign to them.."

"Ooohh no, they had better not try to do that.."

"You never complain when i touch you.." Her architect pointed out far too coyly for her liking.

"That's...that's different and you know it! They are always leering at me!" Robin huffed trying to chase the flush from her face.

"I would not rule out the possibility of your body intriguing them, they are foreign to us, our species has no need for many of the assets you possess, as most our young were once raised artificially, but you make them a intriguing asset..perhaps our species will fashion our future storage mediums with such a vision" Al-an mused casually as he gratefully accepted the new mug of coffee, Robin poured one for herself as well, but quickly found that was a mistake as Al-an immediately snagged both.

"Hey! Hold on there Al! That's my mug!" She snapped staring down the architect, who in turn gazed back, frozen like a deer caught in the headlights..

There was a moment of tense silence as her companion weighed his odds, his gaze slowly shifting from the coffee mugs in his clutch to the researcher gazing daggers at him and back again.

There was a subtle twitch in his claws, the nervous habit to fidget under her scrutiny. "Set my mug down...Now"

Robin commanded in hopes he would comply and surrender her tasty cup of joe but alas it wasn't meant to be, and she realized this the second her architect took a hesitant step back, his gaze shifting to the coffee..

"..."

"Al-an.."

"..."

"Al-an! Give me back my damn coffee!"

"..." Robin scowled as her companion turned away, assessing his surroundings as if she hadn't just spoken to him! It was obvious the architect indeed had heard her, the silly flashlight was practically yellow with shame!

"Going silent and pretending you're not there doesn't have the same effect when you're standing right in front of someone Al-an!" Robin just managed to bite out as the greedy asshole flash stepped out of the room somewhere!

"AL-AN! Get your glowing ass back here! Give me back my mug!"

RYLEY:

The lull of the ship keeps the engineer in bed for a good while longer than he intended, it had been a good long while since the hermit felt safe enough to sleep without an eye constantly open for threats..

Here his bed was sinfully soft and while the air was slightly chilly his thick sheets more than accommodated him, to think his life had taken such an unexpected but perhaps good turn was still hard to believe.

He half expects to blink and find himself surrounded by black waves, trapped within an empty despondent rescue rocket made base..

The smell of coffee tainted the morning air, the bitter brew was almost enough to coax him from his dozing..

Almost.

Maybe Robin made enough for both of them, did Alan drink coffee as well? Would he need it being a highly advanced extra terrestrial as he was..?

Robin seemed like an early riser, so far he hadn't caught the researcher sleeping in, the same for the architect.

But Ryley couldn't really tell if it was simply because the precursor wanted to stay close to the woman or that their sleep schedules simply aligned..

But he suspected the creature actively trailed after his new friend.

It didn't hesitate to confirm Robin's importance to it, it even actively showed what Ryley assumed was affection to the researcher, which was odd as most of what he saw on planet 4546B led him to believe they were more..cold.

He wondered what the alien really wanted from Robin..

Perhaps he'd see if he could learn more about the scientist from her, he wanted to talk with her anyways..hopefully he dosent do anything stupid to make the poor researcher uncomfortable this time..

A precursor drone scuttled across the floor, Ryley watched as it vanished under his bed with mild irritation, the freight had long worn off after the first twelve, the little shits came and went as they pleased..he couldn't help but assume they had a tunnel of some sort borrowed under there.

But to risk his nose to find out would not be wise, let them have they're underbed tunnels..

A curious hand flutters over his bandages, it would need to be changed again, Robin had mentioned so the previous night, he recalls intently watching her pensive face as she checked his already reforming fins.

He didn't like the way his mind always ended up fixating on the poor researcher..she was bound to think he was a creep at some point if he kept watching her so intently, he couldn't tear his eyes off her wherever she was nearby!

Pretty or not, most people don't like being stared at..right?

Ryley ran a frustrated hand through his faded hair, he would have likely thought himself into a miserable hole, but is spared from his inner ramblings and silent stresses by the sound of shattering glass..

The drones were seemingly curious as well, scuttling around his feet as he yanked off his warm covers and quickly stood up to investigate.

Maybe Robin dropped something, he hoped she hadn't cut herself, the drones fluttered about but never underfoot, something Ryley was eternally grateful for, in his rush he had little time to look down, the poor hermit didn't even stop to grab his shirt.

He wondered what happened there seemed to be a lot of commotion taking place out there, Ryley could hear Robin yelling, but while he couldn't decipher exactly what she was saying, he recognized she sounded very upset..

Perhaps she was having an argument with the architect..

Ryley felt his neck fins flare with uncertainty, the wave of worry put speed to his pace as quickly he opened the door, the whole place smelled like coffee, it didn't take him long to realize this was because there were loose coffee grains littering the whole place, it was as if someone dropped the can....

"What the fu-"

"Ryley! Duck! He can't control it! Duck!" Robin's alarmed voice screeches from down the hall, he just had time to see a glimpse of her worried face before the view was obscured by a very familiar mechanical limb hurtling towards him!

With Godspeed the hermit dropped, he felt the rogue limb fly past him seconds after.

Holy shit..

He was safe but only at the expense of his knee slamming against the doorway painfully, he dared glance back to see the arm tangled within his sheets twitching dangerously, it was glowing a furious red hue and immiting a odd low churning noise..

What the hell just happened..

"Ryley! Holy crap are you okay!?" Robin rushed in worriedly, physically deflating when she spotted the hermit unharmed, instantly twenty or so drones scuttled from under his bed to latch onto her legs.

He would have commented on the little fiends but his heart was racing far too fast to think straight.

"..Robin..? S-Should I be fearing for my life right now..?" The wide eyed hermit could only ask, to which Robin shook her head.

"No ...i'm Sorry this is my fault, I should never have let him try coffee.." Robin sighed as she stared out into the hall, where he could now see the architect flickering about so fast it was almost as if the alien was transporting..

"Coffee did that..? Ryley asked in disbelief as another rogue mechanical arm went hurtling into one of the storage rooms, the architect speeding after it.

Yeah, unfortunately I didn't see any harm in letting him try it..now i know better, we may be delayed a few hours until he works this out of his system..you sure you're okay?"
Robin asked stressedly, she looked exhausted and one hundred percent done with the day already.

She also looked a little flustered but Ryley immediately assumed it was due to chasing her companion around the shit.

"No, I'm good...you realize he may crash from the caffeine right..?" Ryley pointed out worriedly, Robin nodded a rueful smile on her face.

"It'll probably make him sick...he drank way too much of it, if he does crash he'll definitely feel like shit when he wakes up.." Carefully she began pushing the heavy limb from his bed, surprisingly the lithe looking appendage was far too heavy for a human to lift.

Thank god it didn't land on him, Ryley thought with relief, he was about to ask how her morning was before the whole caffeine hyped architect mess but his window of opportunity to socialize with the researcher is quickly diminished when Robin notices the architect quickly beelining for the navigational corridors.

"DAMN IT! AL-AN DONT YOU DARE TOUCH MY COFFEE MAKER! YOUR GOING TO MAKE YOURSELF SICK!" Robin screeched irately, and within seconds Ryley found himself alone in his room...

Well, not entirely alone.. there are still a dozen or so drones gazing up at him imploringly, and a large metal appendage abandoned in front of his bed..

"Well, things could be worse..."

The hermit mumbles to himself with a sigh, as he steps out into the coffee covered mess that was the once pristine hallway.

Chapter Text

RYLEY:

Life on the ship was definitely interesting for the hermit, it was only a week into their journey and yet, Ryley could see the stark contrast to the hollow solitude of his makeshift base beneath the waves of Adelphi, where as the hours bled together in suffocating monotony, here on this large alien ship, the presence of life refused to be ignored.

Even whilst the inhabitants often gave him adequate space to acclimate, there were always signs of their presence, the running of water, the sound of welcomed footsteps, even the drones nesting under his bed.

Sometimes Ryley would sleep and dream that this, the ship, the precursor and Robin...everything was merely a desperate pipe dream, conjured up by his weakening mind, desperately trying to stay afloat the waves of despair he was slowly sinking beneath.

But then he'd wake to the sound, a soft humming of energy and the smell of fresh coffee filling its pot.

He'd wake with cold terror in his skin, relief was sickening, and though Ryley awknowlaged that he technically wasn't out of the woods just yet, there was still hope, a chance that soon they could return to earth or at best a human settlement!

It may have taken a single researcher and an alien that technically was the cause for all his misfortune, but Ryley had come closer than he had in years..as reluctant as he was to admit it, the engineer was beginning to feel the fledgling buds hope take root within his chest.

Today seemed no different: the duo was inadvertently projecting their presence in the most obnoxious yet entertaining ways possible, and this time their reckless shenanigans had managed to rope the poor hermit into the fiasco.

"Never again!" Robin groaned, her voice tired and defeated as she flopped down beside the hermit to watch the architect flicker about like a damn uranium battery on steroids.

Ryley on the other hand had long realized reasoning with a hyperactive architect was beyond pointless, it was like the alien's attention span shrank from vast to miniscule, what little focus it did have left was wasted honing in on singular irrational worries, and contemplating seemingly nonsensical matters all the while.

Robin definitely had her hands full trying to dissuade the alien from attempting to purge the ship's water sources, tearing out ventilation shafts he suddenly feared weren't working efficiently enough, and anxiously pacing a hole through the ship's hull as paranoia consumed it alive.

It was true the architect was wired..

Its system flooded with caffeine, much to Ryley's suprise coffee seemed far more effective then he initially assumed it would be, yet the precursor still didn't seem able to make the mechanical limbs comply to his command.

"What's he saying..?" Ryley whispered to Robin curiously, his raising a brow at the foreign words the precursor was sighing to itself as it rampaged.

She had told him not to engage the alien until he was less stressed, but in reality stressed would be an understatement for what her paranoid companion was...

In the few hours Ryley had been awake the alien had fluctuated between rampantly hurtling the ship through space, anxiously flash stepping throughout the ship much to Robin's dismay, all the while attempting to make the mechanical limbs it dragged around comply with its command.

In his frustration the architect had taken to inhuman rambling as its agitation increased, pacing back and forth as it fiddled with the heavy mechanical arm as if it weighed little to nothing.

"I think he's just rambling, he's not really bothering to translate it, so i have just as much a guess as you do Ry." Robin admitted ruefully as she watched her companion run himself into what Ryley could only predict would be a complete meltdown.

"He translates what he's saying to you? I can hardly understand the guy on a day to day basis.." Ryley admitted, his irritation earned him a snort from the researcher.

"He's peckish with what he translates, but I thought you didn't really care about what he had to say anyways?" Robin asked amusedly.

"Well Yeah, but i still want to know when he's trash talking me" Ryley huffed, crossing his arms if only to hide the flaring fins on his arm.

It was true he recognized the architect was far more reserved with him than Robin. It made sense, as Ryley was a newcomer but he couldn't shake the feeling the architect didn't like the hermit all that much either..

"You don't need to worry about that Ry, if Al-an wants to trash talk you, he'll say it so you can understand that he's coming for you, for now..I think he's far too anxious to think on one singular subject long enough to conjure up a proper insult .." Robin heaved a tired sigh as she watched her companion.

"Yeah..he packed in a lot of coffee, was he that hungry..?"

"No, I don't think he was hungry at all and that is the issue..don't worry I'll ask him about it when he cools off, for now we've just got to wait til that actually happens."

Her words confused Ryley, he gazed across the room at the architect, it seemed that waiting was going to be the only reasonable thing they could do.

Robin had suggested it would probably be best to just give him space and just allow him to burn it out of his system, and they did so for an hour or two, but the crash occurred much quicker than the duo expected, the alien seemed to abruptly reach the fall of his high and rapidly began to waring down.

The ship around them slowed to a sluggish drift opposed to speeding through the gravitational tunnel they had been coasting through the day prior, the alien and the ship around him flickered before waning into a dim dark orange.

Al-an himself ended up half sprawled against one of the nearby terminals as exhaustion weighed in on the poor alien, the mesmerizing lights on his body faded into a dim and weary glow.

"Ah..damn, poor guy, didn't expect it to have such an intense effect on him..."

Robin murmured as she gave a sympathetic sigh for her exhausted friend, running her fingers through her long hair to vent out her frustration, slowly she rose and moved to go to its side, she didn't seem worried at all that it could lash out at her in its vulnerable state.

"Oh..Robin.."

He watched as the precursor's attention sluggishly shifted from seemingly staring aimlessly into nothing to focus on the researcher at his side, a single claw reaching out to gently touch her face, it seemed pleased by her presence despite looking utterly spent..

"How are you feeling, big guy?..any better?"

Robin spoke softly, her face half twisted with what he could only assume was a half amused scowl as the architect decidedly looked away from her, it's sulky shame was evident in the posture of it shoulders, it was obvious she was quietly scolding him for whatever trouble he had caused her before the hermit left his room.

Ryley was about to move off to give the two space, maybe get a shower when he heard Robin yelp in alarm as the architect suddenly grabbed, her pulling the poor researcher down to start nuzzling her face, the noise resonating from the alien was unnerving to say the least yet Robin hardly seemed to mind.

"No, don't be cute with me! I'm still pissed with you! look at the mess you made of the ship! There is no way that you can excuse this behavior Al-an! That was a whole pot of coffee! Mine and Ryley's shares!" Robin laughed exasperatedly attempting to push the alien out of her face, to which it simply hissed testily back at against the hands pressing face away.

"It was simply an exp-..." Al-an begin his voice quiet and heavy only to hesitate as the architect suddenly made an odd noise, a full body shudder coursing through it's frame, before it began violently retching, Robin just had time to jump back before the architect turned away and promptly regurgitated what looked to be a steaming pile of half digested coffee and grains.

"Oh god! Al..are you alright..? Wait, did you go for the canister as well?! Really Al-an?!" Robin squawked furiously, The architect in question simply issued a feeble pitiful moan before lowering his head to rest against the terminal again.

Wow. Okay...

It was obvious her companion wasn't feeling too hot, if Ryley hadn't outright loathed the creature he would probably have felt at least a little sympathetic for the guy..

Still...

Ryley didn't like seeing anything suffer, even if it was simply just a bad introduction to coffee, he sighed and glanced about.

Unsure of the best way to help with the situation, ryley decided to just wing it, quickly the hermit jogged back to the storage room he had investigated days prior, for a moment he searched through the many crates until he located one holding extra human bathing supplies grabbing one of the extra towels neatly folded atop mounds of others, then another as an afterthought Ryley rushed back to Robin's side.

Tapping her softly on the shoulder to alert her of his presence. "You take care of him, I'll try to clean this mess up."

Ryley ordered softly, casting one of the towels over her shoulder before quickly moving around the distressed architect to attempt to mop up the mess, but the moment he drew close the alien's attention snapped to him, flaring an aggressive shade of crimson.

The ragged growl that rose in the creature's chest was enough to make the engineer freeze in place, his fins flaring defensively, the architect was saying something, but its voice was a hectic cacophony of languages, Ryley couldn't understand the words it hissed at him.

But if it was a threat he didn't want to provoke the alien, he wasn't sure what he did to piss the architect off but Ryley definitely didn't want a round two of what happened on the ship the first day they met.

"Hey Ry, He's saying to leave it, it's too toxic for us to handle, it might make you sick, the drones will get it..he's not mad or anything."

Robin spoke up helpfully, she didn't seem too alarmed by the architect's testy behavior but obviously recognized the hermit's internalized panic.

"Oh...okay, I guess I'll start sweeping the grains up then, do you... need anything?" Ryley deflated with relief, yet his heart still hammered within his chest, he wanted to go hide somewhere dark where he could clear his head.

"Hey um...Do you think you could help me lead him into the wash room? He's a little out of it, I'm pretty sure he can make it on his own..but just in case.." Robin requested uncertainty looking up from the now dozing architect, Ryley could see the researcher's hesitancy while asking the favor, did she assume he would decline to help her?

The thought soured his stomach.

Did he want to? Of course not, as creepy as that thing was, he wasn't about to hesitate to help Robin, not after everything she's done for him...

Plus he liked her..she was very nice and understanding of his position and even blunders, he wasn't going to step on that the first time she turned her eyes to him for help...even if it was with her assholish alien companion.

"Umm.. Yeah sure I can help, can he walk..?"

Ryley asked curiously stepping a inch of two closer to peer down at the seemingly dozing precursor, it was the closest he had been to the alien, at least without it getting agitated or just creepily
leering back at him.

"Yeah, I think he's just a bit drained, and probably still nauseous and trying to sleep it off, just get the door yeah?..." Robin sighed softly, giving a hefty pat to the architect's shoulder, an act which only earned her another miserable groan from her drowsy companion.

Quickly Ryley moved to press his hand against the washroom door's sensor, the warmth of the alien technology seeping into his much cooler palm was nothing like the cold desolate ruins he utilized on planet 4546B, seconds later the door complies to his wordless command, curling away to reveal a large dark emerald and obsidian spiraling room.

Carefully Ryley scooted inside to where the space opened up, making room as Robin stood, a sluggish Al-an reluctantly fumbling to his feet to begin the arduous journey of trailing behind her at a much slower pace.

Ryley stayed ahead, backing down onto the descending obsidian ridges, as Robin led her companion further into the room.

The sound of trickling water reaches the engineer's ears, an insistent sound echoed off of the dark reaching walls, a smell similar to that of wet stones and rain soaked soil fill the hermit's senses.

"Ah.." Ryley jolted as he stepped down and was met with a shock of cool dampness, glancing down Ryley spotted his foot submerged in almost a foot of water!

Just how deep was this pool..?

Around him streaks of lights engraved into the hard stone surfaces began waking from their slumber, fluttering dimly to a tuneless rhythm, each time flaring brighter than the last.

It was like a heart's waking pulse.

He takes another hesitant step back and the water rises to his shin as he sinks further, it looks to go deeper, and frankly he wants to test its limits but Ryley hesitates afraid he may contaminate the pool.

Still Ryley found himself in awe, Robin had given him a brisk tour, but the hermit never actually stepped into the wash room himself, too insecure of his marred body despite Robin's suggestion that he utilize what assets the ship has to offer.

It was beautiful, almost completely symmetrical oval, wide rows of obsidian ridges lining a spiraling room, water seeping down its streaked wall, like water trickling from a mountain.

He spotted several precursor drones lazily floating atop the water of the deeper end, coasting on its surface like giant fisher spiders. What they were doing he was uncertain, but they looked to be collecting water..

Slowly he turned his focus back to the duo he had accompanied into the room to begin with. He spotted Robin sitting beside the architect who seemed to have passed out against the stairs, the water nearly past her waist as she idled leaning back against the precursor's side, her PDA in hand.

"How is he..?"

"Him? I think he's fine, just sleeping off his nausea, I should have expected as much with how much he ingested...hey uh..thanks for the help this morning Ry.." Robin smiled, glancing up from the architect to grace him with a bright pleased gaze.

Oh..

In that moment he couldn't tear his gaze away,

It was like someone injected the poor hermit's brain with a shot of serotonin..

"I..It's no big deal, so don't sweat it, everyone needs a hand sometimes remember? I..I'm going to go get those grains up now.." The hermit babbled, loathing how foreign praise felt when it was directed at him.

He absconded before she could even reply, quickly wading out of the pool as fast as he could without tripping.

He turned back to see the researcher watching him curiously, unsure what else to do, he ended up raising webbed fingers to give her an awkward and stiff wave before quickly shutting the door behind him.

Why did he act like that?
God he must seem so weird..

Flustered and frustrated, the hermit grabs his towel and prepares to get to work only to pause.

The drones Ryley had spotted at the edge of the pool moments earlier were crawling all over the place, still damp and leaving tiny drops of teal water in their wake.

The hermit must have returned to the party late as it seemed the drones were in the process of wrapping up.

The evidence of that morning's hubris was non-existent, the ship's hull spotless and no sign of the precursor's bile or its transgressions against Robin's coffee maker...

Nothing.

The little monsters must have taken their job seriously..

Now..what..?

Ryley stood there awkwardly, his to-do list suddenly empty, still holding the towel he had intended to clean the mess up with before the alien got pissy with him.

He thought about returning to the wash room and waiting with Robin, but the poor hermit's nerves would have none of this, and so he found himself nervously picking at the scales speckling his throat, watching the drone scuttle about like overgrown metal deck roaches.

Maybe he would check on his plants Ryley decided finally, Robin had said the alien technology would ensure they survived the transfer, and flourished in the botanical observatory.

It would be a little soon to find out if they were indeed better off than before.

He was cynical, but Ryley still wanted to see if they looked any better than the state they potted them in.

AL-AN:

It takes roughly three hours of dozing for the architect to burn off the most extreme effects of the caffeine his system ingested, lucidity comes at a pace one would call sluggish but persistent, through the haze of exhaustion's fatigue the world starts manifesting around him, sounds, colors and smells, orienting themselves around him.

The lapping of cool water against his vessel, the welcome weight of his human's warm back pressed closely into his side, and of course the unrelenting nausea cruelly gripping the architect's organs.

He greets her softly, his once rampant mind still settling into its new found peace.

"Hey...you're finally awake..I've never thought I'd have to witness you sleep off a hangover, I was hoping you'd save this moment for grass you promised you'd eat..." Robin murmurs readjusting herself to stare down at him, her voice thick with sleep, her grogginess leads the precursor to wonder if she had lingered so long that his human had fallen asleep at his side.. had he disturbed her..?

His mind settles on the sound of her soft worried voice, enjoying the warmth of her hand as she idly reached out to stroke his horn, it was only then the slow realization that he had been huddled up sleeping against one of the stairs occurred to him, Robin rested at his side leaning over his once sleeping vessel.

"My Apologies Robin, I needed to recalibrate my system, and burn off excess caffeine.."

The architect couldn't recall how long he had needed to recalibrate, or much past his body forcing him to expel the excess, but quickly decided the whole ordeal was a dreadful thing, and frankly not nearly rewarding enough to attempt further experimentation with this fickle substance called caffeine.

"Yeah..I believe you experienced a manic episode..." Robin muses, her nimble fingers grazing over the spines along the back of his neck, as her hand travels down to his shoulders soothingly, this stimuli pleases the precursor to no feasible measure.

He wanted to lean into her welcoming touch, instead her companion tries to focus on this singular feeling of euphoria, desperately tuning out the ceaseless torrents of thoughts and apprehensions echoing distantly within his limited mind, it all felt so overwhelming with no outlet, no other minds to refract it back to, it feels as if he were attempting to download the entire abyss of space soley into his vessel alone.

Everything felt so loud within his mind..yet he knew this was only because his thoughts were poised against infinitesimal silence...

"Hey.. You okay?" Robin asked worriedly, as if she could feel the inner turmoil threatening to split the architect's mind into countless fractures.

Slowly she beckoned to him, her soft hands guiding his face towards her own to ensure he was paying attention, her efforts amuse him if only distantly, such actions were unnecessary as his attention was almost always fixated on his little human to some degree..

Al-an keeps this thought to himself, instead humoring his researcher and allowing her to take his undivided attention.

"You had me worried Al-an..no more coffee for you okay? How are you feeling..?" She ordered sternly, her eyes searching his face.

"Unsteady, the instinct to purge still persists..." He admits tersely, a sour hue of green has set his body alight, rippling sluggishly as the unsettling feeling in his partially organic stomach coils and wretches, slowly he leans up weary of the waves of nausea heavy in his thorax, a stark reminder of his less then intelligent decisions of the five hours prior.

Beside him Robin fidgets with unrest, her eyes trained on him with hardening apprehension, Al-an can feel the worry radiating off her smaller form and contemplates the emotion and the strong instinct it invokes within himself..

He wants to touch her, her face, her skin, to steady her weary mind but his vessel feels so..sluggish and heavy, the energy the drink provided was temporary, Robin had explained as much, he didn't however take into account that once this artificial energy supplement waned with it his natural energy reserves would evaporate as well..

"A manic episode..?" Al-an asked with a curious tilt to his horns.

"It's when your mind experiences a temporary but very intense spell of euphoria, paranoia or other emotions, seems like you had a bit of it all in there..then well... you threw up." His human scowls up at him with thinly veiled irritation, no doubt finally recalling his less then reasonable actions of that morning..

Unable to flee her wrath, the precursor decidedly sets his focus elsewhere.

"Why did you do that Al-an? You can't tell me you were that hungry.." Robin pried worriedly, she was familiar enough with his habits to know his actions were not out of desperation..

At least not that kind..

"I was not experiencing the instinct to eat.." The architect allowed stiffly, he wasn't certain he wanted to share the failures of his intentions, but equally understood he was indeed required to explain himself..at least to some extent.

"Then what was that Al-an? C'mon talk to me, I've offered you stuff all the time, and you either ignore it or toss it to the drones when you think I'm not paying attention, Yes Al, I know you do that." Robin pointed out, quickly raising her hand to silence the architect's predicted apology.

"Point is your pickier than a vegan in a butcher shop..then suddenly you go apeshit on the coffee... What gives?"

"It was simply an experiment..its limits, I wanted to test them, to see if they would be a substantial energy supplement." Al-an evaded carefully.

"Did you think if you ate enough of that you'd be able to make your external arms work again..?"

Robin asked the conviction in her voice, sounding more and more astonished as she indirectly answered her own question.

He tries not to let the discomfortable sting of shame project itself onto his vessel while he studiously ignores her worried gaze...

"Al-an..?"

"..."

"AL-AN! You can't hide in plain sight damn it!"

"...I wanted to know if it was my energy that was too insufficient to support them, this however seems to not be the case.."

"You can't just overdose yourself on stimulants and hope that it passes off as natural energy Al-an, you know this.."

"I am aware, it was reckless but at the time.. I deemed it worth the risk.."

"Why?! what was the goal here Al..?"

"It doesn't matter..as it was an unsuccessful venture.." Al-an huffed irritably, his frustration rooted within his own personal failure and not the researcher before him.

"Yes it do-Hey! I'm talking here! Where are you off too?" Robin exclaimed when began to rise to his feet. He was unsteady at first but quickly found his balance.

"The navigational corridors, I am of most use there, we can continue this conversation there if you wish." Al-an relayed giving himself a brisk shake, he had idled long enough, but apparently his human felt otherwise...

"Oh ho ho...No you're not buddy, you're taking the day off!" Robin contradicted immediately, her eyes narrowing.

"Robin I am not in need of further recuperation, it would be-"

He began to contest but Robin was having none of it and quickly cut him off.

"No. The planet's not that far now, the pace we've maintained is decent enough that we'll get there in a day or two, whether you push yourself or not Al."

There was a stubborn edge to his small researcher's voice, a clear warning not to rebel against her valid suggestion, a suggestion that was obviously for the best.

He considers her, the stubborn set of her shoulders, her raised brow, if he were to pursue these ambitions she would no doubt fight him the whole way...

Finally he releases a soft sigh of resignation, he relents not simply because she was correct, but because he recognizes the tell tale signs of fatigue fraying at the edges of his human, even if she hasn't mentioned it, the malaise heavy within her frame...

Perhaps she herself didn't recognize it..

Al-an is aware that Robin has been having difficulties sleeping, and sees no reason to cause her further stress...perhaps he could persuade her to rest the afternoon with him instead..?

The thought invoked a wave of pleasure over his mind, but this was quickly soured by the architect's persistent nausea.

"Good.." Robin sighed deflating.

"Now explain why me and Ryley spent our entire morning chasing after a paranoid precursor." Robin pried again, carefully wading over to the architect.

"I wanted access to my external extremities, they are very convenient..." Al-an deflected blithely, still irritated by his own failure, and not enthused by his human's diligence to follow up on the inquiry.

It was a mundane excuse, they both recognised this but the precursor was far too exhausted himself to conjure a more substantial explanation for his actions...

He did not want to broach the subject, yet it seemed inevitable. His human simply blinked up at him, her determined gaze held the little amusement, she would not be deterred until she was satisfied..

"Al-an..talk to me..please." Robin urged, placing the towel against his back, her touch was to be desired and he felt himself stilling at the heat of it.

"...The desire to be closer, it has become deafening.." He entones quietly, leaning down to press his face against his human's, reveling in the frustrated huff he receives for his transgression.

"What do you mean..?" Robin asked curiously, flusteredly batting away her clingy architect as she tried to make sense of his cryptic muttering.

"Do you recall your promise to me Robin..?" He inquires Tentatively, watching as realization dawned on his companion's face.

RYLEY:

Ryley wandered the silent ship, sinking quickly past the navigational corridors, desperately trying to ignore the strange way the mysterious tank flared bright green as he hurried by the room, it almost felt as if the architect's gaze was still resting heavily on his person, yet Ryley knew this not to be true.

Still the creepy tank irked the hermit, he wanted to ask Robin if she knew anything about it, and the fact that it may or may not be capable of speech.

He finds the botanical observatory unhindered by the tablet lock previously sealing it, and wonders if the alien left it unlocked on purpose, absolving him from the uncomfortable situation of having to request the architect to unlock it for him..

When the green room's protective barriers opened Ryley was met with a pungent but sweet smell filling the room, it was different then the day prior, almost reminding the hermit of apples and lillies.

It was pleasant..

Many of the exotic plants were in full bloom, impressive hues of colors splattered the room's once dorment flora.

Carefully Ryley nosed about, glancing over various species of exotic alien plant life the architect had preserved, he even recognized specimens from planet 4546B, god this place was beyond huge, he would never have fathomed all of it could fit within a single ship.

All powered by a singular entity..

he studied the tags titling each flora specimen and case, most of which were inscribed in a language the the hermit could not decipher, that did not mean he didn't try to make sense of it all, with childish wonder Ryley attempted to much and make sense of the alien language, trying to compare it to the ruins it rooted through years ago.

There were only two exceptions to this.

The first was a large glass enclosure housing an unsettlingly large eerie looking plant, it's translucent petals a pale blue furled upward like the clasped wings of a bat, thin vibrant veins pulsed throughout its velvety flesh, a reaching web of coiled vines latched to the walls around it like creeping Ivy holding its mass afloat..

More alarming was the fact that the preculier plant actively tracked the hermit's motions from behind the glass, it shifted to follow his movements with a predatory grace that resembled that of a reptile..

He shifts his eyes down to glance at the title adorning its enclosure, assuming to find more alien dialect and indescribable notes, but no the title is not only in a language he could read, but a name Ryley recognised, albeit the creature the name originated from has been long extinct on earth...

"Cyanocitta '' Written in a fancy cursive, it looked almost as if it was almost a printed title, stringently precise and unnaturally neat.

Something tells the hermit this was not Robin's hand writing...

The second Ryley finds after putting some distance between him and the creepy bird plant, finally tearing his eyes away from its unnerving enclosure to continue his search.

Something robbed him wrong about the alien casually plucking a name from their world seemingly at random and boldly applying it to an alien plant species that held no resemblance to the now extinct species to begin with.

It just felt..weird.

Only when he spots the letters of his own name scribbled neatly on a tag in a recognisable language of loopy cursive does the hermit perk up, realizing he finally located his own plants!

True to Robin's hopes the plant's condition looked to have improved immensely since they repotted them, their wilting leaves peeling off and new buds readily dotting their reaching stims.

He would tell her next time he saw the researcher, no doubt Robin would be pleased they survived, for now he would see if he could find something to eat...

ROBIN:

" This...this was about our bond, isn't it? Al-an..look, yes I said after you get your arms working again..but that doesnt mean to go give yourself caffeine poisoning!" He did not need to confirm her suspicions; the anxious fiddling of his claws easily exposed her architect's unease.

"I simply sought methods to expedite the recovery, however it was an unsuccessful experiment..." Al-an brooded quietly, he obviously was not ecstatic about having the conversation at hand but Robin felt it was more then necessary to have, it was now blatantly obvious this issue had been heavy within her companion's mind more so then she previously thought...

Part of her felt bad, especially since she had inadvertently provided her architect with a goal to look forwards to while trying to shield her less then appropriate thoughts regarding their friendship, one that tailored to his own wellbeing, more likely than not he had held her words close as her architect often did with everything that intrigued him.

"Of course it didn't, because caffeine is not that kind of energy supplement, its temporary and it has consequences, it just made you hyper and paranoid...I know you miss it, I do too but its not the same for your kind...and how hard it is for you, but your getting better even without the coffee.."

"I want to be closer…like before, such minuscule progress is not nearly efficient enough.." Her companion sulks quietly.

"Hey...The issue isn't with your energy, big guy okay? I'm almost certain it's in here.." Robin explained reaching up on her toes to softly tap her architect's horns.

She felt the warmth of his claws as they carefully gripped her sides, anchoring her close as he contemplated her words, finally tilting his head with a curious trill.

"You believe I have malfunctioned within my vessel..?"

"No, I think you're still suffering from trauma and it's not going to heal overnight..no matter how much you want it to, but what's the rush? it's getting better..it just takes time." She clarified softly, reaching up to press her fingers to the streaks along his jaw, tracing the intricate paths channeling light through his vessel.

"If you believe, then let us hope.." Al-an agrees blithely, his claws rising to grasp at her wrists, she can easily hear her architect is not wholly satisfied with this, and knows he never will be until their bond is restored, but at least he didn't look as forlorn as he had moments before their little talk.

He would have to trust her and give it more time, he had progressed miles, but rushing such things would get them nowhere.

She couldn't hide the amused snort that escapes her when the architect suddenly huffed testily against her palm but still guided her hands from his face down to his neck, the yellow hue of dissatisfaction blooming into a soft traitorous evergreen under her touch.

"Just be patient okay..? Come, let's go watch a movie.." Robin urged her companion, they all needed a distraction and lunch was definitely overdue.

She moved to pull away but her companion was not ready to let go, at least not until her architect leaned in with the intentions to bury his face against her neck only to flinch away with disgust seconds later...

"What's wrong..?" Robin asked confusedly.

"You reek of caffeine Robin..this is unacceptable.." Her architect sniffed, flaring a sour hue as he shrunk away from her as if she was now somehow repulsive with the scent.

"...Really..? Tell me Al-an, who's fault is that? Hm?" Robin scowled at her more than guilty architect, the guile this guy had sometimes.

"That is irrelevant, I will however aid you in rectifying this issue.." Al-an decided immediately, the grip on her waist quickly readjusting.

When Robin felt her feet begin to leave the floor, it quickly became apparent what rectifications her companion had in mind.

"AL-AN! AL-AN YOU WOULDN'T DARE! I will not forgive you if you!- GOD DA-" Robin squawked as she found herself suddenly picked up and hurled into the deeper end of the water, sinking with a splash.

"YOU ARE SUCH AN ASSHOLE! WHAT IF I DROWNED?!"

The researcher rose screeching when she surfaced, sopping wet to find her architect sitting neatly at the edge of the water awaiting her wet return, innocently drying his legs off with her towel.

"I was confident in your underwater prowess, rest assured this bath will alleviate the stench." The architect assured her sweetly.

RYLEY:

Eventually he wandered out of the botanical observatory, his mood feeling pretty high, despite the extraneous morning it seemed the day was a rather peaceful and pleasant one, perhaps he could relax a bit, maybe watch the stars drift by.

He didn't have much else to do, maybe he could ask permission to tinker with the damaged technology within the spare room, maybe he could repair something, or at least salvage something useful from it.

Part of him would never stop regretting leaving his PDA back on Adelphi, he had little means of entertainment past trying to fish the drones out from under his bed using his toes as the bait..

which wasn't all that entertaining past the relief of not losing your digits.

Yet he still thinks it was for the best, he had contacted Alterra on it after all and while he wiped it clean multiple times, the device was still Alterra's and who knew what failsafe tracking protocols were hidden within its drives.

It wasn't a risk he would take, if they found out he was shacking up with a living specimen no doubt they'd have more trouble then the lack of warp drive..

Still Ryley wished he could at least stream a movie or two to tide over the time..

Ryley was so engrossed by contemplating how to best allocate his free time that the hermit almost didn't process what he was staring at when he spotted the underdressed researcher, agitatedly idling beside the modification Station, her PDA in one hand while the other clasped the towel to her chest.

"Oh!..Robin what the hell?! What happened to your.." Ryley stammered, quickly averting his gaze, she was soaked very much naked..and the towel clung to her athletic frame in traitorous ways...

Had she decided to go for a swim, did her companion throw up on her?

Whatever it was she did not look pleased in the least..

"My silk nightset? Why don't you ask that jackass what happened to it! I tell you Ryley aliens can be rude as hell! You think your both making nice then they turn around and throw you in the pool like a damn floatie!" The researcher ranted, glaring towards the navigational corridors as she hurried over to pilfer the towel he still had forgotten on his shoulder and began to dry her hair.

"Ugh! Thank you.." Robin muttered huffily just as the modification station chimed happily ejecting a clean dry set of clothes.

"He pushed you in the water- '' Ryley began to ask but froze the words dying in his mouth as he noticed the researcher's arm.

This close he can see a long scar traveling up the expense of her elegant bare shoulders and forearm, it vanished under the towel but this gave little delusions to how severe the wound must have been before it had healed..

Robin looked up curiously at his sudden pause, but quickly traced his gaze back to her arm, running a brisk hand over it.

"First aid kits don't always erase every scar" she smiled ruefully.

"What happened..?" Ryley asked softly, his brows furrowing.

"Got lost in the woods, apparently Al-an's homeworld housed some really pissed off fauna, just glad that asshole wasn't poisonous" Robin sighed.

"I'm glad it could be healed at all, it looks like it was a pretty nasty wound.." Ryley fretted, he couldn't have phantomed what made such a scar..

"It was.. but I survived.." Robin huffed before moving on, it was obvious she wasn't willing to delve into what exactly happened, instead she plucked up her newly dried set and turned to leave.

I'm going to go get decent and dry...Oh! We're going to watch a movie and maybe make something to eat, anything you'd like to watch Ryley?" Robin asked in the doorway to her respite chambers.

"Uh, do you have any action or sci-fi movies? I could go for something like starship troopers.." Ryley asked, picking at his fins.

"I hated Starship troopers.." Robin sniffed.

"What! why?!" Ryley cried.

"I don't know... it was just boring, not enough explosions you know?" Robin shrugged.

"I mean how many explosions do You want? Literally every other scene was an explosion..I think you just have bad taste.." Ryley muttered.

"I'd say excuse me, but I heard you clear as day fish boy!"

"What no..I said how about Aliens vs predator.."

"That movie was bleh..but better then starship troopers..I guess.." Robin agreed with little enthusiasm.

"Hey, I still like them both, they're great movies!..classics even!" Ryley argued stubbornly.

"Remind me not to ask for your book recommendations.." Robin sneered shutting the door behind her as the hermit snorted amusedly.

He stared after the feisty women, she had bad taste in movies but he never expected her to be perfect, the more he learned about the plucky women researcher the more he grew to like her..

His mind was drawn back to the scar on her arm; it was becoming obvious that her adventures didn't stop at 4546B...

The architect had taken her to its homeworld, and yet they left it soon after...was it uninhabitable? Was it ravaged by kharaa as well?

Ryley realized Robin never implicitly explained what happened after they landed on that planet, simply that they had left, and what their current goal of culling the bacterium out was, and that Al-an was the last of his kind..

What was it's deal anyways..?

Ryley peeked into the navigational corridors to see the architect, standing before the tank, glowing a bright purple as it pressed its claws against the large glass tanks..

Inside the lights flared countless colors, almost matching the architect's but weaker..yet he didn't seem to have the same reaction Ryley had to it..

Damn thing nearly melted his hand to the glass..

Perhaps he could get some information out of her companion...eventually.

The architect did not acknowledge him at first, yet he felt his attention shift over his person contemplatively.

"So, you're finally up..." Ryley greeted if only to break the silence.

"I was never fully asleep..not truly, what is it you seek Ryley, gratitude for your aid this morning?" The architect inquired coldly, tearing its glowing gaze from the tank to rest on him.

Wow cut to the chase..

"No, I was just lending Robin a hand because she helped me when I needed it, why wouldn't i? I don't need thanks for that.."

"Your assistance was never needed, however your readiness to aid Robin is appreciated.." The precursor allowed, a clicking noise resounding behind its projected voice.

"Like I said, I don't need your gratitude.."

"I've relinquished it nonetheless, as finding my human proved beneficial to all individuals involved including myself..." The architect reiterated nonplussed.

It takes Ryley a moment to realize the architect was not referring to his aid hours prior but his discovery of the unconscious researcher on Adelphi...it takes another for him to recognize the bold way the alien monopolized the women as if she were its property..

She said he was territorial...

"Uh..no problem i guess..so what happened to her uhh clothes..?" Ryley asked, trying to steer the conversation in a less intense direction..

"It appears Robin is upset I've alleviated her of the scent of caffeine. You humans are so fickle..." The architect hissed softly.

"I don't think that's what pissed her off.." Ryley suggested recalling the fussy researcher drying her clothes..
However the architect showed little concern for his logic and quickly dismissed it.

"I am aware, however sacrifices were necessary."

"So yeah, I noticed a scar..you know on Robin's arm..you know what happened there.." He honestly didn't expect the precursor to answer his inquiry, it often fell quiet when Robin was mentioned, but quickly found himself surprised when its immediate reply wasn't for him to piss off.

"A wound sustained from an unpredicted encounter with a beta infigis, Robin was displaced and I failed to locate her position fast enough... Her scars are the result of failure on my part." The architect explained stoically, yet the streaks of light dancing along ita vessel flared a dim crimson he couldn't tell if that question upset it or not, but suspected it may have.

Or at least irked him, it..him?
Ryley didn't know anymore..

He watched as the architect slowly pulled its claws away from the glass, the lights bobbing within drifted away like floating cubes of ice.

"I mean people got hurt all the time on my watch, we usually learn from it and try to do better.." Ryley pointed out awkwardly, he didn't know why he said that..

It felt even more awkward when the alien turned to stare at the hermit but remained completely silent, its contemplation was brisk, a brief once over as it passed him by, Still it was enough to make the hermit's fins flare anxiously.

Al-an settled down beside the navigational terminal expectantly, it looked as if he was awaiting Robin's return as it slowly flexed its claws.

"Robin says we will watch one of your human reenactments, my rights regarding preference have been stripped as pu-" Ryley assumed he intended to say punishment but Robin's voice rose alongside the aliens.

"Damn right they have!" Robin agreed leaning in the doorway, now donning a fresh dry black tank top and shorts. Despite the ire still heavy in her voice, the architect made a pleased sounding noise in response to her appearance.

"Okay boys, here's the schedule, food then movie...then, I don't know we'll think of something." Robin announced, staring down at her PDA.

"You've yet to eat...perhaps I should prepare a suitable meal for you..." Al-an reminded her tentatively, his tone almost persuasive..

Was he trying to suck up to her? Whatever its intentions, the architect's temperament was as fickle as the species..

He definitely wasn't giving her the stony treatment the asshole had given Ryley..

"Yeah..No, I'm not eating those melons Al-an, I don't care how nutritious you say they are..." Robin rejected quickly, her companion remained silent but somehow still managed to look annoyed.

"How about you load up the movie instead? Ryley's picked it, I've already pulled it up, just make sure loads properly, I'm going to show Ryley the food stores so he can get food on his own"

"What reenactment is this..?" Al-an inquired curiously gazing at the screen, he sounded skeptical as if he expected not to like it.

"Alien vs Predator, I think you might find this one interesting big guy...Anyway, come on Ry! stores are this way!" Robin laughed softly as the architect tilted his head confusedly at her, warm hands grab Ryley by the shoulders and begin steering him out of the navigational wing and into the hallway.

"Aren't the food stores that way?"

"The resource rooms? Nah, that's just the excess that I got away with storing in the bins, Al-an tried to stop me but since the cold actually wilts those guys he can't technically bitch about it.." Robin explained as she steered him into another room, damn there were so many!

It would be a while before he could keep track of them all!

When the doors peeled away, they were hit with a rush of frigid air, the temperature around them dropping drastically, Ryley could see his breath escaping his mouth in pale clouds.

"It's..like a freezer, only shit its cold"

"Yeah, the decontamination doesn't play, don't worry it'll heat up but not by much, we have meat and perishable fruits in here so it's gotta stay cold." Robin explained

"You guys packed a lot"

"Yeah..I made the mistake of packing light a long time ago.. It'll never happen again."

"Think you and Al-an can eat that all?"

"The rooms are equipped with a stasis environment modulator, they won't rot unless we turn it off, so it's not like we can't take our time, besides Al eats like he's an auditioning model, so essentially it'll be the two of us eating most of this." Robin gestures to various compartments, most of which were marked in human languages.

"Hey! You still have these?!" Ryley exclaims at the familiar sight of a crate titled nutrient blocks in that stringent fancy cursive..

"We have a stasis powered cold cellar filled to the brim with exotic edibles, and the first thing this man beelines for is a nutriblock..humans are weird.." Robin sighs to herself bemusedly.

"What!? It's nostalgia! We like to cling to familiar things...is this Al-an's handwriting?"

"Yep, he's gotten pretty good at it, he's not fully acclimated yet but I'm starting to wonder if it's a good idea to teach him the art of abbreviations.."

"He teaching you their language in return or something?"

"Yeah, I can read some of their transcripts but it's complicated, they have a direct language between caste and a completely different one for the network, coupled with the fact that a lot of their language lies heavily on projected intent and they hardly ever talk..." Robin rambled as she pries open the crate of nutrient blocks.

"Is that the language you two speak to each other..?" Ryley asked intrigued

"No, that language is the result of a phenomenon that occurs between bonded pairs, only we will ever understand it, besides that he's teaching me to navigate the ship on my own..it takes practice, it's not created with humans in mind but I'm getting the hang of it.."

"Wait, you're bonded to that thing?! can..can you read its mind and stuff..?"

"First thing, Al-an is not a thing, and secondly no I can't…Not unless he is projecting or not paying attention, why would I even want to do that?" Robin scowled confusedly

"You're not afraid there's..I dono things he's keeping from you..?" Ryley asked skeptically, Robin simply snorted.

"Well, no, why? Because Al-an doesnt tell me everything, but I also don't tell him everything, that is not really a requirement to our friendship Ryley, if it's important to the mission he will likely share but the little things that serve no real purpose to benefiting our goal are ours to keep and share at our own discretion" Robin explained

"Sounds like he's kept things from you before..."

"Yeah, he wasn't like a crypt of secrets, but..well there definitely were subjects he decidedly was not willing to share until he was comfortable enough." Robin confirmed.

"What was it?.. That he wouldn't tell you?"

"Many things, some about what happened with the bacterium, which makes sense why he'd avoid such subjects, things were pretty grim, others were not as important but they definitely weren't something he liked to brag about...once you get to know him better he'll open up more, he's actually really pleasant to be around.." She snorted at what he could only suspect was a fond memory.

"Then why wouldn't he tell you?.Color me a little curious I guess.." Ryley pried now intrigued.

"Embarrassment probably, but It's not something for me to tell, if you want to know ask him yourself." Robin sighed.

"Fine then, don't tell me!" Ryley groaned, there she was pushing him towards her creepy alien companion again.

"Don't get huffy with me, god why are guys always so nosey!" Robin laughed.

"Excuse me?! What's that?!"

"You heard me! Huffy! You're just as nosey as Al-an!"

"I'm not huffy! I'm just making a point that I won't beg!"

"Good! I wouldn't tell you even if you did!" Robin snickers mischievously, Ryley ducked as the researcher tossed a petrified nutribar at him..

"Ow! Careful! That thing is like a brick! God, how are they even that hard, don't they last for what... Fifty years?" The engineer yelped playfully fending off the onslaught of petrified survival rations, it wasn't as hard as a brick but hell, he couldn't believe the trans gov had them ingesting that cube of junk!

"Al-an said that the imbalance of silicone in and uranium these bad boys is what prolongs its shelf life, alas subsequently we are eating a bar of nutritional but only partially non toxic plastic...this? Is the plastic that melted under the pressure of warp drive.." Robin explains casually opening a bar to reveal to Ryley a glassy mesh of pale colors.

"Well damn.. I take it all that isn't perfectly safe for our systems..?" Ryley frowned as he ran his finger over the jagged ridges of the bar.

"No, not really..We hypothesized that in little increments over a short amount of time it's often harmless but as a regular source of nutrition over a extended period of time..say five or ten years, those residual toxins lingering in the system will start to build up, merging into the body and begin breaking it down with the same chemicals they use to make these guys last so long, a lot like radiation triggers the breakdown of cells.." Robin explained, setting the bar down to continue browsing through the ration stores.

"Like apoptosis..?" Asked his eyes widening with disbelief.

"Yes, like apoptosis."

"Guess the human body can't be prolonged that way. Hey...do you think they knew this?
About the long term adverse effects?" Ryley asked worriedly, his crew had been told it was a safe alternative to the ration failsafe they utilized in case of disaster.

Even now they are considered a safe staple for prolonged interplanetary voyages..

Hell, Ryley munched on a couple of dozen of those the whole time he was stranded on 4546B... This knowledge makes his stomach churn with disgust.

Robin sighed, the mirth draining out of her once pleased face as she sobered from their previous light hearted banter.

"I can't prove anything for sure, Ryley. but It's a high possibility, you don't miss something like that with the technology they've got under their seats .."

"Don't worry, you don't need to convince me, wouldn't be the first time they put money before lives, it won't be the last, when we finally get back we should gather evidence against them so the world knows what they're doing and maybe finally put a stop to it..."

"When we get back..?" Robin asked slowly, her gaze shifting up to give him an odd stare, he could see the magenta streak brilliantly scaring her cornea, and the impulse to ask her about it coiled along the back of his mind.

Ryley paused for a moment, his brain not registering exactly what her inquiry meant.

"Back to earth..?" He asked carefully, suddenly the hermit felt unsure of his words, had he misinterpreted something..?

Within seconds she seemed so closed off to him, it felt like the Robin he was freely joking with seconds earlier was suddenly so far away.

"I have no intention of returning to earth or any of the human settlements Ryley." Robin admitted guardedly.

"What?! What do you mean you don't plan on going back?! But earth..It was your home...what about everyone you knew there?" Ryley reasoned, taken aback and more than confused.

"Remember what I said about being dead Ry..? Makes this a hell of alot easier, no one is waiting for me back home, and anyone who was is more than convinced I'm four inches under by now..."

She sounded resolute, content even.. as someone ostracized by humanity for years this confused the hermit, did she plan to just drift for the rest of her life or maybe she assumed she couldn't go back..

"I mean, do you feel like you can't go back or something..?" He asked cautiously, he wasn't certain if she felt trapped or it was something else.

"No, I just feel content where I am right now, there isn't much else to it then that.. Come on, let's decide on what to eat, if we don't hurry Al-an will come and try to persuade us to try those stinky swamp melons he found.." Robin urged wrinkling her nose impishly, as she quickened her pace.

"Oh, right.." Ryley agreed, still quite troubled by the sudden revelation but unwilling to press the issue further, not when his new friend clearly sought to steer them back on topic..

He shouldn't help but wonder what led the biologist to turn away from humanity as easily as she had..

He could ask the architect about what led the researcher to this point in her life...but would Al-an tell him..?

The alien hardly spoke a word to him directly as it was, and after what he said to it the other day..he was surprised…

He hadn't really been expecting the alien to respond amicably towards him when he approached him without Robin meditating their interaction earlier, but he had...even if it was dismissive and cold.

Damn it..

Indecisively he picks up a pale blue striped fruit, its white fluffy leaves caught his eye and intrigued the hermit.

"What have ya got there..oh! These are pretty good, I think it's called a ploom root or something!" Robin announced.

"Yeah? What's it taste like..?" Ryley asked, examining the fruit, it was squishy and felt as if it would bruise easily if he were to handle it too harshly.

"Closest thing I could compare it to would be a durian but more watery and without the pungent scent."

"I hate durians..but I'm feeling adventurous, so lets try it!" Ryley smiled softly as he sniffed the fruit; it smelled odd but most definitely pleasant.

Robin returned holding up two clear pouches filled with dark purple speckled meat, preserved air tight.

"What the hell is that? It looks like you guys butchered a defenseless beet!"

"Well it tastes like we butchered a chicken, trust me you'll like it, now come on let's get back before Al-an falls prey to one of those hook up ads!" Robin warned hurrying to peer down the hall, he would question this comment but having seen the architect's hubris first hand, he was familiar with the alien's penchin for trouble.

Just before Robin left she hesitated, staring back at the engineer as if an afterthought just occurred to her, Ryley raised his eyebrows in question.

"You know we have the blueprints for casual male attire, you don't have to spend your day in expedition gear or wetsuits."

"Oh..okay"

"Just letting you know, it might be more comfortable long term, but ultimately choose what works for you." Robin offered before turning to leave.

Ryley stared after the researcher wondering how long he would accompany them aboard the ship..

Chapter Text

RYLEY:

Robin doesn't last long, the exhausted researcher doesn't even make it through the movie's opening credits.

Initially the hermit was thoroughly distracted by the movie and new alien food he was provided, he found could easily become addicted to the sweet watery taste of the ploom, and the odd purple meat was quite pleasant as well despite the odd way it foamed up as she lasard it.

But when he casually tells her this and he receives no reply he turns to notice that..oh..Robin has fallen asleep..

The researcher seems to have dozed off fairly early into the film they began streaming. Her head nestled comfortably against her arm and the architect's back, her long black hair pooled over her shoulders hiding most of the sleeping woman's features Ryley hadn't even noticed she was drifting off!

"Hey..why don't you head to bed?" The hermit suggested softly, they could pause the movie until later.

Tentatively he reaches a hand out to nudge the researcher, only to flinch slightly back as the precursor lets out a low warning hiss.

"Do not disturb her." The alien warned just as the sleeping researcher's hand rose and came down with a slap against the alien's flank.

The noise was enough to draw both male's attention yet Al-an didn't even flinch at the strike, instead he simply tilted his head curiously at the now groggy but awake researcher.

"Oh god, be nice Al-an, I doze for one minute and you two are back to being cats again.." She groaned miserably.

"Please return to sleep Robin..." The alien advised patiently but despite how tired she was Robin still had enough energy to muster up a lackluster rebuttal even if she would comply seconds later.

"No!..Just give me a nudge when things start to pick up okay?" The disgruntled women grumbled huddling closer to the warmth of the alien's side, to which the architect simply began petting her back as if she were a irate feline.

"You sure you don't want us to pause it, so you can hid to bed? We can always finish it later when you're fully awake." Ryley assured.

"Thanks, but I'm good. I only need fifteen or so, but in the meantime try to get along and watch the damn movie..." She huffed before dozing off again.

Ryley felt bad for waking her, but he also wasn't going to deny that an irate and tired Robin was kind of low key adorable..

"Of course.." Al-an agreed easily before turning to fix him with what felt like a withering gaze..

Was he blaming him for waking her up?!

"Yeah, we'll do that.." Ryley huffs, pointedly glowering back, the glowing asshole's message was blatantly clear, don't go near 'His' Robin.

Ryley had noticed the behavior long before the architect had moved to intervene, Robin had mentioned multiple times that Al-an was territorial, but he didn't think she meant literally..not like this.

How did she get along with such a creature, between his creepy aloof nature and his fickle mood swings, Ryley was surprised the two weren't at each other's throat and even seemed to actually enjoy each other's company..

At least from what the hermit could see...

Studiously the two ignored each other, Al-an seemingly renouncing his existence for the time being, and the hermit trying to ignore the large glowing alien a few meters away from him.

It...surprisingly wasn't as bad as he assumed it would be, the architect was rather quiet while not actively glowering at him as it often had, Ryley found he could actually focus on the movie with little disturbances...well until it came to his own curiosity...

Ryley couldn't help stealing curious glances at the ancient alien, it was still difficult to comprehend that he was in fact sitting across from a nearly extinct alien species..

He wondered what it must have been like for Robin, meeting this creature all alone, he seemed rather enigmatic, compared to most people he knew, but Robin had mentioned the alien wasn't used to him either...was the architect just as intimidated by his presence as Ryley was by the precursor's..?

He also seemed very fond of the researcher..

Even now he noted for a good part of the film the architect's attention was hardly paying any mind to the movie, instead Al-an was thoroughly distracted studying the sleeping women's hair, casually running its claws through her long dark curls with what looked like unbridled fascination.

Ryley noticed early on that the architect was much more invasive of her space then his own whereas Al-an had only ever engaged him physically a handful of times, the architect never hesitated to breach Robin's personal bubble, often grabbing the researcher's shoulders or touching the poor woman's face unannounced, yet she never complained about it, or even stiffened..not like she had when Ryley had hugged her..

Was it familiarity? Or did Robin feel beholden to him in some kind of way, in which she felt it wasn't in her best interests to oppose the alien..

Maybe he was over thinking things again, Robin had mentioned she spent a year cohabitating with the ancient alien, it could have been she was simply comfortable with it's handsy nature...even if it struck him as odd.

Ugh it was so confusing Ryley just wished he had a better read on his two new acquaintances..but deep down he knew this would require him to give it time before solidifying any thoughts on the eccentric duo.

The soft sound of a curious clicking noise pulled the hermit's brain out of his brooding mess of a headspace, he hardly heard it, but confirmed it was indeed from the alien, it seemed the architect had finally taken interest in the movie, watching curiously as the predator slaughtered it's way through it's adversaries...

"They are pretty badass.." Ryley tried if only to make small talk, but apparently the architect didn't agree, the streaks of light coursing through his vessel flaring a deep crimson.

"The nature of this fictional creature, while impressive, is undeniably brutish.. Such traits are seldom viewed as admirable in the eyes of my species."

"I mean he is fighting for his life.." Ryley reasoned,

"Against a species bred by their own hands to slaughter for pointless purposes outside of their nature.." Al-an pointed out stoically, his attention causally flickering over the female protagonist, he watched her for a moment before making a noise that sounded akin to a soft hum of contemplation.

"Robin's hair is much more impressive than this human female's..." the architect suddenly sniffed out of nowhere before losing interest.

"You know.. it's technically rude to compare people's natural traits and features, a woman's in particular jackass..." Ryley scowled at the alien's comment but the alien seemed concerned very little with what the hermit thought of his ill manners.

"The alien species is quite impressive even if it is simply a fabrication constructed for your specie's entertainment." Al-an commented docily as he watched the xenomorphs pick off the actors one by one, perhaps he was trying to appear social, Ryley couldn't get a good read on the alien especially not when his moods seemed so fickle.

But if it wasn't being combative, the hermit realizes that he probably should try to at least normalize himself with the precursor, Robin had pleaded with Ryley and he was certain she had with the alien as well to try to get along..and he had assured her he'd put at least some effort into not being 'territorial cats' as she liked to refer to them as on multiple occasions.

"Yeah, they were the pretty ahead of their time, when the first movie come ou-"

"Oh! This is not the first..?" The architect inquired curiously, the lights on his body rippling a dim green color as if he was easily intrigued by the prospect of there being more media regarding the species he had taken a shining to.

"This movie is pretty much a mash up of two different series, the predators and the aliens..each have their own respective set of movies..I could show you sometime..?"

Ryley tried awkwardly to extend an olive branch, but this attempt had the architect falling silent, it's weary yet curious gaze fluttering over his person as it regarded him with indecision, Ryley could practically feel the weight of the alien's imploring gaze settle onto him, it was almost like a low current of electricity, his fins pressed tightly to his body, unsettled by the odd but fleeting feeling.

Seconds passed in silence, and soon Ryley inwardly squinted as he realized the rude asshole simply chose to dismiss it, ignoring the invitation all together, instead opting to cast his gaze back to the screen, his claws beginning to fiddle with disrest.

"Are...you not interested in uhh watching them...?" Ryley pressed, confused, had he made the architect uncomfortable or something..?

"It is not that I am not interested in your proposition Ryley, I am simply confused as to why you would offer such aid.." Al-an admitted frankly, and that was fair given their last argument was not too far away, and while they had both mostly cooled off by now, they had both made their stances on the matter clear.

Still this didn't mean they could at least at be civil..right?

"Well, I mean you seem pretty smitten with the Xenomorphs so I just assumed I'd point you in the right direction...it's not that big a deal.." Ideally, if the architect was more distracted he probably wouldn't cling to the researcher so diligently, which would give the hermit more time to learn about the mysterious woman.

"Your efforts are unnecessary, as I am not attracted to this fictional species, however this Xenomorph in particular is quite fascinating..." The architect admitted tentatively, studying the Xenomorph Grid as it stalked through to walls.

"Grid? Oh so you have a crush on her? I mean I guess I see your point, they put up a good fight, too bad she didn't last long..."

Al-an began hissing lowly, just as the sound of an amused huff beckoned both male's attention to the stirring researcher.

ROBIN:

She was glad to see the two weren't quarreling like they were when she first awoke, and that this banter was simply innocent prodding and not really anything confrontational.

Even if the hermit was annoying her architect.

"And your defense is Al-an..?"

Robin murmured amused by her architect's bristling but silent response to the hermit's jab, her voice was still rough and groggy with sleep, but she was intrigued enough that sleep's grip was quickly dissipating as she watched Al-an hesitate in contemplation then sigh heavily, an action she knew he was simply doing to project his displeasure at the two humans prying.

"She was...a very impressive specimen, even if she failed in her efforts to ensure the brood's escape, her determination against the odds placed before her garners much familiar admiration that is all.." The architect admitted almost stiffly, fidgeting under the researcher's scrutiny.

"Familiar?" Robin pressed, glancing up to her companion, Al-an's face was still toward the screen yet he seemed to be more lost in his own thoughts than anything else.

Still he seemed to be enjoying himself despite pointing out on multiple occasions how low his opinion was of the Yuatja's bloody rite of initiation and their reckless disregard for life, much to Robin's amusement.

"Yes, her disposition aligns closely to the relentless determination you often exhibit when any given obstacle obstructs your path Robin, don't you agree? Do you recall how you dissuaded that shadow Leviathan in rut..?" Her companion preened brightly but Robin shut him down quickly.

"No, can we not talk about that..and I don't see the resemblance between me and a xenomorph Al-an..for one i don't spit acid in people's faces or lay eggs in their chest cavities.."

She pointedly ignored Ryley's curious gaze, she was not going to recount that traumatizing event that took place within the fabricator caverns.

Al-an would never let that one incident die, it was a terrible experience one the young researcher would rather forget ever happened, yet he idolized her mistake as if it was bravery..who knew the dumb beast's eyesight was so poor!?

Robin had assumed the sonar horn would frighten the damn thing...not entice it..She would never paint the cyclops dark purple again no matter how pretty it looked...that shit took weeks to clean off.

"A minor difference, Still I find this creation intriguing, it is unfortunate she perished, it would have been intriguing to see her ascend into the position of next matriarch, I wonder what planet would suit such a species..." Her architect rambled, taking to playing with her hair again.

"Your thinking way too hard about this Al, let it go it's probably twice your age and more likely to chew your face off too, if it were real..also i'm taking it you never read the graphic novel Ry, Grid is a male." Robin laughed softly reaching up to pat her companion's back sympathetically, before twisting around to give Ryley a stern glare.

"Also, If he requests you to help him find anything regarding this on my PDA without my supervision tell him no! If i find you helped him so help me Sol it's window washing duty for a month." She warned the hermit as Robin knew how Al-an could be..

Last thing she needed was for her architect to stumble upon some kind of xenoparaphillia while she wasn't there and then badger her about it, or worse getting ideas...

While it was unlikely her architect would request Ryley's aid in his quest to quench his thirst for knowledge, Robin had learned Al-an could be particularly persuasive and or even manipulative if he thought it would reap the desired results he sought, it only mattered how intrigued he was at the time...

Ryley quickly raised his hands in defense just as Al-an hissed in irritation at her precautions.

"Don't worry I won't, I mean I just don't get why he likes them, they literally use people as external living incubation units, but maybe he's into that kind of thing...say Robin do you lay eggs in people's chests?"

"No Ryley, do you?" Robin confirmed twisting around to shoot an unimpressed stare at the hermit to which he responded by shooting her a sharp grin, it was nice to see him relaxed enough to be the mischievous asshole his dimples implied he could be given the right environment, especially with Al-an in the vicinity...perhaps the two were starting to at least get a little familiar with each other..

Just another small confirmation that she had done the right thing yanking the lonely man from beneath the waves of that god forsaken planet.

"Just making sure..." Ryley cackled while his mouth was still full, only to regress into coughing as he inhaled a chunk of food, neither party moved to help the man.

Served the dumbass right.

Al-an shifted beside her, sighing ever so softly as he brooded in silence, yet the architect seemed reluctant to voice whatever was on his mind.

"What's on your mind big guy..?" Robin nudged softly.

"Why would your kind appeal to the probability of planet wide invasion so profoundly that they would envision such fantastical instances within their culture so often, do you not find such practices perhaps... morbid? Should they not be frightened of the prospect of such a devastating event occurring..?"

Al-an tilted his head curiously as he pondered this concern aloud, it was obvious he didn't want to offend her with his views but found himself unable to resist clarification when she offered.

"Morbid? No..not really, at least not most movies, ones like this depict at least one of the actors surviving, and more often than not it's staged as the protagonist prevailing against whatever conflict is set before them, and it's even more common for those characters to have plot armor, so even if all these traumatic scenarios take place they always come out on top!" Robin explains thoughtfully.

"Plot armor..? Please elaborate." Her architect inquired curiously, perking up with intrigue at the new term, it occurred to her in that moment she could have told him anything and likely her architect would not hesitate to believe this until he discovered otherwise, simply because Al-an trusted her to share her knowledge to fill in the social and cultural gaps in between their species...

This realization left the poor researcher feeing all weirdly warm and stupidly giddy on the inside..

Ugh, why was she always such an internal mess? Robin decidedly swept these erratic emotions under the metaphorical rug and spoke to assist her architect in understanding more of their culture norms.

"No problem, it's pretty much a guarantee that certain characters will not die or fail in a movie or work of fiction despite the perilous situations they must prevail through, just the assurance that everything will work out by the time the credits roll."

"An assurance of survival against all odds without bias...that would be unrealistic, not even we could escape this reality." Al-an assessed out suddenly sounding troubled and even somewhat bitter.

Robin recognized easily that her companion was losing sight of the point of movies and comparing them too harshly against reality, even worse his own deeply cynical outlook on it.

"I know, but not all movies are meant to be realistic or even plausible, remember..? They are purely creations for our entertainment, more importantly our enjoyment. We humans are optimistic creatures Al-an, we like to think the best and we are content to see those we feel emotionally invested in prevail."

Robin gently reminded her companion, noting how the biolights on his body had waned into a neutral hue as he considered her words.

"Your species seems to hold optimism very close, if they are anything like you Robin, I can see your kind easily surpassing that of our own pursuits...not anytime soon but one day.." The architect intoned his voice whimsical but also filled with a quiet melancholy, she felt his gaze, heavy and content resting on her, and tried not to let the architect's praise fluster her.

But then Ryley started talking and those pale hues quickly soured into a sickly yellow.

"More often that means even at the expense of realism, it's what makes movies so great, you don't have to deal with the depressing shit that happens in real life...or the aftermath." Ryley quipped bitterly through a mouth full of ploom melon.

Robin wasn't certain what steps she had taken to surround herself with reasonably broken and pessimistic men but somehow this is where the researcher found herself...

"If this is so, then why did Jack from Titanic not receive plot armor? Why was the Xenomorph Grid neglected for such an idealistic status?" Al-an asked incredulously.

"Jack died because Titanic was a shitty movie romanticizing tragic real life events, and Grid was literally a minor antagonist, he had to die for the plot to progress! I'm not even going to point out the whole chewing face thing, you aliens overlook the strangest things.." Ryley answered cynically before Robin could give a less idealized opinion on their lack of plot armor.

There was a long pause of tense silence that followed the hermit's flippant critique, one that begged the engineer to glance up from picking at the stray scales splattering across the expanse of his fingers, instantly realizing his choice words did not sit well with his two acquaintances as Robin was scowling in disbelief and the alien looked as if it wanted to tear his head off.

"Such actions are rather realistic and therefore easily understood, the instinct to gnaw on the face of organisms that incite them is common among many species throughout the galaxy... This instinct even persists within me..but I only feel this instinctual beckoning when you're actively communicating Ryley..." Al-an pointed out almost causally as he turned to size the engineer up, making the hermit's fins flare under the precursor's sudden intense scrutiny.

"In your case this would not be a difficult feat."

"Are you threatening me?! Robin, I think he's threatening to eat me!"

"Well precursors did like their proteins...and I mean you do have enough 'back' to share a bite or two.." Robin snorted unhelpfully, standing up to stretch, unfortunately pulling her hair away from the architect much to Al-an's dismay.

"What!? My ass is fine!" Ryley barked his voice cracking from disuse of the volume, as he glanced to his backside self consciously, Robin had to wheeze for a moment as the hermit eyed her with betrayed hurt, his gills puffing out like an aggravated axolotl.

"He would be a nutritionally insignificant supplement but I would make exceptions." The architect agreed blithely, not at all impressed with the hermit's taunt rear.

"Hell, if I knew all it took was dissing his favorite movie to stoke his appetite, I'd have had you drag it through the mud days ago..even if your opinion on it is just as good as crashfish crap..." Robin grimached ruefully, Ryley's taste was bad, worse then Al-an's actually but she didn't expect him to be perfect.

"Wait, Titanic was his-Hey! He just called me a supplement! Why am I being attacked here, I am right and you both know it!" Ryley scowled.

"You underestimate my ignorance Ryley, your opinion only holds value to yourself, however this is fine as you are welcome to keep it." Al-an sniffed with dismissal.

Ryley huffed but remained silent, opting not to contest the architect's snide remark, instead silence fell over the trio as they watched the cast of actors face off against the queen Xenomorph on an icy landscape.

The sight of ice was an unwelcome one, Robin hoped they wouldn't have to venture onto another frozen over world but knew realistically, there was a high possibility they would if the bacterium spread as rampantly through space as Al-an claimed it had.

"I do not like this reenactment..."Al-an concluded quickly as he watched the Queen Xenomorph sink beneath the icy surface with silent frustration.

"I'm thinking your inner hive mind just feels offended Al.. " Robin snorted as Al-an trilled incredulously.

"Precursors are hive minded?" Ryley asked curiously, to which Robin shook her head.

"No, but pretty damn close but waaay too stubborn, they often function on the combined logic of higher collective thought and consensus, but this is apparently a mostly voluntarily nature and not purely their natural instincts, they often are linked to a..say network, where they connect mentally to each other, but..."

Robin hesitates realizing the inner researcher within her had her rambling into inconsiderate territory and quickly sought ways to end the conversation but Al-an's voice rose beside her own sparing her from what would be an awkward shut down.

"The network has seemingly dissipated, there is no way to return to it as of now." Al-an confirmed stoically, Robin could sense her companion obviously wasn't thrilled with the topic at hand but welling to add more context to the conversation.

"Yeah, unfortunately..." She murmured awkwardly.

"Oh..sorry I brought that up, it seems like a sore subject..." Ryley's pale eyes narrowed, easily picking up on the sudden shift within the room's mood and quickly moving to defuse the tension by acknowledging it head on.

Which oddly enough helped a lot.

Al-an remained silent, turning away, while Robin nodded diplomatically.

"It's definitely not an easy one, but we'll find out what happened to it eventually.." The researcher assured, noting the architect beside her had begun shifting to stand.

"We are approaching Marighettis's rings. We will commence precautionary landing procedures within two days from now, perhaps before that we should observe the monitoring devices we planted on Adelphi..?"

Al-suggests, raising an out spread claw and with it the ship's walls around them melt away, revealing the impressive sheet of tiny pale stars speckling the abyss around them, but the dark expanse of space was highlighted by four large streaks of bright pale golden rings encircling a massive bronze planet.

The glowing titan dwarfed the size of Luna by three times its mass, but unlike Adelphi the crew could not see a speck of water across the dense and dry looking planet face.

"Oh! crap, I almost forgot about those, yeah let's do that, by now the compound has likely spread a fair amount throughout the ecosystem, lead the way big guy, come on Ryley let's see if the water's still pearlescent."

"If my calculations are correct, the effects of the purification probe should have dilated by now, I do wonder how the fauna are fairing..."

"Guess we'll find out!" Robin smiled softly, she knew her precursor's mind had drifted back to the fluffy bat-like creature they had caught and tagged a day before departing Planet Adelphi, he seemed to become really fond of the little creature in the short time they handled it...

Robin couldn't help but wonder if he would be opposed to ever adopting a pet...eventually, a creature that was not instinctively subservient to his kind like the drones.

"I think I prefer it now then how it was once it changed. It felt a lot more..gentler I mean compared to what it normally did, hey what are those metallic black splotches? They don't look in organic at all.." Ryley asked, gesturing towards the same splotches Robin had noticed pocking the surface in the early hours of that morning.

"Those Ryley are the Elisskat hives, there should be around thirty of them, under and about the planet's surface, rest assured it will not be a difficult task locating the main brood as the species uses only one dominant hive at a time.."

Al-an explained patiently only to physically perk up seconds later, a wave of bright ever green pulsating throughout his vessel as if something pleasant had just occurred to her companion.

"There.. is also new technology I have been formulating..it will however need both of your evaluations soon, as your personal Intel regarding size compatibility is vital." The architect revealed seconds later.

"Tech? What kind?" Robin asked surprised, she hadn't noticed Al-an tinkering with any equipment as of late, but for an alien who hardly slept she knew her architect was capable of feats within a limited window of time such as eight hours.

"New environmental biosuits...I have decided your current tech is ill suited for the harsh environments we may encounter on our journey, so I am formulating a solution, I will elaborate further on the subject later, Come, let us focus on the task at hand." Al-an concluded as the architect led the trio out of the navigational corridors.

RYLEY:

The architect leads them through the observatory and up into a small room directly atop the main ship, above them space drifts by little more than a protective glass barrier away, a large screen filled to center of the room but little lights to filter the darkness from the area save for the approaching planet's pale ring's light and the dim stars passing swiftly overhead..

The sound of micro space debris harmlessly pelting against the surface of the glass barrier was unnerving especially against the odd muffled silence of the room..

In the center of the dark room is a large emerald podium, hovering atop its dark reflective surface is a translucent screen, Ryley isn't familiar with this precursor technology but quickly finds he doesn't need to be.

It gives little fanfare to what its function is, pulsing to life the moment the precursor stopped before it, its large curling screen dimly glowing green with the ion energy powering it.

"Here we can tap into the micro transmitter's visual feed, unfortunately sound is limited as we are quite far from the planet's range, but it should be able to produce an environmental image of optimal clarity." The architect deduced optimistically.

"So, how many transmitters do we have planetside? Besides the transmitter I left on the beach and the one attached to the creature we caught." Robin asked as she moved to lean against the wall, it seemed as if the duo had been quite active on Adelphi right up until the point Ryley had met them.

"Approximately eight, I left two at the terminal, two more situated around the underwater burrows and four throughout the path we navigated through the marsh." Al-an confirmed distractedly as he flash stepped around the base of the podium.

"Great! We should have a good range of what's going on there then."

"I'm confident we will,Robin." The architect agreed quietly.

The screen flares to life unceremoniously, stabilizing into a dim blank screen but this state lasts only fleetingly, as once the precursor begins typing at the small interface connected to the podium the screen quickly pulses blooming into color.

Ryley was surprised as not just the screen but the whole room surrounding the trio seemed to suddenly be displaced, waning into a familiar hot landscape, overhead a pink cloudless sky, twin suns blazing aggressively off of pale luminous sand dunes.

Adelphi looked very similar to how they left the deceptively beautiful planet, except the water was still pure white...

Perhaps even more pearlescently luminous than before, it was like someone filled the ocean with metallic milk..

Al-an issued a concerned clicking noise but remained silent as they assessed the red planet.

"Hm, it still looks...very pale, though you guys mentioned it was going to be temporary..?" Ryley membled uncertainty not really knowing what else to say, he personally didn't mind the state but could imagine it could put strain on the ecosystem.

"That's worrisome, perhaps it's just taking longer than we predicted to dilate, I wish I could get a sample of it now.." Robin worried as she assessed the landscape they were projected into.

"It may simply be a chain reaction resulting from the chemicals combining or..perhaps the water was originally this color, while it is concerning, it does not seem to be impacting the environment negatively, until we have further data it will remain a mystery to us, for now we have little options but to monitor it's progress.."

The architect pondered aloud, his claws still typing rapidly at the interface, around them the environment fluctuated consistently, one moment Ryley was standing on a path leading over a tree covered ledge overlooking a large dried out water bed marred by huge holes..borrows?

Maroon leaves littered lush redwoods around them, yet time seemed to have drifted to evening, both suns hung low in the sky, he could almost feel the heat of the warm breeze ruffling his hair.

Moments later they stood before the familiar large alien construct, unlike when he had attempted to break into the mysterious tower years prior the terminal now seemed dead, its glowing lights and pulsating energy fields all but smitted and ominously still.

Then Ryley was knee deep in the sand, surprisingly its warm granules seemed to still house the sun's relentless heat despite the fact that it was now dark and nearly pitch black around them..

And the fact that this was supposedly a recording? Ryley quickly reminded himself.

"Hey I-I can feel this? How? I thought it was only a visual-.."

"Much of it is, however within this limited space it is possible to utilize memories from all presence within the vicinity to passively fill in the virtual gap, what you are experiencing is reality and memory alongside one another..Oh, it seems they are resting.." The precursor suddenly purred softly, oddly enough it was a pleasant and deep noise, the timber bounced off the walls, rippling through the small chamber like a humming engine..

The world around them altered one final time, to a unfamiliar location nestled within the branches of the maroon trees, everything was upside down, the ground far below sat as their sky and the silky darkness of space at their feet, the hermit could also see more than a dozen or so small furry mammals huddled up in groups of three or four pairs, dozing upside down like large fruit bats but far heavier looking.

"A colony of velvet gliders?" Ryley asked, raising a brow curiously, but the architect seemed far too enamored by the small sleeping creatures to pay attention.

"Yeah we caught this gal before we left! Seems the micro transmitter didn't her cause any problems!" Robin clarified with a bright smile.

"No, it has not." Al-an hummed softly, stepping away from the terminal to slowly drift over to Robin's side.

"For that I am glad, we will be able to track her movements throughout Adelphi for four to six weeks. This will be vital to studying the effects of the probe properly."

"Oh please Al, you're not fooling anyone, you just want to keep an eye on your furry friend!" Robin chuckled, raising an eyebrow playfully.

"That would be a small benefit..." The architect allowed evasively, as the world around them began to deteriorate slowly fading until Ryley found himself standing back within the small dark room.

"Small!? Ry do you hear this?! I mean look at them, they are adorable, no one can resist that! You didn't see him Ryley, he was totally all over the little gal, I was half convinced he would have named her!"

"If..I disagree and just happen to think they were vermin, would you be mad...?"

"Of course not, but I also won't try to dissuade Al-an if he tries to go through with his plan to chew your face next time you annoy him." Robin confirmed calmly.

"In that case yeah, pretty adorable...would be cuter if they weren't born with the inherent instinct to shit on all the fruit they and all the other fauna had to eat...me included."

"It's just guano, it's probably just recycled fruits and nuts, look you survived didn't you."

"I'll have you know those little shits were omnivores but I guess you're right." Ryley agreed before adding more smugly. "It'll take a lot more than bat shit to kill me!"

"Nah, the watery coffee and nutribar addiction would have definitely done you in long ago if that were the case, so we done here?" Robin joked quietly.

"Come, I would like to show you two the prototypes for your new bio-suits. It is imperative you inspect them for size compatibility." Al-an requests with an air of finality.

The hermit noticed the architect's voice, while soft spoken, often had a distinct air of authority to it...as if he often took the role of leader back in his world..or network?

Ryley looked over to see the architect flash stepping towards the doorway, there he lingered patiently awaiting them, watching on with a quiet intensity that made the hermit's fins quiver, in the darkness the dim purple glow of the biolights marring his vessel filled the room with a soft haze almost completely shadowing the precursor's visage.

Ryley tries not to think of how malevolent it makes Robin's companion appear, like a large creature waiting in the shadow.

In retrospect Ryley is glad there is only one precursor, not that it's not sad they all went extinct, but the hermit doesn't think he could deal with more than one of the intimidating aliens...

ROBIN:

The rest of the afternoon is spent leisurely overseeing the proper size dimensions for Ryley's new biosuit, while close Al-an's prediction had been a size or two off, much to Robin's amusement Ryley wasn't pleased at all that her companion had sized him down two dress sizes.

The biosuits themselves were expertly made, supposedly still in the prototype stage yet they looked almost completely usable, while Al-an assured them this wasn't the case Robin was still very impressed..

Maybe..even a little flustered that her companion had thought of them enough to create tech in the name of ensuring their safety.

Totally nothing to get bashful about Robin...

Right..?

Robin had left the boys to their own devices about an hour ago in hopes their temporary peace would last long enough for the two to start bonding and finally put an end to their quiet dislike for each other..

Which is why Robin had deliberately taken a nap when she had.

Things have worked out fine so far.

The sound of movement outside the docking bay where she was perched suiting up alerts Robin to someone's presence in the hall beyond the door, she does not glance up to the clear glass walls to confirm their identity, it is either Ryley or her architect.

Neither are unwelcomed.

The mechanical creaking of the two doors peeling away to allow admittance alert the researcher to their approach.

The architect's greeting was voiceless, but the welcome feeling of sharp claws leisurely tracing up the expense of her exposed back gave no illusions to who was looming behind her.

"Hey..."

Blindly Robin reached a hand up to touch the precursor's forearm, quietly she hummed a greeting up to her architect as he patiently watched her carefully explore her way around the new biosuit pooling around her hips.

Silence fills the room, but it's anything but suffocating, instead it's a calm welcome quiet, brimming with intrigue and curiosity.

Robin herself was partially distracted examining the new reinforced prototype Al-an had given them to test before touchdown but she was never not aware of her friend's presence.

While the biosuit prototype was very new and currently incomplete, Al-an had insisted they ensure his predicted measurements were accurate.

Her companion had eagerly sounded off countless enhancements and benefits to this upgraded biosuit as they helped Ryley don his own, some of which Robin was familiar with, but many of the features in truth were still alien to her.

Her companion must have been proud of his efforts as the architect's ego was showing again much to Robin's amusement.

She could see why.

The suit was undeniably impressive, the intricate streaks coursing through it's iridescent expense reminded her of his biolights despite lacking power, it was equipped with a complex splice of human and precursor technology.

Technology that would help them acclimate to harsher environmental conditions, and while Al-an assured them this would likely be unnecessary on Marighettis unless their probe returned with biological evidence of the bacterium's presence, which was highly unlikely as the planet supposedly boasted a gentle closed environment..

Even so with all its promise Al-an was quick to warn them, these suits were not for basic expeditions, but necessary for high risk environments and situations.

It was obvious the architect's sights were set narrowly towards the unknown, his apprehension clear as he admitted some of the harsher features the suit was capable of, failsafes that were to only be utilized in the face of disaster.

Tentatively she ran her fingers over the soft white inner lining of the suit, it felt oddly velvety like the petal of a rose, but its fibers clung to her fingers far more aggressively, catching on her skin as if it were microfiber.

"This is really amazing Al-an..."

"It is but a simple project, I am not of the engineer caste, my skills lie in research and science, however such knowledge comes naturally to my species though limited." Her companion deflects almost flusteredly.

"So, you mentioned there are downsides to this thing, what are they and can it malfunction..?" Robin asked curiously, wanting to know the cons before the pros, if there was something she recognised about the architect before her, it was that his species happened to be very ardent when it came to progress.

She would even go as far as say too zealous with their sacrifices to achieve such progression..

If Al-an felt the need to inform them of adverse effects then more likely than not it wasn't just a small glitch or simple zap to stimulate the senses..

"There is no need to be in fear of misreadings or malfunction, our technology in the regards of exploration is infallible, this-" the architect explained gesturing to the soft needle like foli lining the black obsidian spine of the suit.

"Will attach to your spinal cord, and feed off your brain's natural neuro receptors, only when significant traumatic stimulus has been received will its safety protocols activate..this synching process we have managed to make painless, you will experience no discomfort and the process will feel less invasive than what your species would consider a spinal tap...however-."

"However..? I mean I'll try it out Al…
But you say 'This' as if it's the only painless feature to this thing...care to elaborate what you're concerned about? Is there something I should be prepared for?" Robin pressed warily.

"...Yes, this technology's austere
predilection is to guarantee its host survival at all costs, however...these extreme measures I've mentioned previously may prove to be quite traumatic to a body unprepared..I am skeptical that your fragile body could withstand it..."

"You're going to need to elaborate Al, what's it going to do to us once it's survival measures are triggered..?"

"That depends, these-" Al-an gestures towards six oval shaped nubs lining the interior of the suit, which would align with the researcher's ribs when she donned the suit correctly, his claw found its way to her ribcage, tracing a claw over her silky skin.

"Contain oxygen reproducing microorganisms, they are harmless, and replicate oxygen rapidly enough to compensate for the volume of eight breaths per minute, and strictly consume naturally occurring carbon. in the event you are exposed to a uninhabitable environment and oxygen deprivation begins to exceed perilous levels, these drills-"

"Drills?!-whoa..whoa what are you talking about?!" Robin's eyes widened, as she realized where he was heading.

Oh no, oh hell no.

"Yes, they will create a non lethal pathway into your lungs and introduce the oxygen producing microorganisms into them..However while the point of entry will remain quite small, administration will be painful as attempting to apply pain reducing agents at the same time may send the host into shock or compromise the fragile microbes.." Al-an admitted.

"Okay, let me get this straight, if I start to drown this suit is going to drill six holes through my chest and inject farting parasites into my lungs with no anesthetics?! Al-an you have realized the shock of that alone will likely kill us right?!"

"The pain will be intense but brief, after the successful breach and transference anesthetics will be deployed directly into the nervous system, your suffering would be necessary but fleeting..." Al-an explained apologetically.

"Can't you apply it with a tube or something?"

"Unfortunately no, these microorganisms must be implanted within the bottom of the lung's walls without coming in contact with excess oxygen.."

"Yeah..you know I appreciate your efforts big guy..but..No, I'm not going to use this, in all honesty I think I'd rather drown than experience that...it's...way too much.." Robin admitted, she was glad he took her rejection lightly, nodding thoughtfully.

"It is still a prototype, I still feel it has potential to improve your safety..I will continue to work on it and attempt to make it less invasive for you, for now please humor me, I am curious regarding the size compatibility." Her companion agrees sweetly.

"It's not going to attach to my spine and pry through all my thoughts to locate my folder passwords right?" Robin laughed softly.

"It is not even powered yet Robin.." Al-an scowled unamused by her humor, she tried to bat his eager claws away when the architect started picking at the suit, attempting to aid her in trying it on.

"Al-an, what did I tell you about my unique ability to independently don my own damn gear.."

Robin grunted testily when they're combined attempts at getting the sensors attached to her shoulders properly simply complicated the whole process, prolonging their efforts futillly.

"Then allow me to do it, I am far more familiar with this technology." the architect sniffs back stubbornly, attempting to aid her despite her defiant squirming.

"No."

Robin decides and swats the claw grabbing at her arm, this unfortunately has little progressive effect other than provoking her companion to rudely pinch her sensitive side.

"Ow! H-Hey! Stop that!" the researcher squeaks, flinching away from her mischievous companion.

"My apologies Robin, but these are simply the repercussions of being an unruly organism." the douche snorted shamelessly, a deep purr sputtering to life within the alien in front of her, it was pretty endearing how easily she could read when her close friend was pleased.

"Your insufferable sometimes I hope your clear on this, this is why you had no social life outside of work...." Robin huffed, finally managing to fit her arm in the sleeve.

"My social life was limited as none were worthy of such social priority, however I believe my devotion to the current matter rewarding enough to pursue..."

The architect mused almost smugly, a pleased shade of evergreen dancing over his vessel.

"I guess I count myself lucky to have an obnoxious and prudish flashlight looking out for me then.."

Robin huffed fondly, was she flirting? God it sounded like she was!

But still what Robin had admitted jokingly or not was true.

She couldn't phantom making it this far without him, even if she had a ship she could fully utilize, space while beautiful seemed so empty and cold, she would never last out there not long, she desperately dismisses unwanted memories of the day Robin thought she had lost him.

Now was not the time to think about such things..

Al-n was there with her, safe and currently being a smarmy little glowing dick.

Al-an did not reply to her light hearted jab instead she found her companion leaning down to bud his head against her own, Robin's hands raised to cup his face, relishing the soft purr the alien releases against her jaw as he accepts her invitation.

Both researcher and scientist's attention quickly derailed, as the two became far too entranced by each other's presence and not the new and potentially dangerous prototype between them... at least for the moment.

There's a quiet air of anxiety tainting their affection, predictably Al-an has spoken nothing of it, but Robin is no fool, the researcher feels it rolling off her architect all the same, the all too familiar sting of potential failure the unsaid what ifs and of course the apprehension, because this she felt as well..

She would never not consider the worst case scenarios before the preferable outcomes and his inner pessimist would never imagine them emerge unscathed..

Was her companion seeking comfort in her touch the same way she was reveling in his proximity?

If so then who was she to deny such simple requests from her ever patient companion..

Her architect's claws easily fell prey to the exposed skin before him, slowly tracing over old scars marring her smooth dark skin, evidence of her researching ventures on earth, Al-an studies them with silence reverence, and curious wonder, he does not inquire there origins but if Robin knows anything about her architect it's that he will bring it up at another time.

A cautious claw finds its way to her neck brushing over her jugular and gently latching on when his human raises her chin, it felt as if he was monitoring her pulse, yet she recognized the possessive action for what it was..to touch.. validate..

Her companion had explained his behavior days prior and while she still had questions she didn't mind her companion being a little clingy.

Robin felt her body instinctively lean into his other claw as it dragged over the expense of her waist, curiously tracing her hip bones until she felt him brushing over the subtle ridges on her ribcage to eventually spread out against her chest.

Despite his obvious interest and their earlier banter her architect had fallen oddly quiet, this only confirms Robin's suspicions that her companion was silently worrying.

"Hey, are you okay..?" She asked softly, leaning back so she could gaze up into her companion's face, it seems she hit it right on the nose as the architect hesitates just for a breath before releasing a tired sigh.

"In actuality I am quite unsettled, perhaps apprehensive even..there are many unsavory outcomes that can occur once we land.." Al-an admits timidly, while his voice is mostly apathetic she can hear the worry trickling in and out of this delicate facade.

"Don't worry big guy, we'll be in and out, no slip ups this time, there should be nothing there you're not familiar with, so we'll have an edge.." Robin assured with a breathy sigh, relishing the heat from his hold seeping into her skin.

His gratitude ignited across his vessel in pale hues of blue and teal bright but short lived as her companion quickly snuffed the emotion out, what it meant she wasn't certain, it was an odd combination of colors but still a positive response.

"Promise me you will refrain from agreeing to any deals with them Robin, even if they decline our offering, we must not fall prey to their manipulation."

Her companion demanded against her collarbone, there was no way to zip up her new bio suit, not with Al-an's free claw taking advantage of the opening to casually grope at her fragile midriff and perky breasts.

Did he really expect her to maintain a legible train of thought while he was busy feeling her up? Really?

"You say that like I'm so reckless I'd just headfirst into the first offer I see...." Robin huffed annoyedly, but Al-an simply purred, at first she assumes he's dismissed her comment but seconds later she receives her carefully constructed response.

"You are both reckless and impulsive Robin, I do not fault you for your nature, traits such as yours are beneficial in proper moderation, however I am apprehensive.. they may see it as a vulnerability and attempt to prey upon it.."

"Okay I get your point wise guy, You're worried and if it puts your mind at ease I'll let you do the negotiating, we won't agree to anything that they offer but...what if they decline..? Then what other options do we have to fall back on..?"

Robin asked, trying to retain her brain cells, which was a peculiar feat when dealing with an architect who seemed to take a liking to fondling her chest whilst he initiated important conversations..

She couldn't resist the impulse to run her hands over his neck, an impulse her companion appreciated very much, if the endearing trill the pleased architect released against her shoulder was anything to go by.

They should have been focused on the suit between them and not each other, not right now at least..

Robin knew this fully well, but damn was her body enjoying this little moment of closeness with him and frankly it was still their day off damn it!

When the time came they would dedicate all their focus to ensuring Adelphi doesn't happen again, but for now their mutual enjoyment was as harmless as it was important.

Al-an needed a distraction, Robin wanted his attention, what was the worst that could happen..?

"Then we will leave and return with another offering..." The architect explained his voice teetering along the line somewhere between stubborn arrogance and optimism perhaps both.

The claw at her throat finally released it's hold to slip down her body until she felt them sinking into her thigh spreading it apart to make room for his larger frame to press closer.

Already her suit was starting to feel clammy and way too hot, and now with the large architect leaning into her space it wouldn't be long before she was sweat drenched..

Robin placed a hand on his leg to ground herself, feeling her nails dig into his thigh as the architect continued his warpath of pseudo kisses, the delighted purring resounding in his chest as his face brushed against the stiffness of her nipples tear a full body shiver from the poor the researcher.

"Al-an..?" Robin whispered, hazily watching the light in his warm skin chase her wondering fingers as they wonder the expense of his back.

"Yes Robin..?" The way her companion sighed her name made her heart flip in dizzying ways.

"What are the benefits to a bond with precursors..?"

"Many, most importantly the restoration of our telepathic link, I will always know if you're in danger, and you the same, we will share thoughts, emotions and experiences intended to share and if you are harmed I will be aware..." There was something hauntingly persuasive about his words, the way his hungry claws felt against her skin.

"I've always wondered, can...can you feel what your bondmate feels?...through the tether I mean"
Robin tries to calm her scrambling thoughts, alarm bells warning her away from the offering before her.

"To a degree yes, it is also possible to achieve this without such bonds, however our specie's reception of stimuli may be too intense without proper mental filtration."

"Oh, I see..so you could feel how i feel right now..?"

"I could, but such a connection would prove too painful for us to appreciate, do not fear Robin, we will have many shared experiences once our bond is restored..." She could hear the dark intent underlying his soft voice.

She also noted the use of 'us' implying this would likely be a two way effect..

"So that's a yes..?"

"There is much to share, I am eagerly anticipating this..come I want to evaluate our tech, and Ryley is probably waiting to show you his.."

Al-an sighed whimsically against her collarbone, the claw latched to her hip finally let go, instead his readjusted his grip, his other claw abandoning its worship of her chest to join his other claw beneath her thighs were he easily lifted her from the table and set her down besides the fabricator.

His claws sliding up her midriff one final time with obvious reluctance, a feeling that was all too mutual, a rabid and hungry part of Robin did not want him to pull away, another part realized it was for the best…but not the half of her needy and sick with lust.

That unreasonable part of her Robin sometimes hated.

"Okay big guy, time for you to help me put this thing on, I... don't think i have enough brain cells left at the moment..."

To her annoyance her companion agrees far too enthusiastically, no doubt amused and pleased by her eventual surrender.

RYLEY:

Ryley had felt he was making progress..

He was learning more about Robin and honestly the architect as well, this whole situation he had tumbled into face first seemed to be working out great for all of them.

At least that was the hermit's thoughts before he wandered towards the docking bay in hopes of locating Robin...

He had wanted to see her new biosuit, they were really nice, yet the researcher had peeled away during his dressing, abandoning him to the architect's care.

Much to Ryley's dismay.

After the measurements were said and done, Al-an had offered to help him fabricate more casual shipwear, but Ryley had declined as he planned on taking a shower before wearing anything and knew full well how to use the tech himself.

Yet moments after the alien's departure, Ryley decided hell a sweat shirt and shorts wouldn't hurt to fabricate, he stopped by the storage rooms to grab a towel and the fabricator to render a new set of soft comfortable clothes.

By the time the hermit was shower ready Robin and Al-an had been absent for sometime.

He wanted to see how Robin looked in her new bio suit, it takes him a moment to find his way to the docking bay, he tries to drown the odd and silly surge of excitement that had made a terrible habit of manifesting every time the researcher smiled at him, or shot a playful jab his way...

Ryley recognized he was somewhat infatuated with the beautiful woman, it was unhealthy to become attached to someone so fast, especially someone unaware but it wasn't like he was doing it on purpose.

Nor was the hermit planning on telling her..

Nope nope why would he do something idiotic like that?!

The quirky yet charismatic woman was oddly magnetic, even when Robin generally seemed to be a loner by nature she subconsciously seemed to pull others into her orbit..hell she managed to somehow charm an ancient alien onto her crew, she must have had some kind of magic.

A small smile found the hermit's lips as he mulled over these light hearted thoughts, a smile that died quickly as he spotted the researcher and scientist huddled up against a table on the upper floor.

It seems he had found the entryway to the lower deck as the hermit quickly noticed there was a door not too far from his shipmates, which would have been a much shorter trek if he had realized it was there.

However had he taken that shorter path he may have walked right into the middle of this..

Ryley stood frozen as he took in the sight of the researcher pressed up against the table, for a good second he couldn't tell if the claw at her throat was choking her or not, simply that her fingers were digging into the alien's thigh.

The architect was speaking softly but not in a language Ryley could begin to understand the quiet words whispered only for Robin's ears, but he did take note of the pale ripples of light dancing anxiously across its vessel.

He could see Robin had begun to physically start trembling in the architect's hold as the larger creature practically shadowed her with his larger body, was she terrified..?

Ryley knew from experience that there was no escaping the architect once it had its hold on you..

Robin whispered something quietly and in turn the architect made a deep growling noise, it wasn't with the aggression that the creature held when Ryley had come at it with knife in hand, but the alien sound still made his fins flare out with apprehension.

The alien then leaned down to bury its face against the researcher's throat, the anxious streaks coursing through its body flaring a dim pale cerulean color, then it was speaking to her again as it casually nuzzled her neck, whilst his language was unintelligible to the hermit the alien's tone was drastically different.

Almost calmly suggestive in the oddest of ways, Ryley's eyes widened in realization as he watched the architect's unoccupied claw rise up under the researchers thin sports top to press against her ebony skin beneath and slide up against her breast with intent, it's other claws sliding down to dig into the flesh of her thigh, spreading her legs apart as it pressed closer to his friend and -

Oh... Ryley's heart felt like it was pumping ice through his veins.

What..was he watching...

His anxiety skyrocketed as he watched the obviously intimate exchange, only when the architect's larger frame pressed forward blocking out the view of the researcher altogether could Ryley tear his gaze away from the almost mesmerizing sight...

It was obvious what was happening, the realization made his stomach sour with anxiety and confusion.

Quickly he backtracked, quietly absconding until he was back out in the hallway, before sprinted back to his room unsure of what he should do or say..

W-what if it was hurting her!?

But Robin wasn't struggling like someone in danger, was she sombered?!

He wasn't too familiar with the alien's mind manipulation tactics but from what he's seen the architect's intentions for the researcher seemed far darker then what the engineer had initially assumed.

Who knew what a precursor was capable of!

Ugh what should he do!?

Nothing..that's what..

Not until he understood exactly what was going on and just exactly how to protect Robin from the alien, as it stood this Al-an was the only one who could navigate the ship, but perhaps when they landed he could escape with her...

If he could persuade her to trust him enough to leave with him.

It was the only option that seemed logical, Robin may very well have been under this creature's control from the very moment he found her face down in the mud. Wait no..no that couldn't be right as she claimed it was wounded or unconscious...

But why would she be so hell bent on returning to a creature who kept her mind captive?!

Was she even being mind controlled?!

What if this was all just his paranoia running wild, and he was merely demonizing the alien simply because of his prejudice against the species..what if what he had seen was merely a conversation.

Was he going crazy..?

No, that asshole definitely was getting handzy..

His vision swayed sickeningly, the world around him shrinking into a tunnel vision, the quiet sounds of the ship muffled and cottony.

Stop..breathe in and count to three, then exhale and slowly let it go...

Ryley repeated this chant, over and over and over, desperately trying to quail the shaking in his core, the tense sickening burn of anxiety flooding his stomach made him want to throw up, but Ryley has long known better than to give in to such impulses.

Slowly the hermit slumped down onto the bed, suddenly feeling tired, a weary hand running over his neck only to flinch back in disgust as his finger tips grazed over the silky webbing of the fins lining his neck.

Robin had suggested he soak them as this was the longest he had been without needing to submerge for long periods of time for hunting, fishing or foraging, she claimed it would be best to acclimate them slowly to his new environment.

They felt very odd lately..

A small tap beckons the hermit from his tunnelous thoughts (no Ryley did not jump with an unmasculine yelp...of course he didn't.)

He glances down to see a single drone perched on his thigh and froze, it seemed docile enough but he was never entirely sure with anything related to precursors or their technology, the little beast seemed to have crawled up Ryley's leg from under the bed while he was preoccupied fighting off his panic attack..

He blinked in surprised confusion as the little machine spun around in a tight circle before seemingly plopping down and disengaging into standby...

It was warm and oddly weighted, almost as if a cat or small dog had just curled up in his lap..it was confusingly comforting..

Uncertainty the hermit reached forward and ran a tentative finger over its hard chassis to which it jittered slightly almost as if the action pleased the little drone.

It was like the little drone had come to him simply to calm Ryley down...

Slowly Ryley pulled the sheet over his shoulders, focusing on the feeling of cool lenin against his skin, and reached out a shaky hand to gently pet the drone as he tried to sort his thoughts out.

Everything was confusing right now but one thing was for certain...

Ryley needed answers.

He needed to talk with Al-an...

AL-AN:

Al-an watched his human adjust her original biosuit with a quiet but heavy sense of disappointment..

She wanted to compare suites but Al-an felt there was no opposition design wise...

He had underestimated the pleasure seeing his human donning their technology would invoke and now he stubbornly wanted to see her in it permanently...

And while Robin had reasonably rejected his efforts, he was not dissuaded in the least, he would simply improve it until it met her standards, it would be worth it to ensure her safety.

Casually he circled his human, silently picking out every feature he realized he didn't like about the thin flimsy bio suit she now wore.
It was very thin, surely she would easily get hurt exploring in that...

It did however cling to her lithe form in oddly intriguing ways, idly he wondered how elastic it was...

The architect quickly tears his mind from the no doubt compromising train of thought, instead leaning in to rest his claws against his human's soft shoulders, leaning in to press a soft kiss against her jaw, her affectionate huff, sets off a ripple of elation down his spine.

He desperately wanted her to touch him again, to feel her warm hands sliding against his throat but also knew full well he had reached the peak of his tolerance..

His impulses, they were becoming unreasonable as of late, many of her innocent acts were beginning to set him off...

And while he reveled in rileing the poor researcher, it was a dangerous game, his instincts were demanding he took more than she was seemingly willing to allow...

He would like to avoid incidents like the night she fled from him at all costs, nor does the architect want to incite her ire by pressing for something she was unwilling to give...

"I'm going to go check on the little guys, see if they're debating again or not." Robin announced ignorant to her companion's frustration.

"I will be in my corridors.." Al-an announced decidedly, this invoked Robin's curiosity, tilting her head an act he immediately took advantage of, pressing kiss after kiss against her warm pulse..it was intoxicating.

"Are you tired? You dozed all morning.." The worry in her voice was unnecessary but pleasing nonetheless, distantly the architect realized he was being irrationally clingy and his instincts were simply going array but this didn't stop the hungry purr from stuttering to life within his chest..

"No, I am not, go check on the lights im certain Ryley will be about to show you his biosuit.." Al-an answers shortly, pleased at her endearing dissatisfied huff at his dismissal, he rewards this with a kiss against the back of her neck, evergreen igniting over his body at the sound of his human's lighthearted laugh.

He was being irrational, Al-an knew this but found he cared little..

He watches her leave with narrow eyes, his instincts telling him to seek her out and claim her, but far too wise to heed the call of his primal urges.

Now alone the architect attempts to contemplate the prototype suit, hardly able to focus on solutions to its harsh remedies, it doesn't take him long to abandon this attempt, instead briskly leaving the docking bay to head to his personal corridors.

The room was large and dark, dim lights illuminated dark obsidian walls, a quiet lonely place, mostly empty save for a large recuperation cube and a few counters and a large window.

The air was stagnant with disuse, and the melancholy emptiness reminded Al-an of why he hated the room so much...

Nevertheless it would serve his needs for now, from what he had come to understand, Al-an doubted Robin would appreciate him enacting his little experiment within the public common spaces...

Yet he did wonder what her reaction would be...

Either way it was imperative he attempted to rectify the situation and quickly as his focus was severely impacted whilst in this state...

The only other time Al-an had attempted such an act proved unpleasant in the least, more bothersome than anything.

While physical stimulus had indeed provided the desired results eventually, reluctance and unmotivation made this duty a strenuous and time consuming one when demanded of an unwilling precursor...

That was not to say there were no willing candidates within the network, there were quite a few individuals more than eager to aid him in this burden.. yet he turned a blind eye to their advances, this was not an experience he cared to share with the network or anyone at the time...

The scientist simply sought to expedite the occasion all together so he may return to more progressive projects, the fact he had to pull his attention away from such responsibilities to begin with was more than exasperating..

Back then he was so disgruntled with the whole ordeal that he never took a moment to consider his superior's temperance or passive manipulation, she had courted him long and made her demands as insistant as their species's thirst for progression...

He was unsure if his indifference in the face of her affections held any relevance to their pairing..but thinking back on it.

He wondered if she had requested him in particular to sire her seed.

In truth, this realization wouldn't have bothered him so much in the past, no it didn't matter past duty in his eyes..

Yet... The more Al-an considered Robin's words, the more it began to irritate the poor architect, it seemed the longer he abstained from collective thought the further he was fated to drift away from the harmony of their idealisms...

Perhaps it was for the best? maybe he wouldn't even seek to realign within its collective chords once they restored the network..

Would he reject their symphony and cut ties with them altogether, would they ever allow him such a freedom?

There was always the possibility of banishment for his transgressions against his people..

It was a troubling revelation..

But not as world consuming as it had once seemed, he had survived weeks upon millenia within the sanctuary of his own mind then alongside his human, and with Robin's guidance he was learning to navigate the world and understand it as an individual and not simply a singular thread upon a silken tarp.

There was much to gain from such freedom, but would it bring the same fulfillment as an existence within the network...?

Al-an sighed softly, existence was so confusing sometimes.

This was not the time to consider such heavy odds, quickly he discarded the dark trail of consideration with a silent promise to come back to it at a more convenient time, he would not request Robin's opinion on the matter, she was wise but not without flaws...insecurities.

No doubt his precious human would believe she had tainted his mind and resolve, opposed to providing him with the priceless insight she had selflessly bestowed..

The insight he needed to compare and consider his own future, a thousand and more years of worry for little past his people, his network and obligate duty..

He had lived a vast life, seen countless worlds fall and rise, civilizations come into fruition and fall to ruin.. And yet it feels as if in Robin's fleeting fraction of an existence she had experienced far more than he could ever have hoped to..

Perhaps that is what attracted him so, was it natural for him to feel such a way?

He had never felt want so profoundly, it was never far from overwhelming, yet this emotion... it was his and his alone, spurred from his thoughts and his desires..

There was a difference between being ordered to dispondantly spawn offspring and breeding with the one he had grown to love, namely the urge to want to do it, there was no duty urging him to pursue Robin like he often had.

Not simply past the desire to do it, to be near her, to touch and validate, irrationally his mind often drifted back to his little human even when his mind was thoroughly preoccupied, there was never a moment he actively wanted to be alone..

The architect couldn't help his mind drifting back to the moments they shared moments ago..

He would take what Robin would allow him to, and then more if he could, his appetite for her was only growing and it was fastly becoming difficult for the architect to care about his human's new companions presence over his swiftly escalating carnal wants.

He could still taste her, the salt of her skin flooding the taste receptors on his claws, the pheromones of interest and apprehension radiating from her trembling body, the direct results of his actions, not only was his precious human fragile but so very vulnerable to his touch.

A simple revelation that the precursor enjoyed far too much, the thrill was almost akin to that of hunting, yet he felt no impulse to harm his little human, but to say he wasn't hungering for her would be simple denial.

Al-an hardly realized he had started purring as excitement coursed through his tired vessel, it flooded his synthetic veins like ice creeping through underwater vents, pleasant and gratifying.

Still, the architect recognized allowing his emotions to ran rampant should be avoided at all cost, as it could very well set him back to square one should he misstep, he needed to dilute this urge before in manifested in such a way that would displease his human, this acknowledgement is what brought the architect's mind back to the subject at hand.

Robin had mentioned that human's used sex or even masturbation as means of quick relief...

Ever since a certain incident involving dressing his human the architect had been curious about this statement..

Already his state of fluster ignites eagerly, projecting itself pale and cerulean across his dark vessel, the color is new, a year's familiarity leaves it still very alien to him, but Al-an recognised the colors of his interest all the same...

He had witnessed similar hues on others of his network many times, but never marring the hide of his own vessel..this time he does little to desaturate the beckoning, there was little reason to hide his rampant desire.

He would not need to inquire about her statement's vaildility as the architect sought to find out for himself, he felt little shame about what he was about to do, or that the architect would use his companion to do it...

ROBIN:

The consciouses chased Robin's finger around the glass, bobbing about excitedly, the cute little things were practically beaming under her attention. It was really adorable..

She couldn't help but wonder what these ecstatic little lights would be like once they had their new vessels.

Robin personally hoped it was nothing like her architect, whilst she adored him she recognised a lot of his reserved nature was trained into the poor architect, hell he was technically reared to be a scientist no say in the matter...

Speaking of Al-an she definitely forgot to ask him if he suspected there was any connection between the protein Ryley was producing and Adelphi's pearlescent water phenomenon..

Ideally she should probably do that before she runs into the hermit, despite Ryley's brave facade she could easily see the man had been through a whirlwind and some, and the scars were still evident no matter how hard he tried to hide them, they wouldn't upset him unless it was true and he needed to know..

mischievously she blows a kiss to the pleased little consciouses only to laugh quietly as they quickly devolved into another distracted bickering match over the action's meaning.

Quickly she slipped off, she needed to follow up with Al-an and fast!

Robin promises herself this as she sets off to seek her architect out, ignorant to the fact that when she finds him she will most definitely forget that she intended to ask this question...

Chapter Text

ROBIN:

The doorway is much like her own, Robin finds herself momentarily surprised the scanner allowed her entrance to his personal corridors.

Al-an had informed her long ago that the doors only allowed those intended, but this did make sense as her architect had indeed requested her company in the past..

Still this knowledge made her heart flutter in odd and stupid ways...

"Yikes, your room is really...um dark Al, I can see what you meant about it being a little unnerving, maybe you should add some lights in here..? Brighten the place up a bit.." The researcher rambled.

While Robin was aware that precursors did not require any light to navigate the worlds around them, Robin suggests this anyways, recalling the reason Al-an had admitted was the source of his aversion to his own personal space.

While the room itself was not as clinically dry, nor claustrophobia inducingly small like the temple housing the failing storage medium, its nearly barren surfaces still harbored a heavy air of melancholy and Robin couldn't begin to phantom why.

She immediately realized she was right to decline the architect's offer for a more spacious room, while the room itself was simplistic boasting very little personal belongings, there was still much wide empty space to be filled that no doubt would go neglected.

Hell, Robin wouldn't even begin to know what to do with all that space.

Still it was beautiful in a quiet thoughtful kind of way that made her think of him, the sparse dim lights reflected off the floor set an air of elegance to the room, much of the light crept in from a large glass visor taking up half the room's wall.

Outside she could watch as stars and debris drifted by within the tunnel they coasted, and the blazing atmospheric silt of Marighettis, easily Robin could envision Al-an resting here, watching the galaxy with apt curiosity and open wonder...

But she doubted the architect would idle in here long...not on his own.

Which begged the question of why he retreated here to begin with..?

In all honesty Robin's curiosity was peaked the moment he had announced it, she wondered why he had decided to squirrel away in here so suddenly, she couldn't help but worry as her architect was never one to voice his weaknesses, if something was wrong she would have to little options but to pry it out of the stubborn mule!

Not unless of course it was a silly ploy to garner her forgiveness when the two were not on speaking terms...

"Hey Al.. Is everything okay..?" Robin called out worriedly as the researcher ventured further into the dim room.

It wasn't hard to locate her companion leaning against the glass in the further corner of the dim room, his oddly anxious biolights blazed an inviting hue of watery teal each time she called out to him, it gave the poor architect away like a neon beacon which was kind of hilariously endearing.

Robin mused fondly about how her architect had previously bragged that they were so great at camouflage, initially the train of thought amused her but only until Robin's mind slowed to a dead stop as she approached her architect and subsequently taking note of the soft but definitely incriminating sounds her companion was issuing with amounting realization..

"A-Al-an..? Wh-Oh..." The words died in her mouth as her brain grinded to a halt.

Al-an was sitting comfortably, his back and shoulder leaning against the window, he would have looked innocently peaceful however the tense set of the precursors hunched shoulders and the fact that he was determinedly bucking his hips into his clasped claw gave little skepticisms to what her precursor was in the middle of doing..

There was a moment of disbelief, as Robin's wide eyes flitted over the no doubt aroused and actively jerking off alien, and okay now everything made sense, her companion had retreated to whack the weasel and Robin had walked right in on him like a damn idiot...

And oh hell that weasel was..oh dear, Robin should have averted her eyes..but she couldn't.

From what Robin could see of his sleek large member, it was indeed quite impressive and even more intimidating if Robin was being completely honest, it was nothing like she assumed, but what did she expect?

She knew he wouldn't have a human cock..but to see the member's mass violently pulsing with excitement in his grasp was..daunting.

it pulsed with anxious teal streaks of aggressive light as it coiled and writhed restlessly within the precursor's unyielding grip, it wasn't the first time she wondered if the insides of her companion would glow, but Robin feels her questions have inadvertently been answered..

Because his semi translucent cock seemed to definitely be glowing more than the rest of the precursor's vessel, even his excitement that leaked down the architect's claws were aglow, rivulets of luminescent streaks, his predictably aglow body was dim save for odd pale blue ripples coursing through his vessel in a almost mesmerizing unison.

A color Al-an had flared only fleetingly in Robin's presence earlier..

Robin was so shell shocked she could hardly stop to resist her inner researcher assesing her architect's sexual habits and flee before he took notice of her.

Unfortunately Robin would never be so lucky especially when dealing with an alien with superior senses, this unfortunate conclusion is realized when Al-an sluggishly turns to stare dead at her, Robin feels her lungs shrivel up within her chest under his scrutiny.

There was a moment of awkward silence as Robin desperately tried to force life into her brain so that she could muster up an explanation for her presence and accidental intrusion...

But surprisingly Al-an beats her to it...

"Robin..?" It was all the poor architect could get out between his incomprehensible strings of appreciative grunts and hisses.

Apparently he was experiencing difficulties juggling language barriers and pleasure, yet still the poor precursor tries nevertheless, however it's not long before he gives up attempting to greet the researcher, instead a needy groan overtook the alien, his stroking never ceasing but definitely picking up in vigor..

"I...i-I" the flustered researcher babbled, her mind screaming at her to flee the confrontation that wasn't really that...

Robin couldn't.

Abort! abort! abort!

The spell of paralysis was finally shattered when her architect groaned again, his thrusts taking on a slower but almost violent intensity as he chased the pleasing stimuli, light leaks from in between his twiching claws, overflowing and trailing down his thighs.

A deep purr filled the room, the sound was enough to jolt her out of her trance enough to take a step back.

It was physically difficult to tear her gaze away from the aroused alien before her..

It was almost as if she was mesmerized by the odd but pleasant light pattern flickering over his dark vessel, she was slow to realize more likely than not this particular pattern was an intimate display of courtship, and she was just standing there gawking at it...

Warnings like aggressive sirens blaring in her ears to act, she took another uncertain step back..then quickly Robin fled, red faced and beyond embarrassed!

shit shit fiddlesticks!

Robin fled without so much as a coherent excuse...

She finds herself hiding in the empty wash room, the sound of constant water trickling over glassy stone pillars was more than grounding..

Why was she hiding? Robin would ask herself, but the answer wasn't at all hard to deduce.

It was because she was an fucking idiot and couldn't phantom how to face her alien companion after gawking at him jerk off!

She could hardly calm her heart from hammering within her chest.

Oh god, how will she live this one down, hell! what would she even say to him?! It's not like they were on earth and he was just some guy she could easily avoid by walking the other way, this was Al-an!

He would want to talk to her about it, and would actively seek her out if she tried some bullshit like avoiding him..not that the idea of avoiding him appeals to her in any way beyond avoiding the beyond embarrassing subject....

Frankly, why should she be embarrassed anyways..? In truth Al-an has had his claws on her breasts far more than anyone in the past ten years!

COMBINED!

...but she also didn't get out much so the point was pretty much moot, and what if he was upset? What if he wasn't? She didn't know which possibility was more unnerving!

Oh god..

She shouldn't have left like that..

She should have said something, anything!.

"Ugh! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!"

"Robin...?"

RYLEY:

"Ugh! Stupid stupid stupid!"

Ryley's eyes narrowed as the researcher's shaken voice broke the tranquility of the washroom, it didn't take him long to spot her sitting alone in the shadow of one of the obsidian pillars just out of the water's lapping reach.

Her head was resting against her folded knees as she quietly fussed and grumbled to herself in frustration, it was obvious the disgruntled researcher was upset about something that took place whilst he was bathing.

Ryley wasn't certain if she was barating herself or it was something else entirely but he didn't hesitate to start making his way through the water to the distressed researcher's side.

Considering what he had witnessed hours earlier.. Ryley wouldn't be surprised if Robin's distress was closely linked to the alien she cohabitated with..

"Hey, Robin...why the long face..?"

She jumped with a start, when he surfaced in front of her, and internally Ryley cringed at his botched up social skills only then realizing approaching the researcher half unaddressed was probably a recipe for an awkward conversation, but there was little he could do to change that now, so instead he quickly moved to assure the startled women.

"Sorry! Did I startle you..? surfacing gracefully is something I never really mastered...are you..okay?"

Ryley asked softly, watching as the researcher deflated, however the poor hermit wasn't prepared to witness a flustered Robin and found himself dumbstruck when he sees her flush deer in the headlights face as she took in his current state of undress and quickly scrambled to apologize for her intrusion.

"Ah! Ryley! You're naked! Damn.. Of course you are, your bathing! I'm sorry i-I didn't realize the wash room was in use!" Robin's flustered squeak made the hermit's eyes narrow.

Well shit...

Again he had to swallow the sinking realization that Robin was fucking adorable..especially when she scrambled for an excuse, it took a moment for Ryley to realize he probably should speak up and save the poor fretting woman from herself.

"It's fine I was just soaking my fins for a bit, no harm no foul...what's got you so anxious?" He pried again leaning further out of the water to study the researcher, his eyes silently scanning her visage for evidence of what he had witnessed hours earlier.

Unfortunately for Ryley, Robin was now donning her casual biosuit opposed to the casual night set she had worn recently, this was unfortunate as this suit left little bare skin visible to the eye save for her neck, which lacked any distinct sign of scars or bruising much to his surprised confusion...

Was he imagining what he witnessed earlier, did..he perhaps misinterpreted what he saw..

Robin completely looked fine, if not a little disgruntled...

"Well that's relieving... Still I should have checked beforehand, I've just been a little distracted lately and it seems I keep making silly screw ups, but i-it was nothing really i just...ugh..did something stupid. By the way, how are your gills feeling..?

Robin huffed flustardly, running her fingers through her hair, an act Ryley recognized was to defuse stress.

"They felt a little odd earlier, but they feel alot better now that they are wet again.." Ryley ran a brisk nail over the gills marrying his neck, loathing the feeling of the smooth scales splattering the skin around them, it was true soaking them helped, but he couldn't help but notice they felt oddly silky as of late..

"Oh well, that's an improvement, do you mind if I feel them?"

"What..?"

"Can I examine your gills?"

"Oh..sure I guess..." Seconds later he finds her soft hands tracing the spined fins lining his fragile gill slits, her gentle hands are more warmer than his own, and to his horror he finds himself forced to suffocate the impulse to lean into the inviting touch.

They've never felt like that before what the fuck?!

"How's that feel any pain..? I think it's important we learn how you adapt to a dryer environment, if your body starts to acclimate poorly, there's a chance we may have to relocate you to the moon pool bay where it's damper." Robin worries oblivious to the hermit's hammering pulse or inner dilemma.

"Oh..ah..no, it..it feels ni-Fine! It feels fine!" Ryley babbled, averting his pale gaze to the water lapping at his waist.

"Hm, I'm going to go out on a limb and hypothesize that these guys are somehow connected to your nervous system, the fact that they react to your reflexes and impulses lead me to suspect their more then just growths Ryley, that said you could have really hurt yourself trying to dock them without a proper surgical procedure, and more importantly there is the likelihood that these appendages could be capable of regrowth."

Robin pointed out as her fingers gently traced the membrane lining his almost completely healed fin..and it felt godly..

But Ryley had to focus! In truth her hypothesis made a lot of sense, it hadn't been so long since the hermit had butchered them, they should not have healed as efficiently or expediently as they had..it was almost as if Ryley had hardly taken the knife to them at all..

"So..you don't think I can get rid of them..?" Ryley failed to hide the confusing emotion of dejection he was feeling at the dawning realization.

"I'm not certain, still i wouldn't get my hopes down just yet, but just between you and me, i wouldn't be in too much of a hurry to get rid of something many of us would need an air tank to achieve, so far there is little adverse effects to having these guys past your dislike for them Ry, which is understandable, but i don't think they look as bad as you think they do..."

She gave him a sympathetic smile, a smile that bloomed into an amused snort when the fins on the flustard hermit's neck flared on their own accord much to his internal dismay.

"Thanks..I-I think I needed to hear that..." Ryley mumbled, quickly pulling away and smoothing a hand over the wayward fins, squashing them flat against his neck.

The question of his humanity once again arose from the back of his mind, beckoning the hermit to question how far he had stepped from the man he once was before 4546B..

Still Robin was right..the gills, they had saved him on more than one occasion the engineer had found himself in a tight spot..

"it's nothing, trust me if ya girl had gills like those, I wouldn't have to put up with Al-an recounting that one time i almost successfully drowned us both." Robin snorted.

"What do you mean successfully, Wait.. should i even ask..?"

"No, you probably shouldn't... but I'll clarify anyway! Technically I did pass out but I mean we managed to wash up on the beach! So no harm no foul right? Just some minor hypothermia, but Al-an was furious and rightfully so i guess...but now he never lets me live that one down!" Robin huffed irritatedly.

"so..was that the mistake you made earlier about Al-an, is he mad at you? Are you two okay...?"

Ryley asked, trying his damndest to make the inquiry sound as neutral as possible, only now he realized the woman had completely derailed his earlier line of questioning and shifted the subject completely, yet unfortunately the mention of her previously disgruntled state seemed to make the researcher clam up instantly.

A fact that only solidified the engineer's suspicions.

"Err no..Al-an..he's fine, here I'll have another look at those fins tonight, for now I'll leave you to your soaking..thanks for your concern though Ry, but it's just nonsensical matters really." She reaffirms quickly, standing to take her leave but apparently in her haste Robin hadn't taken note of the puddle near her feet, forming from the hermit's less than graceful surfacing.

Of course Robin slips, but there's little beautiful about it, no romantic slow motion haze, no fanfare...

Just Robin screeching like a dying cat and the hermit inturn screams like a peeper on helium.

Ryley scrambles to catch her but instead catches a face full of elbow, his yelp of pain is quickly drowned out by the obnoxious splash of disturbed water as the two scramble and ultimately fail to recover their balance before falling, they breach the surface quickly followed by a fit coughing and hacking as the the poor researcher struggled to right herself.

"Ow ow owwww!"

"Oh my god Ryley are you okay?!??!" Robin exclaims swimming over to worriedly check him over.

Luckily he would survive with little more than a bruise.

"Well, I'm not bleeding so that's something but please never use those things as a weapon, it wouldn't be fair to your victims..." The hermit groaned miserably, glancing at her elbow.

"You wouldn't be the first to fall prey to them.." Robin snorted softly as she turned to pull herself out of the water with fluint ease.

"Okay I'm out, no more elbows, enjoy your bath Ry!

"Robin, wait!"

Ryley's voice puts a halt to her retreat as he called out to her before the hermit even realized he had done it...

"Sup..?" The researcher asked, turning to stare down at him curiously.

For a moment Ryley internally panicked, the words stuck in his throat like glue..

"I..i..Do...do you wanna maybe swim with me sometime..? Despite my squad being marines and good and what they did..they all swam like one legged hoverfish so it's been a while since we had a good race.." He laughed nervously, looking anywhere but the woman in front of him.

The endless days of cpr and survival float classes was a fond one for the hermit, but if Ryley was to be completely honest with himself, they were all lost causes when it came to water.

Still their talents shone in other situations...Like mine retrieval missions and strip poker...now that he thought about it..he still never got those shorts back..

"Sure, sounds fun, I could use a swim or two, can't be getting rusty! I doubt 4545B will be the only waterworld we discover before this trek is over.." Robin called over her shoulder as she left.

He tries to stop himself from starring after her but fails miserably.

ROBIN:

Robin certainty does not spend the rest of the quiet afternoon slinking around the ship, nor does she find herself carefully peeking around corners in hopes of spotting her glowing companion before he sighted her first..

To be frank, It was a slim chance as supposedly Al-an's senses were far superior then that of a human being's but perhaps if she was far enough...

No she wasn't avoiding Al-an! Robin just wanted to be prepared if she saw him...

That's all...right?

Right!

There was a terrifying moment when Robin peeked into the navigation room, attempting to scope the area out when the doors behind her suddenly opened, and the poor woman nearly left the detachable tail she didn't even possess in the first place, all in a bid to dash behind the consciouses's emergency tank.

The tank pulsed a vibrant green at her presence but Robin hardly gave the precursors trapped within a single glance as she peeked out cautiously, only to lock eyes with a befuddled fish man's pale gaze!

Jesus! This guy got around, the man was everywhere today! Robin cringed internally realizing just how conspicuous she must have appeared to the poor man..

"Okay.. you're not going to tell me that 'This'-e Ryley gestured to her haphazard state before continuing.

"Is you still hiding from that silly thing you mentioned earlier right..?" Ryley scowled.

"Uh..not really..?" Robin tried, but the hermit simply gave her an unimpressed once over, one of his thick eyebrows raising skeptically.

"I'm calling bullshit, now spill it, what's ruffled the robin's feathers?" Ryley asked smarmyly leaning over to rest his elbows on the terminal, his soft voice edged with exasperation and intrigue. Apparently she was far more obvious then she hoped to be...

At least the engineer was fully dressed now, up until now she assumed the majority of his mutations manifested around his upper regions and extremities.. she never realized the man possessed fins that low on his body and possibly his nether regions..

Scales and fragile fins seemed to frame the dip of his pelvis, trailing out of sight and beyond any rightful thought...

Nope she wasn't going to ponder that, she had seen more than enough for a few days...

Robin hadn't intended on intruding on his bath, and still felt kind of bad about it, despite his assurances there was something odd lingering in the man's eyes.

An odd pleased look whenever she engaged him…

It was weird…

With a huff Robin quickly swatted half heartedly at the frustrating man..

"Ugh, really it's nothing, I told you that already! I'm just looking for Al-an.." She smoothly deflected, quickly pulling away from the tank before he accidentally touched it whilst not paying attention, still the hermit seemed suspicious.

"I haven't seen him about for a bit...but are you sure..?" He asked softly, suddenly leaning in closer to her, his voice abruptly taking on a more serious tone, something Robin took note of as she nodded in confused assurance but quickly decided not to bring attention to such a pantomime.

While Ryley's playful proding seemed innocent enough, Robin couldn't help but feel he seemed somewhat, far more..aware in a sense, as if he was suddenly on edge about something, and whatever this was it seemed to still be bothering the man and yet he mentioned nothing of it, signs like the one Robin had just witnessed were easy to read.

But only because Ryley wasn't aware of the cracks in his facade.

Perhaps the impending landing was making him apprehensive as well. Robin didn't know, but quickly planned to talk to Al-an about keeping a closer eye on the hermit.

"I know I'm prying but can you blame me..? You've been acting odd and I'm just worried that's all.." Ryley admits finally, for a moment the man's facade buckled, and Robin glimpsed the weariness of the older man hiding behind the mask of snark.

"I'm fine Ryley, really if I ever need help, you and Al-an will be the first I turn to, okay..? Besides, being odd is the norm in this place.." Robin sighed softly as Ryley looked away but remained quiet.

She felt bad for her bluntness but she also hoped he finally picked up on the hint that she didn't want, or need his concern.

Perhaps she should change the subject, the researcher considered this as she straightened up to fix her disheveled clothes, but beside her the tank pulsed again, insistently as if attempting to draw the researcher's attention towards them.

The little shits aren't even trying to be subtle about it, the more Robin tried to act oblivious to their silent cry for attention the brighter the tank flashed.

"So, What is that thing exactly..?" Ryley asked curiously, tilting his head towards the tank housing the obnoxious little shits, probably hoping to lead the conversation to a less intensive subject, but ultimately oblivious to the fact that his innocent inquiry just added more strain on the researcher.

Robin's brain ran a mile a minute trying to formulate a believable explanation.

"It's precursor technology, it...shows us Al-an's mood, among many other things.."

"Is it dangerous?"

"Yes! Vary! Trust me you don't want to mess around with it, contact could kill you, so try to stay away from it, we let Al handle that stuff.. Okay?"

Robin explained quickly, leading the hermit away as the tank sputtered with an agitated yellow color again, the hermit in turn was silent as he mulled over her explanation.

"Huh..I thought it was some kind of weird alien communication device or something..."

"Nope, but we do have one of those in the storage rooms, what gave you that impression..?" Robin asked, a sharp brow raising confusedly.

"...I don't know, I guess i just kind of assumed..." Ryley mused picking at his overgrown nails.

"Don't worry, we'll give you a more thorough introduction to the tech on the ship, and what said tech does once we get to Pettracore." Robin promised.

It was a promise she fully intended to fulfill as soon as possible, but only once they were safely on Pettracore, and in an ideal environment that the hermit could safely depart if he refused to aid them further after discovering the truth.

She liked Ryley well enough, he was oddly..quirky and considerate past his morbidly cynical outlook on some things, but Robin still wasn't completely certain how the inarguably traumatized man would react when she explained to him that they intended to restore the species that was responsible for the outbreak of 4546B, and subsequently involved in the death of his crew and destruction of his chance at life on earth..

It would be a hard pill for him to swallow, Robin didn't have to put herself in his shoes to recognise this...

And while Al-an's warning about waiting to come clean still weighed heavy on the researcher's mind, Robin was not about to recklessly run her mouth and risk potential sabotage from within no matter how much she liked Ryley, nor would the bitter taste of her deceit sway her decision.

Conscience be damned.

"Won't I need to know my way around the ship's internal systems if I'm going to be repairing it..?" Ryley scowled, and Robin nodded, glad that her and Al-an talked this over beforehand.

"Al-an will pull up a translated guide on the general workings and how they work, anything you don't understand he will explain, but it might be a little tricky as this ship isn't designed by architects or humans, it's pretty much scraps from both as any tech Al-an pilfered from their stores, so you may have to implement some free thought here and there to tie up loose ends.."

"Great, I'm pretty certain I can handle that." The hermit assured without complaint, for this Robin was thankful.

She knew full well Ryley wasn't pleased with being stuck with her architect again, but likely recognized his attempt at creating an artificial power source compatible with the ship would have a higher chance at success if he had a proper guide.

And who better than the one who built it..?

"Thanks Ryley...I really mean it, if this works we could get there in no time."
Ryley just smiled as he followed her into the observatory, it was a soft thing that hardly managed to reach the man's eyes.

Robin couldn't help but wonder if the hermit would forgive him, when her ambitions become transparent..

Oddly enough Robin hoped the quirky but sweet engineer would..

Hours drift by with little sight of her architect, was he still jerking off?!?!

Every second that tics by reminds Robin of Al-an's offhand comment regarding the obscene length of his specie's sex drives..

No nope she's not letting her brain go down that path!

Instead Robin focuses on what she will say to him, it was obvious a talk was indeed due but there was no sign of the architect leaving his corridors and hell if she was going back in there…

Robin finds herself spending much of the evening with Ryley, the hermit was quite chatty when he was comfortable, endlessly pelting her with questions about the colder regions of planet 4546B and Al-an's home world, no doubt the man harbored a love for geography...but as welcome a distraction he was, all too soon Ryley eventually retreats back to the dark depths of his room leaving her to her own deviances, seriously did the man ever use the lights?

Surely he knew they were there..?

Robin made a mental note to remind the hermit next time he emerged from his little cave.

Robin idled indecisively with little to do but retire for the night and rest up for their upcoming departure, but a restless mind seemed to make that nearly impossible, tomorrow would be allocated to preparation and safety protocols.

Something Robin would like to focus on with a clear mind..but that wouldn't happen if she didn't clear the air with her architect before the next day...

She waits patiently until she's certain Ryley won't come back for any reason before she slowly creeps over to her architect's room, she intends to place her ear against the door to see if she could hear anything, maybe he maybe fell asleep or was still doing...

That...

But to her horror the door responded to her proximity and opened on its own, allowing a flabbergasted researcher to stumble into the room.

She quickly raised an apology on the tip of her tongue..only to stop as she realized the large dim room seemed completely empty..

Hesitantly she looked around, her fingers trailing over the obsidian ridges of the walls.

There was no sign of Al-an..

But then where was he?!

Robin's brows furrowed in confusion as she wandered out to search the docking bay only to come up short.

Maybe he was embarrassed and actively avoiding her too...?

The thought made her feel kind of bad, what if he was just as anxious as she was?! Maybe she should give him space until morning? Let him get his thoughts together and they could talk it over...

Still she couldn't help the confused feeling of dejection filling her chest as she wandered back to her room.

Robin would have spent a good portion of the night contemplating ways to assure him everything was fine, but quickly found she would need to contemplate much faster.

"Al-an!"

She hadn't expected to see her companion for the rest of the night, let alone sitting within her room, resting his head against the side of her bed!

Al-an wasn't sleeping, his attention shifted to her as soon as she stepped in, behind her the door slides shut far quicker then they normally would, in the short time it takes for the researcher to glance at the power draining from the door's mechanical frame, Al-an has already risen and closed the space between the two.

Robin finds herself cornered between the door and her large glowing companion.

She found with his imposing form and arm blocking her path there were little opportunities to abscond the situation especially since he disabled the door...

No, Robin would have to talk her way out of this one, already she felt his mind, pressing insistently against her own, the impulse invasive and possessive, it echoes his thirst to breach her mind.

"AL-AN!? W-what are you doing in here?!"

"I wanted to check on you, and your room was a location you were certain to visit eventually, so i waited for you...please talk to me.." Al-an admitted, leaning forward, but then pulling away as if he actively decided against the impulse to touch her..

"Oh..I see." Robin stammered trying to recall the words she decided were best, but in the heat of the moment finding her mind uselessly blank.

"You visited my corridors.." Al-an acknowledged.

"Yeah...about that.." God she could hardly look him in the face!

"It is unfortunate that you departed so quickly, Did my actions upset you Robin...?" Her architect inquired, his horns tilting ever so slightly, Robin couldn't tell if he was upset or not that she had literally walked in on him vigorously...going at it.

His biolights lights were unfairly neutral and voice apathetic.

"I...no, I-I was just really unprepared to see that Al-an.." Robin admitted.

"This is relieving..still, i wish you had lingered longer, I would have assured you...that your presence was well received and welcomed..however you fled while I was still preoccupied..." Al-an pointed out softly, a claw raising to gently brush against her face.

Was he flirting? It was hard to tell with how soft spoken Al-an was...yet

There was something oddly bewitching about her architect, and Robin couldn't quite pinpoint exactly what it was that was making him feel so magnetic...but she felt it nonetheless, beckoning her to him like a gravitational pull, passive yet too persistent to be ignored..

Admittedly Al-an's words were said with the intentions to sooth her, however the unsaid implications whether intentional or not only made the poor researcher more flustered as she recounted the incident.

This Al-an noticed easily, an amused trill escaping her companion before he finally leaned down, pressing his warm face against her temple, an act of pleased innocent affection, she doesn't shrink away from his touch, it feels of assurance, gratification and affection.

Together they idle like this, until her architect slowly begins to pull away.

"I will be within the wash room if you require assistance..."

"Al-an..wait, i..i wanted to say that I was sorry i walked in on you, I should have knocked.." She fumbles as her companion tilts his horns curiously down at her..

"There is no reason to apologize Robin, I've previously invited you into my corridors, and this offer still stands." Al-an assures her easily, his voice calm and whimsically airy.

"I know but you were.. A-And I intru-"

"We do not hold the same sense of reservation as your species Robin, the only reason i chose a more secluded environment was simply in acknowledgement of your tolerance regarding such modesties, in reality I have no objections to your observance of my intimate experimentation or habits, but if such discussions make you uncomfortable do not feel obliged to humor me..."

"Oh no!..No it's fine, if you want to talk about that we can do that when we get back!" Robin assured him far too hurriedly to fully process what it was she had just agreed to.

Her architect made a low airy clicking noise but she wasn't one hundred percent certain what it meant as her companion did not share what was on his mind, instead the architect remained silent as he studied her.

"I guess it was a little embarrassing for me at least, walking in on you like that, I still kinda feel as if i should still apologize..you were experimenting..?" Robin asked tentatively to which her companion gave a brisk nod.

"Yes..you've previously mentioned that masturbation can be used as a means for humans to defuse excess stress, I wanted to find out myself if this theory would be the same for my species as well..perhaps it may help me improve my focus." Al-an explained causually as he drifted to a stop before the washroom, idling within the doorway to acknowledge his overly flustered human companion.

Al-an was too nonchalant about the whole situation, of course he was! It looked as if her architect hadn't minded her walking in on him in the least!

"Al, you know I meant like...Sexual tension..right? I mean it does help decompress..but-"

"I am aware..." The architect confirms with the air of finality before politely slipping away... perhaps he still felt dirty from his brush with experimentation or...

No! no! no! No Robin! Robin shook her head in a desperate attempt to dislodge the flood of lewd thoughts threatening to fill her mind in his absence, she didn't want to think about what she had seen, and especially not in that way!

Things like this were bound to happen eventually, especially with three individuals all sharing an enclosed space, someone was bound to witness something they shouldn't.

But...He didn't even falter, in fact she only located the architect by the way his vessel flared that vibrant tortoise at the sound of her voice...

Would Al-an have allowed her to stay and observe had she not fled his room..? He said he wouldn't mind...

The thought was...kind of appealing to both sexual and scientific aspects of Robin's jumbled mess of a mind.

Her mind traitorously drifts back the heavy breathing filling his room, she should have picked up on it long before she had, as they usually breathe through their skin Al-an had explained this...but with the vigor he was using behind those thrusts, it made sense her architect had to compensate...

Robin couldn't stop her thoughts from fixating on the way he was shuddering in need each time he rolled harshly into his own claw.

Her architect was definitely determined...

The haunch of his shoulders almost majestic, and the downright sinful groan her architect huffed when she spotted him had her seeing red, she couldn't help but compare to each time her companion had pinned her under his weight.

Would he have taken her that night if she had stayed, sighed against her neck as he forced her down onto his-

Oh..not that recurring thought..or was it a fantasy? She wasn't certain anymore, ever since that night there was an obvious edge to their relationship, and Robin often felt she was just shy of drowning beneath the currents of this sexual tension.

Robin couldn't help but face the inherent recognition that the traitorous thought was a dangerous turn on, nor had she been discouraging her architect's increasingly intimate advances..

Only reinforcing the fact that yes, she likely would have ended up letting Al-an screw her brains out if that's what he was after, but also that her companion had recently been so sexually frustrated he had resorted to blowing off steam on his own..

And while he claimed it was experimental intrigue that provoked him, he had also confirmed by ommisson that he had indeed been sexually fustrated, this would only satiate him for so long..

It was becoming blazingly obvious that Robin would have to address sooner or later, because there was really no mistaking the fact that Al-an had been actively courting her and she was pretty certain the architect intended to have sex with her at some point..

The way his lights beckoned her towards him, in a way it was...almost as if he was offering himself to her, a dangerous offering..

No no no! This... It's not good! Robin thought frantically, realizing she had been staring at the washroom door motionless, her heart hammering as lewd thoughts and anxiety consumed her alive..

She shouldn't allow this to happen, it might be a big mistake for both of them, she wasn't ignorant to the fact that Al-an saw her as his savior, a catalyst to a breakthrough, dawn to a long stagnant despair...

Hope...

And this was fine, but was it healthy for a relationship, and was he properly distinguishing their obvious affections for each other between such confusing aspects as love and gratitude and admiration?!

What if he comes to this realization after they restore the other's vessels, what if they seem more compatible or convenient candidates compared to a mate who could possibly die within a fraction of his lifespan..?!

Thoughts like this made her stomach cramp with anxiety, between such intrusive fears and traitorous thoughts Robin wasn't getting any sleep before touchdown..

Would she even want to be his err girlfriend?...Mate? Al-an never really delved too far into the relationship dynamics of his kind, still she had recalled he mentioned his disinterest in courting…

But if he was interested in that…shouldn't they talk about it at least..? The thought was terribly distressing.

Maybe Al-an was simply looking for an outlet to blow off steam and recognized her as a viable option..but would he see the others this way, and would he attempt to court them as well once they had their own storage mediums?

This...this thought irritates Robin.

RYLEY:

Ryley laid in bed pondering the events of the day, his fingers idly stroking the smooth surface of the drone perched on his chest, Paco had immediately crawled up his leg and claimed a spot on his chest the second the hermit shut the door behind him.

Normally he was intolerant of the pest's bullshit but Paco. Was different, she wasn't like the rest of the little savages living under his bed, the ones who almost took his toe off the other night, she was actually pleasant to hold and often came to him when he needed her opposed to when he wanted her..alot like a cat...

And the hermit happened to love felines...

Overhead he could see stars streaking past a bright illuminated sky, and couldn't help the chill that ghosted up his spin as the weight of reality settled in.

The planet's proximity made the dark space around the ship almost look as if it were the early dawn sky of earth, but Ryley recognized this was untrue.

Still It was beautiful nonetheless.

He wondered what Marighettis would be like, personally Ryley hoped it wouldn't be another waterlogged world, the hermit has had more than his fill of water, somewhere sunny with a decent weather balance would be a nice change of pace.

but not even Robin seemed to know what to expect, and it wasn't as if he was going to ask Al-an..

Especially not after what the hermit thinks he witnessed..

Which is what brought his wandering mind back to the subject at hand, there was something odd going on, yet he couldn't begin to piece together what, the tank...

It wasn't just some irrelevant piece of equipment, Al-ab guarded it diligently, as if his life depended on it, and who were those strange voices that spoke to him?!

Definitely didn't sound like some kind of monitoring device nor did the voices Ryley heard sound anything like the precursor he was sharing space with...

He originally intended to tell her about the incident involving touching it, but after hearing the contradicting information she provided him with he wasn't certain what he should do anymore..

At least not yet..

Was it simply a mistake or she had purposely led him astray with misinformation...?

And why was she hiding from Al-an..? It was quite obvious something happened between the two despite her insistent denial.

Ugh why did everything have to be so confusing...

Fuck it, he would just have to touch the damn thing again and find out for himself!

Robin mentioned it was dangerous which may have been true but Ryley had touched it before and survived..

There was still the likelihood Robin was under the precursor's thrall or simply didn't trust him enough to give him all their real plans, still she promised to explain everything to him on Pettracore..what was really on pettracore..?

His paranoia was going wild and he couldn't begin to know where to start

Suddenly the drone on his chest stood up and raised its tiny leg to tap his face. It was a small gesture but he recognized the meaning behind Paco's action.

Calm down.

Right...right he was overthinking this, there was a good chance Robin didn't understand what the tank was either...

Perhaps only Al-an knew this.

Slowly the hermit rose, carefully placing Paco on the floor, oblivious to the multiple other drones the hermit had mistakenly titled Paco mere hours before watching him curiously from under its frame.

He peeks out into the dim hall, it's empty and unnervingly silent, no doubt Robin was asleep by now, but Ryley also recalls the researcher mentioning her precursor companion had a very fickle sleep pattern, and makes a mental note to keep an eye out for the glowing alien..

Which doesn't take him long, he quickly locates Al-an within the observatory sitting with his elegant front legs stretched out before him much like a sphinx statue, his arms curled closely to his body in an almost protective manner.

"Al-an..?"

At first it looked as if the architect was gazing out the large glass into space but as Ryley crept closer he realized the alien seemed to be in some kind of trance or something, the precursor sat motionless.

His eyeless face tilted up towards the ceiling as if awaiting an answer to an unknown inquiry.

"He does that sometimes, it's to retain energy, sometimes to defuse excess.." Robin's soft explanation shattered the silence, quickly Ryley turned to see the research standing in the doorway wrapped in a bundle of sheets.

"Why are you up so late? Couldn't sleep..?"

"Having a little bit of trouble.. but you're not judging me right? not when your awake as well." Robin quickly shot back snarkily, despite her good mood the researcher looked exhausted and the way she clung to the blanket draped over her shoulder made the researcher look more timid than she normally appeared.

"Maybe not drinking coffee at three AM would be a good place to start at getting a better sleep.." Ryley huffed giveing a skeptical glance to the steaming mug in her hand.

"Eh? this it's tea..well, not really but it's the closest thing you'll get to it, I made it from some of the seeds, helps me get to sleep on hard nights...do you want some?" Robin smiled proudly, turning away to head into the navigation wing.

Ryley acted as if he contemplated her offer for a moment before following after her, all the while ignoring the fact that he knew he would agree the moment the excited shorter women made the offer.

God he was so pathetic..

ROBIN:

"So apparently these seeds were a major component they used in tranquilizers, Al-an said it's harmless to consume and will only induce mild lethargy, but he also straight up admitted he thinks I'm destined to poison myself one day.."

"Sounds like he's not too enthusiastic about your penchin for experimental drinks...should i be worried?"

"Nope, he's just scared of my more exotic creations! He doesn't trust anything without a certified label and calorie count, but trust me this stuff is safe. I've already drunk lower dosages myself, if you wait a moment you'll see what I mean..." Robin rambled as she snagged an extra mug from the storage crate, crabbing a pouch of ground seeds to steep into the hot water.

"Wait..you're not trying to test out this stuff on me...right?" Ryley asked an eyebrow raising skeptically, as the hot water began to rapidly darken, tainted by the seeds as if it were coffee..

"Of course I am, it's not like Al-an will come near the stuff, you've never attempted to chase down a precursor fleeing in terror, shit is literally impossible..gotta make sure I'm not crazy somehow!" Robin gave him a sly smirk.

"Oh..glad to help..I guess?" Ryley snorted to himself amused by the idea of that exact situation occurring.

"Save the gratitude for morning..or afternoon, whenever you wake up, the point is you'll feel alot better once you're well rested, we all will." Robin sighed sobering up as she slid the steaming cup over the counter to him.

"I'm sure this'll all work out, honestly I'm feeling pretty confident about the plan.."

"Good to hear, I like the sound of it...but I'm not going to mark it down as a win yet...not until we're taking off and blasting the damn place with the anti bacterium.."

"Ha, yeah they'll be pissed." This robin was certain of, but in reality would severing such an alliance really be to the detriment of the precursors..?

"I know, it'll put strain on the alliance between them..but honestly it wouldn't be too much of a loss for Al-an, it's kind of obvious he loathes them..." Robin admitted between sips of her tea.

"He told you that..?" Ryley asked, taking a cautious sip of the warm drink, only to screw his face up at the flavor, but to his credit he took another determined swig only to do the same.

"He didn't need to.." Whilst she would never want to be the direct catalyst for the collector's misfortune, Robin equally realized this treaty Al-an described was a parasitic one..

"So about you two.."

"Hm, what about us?"

"You two seem... I don't know...close..? I don't know, I just dont think I'd ever be that comfortable sharing my ship with an alien.."

"Al-an isn't hard to get along with, in fact he's actually quite the conscientious shipmate when he wants to be, personally i wouldn't ask for anyone else to take with me... Problem is when he doesn't and he's being unreasonable about it, he can be jarring but he's mostly harmless."

"How did it feel..? I mean to have a precursor inside your head?" Ryley asked in between yawns, it seemed the tea was working excellently.

"I...didnt take to it well at first...but I guess we ended up getting along, pass his endless questions and he was very...thoughtful."

"Hm..." Ryley nodded slowly, his pale eyes narrowed as he stared down at the dark drink.

"Hm..?" Robin pressed curiously, Ryley was hard to read, and more often than not she found herself wondering if she was just bad at social cues or she had just inadvertently surrounded herself with people who were difficult to read!

"Im..just trying to understand things from different perspectives..wow i..i think that stuff... might be working.." Ryley struggled between yawns, the poor man looked dead on his feet, much to Robin's amusement.

"Don't think too hard about it, your brain is probably only thirty percent there right now, hell I'm surprised you're still talking" Robin laughed when the hermit gave her a dumbly adorable look of shock as his sluggish mind realized she was right.

"Fuck..i think your right, i think i need to sleep now.." The hermit announced stumbling away from his stool to hubble away towards his room.

"Night.." Robin hummed to herself as she listened to the sound of his door opening and closing behind him...at least he didn't pass out in the hall like she had...

She took a moment to reflect on her day and took a moment to herself to just..breath, she was exhausted even before her tea..but getting to sleep was more than a difficult feat..

Robin wasn't surprised to find her companion was no longer sleeping when she checked on him again.

Al-an was a light sleeper.

"You are awake, it is late Robin.." Al-an's soft voice fills the dim room, alluding that her architect was indeed now awake, and occupying his time rapidly tapping at a terminal.

"Couldn't sleep, seems like it's contiguous too, Ryley was wandering about as well."

Robin admitted, she does not admit that she was forced to fight her damndest to stave off inappropriate dreams for the better of the last three hours, even now she felt that odd magnetic pull, it was in no way physical but insistent enough for her to notice.

The impulse to touch him was maddening, she wanted to press her lips to his pulse and count his fluttering heart beats as she-

Okay...head out of the gutter Robin...

"This is understandable, anxiety is known to result in poor peace of mind and subsequently inefficient rest, would you like to continue your sleep here with me...?"

Her architect requests softly unaware of the root of the woman's unrest, his voice taking on a more hopeful lilt as a claw reached out to subconsciously touch the pillow sitting atop the terminal's surface, it's not hard to see the idea appeals to him as well.

"Mmm...You're anxious as well, big guy..?"

Robin asked instead, changing to subject, she wasn't sure if she was in the mindset for 'cuddles' after the eventful day she had, not that there was anything remotely wrong with Al-an fulfilling his own personal needs..

But Robin wasn't completely certain how she would survive waking from a compromising dream within her companion's arms.

Nope, probably not for the best..

"...Yes, it has been long since I've visited this world, many things may have changed in my absence..." His tentative admittance alludes to the collective apprehension gripping the whole ship.

It was to be expected being the trainwreck Adelphi was, they could only hope the leverage they possessed tilted the odds in their favor.

"I do not know what we will discover there, but if anything it should give us useful insight as to what took place regarding the network, there were still precursors actively monitoring the planet before we were quarantined.." Al-an mused.

Robin was quietly thankful Al-an chose not to call her on the aversion of his inquiry, which made sense as much of his attention seemed thoroughly ensnared by the screen, yet she noticed the deep orange that creeped over his vessel...

A tell tale sign that he had noticed...

"So, do you think other precursors could be there..?" Robin asked curiously, yet the question she assumed would be seen as a positive prospect only made the architect beside her flare from orange to red as he considered her suggestions.

"Al..?" She gives him a worried once over as her architect remained silent for a moment, deep in deliberation.

"I'm unsure, however I'd be skeptical of such possibilities, there are no signs of any precursor beacons or activity on the planet's crust... However your predictions have proven me wrong before..if you are correct and their presence is indeed there, please use caution and avoid contact until I establish if they intend to engage us with hostile intent.." Al-an cautioned and suddenly his anxious hues made sense...

"With hostile intent? What Why..?! Al-an you don't really think your people would attack us right?!" Robin's eye brows furrowed worriedly at her companion's hesitancy.

"I am...uncertain, they may still be angry for my failure and the many lives my recklessness most certainly cost the network. I say this as a safety precaution, rest assured I will prioritize Ryley and your safety.." her companion assured her quickly, his typing slowing to a halt.

"You can't take all the blame on yourself Al-an, just because you failed..that doesn't mean your responsible for the loss of every damn victim who fell to khaara!" Robin pointed out angrily.

"There was not even a guarantee it would work! Im not even going to point out how they practically sent you and your caste on a suicide mission!"

"We had little choice Robin, it was the most promising option we had at the time, while my mistake cut our experiments short, we were long prepared to make such sacrifices if it meant procuring a viable anti bacterium..." Al-an reasoned.

"And they lost those sacrifices they deployed against overwhelming odds..tell me Al-an did the network try to save you? or did they just dismiss you and the rest of your caste when you were no longer useful?! I don't see why you're so determined to put your neck on the line for a collective that doesn't seem at all opposed to tossing its people at its problems and merely hoping for the best outcome!"

Robin snapped back angrily, only to regret it seconds later as her architect flared a dim mauve color before the biolights of his body settled into a neutral pale hue, there was a moment of silence as Al-an hesitated, no doubt he recognized how upset she was getting, it was clear in her voice.

In reality Robin was too exhausted to pretend this hivemind sacrifice for the greater good bullshit wasn't bothering her, and while she didn't mean to hurt him she needed him to understand that he had been expendable to them, perhaps for a good reason, but still expendable in Robin's opinion..

if they had the guile to punish Al-an for his attempts to save them all, they damn well would have to hurt her too.

That shit wouldn't fly, he had suffered a long and painful punishment, trapped within an empty grave for years and if they couldn't see that had been more then enough punishment for a desperate mistake then fuck them.

...But Al-an would never see things this way.

Silently Robin brooded as she tried to get her thoughts in order..

She could feel Al-an warily watching her as the architect nervously fiddled his claws together, it was obvious he didn't agree with her logic, but also did not wish to upset the researcher any further.

"...Look Al-an, I know what the network meant to you, but I need you to promise me you won't allow them to hurt you, I don't care about your past duties..or failures.." Robin demanded.

"..I do not believe they would harm us.." Al-an attempted blithely.

"That's not what I asked Al-an.."Robin pressed.

"I..i can not commit to such assurances, my apologies Robin, but to vow to such unpredictable terms may only result in your disappointment, our views do not align and I am uncertain of what my true instincts will be in such a situation.."

Al-an admitted finally, his gaze shifting away to stare back out the window.

"Fuck...I know..." Robin sighed deflating.

"I'm sorry I-I just, ugh! this is so frustrating!" Robin groaned, running her tired fingers through her long black hair to vent out her stress.

She wasn't being fair to him, Robin recognised this, and while her outburst was fuelled but fear..fear she had been repressing since Al-an admitted he would likely have to face some form of punishment for his transgressions and ultimate failure on planet 4546B, she had little right to force her human views on him.

Or even criticize Al-an's adherence to such familiar ways of life, it was all he knew!

Even if she was starting to vehemently dislike the idea of him reconnecting with the network and all of its flawed systems...

Seriously what fucked up system forces you to have babies?!?

Ugh...she needed to calm down, it probably wasn't as bad as it sounded to her, but god the thought of it made her blood boil in dangerous ways, she better not meet whoever made that call!"

There was an awkward silence as Al-an contemplated his reply, she could not tell what he was thinking as he mulled over his thoughts silently, his emotions had long guised themselves from her.

When finally her companion spoke, he settled on a simple inquiry, seemingly dismissing the subject altogether.

"Where is Ryley now..?"

Was his tentative answer, the plea to shift subject was silent but not unheard, and honestly it made her feel even more shitty having said what she had..

"He's probably out cold by now, he wanted to try my hot tea.."

"Oh..I hope you are not referring to that questionable lethargy inducing concoction of seeds you created on my home planet..?" He did not need to project his disapproval on his body, as it was quite clear in his tone.

"Yeah, I meant that stuff, you want some too..?" Robin snorted despite herself.

"...No, I...that will not be necessary." Her architect muttered, giving her an untrustworthy look.

"...Are you monitoring how living organisms react to potent dosages of that...substance..?" He asked warily.

"Why do you think I gave it to him... sure you don't want any..?" Robin pressed despite the fact she never would dream of letting the architect anywhere near it.

"...Yes." Al-an muttered warily.

"Suit yourself, I'm going to make sure he made it to his bed before he passed out..." Robin announced heading towards the doorway only to hesitate before leaving, she turned to notice Al-an watching her, like often his emotions were unreadable when he hadn't cared to imply his mind.

It's only when her companion trills curiously tilting his head that Robin realizes she had been idly paused there locking eyes with her architect, her mind lost in his gaze and quickly moved to speak.

"But before I go... i wanted to let you know i meant it..what i said, that wasn't fair, it's... still what i feel about the situation, but i should have worded it better..."

"I know.. please do not fret Robin.." Al-an stood momentarily stretching before quickly closing the distance between them, robin finds herself ensnared within her architect's arms within seconds.

Ever green filckers across his vessel as if it were electricity, the soft kiss pressed against her jaw makes her heart twist up in stupid ways.

"I do not fault you for being a creature ruled by emotion, in truth your worry...it pleases me, but I must admit I often find it..intimidating, I've never experienced being the center of such...emotions, and often don't know how to reciprocate.. I may not agree with your ideals Robin, but I will always appreciate them."

"Still, I should have said that better, if not at all..."

"Emotions are universally difficult to vocalize, it is more often than not lost in translation." Al-an pointed out, his grip tightening ever so slightly.

As much as she hated to admit it, she needed that hug, more than she even realized, and didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around his humming vessel.

"I'll be back in a minute.." Robin mumbled reluctantly.

"I will be here." Her companion breathed whimsically before slipping away.

"I meant what I said Al-an, they won't be spared my opinion, unlike you, what they think means nothing to me..." Robin announced as she slipped out the door.

"Oh..I know.." Al-an acknowledged quietly flaring a pale cerulean...a color far too familiar to the display the researcher witnessed hours prior.

She left feeling a little lighter, it was as much of a warning he would get if she suddenly decided it was a smart idea to start bitch slapping sense into his superiors..

The chill of the hall was unwelcomed and Robin found herself hurrying to Ryley's room, but in reality the ship wasn't any colder then what Al-an defaulted it as.

Maybe she just wanted to hurry back to him...

Softly Robin raps her knuckles against the hermit's door, blinking in surprised confusion as the doors slid away on its own, it doesn't take her long to spot the reason why, a helpful drone hovering near the touchpad instead of the owner of the room.

"Ryley..?" she whispered quietly not wanting to disturb his sleep if the hermit had already surcame to the effects of the valerenic acid and valerenol rich drink.

"Mmmmm..?"

Robin squinted in confusion glancing around the room to locate the source of the mumbled reply, it was hardly legible over the man's loud snoring, it doesn't take her long to make out the silhouette of the hermit passed out cold on his bed, more amusingly was the fact that said bed was overrun with drones!

Two of which had wedged their little mechanical bodies in between the warmth of the hermit's arms, as a few others had boldly parched on his legs shoulder and even going as far as to roost on the man's head.

Fortunately Ryley didn't seem to mind his bed guests, at least not in the deep sleep he was experiencing, with a small smile Robin raised her PDA and snapped a compromising photo, a photo she would no doubt use as leverage next time the hermit complained about the 'metal roaches' stalking him.

"Just checking in on you, night.."

Robin whispered, having to stifle an amused snort as the sleeping man managed a groggy "mmhmm.." From the depths of his slumber.

She didn't even try to fight the giddy feeling flooding her chest as she quickly scampered back to her architect.

"Robin..?" Her architect had been deep in thought when she returned, but his mind was not on the subject she assumed he was pondersing.

"Hm, Sup?"

"Do you think you will ever tire of space..?"

"And want to return to earth..? No." There was little contemplation and Robin found herself somewhat surprised with the clarity in which her mind reasoned with this decision.

"But you've yet to encounter another alien species past my own, some maybe vary unpleasant other's unique in shape, I would expect you to be apprehensive, such encounters will be taxing, eventually exhausting, you may even eventually grow weary for earth one day..it is natural for living organisms to crave such familiarity.." Al-an pointed out.

"Come, please rest with me Robin..." Al-an invited hopefully, reaching out a claw towards her yet his gaze stayed trained on the screen ahead of him.

"You're underestimating me, why do you think I became a marine researcher in the first place? Definitely wasn't because I was a fan of the idea of sitting in a cramped office watching my life pass by..."

Robin huffed amusedly the moment she went to him she found herself being pulled down unto her companion's lap, a strong arm holding her close to his warm vessel, she was forced to suffer he delighted dotting in the form of sweet kisses peppering her shoulder and temple, but only for a few moments until the architect's attention finally drifted back to the screen before him.

"Why..? Please elaborate Robin..."

"Because I always prefered the solitude of my work over simple office life, but I also wanted to see the beauty of our world..but that's not as easy as it sounds. Big guy, our planet.. it's so advanced, the cities are like mazes of steel, endless concrete jungles, it's really hard to see the beauty in what's left.."

"I'm certain there are still places, of natural beauty exist on your planet Robin, perhaps one day we could revisit your homesworld and search for it..." Al-an allowed tentatively, but Robin ruefully shook her head.

"Earth..we've ravaged it many times, wars, pollution, resource overconsumption has stripped our planet mostly bare of its natural resources, and while it's still inhabitable, much of civilization is forced to live in man made environments..."

Thinking back on earth's history was really depressing, and while life wasn't despondent, it definitely was not what Al-an would refer to as a healthy planet.

"Hell only a handful of our planet's animals are still alive, and even those are in reserves for preservation, it doesn't feel like a planet but more of a metal box, but the ocean..it's one of the last place the earth is still true to what its supposed to be..at least some places, I became a Marine biologist because I wanted to see those places."

"Are you aware not all of the planets we encounter will be submerged Robin..?" Al-an pointed out snarkily and Robin batted at her silly companion and his objectively terrible attempts at jokes.

"Of course I do! you silly flashlight! You know..deep sea diving is kind of like space, if you go deep enough, I mean.. not in the sense that your leaving your own planet, but..in the situation in which we are venturing into the unknown, a lot of our planet is submerged in depthless oceans, oceans that shelter almost alien ecosystems humans have little knowledge of even existing, even more so since the resubmerence of earth, but much of the deep sea gear we would have to utilize to discover even a faction of it's secrets was heavily restricted to Alterra militia and intergalactic exploration...many of us don't get the opportunity to see the universe like we do, sadly we probably knew more about planet 4546B then the earth we grew up on. ..."

"To be limited by your own species must be an unfortunate fate.." Al-an lamented, flaring a sour hue.

"Yeah, greed can destroy the best of systems...anyways enough earth talk, what are you doing...?"

"I am attempting to measure the correct amount of the anti-bacterial compound to deploy on our departure based on its size, Marighettis 047 boasts a much larger mass than Adelphi 655, but lacks more than four-fifths of the moisture."

"You could have asked me for help, I'm trained in this kind of stuff too you know.." Robin scowled

"...Yes, I have little doubts regarding your capabilities...Despite your previous failure to supply a valid measurement for Adelphi.." The asshole snorted far too smugly for his own damn good.

"That...that was different and you know it! You were distracting me!" Robin scowled, recalling with intimate clarity just why she couldn't focus on the task at hand!

"I know this..."

Al-an purred almost mischievously
as he pressed a soft pseudo kiss to her temple, his grip tightening ever so slightly on her shoulder, the warmth of his vessel was comforting against her back.

Robin couldn't stop yawns from escaping her mouth as she huddled back against his warm claws which in turn wrapped around her waist, his presence alone was easily enough to chase the clinical coolness of the ship away.

Robin decidedly tries not to think about what said claws were doing mere hours ago..

"We will launch the planetary probe come morning, if readings are safe we will well begin descending immediately." Al-an informed, lifting a claw to stroke the back of her neck, tracing the columns of her spine.

"I'll have the vial ready for departure...shouldn't have more than one on us.." Robin murmured tiredly, her mind transfixed on the soft calming hum of the vessel pressed against her back.

Robin doesn't recall drifting off.

Chapter Text

ROBIN:

Robin's dreams are a muddle mess of emotions are worries, she finds herself running through the swampy forest of Adelphi, searching for a cube through shards of shattered glass, beyond the skyline the sun rose, hauntingly pale and with it an invisible timer dwindled, a heart beat slows and mud fills her lungs as the swamp rises around her paralyzed body.

Robin jolts up at the feeling of a claw gently against her cheek, tired eyes glance up towards her fateful companion, his biolights are dim, but only deliberately so, not like his lightless vessel collapsed on the floor.

Al-an watches her silently, deliberating his words before he settles on a soft sigh.

"I believe you were experiencing a nightmare, your duress levels have increased significantly within the past hour...were you dreaming Robin..?"

"Yeah...just a nightmare, thanks for waking me.." Robin murmured huddling up closer to his warmth, against her Al-an hummed sympathetically, his claw beginning to trace soothing spirals against her spine.

"Should I wake you if it proves to be a recurring phenomenon..?" Her architect questions into the dark, his voice apathetic and whimsical in the silence of the humming ship.

Little to his knowledge his mere presence alone was calming her anxious nerves, still his concern dredged up a warm heavy feeling in her chest.

"No, I'm a big girl, I can handle it" Robin hummed sleepily, leaning up to rest her head against her architect's side, closing her eyes to simply listen to his pulse, rapid and unyielding.

Al-an trilled softly as he set his gaze back towards the impending planet, a quiet pleased sound resonating from his chest as the architect watched over their voyage like a benevolent sentinel.

Robin drifts back to sleep watching the teal streaks ripple to and fro over his leg and inadvertently wondering if precursors could be ticklish.

AL-AN:

His human's rest does not last long, Robin wakes long before her planet's sun would rise, her explanation is simply that she was restless but Al-an wasn't certain this was the truth, at least not in its entirety.

But chose not to pry, if Robin chose to withhold the source of her restlessness from him, her architect could not force her to explain such human intricacies as dreams and nightmares, but easily he deduced her sleep was insufficient and pointedly made himself available should his human change her mind, and choose to confide in him.

Al-an watched her tiredly stumble about, sleep clinging to her smaller frame as she retreated to her room, exiting with a towel in hand only to pause with an annoyed grunt, turning right back into the room to grab her forgotten shampoo bottle.

"I'm going to wash my hair, god knows I'll be too tired to do it after the expedition.." Robin announced as she struggled to juggle an armful of washing supplies in an attempt to activate the washroom sensor, but Al-an beat her to it, flash stepping to her side to simply touch it, sparing her the hassle and risk of dropping her supplies.

"Thanks..." Robin murmured sleepily, nudging him gently with her shoulder, her architect failed to resist the urge to press his face against her jaw, a pleased trill echoing off of obsidian walls as his human huffily shooed him away.

"Oh..did you want to wash too..or?"
Robin asked curiously, finally noticing that he intended to accompany her into the washroom.

Al-an glanced over the water briskly, then decidedly shook his head slowly.

"My vessel has not accrued enough filth to warrant bathing, nor do I intend to join you in your cleaning rituals Robin, I just want to be in your presence for a while longer..and perhaps observe your morning habits, if this does not burden you..." Al-an admitted tentatively, he was pleased she didn't object to his innocent request, instead nodding as she swiftly stripped down.

Yet..her architect finds himself quietly disappointed she does not shed her under layers entirely whilst in his presence, instead opting to keep scant feeble undergarments donned as she wadded deeper into the pool to was her hair, silently he lists off how irrational human insecurities were, had he not shown his appreciation for his human's fragile body numerous times..?

Perhaps not enough..

An issue he would eventually rectify whenever such opportunity slanted into his favor..

With a internalized huff of annoyance Al-an settled down by the water's edge, he was not in the mindset to brave the water to be at her side this morning, and he didn't expect his skittish human's nerves to survive such boldness either way, but this would do to satisfy his impulse.

Never had the urge to be so close to another entity been so profound, more enlightening is that Al-an realized that this new necessity festering within his natural directives felt like neither a burden nor trivial distraction.

This simple want...it pleased the architect in the most peculiar ways..

He wanted to be in her presence and her in turn orbiting around his own, both in mind and in body, he watches her wash her hair, her movements jerky and strained and anything but at ease.

No doubt her gaze perception was alerting her of his stringent attention, and already her body is flushing insufficient levels of color in response to such scrutiny, this amuses him.

Did she still not understand such modesty was unnecessary, he'd spent almost a year within her mind, filtering the unnecessary pain from her consciousness, sharing her limited sight and in turn becoming familiar with much of his human's naked body.

He had seen her assets many times..and now Robin has seen his own, in truth he was aware of her presence the moment Robin had entered his room, he had deliberately granted her access fully aware of what she would witness and the pheromones she'd be exposed to..

If he was to be honest with himself, Al-an was quite anxious after she fled his presence a second time, but it wasn't enough to still his eager claw...

The intense gratification her presence invoked within his vessel was more confusing then he predicted, he hadn't intended to lose himself in the stimuli that was previously on the cusp of subpar..

He wished she had stayed, and perhaps watched his exploration, despite knowing how unreasonable that desire was...was this what it felt like to share such carnal experiences...?

he couldn't help but wonder what she thought of him, was it appealing..?

More importantly would his human find him a suitable candidate as a mate, and eventually accept his intimate advances...?

He certainly hoped so..

Al-an had attempted to quail such uncertainties in the past but Al-an's blunt inquiry only resulted in his human dubbing the precursor as 'Pretty'...

Al-an still wasn't certain what he felt about that, or what it meant but took assurance in the fact that Robin had amusedly relinquished a 'soft pass' to him...a term he would have to research the next time he managed to pilfer his human's PDA, given he did not get distracted.

It must have been positive...

Yes..?

Al-an silently fretted, Robin's voice is a welcome distraction to his distressing thought spiral.

"Quit glowering, if you stare any harder you'll burn a hole through the back of my head!" Robin whined ignorant to her architect's rampant insecurities.

"Rest assured my gaze will not harm you Robin, at least not past your frail sense of self esteem.." Al-an pointed out slyly, springing to his elegant legs and flash stepping away as Robin promptly retaliated by cupping a spiteful handful of water and flinging the offending substance his way.

No doubt his human did not appreciate such crude honesty on his part, however this did not stop him from poking at her excitable person anyways.

"Say that again, but closer next time glow worm!"

"We are not related to your planet's Invertebrates" Al-an reminded smugly as he pranced around the dry circumference of the room, well out of reach of his human's mischievous hands.

"Really..? I wouldn't have guessed that!" Robin exclaimed sarcastically before her eyes narrowed, tracing his steps, "Now get in here or get out." Robin suddenly demanded her ultimatum laced with an intensity that made her architect pause as heat rippled up his reinforced spine.

It was an invitation..

He was aware of this..but the shift in her temperament, the sharp amusement in her eyes... What was Robin offering..?

Had It been one of his network Al-an would likely have ignored the presumably suggestive edge to the comment but such opportunity was not to be ignored with Robin..

"Why would I..? I have little need to bathe.." Al-an reasoned blankly.

Desperately Al-an pried at his human's mind, his nerves finding no solace in her closed off thoughts, and much to his frustration Robin simply gave him a coy smile as she swam deeper into the cerulean pool..

Despite his mild frustration Al-an felt a intrigued thrill flooding his vessel as his eyes narrowed.

Was she attempting to tease him..?

Al-an was more than prepared to investigate this offer, already deeming it more than worthwhile, perhaps she would allow him to strip her of those irrational, feeble garments...

But fate had other plans, and the moment the Al-an set foot into the cool liquid fully intending to bridge the gap between them, he flinched as an intrusive jolt seized his senses, a sharp and unwelcome beacon demanding his attention.

Al-an hesitated, his mind flooding with cautionary warnings, warnings in regards to marighettis 047, warnings that gave pause to the festering thoughts fueling the architect's determination moments prior and quickly had the architect backtracking back to the obsidian stone ridge.

It could not be ignored.

"Robin, it is unfortunate but I have just picked up anonymous warnings coming from the beacon we deployed, I must focus and review them accordingly.."

"It's cool, you get to work on that, I'll be out in a moment, then fill me in okay?" Robin assured, quickly reaching to start stripping down the remains of her clothes, an action that both exasperated and distracted the precursor as he watched her in his descent.

It confirmed that she had been aware of his intentions and deliberately stalled undressing entirely.

Al-an does not almost walk into the door because his attention was decidedly elsewhere, it simply did not open efficiently enough.

ROBIN:

She watches her architect depart the discontent sour hue marrying his vessel alluded to his frustration and perhaps her own doing..

But it was likely for the best...

Part of her recognised the mistake that could have resulted in, and now that the heat was leaving her veins, Robin realized she had indeed been flirting with him..

God she was an idiot! Ugh Robin groaned annoyedly to herself, it was even worse because she still found herself irrationally agitated at the sudden interruption that took priority over his attention.

Quickly she soaped up, trying to focus on anything but what her reckless actions could have led to...

But that wasn't so easy, previously her architect's casual confirmation of his sexual organs was easily acceptable, but simply knowledge to Robin..well mostly.

Unfortunately now that the poor researcher had gotten a glimpse of what her companion was indeed packing, her brain was cruelly enthusiastic about filling in the gaps within confines of her less than acceptable imagination.

A splash of water helped ground her rampant mind, chasing the lingering grip of sleep from her body, she needed to hurry out to check on Al, she was confused as the probe shouldn't have even returned yet, meaning the warnings were tailored to something else...

An arising concern that likely wasn't connected to the possibility of the planet being contaminated by the bacterium.

"Impossible..." Al-an breathed suddenly, Robin looked up worried, her hands still vigorously drying her hair, his tone alone said all was not well, the anxious scarlet fluttering over his vessel was only a visual confirmation.

"What is..?" glancing curiously at the flashing screen before her companion, it displayed the planet's surface, surprisingly part of it was almost completely black..

"Marighettis's protective barrier seems to have been disengaged, I am currently unsure if it was deliberately disabled, there has been no status updates in the tablets..." Al-an worried quietly.

"Protective barrier, like a shield?!" Robin clarified, coming around his side to stare at the screen, with a few taps , Al-an displays what the planet should have looked like, encased in a large barrier much like the closed off sectors on planet 4546B..

It almost reminded Robin of the protective membrane of a nucleus, but as it stood there were no such barriers now...

"We sealed this planet within a barrier, a preventative measure to ensure the survival of the planet's inhabitants, no ship should be able to breach Marighettis's atmosphere not without precursors or Elisskat authorization..even more worrying is the lack of ion energy there, without artificial intervention the diverse habitats will die as well as the species within them.."

"Does that mean the collectors disabled it for some reason..?" Something told her she was right in her suspicion, being there could only have been two races capable of disabling it from the inside, but while the chance of other precursors being so reckless was unlikely, Robin couldn't rule the possibility out completely.

"I am uncertain, there is no energy signatures within range, it is imperative we discover how long the planet has been rendered vulnerable"

"Something's wrong.." The sudden chill that coursed up her spine, made goose pimples rise on her arms, if there was nothing stopping other races from trespassing there..

What would that mean..?

"Al-an what if the planet's been abandoned? Maybe khaara has made it here.."

"Perhaps, it would explain the lack of maintenance, it still doesn't explain why the shield would be offline, perhaps a malfunction, however I am skeptical..we need to investigate as soon as the results return."

"But that'll be hours..."

"I am aware, but I will not have us venture into a potentially infected environment without proper preparation, whatever has happened there has already taken place. Our prime goal is to collect the needed resources to make the leap."

"You said it yourself without the ion energy the planet's artificial environments will die.."

"Yes..but such deviations should be avoi-"

"We can collect the supplies but if we find a way to restore the shields we should at least do it before we leave.."

"We have little knowledge of how long this place has been dead, we could simply be venturing into a post extinct world Robin.."

"The world adapts Al-an, you should know this, sure some may have fallen but more may have evolved. It's not all over big guy, nothing's set in stone until we get a visual confirmation of the damage..."

"You always seem so certain, so confident.." Al-an assessed intently an odd lilt heavy in his voice, his vessel pulsing a pale neutral hue as he watched her.

"Honestly, I don't know what we'll find, but I'm optimistic in the sense that life is stubborn, we should know..."

"Morning.." Ryley groaned tiredly, shuffling in to sit down on the floor beside her.

"I'll brief him in..." Robin announced, glancing to her companion, before turning to fill the hermit in on their most recent discovery.

RYLEY:

The engineer spent the afternoon mulling over the information Robin had given him, true to her words the drink had knocked him out cold and he had slept a fair portion into the evening.

Unfortunately the hermit hardly felt refreshed, mostly due to the insistent nightmare rearing its head, a nightmare of void, a dim recollection of Adelphi 655 but at a time he was unfamiliar with, the ocean's black briny surface replaced with clear crystalline silver depths, the harsh purples and reds of the world stood hues of pale blues and cool grays...

Even the sky was off, it was odd but most importantly khaara was there, and one again he was infected, however there was no life saving compound, no emperor leviathans to purify the silvery waves...the bacterium it chewed through him, like acid, he wasn't alone yet...he could not see, only feel their misery, the muted terror of waiting out the unavoidable.

It felt like hours he was forced to suffer this turmoil, and every time he was forced to relive those dark circumstances it felt like the poor man was losing his sanity.

The dream...it felt too real, but more importantly it didn't feel like his own..but if not his...then who's nightmare was it...?

This realization plagued the hermit the whole day, yet he doesn't voice his plight, not when he feels like it somehow involved the odd tank Robin had warded him away from the day prior..

He wasn't crazy, a voice reached out to him, furthermore it recognized that he had survived khaara..or at least that's what he thought it's greeting meant...

He can't shake the feeling that it was somehow involved, perhaps there was another psychic creature that they were unaware of or unable to understand trapped within there..?

It was unlikely but they couldn't understand Emphi so..

Ryley sat on the floor beside a large window silently brooding, his gaze fixed on the precarious precursor idling across from him beside his favorite tank, while he didn't actively interact with the odd tank, the glowing orbs within it's glass circumference blazed a pleased emerald green..

Like a dog..pleased to see its owner..
Ryley considers this internally,

"Hey Ry, you okay? You look tired.." Robin asked, settling on the floor beside him, Ryley found a cool water bottle pushed into his hand, only now realizing just how parched he really was...

"Oh, thanks...I was just a little caught up in my own head...d-do you experience weird dreams every now and then..?"

"Sometimes, not overly often though, why did you have a nightmare or something?"

"Yeah, it's no big deal.." Ryley admitted, oddly enough, he felt reluctant to elaborate on the nature or severity of the occurrence of these dreams..

This wasn't the first time the hermit had braved dreams like this, but he recognised they began to manifest after he touched the tank and the ominous voice reached out to him..

Perhaps he should tell her about it.. But not before he did some investigations of his own..

"Well if you're still tired I'd suggest trying to catch some Zs in the botanical observatory, photosynthesis and all, helps when I really need to decompress, and it looks like you could use some.." Robin suggests giving him a sympathetic once over.

"Yeah, I think I'll try that.." Ryley agreed, in truth the hermit was still exhausted, he owed it to them to be on his game when they disembarked,
The fleeting conversation he and Robin exchanged regarding the broken barrier hardly held its proper weight in his listless mind..

Ryley stole a glance at the researcher sitting silently beside him, Robin's attention had drifted to the planet they hovered over, her arms resting comfortably across her knees, it took a moment for him to realize the researcher was there simply because she assumed he needed comfort...and well perhaps he did.

This doesn't stop the odd filling of guilt souring his stomach, guilt for what he intended to do later on that night...

For now, the room was filled with a light, companionable silence, one even the architect was in no hurry to disperse.

This is an odd moment the hermit will think back on often for days to come.

ROBIN:

It starts out as a low hum but increases quickly, swiftly rising in pitch until the odd noise was an overwhelming symphony of grinding metal.

Robin jolted awake at the intrusively loud sound, suddenly everything was dark and red, the ship pulsed with an odd energy, it felt as if static was creeping over every surface.

"Al-an what's going on?!" Robin cried over the loud noise, behind her Al-an was already awake, making a low worried noise, the sound easily being swallowed by the terrifying grinding noise filling the ship's halls.

"Something is wrong.." Al-an worried aloud, the lights along his spine flaring an upset hue before the precursor quickly flash stepped away.

His movements were so sudden Robin almost fell over before her reflexes processed the lack of his presence, she didn't often take for granted how fast her architect could be if the situation deemed it necessary, but also recognised her companion actively chose to often take his time as means of letting his human fall in stride with him.

His sudden lack of such consideration along with the ominous red lighting the halls, only reinforced her worry that something was very very wrong.

And this was not wrong.

Quickly she rushed after her architect, into the navigation room, only to stop in stunned horror as she witnessed the Ryley, convulsing against the emergency data hub's interface!

Robin's heart skipped a beat as she watched Al-an pry the hermit away from the crackling terminal servering the no doubt dangerous connection, only for the man to collapse into a heap on the ground, around them the angry red glow cascading throughout the room immediately waning into a exhausted maroon.

The hermit himself wasn't looking to hot himself, his nose and eyes had begun bleeding from his ordeal, likely due to the overwhelming mental strain of the machinery, a feeling Robin was all too familiar with from her experience when trying to utilize the precursor launch sequence..

"Ryley?! Are you okay!? He's bleeding! Al-an what happened?!" Robin fretted cautiously examining the jittering hermit.

"I must assume he did not believe your prior warnings regarding the perils of this data hub and attempted to find uses for it..." The architect surmised blithely, as he assessed the spots of the hermit's blood dotting the interface..

"Holy sh-What?! Ryley, what were you thinking?!" Robin snapped exasperatedly as she guided his head up to check his now bloodshot eyes, but most of her anger was fueled by her worry.

"I..I needed to.." Ryley stammered, still disoriented, but at least the hermit was lucid enough to recognise the researcher worrying over him.

"You didn't need to do anything, you could have killed yourself!" Robin bit out as she pulled on a pair of gloves to begin cleaning the blood off his seeping nose.

"Al-an, the bleeding has mostly stopped...will he be okay or..?"

"He is no longer in any immediate danger, though he will suffer migraines due to the influx of mental strain on his system, perhaps next time he will regard your warnings with more caution, it seems your species learns far better from experience..." Al-an mused, watching the hermit unsympathetically.

"I-i just wanted to know what it really was..." Ryley heaved, finally finding his voice, sadly the explanation for his actions

"The purpose of this tank is nothing of your concern Ryley, if you insist on stubbornly disregarding future protocols such as this simple demand, I will not hesitate to expel you from this vessel."

Ryley remained silent, but the glower he was shooting at her architect said a thousand very angry words.

"Here, let me take a look at them.." Robin started reaching for the hermit's scalded hands, but Ryley simply shook his head, pushing up to his feet before silently retreating to his room.

"Are they okay..?" Robin asked, still staring at the now closed door, she would definitely have to talk with the man come dawn.

"It was not their intentions to hurt him, they were reliving harsh memories and unable to escape the mental tethers once they fell in synch, they are in no danger, however they are not pleased in the least...all parties involved may suffer lingering but mild system shock...your human companion included." Al-an assured her stiffly, disinfecting the blood from the interface with that serum she had seen him use to clean multiple things in the past.

"You're not really going to throw him off the ship are you?"

"What do you think the chances of your human companion breaching protocols in the future will be? I have little tolerance for such foolish insubordination."

"I get that, but you're not throwing him off the ship, that man's been through hell, I don't expect him to be perfect.." Robin raised her finger as her architect began growling, it wasn't a pleased noise, but she wasn't about to back down on this.

"Don't start, I'll talk with him in the morning, if he does something reckless like this again after, we can drop him off, SAFELY on a planet nearby a colony."

"I never intended to eject your human companion into dead space, that would prove dangerous-" Al-an clarified sulkily the crimson of his vessel finally cooling as his temper dwindled.

"Honey, he would die if we did that, and while I said that, I mean that only after we get to Pettracore Major.."

"I find Ryley's presence disquieting..." Her architect sniffed sourly, blazing a tart yellow hue.

"Trust me, for Ryley that feeling is more mutual than you know." Robin sighed, patting his back.

"Come on, let's get back to sleep, I don't want to walk into this planet still in my pajamas.."

"I would never allow you to wande-"

"It's a figure of speech big guy, come on."

"Will you be spending the night with me..?" Al-an asked, he didn't even try to cull that hopeful air from his voice.

"...Yeah, Why not." Robin Agreed tiredly as she settled down beside the large visor to watch stars drift against the backdrop of space.

"This pleases me." Al-an admitted softly, glancing back to the emergency terminal once more before turning to follow his human out.

The next morning is a blur of safety check offs and planning, though the events of the night prior still hung heavy over the ship, no one was willing to allow it to stunt precautionary measures that could be the last line of defense between them and the many unpredictable disasters they could potentially encounter.

By now the probe had returned, clean and departure was imminent, hours sped by with little focus past duty, Robin found herself still restless even after the last planetary bio suit was checked over, the med vials filled, rations packed, but this was to be expected.

What could she expect..?

"Okay, one last time, we can't afford to screw this up, Ryley you stick with me, no fraternizing with the Elisskat." Robin enforced satisfied with the hermit's understanding nod.

"Rodger." Ryley nodded.

"I need to emphasize that there's a high chance this offer will fall through, in that event we don't get hasty, we go back and brainstorm new ideas! Al-an you may be negotiating but this stands for you as well, we don't agree on anything without a consensus!."

"Of course..." Al-an complied easily.

"Will we even be able to understand them, or will we have to rely solely on his translations..?" The hermit spoke up from his perch by the terminal.

And...this was frankly a really good question, up until now Robin had been taking Al-an's multilingual abilities for granted, she hardly even considered the very likely prospect that they might not even understand what this new species was saying to them!

"Yes, they are capable of advanced mind control, psychological reaping and manipulation, they will easily know what language to negotiate in.." Al-an confirmed shortly.

"Wait so they could simply take over our minds and force us to give them the cure?!" Ryley scowled worriedly.

"Such behavior is against the laws of our treaty, attempting to do so would only supply us with the valid means to severe such an inconvenient burden, rest assured I am impervious to such influence and I will be aware if they attempt to take such advantage of either of you." her architect elaborated coolly.

"I feel so safe..." The hermit practicality sneered, eyeing her architect skeptically, apparently he still wasn't pleased about his run in with Al-an the night prior..

"I hope we all understand it's critical that we work together on this, we can't have you two walking into a ditch or getting mauled by rabid fauna because you're too busy glaring eachother down!" Robin sighed exasperatedly.

"Don't worry, that's not going to happen..." Ryley affirms, staring off irritatedly."

"It will not be an issue." Al-an confirmed apathetically, he seemed to care little for the hermit's ire, pointedly ignoring his jabs.

"Good! I don't want any blind spots!So...are we all on the same page?"

"Fauna should not too problematic many of the species inhabiting marighettis are comprised docile herbivorous species that would perish in otherwise hostile environments, the few predators there are scattered throughout the regulated biomes should not be any larger then your planet's canis species, those larger pose minimal threats as they are weary scavengers." Her companion sounded off.

"Good! That's relieving, I think I've definitely had my fair share of pissed off fauna.." Robin sighed.

Al-an made a quiet hissing noise but remained otherwise quiet, but the ripple of crimson creeping up his neck alluded to the negative emotions the precursor decided against voicing.

"Long as there are no leeches you won't hear me complaining, I don't do well with that bleeder bullshit.." Ryley agreed.

"It would be unfortunate for you to encounter the dune wyrms of Vidci major..." Al-an sniffed, clearly he wasn't impressed with the hermits moping.

"Vidci major..?" Robin asked curiously, glancing up from her PDA's checklist.

"A resource rich moon, thirteen solar systems from Sol, it is the origin of many ecological advancements within the outer rings, if you are interested I will impart more knowledge of the subject but once when we return.."

"Sounds like a plan, it's best we stay on topic, I went over our supplies a final time and decided we should take the plasma torch.."

"The plasma torch..?" Al-an trilled with a curious tilt of his horns, Robin clarifies its use long before the predicted inquiry.

"Yes! If we need to repair the Shields we're likely going to need it, at least to break in..call it a haunch."

"I see, while this may prove a useful tool..however I can't help but worry you may fall prey to the urge to ignite flammable objects...again.." Al-an admitted warily.

"I mean we can do that too, it's been a while since I've seen a proper bonfire.." Robin muttered more to herself than her two shipmates.

"...So long as you ensure you do not set the forests ablaze, I will not contest this decision." Al-an said pointedly, before turning his gaze to the large glass visor.

"Please ensure that your survival packs are equipped with lumin rods, we are arriving at the tail end of an eclipse cycle, marighettis experiences many of these phenomenons, during which there will be fleeting daylight hours." Al-an moved towards the visor to gesture to an odd string of dwarf planets, all lined up in what looked like a gravitational belt.

"Once we land, I predict we will have little more then five hours of remaining sunlight, after which there will be no suffiencent sources of light for the next eighty-two earth hours..."

"Well shit, I don't like the sound of that.." Ryley muttered.

"Rest assured you need only endure four hours of darkness, more than enough time for us to navigate safely to locate the dominant hive with minimum detection."

"I'm not going to lie, traversing through the dark does sound pretty unnerving, but we don't really have time to wait around, I brought extra rods because you can never be too safe, no offense Al-an but I'd prefer not to only have your eyes to rely on.."

"This is reasonable preparation, we will disembark in an hour." Al-an turned to leave but hesitated midstep as if he just recalled something.

"Oh, Robin I have prepared a meal for you, it is awaiting you within the observatory." Al-an sighs sweetly before leaving.

"Oh thanks..."

Al-an's second attempt at preparing an edible meal proves not even highly advanced aliens can learn cooking over the span of a few days, and while the fish was not raw this time it was still just barely edible, Al-an has made certain of this to the point that the incinerated meat nearly crumbled the moment Robin attempted to pick it up off the plate.

His attempts to perfect this for her were cute though, and Robin fondly found herself with little complaint regarding his lack of finesse in the kitchen.

At least the crimson globe fruit survived her over enthusiastic architect's wrath..if only by its ridiculously thick cocoanut like shell, still she appreciated her silly flashlight's efforts and the fact that her companion had noted that she had forwent breakfast in favor of overseeing preparation.

Still this wasn't the most interesting event that would take place that morning..

Robin found herself surprised when Al-an pilfered the plate from her just as she stood to take the leftovers to the compost port, ignoring the nuked fish corpse in favor of quickly downing the mug of her untouched water.

It was an action she was aware that he was capable of, not that she was entirely certain how, but when her precursor then continues on to grab and devour the thick shells of the fruit she had just eaten with little more than a bone shattering crack.

Robin's inner researcher starts going rabid.

"Are you hungry now..?" Robin asked softly, partially because she had been itching to return the favor, but her architect's fickle diet would no doubt render such actions a waste under normal circumstances, and simply because she wanted to see him eat something again.

"No..not really." Al-an admitted whimsically, drifting away and back to a terminal beside the observatory window, leaving her with the plate and nuked fish, part of her wonders if he still wasn't certain if she intended to eat it or not.

"You sure big guy? You made real short work of that shell.."

"That shell will provide sufficient calcium and fiber utilized in repairing prior injuries, and as for the water, I needed to replace lost body fluids..." Al-an supplied distractedly his attention ensnared by the controls, Robin couldn't stop the flush from invading her cheeks at the admission, it was quite obvious where her architect had expended his..

Liquid resources...

"So..you have a mouth, i didn't know that..?" She said instead, choosing to avoid all subjects that would lead to a conversation involving her companion's intimate self explorations and care.

A subject she had inadvertently agreed to talk about, a promise Robin wasn't about to remind him of.

Al-an made an amused trilling noise, still typing at the screen.

"All of my species have consumption channels, or what humans would call mouths, it is simply located inside, beneath a layer of.." Al-an hesitated in contemplation, it seemed he was having difficulty finding a word in her language that compared close enough to what he was trying to convey.

"I would say a substance your kind would compare closely to multi lucent membranes, but it is far more complex than that.."

"A what...? Wait! So you guys have teeth?" Robin asked, her eyebrows raising as she tried to focus on the area she had witnessed her architect drink from days prior, still that intrigue lingered heavily in her mind.

"Yes, I am in possession of teeth, as I've stated in the past once predatory, my species once relied predominantly on meat derived protein to sustain our diets, it is crucial in survival for many species Robin." Al-an reminded her patiently.

"Well, yeah but you hardly ever eat...anything."

"Our systems are almost completely self-sufficient, and capable of going extraneous lengths of time without needing organic sustenance, disruption to this order can lead to mild to severe system imbalances..."

"Like the coffee..?"

"Unfortunately yes."

"Good thing you won't be drinking that again, So..can I see them?" Robin asked excitedly.

"Please elaborate." Her architect trilled cutely, tilting his horns.

"You said you guys have mouths, I want to compare your teeth to ours."

"To compare such traits would be pointless as your body and my vessel are vastly different Robin..."

"Yeah, I know but I want to anyway, I mean what if one of the little guys bites me, how am I supposed to know it would be a good idea to bite them back..?"

"...Are you considering attempting to bite a precursor in retaliation Robin?"

Al-an issued a soft amused clicking noise, shifting his attention from the desolate expanse of space to give her a thoughtful yet exasperated once over, what her architect was seeking with his assessment Robin wasn't exactly sure.

Slowly he leaves the terminal entirely, casually drifting over to her, Robin finds a gentle claw clasping her chin, tilting her face up to gaze at his eyeless face.

He held her still for no more than four seconds, before the colors on his face waned red with disappointment.

"What is it..?"

"Unfortunately the human eye has yet to evolve enough to see past exotranscellular membranes, you would need to wait another eight millinas or so, and even then such evolution is not guaranteed." Al-an explains thoughtfully as his attention shifts to her braids and locks.

"Crap, oh well guess I'll take a rain check, remind me in a couple of millinas okay?" Robin huffed with disappointment, a noise her companion parroted, as he began to run his claws through her long hair.

"But..without intervention You would have long since perished within the timeframe of a singular millennium.." Her architect reminds her quietly, the dark burgundy of the architect's biolights filled in the gaps with the turmoil of emotions his serene voice did not convey.

"I know big guy, I'm just joking around..." Robin soothed, tugging her hair away from the architect just as he fell prey to the urge to attempt to replicate more braids in her hair.

If there was one thing Robin learned, it was not to let a super intelligent alien practice simple things on her body, instead she wrapped her arms around his side, the pleased trill her affection earns its nothing short of adorable.

"I see, you may not be able to examine them with your eyes.. but would a physical evaluation satiate your curiosity..?" Her architect offered helpfully.

"You'll let me touch them?!"

"If you are brave enough. We should have adequate protective gear."

"Hell yes!" Robin exclaimed excitedly.

"Please exercise caution, precursor saliva is highly toxic, in the event of exposure to the bloodstream it is recommended to dock afflicted extremities to prevent complete body contamination."

"Why does it sound like you're warning me.."

"I am. It is in my nature to adhere to such logic and I won't hesitate to ensure your prolonged survival at any cost feasible Robin."

Al-an explained softly, flash stepping away from her side only to again manifest before her within seconds a protective glove clasped within his claws, they had transmuted the glove back on 4546B to transport otherwise potentially caustic minerals..did this count as caustic?

Close enough, Robin wasn't about to test his resolve, already Al-an had considered docking her leg, and she doubts her architect would hesitate to consider such actions again if he deemed the situation necessary.

"Let me get this straight, if you get drool on my hand, we're going to have to cut it off..?" Robin scowled up at her architect.

Al-an considered her question with cool intensity, his claws flexing as he shifted his weight.

"Not necessarily, but in the event my saliva were to break your skin and make its way into your bloodstream, you would need to exercise such precautionary actions, it would take little more than eight hours to completely corrupt your bloodstream and cause irreparable damage to your organs, this is almost always fatal.." Her companion explained as he waited for her to don the glove.

"Guess I'll have to be careful then huh?"

"If you still intend to satisfy your need for such precarious comparisons..."

"That I do, now open up I promise I'll be careful" Robin assured, allowing her architect to snag her gloved hand and guide it to his face, the magenta streaks of his visor flaring as her hand seemingly passed through the lower portion of her architect's jaw and throat.

Robin's eyebrows furrowed as she felt heat, then her fingers were guided downward and she felt the subtle graze of sharp jagged points snagging the thick barrier of the glove.

"You may explore them so long as you utilize caution." Al-an encouraged, his voice echoing through the room, This was one of the few reminders that Al-an's voice was projected and not technically originating from his mouth.

"Don't worry, I got this." Robin soothed, rolling her shoulders before flexing her fingers around experimentally, it doesn't take long for her to feel the jagged edge of her companions teeth, Al-an was right to dissuade such comparisons, from what she could feel there were countless rows of blade like teeth, seeming designed from the purpose of tearing flesh.

Oddly enough she noted she felt no sign of his tongue.

"Holy shit..You weren't kidding about the carnivore thing, I'd hate to bleed out after a bite from those.." Robin beamed carefully removing her hand, to find the glove was steaming.

"Most prey would not live long enough to experience such excruciating discomfort " Al-an mused whimsically.

"You don't have a tongue, how do you taste..?"

"Our taste receptors are located outside of our vessels, taste is not a necessity we rely on past the enjoyment of exploration and experimentation."

"So, that's why you dipped your claw on the coffee..." Robin deduced quietly, trying not to think too hard on this revelation, and how touchy he was known to get under the right circumstances…

This threw a whole new perspective into the ball game…

"Yes, many of them are located on my ex- claws...such methods are far more convenient for taste.." Her companion explained, pleased by her observation.

"So..I guess biting them back wouldn't end well..?"

"Not for you or your feline companion, they would only find such actions amusing." Al-an agreed with a cheeky snort, finally pulling away and pilfering the glove from her hand as he went.

"I don't need sharp teeth to hurt a precursor anyways, you've taught me all I need to do is give them a cup of joe and the job is as good as done.. " Robin snorted.

Al-an remained silent but the tart streak of yellow dousing his body alluded to his lack of appreciation for the suggested method.

"So..the Elisskat, what's their diet look like..?"

"Obligate carnivores, their bodies require vast amounts of organic compounds found in calcium and glycerin, only located in the brain and spine, they self produce proteins and do not actively seek to replace it.

"So, they hunt but only take their prey's brain and spine?!"

"It is the only aspect of the body that is edible for them, the rest is often bartered off, more often the body is left intact as their proboscis makes extraction incisions, while more painful it is far more swift and efficient."

"Christ, that's creepy! They just suck their brain and spine juices out?! Sounds like the spinal tap from hell..'

"It is how they've evolved to survive, before we finally left the species to their own deviances, we demanded that together we build technology to allow them to create this substance without need of hunting"

"Why? Didn't they kind of screw you guys over with the first time you helped them?"

"Many of us were indifferent to their plight after that incident, however this had to be done to ensure the surrounding population did not suffer due to their fickle diet, a failsafe in other words, we poised it as a insistent gift, they were not the kind to refuse such gratuity no matter what the intentions behind it were..

"So in reality you guys just didn't want them to kill everything but decided not to say it to their faces.."

"Precisely, it was unnecessary to emphasize how low our opinion of them actually was." Al-an noded.

"Yikes, you guys must have been really salty.."

"The network was nothing short of furious, but equally found such sacrifice necessary.."

"Yeah I guess it was...but it's still crappy on their part".

"I'd have let those fuckers get culled if they backstabbed me like that.."

Ryley spoke up as he shuffled in, and immediately the green faded from Al-an's vessel..

"The network prioritized more important aspects such as preservation before our pride..."

"Pride would have nothing to do with it, just know better then to stick my neck out to save a problematic species that was culled for being just that, but I can see where those priorities landed you and anyone else unfortunate enough to step on the coattails of that dumpster fire of an experiment you and your network conducted.." Ryley scoffed.

"Sacrifices were necessary, it would be reckless to expect to succeed without the risk of loss." Al-an sniffed cooly.

"Which is unfortunate on all sides, and frankly nothing for you two to squabble about.." Robin sighed exasperatedly, the two had been at each other's throats since last night, this was only one of the many vocal spars she'd had to cut short.

"This is agreeable, departure is imminent and we must focus, the probe has returned with no obvious signs of the bacterium, while that may make trading the serum harder, it could mean that khaara simply hasn't spread to this planet yet." Al-an agreed

"Come on, meet up in the docking bay so we can go over procedure one last time one last time while suiting up" Robin ordered clapping her hands together, she was beginning to feel restless, and couldn't help but suspect the anxiety was getting to her shipmates as well..

She knew this was mostly her own fault, no doubt her brisk warnings regarding the emergency data hub had only sparked skepticism within the already paranoid hermit, enough so that he had ventured to investigate the alien machinery himself, an action which only incited her architect's ire.

Even if Al-an would never admit it, the way he stringently watched over the slumbering minds of his rescued kin made it completely clear how protective he was of them in their vulnerable state.

And Ryley's curiosity was only agitating their ward, ugh if she simply explained what the real goal was early on this wouldn't be happening, he could sense they were hiding things.

Things Robin had long resolved not to elaborate on, not until they reached Pettracore!

If they could just make it through this, she could smooth out the tethers, once they were safe and on route, hell if he didn't like it? he could be ferried to a space colony of his choice!

Simple! But was it..?

Eitherway until then, she had to keep the two from squabbling! Easier said than done, both seemed to carry mule DNA despite how much both parties would deny such a comparison.

"I will chart a path to the nearest hive, we may encounter mountainous terrain, it would be helpful to find the most time efficient path before the eclipse." Al-an dismissed himself first, leaving the researcher and hermit to idle in silence.

Robin sighed before leaning back against one of the many terminals, sparing a glance to the disgruntled hermit brooding across from her.

"Bickering with him isn't going to get you anywhere you know.."

"I'm not bickering, he's just an asshole."

"Is he really? Or is he just peeved you were caught recklessly snooping through the dangerous alien machinery we explicitly told you to leave alone..?" The researcher pointed out unfazed, Ryley remained silent, but the gillfins pulling tightly at his neck displayed the shame his agitated scowl didn't.

"I mean no.. Not really" Ryley muttered quietly, Robin sighed exasperatedly.

"Hey Al?" Robin called out to no one in particular, but her architect's voice rippled through the ship's interfaces in response, despite his physical absence.

"Yes Robin?"

"Give us a moment, okay?"

"I will be awaiting your presence within the observatory."

"Wait! He can hear us everywhere?!"

"Only when he's focusing his attention on a specific room or place."

"Shit..that's creepy.."

"It's safety precautions, stop whining, he only does it in the navigation corridors, so...walk with me?" Robin asked, she needed to reassure him, but more importantly he needed to understand how important this mission was.

"Yeah sure.." The hermit agreed, pushing off the counter to follow her into the hallway.

RYLEY:

Robin grabbed the plate forgotten against the terminal, dropping it off into a bin for future disinfection, but then her path veered back to the many rooms within the humming ship, stopping at what the hermit recognized as the researcher's room.

"Care to explain what made you think it was a good idea to touch that tank anyways?" Robin asked casually as she walked in.

"Yeah, I was curious..and it got the better of me, i didn't realize that would happen..." Ryley deflates.

In reality...

At the time, it felt like somehow if he discovered what it was, he would be able to decipher what was going on around him..

It felt like a means to an answer in some ridiculous way, it was ridiculous really and apparently Robin thought this too.

The researcher just shook her head as she bent down to pet a drone and shoo the mischievous little contraption out of her way.

"We make a lot of mistakes without considering the repercussions, and ultimately we learn if it's worth it or not..." She mused thoughtfully, watching the drone skitter away to hide in the bed sheets of her unused bed.

"I guess your friend out there would know that first hand.." Ryley scowled.

"Yeah, I'm sure he would, and here I thought the two of you were getting along..." Robin gives him an exasperated once over.

"Tolerating him isn't the same as getting along, I'm sorry but between his creepy disposition and passive aggressive attitude, I'd rather be stuck on an Alterra ship with a crew I don't even like!"

"That's not true and you know it, and please, don't jinx us, the last thing we need is Alterra rearing their heads, and Al-an getting pissed because I hacked them off.. So, wanna know why I prefer this ship over earth...?"

"Why..?" Ryley asked, perking up.

"Because, in the year and a half i've known him, Al-an has proved himself to be far more dependable than any human on earth ever was to me, well not past my mom or...well I guess Sam, but they're both gone now and I..im just tired, tired of dealing with people i can't trust or being used as a stepping stone to amount to something of worth, only to be left behind." Robin explained coldly, she sounded irritated but that sharpness could simply be her delving into emotions she struggled expressing.

"Here with Al-an, we both have our own worth and it's not really depicted by how useful or convenient we are to each other, but what we achieve as a team, we squabble sometimes...but that doesn't mean we don't try our best to look out for each other, I know I can rely on him....and that I'll do my best to ensure he feels the same way about me." Robin announced as she ruffled through her supply crate, it was filled with various gear, and weapons, most were unfamiliar but the hermit quickly recognised the propulsion cannon wedged in there.

Quietly he mulls over her words, unsure of how to fill the silence himself. In a way the researcher's explanation sounded all too familiar, his crew, his charges, they were far from perfect but together they made a whole, a functional work force where in turn they were safe and appreciated.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense." But they were dead long ago, had he fully come to terms with that..?

Or perhaps he was attempting to bullguard his way into a ship that already boasts two fully competent individuals with little need for his previously overbearing nature.

Perhaps there was nobody Ryley needed to help, and his snooping and paranoia was just that, selfish indulgences to feed a grudge festering in the depths of his mind for years of solitude, his inherent hate for the architects, was not because Al-an had physically done the hermit wrong, but simply because he blamed them.

For everything, his crew's death, his mutation, the crippling debt only his organs would likely pay off, and this hate was hard to shake.. It was just as resistant as the bacterium, nearly incurable.

"It makes things easier that way.." Robin finished, pulling up a gun-like machine he was unfamiliar with and removing a cartridge filled with dark liquid from its ammo holster before setting it back down..

The woman before him was fully competent, she had braved the same planet as he had, and while their situations were vastly different, where Ryley sought to flee and live out his days hiding from the universe, Robin had managed to weaponize the anti bacterium, and launch a proper war against the bacterium that destroyed his and countless others lives..

In a way she was braver than him, did she really need saving? When had she ever expressed that she was uncertain in her role on the ship?

Even what he saw..he wasn't even certain, simply that he assumed the worst without any context, but was it his place to make such brash assumptions, maybe it was easy simply because he needed an excuse to hate Robin's alien companion..

Al-an was...unnerving, but in reality Ryley had worked with far worse associates in his time as an engineer, and unlike them the architect held little interest in getting into his pants or prying into business...

But then why was he here..?
He certainly didn't fit in, and looking back on his inarguably poor decisions of the last twelve hours, why were they still even tolerating him?

God he was such a fucking idiot...

"Yeah..I guess I get it, but...then why am I here...? I mean you guys seem to have this under control, and I really don't know how to make myself useful, i..i just feel like everything is happening around me and I don't really understand any of it, and i..I want to trust you two..well you. but, I can't not know what's happening, it makes me feel helpless and i..." Ryley admits, emotionally exhausted.

Webbed fingers slide through faded black hair, only to pull away in muted disgust, it had been so long since Ryley had to attempt to appeal and consider mindsets outside of his own, and the fact that he actually cared to was exhausting on its own rite.

"Ryley...I think you should to stop over thinking this, like I said before our worth isn't measured by our limitations just by what we make of them, if your here it's because it's for the best, it might not be clear or permanent, but just you being here gives me a small sense of peace of mind, you've been alone for a long time, try to focus on healing and not how to immediately fit into the grand scheme of things..." Robin sighs softly.

"I'm not really hurt anymore you know? my fins...they uh healed already.." Ryley admitted nervous fingers rising to pick at the fragile scales splattering across his neck.

"I wasn't talking about physical wounds Ry, but I digress, no more snooping okay? Any questions you have, I'll take the time to answer them once we get to Pettracore, just hold out til then k?" The researcher assured him confidently.

"I think I've learned my lesson about snooping.." And it was true, even now the painful migraine echoed within his head, he wasn't about to try that again.

"Glad to hear that, wish that epiphany came before you pissed Al-an off and deep fried your brain, but progress is progress.." Robin laughed softly, it was a humorless but pretty sound.

"But that doesn't mean I'm not aware that the explanation you gave me earlier was a lie.." Still this didn't mean he hadn't recognised the tank was far more important than a simple monitoring system for her companion.

But to his surprise this revelation bothers the researcher little, instead Robin simply tilts her head, her sharp dark gaze borrowing into his, there was something in her eyes cold and indifferent.. perhaps dangerous.

The poor hermit found he couldn't look away..

"Does that really change anything, Ryley? You trusted me long enough to get on a ship with an alien, take off into the unknown, I asked for you to come, and I'm asking you to trust me again, either way if you try it again Al-an won't-"

Robin paused mid sentence, her magenta streaked gaze cutting to the lights along the wall, Only now those previously neutral streaks lighting the ship were now all a deep crimson.

Robin studied it for a moment, her brows furrowing, before turning to squint at her door, Ryley followed her gaze curiously.

"One moment." Robin appologised before briskly walking over to her room door and much to the hermit's confusion the biologist pressed her head against it's solid frame..

"What are-" Ryley snapped his mouth shut when Robin's finger shot up to silence his inquiry, her eyes narrowed with concentration before she suddenly scowled back at him, quickly slapping her hand against the sensor.

The door peeled open to reveal her alien companion lurking on the other side, the scarlet of his vessel rapidly dwindling to a soft orange before diluting into an odd neutral glow.

"Al-an!, what are you..why are you growling? wait..a-are you eavesdropping?!" Robin squawked.

"I was simply curious.." Al-an confessed, fidgeting under her irritated scrutiny, it was more than apparent he did not like being caught red handed snooping and took to shame poorly.

"Curious, about what..?" Ryley asked confusedly, he wasn't looking to pick another fight with the alien, thinking back on the previous night, yeah maybe his sass was a little uncalled for..

It wouldn't be the first time someone's pointed out he was being a jackass about something, wouldn't be the last..

But the moment the hermit voiced the innocent question and the precursor's eyeless leer slowly shifted to lock onto the clueless man, the delicate streaks of light engraved on the architect's body flared in that particularly pissy crimson hue he often took to when agitated, it was clear he was pissed off about something.

But what..?

"Al-an what's wrong..?" Robin asked confusedly, she had picked up on the precursor's sudden negative mood shift as well.

But whatever it was that set Robin's companion off remains a mystery, as Al-an chooses to ignore both Robin and his own questions, and simply dismiss himself only slowing to announce his successful charting efforts on his way out.

"The coordinates are awaiting your assessment." Al-an states blithely before retreating, Ryley stared after the alien in puzzlement.

"What was that about..?"

"I..I'm not sure, not fully, but we'll have to worry about that later, it's time to put our feet back on the ground." Robin shrugged, staring after her companion, she beckons to him with a head jerk and hurries out after the perturbed alien, leaving the hermit alone in her personal corridors.

And while Ryley assured her there would be no more snooping on his part...

The nosey man did fall prey to taking a quick glance around as he departed; there was a mechanical pengling stationed in the corner amongst several piles of neatly stacked tablets and ion cubes.

The work table was littered with papers, long abandoned plans, graphs scribbled with nonsensical calculations and translations.

Upon the desk beside her bed sat a picture of a feline with a mechanical limb and another with an older female that shared the researchers sharp eyes.

"Stop snooping in my room and get your ass to the docking bay Ryley!" Robin's loud voice cut through the ship's comms, starting the poor man.

"What?! I wasn't! I wasn't!" Ryley huffed, hurrying out.

ROBIN:

She finds Al-an idling within the navigation room standing before the drop doors, the door's mechanism already flaring with precursor energy, they must have landed already...she hardly noticed.

"If the two of you are efficiently prepared, it is time to disembark."

Al-an sighs as the ship's drop door activates, the doors giving way to a beam of sunlight, a thick cloud of smoke blows in on a windy breeze, thick with pale snow like debris.

It flooded in like a crystalline blizzard, covering the terminal, floor and inhabitants in a thick layer of snowy substance.

"What...what is this..?" Ryley asked, Rubbing the pale substance between his fingers, it did not melt, and while it was oddly cool, it was not cold like ice..

"It kind of looks like snow.." Robin assessed. "I can see crystalline-like structures in it.."

"It is chitin, the Elisskat shed their bodies excessively, their shedded carcasses rapidly break down into macroscopic shards, when it comes in contact with this planet's limestone deposits, the chemical reaction between the two creates such debris, however while it is harmless and generally safe to ingest, consumption of plants and fauna is restricted until we confirm the status of the environment."

Al-an announced, stepping out onto the red soil, it looked to be some kind of clay like substance.

"Welp! I'll collect a sample of that..." Robin hummed, wrinkling her nose at the idea of ingesting copious amounts of decayed skin..

"Please do, this planet once boasted a wide array of preserved interplanetary wildlife and foliage, I'm certain you will find any specimens you collect interesting to study once we return." Al-an appraised softly, the dim glow of his vessel shifting into a pleased sage hue.

This hue was inadvertently swallowed by the orange sunlight creeping into the deep bronze cliff faces on each side of them, gleaming off her architect's vessel beautifully, but even as it's strong rays scoured the beautiful rocky landscape around them, it was waning fast, and Robin could see an imposing wall of darkness creeping slowly across the deep gorge...

"I thought you said we had a few hours..." Robin worried.

"I've deliberately landed in a ravine to prevent our presence from drawing unwanted attention, once we climb out we will have more light, but it won't be long before we are overtaken by night if we fail to scale the gorge's slopes in time." Her architect assured her confidently.

"There are no artificial light sources..? Isn't that a bit dangerous, with the recurring eclipses?" Ryley scowled, stumbling closer as he watched the sheet of approaching darkness in the distance.

"Artificial means of light were deemed trivial and unnecessary for a nocturnal predatory species." Al-an dismissed blithely, he wasn't being subtle about his sudden unenthusiasm regarding the hermit one bit.

Once again Robin found herself puzzled by her architect's sudden open hostility towards the hermit, he was irked before but even then his ire had waned into a frustrated indifference..but now?

It was plain to see Al-an was all levels of pissed with Ryley and she had little clue as to the root of the issue..

She would need to ask him what had upset him when they returned...

"Before we continue, I have conducted a more thorough analysis of the environment, ss i presumed oxygen levels have suffered little from the barriers's breach..it is not only compatible, but completely safe for human inhalation..." Al-an announced, his gaze slowly shifting down towards Robin with cool intensity.

Robin felt a chill race up her spine at such implications...

"That's cool, I'll.. collect a sample of it to study when we get back to the ship, see how much chitin the inhabitants are inhaling on a daily basis..." Robin rambled, ignoring the implications behind her architect's words and the request within them.

But Al-an was not to be dissuaded so easily.

"Robin...this could potentially be the only time you are allowed such an opportunity off ship, there is no guarantee we will encounter another planet hosting an environment inhabitable by your species, here there are no pathogens compatible with a human's genetic make up, the risk of contracting a infection from this environment is low enough that you should be able to safely breathe this planet's oxygen with little worry.."

Al-an announced, pausing to softly address her, there was an heavy sense of accomplishment in her architect's voice, but also a calm melancholy as if he recognised Robin wouldn't like what he requested, but felt the need to press the subject anyway.

There was a reason, and they both knew what it was despite neither party voicing this fracture.

Robin hesitated, her narrowed brown eyes scanning the area with worry, but she was not actually seeing the bright but waning mountainous world in front of her...

Instead she was back on Adelphi, wading through a dark water logged swamp, too clearly she recalls the unnerving feeling of heat crawling under her skull, the painful numbness weighing her limbs down no matter how hard she tried, the panic of immobility.. fear..

No, Robin couldn't do it..

"I'll pass, maybe I'll try it later-" instantly Al-an dismissed this lie, stepping closer.

"This is not Adelphi Robin, we have carefully terraformed this world to tailor to the needs of the Elisskat and many other fragile organisms, there is nothing in this atmosphere that will hurt you.." Al-an assured her resolutely, stepping forward to gently place his claws on each side of her helmet..

It was a request, she recognized it immediately, her architect was being patient with her, but was also unwilling to relent until she allowed him permission to remove her protective gear...

Realistically Robin didn't doubt that Al-an was telling the truth, she knew there was a high chance Al-an was right in his analysis and the planet's air was completely safe to breathe..but Robin couldn't fight the anxiety gripping her from within, it urged her to place her own hands over his claws, gently preventing the architect from removing her helmet as she knew he knew full well how to do..

"I just..I don't think i-"

"You said this air is breathable?" She felt a heavy hand brush over her shoulder as Ryley wandered past her, the engineer's confident presence was oddly reassuring, however Al-an didn't seem enthused by his unannounced interruption.

"Yes. This controlled environment is compatible with human lungs breathing; it will bring you no discomfort. However, please avoid removing any more protective gear than your helmet, Ryley, your biology poses an environmental threat to this balanced ecosystem, we need to avoid contaminating it at any cost." Al-an sniffed dryly.

"Rodger, helmet off, pants on.." Ryley drawled sarcastically, pointedly ignoring the irritated architect beside him.

"If there were no restrictions prohibiting such acts.. would you shed your protective gear in its entirety..?" Al-an inquires suddenly.

"You ask that as if I haven't survived on a hostile planet for damn three years on my own..." The hermit scowled.

"I am only inquiring to ensure I have set my expectations of your intelligence low enough." Her companion replied apathetically.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" The hermit snapped but Al-an ignored him, his attention shifting back to Robin expectantly.

"...Okay, fine." Robin huffed her hopes of the two forgetting about her amongst their quarrel being shelved, the moment the words left her mouth the sickening weight of dread sat heavy in her chest.

Slowly she lifted the helmet away, watching the puff of steam escape her lungs, to her surprise her air rose in puffs of white frosty clouds, although it didn't feel nearly cold enough to warrant such frost.

"You were very brave that day and this has changed little...how is it..?" Her architect inquired gently, his claws squeezing her shoulders gently as he spoke into her ear.

She knew he was referring not only to the current day, but the traumatizing event that took place weeks ago, praise he was too angry.. too frightened to give her at the time.

"It's-"

"Ugh, Damn this place smells like someone dumped a body in the rancor pit!" Ryley cried miserably covering his nose, Al-an pulled away with an irritated hiss.

"Your species is so unnecessarily excitable.." Her architect assessed dryly watching the hermit scramble to put his mask back on only to drop it.

"Some of us can be...thanks"

The researcher murmured with a heavy sigh, with it she felt a bit lighter, the damp scent of fresh forage and moist soil hung heavy in the air, ferried on the soft but insistent winds.

But true to Ryley's words there was an odd scent in the air..." She turned to ask her architect what it was but quickly realized Al-an was still contently gazing down at her, the biolights marrying his eyeless face were schooled into neutrality but his fickle mood projection matters little as he clarifies himself if only in action seconds later.

Robin stood frozen, entranced by the intensity of his leer, as her architect gently guided her face in careful claws before leaning down to press a soft kiss against the corner of her mouth, this close she could hear the soft humming of his vessel against her back.

"The scent you are detecting is the planet's natural mineral deposits, they are high in sulfur..." Al-an casually explained as he pulled away, releasing his grip on her shoulders and carrying on as if he hadn't just stuck one to the poor researcher out of the blue.

"Ah..interesting.." Ryley filled in the silence Robin couldn't.

While his helmet concealed his features Robin could feel the hermit's curious gaze scouring into her back and desperately tried to ignore it, Robin knew she was likely to be grilled by the nosy man the moment they returned, just this epiphany alone had the researcher quickening her already brisk pace.

Al-an guides them further into the ravine, the shadows creeping farther down into the gorge the further the trio ventured, darkness slowly albeit steadily consumed the terrain left behind them, it was like an impenetrable sheet of black fog, unnerving and almost insidious, at this point Robin could hardly make out the ship stationed far behind them..

The sheer cliffs on either side of them looked ancient, graying stone painted in hues of burgundy and mandarin, indeed it must have been as Al-an and his kin had terraformed this planet more than a millenia ago.

There were also copious amounts of the chitin, catching on the stone and stubbornly clinging to any surface it touched, as if it had just snowed..

Its presence was so excessive Robin could easily compare the sight to the documentaries depicting empty neighborhood streets littered with countless piles of crisp autumn leaves, decaying hues of orange and maroon.

There were no longer any wild trees on earth, the planet was no longer able to sustain such life, such commodities were only visible within the scattered sanctuaries dedicated to preserving what was left of the planet's natural plant life.

But here, the dim sun streaked the sky against a white and red terrain, painting a beautiful scene before them. Its haunting beauty reminded Robin too closely of the snowy peaks of the mountains of Tibet.

There was little grass in the gorge, but what moss like foliage they did encounter was a soft pale sage in color, dry and brittle likely due the the hot dry environment, this made sense.

As Al-an had previously explained that the planet boasted very limited above ground water sources, and it showed, what little plants they did encounter were all uniquely scaled, or spined.

Much like old earth's desert succulents.

"if you are curious about the planet's geological life, I will share the data regarding such matters when we return.." Al-an offered with a pleased trill, peering over the researcher's shoulder as she collected spines from an oddly flat cactus looking plant.

"That'd be nice..are all these plants indigenous to Marighettis 047, or are they collected from all over the universe..?"

"Many of these species were rescued from planets on the brink of their life cycle, you will not encounter their presence anywhere else.."

"I'm surprised this planet hasn't been stripped bare yet, I mean think about it, if this place is like a reserve for rare lifeforms, wouldn't other alien species jump at the opportunity to get their hands..errr claws on these kinds specimens..?" Ryley asked, playing with a handful of dead chitin snow, the hermit was having far too much fun with the nasty substance.

"Perhaps, while the presence of the species housed here were kept confidential, in fear of such knowledge falling into the wrong hands we created the barrier as a failsafe, one that could only be disabled from the inside.." Al-an explained his attention drawn to the sheer cliff walls.

"Hmm..." Ryley hesitated, pausing to give the area a brisk sweep, Robin could just imagine the man's thick eyebrows furrowing, Al-an probably would have inquired as well but while he was silent about it the hermit was still undoubtedly on her architect's shit list.

"What's on your mind..?" She asked curiously, gently nudging the hermit's side just as he paused to pick up a handful of snow.

Only to jump back as the hermit jumped screeching out an odd and very dubiously human noise.

"Glugh! D-don't poke me there!" Ryley laughed desperately grabbing at his assaulted side, stumbling away from her.

"Ryley what was that? Wait are you tick-"

"NO, YOU JUST SCARED ME DAMN IT!

"OH god, Al-an did you hear that?!"

"I'm not really!" Ryley squawked in a desperate attempt to spare his honor, grabbing handfuls of dead chitin snow to hurl at the researcher.

Al-an simply huffed, pausing to tilt his horns curiously at the two, watching as Robin ribbed the hermit about being ticklish, the architect didn't seem particularly agitated by their goofing off, instead taking their idlness as an opportunity to examine the stones walls.

"I believe this spot will suit our needs." Al-an announced suddenly.

Robin looked up from brushing dead skin off her biosuit to see her architect standing up against a tilting rockledge in the cliff face, balancing on his elegant back legs as his front knees rested against an upper ledge.

"What are you doing big guy..?" Robin asked, running over to her architect's side.

"I was searching for means to ascend our way out of this gorge, this path seems sufficiently stable enough to scale."

"It looks pretty steep, I don't know if me and Ryley could climb something like that, not without climbing gear.."

"It...uhh yeah that looks um pretty high.." Ryley muttered apprehensively, his gaze taking in the sheer path Al-an had chosen.

"Do not fear, I will carry the two of you up, I am confident in my abilities to traverse such obstacles, you will be safe."

"About that, no offense but I'm not that comfortable with my horse back riding skills and I don't think that this will work out...i think I'll just walk.."

"I am not your planet's equine fauna Ryley, nor do I assume Robin would tolerate any negligent hubris leading your death.." Al-an assured apathetically stepping towards the hermit, his words held little apathy or the reassuring nature Robin knew damn well her architect was capable of.

"That's a reassuring choice of words there big guy, you should work on your comfort skills." Robin sighed, stepping in between the two, already she could see the hermit bristling in his suit.

The precursor issued an unapologetic clicking noise, his attention shifting back to her when Robin reached for his face.

"I mean it'd be a lie if i didn't compare you to a horse.." Robin snorted, as the hue of his distaste for the comparison bloomed around her fingers.

"Okay Ry, I'll go up first, then if it seems safe enough I'll have Al-an come and get you." Robin assures as she crawled up on her companion's back, his reluctance was understandable, even now she felt the anxious thrum of her nerves.

"I'd rather walk really..."
The hermit tried weakly, his hand raising to anxiously pick at the scales on his neck, but Robin shook her head resolutely, even if the area was clear of any dangerous life forms it would be best if they stuck together.

"Nope, it's either this or the two of you will be trekking another less steeper path, in the meantime I'm going to start prepping the lumin rods, we've got roughly about four hours left, best be prepared." Robin explained, relieved when the hermit gave her a weary nod.

"Are you ready Robin?" Her architect confirmed, his claw poking questioningly at her tight grip at his waist.

"Now or never!" Robin nodded, tightening her grip before the air left her lungs as her architect launched himself into the air!

It was easy to forget just how high Al-an was truly capable of springing when her companion set his mind to it, she had only seen him do it once before to catch the velvet glider, but now with the reassuring ground far beneath her feet Robin was given a thorough reminder!

There was a split second where the stone gave way under her architect's weight and he paused to watch the debris crumbling to the gorge below. Robin felt her heart slamming in her chest, her arms gripping tighter to her architect's waist as apprehensive excitement drummed through her veins.

In the end the ravine's fragile cliffs proved a minor feat for her architect, much to the researcher's surprise the crumbling rock face hinders his ascent little, it takes less then a second of consideration for Al-an to mentally mark a path up the steep wall, and another for him to spring again, the impact of his agile legs colliding with stone echoing throughout the sparse width of the valley as they barely graze the fragile ledges beneath them.

He scales the mountain gracefully, meeting the solid ground with a soft huff, before kneeling to allow his shaky human to slide down and gain her footing.

"Are you alright?" Al-an inquired, circling his human for a moment before drifting off only after the researcher gave him a reassuring nod.

"H-how many species were bioengineered into your vessel again big guy..?" Robin asked breathlessly, bending over to rest her hands on her shaky knees, the world was kind of reeling, and Robin found herself still trying to catch her breath from the adrenalin rush.

"Twenty-seven, what has provoked this inquiry?" Al-an asked curiously, giving himself a thorough shake before settling down right on the cusp of the cliff, so close that her architect could easily peer over the massive cliff's edge and down into the ravine.

"You know what screw horse, was mountain goat in that genepool?" Robin jokes, unfortunately Al-an was far too preoccupied glowering down the lip of the ravine.

"Hmm..? No." Al-an trilled with dismissive confusion, her inquiry was enough to make Al-an tilt his horns but even then she could tell her architect's determined attention was stubbornly honed elsewhere.

"Al-an? A-an what are you looking at..?" Robin asked, irritated by her companion's distracted behavior.

Robin quickly closed the distance between them, her hand coming to rest against his shoulder as she peered over the cliff's edge, giving an exasperated huff at the pleased purr her action earned her.

This high, it's easy to inspect the whole ravine, Al-an's choice to scale the clifface saved them presumably an hour of daylight, just the preliminary glance shows the passage reached a good five or so miles ahead before reaching a distant and pathetically small stream Robin could just make out...

Still this planet...it was beautiful.

It was honestly a breathtaking view...
If only there was more time to enjoy it..

The researcher was also able to pinpoint the root of Al-an's distraction, her architect was watching the hermit far below, attempting to make his way up a less steeper route, unbeknownst to the poor man, the trail ended abruptly in a dead end, unfortunately this wasn't a visible setback from Ryley's position far below.

"He's heading for a sheer ridge, he'll never be able to climb it.." Robin assessed.

"This is unfortunate, perhaps your human companion should have considered more convenient options prior.." Al-an dismissed.

"You sound very.. sympathetic..." Robin assessed dryly.

"I am not, Ryley chose this out of stubbornness, his misfortune is his own idiocy."

"He's obviously scared of Heights Al-an, you can't fault him for being scared! Can't you just go like… pick him up and jump.. or i don't know, guide him up that path! It leads right to us!" Robin reasoned excitedly pointing towards another path, it was a little overgrown with foliage but after a brisk stent the path opened up.

"No." Al-an refused shortly.

"What?! Stop being a dick and go get him! You carried me up here, you are not tired!" Robin squawked tugging on the architect's leg and attempting to put a stop to his silent gloating.

"I offered to aid in your accent because your leg was previously wounded, allowing you to strain it healed or otherwise would be unwise Robin, you had no qualms offering your aid when I was without a vessel to navigate on my own.." Al-an sniffed stubbornly.

"Really..? I thought I bitched nonstop about it, we both know your reaching for excuses Al-an! I thought you precursors were supposed to be above this petty behavior!" Robin huffed, they both knew she was right, Al-an was simply being a stubborn mule about the whole situation.

"His pace is inefficient..." Al-an pointed out brooding, an agitated groan issuing from the precursor's chest before he stood to shake himself off."

"Did Ryley do something to warrant this..? What happened between now and an hour ago Al..?" Her worried inquiry was only met with a nonplussed hiss.

"No, I simply do not like your companion, his presence is invasive.." Al-an huffed petulantly.

"Wait so you just up and decide you don't like him..?" Robin scowled exasperatedly.

"Rest assured, I have scanned the radius of this ravine, there are no potential threats that will hinder your companion..at least not past his own pride." She also noted that Al-an was pointedly avoiding the use of Ryley's name.

"That's not the point Al-an you know that! Point is I'd never leave you running around blind down there to find your way out, no matter how salty I am about...whatever, we don't have time for this! if you don't get him up here, then I will!" Robin snapped, her patience reaching its end with the stubborn mule.

Apparently this was persuasive enough to convince the unwilling alien to get off his fat butt and go retrieve the third to their party.

"Your efforts will be unnecessary..." Al-an relented testily, finally turning to give her an unimpressed look, she could tell unpleased with her resolution.

"If you feel it is for the best that i retrieve him, then i will humor your demands, i will return with Ryley momentarily, please refrain from straying from the vicinity." Her precursor avoided, obviously fleeing her prying was a better option than a progressive conversation.

"Took you long enough.." Robin sighed, turning just in time to see the sour hue of Al-an stepping off the ledge.

God she didn't get paid enough to deal with the two's self imposed war they decided to engage in!

Slowly she settled down on to the bronze clay, it gave way under her weight, easily molding into her shape, it was then Robin noticed, the soft terrain even managed to perfectly preserve Al-an's resting prints as well, the tip of his agitatedly twitching tail included!

Why this was so funny Robin wasn't certain but the precursor butt prints were being recorded on her PDA the second the researcher noticed them..

But as Robin captured photos of the easily malleable terrain, only then it occurred to the researcher that there were no other visible tracks.. Not from wildlife or otherwise, surely there were still a few creatures left?

Al-an had picked a mostly romote landing location but that shouldn't have negated the presence of birds or small fauna.

This struck Robin as odd...

RYLEY:

Ryley watched Relieved as Robin and Al-an vanished over the cliff's ridge safely, true to his word the precursor managed to climb the sheer surface with ease..

Which left Ryley alone to figure his way up, now he wasn't fond of the idea of traversing the stretch alone but heights...?

Hard pass, the engineer's nerves or lack of them would forever and always be a thorn in his side..

But it would be a lie to admit the sudden solitude didn't grate on the man's nerves...

oddly enough Ryley had tackled countless feats on his own over the past five years, in fact he would at some point consider himself somewhat of an introvert, but in the short amount of time the hermit had spent with the duo, it became blazingly obvious the man was rapidly becoming used to their presence and the security it instilled within him.

Being alone again..it made Ryley feel oddly vulnerable in a way the hermit hadn't felt in the past years, even though the parameter was void of life outside their own Ryley still felt exposed..

As if the cliffs were slowly closing in on him, a foundationless fear spurred on by none other than his own anxiety, he knew this but it didn't change how he felt..

It's not surprising that Ryley nearly jumps out of his skin, desperately grabbing at his belt for his survival knife when the loud impact of the precursor landing closely behind him shatters the monotonous silence of the world around him.

"Robin has decided it would be more efficient if you were accompanied on your venture, this path will lead into a sheer rise, you will not be able to climb it, Ryley." Al-an announced apathetically.

"Shit, It's a dead end...?" Ryley started to ask before realizing the precursor was already standing at the mouth of another path across from him quietly watching him with an air of cool indifference.

There was no telling what Robin's companion was thinking, and Ryley found himself reluctant to ask really, to say the precursor wasn't intimidating would be a damn lie, but this always felt more so when the researcher wasn't there to distract him.

The hermit had planned on grilling the alien, about Robin, the mysterious tank..Pettracore but now didn't seem like an ideal opportunity for that.

Al-an was in an oddly pissy mood with him and the hermit.. wasn't quite sure why, sure it could have been his tampering with the tank but even then her companion's open disapproval wasn't the same as this quiet ire he was exuding.

Maybe he was fed up with the hermit's bullshit, and admittedly that would be fair, Ryley was far from perfect, and not completely fair if he was going to be completely honest..

They didn't have to like each other for them to treat each other with civil respect, unfortunately for the hermit it was more than unlikely the architect would share the same sentiments.

Still clearing the air would be a good start, even if it felt like one of the worst ideas ever..

Ryley had to try, for Robin's sake..and maybe his own.

"So, you guys created this place..?"

"Yes." The blith reply was a testament to how unenthused the architect about the hermit's ice breaker, so much so that Ryley suspected Al-an hardly even considered the question before replying.

"Oh, that's uhh nice, it's uhh a nice place here.." The stiff compliment makes the architect pause to glance his way briefly, the biolights of his body shifting into a deep yellow as he issued a terse hiss.

"We are not a credulous species Ryley...what are the motives behind such delusive praise..?" Al-an inquired unmoved by the man's sad attempts to present himself in a more amenable manner.

At least his efforts managed to put a halt to the architect's insistent gait so that he could try to hold the conversation without hyperventilating, even if the way he flexed his jagged claws and his sightless leer was more than unnerving.

"What I'm trying to say is thing's would be alot easier if we at least tried to get along..I know I haven't been th-" Ryley starts with a sigh but is quickly interrupted when Al-an impatiently shuts him down.

"You do not need to proclaim amenity to me Ryley, I have little interest in pursuing such armistice past our temporal coexistence." Al-an deflected interrupted coldly, there was no trace of disdain in the alien's even voice but the unspoken and blatent 'Fuck you' was all too clear.

Sure okay that went about as well as Ryley had hoped it would, Ryley brooded running to catch up with the alien, silently he mulled over the precursor's words and it occurred to him, Al-an said temporal..

Did he expect Ryley to just fuck off at some point..?

Robin had mentioned it was an option open to him after they figured out what was going on with his blood and the anomalous protein in it, but Ryley had never really taken the meaning into consideration...not seriously.

"I mean, I don't plan to just jump ship after we figure out what's wrong with my blood.." Ryley Rambled half convinced Robin's companion was ignoring him.

"Listen, I screwed up with the tank..I know and you have my word, I won't screw with it again, I only did it because...ugh. Look, I'm sorry, okay? I haven't really given you any reason to have confidence that I can be reliable, but after we get to Pettracore maybe i might be able to help with the decontamination efforts..Robin said she'll teach me how to man some of the basic equipment, in the meantime I think it would be best if we started ove-"

it seemed something in the hermit's rambling was able to pierce the precursor's air of indifference, unfortunately it garnered no positive reaction on Al-an's part...quite the opposite actually.

But in reality there would be little the hermit could ever have said to quail the embers of the architect's festering jealousy.

"This state of coevality will come to end, I have already established that your presence with us is best temporal, and such apologies on your part would be a waste of your emotional resources and time, I do not require nor seek such useless trivia Ryley."

"I was just trying to appo-"

"Your intentions hold little sway in my decisions, let me clarify your position Ryley, You? You are a bargaining chip and little else, I tolerate you for the benefit I glean from it, your acceptance of my presence and the convenience it would bring mean little to nothing to me."

"But what do you benefit from cohabiting with someone you hate?!" Ryley scowled.

"Humans are social creatures by nature, to fill this void would be healthy for Robin's wellbeing, to hate would imply there is a level of negative intent to my motives, I am simply disinterested in pursuing anything further than necessary regarding you Ryley."

"I guess we can agree on that.."

"I suspect us both competent enough to coexist, but I also expect you to stay out of my way in regards to my pursuits and interests."

The architect didn't need to raise his apathetic voice for Ryley to catch wind of the warning laced within the precursor's calm words, Al-an hardly gives him another glance as he begins trekking off through the foliage, only to hesitate when Ryley called.

"But If it's so healthy for Robin to be around other human beings, then it wouldn't be best if you just let us go to one of the human settlements..?"

"And what would this achieve..?"

"You can't keep her in space her whole life! That might work for you aliens but Robin...she's human, that wouldn't be healthy or safe, I mean i found her face down in a dangerous swamp for gods sake!..dont you think this whole self imposed responsibility to purge the solar system of this bacteria is a bit much for a single human? "

"Robin's current species has little sway in our active obligations, and such burden will not rest solely on my human, Robin will stay with me, that is how it will remain, you however will be eligible to reenter the human settlements after purification."

"Your not getting me to go anywhere without her!" Ryley snapped his patience for the possessive glowling asshole reaching its peak.

"You will leave when you no longer pose a threat to the world around you, this choice is not in your control."

"I don't get it. What Is your attachment to her? why won't you let her go?!"

"Robin will stay with me, because that is what we wish, your intrusive interests regarding our bond are swiftly becoming problematic Ryley, your focus would be best utilized on completing the supplementary reactor..." the architect suddenly hissed, coils of red tainting the sea of colors coursing through his almost mechanical body.

It was an obvious dismissal, as the architect began moving again, Ryley was forced to linger and get lost on an unfamiliar planet or follow the glowing asshole.

He thought it was best he didn't try his luck out here, Robin was waiting for them both anyways, it would be best.

ROBIN:

Robin was just about finished assembling the last of the lumin rods when she noticed the arrival of Al-an and Ryley.

Both males looked beyond irritated and the brooding cloud following close behind instantly begged the researcher to reconsider if letting the two rendezvous without her mediation was the best idea...

Hopefully whatever beef this was would pass, Robin wouldn't be there to hold them back from settling their differences forever..

"How was the detour..?"

"Peachy...just peachy.." Ryley grunted, couching to pick up the pile of rods Robin had laid out for him.

"Sounds like you were a great host, big guy..." Robin called over her shoulder, the agitated hiss her comment earned her was enough to know Al-an cared little about their opinion on his poor temperament as of late.

"My talents do not lie in hospitality, you should be aware of this by now." Al-an sniffed.

"Yeah, I am but I also know you could do better than you are, that is if you put your mind to it." Robin rebuffed, crossing her arms.

"If I consider it worth such efforts..." Al-an conceeded unapologetically, turning to start down a path that branched off into a sparse settlement of trees dotting the outer parameter of what looked to be a dense swath of forestland.

"We have quite a trek ahead of us, the first hive will be located within these woods, our chances of making it there by the time the blackout takes place is minimal, I've yet to decide if taking shelter would be the safest option, or if we should continue n until we locate our target.."

"Best we hurry then, we'll decide once we assess the state of the woods." Robin suggested gazing up at the impressive treelines, her first glance at the planet led the researcher to believe the planet would be predominantly rocky mountainous terrain, but the nature of the land shifted abruptly atop the gorge, opening of into wide fields covered in pale grass and sparse trees eventually thickening into a thick tightly woven forest of thin tall trees and ferns, pale gold and blue and purple dusted with pale chitin.

Marighettis was unnaturally beautiful but in an odd still life way, like the painting of an enchanted forest, but its ethereal beauty is harshly contrasted by the massive orange and bronze painted mountains reaching up in the distance.

It took minutes for the woods swallow them, now hours later with the darkness creeping closely at their backs like a stalking shadow, there was little signs of the path they had taken and now surrounded by an army of confusingly similar trees, Robin was certain they would have had trouble navigating their way out if not for her architect.

Despite the thin fragile appearance of the trees around them, their pale speckled trunks were in fact as sturdy as bone, unyielding and hardy, predominantly bare only to bloom into a wide flat canopy of leaves at their crowns.

It made it hard to tell if the light was really indeed waning or if they had just ventured too deep into the lush woods..

It was becoming so dark Robin had begun actively using her lumin rod to help navigate around the coiling webs of thin tangled above ground roots.

Even Ryley's pace had slowed significantly, but little to her knowledge this wasn't due to difficulties navigating the difficult terrain.

"You guys probably don't want to hear this but you know what, I'm going to ask it anyway because no one else is. Where the hell are all the animals? I haven't seen so much as a fly since we landed.." Robin turned to see the hermit had removed his helmet, his sharp features hardened into a subtle frown of worry as his pale narrow eyes scanned the tall thin trees.

"Not going to lie, I'm kind of wondering the same thing.." Robin admitted, there wasn't so much as a single bird call, the forest was dead silent, but not in the peaceful way the ravine was, something felt off.

"It has been long since I've been here, thus my knowledge regarding the disappearance of Marighttis's indigenous life is limited, there is a likelihood that the fauna could not withstand the unmediated biomes and simply yielded to the harsh climate..." Al-an admitted quietly, stopping to give the dark forest around them a worried sweep.

"When we get to the hive we can ask the Elisskat about it, for now we might want to consider camping for the night, I can hardly see in front of me and these lumin rods are doing jack shit!"

Robin suggested momentarily forgetting her architect's warnings regarding the length of the eclipse, it was true the shadows were beginning to overtake them now, and the rods only did but so much.

"I don't think that would be wise, day will not break for the next eighty-two earth hours..and I don't think we are alone..." Her architect earned, suddenly alert.

"What?!" Robin shot a worried glance around them, but frustratingly enough her limited vision was not doing them much good.

Poor Ryley hardly noticed the subject or tense mood shift, still puzzling the disappearance of the planet's fauna.

"They can't have all died out, what about evolution and all that bullshit..?
I'd be hard pressed to believe everything died on the plan-"

The hermit's words are interrupted by a low warbling bay, an eerie call carried on the thick warm night air, the first sound shattering hours of monotony echoing throughout the thin trunks of trees reaching up into the dark abyss of the sky above.

"I do not believe stopping to await daylight would be in our best interest.." Al-an cautioned worriedly, his gaze scanning the unyielding shadows, tracing something the darkness concealed from her human eyes...

"Can you see it..?" Robin asked the sickening feeling of predatory eyes watching her was becoming almost unbearable, the air was warm and breezy but that didn't stop the cold chill from creeping up the researcher's spine as she heard a twig snap under the weight of some unseen presence.

"Yes.."

"Well shit this isn't good, that kind of sounded bigger then a dog Al-an.."

"This particular species is invasive to this planet, it has no place within this regulated ecosystem, furthermore... I am unfamiliar with this organism's species or orgin, however I hypothesize they may be carnivorous or territorial as they're behavior indicates that they may be actively hunting us." Her architect cautioned, the lights on his vessel suddenly blazing a dangerous red hue.

"It's not from this planet?!"

"H-holy shit, A-are you guys seeing those things?!" Ryley sucked in a tense breath staring into the dark treeline.

"THOSE?! Ryley...your vision at night, it shifted too didn't it..? Because i can't see shit and these lumine rods are doing a crap job at showing me what i should be scared of!" Robin snapped tensily, making a mental note to examine the man's eyes again when They returned back to the ship.

That is If they make it back..

"What, I-I don't know? I've never taken the time to thi-" Ryley started panicking but Al-an put a swift end to the two human's nervous rambling.

"This conversation will need to be postponed, you will need sufficient oxygen to ensure you can maintain a extraneous stride for as long as possible while avoiding exhaustion."

"Are you saying we should be running?!" Robin asked her eyes, straining to make out the dark silhouettes skittering through the roots around them.

Already she could hear rapid wheezes of breath, sparse flickers of pale glowing beady lights fleeting in and out of her peripheral vision.

"Precisely." Al-an confirmed, it's only then she took note of the protruding
translucent blade extending from the architect's left arm, glowing a dim red in the darkness as her architect shifted to position his vessel between them and the unyielding dark.

"Come on Ry, looks like we're going to be doing some cardio, it's going to be a long night.." Robin sighed withdrawing her thermal blade as another bay rang out horse and quivering, closely this call was followed by another, then more, until the silent night was alight with a primal symphony.

Chapter Text

RYLEY:

The hermit's lungs screamed as he vaulted over another large coiled root reaching up from the forest's clay like soil, the slick moss like fungus clinging to its surface made the risk of slipping portending, the familiar weight of urgency kicking his system into overdrive, he almost couldn't hear the world around him past the thumping of his beating heart.

With every overcompensating slip against the slimy surface Ryley's heart clinched, certain that the next step would be the one that had him careening forward into the darkness.

Ahead of him, Robin's lumin rods flashed erratically as the researcher sprinted through the woods, she wasn't exactly out right running, easily he could recognise that she had sacrificed speed in favor of a wider more constant gait, a pace set that would benefit the whole party and stave off the inevitable exhaustion for as long as possible.

He couldn't risk glancing back to see if the precursor was still behind him, the risk of falling too steep to chance, but while Al-an made almost no noise when he moved or even sprinted, and it was hard to tell whether or not the precursor was still behind them, or if he had lost sight of his human companions, the loud hissing taking up the rear clued him in more than the eerie red lights imitating the forest from behind him.

"They are flanking us! It is imperative that we do not scatter!" Al-an cautioned, loudly just as Ryley noticed the elongated orange and silver streaked bodies weaving through the thick brush of roots on their left, the lack of the pale glow of their eyes urged the hermit to wonder if their eyes were shut, not that it mattered they're actions held an obvious sign of the intent.

"Robin, I-I think they were trying to ambush us!" Ryley called as Robin slowed to a stop, uncertain of where to go.

"Fuck! I-I can't see shit!" The researcher snapped with panicked frustration as she flung one of the lumin rods into the path ahead of them, and only then it occured to Ryley that she was the only one in the trio completely blind to what was happening around them.

"I wouldn't rule it out! They seem pretty pissed at us right now!" Robin yelled into the night, casting a worried glance over her shoulder before taking off again towards a stone ledge rising up out of the roots.

By now the forest was alive with sound of the hunt, once stripped of the means of surprise whatever it was pursuing them cared little to conceal their overwhelming presence any longer, abandoning any sense of stealth in their pursuit, countless bodies swarmed the forest like a stream of silver fish, only the sparse light of the twinkling sky glinting off their reflective armored backs.

"Robin! We're heading to a wall of stone! We're going to need to turn right-" Ryley called just as the light of Robin's upheld lumin rod reflected light off the metallic plating lining a long slender body clinging to the rockface.

At first glance the dark shadows of it's gangly almost reptilian joints made it hard to see, but the traitorous glint of it's chattering clear teeth drew the hermit's sharp eye to its position above, it intended to drop down on the first unfortunate victim to pass close enough!

"Fuck!"

Was all the hermit had time to screech before he was forced to dive for the researcher, unfortunately this was just as Robin's head shot up, her lumin rods finally revealing the creature seconds before it was too late, but Ryley's reflexes have the hermit colliding into her back with far too much force, he feels the air leave the poor woman's chest as both are barreled over.

But to his horror their momentous tumble does not cease, instead the soft soil around them collapses under their combined weight, the mossy tangles of roots making up the floor opens up, loose soil falling between gaps in the roots, and the hermit finds Robin and himself sliding down a sheer damp underpass beneath the spiraling roots, the slick moss propelling them faster and faster into the brush.

Ryley can just make out the precursor's alarmed call before his hearing is overtaken by the sound of rushing leaves and roots whipping past.

Desperately He tries to hold on, to shield her from the brunt of their fall, but the researcher's yelp of pain is an obvious sign of the failure on his part.

Around them the forest is spinning, somewhere near the end he loses her, his grip slipping under the strain of their descent, panic over shadows the pain blooming in his shoulder as it collides with hard stone.

And then everything is still..

There he lied still, his vision still swimming, he survived disoriented and stunned, the lumin rod's shattered husks still clinched in his bleeding fist, the toxic glowing fluid splattering his moss caked face and arm.

For a moment everything is silent, there is only the warm breeze rustling the long webby branches, cerulean leaves landing showing down around them.

Above him the sky was an abysmal gradient of darkness, colorful streaks of purple, orange and blue staining its expanse, its encompassing void rivaled only by the millions of glittering stars stubbornly dusting heavens.

It was beautiful, almost peaceful..

Robin's strained coughing shatters the facade of tranquility, and all at once Ryley was again self aware scrambling to right himself in the slick shallow pool, his gills flexed and then convulsed, rejecting the tainted water, there was a bitter rancid taste in his mouth, coppery and musky.

The urge to gag was uncontrollable and Robin's hacking suddenly made sense, the pungent scent that flooded his nostrils was repulsive.

They looked to have fallen in a small lake, filled with rancid overfill, even the land around it seemed to wither around its shore.

"Al-an!? Ryley!?"

"Robin!"

"I'm here! I... I think we fell through a gap in the canopy..a-are you okay..?"

"I'm alive, but I've seen better days.." Worriedly Ryley casts a glance about, above them the dense forest is eerily still, no signs of the precusor's light nor the beasts pursuing them.."I lost sight of Al-an, ugh what the fuck is this shit?! What were those things..?"

"Shit, I don't know.." Robin's voice was heavy with apprehension as their plan fell apart, it looked like they'd have a hell of a lot more to deal with then just greedy salesmen..

Okay Ry! Come on, we need to find a way back up..'' he could hear the squelching sound of Robin wading through the viscous fluid towards him, no doubt using the pale glow of his eyes to trace his position.

But the researcher's approach is stalled when something large and black lands in the stagnant water behind them, and in seconds he sees the glow of Robin's enhanced thermal blade, its smoldering edge steaming in the damp areas.

But the researcher's aggression falls away quickly when the architect's previously unilluminated vessel flares a dim anxious hue.

"Al-an!"

"I am here...are either of you hurt..?" There was an odd sense of unrest in the architect's voice, even now the colors of his vessel were spilling red like a leaky faucet.

"I think I cut myself on something sharp, but Ryley got us down pretty much alive.." Robin praised anxiously.

"The tuck and roll's saved my life more times than once, I'm just glad we got aw-" Ryley's words wedge in his throat like peanut butter.

Hermit's soul almost leaves his body when he feels the large precursor's warm claw rest heavily on his back, the sharp edges dragging over his shoulders as the architect made his presence known.

The contact was just as deliberate as it as brief, and within seconds it's as if he imagined the whole thing, Al-an has made his way past him to assess Robin's bleeding shoulder

Ryley was struck by confusion as the architect seemed more worried than irked, nor did the action seem hostile in any way...

"Ry..you're bleeding too, might wanna make sure it's not anything serious.."

"Treat it quickly, we must hurry, we are still being hunted, I've led them as far away as I could, but I fear that now that they have tasted blood they will not relent until they've made a kill.."

"How did you find us..?" Ryley asked.

"Your blood.." Al-an answered shortly, his gaze scanning the parameters.

"I'll explain later, lets go-Agh!"

"You sure you're okay?!" Ryley asked his hand shot out to quickly help stabilize the researcher as she faltered..

"Yeah, i-i think... leg's had enough for the night..." Robin laughs sheepishly, as she tries again to press weight on it, an action that was successful this time but clearly not a long term remedy as Ryley could easily see she was still in pain.

This sentiment was shared by Al-an as well, the architect studied the researcher silently before issuing a soft terse noise.

"It seems you sustained more injuries then simply minor lacerations, I will assess the state of our wounds visually apparent and otherwise as soon as we find a safe location, there is an underground outpost, I am certain it will be safe as only precursors have authorization to access it, but it is hidden, located further downstream, we should be able to reach it by simply following the river"

"This pool...it tastes...tainted.." Robin worried, leaning closer to the rancid fluid to examine it with her lumin rods.

"This is not its natural state, this stream links to the main water reserves of the planet..something is wrong..." Al-an intones worriedly.

"We should collect samples then..right? Make sure it's not khaara..?" Ryley asked, wrapping Robin's arm over his shoulder to help the researcher limp faster.

"Yes, but attempting to do so now will prove too dangerous, as i said we are still being hunt-" Al-an's voice dropped as a loud roar rose above the trees..

The sheer volume alone had the water around the trio rippling, in the distance the sound of several large trees toppling over in the distance echoed ominously..

There is a moment of silence, Al-an stares off into the night, almost as if he was in a trance..

"Al-an, please tell me that was just the docile herbivorous fauna you mentioned earlier..." Robin breathed worriedly as more trees were torn from their roots and flung aside with ease and something unfathomable barreled through the forest.

"...it should not be here.."

"What?! What shouldn't?"

"I will elaborate later, we need to stay out of its path, failing to avoid its attention may result in our demise, Come this way."

"That's...comforting.." Ryley huffed, his gaze trained on the fallen trees, at least whatever caused such damage easily was ways off..

Unfortunately with Robin's hurt leg and their limited sight they only managed to make it but so far before unwanted company finds its way back to them..

"Robin, get on my back." Al-an orders, reach for her as the architect tracks the movement of creatures in the shadows.

"Maybe we should stand and fend them off, try to scare em...? It doesn't look like fleeing is an option.." Robin reasoned through clenched teeth.

"The creature we witnessed was an Omni pera, beasts of war, while rare they are known to be attracted to conflict, these as you refer them as, Leviathan class species are heavily armored and known to be highly aggressive, it is best we flee and avoid alerting it of our presence within its territory as we will not be able to repel such a creature without aid of heavy artillery..." Al-an warned, something about the architect's voice sounded distant..

"Remind me what you guys were smoking when you decided rehabilitating something like that was a good idea?!" Ryley scowled.

"The network did not bring this creature to Marighettis.." Al-an hissed with way more aggression then Ryley felt the comment warranted.

"Yeah, okay but it doesn't look like we will have a choice soon!"Robin warned anxiously, as the screeches and hisses grew louder.

"Just lead them as far as possible.."

As suddenly long metallic bodies come spilling out of the forest around them, the swarm engulfs them within seconds, Ryley fills his gills fins flare up aggressively.

"Stay close, this is an intimidation tactic, do not allow them the opportunity to separate us!" Al-an commanded, setting Robin down.

Suddenly an echoing warbling shattered the impenetrable darkness the moment their heads collectively shot to the source to spot a smaller creature breaking away from the swarm to dart towards them, however it becomes quickly obvious that this is little but a hunter's ploy.

"HOLY SHIT! IT'S COMING FROM BEHIND! RYLEY WATCH OUT!" Robin screeched.

An obvious distraction, Robin whips around quickly only to shriek at the large creature streaking from the dark woods towards Ryley, he could hardly see its oily silver and orange body leaping through the shadows like one of earth's extinct big cats, charging at him full force!

Despite Robin's alarmed warning Ryley didn't run, that's exactly what the fucker wanted, the moment he turned his back to flee it would strike, it's not like he'd outrun that thing anyway.. Instead the hermit held his ground, steeling himself blade in hand prepared to drive it through the creature's jaw.

It didn't look heavy but if it managed to bowl him over nine times out of ten Ryley wouldn't be getting back up..

Oddly enough, the hermit was confident the others would come to his aid, it was only a matter of if they were fast enough to pry it off before it snapped his neck..

But to the hermit's utter horror when the creature came within striking distance suddenly it darted to the hermit's left and on towards its real target.

"Robin!"

The scent of her blood likely marked the researcher as the ideal target..

The researcher herself had little time to prepare for it's attack, but that didn't mean she wouldn't go down fighting, already she had assumed a bracing posture, prepared to divert the beast's momentum, her glowing blade's edge gleaming in the dark, however her readiness didn't matter in the end.

The creature didn't make it far...

It was as if the beast hadn't even noticed the pissed off precursor lurking at its smaller target's side, and the moment the creature darted past her aggravated companion was the moment it sealed its own fate...

It only takes seconds for it's alarmed shrieks of terror to be replaced with a howl of fury, as the precursor's sharp claw shot out savagely snagging on the beast's back flank, clamping down and tearing on skin and flesh as it was dragged down by the precursor's weight.

Again it howled in anger turning back to lunge at the precursor, the saggy skin on its bulbous head peeled back to reveal dozens of pale blue eyes leering behind rows of spine like clear teeth hidden within a beaked muzzle.

Repeatedly it reared its abnormally long body up attempting to puncture and maul the architect's armored limb but to little success.

Its angry shrieks quickly gave way panicked cries as the gravity of its situation began to dawn on it.

Around them the frenzied swarm of creatures quickly deteriorates into a mass of panic and anxiety as the beast starts berserking, thrashing and twisting, but the skirmish is quickly jolted to an abrupt and bloody end when Al-an suddenly whipped around, the precursor's sudden movement dragging the creature off balance.

Unfortunately for the beast, before it even had time to right itself and lurch again at limb anchoring it's body to the ground the architect suddenly kicked out, there was a loud crack, no doubt the sound of shattering bone as his elegant hind legs caught the beast's open jaws whilst his claw was still fastened into the it's hip.

Ryley's eyes widened in horror at the sudden spray of blood as the whole upper torso of the lanky beast was torn clean off under the strike's unfathomable force and sent flying into the dark woods.

The loud panicked wail abruptly gurgling to a stop.

All that was left was the still twitching flank of the beast which quickly followed as Al-an carelessly flung it down amongst the puddle of ruptured organs and bright yellow blood.

"Come! Marighttis is not as safe as I once predicted, I have exposed us, we need to locate shelter immediately, Robin, Ryley are you alright?"

"I think I'll survive.. i just..holy crap, Thanks..how's your arm..?."

"I am fine."

"...I'm good I think, we need to get out of here.." Ryley worried as another loud roar shattered the night, with it the creatures most of the creatures scattered, however Ryley wasn't certain if it was the looming threat of the Omni pera or the precursor's sudden display of brutality...

Al-an's actions put perspective on what the architect was capable of, and what he could have potentially done to the poor hermit during their first encounter on Adelphi...

"I believe the example I demonstrated will dissuade any further attempts at ambushes, but I cannot be certain this species is unfamiliar to me." Al-an admitted worriedly, even then the remaining creatures lurked close, flooding the area like roaches, too weary to approach outright but unwilling to abandon the hunt altogether.

"I don't think so...they look hungry.." Robin assessed, but Al-an simply shook his head, ushering the wounded researcher back onto his back.

"On the contrary, while they are exhibiting hunting behavior, this pack seems well fed, any drive for violence is not provoked by hunger.."

"Sport, territory whatever their motives are, it doesn't matter! we need to get the hell out of these woods and fast!"

Rylay exclaimed with panic, he was starting to feel the ground rumble beneath his feet, much like in the dinosaur movies he would revel in as a child.. and to his utter horror it was just as terrifying as the dinosaur themed nightmares that plagued his childhood thereafter.

Something was coming straight for them and that bastard was huge…

Stealth was no longer in option, nor was finding a reasonable path down stream, the forest seemed to stretch on forever, and with each exhausting step the creatures stalking their path grew bolder, despite Al-an's previous aggression it took only an hour before they were back to nipping at their heels.

It wouldn't be long before they wore down and when that happened the hermit didn't doubt they would be quickly overwhelmed.

It didn't help that the whole forest was quaking around them, the heavy footfalls of the large beast on their heels, it once got close enough Ryley could hear a wet gasping noise before Al-an veered off again.

"Here!" Al-an exclaimed!

It comes as a relief when the precursor slows to a stop, beside what at first appeared to be a rock but turned out to be a doorway leading into the stone, it had an odd looking tablet interface sprouting from its surface.

"This lift will transport us to the bottom of the cliff, after we need only follow the path upstream to the underground maintenance station beside the reservoir, we will rest there as it is safe just wait a moment as I disengage the security measures..." The architect explained hurriedly, as he set Robin down.

"Hurry, I don't think we have much time Al.." Robin bit out holding out her thermal knife, but as time went on and Al-an typed furiously at the screen, the interface only made a disheartening beep..

For a moment Al-an paused, before trying again, only to receive the same rejection..

"Something is wrong..." Al-an hissed.

"What?! Al-an if you can't get it open we need to go, we'll make another plan!" Robin screamed, fending the encroaching creatures back, they had taken the precursor's distraction as an opening and started getting bold.

Ryley and Robin managed to keep them away from their distracted companion but that only lasted until another blood curdling roar rang out, sending them the otherwise cautious predators into a terrified frenzy.

"Al-an! Now is a good time to get a fucking move on it!" Ryley snapped as the hermit used all of his body weight to pin one of the elongated creatures to the mossy floor as it sprayed glowing sickeningly sweet smelling blood beneath him.

But his urgency fell on deaf ears as Al-an had interfaced with the terminal in a last ditch effort to brute force activate the ancient tech despite its reluctance.

Unfortunately this left him vulnerable, relying solely on Robin and Ryley to fend off the hoard while he attempted to open their only means of escape.

This was much more difficult in retrospect as their creature's seemed to be exhibiting a grudge, or perhaps they had established the architect as the leader of the pack, whatever the case, it quickly became apparent that the target of the assault was not the human's but the architect himself.

It would make sense to take out the strongest first and pick off the smaller adversaries second but there seemed like a sense of desperation in their pursuit...

Maybe Ryley was seeing things but they equally seemed unnerved by the leviathan's presence, but refused to abandon their hunt even in the face of danger..

Around them the forest was lighting up, pale blue orbs like fairy lights skittering through the dark.

There were too many...

"Argh!"

Ryley whipped around to see Robin on the ground, pinned under a large creature, it's secondary mouth extended and snapping viciously at the researcher's face, the musky smell of burnt copper and sweet sugar filled the air as her thermal knife plunged into its chest as the two struggled on furiously on the ground.

He didn't make it, there before Robin cried out in pain, repetitively kneeing the beast in its ribs as it attempted to mangle her.

Quickly Ryley hooked his elbow around its jaw, prying it away from the arm that it had sunk its teeth into, his knife splits its throat easily, he has enough practice and strength to sever the arteries that he knows will make it's suffering brief..

Not that it was ever that easy for the hermit.

"AL-AN!!" It's not a second that Ryley hulled the blood soaked corpse off her that the resilient woman wasn't up and running.

It only occurred to him that he had left the architect vulnerable when he rushed to her aid, and in the short time it took the hermit to pry it's teeth out of her arm, the other's had taken the opportunity to launch an attack on the precursor.

The terminal was smoking, it's screen fractured and rapidly glitching, Al-an however was locked into a savage stalemate with two of the beast, his claw catching the first in its jaw, the powerful jagged edges crushing through bones and forcing its way through it's flesh, however the creature on his back was desperately attempting to sink it's claws and teeth into his reinforced spine, in a desperate attempt to paralyze the thrashing alien.

There was yellow and iridescent purple blood everywhere..

Ryley rushed over to help, but Robin made it there first, and to his surprise the researcher made short work of the remaining creature.

"GET THE FUCK OFF HIM!" Robin yelled, fury burning in her strained voice as the heavy muzzle of her weapon collided with the ribcage of the creature, its furious cry of pain is deafening as it's torn from his back and flung to the ground on its side with a loud thump.

She doesn't afford it the chance to recover from this blow and snap back, Robin wasn't the type of person who died in a horror movie at least not easily, she wouldn't turn her back without ensuring the source of her demise was dead first.

And today wasn't that fucker's lucky day...

It takes seconds for her to turn the gun on it, violently slapping it back down as it tries to lurch up at the furious women and immediately setting the gun's flaming fury down on the unfortunate beast.

Her poor architect companion had to scramble out of the way to avoid getting caught in the stream of spewing fire, the unfortunate beast once latched onto his back now scrambling around the large tangled roots, howling in agony as its flesh surcame to a ravenous flaming mass.

She then turned the gun's muzzle downward, setting light to the claylike soil beneath around them, the flames caught and blazed a toxic green, the forest illuminated in the flames' shadows..

Ryley felt his heart drop when he finally saw the legion stalking them in full light, there were thousands, creeping around the edges of light.

"We need to go! Now!" Ryley screamed as Al-an managed to scramble to his feet.

"The terminals have been disabled, I am sorry i was unab-"

"Al-an! Not now! we need to move, something is happening over there!"
Robin yelled worriedly, the researcher had dropped her plasma torch to run over to their side.

"We must find cover quickly!"

Al-an hissed his gaze locked onto the woods alight as he quickly started ushering them off, even the swarm around them paused their pursuit attention ensnared by the blinding light emanating from the depths of the forest.

A low buzzing noise filled the air, like electricity charging water, everything felt heavy, Ryley's heart started thudding violently within his chest, apprehension flooding his senses with panic as Al-an practically dragged them both through the woods,

The glowing trees behind him groaned under the weight of some unseen force.

The light was getting brighter and brighter, no matter how fast they ran, it was always behind them.

And then suddenly everything erupted, the light split through the forest like a beam, the force tearing trees from their roots and ripping apart the earth in its path, Ryley just had time to see a pale lavender barrier manifest around them, and shatter against the impact of the brut strength of the beam, even then all three of them were sent flying into the destruction.

It hurt, Ryley was certain they'd have hell to pay come dawn, that is if they survived the night, but quickly counted his lucky stars as the hermit took in the destruction around him, mangled bodies and destruction littered the scared aftermath, there a huge swath if the forest had been swept away in mere seconds.

Above the deafening silence, an eerie low pitch warbling echoed in the dark,
Ryley stared, frozen in terror as his narrowed eyes spotted the massive writhing mass slowly creeping over the carnage towards them.

ROBIN:

"Robin! Are you okay?!" Al-an asked lifting the derbis from off her back, it felt like they were repeating that same line countless times that night.

"I'm alive, holy shit... what the hell was that?!" She asked instead as he lifted her to her feet.

"Your bleeding..." Al-an noted with a small distressed trill, staring down at the blood staining his claws.

"I'm fine, what was that thing?!" Robin demanded glancing around to see the forest and terminal beside them obliterated, corpses of the creatures previously plaguing them were littered everywhere.

But at least she spotted Ryley fairly quickly, sitting up dazedly from the debris a few feet away, but thankfully unharmed.

"The Omni pera...it's found us, we may not be able to escape its ire again if we fail to evacuate its territory soon, get Ryley I have a plan.."

Quickly Robin dashed over to help the hermit up, checking over him for wounds glad to find while shaken, Ryley didn't seem any worse off then the rest of them...which wasn't good to say the least..but also a whole level above the dismembered creatures around them...

Robin couldn't find it in herself to complain..

But as she leaned down to help him up, steady his arm in case he was disoriented, Ryley's hand came up to grab at her shoulder tightly, his dimly glowing eyes fixed on something in the dark, she can't follow his gaze, not past the dark trees, she has been mostly blind for the better part of the night...but Robin knows something malicious was lurking within the shadows, watching them.

Carefully she led Ryley back to Al-an who was scanning the forest..

"I think it knows we survived..." She reports seriously, her eyes still straining to follow Ryley's daze, to see past the behemoth stalking them through the shadows.

"It's huge.." Ryley grunted, his grip tightening on her shoulder.

"It doesn't matter, it cannot attack us again until it regenerates its expended energy, we will be safe by that time, so long as we keep moving." Al-an trilled tightly, no doubt he saw the creature clear as day.

"Come quickly.." Al-an commands setting a brisk pace,

When Al-an said he had a plan, a waterfall was the last thing Robin assumed her architect had in mind...

It took them almost thirty minutes to finally reach the outskirts of the woods, all the while the increasingly aggressive grunts and wails behind them echoed through the dark.

Sluggishly tracking their every step.

By the time Robin heard the sound of rushing water and made out the soft illumination of dimly glowing water flora dotting the damp stones of the rushing fall, and little more than the dead end of the cliffside.

it had clicked.

He intended to have them jump.

Already the researcher recognized this would be a problem with the man on her shoulder, Ryley's fear of heights would have the hermit hesitating when they had little time for such setbacks.

But as soon as she opened her mouth to clarify her architect's intention to the hermit beside her, it didn't matter because seconds after they reached the clearing Al-an set upon them.

"Al-an! Wait!" Robin startled, caught off guard by the speed and in which he caught the hermit, by the shoulder, his claw latching onto his chin forcing the panicking man to meet his gaze.

"Look away.." She had seconds to tear her eyes away before there was a flash, and Ryley's arms fell lax.

"There is no other way..." Al-an commanded, passing her the gasping hermit, to rest heavily against her arm.

"You didn't have to do it like that...y-you could have warned us.." Robin snapped, his actions felt unfair but in reality it solved a lot of their problems for the second...still.

"No, I could not risk it, we have no time to spare, there is no time for preparation.." Al-an deflected quickly dragging the hermit to the cliff edge, once there he beckoned to her with a raised claw, Ryley was twitching like mad, his eyes wide and dilated.

"Here, take him, you'll have to trust me. We have little choice but to jump, I will do everything in my power to ensure the fall does not kill us..." Al-an ordered anxiously but she also noted his avoidance of certainty.

He paused for a breath, his gaze scanning the tree line as a terrible bay sounded again even closer now that they had idled for a few moments, and even though the terror in her architect's distorted voice made her heart freeze over with ice, Robin nodded quickly.

"You trust me..don't you?" Al-an asked, suddenly fixing her with an uncertain gaze...he sounded frightened...

Robin felt her heart throb painfully..

He should know the answer to that by now..

There was little choice anyway, this alone was enough to numb her nerves.

Robin nodded without hesitation.

"You hear that? Your good, we got this and I won't let you go Ry..just trust us.." Robin breathes against the hermit's hair, while immobile she can still feel the terror exuding from the poor man's tense body, his grip subconsciously digging into her arm as his will buckled against her architect's thrall, but his situation was as cruel as it was necessary.

His eyes dilated yellow rings, dimly aglow in the sparse light, he never would have made the jump, not on his own and certainly not before those things caught up to him, Robin is sure of this..

And she's certain Al-an is too.

This is likely why her companion spared the hermit little warnings before he flashed him with somber and stripped him of any choice in the matter...

Slowly hooking an arm around Ryley's chest Robin guided them both back towards the ledge, it would be best if they stayed close in his vulnerable state, just in case things went wayside, a footstep away the rushing fall roared below them, intimidating was an understatement..

Marighttis may have had limited water sources but the few that did manifest on the once stable planet more than made up for the lack with its impressive falls...

Robin refused to look down, she did not need to see the jagged stalactites reaching up from the mists to know the perils of falling from such a height, inside much like the hermit gripped tight in her arms Robin's instincts were screaming at her to lean away from the edge and step back to safety, Ryley's twitching fingers digging into her thigh where the man grasped still heavily fighting against her architect's thrall.

A deep breath, the spray of pungent water misted up against her back, Robin steps off pulling Ryley with her, and the two plummet downwards just as the large black writhing mass bursts through the tree line barreling at them at full speed.

Al-an jumps seconds afterwards, springing off the ledge and angling his legs downwards in an effort to descend faster.

She can hardly make out his silhouette save for the anxious glow of the biolights rippling over his vessel, if Al-an was speaking to her Robin would be none the wiser, the furious screech echoing from above coupled with the roar of the raging waterfall plummeting down beside them deafend the researcher.

It was impossible to know what his plan was 'IF' he had one that is... surely he wouldn't have had them jump otherwise..?

"Al-an we're falling too fast!" Robin cried in fear.

Just when she thinks a scream might peel from her throat as they descend faster and faster.

A force catches them abruptly, the air leaving her lungs as gravity slammed into her body as she was yanked against the invisible grip, above her Al-an froze, his biolights sputtered and flickered as the architect struggled to maintain their telekinetic buoyancy, his vessel shuddering and quaking under the pressure, a far cry from the ease in which her architect utilized such capabilities when constructing the phase gate back on 4546B..

But still he was too weak to maintain their position.

A pained hiss escape her architect, and like the snapping of a thread,
In an instant pressure dissipated and suddenly they were hurtling downwards again, Only to be caught once more like a rock snagged on the fragile yet stubborn thethers of a silken web, but that too dissipates eventually and with it her architect's lights, and then they are falling again.

They hit the water with an audible splash, it wasn't the most graceful landing but thank Sol the fall wasn't high enough to shatter their bodies...

Still the rushing water is vicious and it's undertow jarringly ruthless, it's almost eight seconds before Robin manages to fight her way to the surface, by now Ryley has started moving on his own, his strong arms sweeping out in an attempt to help fight against the rapids, Al-an's thrall all but dissipating with the last thread of his energy.

But even then the strong rapids threaten to drag her and Ryley back under, the relentless currents insistently tugging them downwards.

Robin experiences a moment of panic when Ryley lets go of her suddenly, leaving her to brave the water alone, frantically feeling around for the man, but it's only for a second before a gentle claw snags the back of her exosuit, pulling her up against his side dragging her close as he ferried them towards the shallower end of the bank...

"I could not hold us as long as I initially presumed.." Al-an sighed, his voice sounds tragically distraught despite the lack of emotion in it.

"It's okay-"

"It is not, such reckless assumptions could have cost you and Ryley your lives.." Al-an cut her off, his grip tightening just slightly as a flare of dark mauve flickers over his dim back.

"We survived, so it can't be too bad, at least those slimy assfucks are off our tail.." Ryley's rough voice rose up from behind her, prompting her to glance back to find the hermit's shadowing their slow drift downstream.

His voice sounded strained and gravely, his narrowed gaze glowing dimly in the dark...

"He's right, you know..? We didn't have any option either way.." Robin pointed out, resting her head against his side.

"Are you hurt..?"

"No...but I still feel like shit.." Ryley gritted, no doubt he was agitated about the somber but realized there was little time to complain about the inevitable.

Robin shot the hermit a glance in hopes of conveying how apologetic she was about the whole thing, but quickly found her eyes darting away as they locked with the particularly intense gaze the engineer was giving her.

"No, just a bit shaky.." Robin sighed resting her head against Al-an's back, in truth the researcher was at her limit, she had been terrified as they fell, her lungs were burning and her body still hadn't come to terms that they were safe for the time being.

But it was more than likely they all felt this way after jumping from a goddamn waterfall.

They were alive and whilst that was what mattered most, Robin was far too aware that nobody was fine, and this was unlikely to change until they could find the underground station Al-an had mentioned.

"Good..."

"Al-an, are we going to get out..?"

Robin asked, noting that Al-an had decided against returning to the shore, instead choosing to follow the river at the shallower end.

"The water's contamination levels are less dense here, it is best you bathe in it as opportunity allows, until we have the chance to properly disinfect, I sensed foreign bacterial contaminants within the body of water upstream..."

"Shit, is it Kharaa..?"

"No, however caution should still be utilized as I am unfamiliar with its origins, your gear will have to be discarded and replaced, your wounds sterilized thoroughly as a preventative measure against infection."

"The longer we stay in the water the harder it'll be for those assholes to pick up our scents if they try to follow us out of the forest, so just hold tight and rest for a while, you look tired.."

"Ryley is correct, I will guide us, it would be wise if you take this opportunity to rest Robin..." Al-an trills softly.

Robin would have argued that three heads were better than a half dazed man and burnt out precursor, but exhaustion had already been biting at her strained limbs for a while now, without the shielding grip of adrenalin all the aches and pains of their ordeal came to claim their toll.

The wounds on her arms burned like acid had been poured on it, and her whole left side which took the brunt of her fall was throbbing with numbing pain, everything was clammy and raw, and for the first time that night she became aware of how hard her body was jittering against his vessel.

"Yeah, Okay..just for a little while.. " Robin relented shakily.

"Yes..Simply hold on, we will wake you when we progress far enough that walking is a more appealing option.." Al-an trilled sympathetically, his claw pressing against her back, as the exhausted researcher let her mind wander as she rested her head down against her precusor's back.

She doesn't recall drifting off, one moment she was listening to the soft sound of the lapping water and warm wind whispering above the gorge.

The next she was dreaming.

RYLEY:

Al-an decidedly does not awaken Robin, but neither does Ryley, he is just as guilty for letting the researcher sleep through most of the trip, the silent agreement weighing heavy in the silence.

At least not until they reached the maintenance tunnel, Ryley wasn't certain how long they swam, but when the architect did elect to leave the safety of the water noting that once again the water ahead of them was showing signs of dense contamination, the dense forest and all it's dangers where long behind them, instead they were beside a large empty field, the sparse amount of squat little trees taken root there where not the same species as the forest they had just fled...

They almost looked like man sized shrubs..

Hell, it didn't even look like the same biome despite them only traveling a two or three hours worth a distance, only a deep silvery field beside a wide bubbling stream, the thick grass was so thin and flimsy it almost felt like hair opposed to foliage.

It was all so deceptively peaceful, Ryley could almost look past the planet's forest full of teeth, and the huge pissed off cosmic horror stalking them through its trees for most the night...

Al-an opts to carry Robin through most of the field, only relinquishing her to the hermit when they reach a large tablet enforced shield blocking off what looked to be a large doorway leading into a tunnel in the ground..

"Take her. It is safe here." Al-an ordered, turning to carefully setting the researcher down, he watched her for a breath before pulling away to handle the tablet..

Unlike the last terminal in the woods, in the precursor's presence the tablet's slot flares to life with a pale magenta hue, this pulse traveled through once unseen veins spread out through the area, when Al-an pressed his claw over the slot a loud click and the sound of mechanisms in motion filled the silence.

It must have meant whatever he was doing was working, Ryley hated how anxious he was for a safe corner to rest, he was exhausted.. Both physically and mentally, the architect's somber had wreaked his brain and his extremities still felt like someone attached sandpaper to a drill and pressed it to the poor man's skin.

Ryley left the alien to his work, his gaze shifting down to the sleeping researcher.

Part of him envied the woman, resting fitfully against his side, but equally recognized that she probably needed that rest more than either of them, Robin had taken some hard blows that night and hadn't completely stopped shaking just yet.

Carefully he wrapped his arm around her and huddled closer in hopes his warmth would help quail at least some of her discomfort, a comforting hand rubbing her no doubt sore arm, he tries not to think about how tight those arms held him as they fell, the soft reassuring words filling his head as her chest pressed into his back, his heart twisted with a peculiar heavy feeling...

No.
It wasn't fair.
Not to Robin and not to himself...

Almost the hermit dozes off, watching the familiar lights of the architect, and the swaying grass around him, but soon he feels something warm gently prod his shoulder and jolts.

It was Al-an, he tried not to flinch, easily recalling the architect's iron grip on his neck hours prior, he hates to admit he didn't see it coming or how terrified he was in that moment...

But again he couldn't be mad, they had no time and in any other situation likely he'd have been left to jump or die on his own...

"Can you stand Ryley..?" The precursor inquired, staring down at him, the dim magenta streaks of his vessel were so dim Ryley could hardly see them against the glow of the flora around the area.

"Yeah, I'm just tired.." Ryley admitted, carefully, he could not tell much about Al-an's temperament but seemingly his previous ire for the hermit had taken the backseat in the face of more immediate issues.

Ryley in his decidedly raw state of mind he appreciated the lack of blatant hostility... More than he realized.

"Come, we will rest the night here." Al-an sighed, immediately pulling away, he sounded...fatigued.

Ryley moved to lift the researcher up with him only to hesitate, It took the groggy hermit a second to realize that Robin was gone and his arms empty, but his momentary panic is quailed quickly when he spots the researcher sitting on the floor, inside the doorway of a now illuminated passageway, peeling off her soiled and grim caked exo suit.

"it would be necessary to follow her example, decontamination is necessary.." Al-an trilled his gaze sweeping over the splatters of dried cerulean and yellow blood smeared all over his suit.

"Oh..okay.."

The hermit mumbled still, finding the precursor's less than hostile disposition hard to process, his almost attentive presence was...unnervingly calming.

"Hey Ry.." Robin greeted, her voice was rough and she still sounded tired, but she was alive and frankly that's all that mattered at the moment.

"You slept like the whole way...didn't even grace us with the courtesy of a 'Are we there yet."

"I told you to wake me up!"

"Yeah about that, I forgot haha.." Ryley huffed his heart twisting painfully as the night's events weighed in on him, he wanted to curl up and sleep right there, but doubted the architect would tolerate such recklessness..

Already Al-an was hovering over the researcher, insisting she allow him to take over suturing her wounds, but only managed to get the researcher to halt her ministrations long enough to apply some odd translucent salve onto her wounds before Robin impatiently shooed him away, pointing out that Ryley wasn't actively cleaning his own wounds through gritted teeth.

Not only did the salve look intimidatingly painful, but as the hermit watched the architect's attention shift to him, Ryley realized Robin just threw him under the bus...

Damn it...

If Ryley ever told past Ryley that he'd be sitting on the floor of some unknown planet letting an architect clean his wounds..he'd ask himself which poisonous fish he licked and where to find another...

There was no telling him no, Al-an was much more of a bully to him then Robin in the sense that the precursor only seemed to care when she talked, and speaking of Robin the broad didn't even try to help him when Al-an striped his shirt off and made for his pants.

Apparently kicking the stubborn asshole meant it was fair game for him to just dump that shitty acid salve on him, Al-an ensures him it will disinfect his wounds but Ryley suspects there is a silent air of morbid glee the architect gets by watching the hermit squirm.

"Please..just let me die, Robin.. keep him away from me..." Ryley moaned when Al-an was finally satisfied with his first aid to give the hermit some space.

"You'll survive.." Robin's lips twisted into a grimace despite herself, the woman's eyes still narrowed with pain as the researcher swiftly sutured the remaining punctures from the bite on her arm, it looked painful but that didn't stop her clinical proficiency...

"Here let me wrap it up.." Ryley offered softly, grabbing the roll of medical grade bandage and carefully wrapping the sutured wounds on the women's arm..

By now Al-an had begun pacing restlessly near the doorway, now that cleaning was mostly handled, it seemed his restless mind had drifted off to other worries.

"We have cleaned your wounds, however I still need to investigate what the source of this contamination is...I will venture uphill, the planet's main reservoir is located right above us, and there are seemingly no threats in the immediate area."

"Don't you want to rest first? And what about your wounds..? I didn't get a chance to assess them yet." Robin spoke up, giving the precursor a worried once over.

"I have already assessed them, they were drastically minimal compared to the injuries the two of you sustained in my distracted state..." Al-an admitted with a trill that almost sounded guilty.

"I still didn't get to assess them, and nobodies going anywhere until I do." Robin rebuffed shortly, her narrowed eyes watching the precursor's anxious pacing...

Ryley could feel tension building in the small space but wasn't one hundred percent certain what was pissing Robin off all of a sudden...

Just that she was glowering daggers at Al-an..

"I need to locate the source of the contaminants, the two of you were submerged in it Robin.. It is imperative that I understand if it poses any severe dangers.."

"That can wait, for now let me clean your wounds so they can heal properly." Robin ordered again, this time setting down the needle to reach a hand out for the architect...

"It will heal, it would be wise to limit contact with-" The precursor began dismissing briskly, but the researcher cut him off far too quickly.

"Al-an!" Robin suddenly snapped with venom that put pause to Ryley's ministrations and Al-an's pacing.

"Robin..I am fine, they will heal within hours worth of your planet's time, it..is not as extreme as prior circu-" her architect trilled softly, only now realizing how seriously irked the researcher was about the whole situation...

"I don't care, let me clean them.."

"But It.." Al-an hesitated, flexing his claws for a moment, no doubt he wasn't keen on letting Robin handle the situation.

"I need to see myself..now come here..please" Robin demanded .

"...Very well." Al-an relents quietly.

"Please.. utilize the precautionary gloves, my body fluid is toxic and potentially hazardous to your fragile biology Robin..." The precursor reminded with a resigned sigh.

Ryley quickened his pace wrapping her arm, he can tell she's restless, like an anxious panther awaiting release into a new enclosure..

ROBIN:

"Thanks Ry.." Robin huffed, as the engineer clipped the last bit of gauze away from her arm, releasing her to work.

Before her Al-an fidgeted restlessly, no doubt he was still agitated but thought it in his best interest not to fight her on this, Robin herself was somewhat surprised by her short temper, but easily realized they were all still on edge after the unfortunate events that had taken place that night.

And Al-an's reckless anxiety was just one of the pantomime of his unrest, even If his wounds were as mild as he claimed them to be, Robin wanted to see for herself...if only to quail the smoldering anger still boiling in her veins, the anxiety of fear and rage she experienced when she sat up to see him fighting for his life..

She needed to snuff it out before she did something irrational..

"Here.." Robin feels Ryley pressing the med kit into her hand before moving to sit by the doorway, providing room for her precursor to fill in the limited space left empty..

For a moment she watches the hermit lean his head back against the metal wall and close his eyes with a tired sigh..

"Down here big guy.." She commands much softer this time, now that he's gotten the message, and easily the precursor complies to her demands, settling down before her.

For a moment he attempts to press forward, seeking to bury his face against the warmth of her neck, but Robin snags his chin quickly standing to scoot around his larger frame before he gets too clingy.

Pointedly ignoring the architect's meek trill dissolving into an irritated huff as she moved to assess the damage those bastards inflicted before she could set them ablaze...

And to her relief it was as Al-an said, minimal cuts and a few deep gashes, he had a bite on his leg where one apparently attempted to stall his stride but nothing too serious...not like Adelphi..

Still Robin cleaned them, huffing at his hiss of complaint when she smeared the gelified healing serum on him.

It's not a second before she is done that her architect is twisting around to claim the attention he previously begged for, his claw pressing closely against her chest as he pulled her into a warm hug, she could hear him tiredly purring against her.

Robin could not deny him the comfort he sought, easily she could sense her architect was shaken not only by the attack in the forest but the circumstances of the night as a whole.

No doubt he was silently blaming himself for the shortcomings..

"Your lights...are you still tired..?" Robin whispered, her words a language only for him to decipher.

Al-an pondered her inquiry, before she felt him sigh deeply against her.

"...Perhaps there is more to my dystrophy than we initially assumed.." Al-an admits finally, his words hang heavy in the dreary darkness..

"Do you feel like you're getting any worse..?" Robin breathed, chewing at her lip nervously

"I..I am uncertain..." It felt like a lie, but perhaps he was indeed uncertain..

Robin hated that she wasn't certain...

"Do you know anything about what's happening to you..?"

"..."

"Maybe I did something wrong, using the tech.." She fretted quietly.

"I am skeptical, as such construction was at my discretion, any fault would be my own."

"Still how can you be certain, I-"

"Robin..it is not your fault, the likelihood of my chronic malaise may simply be the lack of ideal fossils or faulty technology, none in which would be in your control.."

Al-an pressed resolutely, his claws moving to cup her face drawing her in close and for a moment Robin feared he meant to kiss her again...and even more so that she didn't have the energy to stop him...

"We will fix this Robin...we will fix everything.."

Instead her architect pulled away all together, with a soft affectionate purr, Robin hated the weight of disappointment she felt at his absence...

"I will return and share my findings, rest, and we will continue our trek within the next five hours. I sensed no activity from the hive within the woods so we will attempt to make contact with the next." Al-an trilled before slipping away, and leaving Robin and Ryley to get comfortable.

"So, was that the language you two share..?" Ryley asked quietly, the hermit had begun picking nervously at his neck fins again, his dimly glowing eyes watching her as she unrolled her sleeping bag..

"Yeah, perks of having a nosy alien in your head.." Robin hummed, flumping the sheets so she could get comfortable, she hated sleeping when they were not all together but Al-an had insisted this place was safe..

"So, what were you guys talking about..if i can ask."

"You can't...but-" Robin declined awkwardly instead bringing light to a subject she wanted to give voice to.

"Aside from that..um thanks for the help tonight, I don't think we'd have made it out unscathed without you..Al-an may be bad with his words but i'm pretty sure he's appreciative too." Robin smiled softly, trying not to laugh as the poor man fumbled to brush it off.

"Oh yeah..anytime, I..I just want to you know..help, you got my back i got yours." The hermit laughed gruffly, it was a nice sound..

"Yeah...and about the waterfall, Al-an.. he wouldn't have dont that unless-.." Robin continued awkwardly, recalling how terrified the poor man was, but Ryley held up a hand to assuage her guilt.

"That umm... yes, it's... okay, I understand, I probably would have stalled and had to get kicked off so it's okay...still I hate that Somber shit.." Robin noted that the hermit had started doing that thing where he spelled out his words with his hands again..

Perhaps Ryley forgot himself when his anxiety set upon him.

"Thanks for understanding, now let's get some rest, there won't be a sun to rejuvenate us in the morning.." She meant it.

"Bold of you to assume I even wake up in the morning." Ryley jokes.

"Trust me, it's obvious enough you don't, but that won't stop Al-an from making a morning person out of you." Robin warned, recalling the early days of their meeting when the architect felt the need to monitor her sleep schedule by passive aggressively announcing 'efficient' time windows to wake and sleep for optimal performance.

"Oh hell no.., also don't throw me under the bus like that again, he is still scary as shit, medical bandage or not.." Ryley grouched sleepily.

"No promises." Robin grimaced, pulling her sheet over her head in a genuine attempt to get some proper rest, but as time past Robin quickly found herself restless, tossing and turning evolved into the researcher sitting up in her bag awaiting her architect's return, it has only been thirty minutes but to Robin it may as well had been four hours...

What if he was indeed in danger, what if he fell asleep out there..
What if she just wanted to be near him..

God, she was pathetic but this realization didn't stop the researcher from getting up and quietly slipping outside..

Immediately she is greeted with warm night air blowing through her hair, and the subtle stench that clung to it, tainting the otherwise refreshing breeze.

Tall delicate silver grass trickles her legs as she scales the hill, the glowing flora against the dark sky creates a beautiful but oddly melancholy atmosphere.

Ahead she hears the rushing fall, filling the night with a tranquil ambiance

Everything was so peaceful, that is until she spots Al-an alone atop the hill gazing out over the reservoir, a splash of red against silver and dark purple..

"Al-an..?" Robin called but her architect failed to respond immediately, still stricken by the sight before him.

"What..."

"Al-an what is it..?" Robin asked carefully moving to his side a hand rising to rest against his back, wondering what caused Al-an to revert to such aggressive behavior, the precursor was practically bristling were he stood, the deep crimson crackling over his vessel like manifestations of electricity, something she only ever witnessed when he had attacked Ryley on the ship...

"What have they done..."

It was the only thing Robin could decipher from the tangled mess of words threatening to swallow her architect's dominant voice.

While the sky was still little but a sheet of darkness, the obnoxious amount of glowing flora flourishing around the planet's main natural reservoir gave the area an almost charming natural glow.

Al-an had been in the midst of meticulously collecting samples, to investigate the traces of bacteria he noted within the water hours prior...

But a single glance over the large body of water immediately provided enough evidence as to what had tainted the water..

Robin's brows widened in shock as her straining eyes flickered over corpse after corpse, there were countless bodies littering the lake, Robin could not count them all, some bloated bodies hover on the surface, others formed rotten fungi covered mounds reaching up from the depths.

Bile rose up in her throat as the familiar smell of rotting stagnant meat filled her nose, it took all her willpower not to gag and upend the little that she had eaten in the past eight hours.

It looks like the reservoir was being used as a glorified dumping pit! a reckless act that could potentially lead to bacterial contamination of the plants and fauna..

Much of the carnage was long calcified, at least the mangled fauna corpses that managed to rise above the preserving barrier of the surface, what had managed to stay within the water was slowly deteriorating into the slimy strains that would soon disperse and eventually be washed away down stream!

God they were swimming in that!

"Al-an.. What happened here..?" Robin asked, desperately trying to understand what the hell was going on.

"...The Elisskat" her architect states quietly, turning away, returning to the sanctuary of the utility tunnel.

when Al-an spoke, it was..different, the often projected humanity her architect often mimicked to better socialize with her had fallen away, leaving his voice cold and almost empty...

Still...

Robin knew Al-an was beyond furious, and part of her wanted to go after him, but in her hear she knew letting him go was right..

He needed space to cool off...

She herself was still in shock, there was no need as they did not hunt..but the carnage before her plainly shows these animal's lives were expended for some reason...this was the grave where most of the planet's fauna lay...

Robin was still reeling from her realization, when suddenly the urge to cough, over took the researcher..

God, the gasses must have been getting to her..quickly she hurried back inside.

The faster they made it to the hive the better, Robin was disgusted by their blatant disregard for life, but all the while the researcher was ignorant to the repercussions of her lack of self awareness...

Unfortunately in their state of distress neither party took note of the calcified mangled precursor claw entangled in between the carnage...

Chapter Text

Al-AN:

The air tasted familiar yet stale, but even then the long distant scent of his kin, life's fleeting existence was muddled beneath the persistent scent of sickeningly pungent rot.

Again Al-an's emotions flared with little but anxiety and frustration, countless attempts the architect tried to make sense of the last four hours, now that the shock of vulnerability and panic had worn thin, the gravity of the dangerous situation they were in had begun to settle in.

The architect was not pleased...

Had Al-an expected such peril he would never have allowed them off the ship, the planet stripped, and seeded with unaccountable dangers, such rash integrations would no doubt risk what was left of the unstable ecosystem...unless there was nothing left..

What have they done to this gentle planet..?

This question plagued his rampant mind again and again, It had been a millina since he had seen it's clear skies but it felt so much longer, so much has changed Al-an felt as if his inquiries would go unanswered, but knew the root of this cruel fracture began and ended the the Elisskat...

They would answer to his demands.

Part of him realized it would be best to initiate the purification protocols before the multiple amounts of waterborne pathogens became problematic and poisoned the dying environment with potentially dangerous diseases.

But was that even necessary at this point, how long had such taint been left to fester unmonitored..?

Such worries again will go unanswered but even so...things could be worse for them, the warmth of the fragile lifeforms around him make a cunning visage of security...

The sound of quiet snores fill in the dark empty space, the warmth of Robin curled up against his side reminds her architect they still had what she referred to as hope..

An avian force undiminished even against the greatest of odds, such odds the architect would rather not test his optimistic human's theories against.

Al-an's troubled thoughts disperse as his attention shifts to his human, her sleep is troubled..it often is, by what he cannot phantom but such recurrence do not dampen the precursor's envy of such methods of escape, invaluable it would be to share such experiences together, thoughts, memories and data... endless possibilities of little consequence.

Dream an endless dream, and with it we will shape a universe that will shelter us from despair...

There would be no limits to the refractions they could echo..

Together they would bask in the benefit of her optimism and together subjugate the faceless fears that haunt his human outside of his watchful gaze's reach.

The architect is oblivious to the fact that he has actively started petting the sleeping researcher's head, fond claws running through streaks of ebony, fixating of the feeling of her curls slid through the foli of his claw, surprised that he even has the mental capacity to briefly wonder if the action is responsible for his swiftly receding temper..

It felt almost pleasantly cathartic...

Perhaps this is the root of motivation behind why humans attach to smaller interspecie companions so readily.

It was...beneficial in the most peculiar of ways.

Instantly the precursor realizes with pleased confidence that his human would make a terrible pet, still it is an observation that amuses the architect despite the dreary situation they've found themselves in.

Perhaps Al-an will share this assessment with her, if only to revel in the no doubt irked response it will garner from her.

Again the invasive memory fills his mind, the lingering sight of trust swallowed by fear as she stared back at him, clinging to her thralled companion not only to steady the wheezing hermit, but as means to ground her own fear as well, before heeding his order to step off a cliff that very well would have swallowed them alive.

It was a look he wished to never see again, not on her face and not her feeble human companion...and yet this time they pulled through if only just barely..

And suddenly the poor architect was infuriated once again, it would be best to focus on the task at hand, as inconvenient as resting was Al-an found he was experiencing difficulties settling his weary mind.

The precursor felt oddly vulnerable, more so then if Al-an were stranded alone on the now unfamiliar planet, his humans were fragile and he had unknowingly led them onto a dangerous planet..

Movement derailed the precursor's slowly increasing internalized panic, the shifting beneath the architect's claw alerts him that Robin is now awake.

Had he woke her? How unfortunate, it was not his intentions, Al-an fretted silently watching the researcher.

"Al-an...M-not a dog, if you want an emotional support companion you should adopt a Trivalve..." Robin huffed sleepily, but instead of shifting away, her hand groped around until she found him and guided his claw down to press against her face as she huddled closer.

The feeling of her warm skin against his vessel is grounding, steadying..rapturous..

To the architect's relief his human's state of lucidity seemed only fleeting, but as her eyes flicker closed a final time it quickly becomes apparent Robin was still indeed somewhat awake.

"Are you having trouble sleeping, big guy..?" He considers the pet name she has become so fond of titling him, he understands it serves as a title of endearment...but if this is so..why does he not have one for her..?

Names are useless to a species such as his own, furthermore when such titles are utilized with little consequential intent but to others they hold much more relevance and Al-an has started appreciating sharing such little joys with his human.

"I am experiencing minor difficulties.." Al-an allowed before pulling away to stand up. "I will return shortly, please rest, we will depart within the next six hours." Al-an explained softly hating the way her soft fingers reluctantly fall away as he moves..

"Mmm, hurry back to bed ok..? We'll sleep together.." Robin murmured sleepily, her fingers raising again to give his leg a brief affectionate squeeze before sliding down and curling up into the depths of her sleeping beg.

Al-an tilts his horns with a confused but amused trill, there was no bed in the vicinity, still the quiet longing in her voice mirrored the turbulent sensation that crept through his system when he watched her too intently..it pleased him in a odd yet intense way, such visceral elation finds its way into his skin, pulsating a soft but pleased evergreen despite his fatigue.

Did she want him to stay? Perhaps to initiate cuddles, did she expect it to quell their combined distress..?

Quietly he considers the frail lifeform before him, an anomalous discovery, fond would not begin to express his devotion to her, nor will his stubborn conscience begin to consider the actuality of her presence past her fleeting existence.

Perhaps this is why his species sought such dissociation with their rampant emotions...?

What would he do if the fall had killed her..?

Al-an doesn't even attempt to avoid acknowledging that it would likely prove to be her human companion's end as well...

Even if the fall did not explicitly kill Ryley, the architect knew intimately that the feeble man would never escape the precursor's instincts to preserve what they considered most valuable...

With no consensus necessary, Ryley would only suffer long enough to supply as many organic resources as necessary to ensure his human survived...

The thought does not appeal to the precursor but he accepts the reality of his nature nevertheless.

"Mmm stop staring...burn hole in meh head..are you back for bed..?" His human muttered sleepily, tempting his dark revelations towards a less troubling subject.

"No, rest assured I will join you when I return, please attempt to rest Robin, we have a long journey ahead of us.." Al-an purred, a solemn desaturated sage rippling across his chest before he turned away.

"Mmkay, hurry back, mmcold.." Robin complained groggily twisting around in her sleeping bag.

Al-an would not be opposed to allocating such past time to his empathetic human, but responsibility pulled the precursor away from his favored orbit, obligations that demanded his compliance even if the architect was exhausted both physically and emotionally, as the sole precursor able the responsibility fell on Al-an's shoulders.

No matter how exhausted his vessel felt, nor how unpleasant said duty was..

This was his burden as a precursor...

RYLEY:

The escape pod was falling fast, too fast and there was nothing the engineer could do about it..

Everything was hot, burning metal pressed painfully against the hermit's cheek, searing his sweat soaked skin, yet his cry of agony was muted by the ceaseless droning above him, the escape pod's emergency sirens blared on and on, its useless warning louder and louder, Ryley was certain he would be deaf if he survived.

Around him unsecured items flew around dangerously, unfastened by the sudden shift in gravity, god the blurry sight of the fire extinguisher flying past his head had the hermit flinching and praying nothing struck him.

But wasn't that what had already happened?

Each gasp is a painful lung of smoke and burned metal, he needed his helmet, but he couldn't get up, tight reeds dug into his singed skin, tangling with his legs...

He needed to get up but he couldn't, his stomach lurched as the pod began spinning unable to gain altitude.

Panic.

There is no point, he's miles beneath the glassy surface drowning.

Panic!

He is already infected and as good as dead, the creeping under his skin, the sickeningly sweet smell of rot.

PANIC!!!

HE WON'T DIE HERE!, Ryley fights clawing his way to the surface, his arms burning from lack of oxygen, he doesn't want to die alone and forgotten, terrified and cold.

But as he nearly breached the surface the gasp of desperate air does not come, instead the baleful cry of a warper filled the depths around the hermit, within the blink of an eye the bright promising surface once within reach was now miles above him... then he was falling, despite he ears rupturing from the pressure, Ryley could still make out a sound distantly ringing in the void around him..

It was a voice, confusingly familiar rising over the sound of rushing water..

"You are here, you are safe.."

"RYLEY WAKE UP!"

Ryley's eyes shot open with a cry dying in his throat, rapidly flickering around the dark room, panic making his nerves jumpy and his gills flared, it takes a good moment for the shaken man to register the worried researcher kneeling in front of him.

But when he does he easily connects it to the muddled voice beckoning him from his turbulent dreams.

"Ryley, y-you were choking..are you ok..?" Robin asked her tired brown eyes, glazed with worry, he looked down to notice he had been thrashing about, fighting with his now tangled sleeping bag, wrapped around his legs and obstructing his movement.

Huh.

He was indeed safe, sleeping on the floor of a small alien maintenance shaft, humming with distantly familiar energy, but unlike the enigmatic alien facility he encountered on Adelphi..

"I'm fine...just a nightmare, thanks for waking me..." Ryley sighed exhausted, running shaky fingers through sweat-dampened hair, the nightmare was over and he was safe but even still his anxiety was going through the roof, it persisted like a parasite chewing through his psyche.

"It seemed bad... Are you sure you're okay..?" Robin pressed, her sharp gaze fluttering over him.

"No, I'm fine." Ryley brushed off shortly, as much as he liked Robin he wanted to be left alone for the moment, but instantly started feeling bad as Robin quickly recognized the cue to give him space..

"I..don't like talking about them, but thanks for uh..waking me up, it helped."

The hermit explained awkwardly, it's not that he didn't trust her.. Ryley just could not want to talk about his experiences on 4546B, living through the horrors of the savage planet, the death of his crewmates, watching his only friend wither away shortly after giving him the key to save his own pathetic life, many things still haunted Ryley and he wasn't quite ready to face them, let alone acknowledge his past traumas and the depressing label that came along with them..not yet.

"That's okay, but if you need to talk about it, y'know vent a bit you can always come to me, or Al-an he's a good listener.."

"Do you talk about your nightmares with him..Al-an?" Ryley asked curiously, he wanted to change subjects almost as much as he was curious about the architect who was surprisingly not in the safety of the room.

"Hm, sometimes, but not always, you know they can't dream..? But they can experience them while using us as vessels.."

"Honestly the idea of anything past my own damn mind in my head is freaky as hell, I don't think I could do that shit.."

"Well it wasn't easy at first, he's not perfect but he's not as intrusive as you'd assume, I..kinda miss him."

"What..."

"Shut up, You wouldn't understand until you've had your own head voice!" Robin groaned suddenly, flustered as if he just questioned some vulnerable piece of the researcher, Ryley couldn't help wanting to tease her about it.

"No, by all means explain these weird research quirks to me!" The hermit laughs softly, pleased by the way her pretty chestnut eyes get wide and brows raise indignantly.

"One! they aren't quirks! And two you're one to talk about researchers, at least I don't explore my environment by licking dead alien skin, yes Ryley I saw that and I'm certain Al-an did too, he just didn't care enough to call you on it at the time!"

"Wha-I well how am i supposed to know if it was safe to eat in a life or death situation!? We need to know these things!" Ryley scowled indignantly.

"Cut the crap you just wanted to taste it!" Robin snorted when Ryley raised his hands in defeat, before leaning in to ask "But since you did, how'd it taste, what's the verdict..?" Her voice filled with mock conspiracy.

"A Lot like semen actually..."

"...What?!"

"It tasted li-"

"I heard you! ho- you know what no, I'm not going to ask, we need to get sleep.." Robin laughed before a yawn overtook the exhausted woman, it was infectious and not too soon Ryley found himself following suit.

"Where's Al-an..?" Ryley asked, his gaze sweeping across the dark room.

"He said he had to take care of something...but it's been a while.." Robin admitted worriedly.

"You think he's in trouble..?!" Ryley asked surprised to find the odd pit of apprehension filling his chest, but Robin quickly shook her head, yet..she still seemed troubled.

"I just kind of think he wanted to be alone honestly, I don't know, I...don't want to disturb him but I'd kind of like to make sure he's sleeping too, he's not as strong as he used to be..."

"What do you mean that..?" Ryley asked curiously but Robin's answer does not satisfy his brimming curiosity regarding the alien's current state.

"...I'm just worried I guess, he expended a lot of energy tonight... Honestly I'd go check on him but.. my leg's just not feeling it.." she admitted her eyes pinched with frustration.

"Well, I needed to take a leak anyway, I'll let him know you told him to come back inside.." Rey assured before he even realized he had just doomed himself to engaging the fickle and confusing alien on his own.

"It would be great if you could..thanks" Robin sighed timidly, her tired eyes filled with relief.

"Did you want any pain killers..?"

"No, I took some already, but apparently Alterra didn't take migraines into account when they made the stuff..."

"Likely they went with the cheapest option in bulk.."

"Ugh probably, I think I just need some more sleep.." Robin sighed tiredly.

"Thanks Ry, You're a lifesaver..." The researcher hummed sweetly before scooting back into her purple sleeping bag.

"Sure, try to get some sleep, space girl.." Ryley waved, slipping away, partly worried she would take note of his flushing face in the dark...

Outside is even darker then when they first holed up, the sky above a black pitiless void sucking the color from the world below, through the shadows Ryley could easily see the eerily close belt of dwarf planets looming in the sky like some kind of pre-apocalyptic thriller movie.

It was unsettling really, as if they were simply waiting for the planets to slowly collide with Marighettis's atmosphere.

At least the stars were still stubbornly visible, however the deafening silence was rather unsettling, every time the warm wind blew too aggressively through the stringy course grass it sounded as if something was moving out there in the dark grassy fields surrounding them..

Quickly he looks around, he never took the opportunity to explore, Robin's companion's somber exhausting the hermit's mental and physical energy.

But he took a moment to peek over the water's edge, and found he could see the turbulent water much more clearer now, likely due to the excessive amounts of plants.

The whole place was mottled with the blooming dimly glowing flora, speckling the stone and water around the dam.

It almost reminded the hermit of a glowing undersea cave he once explored on 4546B...

It was beautiful...

The awestruck hermit doesn't immediately spot the precursor silently watching him poke about curiously from the dark.

That is until the alien makes his presence known.

"Hello Ryley." The precursor's soft apathetic voice is just audible above the constant rush of moving waters, Ryley had to resist the urge to jolt back, realizing the architect was much closer than he initially thought..

His large frame was completely devoid of light, his resting vessel obscured by the moonless night save for the fleeting light of the dimly pulsating flora dotting the shore.

Was he sleeping alone out there?

"Oh, uh...Hi, I just wanted to look around a bit.." Ryley scrambled for an excuse but quickly realized it wasn't hard to deduce what woke the hermit, especially not for a highly advanced alien species.

"There are no human receptacles for you to relieve yourself, you will have to revert to more primitive methods of finding relief." The architect pointed out nonplussed.

"What!? I didn't say I had to piss...besides what about contamination..? I think this has been trashed enough as it is.. " Ryley scowled defensively, recalling Robin furiously explaining their discovery of the tainted reservoir, neither were pleased, but the irate researcher was much more vocal about it.

"The protein has not yet manifested within your urine, it will be fine." 'This place was screwed anyways' went unsaid but something told Ryley both he and the architect shared this sentiment.

"I..what..how do you-?" Ryley fumbled, before giving up.. "Fine, whatever! I'm...going to go over there.." Ryley muttered grumpily, how the fuck did he know that?!

"Do not stray far, I will remain here should you require assistance." Al-an dismissed turning back to gaze down at the churning water of the dam.

The alien looked exhausted, not that Ryley was familiar with Al-an's species, but if he had a wild guess, seeing as the way the architect had propped himself up against the terminal opposed to holding his own weight, it screamed of the fatigue he recognised from swimming for hours, the weight of crawling on land after treading the waves for extended periods of time..

And as reluctant as he was to admit it..Ryley felt oddly..sympathetic?

"You...should get some sleep you know, Robin said she wanted us all rested up.."
Ryley tried to persuade diplomatically, that odd feeling bubbling up in his chest again.

The precursor's eyeless face shifted to him and tilted, he could feel the weight of his attention and felt the hairs raise on his back, Al-an was creepy moping or not.

He finds himself babbling on when the architect decides to simply stare, choosing not to contribute.

"In case more of those things attack us..so that leviathan, the omni whatever, you guys didn't bring it here..?" Ryley clarified further when he began to wonder if the precursor was becoming weary of him again.

"It was a creature of conflict, such a species held no place on this fragile planet..Has the sombar subsided in its entirety..?"

"...yeah I think, though I would have preferred a warning..."

"No, had I announced such intent you would have rebelled more vehemently, I am unapologetic in my actions as there was no time to deliberate our situation or your comfort Ryley, it is however unfortunate to have to use such methods on you.."

"Yeah, well don't make a habit of that shit.." Ryley grumbled, agitated that Al-an's assumption was likely true, not that it mattered now.

"I hope that will not be necessary." Al-an sighed, slowly shifting to sit upward, only now Ryley noticed the emerald green interface in front of him, dimly glowing.

It reminded Ryley of the security pier that had ruthlessly jabbed his finger and announced his progressing infection of Khaara.

God he hated that thing...

It seemed to respond easily to the architect unlike the terminal in the woods.

"So the terminal back there, what happened? Don't you guys all share clearance for those kinds of things?"

"Yes, we do for most simple things unless it falls outside of our castle's jurisdiction, however it seems the system was intentionally overwhelmed, corrupting its circuits and data stores, such results are often due to the initiation of security data deconstruction protocols..."

Ryley was silent as he considered this, he wasn't much of a computer guy, his talents leaned more towards machinery, but it sounded like whatever happened was intentional...

"Wouldn't that mean that the elisskat managed to hack into your security network..?" Ryley asked, recalling how much of a pain in the ass it was simply to navigate the precursor tech intended for casual use amongst the undersea ruins.

"I am uncertain but also doubtful, without the network's knowledge they would never have been able to bypass security protocols..."

Al-an admitted, the architect's voice falling away as his attention shifted back to the bubbling pool before them, a white liquid was being ejected into the coagulated water, cutting through the tainted maroon slick like bleach in a bucket of paint.

Ryley's brows furrowed as he turned away to hurry to relieve himself.

Part of him didn't like the idea of straying too far from the group, but the idea of asking Al-an to come with him was...never happening.

Instead the hermit finds himself staring out at the vast and empty faded fields, much of the hair like grass has overgrown and tangled itself with uncare, the few trees littering the vast open space gently swayed in the wind..

Again like a painting, devoid of life yet still clinging stubbornly to its desolate beauty, everything is so quiet, it made the sound of his urine against the grass obnoxiously intrusive...

He doesn't linger any longer than absolutely necessary, nothing good would come of it, instead he hurried back to the alien previously dozing against the terminal above the dam.

However, when he expected to be greeted with Al-an's fickle silence, the precursor surprised the hermit, greeting Ryley with a soft but pensive assessment..

It was oddly tentative as if he wasn't certain how his words would be perceived by a human who was not familiar with him as Robin.

This comment however both shocked and agitated Ryley.

"It is... unfortunate you were separated from your fellow shipmates upon landing Ryley, further assessment of your past actions urge me to wonder if they're probability of survival would have increased substantially had they successfully rendezvoused with you..." The precursor pointed out carefully, his gaze still fixed on the churning water.

"No..they'd have died all the same, don't act like you can even begin to comprehend what it was like down there for them..." Ryley scowled, his eyes tight with irritation.

What the fuck was that supposed to even mean?!

"And yet you survived. How perplexing, you seem far more capable then the rank your superiors positioned you in..." Al-an pointed out curiously, yet his bid to understand again went misunderstood.

"I survived because I refused to die on that fucking made coffin! That's not hard to comprehend." Ryley snapped shortly, yet inside the hermit hesitated, in the past Ryley often found his mind sinking beneath the depths of guilt and morbid curiosity.

Often asking himself if it was even worth it, the struggle, the hardship..the endless suffocating solitude, why shouldn't he have just let the planet take him, like it had all his shipmates, when saddled on a crossroad with little but unappealing paths it definitely would have been the easier way out... setting his escape rocket to self destruct, sitting back to fate take the wheel..

But easy wasn't something the engineer gravitated to easily and it most definitely didn't earn him his position on the Aurora.

Strangely enough, lately this question hasn't plagued the engineer for a good while now..

Al-an issues a soft clicking noise, but remains silent instead leaning his head back down onto the terminal he was resting against, perhaps realizing his failed compliment incited agitation opposed to the positive response of the precursor's intent.

Still despite the alien's obvious fatigue, the architect watched him nevertheless, the weight of his curious attention made the hairs on the back of the hermit's neck pickle.

It also dawned on the hermit that Al-an's comment brought to light that the precursor was well aware of his past position as the systems maintenance chief...

Not that Ryley himself told the architect shit about his past..

Meaning Robin must have told the alien something about the info he shared with her, Ryley found himself curious if Al-an recognized that maintenance chief was only the underwhelming blanket term for all the shit they tasked the hermit with for the convenience of a paycheck and benefits just above sub par.

Ryley wasn't sure how he felt about it, or that the precursor before him was actively assessing him and comparing him to the information he was given, it's not like it was a secret or anything but...it was..well odd, not that Ryley could properly sort out how he felt with the architect silently leering at him almost expectantly, the poor man found himself unnerved, and awkwardly pinned on the spot..

What did he want from him?! to elaborate in detail how he survived that hell hole of a planet?!

If anything he wanted to know why he touched his back like that hours earlier, sure it was brief but...it was weird damn it! and the action burned its way into the poor hermit's hyperactive mind!

Was it a threat, praise? warning? Did he want that armastance that he so casually shit on metaphorically hours prior?!

He hadn't been particularly mean, but it was clear to see the alien was anything but pleased since their discovery.

It's only when the frothing water started violently churning does Ryley's curiosity urge him to finally ask what the hell Al-an was doing out there alone.

"What are you doing, what's that noise...?" It was like a blender filled with ice, except Ryley knew that 'ice' to be the bones and sinew of the discarded carcasses they had discovered there hours prior.

"I am overseeing decontamination procedures, this dam has been polluted for an extended amount of time and requires thorough purification, it is the source of much unaccounted bacteria in the water systems."

"But didn't the contamination start upstream? That's where we found it."

Ryley asked, glancing back towards the massive fall, now little more than a speck in the distance. The memory of falling over it's ledge still made his stomach twist, that shit will forever plague his dreams.

"For many of marighettis's inhabitants water was not a prominent necessity, thus it was implemented in limited bodies across the planet, all in which are linked and routinely purified, not only to prevent contamination but to protect the algae colonies that thrive within it, this location is the core reservoir, this place is the heart of the water systems, all pollution will be filtered through here and in turn purified."

Al-an Explained patiently, the precursor's weary attention fluttering back over the now bubbling white froth filling the large body of water, something about the alien seems unsettled...

Worried..

"I've already collected samples, however, a thorough analysis will have to take place once we return to the ship, but I've extracted enough data from what we have to establish that there have been multiple foreign species visiting this planet unauthorized, samples also revealed more than recent biological additions to this dumping ground..."

"How recent..?" Ryley asked, a thick brow rising.

"Four years at most.."

"You consider that recent...?"

"Yes Ryley.."

"So..other alien races were here?"

"There are many unaccounted biological traces, debris from other planets amongst them, it wouldn't be wrong to deduce this planet has seen more sentient species.." Al-an clarified the colorful streaks engraving his lightless body suddenly flaring an unnerving crimson.

"Shit, that can't be good, we need to get the shit we need and bounce.." Ryley mutters, falling prey to the urge to pick at his agitated gills, they still felt like shit after swimming in that nasty shit..

But his slang flies over the precursor's head, resulting in the tired alien tilting his horns confusedly at the man..

"I understand your concern given our current situation...but how will bouncing aid in obtaining resources from the Elisskat..?" Al-an inquired curiously, finally standing to descend the grassy hillside, the once glowing interface's lights extinguishing as the precursor began making his way further away.

"It's uhh.. a figure of speech, it means we have to leave as soon as possible.."

"Such terms seem unnecessary to us, why not simply state the requirement of expediency..? Would it not help avoid confusion in situations where there is little time to emphasize on such suggestions...?" Al-an Sniffs incredulously, his biolights souring into an unimpressed yellow hue.

"Depends on how you use it really, " Ryley laughed softly, much to the hermit's own confusion..."Come on, we need to hurry before Robin gets too worried..."

"Is Robin awake..?" Al-an asked, his pace already increasing in haste.

"Yes, she uhh woke up briefly, asked me to check on you.." Ryley explained cagily, he didn't feel comfortable explaining that it was likely he was the real reason that woke the poor woman from her sleep.

"She has been expri-" Al-an began only to hesitate, his distorted voice falling away as both alien and hermit overheard the vicious coughing fit echoing from within the maintenance shaft.

A pain filled dry wheeze that made the hermit's insides tense with sympathy..

It was easy to see Robin was the source of noise, she was coughing almost as if the poor woman was choking on her own lungs...

something was off, Ryley noted. His feeling of dread is only amplified when the architect beside him issues a soft worried trill.

Ryley watched uncertainty as the precursor carefully settled down beside the still sleeping woman, propping her up against his thighs as he examined her face with careful claws..

And much to Ryley's surprise Robin looked pale...too pale he hadn't noticed earlier..

"Shit she looks like she's lost a lot of blood!"

"She is sick, what you are witnessing is her system's homeopathic bio rejection.." Al-an sighed his calm voice oddly forlorn..

"Hemo what?!"

"Robin is fighting an alien viral infection..."

AL-AN:

"She is infected with wilt, a viral fungus...It is only dangerous if left untreated, while generally such infection is considered mild in terms of its mortality rate, we have little knowledge of what damage it could do to Robin's unprepared human immune system." Al-an explained his gaze never leaving the shivering researcher's sleeping form.

Even if his human wasn't incapacitated, already her frail body was running a high fever as it fought off the fungal onslaught...

"Well..what are we waiting for? How do we treat it?" Ryley's impatient frustration was evident but for once this did not bother the architect, the hermit's worry would make him less likely to rebel against Al-an's suggestion of minor changes in their reestablished plans.

"There is an antivirus, it's quite common, one I know is in the Elisskat's possession."

"But..how will we get it?"

"Such options are limited, as is are our resources, we did not prepare for this...if they will not accept the antibacterium or anything in its stead, then we will take it by force." Al-an decided impatiently, knowing full well they would recognize the opportunity in such a situation and attempt to capitalize off of it..

To the Elisskat this alliance was little but a farce only to be leaned on for their own benefit, however architect's kin would not be around to subdue him, if they refuse his request he will simply encourage them with more volatile persuasion.

Unfortunately Al-an's ill thought clarity comes at the expense of waking his human.

"The hell we are!." Robin's exhausted and agitated voice broke the dreary quiet, his human was awake and witnessed his attempt at altering their plans.

"We have little choice but to Robin, the likelihood of them rejecting us is higher than before.." Al-an reasoned resolutely.

Logically he should have taken the hermit outside to have this conversation but this consideration comes too late to the precursor, still he felt no shame in his actions.. yet a single glance shows how angry his human is as she pulled away from him..perhaps Al-an should at least attempt to placate her, lest she dismiss his reasoning altogether..

"We are not trading the bacterium for anything but the supplies we decided on!" Robin wheezed in between tight breathes.

"That would render the whole point of us coming here in the first place useless! the energy you expended wasted! maybe if we have something else to give once that's secured fine, but we are not just hand-"

Robin's increasingly frantic rebuttal is interrupted as his poor human is overcome by a fit of painful coughing, easily the architect can see the fungal virus's slow progression has already spread to her lungs, perhaps that was near the origin of infection... had she contracted it through tainted water or the breast's bite on her arm..?

Easily Al-an deduced it was the tainted water.

Even if the virus wasn't necessarily deadly to most species, that did not mean his human would not suffer substantially during such a affliction if left untreated, in the past many precursor were incapacitated by their first contact with the virus, and while there were no losses the shared pain of the experience would not be one the architect would be so quick to relive recklessly...

However, if the opportunity to take such burden onto himself in her stead presented itself Al-an would without contemplation, even now he could sense the blood of her rupturing capillaries as they rejected the brutal invasion..

Instead the precursor helplessly watches on as Robin sits sprawled in her crumpled sleeping receptacle, heaving for air, she looked distressed..

Al-an did not want to see her suffer...

He wanted to be closer, to comfort her, ease her pain in some form or way... however a firm trembling hand planted against his thorax warns the architect to reconsider, to give her space as she tries to catch her breath.

"Robin your blood is infected with an alien fungus, one that could kill you if left to fester, it is imperative we neutralize it during the early stages of the infection's life cycle." Al-an explained, a stubbornly insistent claw brushing her hand aside from his chest to press in closer to her shivering form.

He was uncertain how to ease her discomfort, but quickly settled for rubbing his claws up her back in soothing spirals, pleased with the results as she slowly started relaxing beneath his touch, her harsh wheezes almost vanishing completely...yet she still was distressingly pale, her bedspread splattered with tainted blood.

"We are not..deviating..." Robin wheezes harshly, her voice raw and strained.

He could sense her fear...but he could not discern what the root of it was, did she fear the plan would fail because of her? Was she frightened the infection would kill her? Wisely the precursor doubted the latter.

Robin was not afraid of the same sacrifices that Al-an most definitely feared.

A sad trill bubbles resonates within his thorax as his vessel pulses with affection for his troubled human.

"We will trade it, if it ensures your safe recovery Robin..." Al-an states simply, she is in no predicament to fight him, nor will he humor such arguments as he cares little for her self deprecating logic, and currently boasts too little tolerance to patiently listen to any obscene reasoning as to why they would risk her life over a anomalous trace solar systems away..

"Al-an but the signal!.." Robin snapped but much of the heat behind her words was lost to exhaustion..

"We will talk more once we depart, for now I need you to rest." Al-an dismissed, settling down beside her, she was too spent to resist much but that didn't mean she didn't try, and his human tried her best, an hour's worth of proposals her architect promptly dismissed until the fragile human relents to her exhaustion and falls prey to sleep...

Al-an recognized how unfair he was being, but equally did not care, he would not risk it, he would not lose more than he was willing.

This was not a choice Al-an would entertain her reasoning on, she was irreplaceable.

He wishes she knew the value she held to him..surely the Elisskat would.

All the while her human companion watched them silently, Ryley had settled down, in the corner of the small room, unwilling to intervene in their little spat but seemingly at peace with whatever silent decision.
the man had settled on within his own mind.

Oddly enough once again the precursor found himself gripped by curiosities regarding the enigmatic human, he was nothing like Robin..but then again she often emphasized humans differed greatly, unpredictability was to be expected..

However, gleaning any data passed his human's shared insights and his own personal assessments were.. Quite difficult.

Already he could see the hermit's immune system had somehow managed to resist the fungal virus, despite its highly contagious reputation.

Not even Al-an's caste was spared contraction during their encounter with the fungus millinias prior.

Al-an wanted to ask how...

But simple inquiries without Robin's mediation almost always resulted in the skittish male becoming defensive, or enraged in some way or another..

But Al-an still wanted to know why this was, no doubt the key resided within his blood, perhaps khaara's rapid evolutionary demands affected his immune system..

He would share this assessment with Robin but later..

For now he had to ponder the mess growing before them, why was a fungus from three solar systems away running rampant within this planet, it would have to have been ferried in on an infected host as the virus could not last long without hemoglobin.

Meaning a lifeform already contaminated must have been disposed of within the lake and infected the entire water system..

"Ryley.." Al-an suddenly said, his mimicked speech manifesting in a hiss of multiple languages overlapping each other opposed to the whisper of his intentions..

Ryley picked up on the precursor's growing agitation as well, the hermit perking up immediately to the sound of his voice, Al-an notes that the hermit's narrowed eyes do indeed reflect the light unlike Robin's.

"Yeah...?" The hermit asked cautiously.

"I believe the Elisskat disabled the barriers to reinstate trades with other alien species..." The realization already had the architect's insides grinding with fury.

ROBIN:

Robin rouses to the soft sound of snoring, echoing from across the dim room where she could just make out the shape of the hermit, the soft glow of their lumin rods piled on the floor is a sad alternative for the sun's warm rays, not that the warm and somewhat metallic passage was really cold, simply not as pleasing the later.

The dim room is quiet, it feels like early dawn despite Robin knowing the outside the sky was as black as Adelphi's ocean, still being able to see for once comes as a relief after a night running blindingly for her life.

The familiar shape of Ryley curled up in his sleeping bag brings a sense of relief but for a moment her slow to rouse mind panics when she doesn't immediately spot her architect, had he left again? She kind of hoped he'd stay close with them for the night.

Even of she was still mad, the thought of him being alone out there was enough to urge the researcher to start quickly peeling off her sleeping bag, but as Robin's shaky fingers started to move the fabric they brushed over the warm rough armoring of the precursor's claw, resting heavily on her lap.

The soft pleased growl she received for her transgression sends the researchers' emotions into a sideways spiral, silently she glances back to spot Al-an dozing behind her, in fact she was nestled up against his side as the precursor curled up on the floor..

Normally Al-an slept upwards, but she knew he was capable of other positions though he preferred to doze sitting upwards, perhaps he was trying to get the most out of the sparse hours they had...

His biolights were dim and flickering but only deliberately so, he looked pitiful and tired, everyone did, the fact that the alien had overslept his human was a testament to the architect's fatigue..

Slowly Robin settles back against his side, it's time to leave but She doesn't plan to wake them, no harm would come from letting Al-an and Ryley rest an hour or two more.

Unfortunately that's exactly when that terrible itching burn decided to make its presence known, Robin's lungs seize before she even has a chance to try to stifle it, the bitter taste of copper on the back of her through.

It hurt, in a terrible visceral way, as if she had inhaled powdered glass, even more distressing was the obnoxiously loud coughing, immediately she felt Al-an respond, shifting to press his claws against her back, across from them Ryley jolted up, started from his slumber by her obnoxious hacking sitting up to watch her with worried eyes...

Only after destroying any semblance of peace within the once quiet room did the burning subside dulling into a numb rawness that seemed to creep throughout her body in the form of a heavy malaise.

"Are you okay...?" Ryley asked tentatively but quickly flinched back when Al-an suddenly hissed a reply before she could even catch her breath.

"She is not.." The precursor practically bristled, the unsaid 'fuck off' was clear in her companion's irked response..

"Relax man..." Ryley sighed, his anxiety manifesting in the poor hermit raising his hands to sign his words as he spoke, an action that immediately confused Al-an who in turn dismissed it in favor of shifting his attention back to Robin.

"He's right, chill out Al-an he's worried just like you, M-fine just a coughing fit..." Robin assures, her heart aching at the anxious hue her architect was flaring, but the confidence of her comment dwindles significantly when she spots the pale specked crimson splatters staining her hand and bed roll...

"Shit..." Robin breathed trying not to let her panic show, but such facades were pointless as Al-an was skilled at sensing distress.

"Rupturing capillaries.." Al-an clarifies running his claw over the bloodstain.

"We need to hurry, it is progressing through her system much faster than I assumed it capable." Al-an suddenly decides with an urgency that has Robin bristling as she recalled with clarity just what Al-an intends to do when they reach the hive.

"This...this virus, what's its life cycle..?" Robin asked as she hurried to fold up her bedroll and catch up to her precursor who was already unlocking the tablet sealed doorway leading deeper into the shaft.

"One hundred-sixty-two hours if treated in a timely manner, however failure to neutralize the fungus before it familiarizes with your DNA may prove incurable and potentially lead to the corruption of your system...it will eventually consume you alive."

Al-an emphasizes, his gaze piercing and resolute as he stood in the doorway patiently awaiting them.

"What?! I thought you said it wasn't lethal!" Ryley snapped suddenly, the hermit's eye's widening.

"Human's organic vessels are particularly vulnerable compared to other species, Ryley." Al-an replied blithely, before turning back to watch his human stumble around still fighting her fatigue.

"Robin please get on my back, our pace will be too extraneous to maintain in your condition." Al-an requested softly as she still mulled over the implications of the virus, she managed a silent nod as she climbed up but her mind was elsewhere really…

Robin herself was jolted into silence as she contemplated his words, she realized the cons but with Al-an's decision the cure would come at the cost of the valuable parts they needed, endangering the whole mission simply because her inadequate damn immune system could not fight off some fungi..

It really would have been better if he was traveling with another architect...

"We can't just drop the plan we walked in here with, how will we get the parts?! it would just put us back farther than before we decided to land!" Robin voiced rubbing at her tired eyes, her body aches and the virus was just making everything worse..

"If the situation proves of significant cause such sacrificial action is sometimes necessary, we will devise a new plan after your treatment has been secured." Al-an pointed out.

"That's not your call to make alone! This isn't just your choice Al-an!" Robin snapped irritably, it's not that she didn't see his point but there was no agreement, no talking or considerations for all parties here, he was trying to take the wheel without so much as a warning, and her body aches were making her moody and stressed.

Al-an slowly tilted his horns back towards her, contemplating her words before the alien relented a soft and melancholy sigh.

"The circumstances of my life, they have demanded much from me Robin, and..I find myself unwilling to relinquish more than absolutely necessary..." Al-an stated plainly, his apathetic voice was filled to the brim with stubborn resolve and perhaps something else...

Robin hesitated, staring down at the new scars marring the precursors back, pushing her irritation to the side in an attempt to look at it from another angle, from Al-an's, what would she do if he fell ill..

She ignored this, not because it wasn't a comparison filled with clarity but simply because she hated how right it was..

Damn near anything..

Still she wanted him to understand nothing good will come from bull guarding things into going his way whenever his anxiety got the best of him.

"Al-an... it's okay to worry, but when you do you can't just override and change plans to suit your assumptions of what a good remedy would be, it didn't work a thousand years ago and it won't work now." Despite how gently she put it, she still felt her precursor flinch, it was so subtle she almost missed the hesitation in his gait...

Quickly she carries on watching the colors drain from him, his true emotions shielding themselves behind a passive neutral hue.

"That's why you have us Al-an, we're here to look at the problem from a different angle, cross the Ts and dot the Is you'll inevitably overlook in your panic, you need to rely on us like you've demanded i do big guy...it's only fair." Robin explained hoping that he understands what she's trying to say, her grip tightens, she leans forward resting her head against his back suddenly feeling spent all over again.

Al-an chooses to remain silent but she knows he's listening, he always is, the pale blue of his vessel assures her of this...

RYLEY:

The trek onward was awkwardly silent the first few hours, save for an occasional cough from Robin no one was in a particularly talkative mood after the night prior, tempers were still on the rocks but stifled by the obligation of duty.

While Robin was being mature about the architect's stubborn decision, it was clear she was still bothered by it..

The two had deliberated for hours, silent or not. Ryley heard them clash logics for the last three hours as they walked.

An agreement was finally made when Robin finally relented, the duo finally reaching a middle ground that appealed to them both at least to some point.

The architect elected to carry the sick researcher most the way, if her condition improved by the time they located the active hive, and only if it improved will trading the anti bacterium reassessed, odds Ryley was certain would not fall in Robin's favor, especially if what Al-an said was true...

Still Ryley is skeptical of this agreement in general, Al-an's reluctant compromise sounds anything but sincere, and the hardened look in the researcher's sharp eyes tells the hermit that she has just as much faith in her companion.

However he wasn't certain Robin was one hundred percent on board with this agreement either, because she didn't look like she was about to give the precursor the vial and let him make the decision.. which said a lot, not that it mattered more likely than not he'd just flash her if she refused too vehemently...

Not that Ryley had seen the alien use it on anyone else but him...

Eitherway Ryley would lean into whichever opinion ensured Robin's wellbeing was accounted for which was unfortunately Al-an's.

Generator parts could be replaced his quirky new friend couldn't and Ryley was not about to be left alone with her creepy ass alien companion.

They could all see beyond her brave facade the researcher was suffering, but as intelligent as the researcher was, the damn woman possessed no sense of self preservation..

Still, he noticed their spat did little to wedge a rift between them, the sick researcher had no qualms about resting her head against the precursor's back as they trekked on, which was funny as hell because even then she was still kind of giving the precursor the silent treatment..

Or were they simply doing that mental talking thing again..?

Ryley wasn't sure, honestly his mind was more focused on the architect's epiphany the night prior, opposed to the oddly affectionate way the alien was treating the researcher..was that a kiss he had witnessed earlier in the gorge? Robin didn't comment on it but he could see that she hadn't been expecting it.

And now the precursor was fawning over her all damn morning, Ryley could hardly say a word to her without the bastard flaring all kinds of cayenne at his ass.

It was clear the alien had attachment issues.

Really Ryley shouldn't have been surprised not after what he witnessed by the moonpool, his curiosity about that would haunt him until he asked one of them about it..but he wasn't certain if he should..

Either way he knew Al-an wasn't about to let him near her anyways, it was quite clear the precursor became increasingly territorial over the poor woman when she was vulnerable, and the last thing Ryley needed was to be back on Al-an shit list...

At least for now.

Sure, it wasn't his business..it's not like he was jealous or anything...

Ryley was so stuck in his head that the hermit hardly noticed that he had begun to fall far behind whilst brooding within his own mind.

"Ryley..? Where'd you go? Stop lagging so you can eat that nasty skin crap, stick with the group!" Robin wheezed, swatting at the precursor's behind as if in a silent command to make him slow his brisk gait.

"I'm not!" Ryley snapped his eyes rising to see both the architect and Robin watching him curiously.

"Hurry up, Al-an says we're almost there." Robin huffed restlessly, it was clear to see she was bored despite her exhaustion, already her attention was drifting down to the precursor's shrimp-like tail which flicked everytime she attempted to grab at it.

"Yeah, coming!" Ryley scowled while jogging to catch up to the duo, quickly noting Robin was probably right, as the hermit could smell the faintest traces of sea water..

It wouldn't be long before they returned to the outside world, already the smaller tunnel had opened up to a spacious passage, dark emerald stone made up the thick reinforced walls, streaks of dim colorful lights lined the wall, self sustaining energy still coursing through its system, they would no doubt last years without temperance, long after the planet died.

This place felt like it stretched on forever, Al-an led them downwards for hours, maybe this was how precursors kept in shape, this was a thought that made Ryley snort.

Robin seemed to be fairing no better, the researcher with all her fatigue was showing signs of unrest, the poor woman's attention shifting from the precursor's tail to the precursor's almost metal looking spine he was certain if she counted the glowing ridges on his spine one more time she was going to go mad.

Steady wins the race..

The stale smell of steel and ion was soon overcome by the fresh scent of water..

"Shit stretches on forever, Robin, do you have any music on that thing.." Ryley whined, a complaint the precursor ignored, Robin however tossed her PDA towards him.

"Yeah, here go for it. Uh..do me a favor and scan anything that looks interesting, Al-an won't let me down, but i kinda wanted to know if they used the same materials here as we have on the ship.." Robin mumbled irritably.

Ryley could see the pouting researcher was at her wits end, the bored researcher had been reduced to gleaning amusement from patting the alien's rear, watching the green biolight erupt under her palm then measuring how long it took to dwindle out when she pulled her hand away.

What was kinda of more amusing was the fact that everytime she swatted the precursor's ass Al-an responded subconsciously by issuing a soft quiet clicking noise, despite having no real qualms regarding the researcher's restless exploration of his vessel..

"Sure thing.." Ryley hummed, a soft smile finding his lips, he was just glad to see she was up and feeling well enough to goof around a bit.

ROBIN:

"Al-an do you think this is a good idea..?"

"Please clarify your inquiry Robin, what is a good idea..?" Al-an trilled.

"Oh sorry, won't you umm catch my err cold..or are precursors immune to this sort of thing..?" Robin asked quietly.

"It is a bloodborne illness, only contagious through blood contamination, and susceptible mediums of transference such as soil, plants and non-solid substances.."

"So.. I guess I contracted this through the openings in my wounds..? Does that mean Ryley and you have it too?" Robin worried, but Al-an shook his head quickly.

"Ryley is somehow immune, further blood sample studies will be required to deduce the source of his anomalous resistance, I have long been vaccinated against such infections." This assurance took a weight off her chest..

"So the architects were familiar with it..?" Robin asked, her eyes lazily counting the ancient alien inscriptions lining the dark glowing walls on each side of them.

Despite waking only four or so hours ago, Robin was still very tired, being ferried around by a big insistent alien flashlight wasn't helping either..

One too many times the warmth of his reinforced spine and subtle but rapid pulse thumping against her cheek damn near had the poor woman doze off again.

"Yes, I was afflicted once, it spread rapidly throughout the network despite the many precautionary measures and stringent quarantine protocols enforced, however my suffrage was brief, the network noted I recovered from the infection 27.5% faster than the rest of the seedlings." Al-an revealed much to Robin's surprise.

"Seedlings..? You were a baby when you were sick?" Robin asked, frowning as the mental image of a pitifully small and timid Al-an came to mind, thin and gangly with the adolescent awkwardness only youth gave you..

The image burned itself into her mind.

"Adolescent would be more appropriate of a human term to categorize my age of four hundred-sixty five at the time." Her architect allowed his attention predominantly focused on the tunnel ahead.

"Hmm...that must have sucked, it always sucked being sick as a kid, felt more like the world was punishing me for some mistake I didn't know I made...But Sam always cheered me up when I was bedridden so it wasn't all that bad..."

"We are often quarantined separately, as per protocols to decrease the spread of contamination.." Al-an compared with intrigue.

"You must have been adorable..." Robin muttered quietly, she would never have left him to suffer this nasty virus alone..

She couldn't help but wonder what the architect before her was like, small and ignorant to the horrors of his future...

Something told the researcher that he was still a snarky snot..

Still the mental image of a bratty and clingy baby Al-an was like a serotonin shot to her weary mind.

Robin hummed fondly, her grip tightening, he mentioned once that precursor offspring were indeed like..well human children with the capacity to play and find enjoyment in the little things, easy to please and enamour...was Al-an like this too at some point in his extremely long life..?

Did he enjoy his childhood like Robin had..? Was to hope for such a nonsensical thing applying too much human logic to her precursor?

Robin didn't think so, while Al-an seemed often reserved she knew he was capable of an array of emotions and fickle feelings just as much as any human she knew!

"Robin..?" Al-an inquired curiously when her accumulating thoughts held her voice at bay.

"Just the idea that you were.." Robin paused to catch her breath, partly weary that the terrible itchy burn would return if she spoke too freely, half still searching her mind for the right words.

"Smaller in size..?" Al-an inquired curiously after minutes ticked by and she failed to fill in the gap.

"Well yeah, it's hard to process really...you never seem to talk about your past, you must have been so adorable and tiny when you were a ba-seedling" Robin laughed softly, her shaky arms tightening around his warm waist.

He doesn't comment on her shameless snuggling but the quiet purr humming within her architect's thorax makes it clear the architect is not opposed to her indulging.

"While drastically smaller than my current mass, I would not call my adolescent state 'Tiny' Robin." Al-an huffed, his biolights slowly but surely shifting into a meek light magenta hue, was he getting flustered?

"But look at you now, you're all big , muscle robot and long legs! I'd have been able to pick you up and hug you! Cuddle you through thunderstorms!" Robin sighed

"..even if my smaller size rendered my vessel more portable, Architect seedlings still weigh extraneous amounts more than that of a human child.." Al-an huffed meekly.

"Still! I can't even imagine how innocent you were! "

" Innocent..?" Al-an parroted, tilting his head.

"Yes! You must have been such a prudish little guy, you seem like the snobby kid who can't play with the group."

"I was segregated for enhanced training, most of which was necessary for my future expectations, I had little time nor energy to waste on play."

"No wonder you're so stuck up!" Robin laughed

"Do you think i am too reserved Robin"

"No, just too stuck up, and a little snooty!"

"Snooty..?" Al-an paused, tilting his horn back at her. "Please define snooty, is it an unattractive trait Robin..?"

"Well, sometimes but not for you... I-I mean! it's not that bad im just joking big guy..." Robin was glad her fever was already making her cheeks flusher than normal.

Al-an hummed thoughtfully but the architect did not comment on her slip, instead he kneeled allowing her to slip down off his back, waiting patiently as she tried to get her bearings.

"I will research this further later, we are approaching a simulated biome enclosure, we should proceed with caution as we are not certain if there are any unaccounted fauna invading this enclosure as well." Al-an warned as they came to a stop before a barrier enforced doorway much like the one she spotted when she awoke beside the lake.

"A simulated biome..?" Robin asked, eyeing the barrier, there was a fresh breeze creeping through the crevices in the emerald stone walls.

"Yes, here your lumin rods will be unnecessary here, the artificial sunlight will serve as our guide."

"What kind of biome are we talking about here?" Ryley asked, handing Robin back her PDA.

"It was our attempt to replicate a terrain similar to the mountains of the planet Siestl..."

Al-an announced pulling away from the interface, the barrier falling away seconds after, the breeze only increased as the doors peeled apart to reveal a blue blue sky, and a sun far too small and pale to be earth's Sol.

Sand and wind buffeted her face as thin streaks of clouds rushed across the sky over a green and gold landscape.

"It's beautiful..."

Below was a mountainous landscape nestled against a small rocky shore dotted with basalt and land reeds, atop the hills were covered in green stones and short pale yellow grass.

Robin could hear the distinct sound of water lazily crashing against the shore, even smell the fresh scent of stone and sea salt.

But most notable thing was the breathtaking black obsidian monolith of an alien construct reaching up from atop the tallest mountain, it was like a stain on the landscape, it's presence spread tainting the environment around it, smaller black pillars reaching up from the earth around its circumference and splattering the land in the parameter with black..

This must have been what Ryley had spotted from space, which wasn't surprising, it was larger than an Alterra colonization ship..

"Is that the hive..?" Robin asked in awe.

"Yes. The active hive." Al-an confirms, blazing a deep crimson as he stared up at the ominous tower splitting out of the ground.

"Damn, that's a black head if I've ever seen one.." Ryley whistled.

Chapter Text

THE WATCHER:

They shatter the fragile atmosphere like a spear of light, its altered biosignature familiar in a way that has her crippled form sputtering and flailing with unbridled intrigue, they are strong but divergent.

Something explodes, deep inside, the feeling of heat registers, then more slowly panic...

They can hardly groan through such agony, but what choice did they have..?

They are tearing, unmending.. it is a warning, around them the chamber's hue shifts violently, yet..color cannot be preconceived, hostile trimmers, PANIC, again she tearing, seeping DYING.

And yet, she feels a perplexed sense of anxious accomplishment, it's confusing but their mere existence is a victory against the force hunting them down, its biodiversity is unfamiliar, somewhat volatile and unstable but no doubt of precursor designation, a caste long discarded...

They will discover this failed world, the shattered attempt of an alliance and then she will progress onto the final stages of her obligations...

At last...

At long last...

The other lifeforms with them were of little consequence, but perhaps the network has been recreated and they are simply one of many guided into their channels, but neither are of their caste what use were they to them..?

She was certain they would not come for her as her expiration was imminent, she was of little use past her prime, even basic tasks would be difficult without motor receptors, her affliction reaching its peak countless seconds ago despite desperate attempts of repression sequences.

Still she's pleased if only by the knowledge that her expiration would not be in vain as they had once begun to surmise..

However even with their impending death, they couldn't help but wonder, did they deserve this for their foolish ignorance...?

Another cyst ruptures and again she is splitting apart, her thoughts scrambling away from the terror of her vessel coming apart around her.

Festering lesions, memories seeping, this is a warning, no oxygen can penetrate the thick film..she is dying.

The drones scatter around the room chaotically but not far...never far, loyally they await their Virgil, they fear her departure, guard her dying vessel and waning mind, tiny anxious minds crowding a long awaiting tomb..

What will they do without their guidance..?

THE SENTINEL:

The bodies piled up efficiently, neatly succumbing to the effect's of their victim's blood, and in turn becoming prey to its blood, in any other case such a response to a hunt would need to be thoroughly studied and sent back home for analysis.

But they were not ignorant to the merciless retaliation of almanac body fluids, it took mere hours for it to conquer and consume the lead's biologically enhanced insides.

Building a resistance to it was impossible as each specimen they dissected possessed confusingly diverse biology in comparison to each other...

Over the span of four hours the planet had stuttered to chaotic life only for it to fall silent again, no sign nor trace of the lead's prey.

However, there were...other unidentified biological signatures as well...but any definitive biological samples were lost with the lead's rapid expiration and the wreckage wrought by the best of war.

How unfortunate, perhaps they were not as thorough as they once assumed..

The stratagem will not be pleased when they report this anomalous event...but only if...should they send reports of such activities..?

No..

...That would not be necessary, at least not yet...they were confident a single straggling almanac could easily be tracked down and neutralized, the specie's common affliction rendered them unsurprisingly easy prey to dispose of.

But one would need to wonder... how it survived for so long if it was harboring the gift..?

It didn't matter the sooner they were accounted for the better.

They sought to go back, the lust for the blinding icy blizzards and familiar discipline of home had long simmered into a dulling pain, much like hunger memory would not serve to satiate nor dampen such desire..

Not after so long..

They assumed their commute was nearing its end, but news of recent events would no doubt only serve as an excuse to prolong their mandatory commitments, almanacs always had unfortunate timing, nothing good would come from letting one roam rampant with the parasites they often attached to, what other creatures were now invading their beautiful garden world..?

Restless frost covered claws click against the frigid dissection slab before them, lain against its surface rests a lead, its long expired withered body steaming with the heat of the gift consuming it from within.

Perhaps they could benefit from putting all these field notes and breakthroughs on a test run...

THE COWARD:

Around them the screams of jealousy sing echo through their ventilation chamber, alluring and welcome, salvation for those who will hear it.

They grip their gifts, pulling their only tethers to existence closer safer, they feel exposed, anxious and yet they listen intently.

It is the only song they've heard for so long...

But they will not allow them to pillage what is not theirs! These are merely translucent words of worthlessness, they hold no value.

But what they hold still beckons with potential, what they do not know, but they are scared and have alluded immediate detection for years, would such barter really reap boons grand enough to level it's risk...?

No...no...no.

Its trove means nothing to no one anymore and it will mean nothing to them, at least for now...

They were no strangers to the culling, it had come once...long ago but it was not to be and existence saw fit to shield them from harm in the form of a gullible and ignorantly benevolent opportunity..

But again that which should not be baited was teased and in the blink of an eye years of rehabilitation was was unrightfully stripped from them...this grave will swallow them all and it is only their thirst to hold accountable.

But...all if not lost.

They can only wait for their savior's return, oh how the others would rejoice when they bring them, convince them to shield them and cleans their gifted home...

They would of course need ample convincing, after their previous accidents...

Times however have changed and ill blood holds little significance in the face of a common enemy.

Chapter Text

RYLEY:

Marighttis was a beautiful planet Ryley couldn't begin to deny that but as sad as it was It turned out much of the fauna that once called the gorgeous artificial planet home had long since perished before they arrived, or up and seemingly vanished, again and again the trio had discovered more of the rancid dumping pits, tainting almost every source of water they encountered, utilized for disposing calcified carrion, even in the secure enclosure it looked as if something had breached to invisible barriers protecting the biome from the rest of the diverse ecosystems..

Still not all was lost, and the trio finds this out when Robin notices an odd creature huddled down within the foliage watching them cautiously as they explore their way through the basalt covered coastline.

It was no bigger than a medium dog, balancing the mass of its almost hairless body on two thin birdlike legs, pulled tightly to its brightly coloured chest were two sets of long thin clawed arms..

An odd arrangement of small spotted yellow eyes speckled a flat disk-like face covered in short pale white fur.

"What is that..?" Robin asked curiously, sliding off her precursor's back to step forwards to get a better look, beside her Al-an perked up visibly, a ripple of dim green echoes across the architect's eyeless face, as he stepped forward as well to rest his claws against the researcher's shoulders much like he had in the botanical observatory.

"It seems something has survived this unstable environment, this is a juvenile of a docile but very skittish species, if you intend to glean more information from them with your PDA, consider utilizing stealth."

Al-an suggested softly as he watched the researcher practically vibrate with excitement, he sounded pleased, yet the melancholy that had weighed in on the alien's disposition was still draped across his shoulders.

"Holy shit, I can't believe something survived! Oh right stealth got it.."

Robin whispered her narrow eyes fixed on the small creature with what Ryley could only describe as scientific intrigue, but as Al-an pulled away to let her try, and the researcher edged cautiously closer the small creature immediately darted into the large brush covered burrow without hesitation, leaving the deflating researcher behind.

"Ugh, damn it! I hardly moved!" Robin groaned, annoyed, crawling over to the large burrow to look inside.

"New species acquired, error, system data insufficient, scan insufficient, please acquire biological data samples and submit them to available research nodes in the vicinity for further research."

"Huh, that's odd..it's never said that before..." Robin pondered, chewing her lip as she glanced down at her PDA.

"I doubt your device would have any data on this species as its planet yielded to khaara nearly four millennia ago...without a sample or even a fossil to derive data from, its existence would be far too obscure for humanity to decipher." Al-an offered watching the small creature peek in and out of the shallow burrow with cautious intrigue, its many tiny eyes reflecting in the dark like little light bulbs.

"I guess that makes sense, but we're about to fix that.. so..who's crawling in there to get a blood sample..?"

Robin asked in between laborious wheezes, she was completely serious, this inquiry made Ryley scowl down at the determined researcher and her architect pause to fix her with an incredulous look.

"Yeah, no, I'm not going in there, and neither are you, not after that welcome committee we just dealt with.." Ryley groaned squinting at the sick but ambitious woman, how did she even muster up the energy to even consider that?!

"Anyone else...?" Robin rebuffed stubbornly.

"Aren't you tired?" Rylay scowled.

The poor woman had spent the better of the night coughing her lungs out and now she wants to chase creepy thousand eyed chihuahuas?!

The woman needed ritalin, that's what she needed, but was Ryley going to tell her that..?

Of course not, the hermit preferred to keep his blood inside his suit and not be mauled by a pissed off alien for tainting its planets with his blood cooties..not that they can really help that anyways..

"There will be data files located within the main hive, once we locate its entry, we will have access to the data storage mediums of all fauna preserved on Marighettis 047, still.. I am surprised that this species out of all the striving populations managed to survive.." Al-an admits his gaze trained on the creature huddled inside the dark borrow.

"Why's that..?" Ryley asked, watching as Robin cautiously crawled over to the small creature's barrow, trying to beckon the weary fauna to come to her, tempting it with a piece of her breakfast.

"These subterranean creatures are commonly referred to as den weavers, they are extremely fragile lifeforms, and while they yield a fragile brood of at least thirty offspring yearly, only ten statistically survive to adulthood in the wild, fifteen in captivity. Furthermore the longest living specimen lived a fleeting three of your planet's earth years, maturing at eight months. These short life cycles led to a disastrously low pup population. The species was difficult to preserve, without stringent bolstering efforts, the population, it...was always on the cusp of a collapse.."

The architect recounted, fidgeting his claws as he watched the researcher reach into the borrow and the small creature, swat curiously at the treat clasped in her fingers.

No doubt he didn't want Robin wasting her energy poking around fauna, harmless or otherwise but recognised full well that there was no coming in between Robin and feeding her PDA data in the name of science.

"I guess that means these guys must have been fighters, I wonder how many are down there." Robin mused leaning down to peek into the dark den where the creature fled deeper into its recesses to stash its new plume melon trophy.

"I sense at least sixty within this burrow alone..." Al-an assessed leaning down to press his claw against the sand dusted basalt.

"And this is simply a loose estimate, many more dens are spread throughout this simulated mountain biome, perhaps of different hierarchy but still the same. how fascinating..." For a moment a dull green rippled across her architect's dirt covered vessel.

But it didn't last long, at least not after Ryley decided to voice a piece of his mind...

"Did your kind ever consider that not just the environment but the planet itself wasn't suitable for them..?" Ryley points out, it's a daunting realization that the precursor's temperance reached far beyond planet 4546B..

Ryley couldn't help but wonder what other worlds had been left to ruin for the sake of scientific progression.

"You can't expect to hoard a bunch of creatures from totally different worlds and ecosystems and expect them to all flourish under similar conditions." Ryley grunted, not at all enthused with the idea of their tempering.

"...You may be correct, there was never enough time to properly study the species in its natural environment, and we were only able to salvage meager samples of their previous habitat, very little of the planet of their origins was left untainted...as it stands we did the best we could with what we had." Al-an allowed but clearly didn't agree with the engineers views on the matter.

But again it's not like Ryley expected the architect to comprehend his views on it..

"That's not always enough, sometimes it's better to let nature take its course as opposed to letting it suffer..."

He understood the need to try, but all too often intentions as bold as rebuilding whole species, procuring cures and utilizing planets as their personal laboratories always ended up with the irrelevant in some getting hurt.

It was just a question of how many lives and how much pain the final result was worth, not earth's laboratories were not much different.

No, they were just as willing to dissect him in the name of science.

"There was nothing natural about Khaara's invasion of the planet of Siestl Ryley, I only can suspect that the bacteria spread via a space traversing species unaware of it's contraction, it comprised the fragile planet within weeks, destroying everything it came in contact with." Al-an explained, a sickly yellowing creeping up his face.

"We...I believe our efforts to preserve what was lost so that one day it may recover and once again flourish is a necessary responsibility." Al-an continued apathetically.

"But who gave the architects that responsibility?! What about the ones that suffer in between those idealistic goals? the ones that are sacrificed to your uncertainty? dying painful deaths because of stubborn ignorance.." Ryley snapped, years Emphi rotted alone in that precursor made cell.

No one took responsibility for her.

No one considered her in the grand scheme of things, like many other experiments and victims to the planet and the bacteria, the gentle leviathan's existence was swept under the rug as a means to a quick fix to a problem some irresponsible alien scientist caused with their reckless decision.

Whilst logically he recognized the bacterium wasn't of their creation, he still would have given the sadistic bastard who extracted her premature infant a piece of his thoughts and fist.

"We do not need to be assigned the responsibility to empathize with the world around us.The suffering of one is unfortunate but may be necessary to absolve a similar fate from others..".

"Yeah, I've learned long ago that justifying evil shit for the greater good doesn't make it not evil..."

"Nor does the ability to navigate what your species would refer to as the lesser evils, tell me Ryley, would you sacrifice the lives of a mother and her offspring to save a million more..? Or would you idle with inaction and delusive optimism until the fate of the universe is suffocated beneath your cowardice..?"

Al-an asked, finally turning to lock eyes with the hermit, the architect's word choice alluded to his recognition of the hermit's challenge and the unsaid subject at hand..

"Ha! I GOT ONE!!!" Robin yelped in unbiased glee.

Both male's heads whipped around to see the researcher had fully crawled into the small burrow, and now was struggling to wiggle out of it, Ryley tried not to stare at the women's pert behind, it was a nice heart shaped rear..

But while Ryley's efforts went unthanked this courtesy Al-an disregarded easily as he watched the researcher's swaying ass with little shame.

"Robin..what are you attempting to achieve...? You should avoid over exerting yourself..Do you need my assistance?"

The precursor inquired curiously, tilting his horns, again the creatures were docile and there was little risk to her ambitions, but Robin tiring herself out wrangling wildlife was probably one of the biggest threats they'd face at the moment.

"Robin! Are you trying to get space rabies?!" Ryley huffed, grabbing at her kicking feet and carefully guiding her out with creatures trapped in her arms.

"Rabies doesn't exist in space! It's purely an earth thing and that went extinct seventy-two years ago Einstein! Now get me that PDA!" Robin huffed struggling with the rowdy creature, it was much larger than the scrawny small adolescent she had been trying to catch, almost five feet at least.

This is only further confirmed when he spots several others den weavers peeking out of the burrow curiously watching as the researcher scanned and collected hair samples, it was amazingly docile and even remained still in her lap.

"They're so soft! Who's a good boy!" Robin cooed, scratching the creature behind its large ears, before glancing up to the precursor watching them silently with furrowed brows." Are they supposed to act docile like this..?"

"Yes, this specie's natural sense of self preservation is very underdeveloped, this could be due to the absence of natural predators, all attempts to rectify this flaw were unsuccessful and even later stored not for science but amusement."

"What kind of methods were you guys trying..?" Robin asked intrigued, unfortunately that was right before the poor woman broke out into a violent coughing fit, the den weaver falling out of her lap as the researcher curled in on herself.

"Ah.. fuck that hurts.." Robin wheezed tiredly, her hoarse voice rough with pain and frustration as the creature quickly bolted for its den.

"Do not fret, we still have stored data on this species, it is best we focus on more pressing matters.." Al-an suggests, reaching out to touch her back sympathetically.

"It's getting late, didn't you say the fungus becomes more active at night..?" Ryley asked, noting that the sunlight was indeed waning and with it Robin had begun to become much much paler as the hours drifted on, by now Ryley could see the veins under her skin and the faint bruising under her lashes..

"Yes, it would be too dangerous to attempt navigation of the hive at the time, we will await dawn out here, I am uncertain of the state of the alliance but it would be wise if we were alert and sufficiently prepared for retaliation.."

"You don't think they turned their back on the treaty, do you?" Robin asked wearily, she didn't even try to fight the decision..

"I believe they've broken it already, and that is why this world lies in ruins, however I am unsure if it is in the desperate absence of our guidance, or the opportunity of a more appealing alliance..."

Al-an finally put voice to what Ryley had suspected for a while, if the precursors were extinct what would stop the Elisskat from reaching out for new alliances..?

"Figures, come on, I'll start setting down our bags. Make sure she gets down the hill safely."

Ryley heard Al-an make a noise but didn't quite know what it meant, instead he made his way down towards the beach glad to put some distance between them and the woods, honestly he was still rightfully weary of the woods after their first confrontation, and even if most of the fauna were the place still had an eerie feel to it, as if something dead was gazing at him with glass eyes..

Shit made his gills flare defensively!

But as the hermit glanced around he noticed thousands of pale glowing eyes, and couldn't help but jolt as h1e spotted a den weaver darting out from the shadows to pilfer one of the spent lumin rods he had tossed aside...

"You didn't mention they were thieves as well.." He accuses with a scowl as Al-an comes up beside him, planting Robin safely down on the cool sandy basalt.

"How is that relevant..?" The precursor rebuffed dismissively as he settled down beside the researcher.

ROBIN:

The false sun was already setting, its pleasant rays of heat vanishing over the water's iridescent blue surface, with its ascent the beautiful landscape grew darker, but even then it wasn't the all encompassing pitch black of the woods they fought through the night prior.

Still any inkling of sunlight was a welcome sight after the nightmare of the previous lack of it, but comfort did not stop the sun from waning, slowly but surely, watching its sluggish crawl had the researcher anxiety going wild.

Stress which only amounted to the researcher's ever present and growing migraine, no doubt a side effect of the now active virus slowly creeping through her veins, the terrible itch had long given way to a malaise ridden ache, even her bones pulsed with the dull pain as if the merrow inside was corrupted..

As much as she hated it, she couldn't help but agree that setting up camp would be best before dealing with the Elisskat. Robin wanted to have her head on straight when they negotiated..

And that wouldn't be happening right now, as if she wasn't already apprehensive enough about meeting a new species that her architect seemed to loathe for very valid reasons..

Ugh...

She couldn't help but feel like everything was falling apart even without her slowing them down.. and If Robin was going to be completely honest? deep down she knew little good would come from dealing with these cut throat aliens..

But it's not like they had any choice in the matter...they needed to get to Pettracore, but why did everything have to be so...hard?

"How are you feeling..?" The soft inquiry feels like an echo, one of thousands, he's asked her this very same question so many times in the past two days, but not as if he expected the outcome to change or her to outright lie to him about her dwindling health...

Yet he still insisted on acknowledging the damn obvious, what did he want her to say?!

That her pathetic human body was failing? That maybe he should have brought another architect more suitable for the role of his companion with him instead?!

Robin sighed with frustration as Al-an tilted her face up towards his eyeless one, the melancholy hue dancing along his vessel made her stomach twist in sickening ways, she didn't know what he was looking for, perhaps more ruptured capillaries in her already bloodshot eyes..

But the answer..it would always be the same..

"I'm fine." Robin dismissed shortly, pushing his claws away from her person, she adored him really, no it was more than that, it was near frightening to think about how devastatingly strong her feelings for the alien before her were, but his anxiety often manifested in meanless coddling behavior, his weariness giving way to irrational aggressive tendencies as Ryley had learned the hard way whe. Her architect snapped at the poor man needlessly on several occasions..

It was definitely something She would need to bring up with him when she had the energy to do it...

But right now what Robin needed was space, distance to think, to fight against the pain, to steady and acclimate herself..

"You are not f-" Al-an begins, his voice instant with worry, crimson rippling over his chest, obviously he didn't appreciate her less than honest placation.

"I know! but what I mean is that I am fine as in 'I can handle it!' I'M NOT MADE OF GLASS AL-AN!" she snapped with way more venom than she intended.

"You are in pain, that makes you irritable..." Al-an assess sympathetically, ignoring her ire, but allowing her the space she needed as her knees began to buckle.

"Fuck, I'm sorry I..Just don't feel too hot...I think I'll lie down for a bit..." Robin sighed a weary hand raising up to her head as she gave in to the impulse to curl up, the cool basalt beneath them offered minor reprieve to the ever increasing discomfort escalating as the sun set..

It would be futile to admit she felt like shit, what would it change? Nothing but make them worry for her even more than they were..

In truth..the pulsating pain was growing into something monstrous, becoming a deafening cacophony of pain and fatigue in her brain, she could feel her tear ducts weeping but for the world she couldn't tell if it was blood or tears escaping her eyes.

Robin just wished it would stop for a moment, if she could just brace herself against the sudden pain certainly she could handle it, right?

It wouldn't be so bad, and in the morning they could deal with those assholes and retrive the parts they need..

She feels Al-an step carefully around her pitiful rocking form (when had she taken such a pathetic fetal position, Robin couldn't for the world recall.) settling against her, ever present hum of his vessel a steady reminder of where she was even after her mind was almost washed away by internal panic and terror.

"Hey, is.. she alright...?" Ryley's muffled voice sounds miles away, distantly she feels her precursor began hissing, his vessel bristling with crimson biolight at the man's unwanted presence, and desperately Robin wanted to tell him to stop, to calm down, that Ryley wasn't a threat and that their new friend was only worried too.

But when her mouth opened only a stifled cry of agony escaped the researcher's chapped lips as the sickly burn under her skin felt as if it reached its peak and its jagged edges split through her writhing skin.

"Holy shit..." Ryley's horrified voice cut through the silence.

A wave of dizzying nausea swept over the researcher quickly after and then everything just stopped, the sharp pain slowly dulling out into white noise. Part of her recognised the feeling of something warm and thick running down her elbow but Robin didn't have the mind or energy to confirm its origins..

And then like sand on a breezy night Robin's mind simply drifts away from everything.

RYLEY:

The odd floral scent flooding the air made the hermit's stomach turn, desperately he wanted to know if she was okay, but wasn't sure how many steps it would take to set the already temperamental architect off..

But when there was a sudden bone chilling creaking noise and the thrashing researcher finally fell silent Ryley's nerves had the anxious man stepping forward anyways, pissed off precursor be damned if he gets mauled it would have been worth it to make sure she was still alive.

"Hey I'm coming over okay, she doesn't seem like she's doing good, don't uh...bite me okay?" Ryley announced cautiously stepping closer to where the precursor sat virgil over the past out researcher.

Al-an had propped Robin's back up against his thighs sparing her neck from the stiff fate of a night resting on the solid basalt.

"I have no intentions of harming you Ryley..." Al-an assures as the precursor continues to loudly growl menacingly at the man.

"You..uhh make that really hard to believe.."

"It is in my nature to protect my vulnerable companion, I.. understand your human impulses and worries, this feeling of worry is mutual, I will not hurt you without reasonable provocation Ryley.. even if your distance is preferable." It sounded as close to a peace treaty as Ryley was going to get from the still growling architect.

At least he wasn't staring him down anymore, no he was much too preoccupied with studying the now unconscious researcher.

"Can you tell me what's happening to her..? I'm not an expert on xenology.."

"The wilt, It is progressing far too quickly...her body is struggling to adjust.." Al-an says worriedly, his normally apathetic tone almost distraught as he pulled a blood covered claw away from her seeping arm to gaze at the almost rust colored blood mottled with white specks staining it.

It didn't look right, not like Ryley could complain..not with the afflicted cerulean blood pumping through his veins, but Robin had suffered no such mutations, furthermore much of this was taking place over the span of two days! Whatever was making it look so thick and slimy like it did was due to the fungus rampaging throughout the poor woman's system.

Al-an sounded weary, a feeling that Ryley was all too familiar with, honestly the hermit felt it himself feeling kind of homesick for the cool reassuring safety of the ship and the unyielding sense of safety it instilled.

"Im worried too, I thi...wait W-what the fuck is that?!" Ryley almost gasped, staring down at the blood covered white translucent spins splitting through the skin of the poor woman's pale arm and upper shoulder.

"The wilt is entering the next stage of its life cycle, primordia formation.." The precursor explained grimly.

ROBIN:

It takes hours for Robin's self awareness to return to her, as if her consciousness had receded away from her body's painful anguish, but slowly and surely awareness stubbornly finds the researcher again, and quickly she recognizes the comforting feeling of a careful claw gently tracing her spine, but in a way that she hadn't before, she could feel the soft foli of his claw against her sand caked skin...?

Was that water she felt?!

Robin tensed her heavy blood shot eyes fighting to squint open, unwilling to contest the soft morning light, the sun wasn't particularly harsh but her eyes already felt raw and sensitive.

The pain was gone save for a dull ache that had settled deep within her bones and the ever present malaise weighing heavy on her person, but the reprieve of piercing agony was so profound she may as well have been completely healthy..

It wasn't the healthiest way to look at her situation but Robin had to keep optimistic...

Again she felt water touch her leg and this time, awareness had her eyes jolting open to search for the source.

"Whoa! easy.." Ryley's gruffs voice started as she jolted upwards and almost head butted the hermit. The first thing she sees is Ryley's pale worried eyes, he's leaning over her, a damp blood stained cloth in hand.

"Ryley..? What happened?" Robin asked, looking around confusedly, noticing for the first time they were sitting far closer to the water' edge than before, the gentle waves just barely licking her thigh.

"You are awake." Her architect greeted, behind her Al-an shifts with a light but pleased trill filling his chest as he reluctantly pulled away to stand and stretch.

The loss of familiar heat against her back makes goosebumps rise on her clammy skin, she looked up to see her precursor shake sand free from his glowing vessel before turning back to her.

"The fungal virus is progressing too fast despite your body's rejection of its presence, it has already progressed onto its more advanced stages without the familiarization of your biology."

"What's that mean for me..?" It was one of those many times Robin wished Al-an had facial features, she could read nothing but the anxious biolights dancing across his throax.

"It means the wilt is experiencing an anonymous reaction to your biology Robin, Your immune system has not yet been compromised, however once the fungus reaches maturity and attempts to start propagation it will begin to consume its host as means of nutrients and fuel.." Al-an warns, leaning down to press his claw down gently on her leg, when her weary eyes follow his actions she immediately wishes she hadn't.

Translucent spines were sticking out of the flesh on her arm and thigh, inside she could see vesicles like strictures maroon and pale blue veins pulsating a dim reddish glow.

It was like living coral sprouting from her god damn leg!

"Oh hell no.." Instinctively her panicked hands reached to grab for the protrusions, no doubt with the intent to yank them out, but Al-an's reflexes were faster, quickly snatching up her wrist before she inadvertently hurt herself in her panic.

"These are part of you and the wilt Robin, they are linked to your nervous system as any other extremity, damaging or attempting to remove them will only bring you harm and agitate the fungi, they will shed with minimal scarring with time once you are treated with the antivirus." Al-an soothed gently guiding her shaking hand to the cool basalt beneath them.

"Do you know how much time she has..?" Ryley asked warily, offering her his hand when the researcher attempted to struggle to her feet, she felt weak, shaky, her limbs weighed down with lethargy..

Still she forced herself onto her feet, no good would come from lingering about, even if neither voiced it, Robin had indeed been slowing the group's progression…

Hell they could have long gotten what they needed and been on their way safely back to the ship by now!

"I am... uncertain, there can be no definitive answers without proper studies, however there is too much risk and too little time to understand this anomaly, We should not linger, Robin we will need to thoroughly clean your and wrap your wounds before departing." Al-an finally admitted.

"Okay.." Robin agreed warily she was desperately trying to ignore the underlining panic building in her chest, desperately trying not to notice the sickly sheen to her skin

"um..about last night, i wasn't angry with you, i was..just frustrated and irritable." Robin explained watching as Ryley walked off to clean the soiled bandages..

"I know. There is no need for apologies Robin, your agitation is to be expected, I recognize your burden yet I cannot alleviate it, at least for now.." Al-an assures leaning in to press his face against her forehead, his words were sweet but they didn't quail all the researcher's worries...

Robin wanted nothing more than to squirrel away in the navigation wing with her architect watching pirated movies on her PDA, hells she'd let him watch Titanic all he wanted..

But this would have to wait until they dealt with all these uncertainties..

"Come on, if we're lucky we can get out of here by nightfall." Ryley called, beckoning her to the water's edge.

"Perhaps, however we cannot access the hive from here, we will have to utilize the underground ventilation shafts."

"You guys must have loved your crawl spaces..." Ryley sighed, obviously displeased with the news.

"It was imperative to complete various tasks whilst avoiding our allies interest, it isn't far and it should lead us to the storage vaults if we are lucky, they will be loitering by their hoards..." Al-an explained.

Robin moved to follow him to the water's edge, however the shattering of something beneath the researcher's foot, brings her to a momentary halt, at first she thought it to be a new crushed lumin rod but as she lifted her foot she found tiny obsidian shards crushed on her heel.

Her gaze darted around to notice the dark crystals splattering the ground like thriving mushrooms.

"Hey, Al..do you know what these are?" Robin asked, pointing towards the splatter of the black crystals not only infecting the soil of the area, but sprouting out from trees and even stones nearby.

"Much like what you've come to recognize as ion cubes, these synthetic crystals are essential means of energy." Her architect explained, carefully picking up one of the pulsating obsidian shards from the soil.

"Like ion cubes..?"

"Yes and no, while ion cubes are a more..stable diffusion of producing harmless yet efficient energy, what these crystals produce is unstable raw negative byproduct, furthermore this energy is absorbed and consumed from this crystal's surrounding environment and consequently detrimental to non synthetic ecosystems."

"Yikes, so they are like energy magnets?"

"It is much more complex than simple magnetic absorption, the Elisskat's homeworld had an environment able to withstand such violent means of energy extraction, but even then they were unable to maintain a proper balance of their reckless creation, which led to disastrous consequences..." Al-an sniffed with unconcealed disdain.

"You said they traded the ion cube technology with the precursors In the past, did they stabilize it somehow, before you guys saved them..?" Robin asked..

"No, we took their knowledge and improved, formulated safer means of making a high capacity energy source, we could not risk the reckless results of their negligence occurring on another planet, even if this is a less hazardous prototype than that in which they produced back on their planet.."

"...what happened to their planet?" Ryley asked, noting the ominous implications behind the precursor's words..

"The nuclear implosion was enough to nearly destroy not only their home planet, but neutralize several more vulnerable neighboring dwarf planets stripping them of life and resources.."

"And you don't think this was one of the catalysts for why anyone wanted them dead..?" Ryley asked skeptically.

"It was not, no species directly affected by the result of this catastrophic accident survived to support the culling..."

"Holy shit, guess no one can testify if there are no witnesses.." Ryley whistled.

"A-are you sure saving these guys was the best idea..Al?" Robin asked skeptically, perhaps she was overstepping, but the more she learned about the species the more they...reminded her of humans, greed destroyed earth much like it had the Elisskat's world.

"Not all of us agreed, but our past assumptions are now irrelevant as it will not alter the situation now." Al-an dismissed blithely, dropping the crystal carelessly to the stony soil, his gaze casting out towards the sunrise as he returned back to the water's edge.

"Yeah.." Robin sighed sadly.

Even now except for the small den weavers the environment was completely devoid of life, stripped of the fruits of their strenuous labor, as beautiful as it was, Robin could easily see the husks of the more fragile floral that hadn't survived the lack of the technological support.

Ruefully she wondered how Al-an would react to witnessing the damage her kind had inflicted on their own planet, stripped and razed to the brink where it could no longer support the species that destroyed it...humanity took to the stars not for scientific discoveries but because they had little choice but to...

Would he regard them with the quiet contempt Robin senses coiling within him every time her architect was forced to mention the problematic species.

"Robin..?"

"Sup big guy?"

"Are you not ready to clean your wounds..?"

"Oh Right..and there's no pissed off sea fauna in there right..?"

"Not that survived the climate shift..."

"...Right, go start packing, I'll be ready in a minute.." Robin sighed as she watched her architect nod, stepping away, frustration building within her chest as she removed the now soiled bandages wrapping her arm, unlike the night prior her deathly pale skin was now speckled with dark translucent spots mottling the areas where the clear spiny bone like protrusion rose out of her skin.

She fucking hated it, why did this have to happen now?!

Quickly she crumbles up the tainted fabric and begins dousing antiseptic on the now black and blistering bite mark and around the base of the still seeping spines.

It hurt like hell, and even with Robin's high pain tolerance it was still a struggle to fight against the urge to flinch away from the pain, but she couldn't afford to slow them down anymore then she already had.

For a moment she stared down at the ugly protrusions, steeling her nerves, cowardice would not speed things up, it would be best to just bite the bullet and get it over with.

She quickly attempted to wrap the afflicted limb, but her brisk pace only resulted in the soft gauze catching on the jagged edge of the protrusion and yanking, sending a jolt of jarring pain up her arm...

Robin flinched but to her credit she didn't drop the bandage into the water as she gritted through the intense pain.

Fuck....

Well at least now she knew why Al-an had stopped her from attempting to tear them out moments prior...

"Hey, you need to be gentler, here let me.." Ryley spoke up beside her, had he been watching..?

"I got it." Robin started to decline but Ryley simply shook his head.

"This will be quicker if you let me help, like you said we're here to help each other, that doesn't just go for the moody shrimp over there.." Ryley chided an easy smile finding his lips.

Carefully the hermit grabbed her arm and begin to wrap it, the careful dexterity was a far cry from the brisk pace Robin had settled on, she also noted that Ryley was much colder then her, his fingers cool to the touch, perhaps she was only used to Al-an's warmer then human temperature within moments the hermit managed to wrap the arm completely.

"Thanks..Are you always this cold..?"

"No, but it happens sometimes, come on, your...uhh friend is giving me the eyeless daggers again.." Ryley noted wearily watching Al-an, despite her architect's eyeless face it was clear to see he was leering at them.

"Yeah, sorry he's pretty anxious lately." Robin apologized, she couldn't even begin to explain the weight of their bond.

"You don't need to tell me that, trust me.." Ryley laughed softly before pulling away to wad out of the water.

She can't tear her eyes away from the neat wrappings stabilizing the repulsive results of the virus...even now she could feel it, shrinking back as the artificial sun rose higher.

Last night felt like a fever dream, filled with disorienting confusion and terror...

"Robin, we are ready to depart." Al-an called, urging her eyes to flick up to find him standing on a path leading into the deep foliage, around his elegant legs, she was surprised to find countless den weavers crowded with open curiosity some of the mob even becoming so bold as to crawl up and onto her architect's back.

"Wow, I see what you mean about their lack of self preservation..."

"This is Ryley's fault.." Al-an announced flaring yellow with open disdain.

"Care to elaborate on that big guy..?" Robin asked as she watched Ryley haul one of the not so little beasts out of his night bag.

"I may have fed them some leftovers,I even asked if human food was harmful! He said no! But shit if they were going to become gremlins after twelve he should have warned me!"

"I answered your question, you failed to reveal the foolish intent behind such inquiries..." Al-an hissed, holding one of his legs up with indecisiveness as the poor precursor attempted to push aside the hoard of now ambitious creatures, who had thrown caution to the wind in a bid to examine large but docile creatures that may provide food.

"Lesson learned, don't feed the wild life, let's go." Robin snorted, she honestly just glad to see life outside of those hostile creatures, there were so many of them...

They started walking but unsurprisingly her precursor fell behind, seemingly finding difficulties navigating the swarm of curious creatures.

"They are very reckless lifeforms Robin, I am still surprised they survived everything whilst others perished…" Al-an sighed, his vessel flaring a sour hue as he looked to the researcher for help.

" Life finds a way..? Okay, just gimme a sec." Robin sighs pulling out her PDA, Ryley on the other could be heard cackling from ahead.

RYLEY:

Al-an led them through another doorway, hidden beneath the foliage and into another empty dust coated tunnel although this one was far less developed than the maintenance shaft they rested in, lacking the neat titanium walkways and glowing ion lights, leaving many lengths of the path dark even for Ryley's adapted eyes, they were forced to follow guided mostly by the precursor's casual lavender bioluminescence.

Robin had chosen to walk despite the precursor's consistent offers to carry her again, she seemed intent on logging everything they encountered with her PDA, something she could not do with Al-an ferrying her around, when asked about what she was up to, Robin explained it would be important to document their findings to review later in more favorable conditions.

Which was frankly understandable, Ryley had once been curious about the ancient species that created the beautiful ruins he desperately searched through for means of a cure years ago ..

Even if there wasn't really time or opportunity to enjoy the unarguably gorgeous scenery, or geological breakthroughs Marighettis had to offer, they could always sift through their discoveries later.

The tunnel eventually opened up to a dirt filled room sectioned off by a blue terminal enforced doorway, one that was seemingly sabotaged just like the terminal within the woods.

With Al-an preoccupied repairing and breaching the barrier, Ryley and Robin were quickly abandoned to their own deviance; the researcher immediately broke away to scan the large computer-like devices.

"Al-an...? Why don't these things have power, aren't they self sufficient..?" Robin asked, running her fingers over the flickering alien tech.

"While familiar to our own, many of the Elisskat's hybrid designs lack the longevity of our creations, the fact that energy still flows through it without maintenance is...confusing"

"So, it's there but there's just not enough power to go around..?" Ryley puzzled, eyesing the flickering tech, it reminded him of the dead ruins on 4546B...

"Precisely, power is automatically directed to where it is most useful in the event there are not sufficient enough amounts to satisfy the network..perhaps they have created a alternative methods such as ion cubes or are utilizing power cells, whatever the source, it is neither a compatible nor suitable powersource.." Al-an trilled pensively.

"So, this will all come back on, when we repair the protective barrier..? you said it's the backbone of the energy here right..?" Robin asked, her sharp gaze flicking up from the dead interface.

"You think It can be fixed?" Ryley asked honestly uncertain, alot of the machinery not only looked ancient but also on the edge of falling apart...

"If... we find the opportunity..." Al-an allows patiently, yet his sudden flaring of crimson wasn't at all reassuring, it felt like a conversation they had before but Ryley could easily understand the architect's reluctance to linger on the stripped planet longer than absolutely necessary...

"When." Robin corracted.

"I'm not leaving without making sure what's left of this place is preserved, too many lives have been wasted for it to be for nothing Al-an..." The researcher went on to challenge, but this was a challenge Al-an ignored completely, much to Robin's irritation the precursor simply fell silent drifting back to the terminal before him.

"I mean..would it stabilize the biomes..? We could-" Ryley tried sensing the sudden tension in the dirt filled room, Unfortunately Ryley was so preoccupied, he hardly noticed the plot of soft dark soil before him, a single step had the hermit rapidly sinking into the earth as the sand beneath him gave away.

"RYLEY!!!" Robin yelled, dashing forwards to grab the hermit's arm as he desperately scrambled to crawl his way out as the soil around him rapidly swallowed him, within seconds he was already waist deep!

"Just a moment, I understand your concern bu-"

"Al-AN! HE'S SINKING!" Robin yelled trying desperately to pull Ryley up, in turn her legs were now becoming ensnared in the sinking as well, all the while Al-an idled at the terminal intent on hacking its servers..

Her arms were shaking, she wouldn't be able to save him no matter how hard she tried!

"Robin let go! Your going to get dragged in if- Fuck LET ME GO!!!" Ryley cried as the dirt where she was perched crumbled away under the pressure and the researcher suddenly sank into the sinking pit!

"He is fin-" Al-an tried, now in distracted awe by the spectacle unfolding before him..

"Shit! SHIT!" Robin yelped, the sand rising all the way to her chin, without her iron grip, the hermit could feel the rapid section dragging them both downwards to their sandy death!

Yet Al-an stood idle, just staring dumbfounded..

"Al-an help!!!" Robin cried flailing, throwing sand everywhere, the poor hermit could hardly breath through the sand flying in his face!

Not while they were fighting for their lives!

"....You are in n-" Al-an tries again emphatically, as he rapidly begins typing in the final sequence, but his apathetic voice again is easily drowned out by the hysterical screeches of his human companions, floundering around in the sand pit...

"Fuck! Try and climb on me!" Ryley cried, spitting out mouthfuls of sand and attempting to swim his way up!

"It's no use! We'll just sink! Ow!" Robin hushed, desperately clawing at the dirt around her blindly trying to find purchase.

"Please refrain from flailing Robin you may hurt yourself, I will be-"

"Fuck! Marguerite will beat my ass in the afterlife if I go out like this!!" Robin wailed.

"PUT YOUR FEET DOWN." Al-an ordered loudly, snapping both Ryley and Robin to attention, eventually Ryley blinks enough sand out of his eyes to notice Al-an was staring at them with expectant exasperation.

Beside him Robin was already standing idle with a blank face, the sand reaching up to her throat...

Ryley did the same and to his surprise the hermit's feet settled against a solid surface lifting his face out of the sand pit...

"So it's...shallow..?" Robin asked as the precursor simply watched them unimpressed.

"Yes Robin, they are shallow." Al-an huffs.

"Why didn't you warn us?!" Robin squawked exasperatedly.

"I tried." Al-an hissed testily.

"Oh...well, thanks for saving me.." Ryley cackled hysterically, a laugh that just as quickly spiraled into a sand filled coughing fit, as his gills attempted to clear the evidence of their hubris from his lungs.

"You were not in dange-" Al-an begins to point out.

"Anytime Ry! Al-an get me out of here i still can't crawl out!" Robin asked, reaching out to the precursor.

"You humans are very..excitable creatures..." Al-an sighed before pulling away from the terminal to finally grace them with his aid..

About time they could have died!

"Can you explain why there is a five foot deep pit of sinking sand in the middle of a supposedly common passage, Big guy..?" Robin asked, shaking sand out of her brands.

"It is oscillating crystal, the granules constantly rotate, even if you were absorbed, your body would have been rotated back to the surface long before you experienced suffocation." Al-an explained briskly. "They are internationally placed here, It..has been a long time... it's presence slipped my memory.."

"Wait so you guys just left sinking sand pits there because you thought it was shallow enough to not be technically deadly..?" Robin scowled confusedly.

"Yes, after many experiments we found that while harmless, it was an effective way to dissuade the natural hunting habits of our allies should they seek to target the fauna in our absence.."

"Al-an I think anyone would avoid sinking sand if they could.." Robin noted tartly, waving a hand at the pit of sand around them.

"Yes, but the Elisskat's natural predators were creatures similar to what your planet would consider sand serpents, they have developed a natural aversion to the material and the like, to be trapped within it, was found to be quite distressing for them...."

"How did they accidentally fall into one...?" Ryley asked suspiciously

"We placed many in conspicuous locations for the means of testing such theories, these experiments required leaving roaming Elisskat trapped within it until they realized they were capable of freeing themselves. collected results concluded that the experiment was a success, They fell in just like you." Al-an explained unsympathetically as he reached down to offer Robin his claw.

"And that Ryley is why you don't make enemies with eccentric pissy aliens." Robin huffed tiredly, giving herself a thorough shake to dislodge the light silvery sand.

"How are you not seeing how morbid they secretly were?!.." The hermit found himself scowling, as Al-an easily lifted him out of the clingy substance.

"Come, the way is opened, this shaft should drop us directly within one of the many storage rooms." Al-an urged taking a moment to examine the researcher, ensuring she didn't pull any of the elegant spines sprouting from her arm.

"So..was it the same malfunction as the other terminal..?" Robin asked warily, it was a question they all knew the answer to but Al-an humored her nonetheless.

"Yes, it seems as if something does not want any infiltrations to the hive..."

AL-AN:

The suffocating feeling of apprehension had weighed heavy on his vessel, long before they touched Marighettis's soil, even now the silence had his senses strained, poise to pick up the slightest signs of life yet all seemed silent...

Which was abnormal for the often bustling hives of the Elisskat, they were often restless and meticulous when it came to the hive's hygiene, a single glance below reveals a pale marble floor dusted with rubble and stones none in which had a place inside the hive..

He casts his senses out once more before preparing to leap down from the shaft in the ceiling, it would be no guarantee that they were alone as the Elisskat were well capable of guising their presences from seeking precursors but Al-an follows these instilled safety protocols if only by habit.

He lands gently, dust rising up around his legs, the fall is not heigh by his standards but may pose an obstacle for his humans, not that Al-an has to worry, a single glance reveals the hermit slowly lowering Robin to the floor before falling through himself, using his momentum to roll to a impressively safe landing.

He is useful...despite his prior skepticism regarding his accompanying them on this journey..

His dedication to Al-an's human has been both convenient and beneficial, and as reluctant to acknowledge it as the stubborn precursor is beginning to associate the odd human's presence with less...negative impressions...

But there is little time to ponder their new acquaintance's presence, the smell of charred bone and warped steel hit him all at once, whilst long stale the pungent scent stained the dust coated storage room around them, so potent that even Robin and Ryley noticed the tainted air..

"Ugh, it stinks in here like rotting corpses!" Ryley coughed, his gills flared, they looked different somehow, not that Al-an was too familiar with the hermit's intriguing appendages..only Robin was able to settle the hermit enough to examine them..

"More like charred remains.."Robin corrected, wrinkling her nose impishly, snapping a new lumin rod the to light up the room around them, light in which the precursor did not need to see the cluttered space around, just as predicted they were within one of the thousands of harbored storage rooms within the hive's citadel..

But there was no familiar scent of exotic plants from faraway systems, no piles of gluttonous collections, the storeroom was nearly empty..

"They once called this place the citadel...these rooms often boasted many extravagant wares, the Elisskat...they were never short on propositions to offer if one fell prey to the allure of one of their curiosities.." Al-an mused solemnly, despite his inherent dislike for the species...to see the striped lifeless room so...barran felt unsettling, wrong even..

Like watching over the vacant labs on 4546B, watching the dwindling prescience of his caste's consciousness flicker out as one by one the lingering lights devoted their remaining resources to the most valuable in hopes that their sacrifice would bare fruit in some way, no matter how miniscule...even if he had doomed them with his foolish ideas...

"Al-an..? you okay?" Robin whispered softly, the feeling of warmth against his lower back easily disperses the drowning thoughts tugging at his mind..

"Yes, I was merely thinking..stay close." He assures briskly, his telepathy reaching out and dislodging the long metal spine sealing the room from the outside.

But when the spine hits the ground, its echoes ringing out through hundreds of empty halls and the heavy doors swing open, creaking in their disuse, the trio find something they weren't expecting.

Flickering lights illuminate a large ivory wall lined hallway, the sleek surface of the emerald floor scattered with debris, starlight pooled in through an enormous crater in the ceiling, the black sky was clearly visible through the crumbling roof.

"D-did the omnipara do that.. right...?"

"No, this whole place would have been blown if that had happened, it looks like smaller scale explosions occurred here..." Robin assessed, looking around the ruins of the once grand citadel.

"You are correct, there would be little left but rubble, no...these are the scars of strife..."

Carefully he leads them further down around the the paths split into countless directions, many of the beauty of the massive citadel was ravaged by the ancient stains of war,

plants and adornments decorating the hive were mostly smashed, crushed beneath what looked to be a desperate struggle, the chaos only unfolded more so the more they explored, huge swathes of the place was seemingly blown to pieces, empty crates and glass littering the place, the foundation above collapsing in on the rooms below.

"What happened here.." Ryley breathed, disturbed by the implications of violence..

"I..am uncertain.." Al-an hesitates, this response was inadequate, he was well aware...yet he too was at a loss.

"Is that a skeleton?!" Robin's aghast voice raises as the researcher hesitantly stops beside a pile of collapsed rubble, quiet panic lacing her every word.

Curiously they investigate her findings and to his dismay his human was correct, it was a Elisskat skeleton, it's fragile spine partially crushed beneath hard stone, debris from the failing ceiling's cave in perhaps.

But one clue stood out to the architect, the many tattered banners of armastance still clinging to the walls, beckoning to trade and barter, false aid tempting the desperate.

Tapestries of now rank and deteriorating skins hung on jagged pillars for display, hide of fauna Al-an himself had participated in rearing from the brink of extinction, skulls and long dehydrated plants laid trampled under the destruction..

The Elisskat had foolishly lowered the barrier to begin trades with other species, indeed pilfering resources from the planet's cultivated eco systems to barter, all while leaving themselves exposed for invasion...the skeleton Robin had discovered earlier quickly turned out to be merely one of many..

As fragile mutilated skeletons littered the wide halls, many resources were left wasted and unscavanged, but this was unsurprising, resources were not the target of whatever invader that had attacked the Elisskat...

This was not a war, it was a culling, one that had taken place long ago...

The further in the trio wondered the more the interior of the ruined citadel began to make the hive out to be little more than a massive coffin, heaps upon heaps of bones and long calcified corpses, scattered the halls, but with it other enigmatic oddities, strange foreign plants where sprouting everywhere.

Glowing purple luminescent vines were creeping everywhere in large abundance, mottled translucent maroon moss covered surfaces in thin dusted sheets much like mold, and many more unintended flora specimens growing rampant. Unlike the rest of the plant life on the planet these odd ivy-like plants were striving despite the lack of a supportive environment.

"These are not from any planet I am familiar with, perhaps they originate from another solar system far from this one, they seem to flourish without aid.." Al-an notes picking up a pale bloom wilting from one of the lower hanging tendrils, examining it before passing it to Robin, who in turn allowed Ryley to see it before storing it securely within a vial for later testing.

"Maybe they were traded here? Looks like a lot of stuff was left unattended when the culling started, they probably just kept growing unhindered without supervision.." Robin reasoned leaning down to examine another corpse, her brows furrowing.

"Hey guys...this one doesn't look like it's Elisskat.."

"What do you mean..?" Al-an inquired, his attention still trained on the odd blooms overtaking the upper canopy of the crumbling citadel.

"Well, the Elisskat's skeletal structure seems to be more humanoid but lacking legs, they also seem quite a bit smaller compared to us too, this doesn't resemble anything humanoid in the least, it's something else..." Robin reasoned.

"Robin, that hypothesis would be incor-" Al-an begin to correct, but was distracted when Ryley suddenly tapped his armored arm, the feeling of contact that was not Robin's was... oddly jarring to his senses, to the point where the disturbed precursor shifted away from the distracted man.

"What's that caught around it...?" Ryley squinted pointing at an odd sleek ring of metal, it looked to be a collar of some sort.

"A tracker perhaps.." Al-an pondered beside the hermit..

"It makes no sense...this kind of looks like a war took place here but what are these, what purpose would they need to track the Elisskat if they were trying to cull them?" Ryley muttered, pushing aside another pile of bones with his boot, noting that only some corpses donned the odd collars, something felt off about the strange devices...were they really trackers...?

Strangely enough, Al-an was certain he recalled seeing similar technology around the necks of some of the creatures that pursued them the night they landed...

Carefully he picked one up, it was easy as the skeleton attached to it possessed no skull, which again was odd, had they been beheaded...?

"I've never encountered this species, it is foreign to me but this device.."

"What are you planning big guy...?" Robin asked, edging closer to examine the collar nestled in his claws.

"I am uncertain, the creatures that attacked us, many of them donned technology similar to this, they seem to be connected in some way.."

"Maybe it was jewelry that was part of a trade that went bad, or stolen? that seems unlikely given the nature of what happened here.. Is there any text on it? anything..?" Robin asked flipping it over in his claw, and perked up when she found an unfamiliar etching seemingly carved into the knicked steel of its inner lining.

The dialect was not of a language Al-an recognized but he was certain he could decrypt it, perhaps Robin was partially correct in the suspicion that they attempted to trade with a new species and negotiations went bad..

The implications were worrisome..

"Perhaps we should bring this back for further analysis, I've yet to encounter such techn-" Al-an paused when the odd collar issued an almost inaudible click, an ominous white light bleeding from in between its crevices.

Too late Al-an realizes exactly what the enigmatic device's cruel function was, unfortunately by the time this epiphany rang clear it was far too late, he was forced to act before he could even fully comprehend what was about to take place, slapping the collar out of Robin's hands just as another mechanical click sends a jolt of alarm up his reinforced spine, hardly audible, a disingenuous warning.

Instinctively Al-an moves to shield her smaller hands, trapping them tightly within his armored claws, ignoring his human's startled yelp as she's yanked off balance by the abruptness of his actions, forgiveness will be requested later, but for now there was little time to explain, and even less to consider any more appealing solutions to his foolishness, his superior reflexes just allow her architect the opportunity to brace as the device suddenly explodes between them before hitting the ground.

The resulting explosion was loud and oddly envoloped but still powerful, its force knocking Robin off her feet and back onto the ground, metal shards launching in every which direction, bouncing off his reinforced hide and pelting off Robin's eco suit's visor.

"What the fuck just happened?!?" Ryley yelled startled by the sudden burst of energy and commotion, Al-an looked up to see the hermit rushing over to help Robin scramble to her feet!

Luckily his human didn't seem hurt, perhaps a bit shaken but that was a small sacrifice to pay in lieu of what could have been.

"Holy shit! That collar thing..it-it just exploded! Al-an! Crap! Al-an?! Are you okay?!?!?"

Robin practically wheezes her wide brown eyes filled with fear, it was an expression he distinctly realized he disliked, to his surprise instead of allowing her to run to his side, Ryley grabs his human's arm and holds her firmly planted while staring back with what looks to be...worry as well..?

How perplexing..

"I am fine...?" Al-an attempts to ensure but his reaffirmation comes out as an uncertain inquiry...

Their combined reaction confuses him for a long moment, until his winded mind settles enough to recognize that he was assessing their smaller form from sideways...

Al-an was on his side, the blast had indeed knocked the precursor off his feet as well, perhaps he was too preoccupied or stunned to notice the cold dusty citadel floor against his face, instantly he moved to right himself, scrambling to his feet but flinching as he did so, his left claw almost buckling as pain bloomed up her arm.

"Shit, you're bleeding! Ryley! Let go and pass me some bandages!" Robin snapped struggling out of the hermit's hold.

Oh..this was his own blood Al-an notes warily, his gaze lowering to assess the damage the rigged collar inflicted on his claw.

Carefully stepping around the iridescent purple splatters painting the moss coated floor, Al-an makes his way back to his upset human's side, cradling his arm away from her.

"Robin, relax okay..? you'll need gloves first, we can't touch the blood." Ryley soothed patiently before letting her go, seemingly satisfied that the upset researcher wasn't about to recklessly throw herself at the bleeding precursor.

it seemed the force of the explosion bit right through his armored claw, blasting off a fair chunk of his vessel's flesh with it, blood pooled quickly to the area, coagulating in a bid to initiate regeneration, it was in no means fatal, but while it would not seep long the affliction itself was still was surprisingly painful.

"It is not severe, It is deep but simply a flesh wound, it will heal, we should utilize caution moving toward, even now these devices are active and hazardous.." Al-an cautioned as Ryley handed his upset human a clean pair of spare gloves.

Easily he recognized that his instincts were right, had Robin's hands been caught in the crosshairs she would have been severely wounded and more likely than not permanently maimed.

"Did the blast harm you..?"

"What?!"

"Are you-"

"No Al-an I'm not fucking hurt, but look at your claw! For sols sake it looks like a brute Shark bit you!" Robin bit out sadly as she pulled gloves on and carefully seized his arm to examine the damage.

"Do not fret, it will heal.." He tries to soothe but his efforts are futile..

"And what about the next trap we walk face first into?! It could have been worse, it could have blown your arm off!" She was scared and becoming increasingly frustrated, they had been through so much..was it right to drag them further along knowing the possibilities of future hardships were imminent.

His gaze shifted to the wrappings clenched in her fist, the stained bandage wrapped tightly on her own arm, they needed to leave as soon as the opportunity presented itself, Al-an just hoped it was long before any harm came to his humans..

Even Ryley was showing signs of wariness, pacing back and forth, his watchful gaze trained on the countless halls around them.

"Okay, you two, no more poking about, I don't really give a shit what happened here, I just want us to get out of here and back to the ship in one piece." Ryley spoke up, clearly still shaken by what took place, but trying to sound brave.

"Right..no more touching stuff." Robin sighed silently, swallowing her anguish, her gaze still trained on his mangled claw, her grip was warm and reassuring a welcome distraction from the discomfort of the minor injury attempting to knit itself back together.

He wanted to comfort her, to hide away within their observatory and indulged in each other's presence...but such moments would have to wait.

They needed to focus on the task at hand.

"I believe the purpose of the contraption was subjugation, to neutralize any lifeform who dared attempt to rebel and rid themselves of its control..." Al-an admitted staring down at the many scattered bones littering the ground.

"Like a...slave..? You mean the cause of death was their head exploding?!" Ryley scowled, glancing about as if he would find the shattered pieces of cranium nearby.

"Such practice wouldn't be unheard of within less civilized intergalactic species...this device is not of Elisskat origins, they have no use for such cruel assets and its language.." Al-an explains quickly pilfering the blood soiled gloves from his human the second she peeled them off, flinging them safely away from them and taking the opportunity to examine her hands for injuries from the explosion.

Just to be certain.

"Im fine big guy.." Robin mumbles exasperatedly, instead leaning in to press her face against his thorax.

"Come on, we should keep looking for the supply stores, it doesn't look like we'll have too much trouble, their assailants didn't look interested in what they had to sell, do you think there might be survivors? It's slim but I can't believe they just wiped the whole species out.." Robin sighed, pulling away.

"Robin, we are not looking for anything other than means of collecting the vaccine and resources we need for Ryley to reinforce the powercore, the fate of the Elisskat is of no concern to us..." Al-an stated immediately.

"And if some survived the culling, are we just going to leave them..? Whatever happened here wasn't an accident Al-an, these invasive plants, those creatures out there, something terrible happened here...I think this was more than a simple culling.." Robin fretted, bringing voice to the realization weighing heavy in the air..

"It looks as if someone was terraforming the planet into something else, and they took it by force, maybe they came here for the Elisskat then decided to start seeding the place." Ryley hypothesized, glancing about the war torn citadel.

Al-an tilted his head, her words had actually made sense, he had taken note of many unregistered plants taking up residence within their carefully cultivated ecosystems, plant life that had no place on Marighettis.

Not that it mattered, not anymore.

"Are we supposed to contest this..?" Al-an inquired, unable to cull the irked incredulously from his voice.

"Oppose an opportunity that would not have been presented had they not disabled marighettis's protective barriers, their fate was sealed by their own doing, I will not have us ensnared in the crossfire of their foolish mistakes. If another species has laid claim to this failed planet..? Let them have it." Al-an dismisses, internally shoving down the frustration flooding his system.

He could not risk the eyes of conflict finding his vulnerable own..

"They screwed up, I know but is it right to just leave them to their death..? We won't look out of our way for them, but we also need to at least ensure the barriers are back online before we leave, for the planet's sake and any other survivors like those den weavers! I'm not leaving until I know it's Al!"

"I will not sacrifice precious time nor risk-" Al-an began stubbornly, only for his human to rudely turn away and simply start marching away...

Ryley makes a face, his eyebrows raising and his gaze sliding to the agitated precursor, but the meaning behind the hermit's awkward expressions were lost on the architect whose eyes were narrowed in on the researcher herself.

"Robin..? Where are you going?" Al-an inquired testily.

"It's not just about us Al, if you don't want to preserve this place, Elisskat be damned then I'll do it myself, there is a lot more going on then those idiots."

Robin yelled over her shoulder, walking off, easily he recognized the manipulative ploy, he had fallen for it helplessly many times on his home planet, Robin would run off knowing full well he could not leave her to her own reckless deviances and thus offering him little choice but to trail after her or waste precious time contesting her decisions...

"...Do you even know where you are headed Robin..?" Al-an scowled, unimpressed with human's sense of stubborn stupidity, his affections for Robin did not blind him to how immature she could be sometimes....

To the architect's dismay it's become an almost...attractive trait despite how counterproductive it was..

This 'Almost' was heavily depending on his mood and tolerance for her hubris at any given moment, If he hadn't cared he would consider this unfortunate, a setback.. but the cons of his human made her flaws far more..colorful.

Even if Robin was unreasonable at times.

"Not really but you're not much help so..well I guess I'll have to look around myself." Robin admitted nonplussed, blatantly admitting she planned on exploring the citadel alone and blind if he refused to offer aid...

"I'll come too, so long as we can find the supplies and vaccine, we don't need that thing turning you purple. Come on, we need to hurry no matter what we decide on doing." Ryley placated, fastening his supply bag on his shoulders and moving to join Robin's side.

Al-an remained silent for a breath leering down at the two through narrowed eyes, he was irritated far beyond it and mentally exhausted, they all were, arguing would only waste precious time and prolong their commitments on this failed planet longer.

The precursor wanted nothing more then to protect them... the urge to usher his two dimwitted fragile humans back to the ship was deafening, but Robin's vaccine needed to be secured first and foremost, at this point the resources were merely an afterthought in the precursor's mind.

"Come, we will re-enable the shields, only after Robin's health is addressed." Al-an relents, humoring them would expedite their obligations and allow him to keep a close watch on them..

He was long prepared to leave the Elisskat to their fate, they had foolishly beckoned it in themselves in exchange for fleeting monetary wealth, was it their responsibility..?

Perhaps he was being too ready to condemn such nature that comes naturally to the problematic species.

Robin had given up everything to aid him despite its obvious flaws and deceit, and while she had confirmed culling the bacteria off would offer to suffice as retribution for her sibling's sacrifice, his sick companion withering away from within had aided him every step of this audious journey with little complaint, serving as a beacon to steady his resolve and tether his conscious to a vessel whose world no longer needed him.

She offered him hope, perhaps it is only right to shed light on other's shadows, still the architect can't help but feel this decision will only lead to more obstacles in their path.

ROBIN:

They had been searching for hours.
And found nothing but corpses and more evidence of the Elisskat's poaching...

By now Al-an was furious, she was well aware this even if her architect never put voice to his amounting fury, it was clear he was fed up to the point where he was willing to disown a planet they had expended so much effort and energy in carefully building for the sake of preserving those who no longer had anywhere to else go.

A thankless job for a species not seeking gratuity, yet when he first described this planet to Robin, she could feel his pride, the pleased accomplishment hiding within his words, this pride had long since been snuffed out, suffocated under the weight of recent events.

He wanted to abandon it all, flee in the face of another failure of his species, even though there was the inklings of hope, life could still flourish on Marighettis, perhaps not such a diverse array of species as before, but the artificial planet was still habitable some means and by right it belonged to the precursors!

As for the Elisskat, Robin wasn't completely impressed by the species' stupidity, but surely not all of them could have been on board with yanking off their security blanket...

As stupid as that was..

While Al-an seemed content to never see the species again, Robin on the other hand wanted to talk to them, she wanted to know why this happened and more importantly what started all this bullshit, a mystery the precursors never discovered the answer to.

They needed an explanation, hell they deserved one at this point! and if Al-an wasn't going to ask Robin sure as hell was in his stead!

Something seemed off about the whole situation, something quiet and insidious was tainting that place…

Robin follows the group down the endless halls, searching through the abandoned wares and debris but her mind is elsewhere, pondering their predicament, that is until movement catches the researcher's sharp eye...

She had just picked a pile to start rummaging through when something moved behind the pile of crates they passed by not too long ago, guising itself in the shadows where the overgrown flora's soft glow did not reach.

It was little but a subtle shift.

But the slightest disturbance within a still life room may as well been a rock breaking the surface of a still lake, Robin hesitates taking a cautious step towards the rank moss covered crates, adrenaline making her heart pound loudly in her chest, wondering if she really had witnessed movement or if it was simply the fungus fucking with her head but no..

Not long after her attention was piqued, something shifted again, slowly huddling further out of sight, like a rat squishing itself into a corner praying that the three-legged cat with no predatory experience wouldn't find it ..

Robin paused her eyebrows, squinting.

For a moment Robin began to wonder if one of the den weavers might have ambitiously tailed them down the shaft and became lost in the hive's large citadel, but as the researcher inched closer and eventually peeked over the crate to see what was hiding on the other side, Robin was surprised to find something somewhat familiar.

"A drone..?" Robin whispered in confusion, more to herself than others who hadn't yet seemed to be aware of her falling behind just yet...

"What are you doing here...? Oh!" Suddenly the oddly big Robot shifted closer, it was similar enough to her drones that she could easily identify its precursor origins but unlike the previous robots she had encountered on 4546B and Adelphi this drone was abnormally big...

Immediately it recognised it's discovery, it's mechanical limbs unfurling as the large bot bristled, shit it was even bigger then she initially assumed and much more focused, where as drones she encountered on previous occasions seemed indifferent to her presence unless she was either trespassing or accompanying Al-an this drone's attention was fixed on her, it did not dart off or shy away from her now but instead seemed to bristle, emanating odd mechanical noises.

All were obvious signs, signs Robin could easily chalk up to as aggression, warily she stepped back to give the agitated drone space but every step she took it crept towards her.

She noticed a bundle of the black crystals dotting the outside of the hive nestled securely against its back, it looked to have been collecting them..

Did it assume she wanted its materials?

Errr...whatever it thought it was not pleased in the least..

"Uhh..guys..there's a drone in here! A big drone, t-this guy doesn't seem very happy..." Robin called worriedly just as the drone issued another grinding warning, one Robin was too slow to heed.

She had just watched Al-an's head whip around to her when the drone suddenly lurched at her.

"Agh! Damn it!" Robin flinched, startled as the sharp bladed leg jabbed towards her almost like a scorpion stinger, its jagged tip easily sinking into her eco-suit and piercing the vulnerable flesh below, but also catching on the elastic fabric dampening the blow.

Again it reared back poised to strike but Al-an was faster, Robin flinched prepared to shield herself again just as Al-an's back legs collided with the agitated robot's side, sending the drone careening off to the side in a shower of black scattered crystals.

"Are you alright?!"

"Yeah, it's not deep, thanks though, I don't know what pissed it off so much…"

"You are bleeding..." Al-an worried, anxiously pausing to examine the slash on her forearm, it wasn't deep despite seeping dull mottled blood, her eco-suit absorbed most of the volatile drone's efforts, sparing her an injury that would have been far more severe.

Still the sight of her blood was jarring..the thick streaks of slimy looking substance sluggishly rolled down her arm, it was hard to believe that this was flowing through her veins right now, beside her Al-an was silent.

She knew he was studying it as well, the translucent spines sprouting from her arm, or perhaps she should call them branches, given the odd gnarly look that started forming as the day progressed.

She didn't expect him to know what to make of her affliction, Al-an had already admitted to this hours prior, this didn't stop the stubborn precursor from insistently trying.

She could feel the weight of his gaze scouring over her, analyzing the progressing deterioration of her body, his warm claw stroking up and down her forearm comfortingly over the dark bruises slowly but surely blooming to life under the dying skin...

"It's not that bad, I've gotten worse grabbing coral with my bare hands.."

Robin huffs bravely, trying to stifle the wave of nauseated panic that ripples through her as her architect quickly begins cleaning her wound, the blood is slimy as if saliva was filling her veins opposed to the healthy blood she had days ago, viscous tendrils cling to the med kit's gauze..

"That was an Infantry drone, it should not be here on Marighettis, it is a machine of defense, only in use during dire confrontations, their primary function Is defense, this does not include foraging. perhaps it has malfunctioned and mistook you as a threat..." Al-an rationalized, his biolights flaring a displeased crimson.

"Maybe, I just noticed movement and there it was, guess it didn't appreciate getting found out..did you see those crystals on its back...? Wonder why it's collecting them.."

"It is not our concern, please come along Robin, Ryley has wandered too far out of sight, I was in the midst of explaining what the parts we seek should look like..." Al-an urged pressing her now bandaged arm against the warmth of his eyeless face.

"Yeah, come o-" Robin agreed but the moment she took a step forward the citadel around her suddenly began to sway, all at once the nausea plaguing her all morning intensified and she couldn't fight the urge to purge the acid filling her stomach..

Unfortunately the more she vomited the worse she felt, the energy draining from her limbs as she tried to stop from dry heaving, beside her Al-an issues a soft hissing noise his claw steadying her swaying form.

"You are hemorrhaging..." Al-an fretted she could hear the panic bleeding into his voice, it felt eerie coming from Al-an who was often the calm one even under stress, it somehow added a foreboding sense of finality to her unfortunate predicament.

She just needed to assure him she'd be fine, despite how faint she felt, she found it hard to believe exhaustion had settled in so fast...that is until Robin made the mistake of glancing back at the puddle of what she assumed to be blood speckled bile, only to see a concerning puddle of mottled blood she had just threw up…

Well shit…

"Al-an...i-i think this stuff might be killing me.." Robin admitted finally, in the oddest sense she almost felt…ashamed?

The terror she had been mentally fending off settling it's claws into her tightly around the researcher's throat, however this fear was not of self preservation it was the fear of not knowing how her death would impact the group, Al-an would not go on alone, and the likelihood of Ryley sticking around after she was gone was slim..

She would ruin everything, simply because her silly human body could not withstand a common alien virus..that was only deadly sometimes.

"Robin…?" Al-an's steady voice pierces the black cloud of self loathing panic clogging her muddled brain offering a beacon her weary mind to focus on instead of the implications of her looming demise.

"Do not panic, the cure is here and we will find it before that happens…But" Al-an hesitates for a breath, contemplating his thoughts as he studies her tired face.

"In the event that we do not, we may attempt to utilize my blood for it, my system's immunological memory is far superior than a human's.."

"Al-an…won't that kill me? You've warned me countless times about your toxic insides.." Robin asked uncertainty.

"Yes, but it will not be the first time your bloodstream has been exposed to it, perhaps you may have developed a resistance...nonetheless such dangerous remedies should only be utilized as a last resort..." Al-an admitted quickly flaring crimson, as he leaned forward to press his face against her sweaty forehead.

It felt like he glossed over something…

"What..? What do you mean not the first time..?" Robin asks confusedly but her inquiry falls on deaf ears as seconds after the words leave her mouth the citadel explodes in a flurry of echoing profanity and furious screams.

"It's Ryley..." Al-an notes worriedly, maybe he was attacked by the odd red drone as well? Robin wondered as Al-an scooped her up bridal style, unwilling to have her over exert herself running and flash stepped towards the origins of the screams echoing from within one of the store rooms.

It was a large door, once reinforced by the security of a terminal. It looked as if the hermit had somehow bypassed the doorway to get it to open, as there was a web of colored wirelike tubes sticking out of the terminal beside it.

Robin was about to call out to him, to let the hermit know they were coming to help but suddenly a shrill moaning wail rose up beside the screams, so loud it drowned out Ryley's cries and had the poor researcher desperately covering her ears, lest she be deafened by the excessive sound.

"...An Elisskat?! stay here!" Al-an commands, setting her down outside of the room before vanishing inside the dark room seconds later.

RYLEY:

"Perhaps we should utilize your suggestion and simply take what we need by force..." Al-an considers aloud.

"I mean, we might not need to if they're already wiped out.." Ryley sighed, it was a pretty dark and negative thing to be hoping for the death of a species and yet...

"So, run this by me one more time, what exactly should we be looking for..?" Ryley asked distractedly searching through moss covered caches and dull ornate chests, many of them were still well stocked full with of crystal jars once filled with fluid that long evaporated and other curious things, trinkets, tablets, molded tomes, strange metals that clung to the hermit's gloves the minute he opened the crate.

Ryley even found a few ion cubes and blue precursor tablets and what looked to be strange weapon parts...

Parts for a weapon Ryley totally did not take..

But this was not what they were looking for, at least not yet, it was an unsaid agreement that Robin's remedy was priority over all else, despite her brave facade it was clear the researcher was becoming weaker by the hours they needed to find her antivirus before the damage became irreparable.

"The antivirus will resemble the shape of a translucent cube, one that glows orange, much like ions cubes they too will resonate with energy but in a more audible sense, you should hear the passive hum of energy long before you find it.." Al-an explained, rummaging through another create, having forewent the process of opening them, in a bid to time Al-an had simply started tearing the whole damn metallic lids off with little care for the destruction he left in his wake

"Where would they keep something like that..? Any ideas..?"

"No, the Elisskat will monopolize anything that holds value to someone, such boons are often hoarded in crates like this or hidden within their nests...however this place is in a less fortunate state, we have little choice but to search until we find it.." Al-an sniffed agitatedly.

"Guys there's a drone in here! A big drone, this guy doesn't seem very happy." Robin called from behind them, she sounded worried but before he moved to follow Al-an stopped him.

"Keep searching." The precursor commanded flash stepping away, likely towards the researcher.

As much as Ryley hated being split up, Al-an was right it was best he kept looking, a single drone he was certain the precursor could handle, this is further cemented when a bright red and surprisingly large drone goes careening down one of the many halls and out of sight.

Damn he was in a pissy mood...

"Hey, check out this closed door...you think they stored anything behind it..?"

Ryley called out taking note of a large embroidered door nestled further down a thin corridor, it looked thick and oddly expensive there was an odd interface before likely what was keeping the door sealed, but it looked old and even damaged, wires having been torn out from the side and the device lacking power in general.

But thankfully for the engineer the interface was obviously of a more simpler design then any precursor tech the hermit had the displeasure of encountering, Ryley could easily figure out how to reroute the displaced cords simply by matching colors and shapes, the dust covered device sputtering to life within seconds after the last cord was repositioned.

Initially he was going to wait for Al-an, but the second he so much as looked at the screen of the interface the ornate door started dematerializing, falling away like the quick silver like metals that clung to his gloves prior, within seconds a dark entryway was revealed before the hermit..

And yeah sure, Ryley didn't forget what he said about exploring, initially he fully intended to await Robin and Al-an's return to go in but...

Ryley heard it.. a faint humming noise, like a whisper of static electricity resonating from within the room, and with that miniscule tether of hope the hermit found himself warily stepping into the dark room...alone.

Just like the idiot who dies first in an alien horror movie...

God, was he really going to jinx himself right now? At this point he was asking for it..fuck he hated himself sometimes...

Not that this realization stopped Ryley from pushing forward anyways despite the more then obvious risks, the promise of a cure too tempting to resist, for Robin's sake and her agitated alien companion...

There's no reward without a little risk, planet 4546B taught him that truth the hard way..

Unlike the rest of the building, the oddly large dark room seemed mostly empty, save for the utterly massive pile of junk hoarded into a single obnoxiously large pile topped with a silver tarp too small to cover it all left under what looked to be a red glowing security beam.

And while further inspection proves in truth it is not really junk but even more expensive wares, it was still comically obscene how it was all sequestered under a small security light and wrapped in a tarp much too small for all of it...

"Hey! I think we found something here!" Ryley called, approaching the pile of elegant metallic crates, spilling over with various items, from gems to materials, bones, ammo, antiques and thousands of other foreign curiosities Ryley couldn't put names to, all hoarded within the halo of a strange blazing red light.

It cuts through the thick darkness illuminating the crates like some god damn beacon from the depthless ceiling, sadly the tall room above him was very dark, perhaps even misty, even with his altered vision Ryley could just barely make out the upper piers stabilizing the room, what little light was spared from the glowing ion cubes shed minimal light on familiar tablet keys much like the ones he used on 4546b hidden beneath the protective tarp..

Idly Ryley circled the large pile examining it for any hint or give away that it might be what they are looking for, the humm was definitely there, at least it seemed similar to what Al-an told him to look for.

The pile itself was haphazardly held together by what looked to be a delicate kind of inorganic webbing, derived from tiny strands of silver thread far too fragile looking to withstand the strain of netting the hoard together but still holding steadfast despite its appearance.

Suddenly an odd feeling kept over the hermit's shoulders, and he whipped around, of course finding nothing yet still feeling the grip of cortisol running up his spine..

Besides the soft humming the room was deafeningly quiet, not that the rest of the citadel fared much different...but..the silence here held weight...relevance the hermit did not like at all.

Was it paranoia? Or simply his survival instincts kicking into gear, whichever the case, it felt like Ryley was being watched..the intense weight of scrutiny resting aptly on his person, it was as if he was staring down an invisible reaper leviathan,

Maybe it was an elisskat..? Yet a quick glance around shows there was neither sign nor trace of these allies Al-an had schooled them about.

No, the room seemed secured, whoever sealed it must have been trying to protect their wares, so far the only movement catching the hermit's eye was the huge piles of snowy white dander littering the floor in extraneous amounts....

This was noted with unease but Ryley was also partially preoccupied by finding the antivirus for Robin, he wouldn't back down without clear reason to.

Al-an had assured them they would have it, and he was damn certain it was somewhere in the messy pile of crap, if they were all extinct as well couldn't they just...take everything they needed..? It's not like anyone was left to miss it, no harm no foul.

Right?

Still Ryley sure as hell wasn't foolish enough to cross the red light engulfing the wares, not without the precursor's thorough evaluation first, and definitely not after Al-an himself nearly had his claw blown off by simply picking up an ancient trap used to cull deserters...

He waited patiently but as the tense seconds ticked by and there was no response from Robin nor Al-an the hermit begins to become a little antsy.

Where the hell did they go?!

"Guys?! I found one of those hoards, S-should I check it for the vaccine? O think it might be in here!" Ryley called out again his voice heavy with uncertainty, anxiously casting a glance to the doorway only to find still there was no sign of the precursor or Robin..

Damn it, they must have still been dealing with that damn red drone, maybe he should go get them, but all too soon Ryley had more pressing matters to face, matters that were very pleased to see other living lifeform's venerable thoughts.

Far above him something shifts, causing the ceiling to groan under its weight, in reality the movement is ever so slight but in his on edge alert state, it may as well been a vase falling to the floor, the hermit freeze reigning in his fight or flight impulses as they played tug of war throughout his mind, his heartbeat was thumping violently in his chest as adrenaline starts burning through his veins.

Maybe pushing ahead wasn't such a bright idea after all...

The distinct sound of dripping echoes from behind him, instinctively the hermit's gillfins flare defensively, he doesn't hesitate to look behind him, stalling would only put him at a greater disadvantage than he already was, but when he did whip around the face whatever bastard was behind him, Ryley' s narrowed eyes were met with little more but the dark lightless room..

The hermit's brows furrow in worry, as the bone chilling realization dawns on him..

....The red light was gone, again something viscous drips from the shadowy ceiling, and like a fool Ryley's gaze snaps up only to hate himself for doing seconds later, and then even more so for involuntarily freezing on the spot when his sharp eyes just barely deciphered the silhouette of the enormous cosmic horror taking up a good portion of the of the ceiling above him...

Unfortunately by this time It was already far too late

It was an eye! Of course it was! THE RED BEAM WAS REFLECTING FROM A MASSIVE FUCKING EYE!

Holy shit!

Al-an's past warning about stealing from the Elisskat not ending well very well made sense now, and the architect's later desperation leading him to actually considering the hermit's ignorant suggestion of taking the cure by force was a clear sign the precursor was batshit insane!

How the hell were they supposed to intimidate that at knifepoint?!

Oh god he was going to die...

A glowing crimson cornea interlaced with splotches of blue and rings yellow around a pale white iris leered wildly down at the terrified hermit.

It looked fucking ravenous yet somehow intelligent..that alone was unnerving enough to jolt the terrified Ryley from his frozen stupor and urge his fear laden limbs to bolt for the safety of the door, unfortunately much like Al-an this creature possessed unfathamble speed and reacted seemingly seconds before the hermit's body did, as if it read the hermit's mind…

Long tentacles covered in excessive layers of dead flaking skin and ending in what looked to be thumbnail-like claw tips violently flooded the doorway leading to the exit, easily trapping the man inside with it.

A tentacle shot out towards the hermit, an attack he managed to easily dodge only to realize too late that the creature was merely baiting him when another just as swiftly snared his leg, easily yanking him off his balance and into the air, this high up he could see five or more leg like appendages anchoring it lopsidedly to the ceiling, there were gaping holes missing from places where it's pale mottled arms had seemingly been docked or torn from the sockets of it's massive body.

Ryley hadn't realized he had been screaming, at least until he started screaming louder when the mass below the blazing eye peeled back to reveal what looked like the nightmarish amalgamation between an elephant's trunk and an assassin bug's proboscis..

It was covered in disgusting brown mucus, making it glisten revoltingly as it distended further and further down, towards him, Ryley's eyes widened in dark realization..

Oh fuck no.. Despite the odd misplaced sense of calm sluggishness trying to numb his nerves and weigh his body down, Ryley began to panic and fight, unwilling to have his spine sucked out by that thing, yet as he did more tentacles coiled around him to subdue him.

This however came at the sacrifice of it's height and the tentacles blocking the doorway, but extra tentacles did little to stop the hermit who had in a bid of desperation seized the proboscis attempting to reach for his neck in her hands, holding it's slippery mucus coated skin at bay in a iron grip.

"RYLEY! Are you okay?!" Al-an's worried voice suddenly fills the room and with it the creature suddenly jolts as if startled, its tentacles pausing for a breath before suddenly the pressure is back in full force.

But this time it seemed almost desperate, panicked..?

"Do I fucking look okay?!??! Get this thing off me!" Ryley snapped terror making him exasperated, the creature was literally trying to fucking eat him and the idiot was asking if he was fucking okay!?

What the hell was wrong with aliens?!

"Ryley, listen to me you need to stop thrashing, you are more likely to initiate a predatory response if you continue to fight it. I will have you down soon.." Al-an cautions quickly, flash stepping around the far reaches of the room to where Ryley could no longer see the dark red glow of his vessel.

The hermit didn't have time to ponder why the precursor's absence makes his terror spike.

"HOW THE FUUU-" Ryley gritted, the long greasy tubelike tendril pressing in between his slime coated gloves, beneath his grip he could feel the muscles within it coiling and pulsing, preparing another assault, gray veins bulging under its strain.

If he could just wrap his hand around it better, rectify his haphazard grip he could at least try to wrench it away from the back of his neck, but the massive alien offered no such windows of opportunity, much like a coiling restrictor everytime the hermit's straining arm buckled its strength only increased twofold...

It was a battle Ryley was rapidly losing, and the looming defeat spelled nothing good for the hermit, especially with the unfortunate knowledge that what he was holding at bay was likely the proboscis Al-an had mentioned days prior...

And that fucker was reaching straight for his spine...

"Your fear is making it react this way, If it intended to kill you, you would be dead already! Ryley you need to calm down!." Al-an warns, suddenly the creature cries out in what sounds like pain, its suspended body almost falling from the ceiling before it rights itself, still hellbent on shoving that thing in his neck!

He wants to tell the precursor to shut the fuck up he's trying his best not to get impaled but the simplest laps on focus sees the hermit's grip faltering under the strain.

And to his horror Ryley's fingers slip, the jagged proboscis It forces its way into his flesh savagely, the brute force of the intrusion causing the hermit to spasm and convulse, his nerves misfiring under the ruthless onslaught, he can't tell if he screamed his hearing is filled with little more then the deafening ringing of his panicked heartbeat...

Long moments pass before the burning pain subsided, dwindling into a numb uncomfortable throb where he could feel the slippery tendril creeping around carefully under his skin, along his spine, against his mind, but then the blazing crimson eye morphed into something even more disturbing then the ravenous corneas once leering down at him, into what looked like a distressingly familiar memory dredged up from the abyss of 4546B, similar to the emperor leviathan's gentle yet solemn gaze..

Her massive body floating atop radioactive green tinted water, the carapace peeled away from her body like the chipped paint of the Aurora, the sky was an ocean of pink stars across a wine red backdrop, it bled human blood..matching the gaping wound the quarantine enforcement's laser beam left in her side..

Despite this she was alive, and watching him, Ryley's eyes widened, her human eyes forlorn and filled with hope and despair.

"You came for us at last..did you wish to be safe as well..."

"W-what…?" Ryley stuttered.

Chapter Text

ROBIN:

Another painful surge of nausea overtakes her, finding its way out of her mouth and into the corner that the researcher frantically stumbled her way into, panic and vertigo making the countless halls look confusingly similar.

She should never have left the doorway Al-an left her but…

Robin had little choice.

The chittering echos from all around her sends another jolt of panic up her spine but it only registers as a dull pulse along sluggish numb nerves.

The drone, it had come back, at first to warily collect the discarded crystals, but then the volatile drone had noticed the weakened researcher and slowly started making its way up the hall in her direction.

A situation that could be dangerous, especially after the large robots initial aggression, but instead of calling for Al-an, an action that Robin knew would force her architect to pick between coming to her aid or her new friend's...

it was clear Al-an had preferences, Ryley would be swiftly abandoned to whatever fate the poor hermit was facing...

She would never do that to the man, even if he never survived to blame her.

No, instead Robin cautiously tried to find a hiding place, putting as much distance between her and the drone as possible, beyond the door Ryley's sudden shrieks of pain sounded, a guttural noise filled with terror and anguish, but just as quickly the man's voice abruptly fell silent..

Shit...

This worried Robin enough so that she would have backtracked to see what was happening but the noise had also drawn the drones attention and the large red robot had wandered over to the door scanning it curiously.

This would have been an unfortunate but ideal distraction but the minute Robin took a step back, attempting to gain more unnoticed distance between her and the potential threat, shards of shattered debris creaked under her boot immediately garnering the previously distracted drone's attention.

"Damn it!" Robin cursed as the drone's attention was immediately drawn back towards her, and slowly it resumed approaching her, an odd chattering noise grinding sound from its large body..it almost seemed cautious...was..was it hunting her?!

The researcher was forced to flee further away from the area, a feat easier said than done, the drone was alarmingly persistent and its larger form made it much harder to shake, it didn't help that the researcher possessed hardly any energy at all.

She could hardly get air in her straining lungs.

Unfortunately for Robin, It was far sooner than later that the exhausted researcher reached her peak, nausea and fatigue making her limbs shaky and weak, the spines on her arm pulsed, dull painful throbbing traveling up from the flesh around them to the petrified tips.

It felt like they were growing..

"I can do this! Just...loop around, return to the door, come on Robin it's not that far!" Robin gasped, tearing her helmet off, only to fling it blindly at the encroaching drone she knew was still pursuing her.

She needed to shed deadweight, everything was so heavy, each step felt like she was hauling lead weights...

A frustrated fist slams into the wall as a misplaced stumble nearly sends her careening into a pile of debris, how could she not have seen it?

Was it always so dark..?

Around her the long ornate halls twisted and warped as another wave of dizziness overtook her, and Robin finds herself idling giving in to the urge to dispel the poison slowly flooding her from within.

Her bile tastes of blood..

Everything was becoming muddled, and hazy, even the panic she felt realizing she was losing her grip on herself in the mental fog, dragged under a black fuzzy veneer, the feeling of the feel floor against her cheek does nothing to dampen the painful burning under her skin, like needles trying to pierce outwards.

The grinding sound has long since died away, or was it simply that Robin could no longer hear anything past the sluggish rhythm of her own heart..?"

Each second that ticks by she feels less like herself and more like a mind trapped within a body too worn to live, was this how it felt for Al-an..?

To be trapped as a secondary presence within someone else's body..?

It wasn't unlike Adelphi's wrath except she can intimately feel her body dying around her..

The sound of a vent shaft violently snapping open somewhere far above sends the instinctual impulse to snap her head towards the sound, but her body would not comply, veins filled with lead, only exhaustion existed within her.

Perhaps it was one of the creatures that attacked them..maybe a den weaver...whatever it was, Robin prayed it wasn't aggressive, she was in no state to fight another creature off...

She needed rest, to try to heal as much as she could so they could get the supplies, but even then her brain logically screams that it was useless, that she would die if she allowed herself to fall asleep...

Then Al-an would be alone again...

The bitter taste of failure stings viciously, yet she has little energy to dispel the tight cry nestled in her chest...

She only intends to blink, dampen her tear burned eyes, but a blink is all it takes, she does hear the curious drone prod her before its once again swiftly kicked away, she does not see the massive shadow hovering above her, nor feel it's bandaged shedding tentacles curiously lift her limp body up into the dark vent shaft far above.

Robin's mind was too preoccupied attempting to make a last stand against the raging fungus trying to consume her mind...

In that moment she was blind to any and all potential dangers.

RYLEY:

Ryley was trapped, ensnared in a mindscape of his own traumatic memories..the toxic brackish water lapped around his leg ominously, the relentless sunlight burning his skin as the electric pulse of the predatory leviathan's echolocation rippled through foggy the water below.

Its bellowing inquiry bouncing off the talking corpse, the hermit found even now in the echoes of his memory the baleful cries send a chill up his spine.

In truth, his fear wasn't enough to tear his eyes away from the lapping waves, anything but turn his gaze to the abomination gazing back at him, it was hard to look at it... Its unstable form having shifted partially into an amalgamation of the once kind emperor leviathan and what could only have been a warper..its eyes still holding the uncanny resemblance to a human's..

And yet no matter how much the hermit physically or mentally recoiled from the warped manifestations they pressed on insistent of his audience, it would not stop its horrid preaching no matter what he said to it.

It felt as if the creature had been ranting for hours about abandonment and salvation, if Ryley was trapped there any longer the hermit might be able to recite the creature's agitated ramblings.

Holy shit this thing needed therapy more than Ryley did!

"The almanac have forsaken us, just as they have abandoned you here, alone with me..." The voice accused, it was pressuring, manipulative even but Ryley was helpless to silence the needling wave of emotions flooding into his head, unstable emotions that were not his own but the creature invading his mind.

"STOP! Fuck just..stop!" Ryley finally snapped, desperately trying to cover his ears, oddly enough his own words sent a ripple through the mental landscape, the wine stained sky blazing blue, and the distorted leviathan's corpse weavering before him, its facade fracturing for little more then a second before he was once again drowned in the alien's mindscape.

For a moment the leviathan fell silent, its human eyes flickering around wildly, before they suddenly returned to the hermit looking more like the alien he had encountered in the dark room then the eyes of his long deceased shipmates.

"Do not fear the scourge...they have promised us safety, we simply surrender to them what they seek, it will purchase me pardon of the scourge!"

"I-i don't know what you mean and i don't give a shit! we only came to tra-"

Ryley tried, but his words only seemed to irk the invader, good god where the hell was Al-an!?

"We? Do not feign allegiance to them! This is their fault they abandoned us! They feed you lies..you know this, we are not of their caste simply a tool for advancement, when your uselessness presents itself they will abandon you as they have me.."

"Your...you're not telling me anything I don't already know! Now get the fuck out of my head!"

"Then you know what is to come, we are the same, survivors..allies.."

"We are nothing alike, GET OUT!" Ryley growled out, reaching back to feel for the disgusting probe but finds nothing but his sore neck..

"Wait..This one offers help, alliance...friendship, compa-" the leviathan pressed eagerly, it was becoming blazingly apparent the creature was trying to appeal to the hermit, despite its aggressive approach behind its intentions.

An approach that pretty much ensured Ryley didn't give two precursor craps what its goal was.

Amancible or not.

"I don't need help or friends! What I need is for you to yank that nasty tongue of yours out of my damn skull!" Ryley snapped fighting against the persuasive thoughts, it felt as if he was clawing against a mental web trying to keep his consciousness ensnared there, the more he recoiled the more the talking corpse deteriorates into the true form of the invader breaching his mind.

"It is a meager feat to return home, free of the beast's curse, a debt paid, a pilfered existence restored..a life for a meager dwindling life.."

Ryley paused, home..? A cure of the monstrosity he had become?

"Y-you can fix this? Do you know what's happening to me?!" Ryley asked despite himself, it was likely moot but the hermit was desperate, and he hated knowing full well he sounded it.

"Yes...everything, but as friends...associates, allies, a favor I will yield but first.."

"What's happening to me?!..please tell me, i.. I need to know!"

"The afflicted specimen, bring it me me, it is a meager transaction.

"Afflicted what!? Robin? Transaction? fuck! That's not happeni-ugh!"

"GIVE ME WHAT IS MINE, THIEF!"

"She isn't yours, you goddamn parasite! Get out of my head!"

"Give me the afflicted, she will not survive anyways, it is a small price for a friend! I offer freedom and home, we will share this home...yes a new one.."

"I'm not taking you to earth and I'm not giving you Robin!"

"Ryley...we will all die, the sky will down you, their hunger erodes everything, give them the almanac when it is dead they will spare us their wraith, they promised us this boon...they promised me!"

"Ugh, you can't make..me do anything! Agh fuck!!"

"Pathetic lifefo-" the tail end of an insult? They must not have appreciated not being able to manipulate their captive, but the insult never finishes, instead the overwhelmingly intrusive voice suddenly broke away into frenzied wails of pain, agony that bled out into the hermit as if it were siphoning its stimuli directly into him through their shared link.

Suddenly Ryley heard Al-an's voice break through the fog, the cutting authority in his tone forced the hermit's scrambled mind to fixate on it, despite the pain and chaos going on around him.

"Ryley, they are rampant, I need to sever the two of you before they kill you... I'm going to initiate an overload of its cerebral cortex, please remain calm while I take control Ryley..no matter what you witness do not panic!"

Wait! What?! Why the hell did that sound so ominous?! He didn't have time to ask and Al-an did not stop to elaborate the meaning behind this warning, within seconds the world around the hermit was crumbling away, like a painted glass window giving way to a stone.

For a second he could hear violent shrieking, the needling voice hissing and spitting in wild fury as its voice was swallowed by the sound of water.

Then Ryley was sinking, dread filled his chest as the sky vanished behind a sheet of blue a color which quickly turned to black, but the dark depths around him were not cold in any way, the water in fact held heat to it...

The familiar thumping of a heart beat washed over his ears, a sound that had once become associated with his home fathoms beneath the depth.

All at once Ryley found himself standing back within the undersea ruins of the precursor's research base, but unlike before the once shattered architecture looked oddly..new, no searot bore into the metal and stone, instead he was standing in what looked to be an echo of the facility in its prime.

A memory..? It felt so real..Ryley stared in astonishment as a drone scuttled in between his legs and off into the crimson lit stairwell, around him the base shuttered and groaned and shook with the waves,

"Al-an...?" The hermit called cautiously stepping forward, but noise that answered him, was not Robin's alien companion but a loud bellowing cry of fury, the base around him shook so violently that the hermit was knocked off his feet, the sound of glass and water filled his ears, even then such trivial sounds were deafened by the cry of the leviathan.

Oh fuck... No nonono he did not want to see this...

Ryley's eyes snapped shut just as a wave of water exploded down the stairwell destroying everything in its path and heading right towards him.

Pain shoots up Ryley's spine, forcing the frantic hermit's eyes to snap open, however his attempts to flinch away from the painful stimuli are met with the feeling of the precursor's strong claw clasped to the back of his neck.

Al-an wasn't choking him but instead the architect was restricting the frightened man's movements, as he steadied his wobbling form, in his other claw was the large trunk-like proboscis flickering around wildly as it spewed brown and blue mucus in his grip.

The mucus was bubbling and smoking, like acid.

"Are you alright Ryley?" Al-an asked, the precursor was blazing crimson, his vessel immiting that terrifying growling noise, it was clear the alien before him was a little more than displeased.

"I..ugh.. Yeah I'll survive..What the fuck is that stuff?" Ryley asked, watching as the mucous continued to simmer and bubble against the architect's armored claw.

"A repercussion of rejection....come, Time is of the essence, help me search."

Al-an answered quickly, his eyeless face gazing down at the alien, it was now sprawled in a heap on the floor, the newly lit room now revealing the almost elegant pattern scaring it's odd looking body, it was like runes were carved into battled scared shell, if he could call the thick shell like texture shielding the mass of soft chitin layered flesh that once extended into a dozen or so clawed arms...or at least what used to be arms...

As of now the alien only had one remaining extremity..Ryley could only deduce Al-an had docked the others to facilitate its descent..still the gaping holes looked...terribly painful..

More of that blue mucus was seeping from under its massive body, likely from the point of impact from its fall; it takes a few moments for Ryley's sluggish mind to realize this blue ooze was something equivalent to Elisskat's blood.

Even more disturbing was the fact that the alien splayed before them was not dead, but instead laid there twitching, its massive crimson eye glazed over and dull as it stared into nothing.

It didn't look as scary in the light as the first time he saw it, it...looked like...tired, the scars covering its body hinted at a life of strife.

What happened here..?

"It's not dead...what did you do to it..? Somber?" Ryley found him
self asking almost hopefully, even if it stuck its nasty tongue in his neck and hijacked his memories...he did want it to die..? It was an odd emotion but Ryley was always empathetic..even in the worse cases.

Al-an however was not.

"Ryley...we don't have time." The precursor stresses, pausing to grab him and physically steer the hermit away from the dreaming alien.

"I-isnt that like its feeding tube...? How will it survive..?" Ryley asked hesitantly, watching as Al-an carelessly dropped the still pulsating but very much severed proboscis in favor of sorting through some of the wreckage.

"It is already dead Ryley... this is a containment hub, the Elisskat before you is rampant, its mind has given up and yet its body prevailed, what you experienced..what spoke to you was nothing more then its fleeting minds impulses, it was confined for this vary purpose as this affliction often results in many casualties."

"But...it wanted to trade.."

"Its body is functioning on impulse, once gratified it would have liquefied and digested your brain and spine, it is only pursuing... what it would have while..it was alive..i've collapsed its mind, it will dream until it expires..." For a moment Al-an suddenly wobbled, his elegant legs stumbling to catch himself.

"Are you al-"

"Come Ryley... Robin is waiting awaiting us...she is running-" Al-an's distorted voice hissed anxiously, but as Ryley hurried closer it became clear the precursor was experiencing difficulties, he could hardly stand up straight.

The biolights along the architect's body were waning rapidly, and with it his lucidity, Robin's companion hardly made it to the doorway before his legs gave out and the precursor collapsed as the lights fade from his vessel, simultaneously a shock erupts within the hermit's head, and everything goes black.

He doesn't even register the impact of the floor meeting the back of his head.

ROBIN:

Robin wakes to the soft rhythmic sound of dripping water colliding with the cracked stone of the floor, a throat feeling parched and cottony, and a blistering headache, groggily the researcher's eyes flicking around, trying to make sense of her dark surroundings.

It seemed Robin was laying with her back resting against what smelled like a pile of rank strips of fabric squished into a pile beneath her, the room around her was dark and perhaps cluttered?

It smelled musty and damp, but her surroundings were so dark that the groggy researcher could hardly tell when her eyes were actually open or if she was simply gazing at her eyelids.

Slowly but surely her brain starts to wake up, and with it the distinct memories of her previous predicament, the drone, the shadow.

Robin had passed out and now she was not where she was supposed to be...

Her brain shifts from sluggishly musing the scent of the room around her to hurdling into hyperdrive as her eyes snapped open and focused, quickly glancing about the room around her, searching for weapons, and plausible exits, but most importantly whatever the hell brought her there.

She was not about to be some nomadic alien's dinner partner..or dinner for that matter.

She needed to get out of here and fast, the dark room was silent but that did not mean she was alone, she strained her ears, and yet there was no movement indicating she had company and the room was too dark to see more than a few feet ahead...

Cautiously Robin sat up, her aching muscles stiffly complaining against use, but she mentally shoves this discomfort aside, whining about it wasn't going to get her back to Al-an and Ryley, if she was quiet she might have been able to slip away,

Little did the researcher know she was already being watched...

The second she moved dim lights in the small room flared to life, Robin paused, unable to stop her instinctive jolt, her eyes flickering around in panic only to settle on a somewhat familiar figure, immediately she recognized the species standing at the far corner of the room watching her silently.

"You survived, success, how pleasant, I was beginning to think my efforts were too late, your companion would be furious if I lost you.." It assessed, yet never moved to step towards her.

"Y-your..an architect..?!" Robin stammers in shock, many times Robin had dreamed of meeting Al-an's kind, what they would look like, honestly she worried they might all have looked alike like clones.

The vessel before her put rest to these suspicions, instead it had a much smaller dainty frame and a long slender tail, this vessel was seemingly less organic than what she was familiar with, its legs also were quite a bit thinner and bow legged then Al-an's, lastly the vessel seemed to sport a lot of spines on its body giving it a less sleek appearance..

But...the more Robin stared at it...the more something seemed off about it...

This suspicion is confirmed when the architect itself corrects her.

"Almanac...? no, I only appear this way because the Almanac are a species you mentally associate with favoritism...yes..negotiations are best made at ease...positive.. a positive experience."

Even as it spoke stiffly, Robin was gripped by an aggressive wave of uncanny valley as she studied the creature before her, it was frighteningly unlike the architect that she had grown so close to, far too similar to watching an architect's vessel manipulated by puppet strings, with little need to balance or situtate its body weight, more disturbing was its eerie maroon red of it's biolights, it was more than apparent the alien before her was not as familiar with the specie's emotional cues and light displays as she was.

Perhaps they hid them around the Elisskat? Robin has long recognised Al-an's habit of doing the same, even with her, despite this, her architect didn't hesitate to explain the more complex color cues he often projected.

Would other precursors feel like this to her..? Robin wasn't certain but the thought disturbed the researcher.

The puppet before her looked undoubtedly like an architect...but it only took seconds for Robin to pick apart its facade, simply from her familiarity of Al-an alone.

It was unnerving to say the least but instead of calling the seemingly docile alien out on its flawed disguise Robin forewent such trivialities in favor of getting down to business.

She moves to stand, but her legs feel like jelly, too weak and pliant to withhold her weight, yet surprisingly her limbs were not screaming in burning pain as they had been prior.

"Where am i..where have you taken me..?" Robin asked hesitantly, flinching as a dull pain shot through her chest, a direct result of moving too hastily.

"You were dying, withering, I spared you.." It responds easily, watching her curiously.

"Yeah...Thanks for that, but where is here...?" She made a mental point to take its words with a grain of salt as the creature before her was likely one of the Elisskat..

"This was our home, our hive. Our sanctuary but it is no longer...You are weak...rest.." It suggests noticing her movements, acknowledging her efforts with little more than calm suggestion.

"No, I've slept enough...thanks" Robin rejected quickly, her eyes scanning the room for the exit, an out in case this alien suddenly decided against its amenable disposition.

Oddly enough, it seemed the vessel picked up on her discomfort and immediately addressed it.

"You need not fear me. If you are curious, inquire, I will not harm nor deceive you.." The vessel sighed, stiffly moving to settle its back legs beneath it, yet, oddly the fragile looking limbs did not bend at the joints, which left them sticking out awkwardly.

"...good to know, so i guess if this is your home then you must be an Elisskat..."

"Yes..our home, once."

"What happened here..? Where is the rest of your kind..?" Robin asked glancing about curiously, her eyes were beginning to adjust enough to see the many coils of scar tattered tentacles covering the small room, which in itself was in a disarray, dust and aged debris..it looked like this had been its hideout for a long long time.

Had it been hiding here all this time..?

She could also see countless pulsating tentacles sprouting from the vessel's spine like wires...or maybe puppet strings would be a more fitting comparison, if they were to remove them, would it simply just become inanimate..?

Her answer came slow, as it contemplated her question, perhaps considering the best way to reply..

"Purged. Death, few fled before the cleansing, all perished..."

"The culling...I'm sorry..but why...? Why did these aliens want your species eradicated so much..?" For a moment Robin's question goes unanswered, instead her new companion sidesteps it completely, choosing to steer the conversation to a different subject.

"You have brought us an Almanac, will it shield us..? Or does it seek escape of their own culling?" The vessel's head suddenly fell to the side as if it were broken, a poor attempt at cocking its head in question.

"Al-an's not going to be shielding anyone! Why did they cleanse your species!?" Robin bit out impatiently, she needed to get back to Al-an so they could trade the cure and escape this hell hole.

Apparently her irritation was recognised and after a little hesitation the alien reluctantly admitted to the thorn that has been plaguing their species for countless generations...

"I..am unsure, honesty, only tales of an accident, miscommunication of a transaction, a brood stripped of its matriarch. It festered without guidance, with no direction they turned their ire to those of relation, those responsible have long been purged and yet...their rage still festers! They will cull us and those who shielded us!"

"Okay, calm down.." Robin interjected.

It was starting to sound manic, stumbling in its struggle to rope together coherent dialects, the vessel before her twitching and shaking as if it was in the midst of a seizure, then suddenly it simply stopped, its gaze shifting back to the researcher.

"What are you..?" It asked suddenly curious, and oddly enough it sounded more like a plea for a distraction and not a request with ulterior motives, Robin felt compelled to humor its innocent inquiry.

"Im called Robin and I am a human, we come from earth. do...you have a name as well..?"

"...My significance...Raahs."

"Uhh, nice to meet you Raahs...But I need to leave now, thank you for finding me but I need to get back before this-"

"Affliction..?" It asked, suddenly finishing her sentence, reminding Robin of Al-an's warnings regarding their psychic abilities, it was very likely it was reading her mind even as they spoke and was already well aware of their intentions there.

"Yeah...we are um...well looking for the cure for it, the water was heavily polluted, I can only assume that was the origin of the infection.." Robin couldn't help the accusatory tone that bled into her voice.

She had seen what they had done to the world Al-an had helped create, the corpses of pillaged fauna they worked so hard to preserve, species the universe would likely never see again thanks to their greed.

To say she wasn't beyond appalled would be a lie..

"In the face of the almanac's disappearance, abandoned, we utilized what boons the planet had to offer in their absence, foolish, many of us were..overzealous and sought to trade the stars, some did not agree but not the preponderance..." Raahs admitted evenly.

"Wait...Is that how these aliens found you? The Elisskat lowered the protective shields to trade because you didn't think the precursors would come back?!? You guys literally just let them in to finish what they started!"

Robin's eyes widened, they had suspected this was the case, but part of her expected there to be at least a little more logic behind their motives past the short sighted desire to trade..

"Didn't you fear you would be found?!" She asked exasperatedly, all this...for greed..?.

"Yes. Discovered, an unfortunate fate, perhaps the Almanac should not have trusted us not to turn back to the instincts that ruled us, many felt they abandoned us, rejected after our transgressions against them, so few thought of the repercussions of such breaches in a deserted treaty..."

"They were angry, but they didn't abandon you, they were preoccupied fighting off a bacteria called khaara...Al-an mentioned that Elisskat took something important from them.."

"Al-an..? Companion? the Almanac have significance..?" Raahs asked curiously, again its attention shifting back to the species that once saved them.

Robin noticed this, but couldn't find it in herself to be surprised.

"Uh...Don't worry about it, what was...what did you guys take from them, in exchange for the Ion cube technology..?"

"...Yes, it corrupted their vision of us, tainted, no longer allies but charges to be weary of, obligations to be tended to, and nothing more, the brood mother only sought to preserve that which they would no doubt loose in their ignorance...but she earned us not gratitude but scorn.." Raahs admitted almost timidly.

Was that shame she sensed..?

"What...what was it that she took from them..?" Robin asked curiously.

"Cannot say...gone...that boon was lost long ago."

"Wait, so you guys stripped them of whatever this important thing was, and then lost it?!" Robin scowled.

"It died with the brood mother..foolish..this cannot be changed no matter the regrets.."

"Right, Right. Shit, we're getting off topic here...look it was nice talking to you but i really need to get back. I'll bring Al-an and Ryley back to help me sort this out."

Robin released a frustrated sigh, messaging the tension from her temples, she had a headache but it wasn't as bad as before she passed out, still she was uncertain of what to do, there was so little that could be done to salvage the situation, as it stood they were simply standing in the aftermath of a pyramid of bad decisions...

Carefully Robin moved to stand, her legs still somewhat numb from laying as long she had on the unforgiving mound of tattered clothes.

But as she did her hip bumped something resting beside her, sending it clattering across the floor, the sharp sound of glass chipping drew Robin's curious eyes to the shard rolling slowly across the floor.

A helpful tentacle snatched it up quickly returning the shard to her.

"These are..." Robin breathed picking up the blood red crystal spine, even now it seemed as if the veins were pulsing with warm energy trapped within its translucent surface.

"Branches, spores, you shed them not long before you woke.." Raahs explained, a fascinated tentacle poking at it with a nailed tip.

"Shit, they shouldn't be coming off yet!" She must have laid on it wrong, a few were still sprouting from her arm, but there was a nasty looking gouge in her flesh where the crystal had seemingly detached like a bloody deer's antler!

"Why not...?" Raahs asked as if confused.

"Al-an said they usually shed during recovery but we haven't found the vaccine yet..I'm going to assume this is a sign of something worse..."

"Ah...The venom is no longer required, cured, your body is shedding its spurs, this is to be expected."

"What?! How?!"

"You were fading, precautions were taken.."

"I mean thanks but..why? Your species doesn't seem like the type to waste resources freely..."

"We were not, and yet I have. Wilt...The Almanac brought it here, a few, all sick, they sought sanctuary, they were unaware of the presence of the scourge, they destroyed much of our remedies..but my trove had what suited you, what a bargain it would have been... "

"Wait! There are more Architects here on Marighettis?! Where are they?!"

"I am uncertain of their fate, skeptical, but certain it was unfortunate... this husk is proof of their demise."

"...Damn it, are you..certain..? Couldn't there be survivors left..? The scourge..?"

"They who seek our eradication, our saviors, were strong, yet their ignorance left them vulnerable, to prevent future interference they too would be smited..."

"THEIR TRYING TO CULL THE ARCHITECT'S?!?"

"They may have already succeeded, perished..perhaps your courted is an endling as well.

"Holy crap.. God this situation is sounding worse by the minute..w-why did you help me..? I mean I thought you guys trade everything and what not..? It's not that I'm not grateful, but one has to wonder what you're getting out of all this..."

"I demand no recompense, allies are generous.. but...a favor is in dire need." Raahs admitted almost hopefully, they had danced around it long enough, their apprehension was easily visible, it was almost sad, not that Robin would let that cloud her judgment.

"A favor huh..? Alright let's hear it, what do you want?" Robin allowed, her tired eyes narrowing, as she watched the vessel begin to move, its steps light and inauthentic, above in the shadow of the tall ceiling something began shifting, yet no matter how hard Robin squinted she could not make out the silhouette of the creature creeping above.

"Come, follow, allow me to show you our fading world." Raahs invites softly as a doorway peeled apart, its particles dematerializing as it did so, despite its receding distance Robin had no difficulty understanding them.

And this was simply because Raahs was never actually talking to her... for the first time Robin realizes that this alien's words were merely thoughts manifesting within her mind opposed to words she could physically hear.

Not in the calming way Al-an often spoke but as if it was using her mind and commanding it to translate its means and intentions for it, plucking the most ideal thoughts and words from her memory and knowledge and weaving them into a conversation.

"You said my friends will find us..?" Robin asked, still contemplating her thoughts.

"Yes, searching, we cannot hide from the almanac, they will find and retrieve you." Raahs assures patiently.

"We're searching for something to power our ship..." Explained as she picked up another shedded spine to shove in her backpack.

"That can be arranged, yes, come now."

Robin nodded hurrying to catch up as Raahs vanished from sight, knowing full well that Al-an was likely flipping his shit and tearing apart the hive looking for her right now...she hopes Ryley is alright, Robin knew she should have been trying to get back..but something told her what Raahs wanted to show her was somehow important...

RYLEY:

Ryley's eyes slowly open, his blurry vision swimming for a second, before settling on the debris covered floor, the exhausted man's eye lids almost close again...but only to snap open once again as the hermit jolted up.

With a choked cough Ryley heaves rapid breaths before pushing himself up from the floor, around him the room is once again dark, the lights that Al-an had illuminated had long since died.

Fuck! AL-AN!

"Al-an!?" Ryley called frantically glancing around the dark room, he cast a cautious glance over to the rampant Elisskat once trapped in a sleep-like trance only to find the creature looked far less peaceful then it had prior to his black out, in fact now there was questioning it...

The alien was definitely dead, the flesh had begun to bubble away from its body like hot fat melting off a kabob, Ryley could see the disturbingly human-like skull tethered to its fragile spine on gruesome display as its flesh literally fell off its body..

It was like the alien was decomposing before its body had time to rot...

The sight made his stomach churn and he quickly scrambled to his feet and bolted for the exit before he ended up throwing up.

He just made it to the doorway in which he watched Al-an collapse, but there was no sign of the architect, at least not at first.

"Robin?.. Al-an? Guys?"

He shouldn't panic, it's not like they'd just abandon him here right..?

The Elliskat's words echoed forlornly in his head reminding him of what their goal was..perhaps Al-an had found the vaccine and is already treating Robin!

They wouldn't have just left him behind otherwise..

The hermit was so caught up in his own head that he hardly notices when his foot bumps into something provoking the skittish man to jump back only to deflate when he realizes it was only a PDA.

"What.." Ryley mumbled to himself
Confused for a breath and a little bit apprehensive as realization slowly began to dawn on him, a chill ran down the hermit's spine as he examined Robin's abandoned PDA.

It's splattered with speckles of dry blood, it was a bad sign as Robin would never leave her PDA, she must have dropped it, but if so where the hell is she!?

"ROBIN?!" Ryley called louder this time, throwing caution to the wind as the hermit began frantically looking around for any signs if the researcher

Unfortunately what he finds only makes the hermit begin to panic even more, a dried puddle of blood, partially smeared and splattered along the whole area..odd tracks led off into one of the dark shadowy halls, it was as if the researcher had been dragged to her death.

It looked like a scene straight out of a horror movie.

Oh no, no no no, shit!

This can't be happening.

"Ryley..?"

Ryley's heart pounded painfully in his chest, as his throat tightened as he stared down the dark hallway frozen in place..

Ryley needed to go make sure.

He needed to go, see if she was still down there..is she could be saved, but he couldn't seem to get his lungs to stop clenching and allow him to breathe again, around him the world shrink, restricting until the ache in his empty chest became unbearably painful, he needed to move to help but his body wouldn't listen, everything felt painfully numb and clammy.

"Ryley..." Al-an's confused voice falters as the precursor put two and two together as he spotted the puddle of rotten blood.

"Robin is not dead…" Al-an trilled softly, he sounded exhausted..

Suddenly a warm claw finds his shoulder steadying his trembling body, while the other grabs his jaw to guide his gaze up to peer into the architect's glowing face.

"Look at me…" their precursor's demand urges the hermit's gaze to tear away from the unsettling scene before him, what was intended to be a brisk glance locks Ryley's gaze with the precursor's.co

The effect was instantaneous, the lights on the architect's face were almost mesmerizing, and slowly but surely the hermit felt his body begin to unwind, as if the architect had injected a sedative right into his overreacting brain..

"Breathe Ryley, we must hurry but we cannot progress when you are trapped in this state..." Al-an urged, his eyeless gaze fixated on the dark hall across from them.

"I'm fine i-i i don't know, i think..-" Ryley pauses trying to calm his breathing..

"This blood was scavenged well after Robin's disappearance, whatever creature saw it as a means for substance has long since departed.."

"W-was it an Elisskat..?" Ryley asked.

"No Ryley, I am unfamiliar with this particular species, it seems capable of subverting my senses, however there are Elisskat traces in the vicinity, if Robin was abducted by one, I am confident they would not utilize such open spaces as means of escape..." Al-an deduced quickly, the architect's eyeless face raising to gaze at the blood droplets staining the wall far above them.

"You think it dragged her into one of the vents up there..?"

"Yes, it is paramount we retrieve her quickly, I fear Robin's affliction is mutating far too rapidly for her body, failure to neutralize its progress could result in her death." The architect warned flaring a crimson hue.

"Okay...i thought you guys left me behind.." Ryley breathed, trying his best to steady his breathing, he did not want to seem weak or be a setback in the eyes of Robin's companion. He needed to pull his weight and not freeze up like an idiot every time there was too much blood in the picture.

"Robin would never allow such reckless disregard for your wellbeing Ryley." Al-an answered with brisk certainty, unaware of how reassuring this comment was to the poor hermit.

"How do we get up there..?" Ryley asked gazing up at the vent...

"We go around, the citadel's ventilation system can easily be accessed through the botanical gardens." Al-an commanded, finally pulling away to release the hermit, leaving Ryley to stumble at the sudden lack of support.

"I understand that you are still weak Ryley, your body has been exposed to various levels of mental and physical strain, however there is little time for sympathy, I've wasted time we did not have, I request that you bear it and try to keep up until we find Robin." Al-an apologizes before setting off down one of the halls, leaving Ryley to chase after the alien's brisk pace.

Wasted time..?

"Um...Al-an..?" Ryley spoke in between breaths, as he jogged to keep pace with the alien.

"What is it Ryley?"

"Back there..you..what happened..?"

"...I am uncertain, you will require another physical examination when we return to the ship."

"Me? Why?" Ryley scowled, an expression lost on the architect as Al-an's attention was understandably elsewhere.

"For precautionary measures Ryley."

"Okay whatever, but that's not what I meant...I was asking about you, you kind of collapsed back there...? What gives?"

"I am uncertain of that as well." Al-an dismisses as he leads them out of the store room halls and deeper into the hive's dark citadel.

They come into what looks like living corridors, odd tech and contraptions Ryley had never seen before, a massive visor overlooking the world from above, how did they get so high up.! Ryley could see the forest and even the ravine where they landed, it looked so far off, and above revealed that many of the planets blocking the sun's light had passed.

The eclipse would be over soon, but even here there were clear signs of violence, more odd skeletons and more of those odd exploding collars...

There were even more invasive plants reclaiming the ruins, odd pale vines brooding seeds in large glowing sacks hung from the ceilings, casting ominous blue light over the destroyed hive around them.

Ryley wanted to ask about it, but ultimately decided to hold his tongue at least until Al-an shed some light on his more pressing inquiry.

It was obvious the architect was in no mood to converse..but Ryley was worried and frankly still shaken about what had happened.

"Are you sure? Something doesn't seem right, you might want to-"

"Ryley, it is critical that we remain focused, Robin is in danger, without her there is no mission, there is nothing.." Al-an suddenly hissed, the voices coiling and overlapping over each other did nothing to drown out the alien's agitation.

"Right..." Ryley relents, a shaky hand raising to gingerly feel over the wound on the back of his neck, only to find that there was no gaping hole nor seeping wounds, simply a thin stinging line already crusting over with blood and beginnings of a scab..

Which was kind of relieving honestly, but that relief only lasted until the hermit took notice of the cerulean blood soaking the chest of his bio suit, blood that had not only escaped his nose but eyes as well.

Shit was he hemorrhaging..?

Now he understands why the architect suggested an evaluation, he could be dying or something!

Ryley's yanked out of his inner musings when Al-an suddenly stopped before stiffening a second, Ryley could hardly open his mouth to ask what was wrong before the architect flash stepped away, manifesting across the wide open spacious room and bolting into one of the dark rooms leaving the hermit to scramble after.

AL-AN:

She was there and not long ago, he could sense her and the scent of Elisskat fresh blood with her, quickly he searched the vent and found nothing.

"Was she here..?" Ryley pants from the doorway, struggling to catch his breath, to feign indifference in the face of the exhaustion bearing down on him.

Again he contemplates telling the hermit to wait and hide somewhere safe, this time the architect knows better..

He should never have left Robin in her vulnerable state, and sympathy would not stop the architect from carrying a hermit on his back if he had to.

Something was following them…

An anxious glance over the hermit's shoulder reveals a dark seemingly empty winding hallway, but the fleeting movement does not escape the architect's sharp senses.

Something was out there, tracing their steps, yet no matter how many times Al-an cast his senses he was met with nothing, perhaps it was simply curious.

But Al-an was skeptical whatever it was that consumed his human's infected blood was more likely to be an opportunistic predator looking to pick off stragglers.

One exhibiting desperation.

He takes a moment to track the scent of his human entangled with an odd smelling Elisskat, it leads downwards into a tunnel that was once always guarded from precursor and Elisskat alike...

Al-an tilted his horns with confused worry.

"They are no longer traveling within the vents Ryley, however I believe I know where it is taking her..I simply do not understand why.." Al-an worried his dim biolights flaring an anxious orange hue.

"What wher-ack! Hey!" Ryley snapped fumbling as Al-an decided he was fed up with the hermit's struggling pace, and swiftly picked the slower human bridal style, ignoring the hermit's complaint as he began sprinting after the lingering scent of his human and the dying alien leading her into the once restricted nursery.

"You may find this situation uncomfortable Ryley, but it will ensure we track them down more efficiently."

"Where are we going?" Ryley grit out agitatedly, in any other situation he would have found the hermit's ire rather annoying but given the situation, the disgruntled human was in right to be on edge.

"It is taking Robin to the Elisskat nursery.." Al-an explains being unable to cull the worry rippling over his vessel.

RYLEY:

Ryley paused, his eyes narrowing as his thick brows furrowed..

"Why is it taking her there? It's not going to feed her to its babies right?!"

"Most Elisskat are infertile, it is unlikely the presence of any brood survived the culling.."

"Are you saying you want to try to breed with her?!" Ryley asked blanching.

"Such efforts could be potentially dangerous, it is unlikely Robin will be foolish enough to tolerate such advances, and even less so that the Elisskat would be interested in forcing such ambitions."

"Then why is it taking her there?!" Ryley worried, his previous agitation forgotten in the presence of a more important issue.

"I do not know Ryley..I only hope we find her in time before it's too late." And that's when Ryley noticed that the architect holding him was growling, a deep quiet noise, one that alluded to the fury bubbling beneath his apathetic facade.

"We'll get her back, don't worry..."

ROBIN:

Raahs led the researcher though countless rooms, once impressive architecture now degraded into little more then ruins, it was obvious the Elisskat had a taste for shiny things, there were even statues, sculpted from what looked like crystal shattered in the skirmishes that no doubt stripped the hive of its inhabitants..

There were no signs of life, save for the long calcified skeletons scattered throughout the crypt, Robin couldn't shake the odd sense that she was disturbing someone's tomb.

A sentiment she wondered if Raahs shared, not that she could tell what the alien was thinking, as it seemed content to utilize the empty vessel as means of communication which gave little room to read its emotions.

"Are you here alone..? I haven't seen signs of anyone else here.."

"We used to be few, rampant, but we lost ourselves..I am alone."

"I think my friend encountered another one if you guys..."

"Rampant...i am alone." Raahs dismissed again blithely, what this meant Robin wasn't entirely certain but made note to ask Al-an about it later, as Raahs wasn't keen on elaborating.

Which said something as the Elisskat hadn't hesitated to answer any questions the researcher shot its way previously.

Robin followed Raahs  until they reached a room filled with still functioning machinery, the whole place was overgrown with even more odd looking plants then the trading halls, vines growing out of control despite the lack of sunlight to support them, except this place seemed to be the root of the infestation. .

The room was also drastically colder than the other rooms she encountered on the citadel, large glass tanks sprouting frost covered tubes sprayed iridescent blue mist routinely throughout the room, much like sprinklers would mist a flowerbed.

"What is this place...?" Robin asked, it was beautiful, but in a sterile unnerving way, there was

Coiling vines splattered with pale white translucent blossoms and cerulean glowing seeds sacs hung from the ceiling, reflecting off of frost coated metal.

"It was once a garden, the Almanac were always partial to flora..."

"Al-an said these plants, they aren't supposed to be here, did you guys plant them..?" Robin asked examining a fragile blossom, its thin petals melted like ice when she exhaled on it..

"They are not, many perished before they took root, death, perhaps this is due to its stringent demands to thrive..."

"Demands...?"

"They feed on death, consume, The scourge.. they feed our kin to it and in turn it grows, even now our sustenance makes them flourish eagerly..beautiful, I do not believe this world will be ours much longer.."

Raahs lamented, a tentacle's nail rapping against one of the glass tanks almost violently, as if they intended to break it but decided against it at the last minute.

Curiously Robin paused to peer inside, she could just barely make out the silhouette surrounded by iridescent blue liquid..

She would have puzzled what it was, however Rhaas words shed some light on exactly what the contents of the tanks were...

"Wait.. so they were using you guys for fertilizer?!"

"Only those of us with strong bodies, the weak were simply disposed of..." The empty vessel had begun twitching again.

Carefully Robin reaches out to touch one of the plants, noting how cold it was compared to the rest of the environment, melting rapidly from the heat of her glove, without thought she reaches back to grab her PDA only to find it missing..damn!

She must have dropped it in the trading hall! She would need to backtrack for it once she rendezvoused with Ryley and Al-an.

"Come Robin, almost, we are close." Robin looked up to see the vessel watching her curiously from another doorway, the door itself looked odd, adorned with strange elegant symbols and colors..

But also scared with many signs of damage, gashes, and burns as if something or someone had tried to break the door down multiple times...

"Almost where..?"

"To our destination, sad, All journeys come to an end, everything does.." Raahs calmly intoned, it wasn't hard to deduce they were not referring to the little tour they had taken her on around the hive, but another sense of finality.

The passage lead downward was dark, with little source of light as the invasive plants had yet to breach this secluded area of the hive, and with the vessel in Raahs control immiting no light whatsoever Robin was forced to use a lumin rod.

It comes as no surprise when the researcher almost walks right into another sand pit..

"Be weary Robin, cruel, Our saviors were not always kind.." Raahs warned suddenly, Robin started as she felt a thick tentacle coil around her waist, easily lifting her from the ground and setting her back down beside the vessel.

"Yeah, Thanks, we fell in one earlier..."
This close she could see the vessel was covered in wounds, there was a gash missing from its side, but Robin could easily identify the killing blow, it looks to have had the entirety of its throat torn...

"You said others were here..W-what happened to them..?" Robin asked, gently touching its side, it was cold...dead, it was hard to think that in other circumstances they may have met this precursor alive and well..

Too late..Robin's heart aches..

The need to be near Al-an was a constant tug on her thoughts, even more so now..

Raahs was silent for a breath, contemplating and then the pale vessel jolted to life, shifting away from her and moving jerkily into the dim room.

Robin followed inside looking around, there were odd small tanks connected to tubes built into the floor, surrounding the room in a circular formation, but they were all smashed, had been for a long time from the looks of it.

Dust covered everything..

Tentacles were everywhere in abundance, pulsating and creeping on their own accord, there wasn't much on the outskirts of the room, not even lights.

This made sense as neither architect nor Elisskat required light to navigate.

In the center of the room however was a sight to behold, a large hoard of materials and machinery, humming crystals, ion cubes and many other resources Robin didn't readily recognize lay in a pile, neatly situated under a pale blue beam of light.

"Raahs..?" Robin asked. .

"They are dead, shame, but only because we betrayed them..." The alien reluctantly admitted.

Chapter Text

ROBIN:

"The scourge, torment, they offered us mercy but for the price of betrayal…" a contempt filled hiss filled the room, "Such an ill made offer.."

"Wait.. And you guys believed them? Enough to backstab the only ones to protect you!?" Robin scowled furiously.

The hell was wrong with these aliens?!

"Many of us believed they abandoned us, vindictive, some thought best to trust the empty words of our death, blind to the intent to box us in, the stragglers came seeking resources, abandoned by their tether they were caught in between this act of indirect anger and desperation..."

"So they just turned them over to the aliens that attacked you?! Your enemies?!"

"Not all were willing, brave, but those small few bold enough to make such convictions were rapidly reduced to little more than examples..."

"..." Robin remained silent, her mind was racing but if she spoke now, likely she would have said something scathing, betrayal should never have been an option, but again this was merely Robin's resolve…

Al-an had mentioned that the Elisskat were not fighters, but perhaps he truly meant they were little more than cowards of another kind..

She was certain Raahs had picked up on her reserved disdain but the alien never contested these views and simply continued to recount their specie's past mistakes.

"Some reasoned it a necessary sacrifice, while I am uncertain of the intricacies of their fate, their demise in unquestionable.." The tentacle coiled almost protectively around the deceased vessel's thorax.

Looking at it felt even more forlorn now that Robin was aware of this precursor's bleak fate, betrayed by those they did not trust but turned to in desperation.

They must have been so scared...

"Perhaps they would have perished without our temperance. They could not have escaped the scourge in their faltering state, weak, they were all tainted..." Raahs mused more to themself than the researcher.

"Tainted..? With what? khaara..?"

"Some, others afflicted with wilt..."

"You realize the treaty is no more then.." Robin pointed out coldly, Al-an did not need to be present for her to declare this, it was apparent and her precursor would only support this declaration on their behalf.

"I know...failed... This is to be expected, there was little but the spite left in many of us...perhaps more, jealousy.."

"Jealousy!? Of what? Their stupidity for helping the Elisskat?!" Robin sneered, she couldn't keep the ludicrously from pooling into her tight voice.

"They never requested anything of us, many felt they considered us..lowly, inferior, of all species they showed little interest in merging our likes, even in the face of unity's benefits..some felt unworthy, others insulted..." Raahs admitted.

"But you knew why they were like that, they feared you guys would con them! God! Didn't it occur to you that you could be upset without murdering the only allies who gave two shits about helping you right...?!" Did they even think?!

They literally aided in killing the only allies willing to help save them!

It was almost terrifying how familiarly short sighted alien species could be, even this far from earth, it reminded Robin far too much of the hands that destroyed her own world.

Not only ignorant of the repercussions of their frivolous greed and insecurities but of how foolish they were to feel this way to begin with!

"How could you guys not consider that maybe they acted this way because they feared they couldn't trust you?! And what did you do?! You proved them right!" Robin scowled, her brows rising incredulously.

"You are angry...unfortunate, I am apologetic.." the tentacle coiled tighter across the ravaged vessel as if hiding behind it.

It took Robin a moment to realize that Raahs was using the vessel as a shield against her, as if clinging to it would dampen the sting of the researcher's judgment.

Under any other circumstances Robin would have been intrigued by the odd alien before her, perhaps enough to request a return visit to the inarguably beautiful planet, in hopes of studying the Elisskat properly, but now all she felt was apprehensive anger.

It wasn't really her place to play judge or jury but having known one and learned the history of their entanglement, it was blazingly obvious that these precursors were only dragged into this huge mess by the Elisskat who in turn only added fuel to the fire for their own cowardice and vindictiveness.

"So.. what did you do in all this? Why are you the only one left here?" Robin asked suddenly, pulling her eyes away from the empty vessel, the more she stared the more sickened she felt..

"I...We stand in ruins, nothing, does guilt still hold its weight now that no one is left to scrutinize it..?" Raahs deflected warily.

"YES! Raahs it does! You've painted two sides of the same portrait, some of your people turned on the architects, the minority stayed passive and just let it happen...honestly, I can't really see a difference between either but it's not about what I think! Indifference didn't spare those precursors, and it sure hell didn't save the Elisskat." Robin snapped impatiently.

"We were not strong as they were, I hoped they would prevail against their odds.."

"Don't paint cowardice as hope, they were sick, and vulnerable how could they..? But that's not what I asked, where does that leave you Rhaas...?, you never explicitly state where you stood in all of this."

"I..was a martyr, outcast, and shunned..neither would hear my resolve...so I hid, when the inevitable came to pass I survived alone... This cowardice has served me, spared me..." There was a defiant but melancholy air to this truth, one that shadowed the guilt of the alien, there was more but Rhaas was not so eager to elaborate on situations that didn't directly involve the state of their fading world or the fate of the previous architects.

"An outcast..?...why? what happened?"

"Blame...." Raahs dismissed shortly, yet its simple words echoed years of frustrated turmoil, there was more to the subject then Raahs was explaining, yet Intently Robin knew she had little time to wrangle any specifics out of the cagey alien.

"I see…"

They really weren't the type to elaborate on topics that made them uncomfortable, a trait that almost reminded Robin of Al-an, but the similarities began and ended right there.

Again she's reminded of the telepathic abilities of the Elisskat as Raahs's attention also shifts to her precious companion.

"Your courted is close, they will be unwilling to negotiate, no matter how steep I am willing to yield..." Again they referred to Al-an as that...

"Yeah, about that, you said you wanted help? What did you mean by that.." Robin asked her eyes drifting to the pile of items, she was almost certain it was exactly what Al-an had speculated they might have needed, meaning it was presented in such an obvious display on purpose.

Because Raahs wanted her to see it, more likely than not this was its leverage, in case Robin was unwilling to agree to whatever this favor was.

Already she was beginning to feel apprehensive, and if she was being completely honest a hell of a lot less sympathetic after discovering the role the Elisskat played in the murder of the previous precursor crew that landed there seeking help from the ones they saved so long ago...

"Yes...a favor, we are the last, extinct..we are dying rightfully as we should, but my brood they stubbornly cling to life within me...dying." Raahs explained almost stiffly, Robin could already sense the alien expected whatever this request was to be shot down immediately.

And rightfully so…

"Eh?! Y-your pregnant?!" Robin asks momentarily stunned, her eyes shift to the vessel's stomach only to mentally slap herself when the researcher recalls that this was simply a husk being used as a conduit for communication, the alien she was conversing with was lingering somewhere far above her.

Raahs fell silent, thinking and contemplating, no..they were considering the best way to appeal to her but uncertain what..

"My offspring...innocent, they are untainted, unguilty...the last of us." Raahs emphasizes almost pleadingly finally, much to Robin's confusion..

What exactly did Raahs want from her..?

"That's unfortunate...but what about them...?" She didn't intend to sound aloof, she was thankful that Raahs cured her but realistically she also wasn't going to get this alien's hopes up when they were dancing around the subject.

"...My body, faulty, it is unsuited to nurture such potential any further, unhealthy, they require a strong host.." Raahs admitted finally and just like that It all started to make sense.

"Wait...where are you going with this..?" Robin pressed suddenly feeling extremely uneasy, and her uncertainty only increases when Raahs hesitates, as if calculating its response in hopes of reaping the best results.

"You are the only leverage of worth your ship possesses, but I will not have you as I seek not your courted's wrath, but a temporary trade of body will purchase you my hoard.."

"W-what?!?!" The researcher balked, her eyes widening.

Oh no...nope, it wanted her to carry its babies...oh hell no!

"Isn't there some type of incubator or something you can transfer them to instead...?" Robin tried, already feeling a sinking feeling she knew the answer...

"No..only a stable living vessel will do, you need only carry them to safety, desperation, a chance I cannot give them..."

"Yeah..I-m sorry, I-i can-"

"All of it, anything, if you take them it is your boon, would you leave without what you sought...?"

"Yeah actually, We'll find it elsewhere, or just use other means..I can't help you.."

"You will not make it far, your courted will not last on their own, you must take them to the others or they will unravel and fade.." Raahs pointed out suddenly.

"What...?"

"They are afflicted, unstable, are you not aware that they fade...?"

"What's wrong with Al-an?!"

"They are expiring.." A chilling hiss echoed unsympathetically from the shadows above, like iron scraping against raw metal...

Robin stood frozen for a moment, her thoughts scrambled from the jarring revelation but somehow still processing beat for beat, she couldn't allow herself to slip up..

This truth...it had been hovering over them like a shadow for a while now, and while Al-an seemed unwilling to fully acknowledge that it was likely something she screwed up whilst transmuting his vessel, they were both aware that something wasn't right..

To hear someone else point out that this wasn't just some paranoia was alarming but in an odd way relieving, the problem was indeed there she just needed an answer as to how to fix it..

Raahs alluded that aid may be found with the rest of his kin, meaning she needed to get him to the others no matter what.

"...I am uncertain, perhaps you will find answers to that question with the rest of their kind." Raahs evaded blithely.

But where would they find them..? The trio had little leads past the promising tethers of , and she was almost certain Raahs would refuse to elaborate further...unless…

Damn it!

"What do you mean by the others? Are there more living precursors here..?" There was no point in trying to pretend she wasn't worried sick about Al-an's slow but obvious degradation or how desperate the researcher really was to ensure his and the consciouses's wellbeing...

it was a mind scraper, Raahs pulled this as a trump card, simply because it knew full well this knowledge was leverage and would only make their offer that much harder for her to reject.

This is why Raahs wanted to seal this little deal before Al-an and Ryley tracked them down, and more than likely why they wanted Robin 'healthy'...

Her architect's worries regarding their predatory methods of coercion were not unfounded, Robin was prepared for manipulation..but she was assuming it would be..well something more deniable, had Raahs requested something obscene like Ryley or Al-an it would have been an easy out..

This offer Robin could not just ignore, no matter what they agreed on previously...

SHIT! This was beyond frustrating but only because of how terrifyingly obvious it was to see how little control she really had in this situation. Raahs wanted nothing else, or at least would not accept anything else, they were desperate and would not budge.

"Yes, they abandoned them, shed, they were alone..." Raahs recounted knowingly, an eerie clicking noise echoing from the shadows above the chamber.

Abandoned..?

Robin tries not to think about the conversation she had with Al-an almost a week ago about how the network abandoned his caste after their failure to procure a cure and contraction of khaara.

The precursors fled here because they had nowhere else to go...but why..?

What the hell was going on?!

"Where are the rest now...?" Robin asked, walking over to inspect the pile of supplies meticulously collected. She hates herself for asking this because she knows damn well Raahs is not going to tell her jack shit, unless she agrees to their not so small favor...

"Have you reconsidered...? Yes, I will impart to you the needed knowledge but only for this small favor.." Raahs trilled persuasively.

"You're going to have to explain to me what this stuff is, and how it's going to get us to Pettracore..." Robin deflected through clenched teeth, she almost wished they hadn't come there..

But there was too much to lose, she couldn't be selfish about this...

RYLEY:

Ryley glanced back for the fourth time, his sharp gaze scanning the lengthy halls behind them, watching for any sign of movement, an action the hermit had repeated multiple times over the past hour...

Unfortunately each time the engineer was met with little more than an empty hall, yet the odd creeping sense of being watched kept the hairs on the naps of his neck erect.

At one point the hermit almost doubted himself, yet years of living alone taught him to never question his admittedly dependable sense of self preservation.

And right now those senses were screaming at the hermit that they were being stalked by something...

"Hey Al-an, I...i think something is following us.." Ryley whispered quietly.

"Yes Ryley we are being followed, something has been trailing us for two hours now, its species is unfamiliar, however it will remain a secondary concern to us unless it approaches too close, or attempts to engage us with hostile intention." Al-an dismisses with a soft trill as he weaves around the countless large tanks of the botanical garden.

They immited a cold chill and glowed dimly but not as aggressively as the pale blooming flora festering in the cold room, unfortunately as peculiar as they were Al-an does not deem them worthy of assessment, at least not in the face of more pressing matters instead they rushed pass, his focus solely on rescuing the sick researcher.

Unfortunately they find out what the contents are whether they sought these answers or not.

They duo had nearly managed to clear the room when suddenly there was a loud jarring click, a noise that caused both man and architect to jolt to a pause in wary apprehension, then suddenly a thick deep blue mist filled the room, soaking the whole room including both man and precursor..

"Fuck! Ugh What the hell is this shit?!" Ryley scowled looking at the sticky substance clinging to his biosuit, it steamed against the reinforced fabric, as if it possessed corrosive properties.

"Its Elisskat blood..." Al-an answers, casting his gaze to the tanks and odd machinery around them for the first time, then staring down to the light spray of blood misting his armored claw as the sinking realization settles in..

"These plants are being reared on Elisskat remains...Ryley, we need to find Robin and leave this place with haste, something terrible is happening here..."

ROBIN:

Al-an will be pissed, that was a giving, she'd have been pissed too if he or Ryley pulled this idioitic of a stunt, but equally she knows her architect wouldn't even consider the gains before immediately declining anything that was remotely related to Robin...

Al-an was short sighted in this sense and she could hardly blame him, god she wished he was here beside her right now…but knew full it would not be a good idea..

Robin just hoped she could make her architect understand that this was for the best..everything she was doing at this point was..

"Do not fear, there will be little regrets, too much, we've had so many...I've had so many..but..the transference..it will never be comfortable for your species, difficult. However you are partial to the Almanac's courting efforts..perhaps such a form would ease your reluctance...?" There was almost an eager lilt blooming in its voice.

One that made the hairs rise on the back of her neck when she realized what it was implying..

Robin hesitated, feeling the air leave her lungs like a pierced balloon, it was a mind scrapper, of course it was aware of...whatever it was growing between her and Al-an..

"No! No...that won't be necessary! I don't care if it's painful, Just...make it quick-" the words died in Robin's mouth as the true entity she had been consenting to finally emerged from the ceiling, the pale precursor vessel falling limp like a discarded doll.

"What the hell..." Robin gapped, taking a cautious step back as she was surrounded by countless rune streaked tentacles, coiling and twisting as they latched onto her, not hard but firmly insistent on preventing any attempt to flee as the startled researcher took in the Elisskat's true form.

A nailed claw grazed over the skin of her face, as is curiously studying its texture..

"Do the almanac find resilience so desirable..? Envy, Perhaps if we were more willing to endure trivial discomforts they would have taken notice of our true potential..perhaps not." Raahs pondered aloud.

They were massive, far bigger than the unfortunate husk Ryley had the misfortune of encountering, maybe an important observation but one Robin was none the wiser to, this being her first time coming face to face with the species they had come to bargain with..

"Shit Y-your...big..." Robin laughed nervously, there was little point in guising her intimidation, thoughts may as well have floated freely in the air around this creature.

But holy shit, this was not what Robin was expecting at all, the fragile almost human-like skull ending in the thin trailing spine they discovered earlier did not do this species justice...not by a long mile.

In a way Raahs was beautiful but only in the same terrifying sense one would assume a lovecraftian beast or biblically accurate angel would be..

If you asked Robin she'd say it looked like that angel had one too many shots and that lovecraftian beast was at the right club with at the wrong time..

A hardshell covered most of its carapace, shielding a lower half of translucent flesh encased in thin fragile looking skin, there was an odd smooth looking texture to the elegant shell, almost like mother of pearl, the odd reflective patches splotching their pale body reminded Robin of long extinct called seadragons.

While many shedding tentacles orgin from its rune streaked body, Raahs seemed to be in possession of dominant tentacles, larger coiled arms barbed with jagged hooks, three in which were anchoring the alien to wall above the pile, but most in which were missing, indicated by the crudely healed over and partially torn ligaments hanging limp from damaged and scared sockets..

It looked as if the alien had just managed to escape with its life...

So many scars were testament to the hardships that took place here, what the hell were they up against..?

The shell covering most of their fragile looking body had been shattered and healed over, its remaining tentacles were all covered in deep keloids and scars, many of the smaller tentacles ended in partially destroyed stumps as well...there was no question the Elisskat were resilient...

It doesn't take Robin long to notice that the light once encircling the hoard the alien had situated...it was coming from Raahs, having vanished now that the eye's gaze was focused on her.

It's massive black sclara was looped with gold rings, a pale blue iris dilated before restricting into an odd clover shaped formation as it fluttered over her, taking a moment to study her with it's real eye, as creepy as it was Robin could feel a heavy sense of amusement at her own expense, it eminated off the alien much like when Al-an often projected his dislike or amusement at times.

The creature before her was selfish, perhaps flawed and problematic but Raahs didn't feel malevolent...

"Do not fear me, yes, we are not so visually impressive as your courted, unfortunate, perhaps you will reconsider...?" Raahs pondered, It's thoughts rippled over her with anxiety, it was almost overwhelming, somehow louder now that she could see the creature she had been speaking to.

They didn't move far from their hoard instead settling atop of it possesivesly, yet their tentacles more than make up for their lack in productivity, fluttering about the destroyed room in a seemingly futile attempt to straighten things out, pushing debris into the far reaches of the rooms outskirts..

Why were trying to make the place look more presentable...?

"N-No...we need the supplies and I want to know what you know about the others...w-what happened to your side...?" Robin rebutted steeling her nerves as she stepping closer, this close the researcher quickly took note of the seeping wound in the alien's side, a gaping hole in which she could see cerulean and oily gray organs, pumping and spasming inside.

"...we are not so welcoming to our own kind when in distress, Rampant, many resort to predation or flee their minds."

"Another Elisskat did that to you..? It...looks painful..."

"It is my death, afflictions, Such wounds cannot be healed." Raahs dismissed with little concern, instead steering the conversation to a more interesting subject.

"Your courted has not reclaimed you yet, are you not bonded..? Have you rejected them?"

Raahs asked curiously, an eager lilt painting their thoughts almost as if it expected to initiate gossip, it was not shy about invading her space, gently poking at her with curious nailed tentacles, she could easily see they were far more physical a species then precursors.

"Wh- oh.." Robin hesitated recognizing the topic at hand and the alien's quiet assessment, she wasn't about to explain what caused their bond to sever but she also found herself feeling oddly defensive about the lack of tether between them...

Were such connections so common around their kind that its absence would be considered odd or an indication of rejection..?!

Knowing what she did now that implications bothered the researcher more than she'd like to admit, it also brought to the forefront of her mind the memory of Al-an's insistent requests to reestablish their mental tether...

Was this some unsaid architect thing? Was Al-an staking claim on her?!

It wouldn't be outlandish given the development in their relationship it made sense he wouldn't appreciate others pursuing his current target...right? Of course Robin probably wouldn't appreciate some asshole getting flirty with 'her' architect either so..

"How long until they hatch...?" Robin asks instead ignoring the alien's prying inquiry altogether, it wasn't that she was offended but she knew tether or not Al-an would find her eventually and immediately put halt to the negotiations between them.

"Months, weeks, they will not hatch within you, I have ensured this, they will dream until laid, somewhere gentle and warm..safe...alone.." Raahs assures distractedly, they'd discovered the texture of her hair and seemed utterly, dumbfoundedly enthralled by it.

So much so that in its pursuit to examine this new exciting texture more thoroughly an ambitious nail tip snapped her hairband as multiple tentacles played in the ridiculously soft ebony locks.

"Does your species produce this material naturally..? Expensive, it feels pleasing, a worthy trade if priorities were not set..."

"Excuse you?! Yes this grows naturally. Humans have many different variants but most of us have it.."

"How does one obtain it in excess..?"

Was hair such an interesting detail in space..? Easily she could see her architect getting irritated with them, Al-an had laid silent claim to those ebony curls and had been quite irked when Ryley had offered to trim it for her..

Raahs would be spared far less of his tolerance.

Damn it, there no time for reminiscing, no matter how much she missed her comrades! she needed to get this over with!

"Okay...you're getting off topic here, how are you planning on getting these things inside me...?" Robin asked disentangling the many tentacles from her hair, and bating them away when they reapproached insistently.

"There are many ways..." Raahs began to reply but Robin was quick to set boundaries, she had watched enough alien movies to know how this could go down south fairly quick.

"You're not going to try some weird breeding ritual bullshit right? Because that won't be happening.." Robin snapped quickly.

"Your species's monogamous rituals are as confusing as they are unfortunate...our progeny would have been impressive.." Raahs sighed, a tight whistling noise escaping from multiple tubelike airways.

She didn't know what to make of that comment, but Robin couldn't help sense the blatant ripple of disappointment in the alien's emotions..was it hoping to get lucky or something?!

"Any orifice will serve, I cannot rob you of agony but distract your mind whilst I bury them..."

"Where will they be located..?" Robin asks warily.

A claw rises to press pointedly against her stomach, right beside the researcher's kidney..

"They will remain nestled here, safe from your courted, perhaps they will be dissuaded from recklessly attempting to neutralize them..."

"Al-an wouldn't do that unless he felt i was in some kind of danger." While strict in some aspects Al-an was by no means heartless, impulsive perhaps but not cruelly so.

"We do not share this optimism.. The almanac have always assumed they were above such instincts, perfected, conquered their own nature. Silly. What we are...what they were could not be suffocated, only tempered..Robin please keep them safe." Raahs warns warily.

"Don't worry, I'll keep my end of the bargain if you give me a reason to, I'll get them to somewhere safe, so long as this gets us to where we need to be.."

"Yes..confident, it will be enough..."

"Where do you plan on going after this...? I mean I don't think staying here would be the best idea, even if those aliens haven't been around for a while, they sure as hell left a nasty greeting for anyone trying to journey here.."

"I...will stay here, nowhere is left for my kind, they will return for this world eventually, the Alamac created an oasis, it is fertile and their harvest has taken root bountifully, I know not when but their return is imminent."

Robin mulled this declaration over in her head, her eyes distracted as she scrutinized the pile of technology and artifacts.

"Maybe you could... I dont know, come with us..? I mean you don't have anywhere else to go and Al-an could treat your wounds, you could give us insight on what happened here and explain to him what he needs to know about this scourge or whatever you call it.."

Robin suggests before rambling on, noting how Raahs flinched at the mere suggestion..

But what choice did they have? It was true Raahs would die there if they left them to their fate, there was nothing left, and while the Elisskat had royally screwed up Robin wasn't about to condemn a race to extinction, or simply abandon someone or thing in Raahs case to their death...

Al-an would not like it, and the likelihood of her architect contesting this decision was high, Ryley was more of a wild card but likely would be more understanding..

But Robin was confident she could get Al-an to empathize enough to treat their wounds and take them somewhere safe..

"Your companions are close..we are out of time, are you still willing...yes?"

"If I do, will you come with us when we leave..?" Robin asked more pointedly, noting the alien's previous lack of acknowledgement.

She just felt..she needed to do something, it didn't have to be permanent, maybe just a lift somewhere safe but...

Robin's pulled from her tumultuous thoughts when the alien before her makes a quiet warbling noise, they also seemed to be contemplating her words, but for the world Robin couldn't tell what they were thinking.

"Perhaps if you will guide me..Brace little one this will hurt.." The alien cautioned with melancholy endearment, a thick tentacle coiling around the researcher's waist as it tugged her forward, its bright eye fluttering over her as she felt the sudden weight of calm fatigue.

The familiar sound of rain filled her ears as she watched the mass beneath the distraught alien's eye peel away to reveal a long slender proboscis.

Robin could feel her heart thumping with muted terror. Sharp emotion that was repeatedly suffocated beneath a forced wave of calmness, was this what it felt like when Al-an flashed Ryley..?

Speaking of Al-an, Robin was glad her architect was there with her, settled comfortably beside her, his vessel lightly damp from the gentle spray of the rain storm before them, his attention perked with wonder and contentment, the smell of wet earth and flourishing grass, the red heavy clouds of Adelphi spared nothing in it's fury except those lucky enough to find shelter.

The light weight of contentment as she rests her head against his side almost drowns out the agonizing pain of Raah's jagged proboscis piercing the flesh of her abdominal...

RAAHS:

The walls echo with a song of longing, one foreign to her but not unidentifiable...

Lament filled her as she watched the human sleep peacefully, dreaming of a beautiful maroon rainy sky of a world Raahs could only fathom experiencing, throughout these dreams a familiar creature accompanied her, fawning over her insufficiencies, orbiting her existence with reverence...

They were so enthralled...could she blame them..? How envious she was..

The creature before her was a peculiar lifeform, brave yet so very frail, but inside they were pleasantly warm absent mindedly their fingers traced over the soft flesh of her side, where their precious brood resided, most had withered their minds drifted away in their rotting husk, but those small few clung desperately to existence much like she, her species last hope, this body would do, but could their caretaker shield them from her pursuer's ire..?

Robin was confident, but she was not so optimistic, the Almanac in question had been projecting violent signals for hours, painful ripples of challenge, did they think so ill of her misguided people..?

Could they truly be guilty when little choice was presented to them but to perish..?

They scorned her, deaf to reason and sanctuary became their prison and that prison rapidly dissolved into their tomb, perhaps things would have been different had they merged with their ranks...

Had she not...

Such opportunity, promise, she was foolish to think them so forgiving...

Again Raahs feels it, a painful ripple of the Almanac's wrath, their anger.

fear...

The ripple of jealousy is almost potent enough to manifest reality, almost enough to make Raahs forget the rapid decay of her insides..

Yet she does not hate this creature, so loved, adored...priceless.

The Elisskat were undesirable and only have themselves to blame, mistake after mistake..a truth that loathes her pathetic existence as equally as she it's.

a lifetime of fallacy perhaps will end in some good.

Long Raahs has waited to return this favor, a gift unrequested, for foolish generosity, for misguided selflessness.

It would not heal their bleeding wounds, nor still the scourge's hun, but it would aid this beautiful yet foolish creature, and perhaps..maybe.

One day she in turn will mend their fractured race like the Almanac once did for the Elisskat..

Fingers abandon their faithful almanac companion to their final rest beside the fragile human, instead coiling around the small dreaming body protectively, Raahs would not last long enough to see the Almanac searching so desperately for Robin and for this they are glad, but they were not fools, they knew of the unstable and faceless disciples still roaming the citadel, starved and just as desperate for escape as she once was..

They will not breach her nest, they will not harm her boon..

RYLEY:

"So, you're saying that these invaders are trying to seed the planet with alien plants and are using the Elisskat as fertilizer...? Ryley asked, more than a little disturbed by Al-an's revelations, if they were actively cultivating the planet that meant whoever had wiped out the Elisskat likely intended to return at some point.

"While the contents of those receptacles contained predominantly Elisskat biological material, I was able to identify at least three different traces of alien DNA as well, I can only suspect from the bodies of any unfortunate victims who visited this place.."

"Well shit.. And now we're here, fucking great. Those plants may not like what I taste like.."

"Hopefully they will not become acquainted with your tastes Ryley, fortunately I am not sensing any recent activity in this hive...not past procedural maintenance protocols, sequences that have been in play for a long time, it seems they were attempting to terraform the planet to resemble the likeness of a much colder climate..." Al-an deduced.

"Odd, but I guess that makes sense, maybe they came from a colder planet..? I mean if i were to take over a planet, shaping it to my preference would be an ideal start, why waste such good resources, maybe they failed? it doesn't feel too cold here..."

"Not here, Marighttis is a large garden world, the south regions of the planet's under crust is in the process of being completely frozen..."

"What!? Is the planet going to freeze over eventually?!"

"Perhaps, if they manage to disrupt the planet's core."

"Can they do that..?" Ryley asked his brows raising..

"With the correct technology and time, unfortunately yes Ryley, the Elisskat, their bodies degrade rapidly, the complex utilization of preservatives within those tanks speaks of their intelligence. Still such a feat will take a more than a millenia..."

"Well shit, We'll be long dead by then..." The hermit snorted humorlessly, as he pinched the bridge of his nose, damn it his head was killing him, it felt as if someone drilled a hole in the back of his skull...

The pain put a sharp edge to the man's already rampant apprehension, only making his worries regarding his new friend's fate even worse..

This of course only added to the exhausted man's crippling anxiety, anxiety that manifested in the form of Ryley's less than filtered mouth..

Thankfully Robin's alien companion generously ignored most of the idle ramblings the hermit spewed non stop but something about the comment Ryley made about their lifespan provoked a response from the architect...

"Yes...human bodies are unfortunately rather fragile.." Al-an noted in a tone Ryley couldn't quite place as condescending or perhaps resentful, the architect was too damn hard to read outside of Robin's presence.

He seemed closed off in many ways, did Robin serve as his conduit to the world around him in some kind of way..?

Still, Ryley didn't appreciate the architect's misconception on his species, humans were quite durable!

"We're not fragile, this is how our bodies are supposed to be, i can't expect an alien that augmented it's species off time's natural clock to understand that, but growing old and eventually dying is one hundred percent natural for us...i'd pity someone stuck having to live forever.."

Ryley scowled, he could understand some people felt discontent when they finally passed away, but for Ryley nah, he was content knowing his living hell wasn't going to be forever.

The prospect of living forever was what was truly terrifying actually, at least to him, yet Al-an didn't seem to care much for his reservations on the matter.

"I fully understand your specie's natural life expectancy, Ryley, yet I still find the limitations of your longevity unfortunate, you will never witness the rise and fall of a star, nor live to see Sol's eventual merge with the Cetus system. You are limited to what you can experience in what little time your fragile body provides you with, we sought to shed these trivial hindrances and did so. Yet this doesn't mean we achieved immortality, merely spared time."

Al-an sighed distractedly, there was a quiet frustration in the precursor's voice, one that led the hermit to suspect Al-an's mind was elsewhere and not completely on the conversation at hand.

It was also clear that the precursor was done with the conversation, Ryley decided not to test his apathetic companions tolerance and instead glanced back to the empty botanical garden..

Except it wasn't empty, the hermit could just make out a rapidly shrinking dark silhouette haunched behind the take, there was no point in telling Al-an to stop as it was clear anything that wasn't Robin could screw itself for the time being.

So instead, he pulled out the researcher's PDA and snapped a picture, attempting to scan it would be futile this far away but at least he tried..

"That things still out there following us.." Ryley warned, watching as crimson blooms across the architect's carapace, predictably Al-an does not stop to even look, but does acknowledge the hermit's worries at least

"I know, I believe it's attracted by the scent of your blood..." For a split second the hermit froze, a hand raising to touch the dried blood staining his face..

"Is it that bad..?" Ryley asked worriedly, while the question was more to himself and not actually a question, Al-an confirmed the freaked out hermit's fears anyways..

"Yes, you will require a thorough examination at the earliest opportunity." Al-an trills as the precursor came to a sudden stop, seemingly frozen as he eyeless gaze trained towards the odd ornate door sealing the path ahead of them.

"I suspect Robin will as well.." Al-an suddenly hissed as he finally set the hermit down.

ROBIN:

Robin's eyes snapped open to find not the beautiful rainy night sky but the dark shadowy ceiling of the citadel...

"Raahs..?" Robin called, still trying to reorient herself enough to disperse the muddled fog clogging her brain.

She was sprawled on her side, entangled in countless cold tentacles and the dandur of shaded chitin, carefully the researcher lifted herself up flinching at the sharp pain that blooms in her side as she strained, it wad was the first a feat..she was 0 exhausted and vary lightheaded, but she managed will her spent body up and onto her own two feet.

"Raahs..?" Robin called again untangling the tentacles still clinging to her person, but when again she receives no reply the researcher pauses, her eyes scanning the dim room for the alien, it's only then that she noticed the dead vessel lying beside her the possessive tentacles once embedded in its spinal cord were gone, leaving it motionless like a puppet without strings.

Cautiously Robin reached out gripped by the impulse to run a finger over it's scuffed carapace but hesitated deciding against it when she spotted the scars of wilt marring it's flesh.

Even now she felt the damage the fungus had wrought on her system, she wouldn't risk recontamination even if Al-an had said it was usually only contracted once in a individual's lifetime.

Instead she examined the puncture in her biosuit, there was blood staining the area but not a worrisome amount and already seemed to be coagulated for some time, the area however was very painful to the touch, she imagined the skin underneath to be bruised...

But oddly enough there was no swelling or lumps..no sign of the supposed eggs Raahs had planted within her..which wasn't a bad thing but she was still curious if the transference was successful or not..

However the researcher never received the answers to these questions as following the trail of tentacles to their source brings Robin upon a gruesome sight and disappointing revelation.

Raahs never intended on accompanying them off world, perhaps they felt unworthy of her architect's aid or maybe there wasn't enough time, did Raahs think they would be rejected..?

Robin can't help but wonder to herself as she stepped closer to the now motionless alien huddled into one of the corners, tentacles curled in on themselves anxiously...

The crumpled body was rapidly disintegrating, the gaping wound at their side had begun to leak freely, cerulean ichor pooling around the alien's decomposing corpse, their once sharp eye was new dull, pupils desaturated, blown and unfocused, it looked more like a polished crystal orb now..

It was clear that Raahs was dead...

The sight of their lifeless corpse made the researcher's stomach twist with unease, and perhaps a bit of melancholy, mostly disappointment...

She should have known..were they that close to death..?

A glance around the room shows no signs of a violent struggle, not passed some tentacles tearing at themselves, behavior Robin had once researched occurrences in long extinct species of asteroidea..

it seems the alien simply fell to its grave wounds...but..

A shiver creeped up the researcher's spine as her eyes once around found themselves drawn back to the rapidly decomposing alien, a sinking feeling filling her chest.

It would be terrible to die alone in a place like this, a fate that would no doubt befall her architect eventually even if Robin stayed by his side, what would Al-an do..?

When she eventually died..?

Sit vigil for eternity over her mummified remains, maybe he'd preserve what was left of her, or simply cripple under his own despair..

Knowing Al-an the latter was far more likely..

A rueful laugh escapes the researcher's tight chest despite how painful the revelation really was...

Robin felt sick...she wanted to leave this place and return to the cool safety of their ship, this planet..it was little more than a mass grave of regrets and death..

Slowly the researcher returned to the pile, she really had no means of carrying any of this stuff on her own, it would be wiser to simply rest and wait for Al-an and Ryley...

She needed to figure out how to explain to them what actually happened there, instinctively her hand clenches an impulse seeming out of nowhere, yet just as fruitful, her fingers tense around a cool metallic surface, a brisk glance reveals a small polished thin bar of metal clasped in her palm.

Odd blue lights spark off its surface, rippling in the halflight. Robin had never seen anything like this small ingot before, should not have had any inkling as to what the small device was...

But she does, because Raahs wanted her to, this device was a node, it held knowledge, not for the researcher but for her architect, it was a priceless gift...?

By the time Ryley and her architect found the researcher, Robin had doused for what felt like hours, when she woke it was to the soft beams of weak light peeking in through the once dark ceiling, revealing a cracked marble canopy covered in blooming vines, through the cracks Robin could see a pale watery yellow sun peaking through.

This new light casts a solemn glow onto her once dark surroundings, revealing the true devastation of the room Robin found herself taking in the aftermath of what looked to be a long raided Elisskat nursery of some sort...

Whoever had done this made damn sure to get the job done this time..to think this destructive species had turned their eyes towards the precursors, how many had already fallen..?

Al-an practically had a target on his back and they were none the wiser

Up until now their main fear was the possibility of khaara wiping his race out completely but now she knows they are being actively hunted, this doesn't even account for the collective's supposed abandonment of afflicted kin..

She couldn't tell if the possibility of the network not wanting to keep Al-an was relieving or worrisome, did it really matter..? Al-an had given them enough but what if they wanted more from him..? Or refused to help them..

Much like her previous situation, Raahs had little interest in the cure, which now made sense as they were already at the end of their struggles...

But what would the Architects want..? Given that they didn't try to hold his past failures against him..

"Robin..?! Robin, you're alive!"

Robin was jolted from her anxious musings by the sound of a gruff but very relieved sounding familiar male voice, unable to quiet the apprehension flooding her chest as she whipped around to see Ryley bolting towards her and Al-an hesitating further behind.

"Robin I am sorry we took so long, are you okay..? It has been hours, we followed your trail here..where is the Elisskat?" Her architect inquired warily, his eyeless gaze fluttering over her as if he could sense something but wasn't quite certain what it was.

Robin had to steel her nerves as she turned to face them, both looked worse for wear, her architect was completely lightless, splattered in some blue and brown substance and the whole front of Ryley's eco suit was stained with cerulean blood...

They looked like hell...

"They saved me from the hall, the drone, it came back and i tried to give it space, but I think I passed out, but they died not too long ago..i-i think they were hurt...worse then i first realized-oof!" Robin's explanation is interrupted. Is cut short as Ryley yanks her into yet another one of his impulsive hugs.

"Fuck I thought you were dead!"

Yet it's not as jarring as the first time the hermit had done it, in fact the warmth of another human body is somehow comforting and she quickly found her own arms tightening around the man's shoulders if only stiffly.

"You are free of your affection...they gave you the vaccine..?" Al-an on the other hand was much more careful, instead gently examining the scars left behind from the fury of the wilt.

"Yeah, I still need to recover.." Maybe she just wouldn't say anything about it...

"What!? Really..? I'd have thought they'd try to bleed us for-" Ryley began brightening despite his visible exhaustion but Al-an immediately hissed.

"What did they seek in return..?" Knowing full well this generosity did not come free.

"A...favor.." Robin admitted..

"Please elaborate Robin, I am worried..." Al-an requests anxiously, mauve rippling over his vessel before he drowns it into a neutral tone.

"They wanted me to take their offspring somewhere safe, and in exchange we can take whatever we need from here..this trove, it should have the parts we need to get us to Pettracore." Robin sighed, she wasn't certain she should mention everything Raahs had told her just yet, even now Al-an looked at the end of his rope and she wasn't certain how to explain it to the hermit..

It was apparent she was about to get a berating after the hours they wasted going over safety protocols...but they only knew half of it.

"What?! I mean it could have been wor-" Ryley frowned but Robin quickly spoke up again,
it was better to rip the bandaid off in one go..

"Wait! There's more! Please, Just hold that thought...The eggs, they would only survive inside me..so that's where they'll stay until we can find somewhere safe to hide them.." The room falls silent and the researcher can't help but feel like a noose is around her neck.

She didn't need to look them in the eyes to know the utter horror dawning within them as they processed her admittance, shit thinking back it sounded like a terrible idea..

"Y-you did WHAT?! Robin what...what about the plan...we we-" Ryley gasped frankly stunned, his narrow eyes wide with horror as he searched her face.

"Show them to me..." Al-an demanded stepping forward, despite his even voice the crimson bleeding from his vessel was more than a dead give away, a blatant warning, it would not be the best idea to humor her architect's demand.

"L-later.. We need to get out of here..and fast, I'll explain when we get back to the ship."

"No." Her architect outright growls, the crimson flaring violently as his claw shoots out to block her path.

"Show me the point of entry."

"I'm keeping my end of the bargain Al-an, and I won't allow you to hurt them!" Robin snapped defiantly meeting her architect's furious leer.

"You are naive to trust them!" Al-an hisses, the crimson blanching into a pale neutral hue, still he blocked her path with his larger vessel, unwilling to relent until she complied to his demand.

Something that was not about to fucking happen...

"Guys...w-we should finish this conversation back on the ship...we have what we need.." Ryley tried desperately to defuse the situation by wedging himself in between them, but his reckless effort only resulted in her growling architect easily shoving the hermit away from them..

She wasn't being fair to either of them, Robin knew this but..she did what she had to, it was the best for everyone, and hopefully they will come to understand that too...

There was a lot she needed to explain,
most of which she knew would not be received well, but for now Al-an needed to be placated before her precursor became irrational, and that would be the point where she would not be able to reason with her companion..

"Look I know your angry, fuck I'm worried too! but I...i need you to trust me, okay? it looks bad but it's only temporary.."

"Robin...what manipulations did they weave to persuade you? Surely you wouldn't trust them..?"

"Not easily no, but as it stands if things go way side, you can easily remove them, they weren't looking for a deal Al-an, they wanted salvation..help.." Robin explained, glancing down at the now hollow corpse rapidly paling.

"A pardon from their own mistakes, not all agreed with what happened here but couldn't stop it...just like these eggs, they are innocent in all this, my deal...the deal was I get these guys to a safe secluded planet where they can grow untainted by their people's self destructive society, inturn for the anything we find... and for this." Robin explained, holding out a metallic off silver bar for him to examine.

Ryley's eyebrows furrowed in confusion but her precursor recognized the fragile data cube immediately..

"What good is that..?" Al-an hissed, ready to dismiss it in the face of more distressing matters.

"It's the truth Al-an! this small thing houses all the vital data on the planet, including security and maintenance logs, it's heavily encrypted it'll take time to crack open but i'm sure you'll manage before Pettracore." Robin hurried to explain, in words only her architect could understand, it was relieving to see his attention shift back to Raahs gift, to actually consider it..

"You risked your life for that..?" Al-an asked almost despondently as the intensity of his gaze shifted to her, he was furious but at least he was listening.

"I risked it because it had to be done, we need to know what happened, they were here Al-an... And not that long ago.."

Chapter Text

ROBIN:

"We have what we came for, let's take what we can and get the hell out of this tomb." Robin bit out sore and irritable.

The silence had long been deafening, yet the tension in the room had dispersed little, it was choking and almost as if she was being crushed under the weight of Ryley's uncertainty and Al-an's silent fury.

"Shit, I can't imagine spending another night here." Ryley sighed tiredly, shakily lowering himself to sit on the debris covered ground.

Al-an however quickly rebuffed the suggestion as he hastily circled around the room, ensuring there was nothing or no one else present, and no other breaches within the small safe haven.

"No, we will rest here."

"But-" Robin started, but Al-an was quick to clarify why this was.

"It is imperative that the two of you possess the energy to withstand the journey back. I will handle the transfer of these supplies, it is not far..however stopping midway will not be a viable option."

"Fine, okay, but how long will we stay..?" She wanted to get out of that place and never look back, but arguing with him seemed like a moot point, especially when Ryley was shaking like he was.

"Four hours should be sufficient, do not leave this chamber, it is one of the few rooms with the safety of a single entryway, I will guard this passage from the other side."

"Split up again...? I-I don't think that's a good idea..." Robin started but Al-an seemed ultimately undeterred.

"This decision is necessary, I will not be far away." Al-an replies shortly, there is a sense of finality in his words, one that leaves little room for argument.

"Ryley speaks up, shedding more light on the situation than her unhelpful companion was, though his explanation only makes the researcher even more anxious.

"Something's been following us, it's been ghosting our steps since you went missing..." Ryley clarified with a weary sigh.

"WHAT? and you want to take it on yourself?!" Robin snapped, however her agitation only provoked an odd clicking noise from her architect as he gave them both a deliberate once over.

"I will deal with it, the two of you would be of little use in the state you're currently in, your compliance would ensure the safety of everyone.." Al-an pointed out coldly, it was obvious he was still pissed at her but that didn't mean his indifference in such situations didn't irk the researcher.

"Not sure what it is, but I'm betting it's bad news, honestly Al-an's plan seems pretty logical..But what exactly is that plan..?" Ryley asked, sounding somewhat detached.

"Disposing of it..." Her architect clarified shortly as he retreated from the room, casting a brisk but otherwise emotionless glance toward the discarded precursor vessel crumpled beside the pile she had secured, he had noticed it earlier but had reframed from reacting.

"He's definitely not happy..." Ryley whistled awkwardly as they both stared at the now closed chamber..

"I didn't expect him to be, but it doesn't matter right now..please don't make a habit of getting in between us, if he'll throw me he damn sure won't hesitate to give you a taste of flight..." Robin warned, finally taking time to check over the poor hermit.

It was clear Al-an had various levels of tolerance, levels which decreased greatly with anyone other than her, and while most of the time this was fine, she did not want the poor man to go flying everytime her architect deemed his involvement unacceptable.

"Yeah I think I'm learning that...the hard way." Ryley laughed tiredly, shuffling to his feet to start inspecting the pile of wares Raahs left behind.

The sun had long been shining in through the crevices in the ceiling, warm and welcoming, perfectly ideal for traveling, especially after so long navigating under an eclipsed planet's pitch black sky, yet Al-an demanded they set camp for the next four hours, despite the benefit traveling in these conditions would likely yield...

But Robin wasn't about to start questioning this, (at least not vocally) not when her architect looked like he was just barely resisting the urge to pin her down to perform an autopsy on her, Al-an was seething but in a very quiet dangerous way, a conversation was definitely coming but luckily Robin had time to prepare for it as her architect was also still in survival mode.

There was a time and a place and right now wasn't the time, so instead the researcher waits for him like an idiot, he's settled himself somewhere outside the door leading from what she knew now to be the nursery, anything that came for them would need to dispose of him first, a logical but anxiety inducing arrangement.

It was true, wilt had siphoned nearly all of the reserchers's strength, if anything had indeed attacked them, more likely than not Robin would be little more than a useless distraction only getting in the way, but the reality of her situation didn't mean the researcher had to like this arrangement!

The sooner they left this place the better, they needed to find the others so they could cure Al-an and warn the rest of the network about this whole brewing mess.

Ideally they'd know what to do...right?

Maybe they could leave the eggs with them..? An idea Robin immediately discarded recalling Al-an's not so pleased reaction to them.

"Howdy..." Ryley's tired voice draws the researcher from her brooding

"Ey, Ry, you still up?."

"Yeah just looking over all this stuff, How are you holding up..?"

"Sore, I feel like that fungus ate a third of my muscle mass but I'm alive so I can't complain." Robin huffed as the hermit passed the researcher a bottle of water before settling down beside her.

"Yeah.. I think you can complain, that is, anyone who had a day like yours would, last I checked we're not being paid to suck up our baggage."

"Ryley...I'm fine really."

"I know you say you're okay...but are you really..? Because honestly I'm not even okay, not with this whole damn planet, or with what you did.." Ryley admitted, voice tight with a sigh.

"I'd just feel better knowing you don't feel like you're obligated to...take hits like that for us, I can stand on my own two feet and your buddy over there can just kick whatever the hell looks at him the wrong way." Ryley pressed, standing up to unfurl his sleeping bag against the floor beside her.

"I didn't feel obligated Ryley, I made the best of a bad situation, it was risky yes.. But it could have been worse..I mean I hate that I had little choice in the matter but I also feel relieved that it led me in the right direction."

"You're going to have to explain what direction this is because it looks startlingly close to self destruction vile.

"Really..? I'm not self-destructive. I just don't let the small details slow me down, until I actually have space to deal with it, right now isn't it..."

"That sounds pretty...alarming if I'm going to be honest here." Ryley frowned, pausing to stare up at her, several capillaries had ruptured leaving the poor man's eyes bloodshot..

"How would you feel if...say you lose something important, there's no take backs it's just gone, it'd suck right...? But wouldn't suck more knowing that you could have changed it, if you just did the right things, saved them..I just don't need anymore what ifs haunting me..."

"I don't dwell on spilled milk, what's gone is gone, giving away my limbs or running myself into a wall isn't going to bring back the people that place stole from us Robin..." Ryley pressed.

“I know that!” Robin snapped with far more heat than she meant, she couldn't stop the frustration plucking at her seams, it was becoming suffocating.

“I'm sorry..you didn't say anything wrong, I'm just..i..”Robin sighed, she didn't want to talk about this right now..

Ryley sighed for a moment running a tired hand through his faded hair before he spoke up again.

“Do you want a hug…?” the hermit asked, spreading his arms, bloodshot eyes and a suit covered in blood made for an almost comically macabre picture.

“I would… but you're covered in blood and who knows what else..i'll take a raincheck, but thanks..” Robin snorted at the frown her rejection earns her as the the hermit finally seemed to notice he was covered in blood and alien bile.

"Fine, suit yourself,I'm sure your buddy out there would see the value in my premium hugs..they don't often come free you know.” Ryley scowled with a yawn.

“I'm sure alterra would pay a fortune for those hugs..”

“Damn right, now come on, we're supposed to be sleeping, Al-an will be pissed if we're up past our bedtime, you can have my bag, I call dibs on the pile."

Ryley announced tossing himself back on the mound of machinery, and wares only to grunt seconds later in pained regret.

"Err...are you okay...?"

"Yep. Peachy g'night."

"...Hey Ry your suit, did the Elisskat attack you..?"

"Yeah it did, but I think it just wanted to trade or something, it hurt but left no scars I can feel besides a brain splitting migraine, I think Al-an said it was rampant but..."

Ryley's words fell off and Robin almost assumed the hermit fell asleep but when he started speaking again she noticed his voice had dropped as if he was actively trying to veil his words from her architect, which was fair as Al-an's hearing was far more efficient than a human's, yet the man's voice was also filled with something that sounded close to worry.

Which was surprising given that the two didn't really get along unless absolutely necessary.

"Al-an separated us but i think it was a bit much for his system, he sputtered out like a bulb, passed out and i think he took me with him..."

"What..?" Robin asked, brows furrowing with worry.

"I'm not sure how to explain it, but i'm not sure how long we were out.. but must have been thirty minutes at least, had one hell of a nose bleed while I was sleeping..." Ryley hesitates.

"Shit.."

"Is he okay?...or is he like..sick or something, he hasn't been looking too good lately, sure half the time he's been pissed off but..."

"..."

She hates that her internal panic seeped so readily into her expression before she could school it into neutrality, the hermit's dimly glowing eyes narrow as the realization that he struck a nerve dawns on him.

"Robin...?"

"You're not wrong but...we don't know what's wrong yet, I just hope..there's something we can find that will help him, at least once we land on Pettracore.." Robin allowed carefully, what else could she do..?

"I see, is that why we're really heading there..?"

"No, but also kind of yes..?." Robin admitted with uncertainty.

"Fucking hell.." Ryley sighs falling back onto the pile, only to grunt in pain.

Robin manages to get two hours of sleep under her belt before the researcher can't stop her restless mind from rousing her, only realizing when she wakes just how desperately her exhausted body needed the extra rest..

A quick glance shows the hermit not far out cold, stretched out awkwardly across the hoard in a way that gives her a backache just by simply looking at him.

Slowly she walks over to examine the corpse of the precursor. So deathly still, she tried to imagine what their life was like before they died, what roles did they play within the network, she couldn't help wondering just how many died there, they looked much smaller compared to Al-an, speaking of her architect, he hardly stopped to even acknowledge his deceased kin.

Did he not care..? Or was his dismissal rooted in some other reason, which was reasonable they were all under stress, Robin hardly realized she had wandered over to the doorway as she mulled over her troublesome thoughts.

But once her eyes rose to study the elegant architecture of its crumbling frame the researcher decided she needed to see him.

She almost didn't expect the odd doorway to yield when she attempted to pry it open, but was pleasantly surprised when it gave quite easily, revealing a shadowy hallway staring back at her.

"Al-an..?" Robin called out warily, she desperately wanted to talk to him but equally felt guilty knowing she would disturb his efforts, but quickly finds herself relieved when she spots his vessel watching her from a corner in the hall.

“You are recovering, this is reliving...” Her architect greeted her calmly, but his complete lack of biolights made him almost as hard to read as her precursor's vessel was to see in the shadowy hall, still it was safe to assume Al-an was still mad, which was acceptable, she didn't expect him to agree with her actions, which is why she was here.

"Hey, can we talk for a second?" She didn't plan to stay long, it was apparent he would not tolerate any attempts to either way, but she needed to clear the air, for both of their sakes.

"What is it Robin..?" Al-an's head tilts towards her but she can feel his gaze is focused elsewhere.

"Look..I wanted to apologize, about the eggs and the deal..I'm sorry I did it without out the two of you there to mediate, I knew it was dangerous, but i also knew what i was doing and at the time it felt right but..thinking back on it, I realized how risky and unfair it was to Ryley and you.."

"It was unfair to you Robin." The soft hiss of her architect hinted at just how tired he was.

"How flippantly you regard your existence, your utter lack of self preservation is far beyond concerning..."

"Look, I know it looks bad but I have a plan-"

"Long ago I assumed the same, existence is unforgiving, only the ignorant believe little comes without sacrifice, I can't help but feel you take that for granted Robin..I perhaps selfishly wish you would reconsider the gravity of your actions not for others but for yourself first."

"..."

"I do not need you to sacrifice yourself for us Robin, you should not feel obligated so do so, we will manage without the loss such reckless actions will lead to." Al-an hissed shortly, It was a clear dismissal, he was still brooding, but despite this..

Something told her that Al-an didn't exactly want her to leave...

"Ryley told me what happened when you intervened with the Elisskat, he said the two of you passed out..?"

"I was left with little choice but to separate the two of them by mental force, however I believe such methods were far too aggressive for Ryley's system, he will require ample rest to heal from the scars of the severance..."

"And you..?"

"I will rest when a favorable opportunity presents itself." Her architect relents blithely.

"That's not what I'm asking..."

"And what are you inquiring about Robin...?"

"What happened?, fuck I dont know, are you okay?" Robin scowled, frustration bubbling up within her chest."

"I am fine, please return to Ryley, I require concentration..."

"Yeah okay fine." Robin brooded, it was a conversation for another time, still she hated the fact that despite his clear dismissal the precursor was still passively beckoning her to stay, silently begging her to linger in his presence...

Did the idiot even realize he was doing it?! She wasn't certain but she wasn't about to give him another excuse to chew her out.

Yet her suspicions are confirmed when her architect suddenly calls out to her before she leaves.

"I… am relieved that the Elisskat found you, without her manipulations you would have perished...I would have lost you."

"I know, i was scared too, but i'm still here, sure this is a hiccup but one i think was worth the temporary burden..I..."

AL-AN:

Robin hesitated, chewing her lip as she contemplated her thoughts, Al-an can not help but wonder what she's thinking, his mind gently prodding against her own, only to feel frustration as he was met with little but resistance, her thoughts would be an enigma to him unless she chose to share them.

"Al-an..." When she looks up her eyes look so lost, like mirrors reflecting a depthless trench.

"What is it Robin...?" He does not want to leave his post, still irked By her previous recklessness despite the beneficial fruits it bore, stubbornly he resists the urge to go to his human, to smother her uncertainties with his resolve, like she had once done for him.

Yet..

It was almost alarming how rapidly her presence eroded his will, like acid consuming the neuro ways of his vessel, her existence compromised his own in a way Al-an knew would only weaken him.

Despite his vessel's screams of exhaustion, the precursor found himself standing before his human, ever aware of the slight tremble in her weakened body, the smooth warmth of her dark skin calming the raging inferno flooding his mind .

"...When we get back to the ship we need to have a discussion." Her voice's tremble is almost inaudible, but Al-an hears her uncertainties all the same.

"The voyage to Pettracore will demand a week's time at most to orbit the planet despite the ability to warp there, there will be ample time to discuss any reservations you may have regarding what we may potentially find there.." Al-an agreed reassuringly, his claws rising to cup her face, guiding her closer as he fell prey to the impulse to marvel at her tired features, tracing the scars, he wished there was time and space for her to rest..

The way her lips thinned into a line, as her once soft features tightened as she deliberated her thoughts was beyond intriguing.

Were all humans so pleasantly expressive...?

Something was bothering her, but this was to be expected. Much had taken place within the time they had foolishly landed there, Al-an feared his human may be experiencing a mild case of shock...

He wished they could deliberate whatever this plight was plaguing her together, their minds intertwined as they once were, long ago he had taken their bond for granted, a calming assurance, a regret Al-an would never forgive himself for.

Not when his vessel craved this meager tethers more than the presence of the network, a constant function guiding his extraneously long existence.

Al-an's attention is drawn back to his human when Robin suddenly grabs one of his claws in her hands, pulling it away from her face to study it fondly, her fingers gently grazing the silky foli there, the stimuli is sharp against his nerves, but by no means does the architect flinch this time...

Her touch was brisk, cautious of overwhelming him, her ignorant diligence only garners fleeting affection at her expense, perhaps if she were still within him she too would be aware of the heat blooming inside him.

"Not about Pettracore...I want to talk about you and may be us as well..." Robin clarified evenly, her eyes trained on the scars marring his claw, scars in his carapace that were healing but again the evidence from the exploding collar was still plain to see.

"I see...if you wish we will talk." Al-an agreed, failing to restrain the impulse to rest his face against the warmth of her temple, still he was somewhat blindsided by the topic amidst his somewhat flustered state, perhaps he should have said more, yet what else could he say...?

The internally panicking scientist finds himself spared from an awkward silence as his human slowly begins to pull away.

"Thanks..I should go lie down I guess. You're certain you'll be okay out here..?" Robin asked hesitating, her uncertainty earns her a slow dip of his horns, it's obvious she is reluctant to depart perhaps as much as he wished she would linger.

However as things were he could not be distracted, his attention would only be splayed a disadvantage the architect would rather not risk.

"Yes, I will join you soon Robin, please rest" Al-an assured his attention shifting back to the hallway."

The weary precursor watches his fragile human retreat, his thorax filling with a confusing cocktail of pain, guilt, relief and anger, the feverish anxiety of her near demise had yet to wane, even now that his human was cured he could not escape the reality of their situation...

Robin had almost died again, Al-an had failed to protect her, she stood before him not by chance or fate, but simply by a dying matriarch's desperation, her life was only prolonged to be used for another's gain and yet could he truly forsake the foolish creatures's precautionary measures when it's harsh results benefited him so plainly…

No, not when her rapidly fading life balanced so precariously in their fickle indiscretion.

Which brought to light another issue…

Would it really be wise to keep pushing forward, especially knowing his human's self -sacrificing disposition...? As he said to Ryley, without Robin there would be no mission, no sight of any goal beyond an existence without her. What need would there be to push on without her..? The Heat bubbling in his chest reminds the architect of his duties, he could not let anger nor distress cloud his judgment.

He wanted to protect her but could both be achieved in unison, or would he be forced to sacrifice one cause for the other…?

Would it not be wiser to flee their objective, if it meant protecting his human, but would she accept this selfish reasoning of his...?

Convincing Robin to give up and return home with him had an unfavorable chance of success, his human would not cower, not even in the face of her or demise..this was worrisome…no it was frightening.

The scientist was snapped out of his brooding reverie when movement draws his attention, something was creeping along the shadows of the hall, slinking closer to his unlit vessel but unaware of his camouflaged presence, easily he could smell the traces of Robin's tainted blood clinging to it's black boney frame...yet oddly enough little else, the architect's wariness only intensified when he could not sense it presence at all, save for the visual image of its black viscous body.

He did however recognize the active collar clasped to it, however this revelation does little to halt the Architect's violent ambitions.

RYLEY:

The hermit's dreams are fleeting, a dark landscape, twirling paths of the planet's dark forests, one would expect a nightmare after his prior experience, but instead of empty unnerving silence, the thin trees were alive with a chorus of endemic life, trickling water, the quiet beat of wings..it was peaceful...

Despite his discomfort regarding staying in the citadel, Ryley slept like a rock, his spent body clinging to whatever energy it could soak up in the few short hours they had before setting out again, not even the increasingly weird nature of this dreams as of late stirred him, that is until the peaceful silence was shattered by a violent eruption of ruckus from hall outside, the eerie and unfamiliar shrieks had both the hermit and Robin jolting awake.

"What the hell is going on out there?!" Robin cried in alarm, scrambling to disentangle herself from the sleeping bag.

"Fuck if i know! Wait let me check!" Ryley grunted, quickly jolting for the doorway, Al-an was out there meaning there was a high chance the researcher wouldn't hesitate to pry the door open with little consideration.

Despite his best efforts he was unable to stall her completely, but to her credit Robin didn't throw open the door like he feared she might, instead they both cautiously wedged the door open, only for their eyes to widen as they took in the new state of disarray the once empty hallway had become.

There was neon turquoise ichor splattered everywhere, much of the crates once stacked in neat dust covered piles were now scattering the halls and strewn about the mess.

It wasn't hard to find Al-an as the precursor was blazing crimson at the end of the hall, reaching down into what looked to be a ventilation shaft,

"Al-an! What the hell was that noise?!" Robin called worriedly but her firm grip held Ryley back as the hermit moved to step forward, the architect seemed to be concentrating, it was probably best not to disturb him, but as time went on the two anxious humans were met with little but silence.

"Uh..You ok there?" Ryley called warily when the precursor failed to respond immediately, but the precursor seemed oddly determined, a step closer reveals a strained low hiss escaping from the precursor's vessel, suddenly Al-an jerked back seemingly losing grip on whatever it was he was attempting to drag out, quickly scrambling to reach back into the vent, reaching for whatever creature the precursor was clinging to, only to sigh in discontent seconds later pulling out an empty blood soaked claw.

"It's gone..." Al-an sighs with a soft but frustrated hiss, finally turning to address Robin and Ryley, half of his vessel was splattered in what they now realized to be turquoise blood of some creature.

"W-What's gone..?" Ryley could stop the shiver creeping up his spine as he walked over to examine the turquoise ichor covered vent, the pulsating glow was mesmerizing.

"Are you okay?!" Robin asked rushing to examine her alien companion, quickly relieved to find the ichor splattering his vessel was not his own.

"I am fine, However I have failed to neutralize the lifeform, though this engagement has provided us with the specimens required to study it once we return to the ship." Al-an explained, offering his unfurled claws out to reveal a chunk of metallic looking gelatinous alien flesh.

"Oh, great job, here let me get a vial, so I take it you don't know what it was..?"

"No, many of these invasive species are new to me Robin.." Al-an admitted his biolights waning into a melancholy hue as he watches her secure their new specimen.

"That looks painful as hell, think it's going to come back?" Ryley asked, making a mental note never to let the architect give him a biopsy.

"Hopefully this encounter will encourage it to reconsider targeting either of you.." Al-an sniffed. Unsympathetically.

"Hunting..us..ugh, I'm sorry but I think I hate this place..."

"It was not always like this..." Al-an hissed

"Are you certain we were its target?" Robin asked worriedly, despite how fast things were going the poor woman was still trying her best to roll with the punches, Ryley sympathized as a lot of this must have been fairly abrupt for the recovering researcher.

"Yes. To ensure we avoid further complications we should leave as soon as possible, before it recovers from the shock of my actions. Are the two of you capable of traveling..?" Al- an inquired briskly as the precursor quickly led the trio back to the safety of the nursery.

"Anything to get back on the ship."

Ryley sighed, oddly enough the ship was starting to feel like his undersea base, a safe haven untouchable by the harsh threats of the outside world...well mostly untouchable, frankly he couldn't wait to get back to that drone infested ship.

"Yeah, I can handle it, let's hurry before that thing's nerve returns and it comes snooping around again, but how will we get all this stuff out..? It might take a few trips to transport it.." Robin asked, giving a skeptical glance to the large pile.

"There are mechanisms that will aid us in the transportation of bargained resources, please move to the sides of the room, if you fall into the gears it is almost certain you will be crushed." Al-an warned, guiding Robin into a corner, as Ryley hurried to the other end.

Both researcher and hermit watched in silence as the precursor moved to stand in the middle of the large room, a ripple of bright magenta traveling from his vessel and rapidly bleeding outward, igniting once unseen veins coursing through the room's ancient architecture.

For a moment the room flared with blinding magenta energy, but just as the hermit was about to shield his sensitive eyes from the bright rays they waned, draining until the room fell stagnant again..

"D-did it work?" Ryley asked as Al-an paused, looking around the room in confusion, had he run out of energy..?

"It seems it's already powered..." Al-an trilled, reaching a claw towards the dead room, and with a motion too rapid for Ryley to catch, the room rippled to life with a sickly maroon hue, sputtering unstable as if it would blow out any second.

Around them old mechanisms shifted to life, creaking with disuse as the centerpiece of the floor began peeling apart to reveal an array of glowing innerworkings.

Ryley watched with intrigue as odd elastic metallic wires rapidly manifested coiling around the hoard until it formed a cage, the whole process was complete within seconds and by the time Ryley looked back to the floor it was already sealed again.

"We could use a fabricator that size.." Robin whistled with raised eyebrows.

"It is not a fabricator, simply a minor transmutation device...it would require significantly more resources than we would find beneficial to our needs." Al-an clarified distractedly, instead the architect's attention seemed to be focused on the rapidly waning maroon energy fading from the room.

"This energy, Is it the same power source fueling the terminals by the quicksand..?" Robin asked, taking note of Al-an's interest in it.

"Yes..it feels..volatile."

"Like unstable energy volatile, or this place might explode volatile...?" Ryley asked

"I would not factor out either as both are probable.."

"Then let's get out of here before that happens, honestly i'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, we may be able to use this energy to get the planetary shields back online!" Robin mused optimistically, reminding Ryley that they had indeed planned on restoring the planet's protective barriers before everything went to shit..

But he wasn't too sure Al-an was keen on staying longer to pursue this side goal, and the precursor's silence in the face of her comment said as much.

He had simply ignored it.

Instead the architect touched the cage, tapping an unknown sequence against its bars before pulling away.

"This mechanism will transport the supplies to the outer docking bay, we need only return to our ship and load it. Come, our search has brought us rather deep into the citadel but there should still be two to three hours of sunshine remaining."

ROBIN:

Despite the mission's overall success, and their impending departure, the trio's morale seemed very low, Ryley had been very agitated, glancing about often and her architect's melancholy brooding wasn't hard to see.

Every now and then his steps faltered as he studied that which he once knew in its prime, it must have been hard..

"Hey...were you thinking about this place last time you saw it..?"

"It has been many years Robin...much has changed.." Her architect sighed, his reserved voice pensive and perhaps a little more than melancholy

"Don't worry, when were we loading up we can come back and repair the shields, its b-"Robin begun but Al-an shook his horns

"That will be unnecessary, if nothing that required such aid survived this breach..then what need would there be for such temperance, the remaining Elisskat lie within you, and the only species left thrives despite the unstable climate, there is little point in returning here Robin." Al-an reasoned bitterly, his tone alone said the architect would not budge on this decision.

"Al-an...do you really want to just give up on this place...?"

"The conflict this planet will bring is not one i will permit us to be dragged into...our efforts were always doomed Robin, our ignorance was far overreaching, I am aware of this now... to think we alone could nurture all these species from the brink of extinction without prediction of predation from the species we placed alongside them, or the universe we shielded them from..we were so naive, I will not allow our ignorance to entangle the two of you into a conflict our incompetence led to." Her architect hissed out firmly, he sounded frustrated, but also heartbreakingly defeated.

To Al-an this was just another blatant confirmation that the reign of his species was nearing its end and he and the three other consciousnesses were merely one of the tethers left of a stubborn race refusing to go extinct like all the species they preserved.

Hopefully they aren't too late to find the remainder of the network..at least what little was left of it, but what happens if they reject her architect too...?

What would they do then...?

"Hey-" Robin began just as Ryley spoke up.

"He's right, you know.. Best not to test our luck when we make a lucky break, something the Elisskat should have considered. You guys trusted them to make good with what you gave them, that.. Back there it was nothing more than greed, and spite, shit's never results in anything good, it's a hard lesson learned but guess those idiots see that now.." Ryley grunted coldly, surprising both Robin and her lamenting architect.

"It wasn't all of them you know...?
just the loudest and pushest, and unfortunately everyone suffered for it." Robin pointed out, recalling Raahs's admission.

"Can we truly blame them..? We should have known better, the network was familiar with their specie's habits, perhaps we should have-'' Al-an sighs blithely but his words only seem to irk the hermit further.

RYLEY:

"They dug their own graves, one they could have avoided, their undoing was their own making, you can only hold someone's head above the surface for but so long before you'll have to let them swim on their own. But it seemed like these guys would rather get a tow and never actually thought about learning how to manage on their own.." Ryley snapped bitterly, he couldn't feel any sympathy for them not really after what he saw, and sure as fuck not after what one of those slimly bastards manipulated Robin into doing..

Sure it was fair to assume not all were on board with what went down, but his words were mostly for those who did.

A planet stripped of life, sullied and drained...for profit.

They were a lot like people in the sense that the Elisskat only sought after what they could glean from their saviors, and any in situation instead of learning from the culling of their race, and living out their lives in peace, the idiots immediately turned back to the old habits that resulted in their downfall to begin with.

Furthermore they used the precursor's own artificial world to farm the creatures they sought to preserve, assuming that the species was culled off by the bacteria and no repercussions would come of the breach in treaty until their enemies found them again...

"Let's just...focus on getting back aboard the ship. I miss my bed..." Robin sighed running a hand over her sweat beaded forehead, it was obvious she couldn't really change the hermit's pessimistic logic, but still felt it was harsh, Al-an on the other hand chose to remain silent, not particularly interested in participating in the conversation any further.

"I still plan on using the decontamination probe, even if there's only den weavers left, we need to ensure Khaara has no quarters left to spread, no chance of resurgence." Robin stated firmly as they stepped around the large pit of quicksand.

"That is reasonable..." Al-an accepted, with what Ryley could only describe as relief..?

Ryley couldn't help but recall the architect's earlier assessment, regarding the ongoing attempt to terraform the planet into a far colder environment...

Any move to attempt to bar the planet could be seen as an act of aggression, Al-an chose to abandon it to them in hopes of avoiding conflict..

He couldn't imagine how bitter the precursor really was..

"Let's hurry, I want to give the rest of these leftovers to those den whatevers." Ryley grumbled.

ROBIN:

When they emerge from the shaft beside the basalt shore again, the environment looked stunningly different, many of the bioluminescent flora had vanished from the bank, thick leaves sealing tightly to shield fragile petals from the the sun's radiant light, still the sweet smell of blossoms in full bloom hung pungently in the air, the pale sand warm and reflecting light.

The fresh silvery water bubbled freely along a bank dusted with bright coloured flowers with deep jug like petals.

The warm sunlight had improved the trio's resolve by miles, so much so that the group took a brisk break to eat before setting off, Ryley making good on his word and giving the few den weavers that dared follow them out some scraps of ploom for their bravery.

"You sure we shouldn't take them back to the enclosure..?" Ryley asked, stroking the velvety back of one rambunctious enough to climb his eco suit's pant leg.

"Yes, there's only so much room in there, it..might be a long time before anyone returns here, eventually space and resources will dwindle, and then what..? It is best they have experience with the outside sooner rather than later when it's desperation driving their acclamation." Robin explained watching the hermit play with the curious fauna.

"I guess..I just don't want to see these goofy little fellas hurt.." Ryley admitted frowning down at the clueless little beast.

"They were once quite popular amongst the architects stationed here, many requests to take them offworld were met with firm rejection." Al-an allowed watching them.

"Why..?" Robin laughed.

"At the time there were only a dwindling few...had we known they would prosper so triumphantly without such stringent aid we may have considered introducing the species to other planets or as companions."

"So...can we take one now...?" Ryley asked almost hopefully, it was the first time he had actually requested something from her architect directly and Robin found herself curious how Al-an would actually respond to the man, his mood had improved a bit since leaving the hive.

Maybe he may be lenient for the sake of-

"No. we do not have the resources to support such creatures aboard our vessel." Al-an pointed out nonplussed just as a loud thump interrupted their conversation.

"It seems the supplies have arrived, this is reliving, I was skeptical the tunnel ways would still be functional.."

"Whoa...why does that seem like more stuff then before..?" Ryley squinted, sitting the denweaver down to go inspect the pile.

"It...it definitely is..care to explain Al-an..?" Robin asked, taking in the absolutely obnoxious mound of contents now flooding the already large pile.

"Perhaps trade shipments were halted mid transference, it is possible there was back up accumulated within the tunnelways.."

"Wow, okay, So we just stole everyone's shit..."

"There are no Elisskat left to contest us for it, it is by right ours, what we don't need will be recycled into fuel for the reactor or materials for your transmuters, we will assess it later."

"How will we get all this back to the ship..?"

"The ship will arrive shortly, we need only load it onboard.."
Al-an assures just as the soft humm of engines fills the silence.

Robin has to shield her eyes as sand whips every which way as the familiar sleek shape of the ship lands not too far from the forest's edge.

Oh..wow ok.

"Unexpected but not unwelcome! Let's get packing!"

"You can operate the ship this far away from it..?" Robin asked, her eyebrows raising when Al-an nodded before stopping to fix her with his gaze.

"Yes...it is linked to me at all times, you are also capable of such demands Robin, the ship will comply with your commands in the event I am not here to issue the directive for you..."

"What?! I-i can..? Don't we need the navigational terminal for something like that? To make it know what I want..?" Robin worried, recalling what happened during her attempt to deploy the decontamination probe on Adelphi 655.

"As I've stated prior, not all commands require higher thought nor physical contact, however you may experience severe discomfort in the event that you are forced to attempt such action, but I have ensured the ship will recognize your brainwaves, it will use you as a beacon and come to you." Al-an purred, as if the thought of her using their technology pleased her architect in some way.

"Why didn't we just call the ship when we were running for our lives in the woods..?" Ryley asked, before the hermit paused to actually consider it. "No, wait let me answer myself, that would have risked damage without proper concentration." The hermit quickly answers himself with an eye roll.

"Perhaps your intelligence is not as inferior as I initially pre concluded..." Al-an assessed, but the backhanded comment was anything but a compliment and her architect's tone made it more than apparent.

"You think human intelligence is inferior?" Ryley scowled, his thick eyebrows rising indignantly.

"No, you are an exceptionally unique anomaly Ryley." Her precursor sniffed with all the enthusiasm of a dead log.

"I don't have to take shit from an alien with coral petals on his thighs, Robin why is he so damn bitchy?!"

"Guys don't make me laugh I'm sore enough, god stop cocksparing already!" Robin sighed, watching Al-an flare a sour hue at the hermit's retort.

"Cocksparing..?" Al-an parroted curiously, his attention shifting to Robin filled with expectant inquiry.

"Fighting-"

"Don't they spawn like... asexually? Does he even have a dick..?!" Ryley asked out of the blue.

"I...I mean..." Robin hesitated knowing full well the answer to the question, but exactly how would she answer a question like that?! Why would she know that?!

Well she is a biologist so why wouldn't she know these kinds of things?!?!?

That wouldn't seem...weird right..?

Ugh why is she thinking about this right now?! Thankfully Robin is saved from her own inner turmoil when Al-an answers the hermit instead.

"I am in possession of sexual organs Ryley, and only in rare cases is asexual reproduction possible in our kind and that cannot occur without technological aid." Al-an clarifies, ignorant to the way Robin was flustering under the pressure of the innocent question.

"Your kind doesn't seem like the type to get...I don't know..laid." Ryley made indecisive hand movements gesturing at the precursor's more than imposing form, however the intent behind the hermit's comment flies over her precursor's horns.

"We often prefer to sleep upwards whilst outside of our corridors, it is simply more convenient to-"

"He doesn't mean it like..simply lying down big guy..." Robin snorted,

"Is Ryley utilizing more trivial terms to be considered as slang..?" Al-an assessed, a yellow hue souring his biolights.

"What?! Human slang is awesome, and it's part of our culture." Ryley scowled.

"Your preference is biased towards familiarity, in reality saying what you mean promptly would ensure you receive the proper responses to your statements far more expediently." Al-an sniffed dismissively.

"God how do you live with him, he's like a fifty year old school teacher with menopause.." Ryley scowled glaring at her architect, Al-an on the other hand lost interest in him and moved to retrieve more pilfered cargo by the edge of the treeline.

The two had been bickering for the better part of the last ten minutes, and whilst there was little heated animosity behind it, neither male shed away from constantly attempting to drag the researcher into their non-existent battles.

Were guys always this whiny..? Or perhaps she was just tired, either way It didn't matter.. not really, Robin would listen to their silly banter any day over the brooding silence that choked the group earlier..

God the promise of the familiar security of the cool ship, has the researcher brimming with anxious homesickness, it has been only just shy of a week but it felt like months since she last walked the translucent halls doused in starlight.

She wanted to take a long rest, maybe bathe for an hour, then maybe then she could focus on the mess that had taken place here.

But just as things were looking up for the group and the time to move on was on the horizon, movement caught the resercher's attention, sharp chestnut eyes quickly snapped up to spot the odd red drone cautiously peering down at them from the atop the further ridges of the construct, it's gaze was heavy and the weight of it somehow held intelligence, it was as if Al-an himself was staring at her, seeing through her.

She had seen it many times throughout the ruins of the hive, always at the edge of her vision, always far out of reach, it didn't look like her drones or the ones from planet 4546B, but then again Al-an had explained that there were countless different series of the little sentient bots.

Curiously she set down the box of shards and slowly made her way over, it doesn't flee, not like it had prior, closer now Robin should see unlike her drones the legs of the large mechanical creature were reinforced with odd blade like protrusions, chipped and worn but still very much able to cause significant harm to a vulnerable human's flesh.

A shiver coursed up her back as she recalled fleeing from the mechanical beast.

"Why are you alone out here..?" Robin mumbled perplexed, a comment that was more to the researcher herself than the drone, but to her surprise it responded with a quiet mechanical chirping noise edging just subtly closer to the edge to gaze down at her.

It didn't seem as agitated as it had been within the hive where the hostile drone had lashed out slicing her hand, Still seemingly docile or not she remains weary, drones were fickle creatures and Robin wasn't a fool.

"Hey, Al-an! Come here a sec, that weird drone is back..i-i think it wants something.." Seconds after she calls out to the others, her eyes leaving it for a second the drone bristled, this was all the warning Robin had before the fickle drone launched itself down at her!

"Ah! Holy shi-'' Robin just had time to yelp before she and the large drone were bowled over, she feels its jagged legs desperately tearing at the fabric at her side and panics attempting to shove it off before it begins burrowing into her actual flesh!

But it was surprisingly heavy, and weighed almost as much that could rival a small child in weight, despite her best efforts she could not haul it off, luckily the drone was no longer interested in harming the pinned researcher, a fact she comes to realize soon as all at once it's weight was lifted off and away of her person.

"Robin! Are you alright?!" Ryley panted out of breath, and Robin looked up to see Al-an standing over her holding the rude struggling drone within his claws, it still clung to wads of her shredded up biosuit snared in its claws.

"Are you hurt Robin..?" Her architect inquired softly as he studied the odd little machine.

"No, I'm fine, just a little winded.."

"It was not seeking to harm you, it seems something in your possession may have piqued its interest, perhaps it's curious about something you're holding.." Al-an offered , showing her the drone, but carefully holding its jagged edged legs away from her.

"Thanks Ry" Robin huffed grabbing the hand offered to her and hauling herself up to assess the damage to her interplanetary gear, it had indeed torn the whole side of her suit but also the PDA's holster at her side, more likely than not this was the perpetrator's real target.

"Mmm only my..PDA? Here Set it down for a second, I'm going to scan it."

"Are you sure that's a good idea Robin?" Ryley warned cynically.

"It is no longer showing signs of aggression but please utilize caution Robin, it may still attack if you accidentally provoke it, if such occurrences take place i will neutralize it.."

"Okay, just let me-oh!" Immediately the drone crawled up to her, boldly reaching its bladed claws out in a silent plea, towards Robin's PDA, it was kind of cute, its hopeful insistence reminded the researcher of their little companions on the ship, and against her better judgment Robin surrendered the PDA to the large drone.

Unaware that this singular mistake may or may not have been the catalyst that set off a chain reaction that affected the fate of all of them.

The drone gently took the PDA with extreme caution as if it was afraid to damage the device, its sharp optic watching the researcher as it did.

Al-an tilted his head curiously as the drone contentedly examined the PDA then released a soft almost pleased sounding whirring noise, right before the thief suddenly darted away, beelining into the woods behind the hive's monoliths!

"HEY! W-WAIT THAT'S MINE!!!" Robin screeched, reaching for the space where the drone had once perched.

"Seriously Robin, What did you think would happen?! it literally tried to steal it off you the first time!" Ryley scowled.

"I don't know! Just shut up and get it! I need that!"

It was unlike chasing their little drones around the ship, carrying stolen slippers or pilfered socks, no tracking this beast was like chasing a fox with a rabbit clamped in its jaws.

No doubt the drone did not intend for them to follow it and even attempted to confuse them with feigned destinations, darting off path and hiding in the undergrowth, all the while clinging to the PDA as if it were a lifeline.

Everytime they assumed they cornered the little thief, the drone would slip away from their grasp seconds later, fleeing deeper and deeper into the lush maroon forest scattered around the hive, as beautiful as it was the utter lack of life gave it a melancholy and foreboding feeling..

One that persisted.

The further they chased the drone the more this feeling intensified within the researcher's chest..

Something felt wrong and when Al-an stops dead in his track's Robin's fears are only confirmed, as she halted besides her stricken architect.

Entangled in roots and overgrown Ivy rests a ship, seemingly wrecked from a clumsy crash landing, it seemed the ship had been left idle for a long time and was in the midst of being aggressively reclaimed by nature, its smooth familiar architecture coated in a thick layer of lush moss.

And yet...it was humming, ever so softly with energy.

Robin was too shocked to speak, but Ryley slowing to a stop beside her expressed her emotions perfectly.

"Holy shit.."

"Al-an..Wait..." Robin warned, still out of breath as her architect suddenly started down towards the crash site.

Raahs had told her they had come seeking aid, did they attempt to flee before meeting their untimely demise...?

Part of the ship was heavily damaged, the researcher couldn't tell if it was the result of the crash, or if the precursor's vessel had been shot down..she feared the latter...

"Robin you were right..they were here.." Al-an lamented taking in the devastation of the ship before them.

"Uh..heads up guys, we have company..." Ryley's warning has Robin's attention snapping up to the forest around them, finally taking note of the dozen or so drones creeping around foliage, many damaged and falling apart, others sporting mismatched limbs, others even seemed to be using what looked like bones as replacements.

They rippled with agitated hostility, chittering loudly as they scuttled about. Slowly Robin guided Ryley down the hillside towards Al-an who was watching them intently.

"Drones..i-i don't think they're too pleased to see us.." Robin breathed..

"Prepare to flee, these drones are not responding to suggestions.." Al-an suddenly warned flaring crimson as more of the large drones appeared from the forest, slowly flanking the trio.

"You can't call them off..?!" Robin asked tensely, pulling out her thermal blade just as the ship pulsed, rippling with weak maroon light before fading, and with it the drone's aggression faded much like the drones within the research base.

"They are already following a directive, one that takes precedence over my command, stay close to me..."

Al-an breathed worriedly wedging open the door and slipping inside, an anxious hue overtaking the once red glow of his biolights as he watched the lingering drones skitter away with purpose, within seconds they were alone and angry chittering of the mechanical beasts died into little more then the ambient creaking of the long abandoned ship..

"I feel like we just dodged a bullet.." Ryley muttered worriedly, glancing about the dark ship.

"They were definitely more pissed off than those guys on Adelphi.." Robin assessed warily, they were so hyped they almost attacked another architect...

"Could they not recognize you?" She asked, following him down the dark emerald hall, much like their ship, the walls coursed with energy, but just barely, flickering in and out like a dying bulb.

"It would not matter, they have been directed to use non discriminate aggression against any intruders..” Al-an revealed, before turning to address his human with words only for her.

“Their extreme directives may be the result of a vulnerable precursor hiding somewhere on this vessel, use caution, do not touch anything, there are active traces of the khaara bacteria on this ship." Al-an's warning set the hairs on the back of Robin's neck alight..

Chapter Text

RYLEY:

Inside the ship was a complete wreck, doorways torn clean from their frames, several walls looked to have been blasted clean through, debris was everywhere, he spotted a navigation terminal and a large familiar tank situated in what used to be a navigation wing, much like the one within their own ship but it's glasslike surface was smashed completely and devoid of it's healthy glow, the interface fairing no better with the glass of its smooth surface shattered...

Burns marred the walls, holes melted into the ship's chassis, as if cut with high frequency beams the place was wrecked and not from disuse.

However what made hermit stiffen with alarm was the unnerving amount of bones littering the derelict ship's cuirass, piles upon piles neatly situated by the drone's who's destroyed carapaces also decorated this mass grave..

"Is this the devastation we shielded them from..?" Al-an lamented despondently, taking in his surroundings with slowly amounting apprehension.

It was obvious a fight took place there and from the looks of it the inhabitants of this ship were fighting for their lives...a fight they seemingly lost.

"What happened here...?" Ryley frowned his throat feeling inexplicably dry, the signs of desperation were not unlike the raided survival pods he discovered back on 4546b, where the survivors of the stranded aurora fought tooth and nail against the assault of relentless warpers, the blood didn't need to be fresh for the hermit to recognise the ship was drenched in it..

Fuck he wished he still had his PDA.

"A culling..." Al-an clarified quietly, stopping to study the smashed tank, raising a claw but hesitating, the architect could not stifle the colors of his despair bleeding into his carapace..

"Ryley you should probably wait out here, I want to collect samples, and we're not one hundred percent certain how your proteins spread on Adelphi.." Robin broke the silence finally, her voice oddly neutral, as she took in the devastation around her.

"Yeah I can do that...I'll wait here, and uhh keep searching for the drone..." Ryley agreed bravely, but in truth he didn't want to be alone in there, not with the large drones all looking to him as if begging for help, aid in which he did not understand how to fulfill.

It felt suffocating, as if he was standing in an empty cemetery.

"We won't be far..just call me if you need us." Robin assured rushing after her distressed companion as he suddenly rushed deeper into the ship.

ROBIN:

In truth Robin had already spotted the large red drone, slipping away deeper into the ship with her PDA held firmly in its grasp, it all made sense now, the drone's initial hostility, the thief of her PDA...

It must have confused her PDA as an external storage medium!

Al-an's warning was beginning to set the poor woman's nerves alight, truth be told Robin was hardly prepared for this encounter and the nerve she had dredged up days prior had all but shriveled in the face of this impending encounter, an encounter they had little time to stall or prepare for as the drone's desperation may result in the architect's death if they didn't stop it.

Al-an had strictly warned her to keep her device away from the tank as such an inadequate transference device would ultimately kill a precursor attempting to preserve themself within it!

And this was no different.

The ship around her was familiar but still very much different then the one they called home, mainly that most of it was empty of personal belongings, even in its destruction the simplicity of it all gave a sterile feel to it, like sitting within a clinic, or laboratory.

"Was it wise to leave him behind..?" Al-an asked running his claw over a streak of energy traveling through the ship, oddly enough despite the unstable energy originating from the ship, very little inside was actually powered..which was odd.

It was like it was being siphoned elsewhere around the planet..

"Probably not, but like I said I-HEY! there it is! Al-an we have to stop them, before they try to use my PDA!" Robin gasped as she spotted the troublesome drone slipping into a mostly caved in doorway.

Robin dashed in after it but had to quickly squeeze in under the fallen debris, while Al-an was left with little choice but to tear his way through the constructed way.

She just managed to pounce on the drone before it skittered away, chittering angrily as she crushed it's large body under her weight, the impact sending her PDA sliding across the floor, just as it chirped to life, its screen brightly flaring as a notification prompt sounds in a familiar female voice.

"New species acquired, error, system data insufficient, scan insufficient, please acquire biological data samples and submit them to available research nodes in the vicinity for further research."

Robin paused, her eyes frozen on the PDA as an unnerving wheezing hiss filled the silence, it was so close, too close, it made the hairs on the back of her neck rise as if something was idling right beside the once distracted researcher.

Robin jolted aside, scrambling back to put distance between her person and the source of the aggressive noise, quickly snatching up her PDA as she prepared to bolt for the exit, precursor or not Robin was not about to face off against a frightened and potentially dangerous alien..

Movement behind her has the researcher whipping around to see Al-an standing behind her, frozen in the doorway, but his gaze was not on her..

When her eyes finally drew over to finally face the other entity in the room, the will to flee was bled from her limbs as if she alone stood before a blackhole.

RYLEY:

Slowly Ryley shuffled through the debris, glancing around for the thief, his every step being mirrored by the now curious drones, their hostility seemingly having bled away completely.

They watched him imploringly, some even bringing him odd long striped bones as if trying to tell him what happened, oddly enough they seemed far more intelligent...perhaps more alive then the drones following subroutines on 4546B.

Minutes ticked by but Ryley found no sign of the particularly red rambunctious drone, what he did however notice was a large amount of the odd humming synthetic crystals littered around the place, noting the many of the drones seemed to be hoarding them there, continuously loading them into some odd contraption that reminded the engineer somewhat of a mini reactor..

Were they powering something with all that unstable energy..?

He wanted to examine it more thoroughly but easily noticed the drone's agitation increase the moment the hermit drifted towards it...

As docile as they were, they would not tolerate their guest's temperance. It was safer to wait and ask Al-an about it when they return...

ROBIN:

Again Robin finds herself jarred by how different precursors looked compared to Al-an, though it was still vary much an architect like him, they were much smaller, far more fragile looking, its horns curled dramatically downward looping up and back at the tip, they too shared the spines the deceased vessel sported and bowed legs similar, but unlike the dark colored carapace of its counterpart, this vessel's hide was mottled with elegant pale creams and beige splotches over an even lighter eggshell white carapace.

The erratic crimson colors ripping over its delicately colored vessel seemed to stain its flesh, seeping from the intricate engravings on its body and bleeding outward.

She had witnessed such a phenomenon from Al-an once before when her precursor had mistaken Ryley for a pirate and attacked him within their ship.

Luckily for Robin this unfamiliar architect was incapacitated, and quite literally pinned to some contraption in the ship's hull, by long spurs that seemed to be somehow fused into the back of the alien's neck..

It was obvious the panicked alien would have likely attacked the researcher much like Al-an had with Ryley, yet the restrained precursor's aggressive disposition subdued significantly once it finally took notice of the other precursor within the researcher's presence.

"Holy shit..Al-an...they're-" Robin stuttered taking in the alien before her, it was obvious they had been stuck there for a long time, no doubt suffering in their wounded state, their vessel decomposing around them as they were slowly consumed alive by the vibrant green grip of a familiar foe...

"They are infected, refrain from touching them Robin, while familiar..there is something..odd about this strain..it is tampered." Al-an cautioned, giving the dying precursor a wide girth, its destroyed face tracked him with exhausted but weary intrigue.

Oddly enough they seemed so much calmer now, exhausted but in some odd way satisfied despite the unfortunate state of their affected vessel.

Most of their vessel had rotted and long given way to the strain of the bacteria, leaving huge holes in their carapace, the greening synthetic flesh mutating into large spirals cradling vibrant green and orange cysts.

Their affliction, it looked so painful, how long had they been forgotten to endure like this...?

Despite the drone's diligence in keeping its oozing wounds clean, the whole area of the ship was covered in khaara, the architect itself festering with biological rot..

"I..i think it's stuck..W-what is that..?" Robin asked, looking at the painful looking contraption pinning the alien to the wall, several metal spurs seemed to be firmly embedded into the back of the precursor's neck and upper spine.

"That is a energy adapter, it is merged into their vessel, a direct result of prolonged attachment, in dire situations such technology can be utilized to siphon out large amounts of energy from our vessel, however such practices are very dangerous and often result in the decomposition of a precursor's physical vessel, and further to the conscious within, immediate replacement and rehabilitation are required, they must have not been able to power the ship after they were shot down by the omni-para..."

"They were shot out of the sky?!"

"It seems they attempted to flee this world, an escape that ultimately failed, their predicament was a last resort. One that also failed."

"There's so much sediment in here..." Robin assessed..

It was true the whole place was littered with it, piles similar to the decomposed dust Raah's body left behind, the Elisskat were there and more likely than not were quickly disposed of by the aggressive drones.

"This energy..it is their own, they are the one responsible for the malfunctioned terminals Robin.."

"The ship can interface with the planet..?"

"No, at least not not normally, it seems these Elisskat were tasked with redirecting the ship's energy siphon, and while they met their end fulfilling this demand, it seems they were successful in connecting them to the planet's drained power grids.."

"They hooked them up to the planet?! How are they still alive..?" Raahs had admitted they arrived ill, the fact that they couldn't power the ship alone said a lot for the state they were in, to be stuck like this for so long.."

Robin's question answers itself as the red drone still in the room with them starts to busy itself, loading more of the crystals into odd contraptions littered around them.

The two watched on in silence as the crimson energy surged through the countless tubes strewn throughout the room, eventually bleeding into the vessel which began twitching uncontrollably as if experiencing issue processing the sudden flood.

Huh...

"They're using nuclear energy.." Robin assessed her brows furrowing with worry.

"They were using her as a power source, in hopes of reactivating the barrier despite what state she was in, how cruel.." Al-an breathed, his voice heavy and forlorn staring up into the gaze of his dying kin, for a moment Al-an actually stepped forward his claws raising mindlessly as if he intended to attempt retching the metal contract from out of its neck, a action Robin quickly put a halt to by grabbing his outreached arm and guiding it away.

"Al-an don't, our vaccination may not work against this strain, they seem really sick, we might need to try several doses if we do try.." Robin warned sadly, Al-an paused to stare down at the hand on his armored arm then slowly lowered it.

"They are dying only the energy crystals are preserving their damaged consciousness, it is beyond comprehension that they were able to maintain this place as long as they had..." Al-an lamented, watching the architect as it watched the drone with fleeting lucidity.

"Well, We've found them now...at least they're safe, now we need to figure out how to safely get them off of there and back to the ship-" Robin began hopefully but her optimism was lost on her architect, which was fair given the state of this new acquaintance.

"Robin I do not believe we will be capable of saving this one, they are very unstable, they are likely to fade the moment we remove the adapter..I..i wish they had not been left to suffer, such an ordeal alone, we may have been foolish but I do not believe we deserved such a cruel existence." Al-an choked, a heart wrenchingly noise, the question was there yet her architect would not ask it.

Why..? Why had any of this happened..? Had they done something to deserve this dark fate..
all the questions there was no one to give a valid answer to.

"Hey, look at me, focus Al, they didn't okay big guy..?" Robin soothed firmly, guiding his face to her own, she needed him to focus, he needed to stay calm...because it was clear her architect was faltering.

His vessel was warm beneath her hands it always was, but even then she could feel the trembling overtaking her architect's vessel.

She had suspected it the first time she noticed it, his dismissal of the fallen vessel, but this desperate dissociation was quickly beginning to crack, fracturing at its seams, his resolve cripping around him slowly, he was running out of places to cram his despair before he started drowning beneath its surface.

Without thought she leaned in pressing her head against her dearest companion, a friend and constant she had perhaps unexpectedly fallen in love with..

Satisfied when his claw rises to cup her jaw in silent acknowledgement of her support, she pulls away instead pulling off her backpack and tossing it to her architect.

"Come on, we can't leave them here, give me the vaccine, I'll administer it..." Robin ordered stepping closer, as she pulled on a pair of protective gloves.

But as she stepped towards the now docile alien, suddenly the precursor's head snapped towards her, its jerky movements so abrupt Robin actually started, jolting back as she could practically feel its intense gaze roving over her.

A quiet groaning fills the room, like a muffled radio, but oddly enough it's anxious biolights settled into a soft emerald hue..

Al-an tilted his horns suddenly, the anxious mauve coloring his vessel tainted with yellow confusion.

"They are difficult to understand, it seems our languages have evolved, but I believe they are commanding us to abandon them and flee.." The incredulity tainting his voice leaves no confusion as to how ridiculous her architect thinks the it's command is.

"What?! You realize we can't do that right..?" Robin turned to stare up at the dying alien, hoping that it understood that they were there to help, to help free that and take them to safety.

Yet even if they had, this precursor was already content knowing their part was played and finally, finally their suffering vigil was over.

"ROBIN LOOK AWAY!" Al-an suddenly hissed, Robin just barely processed her architect's warning as she noted the crimson light of the precursor's vessel dim before she tore her eyes away, sparing herself from the thralling pulse of light.

However when she peeked out again not only was the dying vessel alight, but the ship around them was aglow as well.

"A-Al-an what the hells going on?" Robin had to yell over the deafening sound of the old ship creaking violently to life.

"They are reclaiming the energy dispersed over Marighettis!" Al-an warned pulling Robin away as the precursor began to blaze an ominous crimson hue, as if its seeping vessel could hardly contain the nuclear energy it was rapidly absorbing.

Robin finds herself yanked into Al-an's arms as her architect suddenly pulls her close to as the technology around them begins imploding, unable to withstand the rapid surge of energy flowing through it.

Somewhere outside the room Ryley yelped in alarm but the hermit's cry was quickly drowned out by the deafening sound of crunching metal and shattering glass as the ship continued to quake around them.

All the while the architect before them began to flare brighter and brighter and until Robin could hardly look at the blinding sight before them.

She could hear Al-an hurriedly speaking, a language not for her but the architect before them, attempting to calm them, desperately trying to communicate with the only living kin he's encountered in a thousand years.

It sounded almost like a song, but also radiowaves and words, many languages all at once.

But her architect receives no reply to his efforts, and not seconds later the energy crammed within the faltering architect's body explodes, the force of energy's initial eruption was strong enough to throw both architect and human back, but most was somehow diverted not throughout the ship, but erupting into the evening sky above, tearing through the ship's hull as if it were mere cardboard, and into the stars like a bright beacon of crimson light.

Robin felt Al-an position his vessel further over her, shielding her from the dangerous debris whipping around the room, the researcher herself was forced to cover her ears to dull the painfully loud cacophony of destruction around them.

But moments later everything fell deathly silent, It was all over within a second but the evidence lingered, the beam of light, it left a tear in the sky, a light cat's claw in the heavens, like a scar in the very veil of space...

All at once everything died around them, not only the ship but the lingering power creeping through the veins of the abandoned planet, drained and dispersed, the unheard humm of energy silenced, leaving their surroundings ominously quiet.

Marighettis was truely dead now...

Robin felt Al-an shift, uncurling from his protective position over her to hurriedly check her over, even as she cleared the dust from her legs the researcher could feel the panic radiating off her architect.

"Robin, are you alright..?" Al-an started but Robin was quick to assure him, diverting attention to more pressing matters.

"I'm fine! What about the architect?! Go check, I need to ensure Ryley is safe!" Robin scrambled up to see the room around them smoking, already drones were cleaning up the debris.

God she hoped Ryley was alright...

AL-AN:

Seconds ticked by as he watched Robin dash away from his side, anxiety pinching her features as she rushed to ensure the well being of Ryley, around him the ship was still rippling with negative energy, the pungent smell of khaara and burnt synthetic flesh contaminated the air stinging his senses.

A pained wheeze begged him to recall the task at hand, to assess his the state of his foolish dying kin, they..she was fading as rapidly as she lost blood, her common vessel untrained to withstand the harsh repercussions of the bacterium or even long term space travel.

He does not hesitate to return to her side, watching as she frantically attempts to dislodge herself, the panic of her impending doom finally settling in.

And devolving into hysteria...

He does not fault her for this instinctual panic, she is quite young despite her extraneously long imprisonment and not yet desensitized to such dire situations.

They are in pain, writhing and spasming, the implosion tore her vessel apart in its wake, yet despite this his specie's resilience robbed her of a mercifully swift dispatch.

Al-an hesitates and then steps forward, the sickeningly sweet smell of khaara sends his mind into hysterics, and yet he reaches up to touch his contagious kin.

Her frantic attempts to pull away, to spare him her affliction only make his claws tighten.

His every being aches to soothe her suffering, but there is no network to translate his intent, their voices, thoughts, emotions incompatible within a millinia's gap of evolution...

Silenced.

Selfishly he wishes Robin had not left his side, perhaps she would offer a more logical solution to aiding his kin opposed to the remedy her architect instinctually decided on...

ROBIN:

"Ryley!?" Robin called, her worried inquiry quickly answered by a muffled.

"Here!"

Robin darted out and into the navigation corridors, looking around frantically until she spotted the hermit, half covered in rubble and bones, but very much awake and seemingly not sporting any substantial injuries.

Around him the helpful drones busied themselves clearing the debris off man.

"Are you okay?!"

"Yeah, just sore, Robin what the hell happened in there?!"

"We found..one.." The researcher explains distractedly checking over the man for wounds.

"Found what exactly...? Where's Al-an?" Ryley asked more than a little confused, his innocent inquiry reminding Robin that she had indeed left her architect to assess the likely dead precursor.

"Fuck, come on, no time to explain!" Robin cursed, grabbing the hermit's arms and dragging him along with her back to the hall.

There was an odd unnerving noise coming from the room, like a shrill shriek of terror.

Robin couldn't help but worry that the explosion had indeed not killed the poor architect and it was left suffering, burdened by the knowledge the they may have to put them out of their misery but quickly found herself speechless, pausing as the two stumbled into the room to spot Al-an standing before the sickly precursor, its terrified screeches were filling the room as it thrashed around frantically but ultimately unable to shake her architect's unyielding grip.

Al-an's claws held fast around its neck.

"HOLY SHIT!" Was all Ryley had time to gasp in terror before her architect suddenly jerked back violently, a loud wet crack filling the room as its shriek abruptly dwindled into a odd gurgling hiss that slowly fell silent as the light died from its twitching vessel, steaming infected magenta blood sprayed out like a decompressing vessel.

The caustic smoking blood stained her architect's vessel as he yanked back again until the fleshy synthetic and biological membranes tethering the head in his claws to the precursor's trapped vessel tore.

A heavy silence settled over the room, suffocating and filled with anxiety, it felt like it stretched on for what felt like forever yet it could only have been a matter of seconds as the architect hesitated, anxiously studying the severed head in his claws.

"Al-an..? What have you done..?" Robin stammered, uncertain of what to do.

"I-I believe i have a plan..." Al-an explained as a full body shiver overtook his vessel, but Robin could easily hear that when her architect spoke his soft voice sounded confused and perhaps a little terrified, no doubt his actions were finally dawning on him.

Chapter Text

AL-AN:

The architect hesitated, his vessel prickled as he moved, a distraction the hyper vigilant alien's senses stuttered on, and with it a wave of apprehensive nausea coiled within his crawling vessel, still he does not drop his kin's cerebral medium..

"AL-AN! WAIT! WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR!? TELL US SO WE CAN HELP!" Robin yelled somewhere to his side, her muted footfalls chasing after him as her frantic architect rampaged through the ship, she sounded panicked and yet her voice was also desaturated, muffled, eons away from him, drowned out by the sounds of his own vessel struggling to filter the rapidly spreading infection from his failing system..

Around him the world was closing in, the once flooded lab turned into a the empty containment facility was shrinking by the second, it's cold sterile walls deteriorated diminished over the span of a millennium of disuse.

Its floors blemished with the colorful infectious blood of his caste...

His own infected blood.

No.

No...

No. It was not, his vessel was stable, there was no indication that he had contracted the bacteria again..

Robin had inoculated them both.

"AL-AN?!" Robin's worried voice blooms into color, sounding clear and unmuffled, and all at once the precursor finds his vessel back within the derelict ship, his kin's fading neuro conduit still trapped within his claws as he stood motionless heaving for air he didn't need, all the while his humans were anxiously awaiting information he was failing to provide.

Had he simply froze in the midst of his search...?

"We need an external storage medium, one should be here, I am experiencing..difficulties locating it.." He admitted quickly, he was too numb to feel the shame of his failure but recognised it all the same.

And yet to his confusion.

Despite only one truly familiar with the contraption in which Al-an had requested, both human's reaction were immediate, there was no questions only action, time was of the essence and he was failing them, had the precursor been in possession of a healthier headspace he would have noted the heavy weight of gratitude but also something deeper.

"Ryley, give me a hand here!" Robin's voice cuts through the haze fogging his mind, she's found it, of course she had, Robin was nothing if not dependable, she always has been...

In truth the medium was not hard to locate, it is more likely than not Al-an had overlooked it many times in his panicked state, Robin already aware of what such technology would look like spots it fairly quickly.

Mere seconds after her sharp eyes settled on the scuffed up alien construct, the researcher does not hesitate to snatch up one side of the heavy contraption and begin dragging it towards him with the hermit quickly grabbing the other end.

Both back off Immediately giving him space to work as the architect begins a process he was only vaguely experienced in, unlike the consciouses within Adelphi's storage medium, precautionary measures had not been adhered to and proper preparation to ensure the safety of his kin was not a viable option.

The likelihood of failure was dissuadingly high, but there was little else, if preservation efforts failed they would be lost.

Like so many others. A faded constellation stripped of its stars...

Carefully Al-an placed the conduit inside, hours drift on sluggishly as the architect meticulously works to preserve their conscious, a painstakingly slow and tense process, rearranging severed neuro pathways, those destroyed by his reckless strength and others consumed kharaa's hunger with the humming receptors of the awaiting medium, he does not hesitate to feed it the necessary energy to complete transference.

An impulse Robin would not appreciate but he found necessary...

The first attempt to synch fails, it is to be expected, as does the second..in fact it comes to Al-an as a surprise when the eleventh attempt sparks with a small diffuse of pale purple propulsion, the machine jolting to life for a fleeting thirty tense minutes before dejecting a metallic glowing cube.

A pale flickering light bobbing sluggishly within its translucent confines, weak, faint but preserved in completion..

It was done.

All at once he retracted his energy, sitting back on his haunches, taking a moment to attempt to sift through the painfully loud thoughts clogging his mind, they were deafening.

Existence was overwhelming..

The urge to simply lie down within the debris was appealing enough for consideration but logically Al-an knew they needed to get back, both Robin and Ryley needed to heal just as he did...

"It is done, transition successful, we need to bring them to the stabilization tank." Al-an announces numbly.

"Thank Sol, come on, it's almost dark out, we need to get back before we run into those things again." Robin ordered tensely, she was standing close but farther than her architect would have liked.

"I..i think i need a drink.." Ryley signed, running a shaky hand through his hair.

They managed to make it back to the ship before sunset however just barely, much of the supplies were forced to be left outside, abandoned until dawn provided safer conditions to sort through their new wares.

Not an ideal arrangement, but a necessary one, as there was too much to do inside, he needed to bring his kin to the tank and monit- Al-an's rampant thoughts halted abruptly when Robin suddenly took the lead.

"I'll take care of them, get to decontamination Quickly!" Robin snapped, rushing back to him with gloved hands the moment they returned to the ship, even through his dull distress he could feel her ire, his human was upset with him, this was acceptable as his actions were reckless and not even the precursor himself understood what provoked him to do what he had done.

Simply that it was necessary, he knew she was aware of how to enact the transference, and fully competent, after Adelphi, Al-an ensured the researcher would be well prepared to preserve any consciousness of his kind given the correct technology available to aid her, he did not doubt her capabilities..

And yet the architect still found himself reluctant to simply hand their wellbeing over to another, perhaps it was instinct, maybe force of habit.

Simply put Al-an did not want to leave this in the hands of another just yet, unfortunately that also meant the irrational bacteria covered architect was in his human's way.

Perhaps if he could persuade her to accept his aid..

"I have long been vaccinated Robin, it is probable that this strain is no match for your sister's efforts, please let me help, you have aided enough.." Al-an requested numbly.

Al-an needed to secure the safety of his kin, an impulse he was helpless to resist, he hoped Robin would pardon his unreliability in the face of recent events...

"NO! I SAID GO TO DECONTAMINATION! NOW!" She would not, her resistance did not irk him in the least, as Al-an was well aware her reluctance would be his own had their places been switched..

But this truth does put halt to the architect's insistence.

"Robin what if-" Al-an presses but Robin's stiff sigh brings pause to his worries, she looks angry but also tired, despite her exhaustion she was doing her part, in fact only the precursor himself was foolishly prolonging the inevitable.

"No Al-an, You're covered in blood and bacteria, and if we're being honest, I think you may be in shock, I'll handle the rest of it. Ryley please, take him to decontamination." Robin pointed out coldly, pilfering his kin right from his claws, an action his distracted state only gave opportunity to.

She ends the conversation by closing the doors, leaving the upset precursor and hermit outside the navigation wing.

"Yes ma'am! Come on Al-an she has this covered!" Ryley reassures awkwardly, walking down toward the room he himself had once been once cornered in for a physical.

"It shouldn't take too long..."

RYLEY:

Ryley was beyond relieved when Al-an began to slowly drift after him, Robin had shut them both out without confirmation that the trembling precursor would actually listen to him, he wasn't one hundred percent certain what he'd have done if Al-an rebelled..

But luckily the hermit didn't need to tell the architect where to go or even figure out how to initiate it, as the doorway closed the moment the precursor walked into the room preventing the hermit from following him any further, and sparing him from an awkward confrontation had he not.

Through the door Ryley could see thick white steam begin spilling slowly into the room, jets of emerald water spraying from vents in the ship's hull on the wall.

Al-an's vessel was still twitching uncomfortably though Ryley doubted it had anything to do with the admittedly powerful looking jets of sterilizing liquid, it persisted even as the upset precursor settled down stiffly beside a one of the unused work tables, littered with miscellaneous items and supplies, supplies that quickly found their way to the floor as the precursor suddenly recoiled only to lounge forward slammed his claw into the surface of the table so violently the metal dented, bending in under the duress.

He showed no immediate sign of pain, instead repeating the destructive action again and again each strike more furious than the last.

Ryley watched wondering if he needed to go alert the researcher, but fortunately the Al-an's temporal fury did not last long, the architect had only but so much energy to vent, and exhaustion insistently followed not far after his outburst.

The light bleeding out of his vessel sputtered and sparked violently before waning, Ryley could see the exact moment the rampaging architect's frustration subsided enough for his senses to return, the exhaustion, the flinch of painful recognition as his bloodied claw struck the already dented counter a final time.

Ryley watched on numbly, there was little he could do either way, he wasn't certain Al-an would accept his aid and even if he tried, the door would not open during decontamination, still he would likely need new bandages...

Once upon a time Ryley recalled hating the precursors for what happened to his crew, wishing they would at least know the painful consequences of their actions...

But now staring through the glass at the architect sitting pitifully amongst the mess his distress made, cradling his wounded claw, worried and distraught, Ryley felt no gratification; there was no sense justification, no satisfying rush of retribution...simply another creature struggling under the weight of lonely despair.

A feeling Ryley was all too familiar with as he found what remained of his crew, watched his only chance of escape leave him behind at the last minute, unable to breach the meteor storm, watched his gentle leviathan slip away.

When he was certain the distraught architect wasn't about to launch into another fit of rage, Ryley pulled away, slowly walking back to the navigation corridors.

His mind was flooded with questions, that alien it was undeniably some kind of a architect, one so severely afflicted with kharaa it's vessel had begun to deteriorate and rot from the inside out, it was one thing to see it infecting fish but another thing to see the bacterium reach such destructive levels in another sentient organism..

A fate that would have been Ryley's own had he failed...

They had saved it right..? Was that what Robin was doing with that cube she had taken from him..?

That storage medium? When the hermit first encountered the enigmatic duo both were equally hostile in their own way, Al-an misidentifying him as a intruder and Robin assuming he was an Alterra operative.

He distinctly remembers the odd cube very similar to the one the researcher had taken from Al-an laying beside her in the mud of that swamp..

A cube Robin was ready to kill him to reclaim...

Was it the spirit of some dead architect?! What the hell did they really intend on finding on Pettracore?!

-"You know this, we are not of their caste simply a tool for advancement, when your uselessness presents itself they will abandon you as they have me.."-

Panic surges through the uncertain hermit, as that rampant Elisskat's foreboding words echoed within the depths of his unease, Robin had said she'd explain to him what their goal was when she was ready, but she also told him that Al-an's species was extinct.

But he had just seen one..what if they didn't know?

That sickening sensation was weighing heavily on the hermit, the distinct feeling of being dragged along blind, he hated not knowing, contributing to some uncertain goal with little knowledge of what that goal really was...

They had nearly perished multiple times since they landed on this damned planet, at least he deserved to know what he was risking his life for..

But would they tell him..?

If they were the team that Robin claimed they were they would need to be transparent with what the end goal to this whole mission really was...

Ryley made up his mind he was going to ask for answers..but from who...? Ryley slides his weary hands down his face as his uncertainties run rampant.

"So..are you coming in or not..?" Ryley jolted, yanked from his thoughts only to realize the doors had slid open on their own, fuck he was so consumed by his worries he hadn't a clue how long he had been standing there!

"Yeah, just a little spaced, how'd it go..?" He pressed gently, noting the awkward second of hesitation in her answer, was it guilt or..?

"It...it was successful..where's Al-an..?"

"Decontamination..I didn't know that room could do that."

"This place is very versatile, oh..you're still bleeding..are you okay?" Robin noted the blood that had unceremoniously begun seeping from his nose.

Damn, he hoped it wouldn't be a permanent thing, however it was the least of his worries..

"Honestly. No, far from it, but I don't think there's anything we can do to change that. Al-an said I may need a physical or something.." Ryley admitted, breathing a nervous sigh.

Initially he hoped to glean a few answers about what was taking place from her, but it was not the time, Robin was clearly still upset, and visibly exhausted.

The way she heavily leaned against the terminal belied the researcher's fatigue.

"Looks like we made it back just in time..." Robin scoffed sarcastically, steel overtaking the sympathy once present in her features seconds prior as her gaze hardened into a glare as she watched the elongated creatures weave in and out of the dark forest.

Ryley couldn't help but notice the fatigue tugging at her body, Robin seemed tense even as the researcher's narrow eyes flickered over the dark meadows outside the ship.

"What are those things..?" Ryley puzzled aloud, a question not seeking an answer, but simply curiosity given voice.

But Robin answered anyway.

"We aren't really certain just yet, I have multiple samples I'm looking into, but it'll take time, whatever they are, I suspect they were brought here to help hunt down the Elisskat maybe some were left behind to weed out any stragglers they might've missed.." The researcher explained typing rapidly on a screen that resembled the smashed monitors long abandoned within the architect ruins.

Ryley chewed his lip, testing the metallic tang of his own blood.

"And that creature on the ship that the drones were guarding..? That was an architect wasn't it..?"

"...Yes it was."

"Shit...I thought Al-an was the last one..."

"I know, look Ryley...I'm going to try to explain all of this tomorrow, everything to the best of my ability, you deserve to know, but not tonight, there's a lot to take in and I have a lot to focus on. Okay?" Robin explained stiffly, while the researcher didn't sound like she was a fan of the idea, even she seemed to realize they couldn't keep leading him through space blind.

"Yeah...Tomorrow we can do that. In the meantime I think we should focus on recuperating, and getting ready to start on the reactor..how long will Al-an's decontamination last..?" Ryley asked, tilting his head towards the hallway.

"Five to six hours, there can't be any chance of the bacteria spreading on board, while the strain was divergent I tested a sample with the compound and it seemed much weaker than the strain once present on 4546B, decontaminating him shouldn't be an issue, still even if we are immune we can't risk tracking the bacteria to another place where it may take root, the results would be catastrophic." Robin sighed, her voice filled with resolve despite her clear displeasure.

"You don't need to tell me that, although I don't think Al-an is taking to his confinement too well." Ryley warned.

"What..?" Robin asked, a brow rising in confusion.

"Just watched him give one of those terminals a back massage that would not only end in a lawsuit but also first degree murder.."

"...He was pretty shaken, I'll talk to him when he gets out, for now there's little we can do, I have to wrap things up here."

"Is there anything I can do to help..?" It was a clear dismissal but as exhausted as the hermit felt, physically and emotionally Ryley didn't feel right just abandoning Robin to her own deviances.

Robin had been through hell in the last few days, and it was clear to both Ryley and her protective companion just how vulnerable the researcher had been, even now that she was cured, Ryley still felt the need to hover about..

He was used to supporting his team and it was his first instinct even if he felt out of place half the time.

Was he coddling her...? No he was simply being supportive, coddling was such an unpleasant term for worry..

Still much to the hermit's silent dismay Robin briskly shook her head as she chewed her lip guilty.

"Not really, I have this handled, you could get a shower and some sleep though, we're going to have to sort through most of that stuff tomorrow, ideally i'd like us all to be in the best shape for take off."

'You don't have to worry about me.'

Goes unsaid but not unheard and Ryley finds himself nodding with a sigh even as a frown tugs at his mouth.

"Sure, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." He wanted to ask how long she intended to stay up, but decided it was best to leave the researcher to her work, Robin would not take kindly to coddling... Even if it felt justified.

"Good night Ryley, and...thanks for your support, not just with the reactor but..out there in the field and on that ship. We're lucky you were here to help" Robin admits guiltily glancing up at the hermit with a look that made his chest twist with a sickening flutter, yet while warm her praise carried the weight of a heavy apology.

"Sure thing space girl, gotta look out for each other."

Ryley found himself nodding briskly as he slipped away and back out into the cool air of the empty hall.

To his surprise Paco was already waiting for him outside, the drone's little front arms raised up in eager request.

The little alien robot's blatant delight to his presence urged a smile to tug at the tired man's face, he could hardly recall drop kicking his little faithful companion.

If there was someone he could rely on it was Paco, honestly couldn't wait to introduce them to Sean paul...

Washing the dried blood and grime from his skin feels like it takes a lifetime, the warm water runs a pale crystalline green, he isn't certain what it is but he's certain it's some kind of decontamination procedure.

But holy hell does it burn cuts!

There's a scabbed over cut creeping up his arm, he has little clue where it came from but immediately deems himself lucky for not contracting wilt like Robin had, as for the puncture on the back of his neck, the hermit was surprised to find he could hardly find the entry point, merely a thin stinging scab.

His gills ache, raw as they were the first time he was forced to acclimate to Adelphi's caustic water, yet the odd frilly texture they had taken on recently had yet to change..

In the end, self care hardly felt worth the effort or time invested in ensuring he was clean, the hermit feels his body heavy and almost anxious for rest, he feels little distress when the doors slide open to reveal a bed in the midst of being evacuated by an alarming amount of drones.

At least he didn't have to clear them off, instead the hermit glances briskly about his room, dim and pleasantly familiar, in here it was warm and Ryley quickly found himself collapsing onto the bed, curling up under warm sheets, he distantly registers the welcome weight of Paco crawling up onto his back as he dozed off into a exhausted slumber.

ROBIN:

"The protein has failed.."

Weary eyes snap open as the poor researcher jolts awake from her nightmare, her sore back aching in protest as she shoves herself away from the terminal in her startled state, breath heaving and movements shaky, a cold sweat sheens her face, her anxiety was trying to overwhelm her.

But a quick but careful glance around her surroundings confirms that her nightmare was simply just that, fears brought to life by the stress plaguing the exhausted woman before she had finally passed out..

God so much had happened in the past week Robin still found herself reeling a bit, the apprehension of knowing how close they had stepped to the edge so many times..

When they had started this mission Robin had expected to find remains, similar to distressing memory of 1
the infected vessels cramped within that small containment room, or even a mass grave..

But when faced with the cruelty of kharaa, the researcher still found herself shaken by the reality of what they were facing, seeing what Sam had fought so hard to prevent from reaching the wrong hands, from sinking its festering teeth into earth.. it was...

It was terrifying.

Ryley had lived through that hell on 4546b and Al-an along with his caste had fallen to it when they failed to find a cure, she would be damned if she was going to let that happen to some place else.

A yawn interrupts her tumultuous and brooding thoughts, one Robin is quick to stifle in frustration, a glance out the window reveals a dim quiet dawn, still very dark, the pale blue sun's rays just barely peeking out over the horizon.

It seems she had fallen asleep against the terminal Al-an often idled beside when he was monitoring their surrounding space, she had only intended on resting her eyes a bit.

But in truth she has been so tired..

Beside her an unfamiliar tank sat humming with energy, within it the once dying precursor's consciousness drifted slowly within its confines, its luminous glow far dimmer than that of the others within the tank stationed not far from it.

It looked lonely and almost melancholy, but Robin had deliberately kept them apart.

She wasn't certain if placing them together was a good idea, so for the time being they were placed alone to stabilize, Al-an could handle transferring them if it was indeed acceptable.

But otherwise Robin wasn't taking any chances, not like she had on Adelphi..

Slowly the researcher moved to sit up only to flinch in pain as her arm gave a painful throb and nearly buckled under her weight, pain that traveled up the expanse of the researchers's shoulder echoing through her bones.

God she felt like shit, she should be resting right now, not just making due against a hard surface that only just barely reminded her of her architect..

But in truth Robin knew her weary mind was far too anxious to fall back to sleep right away, the day's events clung to her, a dark cloud reluctant to disperse.

Slowly she grabbed her PDA, relieved to find its heavy duty casing wasn't damaged despite the hubris it had been through, but just as quickly found herself setting it down seconds later with a sigh.

For sol's sake Robin could not put her weary mind to rest no matter what she tried to distract herself with! Mindless scrolling wasn't cutting it.

"Four AM..? ugh, still another two hours before Al-an's decontamination would be complete.." It was so early but she wanted to talk to him as soon as possible, she needed to know he was okay.

Ryley had mentioned her architect's outburst within containment before slipping away; she had never seen the deep rooted trauma she had witnessed today.

It occurs to her that Al-an seldom spoke of the time in between, only before the outbreak and his failure that led to it, was it simply that he did not wish to relive such painful memories..?

What did she expect, terrible things had taken place there, despite what people say time definitely does not heal all wounds..

It only provides creative ways for a mind to learn to cope with such inflictions, and a millennia of silent servitude is one hell of a therapist.

She needed to make sure he was okay, let him know they were here for him if he needed, but her architect would have to wait for a little bit longer.

Slowly the researcher stands up, noting the creatures still prowling through the shadowy fields outside the ship, ignorant to their presence but still unnerving to see, there would be no early start today, not until those invasive creatures left and it was safe to collect and sort the goods.

In the meantime Robin needed to kill time, coffee was second on her list, caffeine and before that a warm soothing shower to dull the ache in her body would definitely put her head in a better place.

"Hey Ry you still up...?" Robin called softly, raping her knuckles against his door, she wanted to offer him that cup of coffee Al-an had sabotaged for him almost a week prior.

The researcher wasn't really phased when the door slid open on its own accord to reveal the hermit's dark room, Ryley himself was huddled under his blankets, out cold but safely guarded by a mob of leering drones, perched all over the sleeping man, watching her curiously.

She wonders if he was aware of how possessive the little drones had become of him...

It was ironic really.

It was almost amusing how fond the little critters had become of the quirky hermit.

Robin guiltily idled watching him catch some much needed sleep for a while, sipping at her hot coffee, as much as she loved caffeine it wasn't having the effect she wanted, instead Robin only felt the sluggish drag of drowsiness.

Robin hardly noticed she had begun dozing against the metal door frame until her PDA chirps to life, its chipper ringtone announcing a distressingly early time of six- o - five AM...

Robin frowned at the intrusive noise...

But still the researcher perked up considerably as a soft click resonated throughout the quiet ship, her architect's decontamination was complete!

Carefully she slid the hermit's door closed sheepishly, she hadn't intended on invading the sleeping man's privacy but found herself lingering despite her intentions.

Slowly Robin made her way down the translucent starlet hall, watching the shadows creeping through the twisting trees across the thin elegant grass of the dark silvery fields around them.

The night flora speckled the dark, a soft luminous glow cutting through the early dawn's weak light.

Robin tried to imagine what it would have been like before the mass culling, no doubt it would have been peaceful..

Robin doesn't linger to contemplate the what ifs, instead the researcher pushes on until she reaches the room designated for decontamination.

"Al-an..?" Robin greeted softly, spotting the soft pale yellow biolights of her architect settled by the destroyed table, it looked as if the architect had attempted to bend it back together but failed and eventually gave up.

"The decontamination was successful.." Al-an announced softly as her architect slowly stood to turn to her, fidgeting his claws together anxiously, he still hadn't moved to go to her but instead watched her intently.

For a moment Robin was almost awed at ethereal beauty of the precursor before her.

"...Good, I studied a sample while your were quarantined it died pretty easily, as for the architect, I stored them sep-"

"Robin.. What I did, I didn't mean to, but my instincts told me it had to be done, I am hardly versed in such practices, it was dangerous and then I-" Al-an fretted, his apathetic facade fracturing as the dull biolights of his vessel began to blaze a from orange yellow to a red hue color, all the while he still poked sheepishly at the damaged table in which he destroyed.

"Calm down big guy, you don't need to apologize, I'm still mad but..i understand, you haven't healed yet that's worrisome.." Robin soothed, noticing her architect's claw was still bloodied, no doubt the explosive collar's wound reopened from his trading blows with the inanimate counter..

"I believe I experienced a moment of intense duress.." Al-an sulked guiltily, curling his claw closer to his thorax, only for Robin to seize his arm, to study the wound with furrowed brows.

She can feel his gaze on her, however her architect remains in his brooding silence as she pulls on medical gloves and begins to wrap it, hopefully it will heal faster now.

"We all experience blowouts Al-an it's ok, we'll take a look at it tomorrow." Robin brushed off as she clipped the end of the medical tape, satisfied with her handiwork, it was still worrisome that the self inflicted wound had only just begun to heal.

Al-an issues a soft trill of gratitude, yet the troubled disheartened yellow has not faded from his vessel.

"I was simply explaining the reasoning behind my reckless decision, not only did I jeopardize my vessel but the lives of Ryley and your own, had the compound failed I would have doomed all of us, for that I apologize..."

"Yeah, we're lucky it did... I don't think Ryley would take well to having kharaa again, not after everything he's been through..." Robin agrees pensively, she didn't want to think about the bleak alternatives right now, Sam's cure had worked.

"No, I expect he would not, my actions were selfish and reckless I realize this now, it will not happen agai-."

"Don't promise what you're uncertain of big guy... it worked so let's just leave it at that, their mind is safe and hopefully recovering...i'd need you to confirm that hypothesis though." Robin assured carefully, she was optimistic but she didn't want to jump to conclusions just yet..

"I will need to take assessment of everyone, you're still suffering from your contraction of wilt, and I suspect Ryley's minor hemorrhaging has yet to cease..." Al-an deflated almost sadly, it was apparent his emotions were still going wild.

"Yeah about him...I think it's time." Robin admitted with a troubled sigh, thinking back to the thinly veiled worried panic in the hermit's eyes..

"Time? For what Robin?" Al-an inquired with a slight tilt of his horns.

"To give him the truth, he deserves to know what he's getting into, about your kind, our search, everything.." Robin admitted pensively.

"He deserved to know long ago..." Al-an Agreed softly.

"You may think that, but you've also never dealt with an impulsive maniac onboard, look I didn't think things would turn out like this, but as it stands I don't want him risking his life without even knowing what it's for." She had made up her mind, no more secrets.

If they were going to do this, they would all need to be on the same page.

"The network seldom has such disagreements, when will you satisfy his curiosity..?"

"Tomorrow, it would have been after we left...ideally once he put the reactor together but... I think sooner rather than later." Robin sighs, beginning to slowly pace.

"You fear he will leave us.." Her architect assessed sympathetically.

"I mean yeah. I'd hope he'd stay but..I have my doubts, he's been through a lot, and...I still think he blames the precursors for what happened, I can't imagine he'd be thrilled to stick around risking his life to save them." Robin admitted rubbing at her temples, all this stress was giving her a migraine.

"Perhaps you are being far too pessimistic, even so If your human companion seeks to blame the one responsible for kharaa's temperance on 4546B I am right here, the network however is in every form innocent, the safety protocols enacted to ensure the planet's quarantine and the universe's safety was initiated as a direct result to my reckless decisions and failures, why must others suffer for it?" Her architect pointed out with cold resolution.

"Big guy, it's not that black and white.." Robin grimaced, mildly bemused by her architect's overly simple solution to an issue far more complicated.

"Emotions are as complex as they are confusing, they do not always abide by reason. I will conduct a physical assessment on the two of you tomorrow night after departure... I do not believe I am stable enough to perform efficiently at the moment." Al-an admitted softly.

"Are you still upset..?" Robin asked, her eyes sweeping over her fidgeting architect.

"...Yes, I believe so, my surroundings feel very loud, intrusive...it is an undesirable feeling, I...desire isolation." Al-an hissed softly, turning to gaze out the window towards the forest where they discovered the derelict ship.

He wanted to be alone...

"Oh.. I see, I guess I should put these away and get ready for bed, if you need me I'll be-" Robin began quickly collecting her first aid equipment assuming her architect needed space, Al-an still looked very agitated despite his calm demeanor.

But apparently the uncertain researcher was wrong in her assumption, her presence was not bothering her architect in the slightest, actually it was quite the opposite!

"Robin..? Where are you going?" Al-an's soft voice suddenly inquired the moment she turned to leave his presence, scarlet quickly intermingling with a vibrant yellow creeping over his chest and face as he suddenly flash stepped into the doorway before her.

His vessel was still wet, the water beading down the intricate engravings in his carapace made him look rather ethereal, Robin couldn't help the little skip her heat did involuntarily as he quickly closed the distance between them.

"...I assumed you wanted me to leave..?" Robin huffed looking anywhere but at the wet architect now plucking at her person, maybe she felt a little embarrassed and flustered not only because she misread his intent, but because deep down she took this supposed dismissal as rejection.

Irrationally, It stung in the stupidest of ways and instinctively Robin pulled away to guard her emotions over the silliest things...

Even if he was asking to be alone she shouldn't have assumed it was because he did not want her there...

Perhaps Al-an's emotions were not the only ones raw right now..

Al-an however had little objections in clarifying what he wanted, insecurity be damned..

And seconds later Robin found her hand ensnared, as her architect pressed his damp face against her wrist, his vessel pleasantly warm despite the dampness clinging to him.

Robin will never admit to the way her stomach flips as she watches evergreen chase her fingers as he guides her hand down towards his scarred neck..

There was just something about the intimacy of this action, instinctively Robin recognized the action meant more to him then it would to another human, and yet the weight of this little allowance was not lost on her.

Al-an was giving her something, something he would not allow so easily to anyone but her..

God lord why is her heart pounding so damn loudly?!

Breath Robin breath!

"Stay please? you are mistaken, your touch, your presence is something I've grown to enjoy, why would I reject it when i've craved it since we left the ship..." Al-an hissed, pressing her hand more firmly to the side of his neck, her frustrated architect's voice soft but also brimming with incredulity.

"I...you just seemed like you needed space, so i wasn't certain if it was okay to keep disturbing you, especially after...well sometimes people need alone time to clear their heads.." Robin scrambled to explain, her mind was a mess trying to focus on anything past his pulse bleeding into her hand..

"But why? Wouldn't you prefer the comfort of familiarity when forced to decipher inner turmoil?" Al-an inquired, his voice echoed with the despair of a thousand dimming stars, pervasive and hauntingly beautiful.

A perpetual state of solitude he wore bravely like a blanket, a blanket Robin would need to teach him to relinquish one day.

"Well yes...but in some cases space can help too, helps people settle down and reflect on their emotions, come to terms whatever is bothering them you know...?" Robin hummed quietly, an uncontrollable shudder overtaking the researcher's body as her architect's claw slid down up and down her forearms restlessly.

"I've experienced millennia of solitude to contemplate my mistakes.. Sometimes what we want isn't what we need..." Al-an huffed annoyedly, leaning closer in a silent demand for her affection.

Robin doesn't hold back the urge to hug him, they both needed it for a long time.

The pleased hum her indulgence earns her makes the researcher's heart thump painfully against her ribcage, a suffocating rush of emotions delays her response..

For a moment Robin finds herself in awe at her situation..

The ship around them, the superior lifeform before her, demanding her attention, the man sleeping in a pile of curious drones..

It felt like fate was paying a hefty debt once owed to them all...

"So I take it you don't want to be alone right now." Robin smiled fondly, her fingers sliding up to cup her precursor's pretty glowing face.

"This assessment is correct..." Al-an confirms with a pleased sigh, his claws once satisfied with her fingers on his face move down to hook under her thighs before Robin finds herself being lifted and carried.

"Your body is very fatigued, have you slept?..."

"A little.. I was sore so I took a shower, but the steam didn't help my case much.." Robin admitted hiding her head against his shoulder.

Her face wasn't red of course it wasn't, god she hated humans and their silly ability to get red in the face!

In truth Robin realizes fairly quickly that she didn't want to be alone either, and finds herself easily content to accompany her architect to the navigation wing to assess the newest addition to the ship.

Pleased to see the new conscious bobbing around the new tank sluggishly but with the undeniable air of curiosity, meanwhile the other three consciouses shoot around their tank energetically, emitting tiny but vibrant pulses of excited sage green.

They were so precious..

It was clearly a positive display, one that made the researcher's heart feel tight.

"Are they happy..?" Robin asked quietly against her architect's shoulder, even though she was ninety nine percent certain she knew the answer she wanted Al-an to clarify it, she wanted him to understand that there was still hope for his kind.

"They are experiencing euphoria...They sense another, though unfamiliar they are very intrigued, still I believe you were wise to quarantine them, they have been through an unfathomable ordeal, they will need time to acclimate to their new state of being." Al-an praised softly, watching them intently for a few moments before pulling away from the large tank and carrying Robin along.

All the while she could feel his claw entangled deliberately in her ebony hair.

She could feel the his exhaustion weighing heavily on his vessel, but even then her silly architect seems reluctant to set his human down, instead squirreling her away to the observatory, intent to study the odd crimson beacon cutting into the heavens, despite this the night sky was ablaze with colorful stars few obscured with the large planets that once eclipsed the Marighettis..

it was beautiful..

"What is it..?" Robin asked sleepily, as Al-an settled down beside her, a soft purr filling the room as she traced the plates of his metal spine.

"I am uncertain, but I suspect it to be a beacon of some sort.." Al-an speculates softly, his unwrapped claw rising to rub her sore shoulder, a feeling the researcher guiltily indulges in, she watches the early dawn through hazy eyes as sleep comes for the exhausted researcher much faster then she hoped resting against her architect as he stares curiously into the sky, the silent hum of his organic and synthetic organs functioning lulling her into a quiet restful sleep.

Robin wakes to a bright pale sky, Adelphi's harsh pink sun blazing brightly down on her, and for a moment the researcher is confused by the warm maroon sand surrounding her until she realizes it is simply the memory data projecting from the tracker, however the researcher realized all was not well fairly quickly.

Robin sits up sluggishly realizing that she was propped comfortably against four to five pillows instead of Al-an's side, had the situation been different she would have questioned where he got all of them from but as it stood there was far more pressing matters at hand.

"Al-an.. What's wrong..?" Robin asked, rubbing her eyes groggily, noting her architect standing in the center of the room studying the projected environment anxiously, rapidly shifting through the micro transmitters they planted prior to take off, obvious signs of worry painting his demeanor.

"Robin the velvet gliders are gone.." His words were filled with what Robin could only describe as distraught worry..

"What?! What about the micro transmitter we attached?!"

"It seems to have partially failed due to damage or deliberate tampering.." Al-an trilled, typing rabidly at the glass screen, the world around them shifts to an odd distorted environment, it takes Robin a moment to recognize this place was the warm cave Al-an had shown them prior, once filled with the soft winged creatures Ryley had named velvet gliders, now lay in various states of disarray.

There was no sign of the velvet gliders, but no blood or signs of a conflict or trauma within the den besides the thinly woven nests once littering the thick trees mostly damaged and seemingly abandoned.

Robin chewed her lip trying to make sense of what she was looking at when her architect spoke up again, it seemed this wasn't the only issue.

"This is only one of many peculiarities that have manifested since our absence, many of the transmitters have suffered a similar fate..." Al-an explained rapidly shifting through multiple areas of the warm planet, Robin quickly noted many were gone, save for the transmitter stationed on the beach and one abandoned in the now empty cave.

"That's odd, you don't think they migrated do you..?"

"I am skeptical, Adelphi's stringent weather cycles reach far over the planet, there is limited land...thus there is little escape from its effects, furthermore this cave seemed to be home of the colony for more than an extended time, I doubt they'd readily abandon it without reason..." Al-an trilled, frustration bleeding into his voice.

"Maybe something encroached on their territory, a predator or competing colony but that doesn't explain the other micro transmitters, I doubt your technology would all simultaneously malfunction like this..."

"It wouldn't...I will continue monitoring the situation for clues that may enlighten us to what took place. We cannot change the outcome, however we can observe it and learn." Al-an sighed sadly, pulling away from the console to pluck up the pillows she had been resting on and flash stepped away before the researcher could question their presence.

The researcher casts a final glance towards the waning beach around her, noting the water still remained pearlescent white.

They would need to keep monitoring it but Robin wasn't certain that would even be possible now with all these odd happenings..

But that would have to be later, for now the researcher kind of felt like shit, her stomach in particular not that she had much of an appetite, coffee on an empty stomach would do that to a person..

Quickly she left the maroon beach fading into the familiar ship's hallway, Robin spotted Al-an leaving his room but did not follow the architect as wandered into the docking bay.

Instead the groggy researcher shuffled towards kitchen corridors, reaching for the only lifeline that never let a girl down when she felt down, her coffee maker. Even as she loaded the carafe the smell of much needed caffeine was a reassurance.

It wouldn't settle her upset stomach but it was a start..

It seemed only Al-an was up, Ryley's room was still closed and many of the ship's soft lights dimmed despite how late In the day it was..

"Robin..?" Al-an's whimsical voice calls out to the groggy researcher.

She hears her architect wonder pass not once but three times seeking the researcher out but failing to notice her huddled beside her caffeine machine.

Mischievously she does not call to the confused architect, instead unhelpfully watches him with amusement as he wanders from observatory to the showers to her room.

Only flaring a sour yellow when he finally turned to spot her idling beside her coffee maker watching him with unveiled mirth.

"Thought you guys were supposed to superior predators or something.." The researcher teased cheekily, as her architect hurried to her side flustered but not unpleased to finally find the researcher.

His brisk but affectionate hug is more than welcome when she feels him nuzzle her braids but Robin is more pleased to feel that her architect is purring.

Despite their melancholy discovery that morning It was clear he was in a much healthier headspace..

"I also explained that my species have long since evolved past such primitive methods of obtaining sustenance, Robin." Al-an huffed with heatless exasperation, he was aware she was playing, but that didn't spare the researcher from her architect's cruelty.

All too soon he pulled away only to pause, stopping to gaze down at the researcher, a soft turquoise hue rippling over his vessel accompanied by a less then reassuring hiss filling the cold room.

"Still, such superior senses are useful in many cases...I believe you may want to consider utilizing your private corridors to assess your undergarments with haste.." Her architect warned matter of factly, reaching out a claw to simply trail it down her spine as he moved by.

A warning that had the researcher confused for a second before on cue a sickening cramp knots her stomach, realization has the researcher's eyes widening and her face flushing!

"Damn it!"

She can feel the douche's amused gloating leer trailing after her as she rushed out of the kitchen and to her room to grab a sanitary napkin.

And a towel, she would need a warm shower to ease her nerves before facing the smarmy shrimp again.

She returns to find Al-an still idling in the kitchen two plates filled with contrastingly overcooked and under cooked foods of various kinds on the table.

He never seemed to get better at this...

"Are you hungry..?" Robin asked curiously, even if he was Robin highly doubted he'd eat so much, as it stood he was usually rather particular about ensuring the meals he offered were balanced but Robin noticed today Al-an had prepared a mostly meat heavy dish.

"One is for Ryley, the two of you are exhibiting signs of mild anemia." Her architect revealed softly, before pausing to glare down at her previously abandoned and now cold mug of black coffee..

He seemed to contemplate it for a moment before plucking it up warily and turning back to the researcher who was watching him with narrow eyes.

"Will you be finishing this..?"

"Depends, are you going to try to drink it if I don't..?" Robin scowled, glaring her innocent alien companion down.

"No. I will not." Al-an assured rather quickly with an unimpressed sniff.

He looked somewhat intrigued despite his immediate rejection but the memory of his first folly with the substance must have been far too fresh for her silly precursor.

"Good, I was just testing you big guy, make sure you learned your lesson." Robin snorted, snagging the mug from him to reheat.

Also placing the hermit's plate inside the heater as she went, it was nice to see they had progressed to the point Al-an had actually cooked him something as well!

She hoped their relationship would continue to develop positively.

Idly she follows her architect into the navigation room, watching as he studies both glowing tanks circling them until he is satisfied with their stable states, to which Al-an begins busying himself making logs, endless strings of data, notes and hypotheses.

She almost assumes he has forgotten she was there until her architect suddenly speaks up, a pleased hue dancing up his spine.

"We are also known to test others around us...I've tested you many times without your knowledge Robin." Al-an admitted shamelessly, was he still contemplating her comment about the coffee..?

"Oh yeah? So what are the results? Did I pass..?" Robin asked intrigued, moving to sit beside her architect curiously watching him, type alien inscriptions into the screen.

It was interesting to note he logged interesting aspects of their journey the same way she often did, though without a PDA.

Robin wondered if Al-an once had a PDA, designated solely to him and if so...what color would it have been..?

"No, you've failed eight-two out ninety-nine of these tests.." Al-an trilled quietly watching her intently.

"Oh damn, was I that bad or was it one of those weird alien things..?"

"The nature of these tests matter little now in the face of failure Robin, they cannot be retaken, however this is just as acceptable as I've relinquished to you a soft pass..." Al-an trilled lowly with what could only be described as amusement.

Without tearing his gaze away from the screen her architect reaches out a claw to brush the side of her face, sliding down to eventually rest against her throat, all the while evergreen ripples danced up and down his stupid pretty spine.

"I'll have you know your species was overzealous with its 'tests'" Robin huffed flustering...

"Perhaps we were..Robin..?"

"Sup big guy..?"

"I think I should return to the ship.."

"What?! But what about the kharaa running rampant in there? You just got decontaminated Al..."

"Yes, but it is imperative I collect data of the ship's previous coordinates and destroy what remains not only of the afflicted vessel but also any functioning technology left within it." Al-an trills resolutely, she recalls him performing similar procedures on his home world.

"It is my duty.." Al-an intoned grimly.

"I take it you mean alone then.." Robin frowned recognizing his deliberate usage of 'I', more so it was only realistic to understand that they would only slow him down if they did try to accompany him.

"Yes, alone.. If what Raahs told you was accurate and not deceit, those irresponsible for all of this will likely return to investigate sooner than later, there is little left to obscure the ship's location now it will be found, and with it precursor technology."

"Damn it..how long will you need?" Robin pressed sternly, she wasn't happy but she understood..

"It should not be long, I will not linger longer than necessary." Al-an insured picking up a decontamination probe, he looked about as anxious as she felt.

"When do you plan on leaving..?"

"Immediately, I wanted to inform you of my intentions before I departed. you may begin examining the resources however we may end up simply taking it all, what is unnecessary may be utilized as fuel or reduced into raw materials if we can find nonuse for it."

We'll have it packed and ready to go before you get back."

"Thank you Robin.."

"Al-an..?"

"Yes Robin..?"

"Be careful okay..? And if anything happens come right back!" Robin pressed, she knew it wasn't going to be far but knew anything could happen..

"Of course..." Her architect assured, flaring a soft sage green, a brave hue that slowly bled into a dim crimson as the drop doors opened to reveal the blue waning rays of a late afternoon.

"If you encounter any lifeform that is not me or Ryley, retreat to the ship and do not leave its confines, it will be able to shelter you if need be. I want you here...safe when I return.." Al-an emphasized almost possesively, pausing his departure to brisky press his eyeless face against the researcher's temple.

"Safety protocols. Rodger, now hurry back so we can get out of here, ideally before the sun sets.." Robin agreed curtly despite his affection, she hated that she slept in so late but easily realized they all needed that time to recuperate, but as it stood the pale blue sun had already reached its peak in the sky.

She watches her architect slip away, vanishing into the trees with sinking apprehension, a feeling that something was very wrong but they wouldn't discover what until there was no choice but to brace for impact...

RYLEY:

The smell of coffee is a welcome distraction from the hermit's haunting dreams, for hours he was plagued by flooding halls, rotting architect corpses and violence, painful, painful violence..

The baleful cry of warpers beneath depthless leagues wake Ryley to the feeling of Paco tapping his face, a cold sweat shining his face, the hermit was tangled in his sheets hanging halfway off the bed.

Had he been attempting to swim..?

Carefully he untangled his poor little companion, swept up in the mess of sheets as well, placing them safely on his shoulder as he straightened his bed out, but only after he had to yank the hanging tip out from under the bed.

A feat more difficult than one would think, given the legion of heathens hiding under there, it seems they had a taste for tug o war...

He could practically feel them yanking back in unison...

Damn pests...why couldn't they all be like Paco?!

A cool shower helps him forget the sting of the distressingly real feeling dream, and the hermit finds himself hurrying out into the hallway, quietly hoping Robin had generously spared a cup of coffee for him.

He was still tired but as it was, sleep was not an option for the man still prickling with anxiety from his nightmare.

Ryley had come to know that Al-an was capable more then capable extreme violence despite his more then reserved disposition but that nightmare...the feeling of unabridged terror as his arm was yanked clean from his body, the feeling of claws slicing onto his flesh as he was pinned down...

Ryley jumped torn from the grips of his nightmare as the ship's auto ventilation kicked into gear, an automatic process that was quite common.

He noted the decontamination corridor was empty but there was no sign of Robin's companion, he does however find the researcher herself in the hallway.

"Ryley! How was your sleep..?"

"Fuck, did I sleep the whole morning away..?"

"Mmm well, We all got a late start but who's counting?" Robin admitted.

"Where's Al-an..?" Rey asked curiously.

"He wanted to reevaluate that ship we found, and neutralize any traces left behind." Robin explained grimacing in discomfort as she peeled a once maroon crystal away from her arm.

They were no longer bleeding, crystals themselves seemed to be diminishing in color and..drying out?

That was the only way the hermit could describe them, whatever the case he was simply glad they found cure before worse came to worse..

"He went alone..?"

"He's stronger than you think."

"I never said he was weak, I'm just worried, with all those things out there.." Ryley pouted, eyeing her coffee mug.

"For Al-an or..?" Robin asked coyly, a inquiry Ryley did not humor, instead his scowl is lost on her as she hurries to her room returning seconds later with her PDA and scanner in hand

"..."

"Breakfast is on the heater, and there's still coffee left!" Robin announced, she seemed to be preparing to leave the ship as well.

Ryley would have asked but the topic of coffee incited much excitement from the poor man.

"Coffee! Thank god!"

Look years of nothing but burnt grain water would do that to a person.

"Sweet caffeine, eat up, then suit up, we need to run a preliminary assessment of the stash we left outside."

"Is it safe to leave now..? Those things were everywhere last night."

"They all fled once the sun rose, they may be nocturnal or only used to subterranean environments. Whichever the case they are gone for now" Robin hypothesized.

"Still wait for me, I'll finish up quick!" Ryley grabbed the coffee, grateful that the liquid was no longer scalding, and quickly reached for the plate only to hesitate furrowing his brows at the odd dish...

"Sure, take your time."

"Robin, a lot of this is..really rare..." Fuck some of he it looked raw but he wasn't trying to be rude.

"Al-an made it, yeah he's...still learning, says we need to up our hemoglobin.." Robin explained, giving the hermit an apologetic glance.

"Hemo-what now..?"

"Nevermind, I can cook it some more if you want it's not going to offend him or anything he just sometimes does it" Robin offered, pilfering his plate before he could answer.

"He's never cooked for me before.." Ryley pointed out eyeing the food warily when the researcher returned, placing it back before him most definitely cooked now.

"I know.." Robin agreed almost warmly, her tone having the hermit glancing up at her curiously.

She seemed to be far more relaxed then the night prior, and already restless, Ryley gulped his coffee not wanting to hold them back.

"Thanks! How are you feeling..?'

"Eat up, we can talk as we scan, there's some hours of sunlight, but I'd rather not idle here any longer then we have to..." Robin admitted before leaving the kitchen.

"What hell is this?! It looks like some alien plunger.."

"It might be some kind of weapon, stop playing with it!"

"Sorry sorry...so these guys collected anything of value, so long as it was important..?" Ryley mused curiously.

"Yeah, something about significant value, could have been a bottle cap, would be equal to gold if someone cared enough for it.." Robin confirmed seemingly lost in her thoughts.

"Even sex toys..?" The hermit laughs arching an eyebrow.

"What." Robin scowled.

"You're not going to convince me that some poor sucker didn't end up getting conned out of their bed buddy." Ryley snorted sarcastically.

"...well maybe, yeah that's pretty plausible." Robin allowed with a light laugh.

"What do you think they'd have taken from you..?" Ryley asked sobering up a lot more.

"I don't know, maybe my coffee maker.."

"I doubt it, I think I'm pretty certain what they'd have taken from Al-an.."

"Oh..?"

"Have you seen the way his gears shift when you're not there to distract him..? Seems pretty dependent on you."

"...hm that's fair, he's been alone for a long time, a century is a pretty long time- oh!" Robin exclaimed distractedly, picking up a dust covered canister, its center translucent allowing both researcher and hermit to see what looked to be a large obsidian rock resting inside.

It looked just about as interesting as everything else save for the fact that it was clear this artifact was of precursor origins and oddly enough the canister was obnoxiously sealed by several glowing locks all requiring precursor tablets of multiple colors.

Whatever was inside was not to be taken lightly...

"W-shat is this..?" Robin murmured, staring intently at the odd canister with a look of revelation Ryley did not understand..

"Hm..looks like a meteorite, set it aside and we can get it dusted off and scanned." Ryley surmised unable to make heads or tails of what the odd stone was, collecting more oddly shaped tools of unknown origins

"Maybe we can get Al-an to unlock it for further study..." Robin wondered aloud, He noted that the researcher studied the object a little longer before carefully setting it down.

There was a lot of junk, but junk that once held value, at least enough to attract the attention of an emotion thirsty pirate..

It was sad in some way, it almost felt as if they were robbing a grave, which was technically on the nose, still much of what they needed was indeed there, alien fuel cells and many other fuel rich resources Ryley could utilize, it was like the Elisskat had plucked their needs from their minds before they even landed.

Only when the PDA scanner began to read endless informational errors did the duo give up on scanning and begin loading the stash into the ship's cargo bay, a feat they quickly realized was unnecessary as the moment they opened the hatch multiple drones set to work rapidly diminishing the hoard around them.

And they were not too welcoming to interference either, if Ryley's shoe had any say in the matter, he had been jabbed indignantly multiple times!

By now the sun was setting and there was still no sign of Al-an, so with little left to do but wait, Ryley busied himself wandering around the ship, peeking in empty store rooms, he deliberately avoided the greenhouse with its odd plants, it always made him feel like he was intruding..Al-ans domain when he stepped in there..

Sooner or later the hermit found himself back in the navigation wing waiting around with Robin, who was clearly becoming anxious as well..

Speaking of anxious, those odd lights were freaking out, the large tank had been a blaze with lime green all morning, the hermit could only suspect it had been due to the new tank's manifestations.

"Are these really Al-an's emotions..?" Ryley asked, staring into the bright tank only for his pale eyes to cut to the researcher when her admittance stuns him.

"No..they aren't." Robin replied immediately as if she could already sense the hermit's brimming curiosity.

"Oh..then..?" Ryley asked, watching the lights float joyously around, it was a lot easier to examine when there wasn't a big pissy leering alien guarding it...

Robin grimaced ruefully, her lips twisting downward as she contemplated her answer.

"They are the remnants of precursor minds, essentially their consciousness can be salvaged from their vessel for a short time after they die, if done right and the right equipment is available." Robin explained cooly, her explanation made sense as that was exactly what Al-an har done right in front of them..

Still Robin's confession confirmed a lot, about the tank, their journey..

"They're ghosts?! W-why didn't you tell me this sooner!?" Holy shit, there was more, she lied, all this time.

It would be a lie to say the reality of his situation did not sting...like hell, he himself had concealed his mutations from them, still the elisskat's words still rang fresh in his memory.

"Because I don't take risks." Robin shot back coldly, before sighing as she ran a weary hand through her hair.

"You have to understand how much is on the line here Ryley, what could be lost if things go wayside.."

"Lost..? Wait..You're trying to revive them..?" Ryley's mind was reeling, as much as he wanted to remain calm panic was still creeping its way into his voice.

"Something like that..look, I'm not willing to let anything or anyone interfere with our goal here." Robin states plain and simple.

When the hermit fails to reply the researcher sighs sadly.

"I'm sorry Ryley I didn't explain this all sooner, hell, I should have told you long ago, but as it stands I'd still hope that you'd consider st-whoah!"

Robin's explanation is drowned out by a sudden deafening rumble, one that shook the whole ship, violently jostling the hermit and the researcher!

"Shit! What the hell was that..?!" Ryley exclaimed his hand shooting out to grab onto a glowing terminal to steady himself just as the loud rumbling noise returned again the violent vibrations tearing through the ship.

And then everything fell silent.

Too silent.

"Shit! Definitely nothing good." Robin grunted, rushing to sweep her hands over the face of the terminal beside the hermit, around them the ship's sturdy hull fell away, but only visually, the lack of walls revealing a peaceful blue sunset, slowly vanishing behind elegant pale grass dusted fields.

Whatever it was, there was no sign of it now.

ROBIN:

There was a tense moment as Robin scanned the fields, her pulse thumping in her ears as she searched for the source of the sudden disturbance.

She wasn't foolish enough to assume it was a hallucination, Ryley felt it too damn it!

"D-does it..suddenly feel colder to you..?" Ryley suddenly asked rubbing his webbed hands together, and for the first time Robin noticed that the hermit was indeed correct, the temperature had dropped drastically, so rapidly the ship's equilibrium sensors had yet to respond to the major temperature imbalance.

In fact she could see the frost of their own breath, puffing up in soft translucent clouds around them, a call back to the unforgiving temperatures of planet 4546B...

Quickly she looked out over their surroundings again, closer now, her eyes narrowing as she spotted the tell tale signs of frost creeping over the thin stringy ferns.

"The field, it's frozen.." Robin's whispered perplexed.

"Shit..we need to leave and soon.." Ryley worried, beginning to pace around the room.

"We should be fine, the ship's cloaking device is active, we shouldn't be detectable unless we're actively moving-"

As if on cue, the ship suddenly powered on, warmth flooding in through vents as the thermal system triggered at the same time, but this wasn't simply a protocol to heat the ship's interior.

The engines began humming in preparation for take off!

Soft magenta lights race through the ship's interior, only to flare crimson seconds later as the ship begins to rise!

"WE'RE TAKING OFF?!" Ryley just had time to shout before something odd happened, the tank filled with the three consciouses flared a deep defiant yellow and the ship promptly fell.

Before they could respond the ship lifted again, only to shut off seconds later.

The tank blazed agitatedly again, colorful light washing over the researcher and Ryley, an odd noise like muffled radio waves filled the ship's intercoms, a warning, something or someone was speaking but not in a language they understood...

"What's wrong with them..? That sound...it sounds like warpers.." Ryley unnerved, the hermit's tight steadying grip was all that stopped the researcher from getting thrown to the floor amidst the violent, yet invisible tug of war taking place.

Again the ship stubbornly powers up, it's engine humming to life as it began to rise in preparation of departure, only to make a odd wheeze as just seconds after the power abruptly shut off again, the ship dropping ungracefully against the mossy frost dusted ground once again, jostling both researcher and hermit inside.

The tank blazed again, an anxious crimson rippling over its surface as the consciouses inside whipped around in erratic yet determined unison, only to blaze again as the ship again attempted to depart on its own accord only to fail seconds short of take off for the fifth time.

Suddenly the tank flares a bright white, and the ship shuts off, seemingly shifting back into its cloaked dormant position.

Robin's eyes widened as realization dawned on her, the consciouses were aborting the take of sequences, canceling out a command directing the ship to leave.

A command only Al-an could have sent...

Something was wrong, very wrong.

Fuck it, they weren't waiting any longer, Robin was going to go bring him back.

AL-AN:

Inside the derelict ship was dark, not in a way that hindered the anxious architect's advance vision, but in a way that he intimately the felt void left behind by the absence of his dying kin, the was he right to deny them death when he could not promise them a peaceful existence..?

His uncertainty only further distresses the architect, instead he rejects such musings, turning his attention to the wreckage around him; there were still many drones wandering aimlessly, without goals to lead them.

Without a charge to tend to..

Al-an wondered if Robin would be pleased if he were to assign these drones to their ship as well, there was no longer any purpose for them here, there were many uses for drones in the past...none in which he could think of other then his human's insistence on their wellbeing despite original their temporal purposes..

A simple suggestion has the large robots flooding into ship's store rooms, idling even as the precursor released the decontamination prob, a prob that promptly exploded, filling the ship, it would have to do so as long as he was careful..

Slowly he set to work initiating the ship's defabrication mechanism, dismayed to find while functional it was heavily damaged, it would need time to ignite..

Still it would give him time to investigate the ship logs, slowly Al-an steps over debris carefully, his eyes narrowing, a sickening tightness burning within his vessel as he stepped over another pile of Elisskat remains.

Had they forsaken this troublesome species a millennium ago would his kin have suffered the bleak fate they faced..?

Were the precursors foolish to help them..?

Was this contempt he was experiencing..? Perhaps he would voice these confusing emotions to Robin.

The architect sighs despondently, more Inquiries with no answers, he tries again to puzzle why his human agreed to help them..but such conversations were for later.

Still without the matriarch's aid his human would undoubtedly have perished, even now he can see Robin's fragile body struggling to mend the wounds of the savage fungus.

The parasites she was carrying were of little consequence at the moment, and thus an issue to be reassessed later.

A great loss narrowly avoided..

Death, for Al-an it was something to be avoided, but in time it would come to eventually claim Robin realistically Al-an acknowledged this bleak truth but it wouldn't be now..and not tomorrow.

Her loss would be a scar on his existence, a stain he would willingly brandish.

The architect ripples a malencholly hue, his biolights projecting his unspoken sorrow, in a moment of clarity he realizes that he wants to return to the ship..a sickeningly intense pull ushering him to familiarity, he wanted to dote on his human, perhaps ease her discomfort regarding her simple yet scientifically complex bodily functions, watch her sleep and hypothesize what dreamscapes she's found herself in..

But such indulgent tranquility would have to wait, until they were free from this dead world..

Al-an set to work with renewed vigor, but much to his frustration, most of the terminals there were deliberately sabotaged, wiped clean of all of its data, save for disjointed coordinates found scattered within smashed data banks..

All tablets were meticulously destroyed, leaving little clues as to what terrible events took place there, and no sign of what that beacon was.

It was almost as if they were hiding their technology from something capable of utilizing it.

A worrisome hypothesis.

Al-an puzzled this as he watched the decontaminated drones make off into the woods in the direction of the ship, he hoped their presence did not alarm his humans too much.

With a sigh of defeat Al-an began preparing to leave.

There was little to be found there but Al-an idled awaiting defabrication procedures to initiate, a responsibility he would not shirk no matter how homesick the poor precursor felt...

But then he felt it, a loud rumbling resonance accompanied by a magnetic field of negative energy, a large shadow overhead blocks out the sun's light as it ominously drifted over the dense coiling forest..

"A ship..." Al-an assessed tensely, noting the dramatic drop in temperature around him, was it passively terraforming its surroundings..?

He also recalls the frost covered flora surrounding the tanks in what once used to be a peaceful botanical sanctuary...

The precursor stands motionless, watching as the ship manifests again to repeat its odd scanning behavior...

It was looking for something, a glance towards the beacon informs Al-an that his position has already been compromised.

Suddenly the ship dropped down out of the sky at lightspeed, the sound of snapping trees and splintered wood shattered the silence as the ship practically bulldozed its way into the forest.

And then Al-an heard the distinct sound of a depressurization mechanism coming to life..

A lifeform was disembarking.

It was at this point the precursor deduced its obvious destination, whatever this creature was it was coming to investigate the ship he was in.

The architect found himself uncertain of the outcome this encounter would bring but if it originated from the species that invaded Marighttis and killed his kin it would not end well.

In fact, much like the elusive creature once stalking them through the citadel's halls, its species matters little; if the opportunity presented itself, Al-an would eradicate it.

His thoughts drifted back to Robin's demand regarding Alterra operatives..is this the fear she felt...?

But first, he needed to ensure that Robin and Ryley made it out no matter what, he was not ignorant to the fact that his species were not easily felled, Al-an himself may not survive this encounter.

Hence why the uncertain architect takes drastic measures, resolutely a command to depart immediately without him.

He gave little thought to the consciouses stationed within the tank, ignorant to the fact that collectively they too held sway on this consensus, and unfortunately they did not appreciate such drastic measures without consensus..

RYLEY:

"Ryley! Change of plans.." Robin decides on the spot, her words bringing in a sickening wave of apprehension to the hermit's stomach even before she finished giving reckless thought voice.

"No. We're not going out there.." He realizes the mistake in his words the second they leave his mouth and the researcher nodes sternly.

"'We' aren't, I need you to stay here in case something happens, I need to go bring him back, more of us would likely draw attention to whatever that was."

"WHAT you haven't even recovered yet, hell if I'm letting you go out there alone! That's the fastest speed run to getting killed!" Ryley snapped.

"Someone has to stay behind, ideally someone who can defend the ship if something happens, we still have the sunlight and the coast is clear, i know the way, worst comes to pass Al-an makes it back before i do and he has to come get me." Robin rebuffed immediately pulling on her utility belt.

"Did you not hear what just took place out there a second ago?! We don't know what that even was! It could be a god damn solar storm or something far wor -" She was insane if she thought that was nothing! And now she wanted to go out looking for Al-an alone!

"Ryley! We don't have time for this! We need to get out of here as fast as possible and I'm not leaving without him! Stay here, I know what I'm doing!" Her mind was already made up, Ryley could see it in the resolve intermingled with apprehension in her steely gaze.

"And what if neither of you come back..what then?" Ryley tried, but his question was met with the researcher's cold resolution..

"You leave without us Ryley, by any means necessary, I know this is hard but I need to make sure he's safe too.."

"No, fuck that im not leaving without you! just...just wait a second please?, I'm coming with you, just let me get suited up okay? Just five minutes!" Ryley pleaded backing away quickly, praying that his words made it through to the stubborn woman.

Unfortunately by the time the panicked hermit haphazardly pulled on his exo suit and transmuted a brand new flame torch the researcher was already gone.

Still Ryley rushes outside the ship after her, in hopes that maybe he could catch sight of her only to be met with a quiet frost dusted field and an empty forest with no sign of the reckless researcher.

Did she really remember the way..?

Ryley hesitated, lowering the flame torch until it sagged against the damp grass, he wasn't fast enough, she was gone, the ship hangar left ajar in her wake, slowly Ryley sighed scanning the woods for any sign of what might have frightened Al-an into commanding them to take the ship and flee without him, but ultimately resigned to wait for the two's return when he finds nothing.

Outside again but alone was an unnerving experience to say the least, around him the forest was eerily silent but charged with an almost palpable sense of foreboding energy, every little disturbance of the grass sounded as loud as if a rock was striking stone, something was happening but not here..not where Ryley was stuck alone.

Suddenly the grass rustled, and within seconds the hermit had the torch aimed at the source, a defensive reflex more than anything as admittedly Ryley hardly knew how to shoot the damn thing.

Luckily he found himself dropping the heavy weapon almost immediately when he recognized the creature before him, huddled in the grass was a large den weaver, its pale thin fur matted with blood.

Something must have really frightened it, the poor thing was nearly convulsing, perhaps one of those aliens that attacked them that night had got to it..

This only made the hermit even more worried for the reckless researcher out alone, Robin had run head first into the woods with little more than a thermal knife, logically he should go after her but she explicitly stated he may be needed there...but how?

What good could he do there?!

Was idling outside even a good idea? What if they were attacked and needed backup?

Fuck he was getting too old for this..

Ryley felt indecisive, anxiety was making the hermit antsy, but he was already outside the ship so damn it that's where he was staying, though he didn't expect any fauna to stumble across the ship..

Especially not a wounded den weaver, what if the creature that attacked it eventually tracked it here...?

A frown tugged at the foolish man's lips..

Against his better judgment, Ryley stepped closer to the wounded creature, there was little threat, they were curious non-hostile fauna, what's the worst that could happen?

It's thin frame was covered in blood, an odd and familiar collar bit into its neck, the lower half its metallic mass crippled, sparking static and seeping gore from around where the metal dug into the weaver's throat, part of its face had also suffered the traumatic injury, the fur scoured from it's flesh, it sat frozen in the grass, panting as it watched him cautiously, weary in its weakened state...

Perhaps he should have the suffering creature put it out of its misery, but Ryley was an idiot with a soft heart for animals, and yes he hated himself for being so weak even as he lifted and hauled the bloody creature back onto the ship..

They will be pissed that he took wild fauna aboard without their explicit permission but he didn't plan on keeping it there long, and hopefully he should have at least enough time to clean the poor thing up before they returned and the ship departed..

And that collar biting into its throat, it seemed damaged enough that engineer might be able to safely dismantle it without setting it off like Robin and Al-an had prior..

Fuck were denweavers always this heavy..?

Chapter Text

ROBIN:

Robin ignores the insistent tug of guilt, nagging at her conscience for leaving Ryley behind, even if they couldn't return, Robin realized the same way the consciouses locked down the ship it was likely they could do the opposite as well.

If something were to happen, in reality Ryley was better suited to defend himself on the ship than she was, Robin's condition had weakened the researcher and more likely than not if they were invaded she would fall quite easily..

Robin pauses to listen to the woods around her over the deafening beat of her heart rate, a tense second traded to catch her breath, the frigid cold air burned her heaving lungs but the earth beneath her feet was still clinging to the warmth it had soaked up from hours of exposure to the sun's evening rays.

It was as if the whole area was flash frozen!

Around her the woods creaked eerily, frozen branches crunching like thin glass and frosted grass chimed, it felt like the forest was completely empty, every step echoing off the empty space.

Robin scans the woods cautiously as she slowly slinks through the trees, only pausing when she discovered a large swathe of destruction cutting straight into the heart of the forest, uprooted trees and a violently upturned forest floor littered its path, it looked as if a massive bulldozer had barraged it's way clean through.

As intrigued as Robin was, this discovery is swiftly dismissed in lieu of more pressing goals.

While the researcher did not explicitly follow the path of destruction, it becomes alarmingly apparent how close it was to the derelict ship.

Had Robin pressed her luck and recklessly investigated the path of wreckage, she'd have discovered the ominous ship idling, its frigid halls void of inhabitants.

Instead, she beelined for the downed precursor ship, intent on warning her architect of the possible anomaly that recently took place, unaware the ship now held two lifeforms..

"Al-an..?" Robin called softly, something felt off, like the scent of an unfamiliar visitor within your home, alarm bells sounded, screaming a silent warning within her head as she noted that the inside of the ship too was covered in frost as well, it should have been destroyed by now..

Slowly Robin cautiously ventured towards the navigation wing, hoping to find any sign of Al-an but only finding the disturbing limp corpse of the now headless vessel pinned to the ship's hull.

Okay..nothing in there.. Robin sighed in relief, she hadn't realized it but she had been holding her breath, apprehension was thick and the sharp woman could not shake the feeling that she was somehow in danger...

Maybe he already left before she arrived there..? What if perhaps she had overreacted and acted too soon..?

But still..

Robin turned prepared to head back towards the exit, almost relieved to leave the dark and oppressive ship, without life it felt almost foreboding, its walls cramped and claustrophobic despite its large size.

Perhaps it was simply the overwhelming sense of loss clinging to what was once a crew of alien's home...

The researcher could not shake the off feeling of apprehension suffocating her, malice was in the air and it was a relentless smog..

She was just about to leave the navigation wing when the researcher suddenly heard something fall over, things clattering to the floor as the sound of rapid footfalls rose from the opposite direction, undeniably rushing towards her location.

Had Al-an gone to investigate the observatory..?

But this thought is fleeting, and as the researcher hesitates staring at the closed doorway, a singular barrier between herself and what was out there, Robin realizes two things, Al-an despite his vessel's weight was deceptively light on his feet, four legs or not, one could hardly hear her architect's approach unless he was exhausted or playing.

And if this was Al-an he would have most definitely called out to her by now...

Whatever was coming right to her, Robin was confident as hell it was not Al-an or a precursor at all, a realization that sent a jolt of icy alarm up her spine as the researcher began quickly backing into the hall opposite of the observatory, quickly grabbing her PDA to silent the alert that she predicated was coming.

The screen already flashing, instructing her to scan the new entity with precaution.

Shit shit shit...

It sounded heavy, the closer it came the more she could feel its uneven footfalls.

Robin counted carefully measuring the distance between its gait, one-two skip one -two.. She could easily tell It was bipedal and definitely not a precursor...

Quickly she hurried down the hall, keeping her eyes on the doorway and shutting more behind her, anything to stall its approach.

Fortunately for Robin, familiar eyes were already on her, she didn't make it far before she was quickly snatched off her feet, a claw stifling her alarmed cry as the researcher was quickly dragged into the nearest storage closet just as the door from the opposite end of the corridor bursts open.

RYLEY:

The sound of metal hitting the steel floor of the hull echoes throughout the ship, a sound mostly ignored as the hermit sets to work prying the long metal spokes out of the weaver's throat.

Half way through this job Ryley was forced to accept the fact that it would not be an easy one, the explosives in the collar were not the only dangers within the cruel device, the inner ring was linked by unbendable bars, bars that pierced right into the victims neck..

"What sick fuck designed this piece of crap...?" Ryley grunted in disdain.

While Ryley was uncertain of the morbid design's purpose other then torture, it was clear that it was never intended to be removed from a live bearer, that said the hermit was forced to dismantle the damn thing while it was partially in its throat.

A feat that took far longer than the anxious man had initially assumed, after he pried out the last painful bar, hushing the creature's mournful bale, Ryley set to work cleaning the poor beast's damaged face, noting that while it had lost three of the narrow eyes speckling it's oddly flat face, there was no telltale sign of it's aggressor's claws or teeth, im fact while jagged the wound seemed to be more from blunt force trauma, it's jaw was seemingly dislocated in whatever scuffle the unfortunate creature found itself in...

"Shit, I'm sorry but you are not going to like this.." Ryley apologized, locking his arm around its head as he rested his other on its dislocated jaw.

Only cursing himself for forgetting to put in ear plugs as the ship was suddenly filled with the high pitched wail of the pained weaver.

AL-AN:

She was there, the dismay this realization invoked coated his system like tar.

Robin was there, yet he had little time for ire or to acknowledge the terror that surged through his vessel as her uncertain voice shattered the tense silence.

He acted quickly taking the opportunity to drag her to safety as soon as it presented itself.

Robin is silent now, and yet Al-an warns her anyways, his protective grip tightening as the sound of lumbering footfalls pass by.

"Hold your breath..." His quiet demand comes out in a tight hiss, despite this he knows she forgives him, but that doesn't change the fact that his body was already preparing for the aggressive encounter, his increasingly unstable temperament was proof of this.

Robin trembles in his hold, trying her best to adhere to his commend,
He knows she's frightened, he startled her, beneath his claw her heart beats almost as rapidly as his resting state, arteries pulsing adrenaline through her body.

It's loud, every sound in the vicinity is distracting, focus, it is intruding, Al-an's eyes narrow as his senses lock onto their unseen foe.

Robin's tight grip releases it's hold on his armored arm, her hand carefully sliding down to find his thigh to give him a quiet but firm pat, he almost doesn't notice until she does the action again more insistently.

It's only then he realizes the loud growling rising from his own vessel.

He spares his human a glance, she's staring at the doorway with wide worried eyes, alert and poised to act, he considers explaining the meaning of his abrupt actions with the ship but instead is forced to tighten his grip on the researcher as she involuntarily jolts and stiffens when a grating, loud clicking noise suddenly echoes through the ship right outside their hiding place.

It's sharp frequency is so intense he fears it may damage her eardrums, it is a warning, it knows they are here simply not where, Al-an is unfamiliar with it's speech and subsequently it's demands but quickly decides it's best not to engage this creature.

Not while Robin is with him and a far more vulnerable target, even if he were to attack the creature head on there was nothing ensuring an preferable outcome, if he died, there would be nothing standing between it and his human...

The thought made the edges of the worried architect's vision swim with fury, it would be best to avoid confrontation altogether and flee when the opportunity presents itself.

The precursors of this ship..stragglers of his network were overpowered, a feat not easily achieved, sick or not his kind were not easily felled, even Al-an in his final days on 4546B was still a formidable adversary, quarantined within the underwater sea base, the afflicted precursor managed to resist the aggressive assault of his own caste for hours before he was inevitably overwhelmed.

Against him Robin shutters silently, he can feel her body struggling to acclimate to the abruptly dropping temperature, the sweat once beading down her face had begun to freeze, idling there would not be a viable option for long.

Luckily they would not have to wait long...

Somewhere in the ship the distinct sound of the deconstructor's high pitch warning blares, it's an opening the architect had been desperately waiting for, perhaps their only chance...

"I'm going to open the door, but when I do, I need you to hold onto me as tightly as you can, you must not let go, losing your grip is not an option Robin." Al-an demanded as he listened to the sharp sound of something clicking against the steel floor...claws?

"I'm ready." Robin agreed steeling herself, she was anything if not resilient and yet Al-an worried, her limbs were cold and potentially numb but there was no time to take precautions as seconds after his human acknowledged his command a small explosion erupted ti the far left of the ship, a deceptively gentle prelude to the chaos that was about to take place.

Al-an listened carefully as the invader paused, a low clicking noise echoing throughout the halls as it calculated the direction of the noise, it didn't hesitate to boldly investigate the sound no doubt assuming to find it's previous target, a mistake that would fall into their favor.

He waits intently, a second, two, then three after the sounds of its presence fade before launching into action the second another explosion erupted from the reactor.

Shoving the door open to a ship alight in green flames, a bellowing wave a heat washed against them as Al-an beelined for a tear in the ship in Which they could escape, while he did his best to shield his human from the brunt of the flames, Robin's muffled gasp of startled pain easily informs the architect of his failure.

And yet the two were still lucky, amongst the sounds of melting metal and crackling crystals the ship was polluted with the deafening sounds of guttural shrieks, piercing and filled with agony, no doubt cries of the foolish invader now caught in the less than forgiving blast.

ROBIN:

When Al-an said hold on, in reality her architect meant 'lock your arms around me and pray you don't lose hold'.

And that's exactly what Robin did, throbbing fingers far too numb to properly hold anything with confidence Robin was forced to practically lock her arms around his neck, she didn't have time to right herself because the moment she clung to him she was equally clinging to the breath forced out of her lungs as she was thrown into what felt like a mini black hole.

A loud explosion deafened the rapid beat of her heart, and all at once the world around them explodes into heat, color and chaos, she can only dimly recognise the thick storage room door they had once hid behind careening across the floor as Al-an literally flash stepped through it, everything was suddenly aflame and smoldering, massive green flames were consuming everything, streaks of liquefied metal soaked the floor!

Holy shit the place was literally melting apart!

Robin thought in panic as wild flames bursts through what looked to have once been their moonpool, as fast as her architect was sprinting not even they were spared the fire's fury as the heat easily licked her shoulder, singeing through her protective gear and painfully scorching the soft flesh below!

An agony Robin was forced to swallow as Al-an desperately tried to pinpoint an escape route within the ship rapidly filling with chemical flames.

Amongst it all there was frantic shrieking, not one of simply pain but also a bellowing cry of fury, something was pissed off and it was heading right for them, which by many standards was surprisingly fast, managing to pinpoint them just as they reached the now flame engulfed tear in the hull.

Al-an hesitates, only for a breath of calculation, but it's enough for Robin to spot the hulking flaming mass barreling towards them.

It was massive, large metal claws tearing the hull as the creature charged toward them blindly just as Al-an flash stepped through the wall of flames!

For a moment Robin was disoriented, the ship was gone, the reddening smoke filled sky was rapidly darkening, and yet.. They were still on fire but Robin felt nothing at first, but then she heard Al-an's pained hiss, a sound quickly followed by an odd shattering noise, like glass shattering against a marble floor.

And all at once heat bloomed against her but was just as quickly doused as they slammed into rushing water.

Only then did Robin lose her grip, startled panic causing the researcher to break away, rushing towards the surface for the breath she didn't get a chance to take, but just before she reached the surface she felt claws seize her leg, violently yanking her back downwards as a large flaming mass breaks the water just above her destination.

For a breath Robin's eyes lock with blue as she sinks, she feels its cold intelligent intrigue and fury intermingle within it's pale gaze before the world around her distorts and suddenly she's gasping air as they break the surface for a momentary reprieve, only to get dragged in close by the her architect.

"Hold your breath."Al-an warned, before pulling her back down into the water the moment she gasped for air just as the surface world ignites in a flash of white, the water spares her the muted sound of devastation but is all too familiar with the explosion that took place on his homeworld and quickly understood Al-an's desperation to cover as much distance as possible..

When they rise, the poor researcher spends a good five minutes coughing, the frigid water hit her lungs like a punch in the chest, the salt burning her throat from their previously unprepared dive, she was forced to suffer as Al-an dragged her further downstream into the purified reservoir, for a moment she panicked, feeling the strong currents yanking them further and further away from the ship yet found herself unable to fight the unyielding grip anchoring her within rapids.

Al-an himself seemed content to allow the river to take them, holding her afloat and away from the jagged dangers of the perilous rapids but less focused on where they were being guided.

In reality her architect was rather spaced out for much of the trek...which worried her.

"Al-an! We're drifting too far! We'll never make it back in time!" Robin warned, surprised when Al-an immediately replied, and just how exhausted her architect sounded...

"It would be too dangerous to attempt to return to the ship as things are, not only will we be exposed and vulnerable, but we will also give away the ship and subsequently Ryley's location"

"What about the night beasts?!"

"We will hide, in the event that we encounter them, I will protect us." Al-an assured pulling her close as the two descend a small bank, it was nothing compared to the suicide jump they were forced to make days prior but the researcher still felt her stomach flip as gravity abruptly fell away.

They break the surface moments later to a peaceful but rapidly dimming evening sky, obscured by far reaching teal branches collide overhead, a canopy of pale oval shaped leaves.

The water was calmer there, its once anxious current now too weak to carry them any further.

A far cry from the flaming ship upstream...

"I no longer sense its presence, I believe it's safe to continue ashore." Al-an assessed and yet he didn't sound too confident.

"What.. What was that thing..?" Robin wheezed in between the vicious coughing fit seizing her lungs.

"... I am uncertain, it seems it was attracted by the beacon-"

"Are you okay?! There was this noise overhead, we weren't sure if it was something dangerous- i-i didn't think, i just needed.." Robin hesitated realizing she was rambling anxiously, her adrenaline was rapidly fading and the researcher was quickly falling prey to the shakey let down.

Al-an didn't answer immediately, instead Robin is privy to the tug of war between anxious orange and the fury of crimson rapidly rippling over his carapace, emotions just as quickly snuffed as her precursor released a tired sigh before turning to examine his shivering human.

"Robin..That creature was tracking you! Why were you there?! it was agreed that-'' Al-an hissed, his claws tangling in her hair as her anxious companion guided her face up to study it, tossing aside her melted helmet.

"I KNOW! I KNOW!" Robin soothed, her hands rising to still his own, noting that her architect was also trembling pretty badly..

Robin waited a breath, a moment to simply allow him to decompress and perhaps sooth her own nerves before speaking.

"I shouldn't have been there, and I'm sorry, I panicked.. but right now we need to get back to the ship Al-an, Ryley has no clue that something is lurking around! If it finds the ship I don't think it'll have a problem tearing i-'' Robin coughed, shivering against the unwelcome breeze, the water itself was lukewarm but the sudden odd drop in temperature in the area made windchill particularly cruel and unpleasant..

"We will discuss this later." Al-an deflats, a despondent sound, one that echoed her spent companion's exhaustion.

She needed to get him back to rest, a quick nap was not going to cut it, it was clear Al-an was worn thin and it was more apparent than ever he was reaching his limit.

"Fine, but for now let's get back." Robin agreed, this wasn't the time or place to quarrel. A few moments ago some unknown lifeform was chasing them down through a cramped ship, they needed to put as much space between them as possible all the while returning back!

Unfortunately her architect doesn't make it far, she can see something is wrong the moment he stepped out of the water after her, the way his lights sputter and waned as he staggered on unstable legs.

"Are you okay big guy..?"

"I..i believe so..i just require a moment of-" Al-an's strained voice deteriorates into a jumble of languages, none of which she was not familiar with enough to understand, in horror she watches her architect struggle against some unseen force before his vessel seemingly gives up on the poor precursor like a ship without fuel, she tries to slow his collapse but he's far too heavy only resulting in the researcher almost getting pulled down by his weight as well.

Al-an was out cold..

"Al-an?! I know you're tired, but this is the worst place you could have taken a nap!" Robin cried cupping a handful of water and splashing it on him, a futile attempt to rouse her architect.

Panic surged through the researcher as her eyes fluttered over his fallen form, a deafening cocktail of irrationality, anxiety and fear, shit he wasn't getting back up no matter how hard she tried to rouse the precursor, he wasn't dead he couldn't be!

Ryley had mentioned this had happened the day before..

Robin rested her head against his shoulder, trying to calm herself.

Yes.. it was simply a burn out, Robin told herself as her trembling fingers travel over his still warm vessel trying and failing to find her architect's pulse.

He was simply exhausted...had he even slept..? It wasn't uncommon for her architect to simply sit around busying himself as she slept at his side.

"AL-AN! Come on big guy! wake up!"

Robin desperately tried to rouse him and yet her architect remained unresponsive the lights along his vessel snuffed out, and yet instinctually Robin recognised her companion wasn't dead.

"Come on Al, you have to get up!!"

Had exhaustion finally won out, or was he simply getting worse..?

Raah's coy warning dances through her memory...

A screech has the researcher cutting her eyes towards the dark woods around her, adrenalin deafening her ears as she set to work grabbing his leg and dragging it from the water, moving his vessel was not a remotely plausible option.

When the precursor was actively resting his vessel became deadweight far too heavy for a human to possibly lift..

Al-an had once insisted that in such a situation he fully expected her to abandon him there and find shelter, a suggestion the panicked researcher found utterly obscene!

Again she tries to yank him from the shore but only manages to lift his back leg again before her muscles scream in pain and exhaustion.

Around her the forest was alive, more alive then she had ever heard the dead world before, it was practically singing...

Of course it was with her shitty luck..

Chittering and hisses, the impossibly loud rustle of grass, things were still alive out there and yet Robin doubted they belonged to the gentle world her architect had so proudly helped create.

It wouldn't be long before they found them, but how could he just expect her to cruelly leave him like this?!

Time had little grip on precursors but Robin had seen their mortality laid bare, and there was no way in hell she was leaving Al-an to die out there alone!

Suddenly a chilling baying rose above the forest, drowning out the disturbing symphony of life.

Then and there Robin makes a decision, she was not going to heed his foolish ideologies, Al-an meant well but her architect was not always right.

She was going to have to bury him...

Quickly Robin began to burrow into the sandy mud around them, there was no time to dolly, it was cold and frost was growing everywhere but thank Sol the soil was damp and surprisingly loose, giving away easily and she hastily shoved mounds of soil over her vulnerable companion.

RYLEY:

There… all cleaned up.

"Oh fucking hell...You look utterly ridiculous..." The hermit snorted, pulling the creature out of the decontamination wing, still half proud he was able to figure out how to get the ship mechanics to work! It was simpler than he first assumed!

But while its effects were predictably efficient it left his new litt-well... kind of large charge looking as if they had been stuck in a shipwash.

The sopping wet weaver issued a pitiful groan, it's surviving eyes staring up at the engineer miserably, only making the hermit laugh softly as he sped up his pace, despite his amusement at its expense Ryley didnt keep it waiting, quicky tossing a warm towel over the velvety creature and quickly drying it off..

He thought to make a makeshift bed for his little weaver guest but for the life of him, Ryley could not figure out where the store of pillows was located, he had seen Robin and even Al-an carrying multiple pillows on several occasions.

He would need to make some with the fabricator if he wanted them, but would wait until after he dealt with drying them off...

Studiously he ignores the anxiety stinging his scales, like salt in a wound, his mind kept dredging up memories of her terrified eyes, the look of finality..he should have left without the damn suit..

It would have been dangerous but at least she wouldn't be out there alone, he knew he was being irrational, but Ryley was both angry, and scared.

But mad at who? Al-an for bringing them there? Robin for throwing herself in the line of fire when she had just hardly survived the week prior, or himself for not going after her..?

His head was such a mess, what was he supposed to do now..?

Hours had passed and every creak and shutter had the poor man's heart jolting with terror and hope only to be crushed by disappointment seconds later.

Something had happened hours after that explosion, a flurry of motion, what Ryley suspected was some inclement weather anomaly revealed itself to be a black ship, it circled the area for hours, bleeding frost into the world below as it combed through the woods...

He tried to leave, unable to wait passively any longer, but found the ship would not respond to him..? at least not the hangar doors..

Ryley was locked inside, he had tried the interfaces and found while responsive they still would not activate the hanger...had Robin disabled the door..?

No because he easily left after her..but why now then..?

Ryley is jolted out of his troubled thoughts by the curious cry of the weaver still in his grasp, oh, he hardly realized he had fallen still in his ministrations, the still wet weaver watching him anxiously.

"Sorry little guy, it's been a long week.." Ryley muttered, unable to bring humor back to his lips..

He makes short work of drying it off, before hauling the beast into his room where he could keep it confined until Robin and Al-an returned, Paco was not pleased to meet her new bed mate and quicky bristled at the sight of it, but at least she didn't attack the poor creature like the other little drone heathens likely would have.

"You two get along, I'm going to go see if I can make some pillows, and maybe have another go at getting the door working again.

Ryley announced amused when Paco decided there wasn't enough living space to accommodate the two of them, this epiphany has the little drone scuttling off the bed and quickly to the hermit’s pant leg.

Its upraised arms are a clear request for attention and Ryley doesn't hesitate to allow the little feisty drone a lift...

"Keeping me company then..?" Ryley huffed amused as he kneeled to retrieve his faithful companion, Paco didn't hesitate to scurry its way up his arm to perch on his shoulder, to say he didn't feel like a proper space pirate would be giving the hermit too much credit.

The outside hall lights were dim, but brightened in response to his presence only to wane the moment the hermit passed by, at least it told him that there was indeed still energy.

Maybe it had something to do with the precursors within the tank?

Robin had only given him a rather abrupt and unsatisfactory explanation before shit went skyward, but from what he now knew, there were three..no four other alien entities aboard the ship, the ratio of two humans to one enigmatic alien was now a staggering five to two..

Ryley wasn't quite certain how that made him feel but it definitely wasn't at ease, while Al-an was anything if not dependable much of the architect's actions closely aligned with Robin's, on the other hand Ryley had encountered the precursor alone on a few occasions and found him..

Well..unnerving, Robin had claimed this was because Al-an was also uncomfortable and uncertain of how to interact, but Ryley had seen the precursor's dual nature at times, it was like the facade of humanity dropped away, leaving something ancient and cold...

He wasn't really sure about how he felt about the architect yet, there was a lot to still unpack, and as guilty as he felt admitting it to himself, Ryley wasn't certain he could deal with more of him..

ROBIN:

Droplets fell from the cloudy darkening sky, thunder rumbled in the distance, rain would make travel harder but as things stood Robin wasn't going anywhere...at least not until Al-an recovered and luckily the rain still held some warmth to it, the artificial cold plaguing the area had not seemed to taint the planet's weather systems.

Still it was unforgivingly cold, Robin's sore and bruised fingers were stiff and clammy, she was a fool who didn't even consider taking her thermal suit before running headfirst into danger..

Danger that was seemingly all around them, what Robin knew now to be a space vessel, had scoured the woods multiple times over the past two hours, sweeping over the nearby areas, showering the world below in misted chemicals, everything it touched frosted over..

Yet In it's haste the ship flew over the small human huddled beside the large mound of foliage and dirt without notice, panic always gave way to recklessness..

Robin knew this all too well..

This however was the least of their problems..

The sounds of life only grew more rambunctious as the last slivers of sunlight faded, Robin quickly found herself staring down a shadowy forest, thermal blade drawn but gripped with the inherent knowledge that the likelihood of her perishing out there was startlingly high.

She wasn't afraid, at least not for what would come, but what would be left behind..

A single human could not stand against the horrors of the night and hope for a miracle, yet she was content with her decision to stay with her vulnerable architect, decidedly not acknowledging what would come with dawn.

Robin would rather he be optimistic but she could not ignore the odds against her..

Her mind was a panicked mess of thoughts, on her surroundings, her worries, regrets...

Every snapped twig, fallen leaf, whispering breeze sounded so obnoxiously loud just moments ago..

What would Al-an wake to find..?

The anxious chittering around her has ceased..

Her remains scattered across the bank?! Would he blame himself when it was her choice alone..?

Why was it so quiet..?

Of course her architect would, Al-an would never forgive himself.

A cancerous stain on an existence ungoverned by time, a weed nestled in between the joints of an immortal engine, how long would he carry her?

Her memory, her loss, her grief..!?

Suddenly an odd shiver shot up the researcher's spine, goosebumps rapidly rising on her shoulders as she felt a soft but unnatural breeze ghost against the back of her neck, the researcher's eyes narrowed, the hilt on the blade tightening in numb fingers, In a moment of numb resolve Robin turns around to face the adversary behind her...

It's not the night beast she expected to find, no...the massive creature before her was so much worse..

It was so close to her, Robin could feel the heat radiating off it's slick black skin, and yet it stood motionless, as still as stone she may have walked by it without notice had it not been right up behind her, a massive splotch of vantablack against the backdrop of a dim and dreary forest.

Robin's heart thumps in her chest so hard it actually hurts as she stares back frozen in place, the way its long neck bent reminded her of a viper poised to strike, but the dramatic bend of its neck almost seemed as if the massive creature's head was upside down..

It was impossible to make out its true visage when its black skin seemed to swallow the scant rays of starlight escaping through rain filled clouds..

The air is so heavy, the weight of apprehension felt crippling but Robin remained still, her gaze unwavering, unwilling to give it an opening to strike, it would be foolish to show weakness, any wrong move could result in her death and that wasn't something she was keen on Al-an waking up too.

This stand off seems to stretch on for eternity, at least until the sound of a twig snapping shatters the tense silence and against her better judgment, Robin's eyes quickly cut to the side to see the familiar shape of a large night beast creeping up a tree not far off, it's many pale glowing eyes watched her with intrigue but equally seemed to think better then confront the lone human in the presence of a much larger adversary...

A muffled noise had the researcher's head snapping back to the creature before her only to stiffen, it had shifted closer, massive thick translucent claws rested on each side of her as it loomed over her..

At her hip the PDA's shrill and unwelcome voice reiterates its warning, a warning long too late.

"Detecting leviathan class lifeform in this region, proceed with caution. Error, Further system data required. Please scan with caution."

Instinctively her grip tightens on hilt of her thermal knife, simultaneously it's massive body shifted side to side, odd rhythmic yet jerky movement, so fast her eyes could hardly track it, she was subconsciously reminded of Al-an's ability to flash step and the echoes he left behind in his wake.

This odd movement ripples over it's pitch black body, rapid yet mesmerizing movement all around her, with muted alarm Robin realizes, that she was completely surrounded, by none other then it, obsidian coils weaved through the trees like veins, seemingly endless, there was no way to tell if they were whiskers, tentacles or simply a long serpentine tail.

Simply that it was all around her...

Slowly the creature's head tilts, Robin could feel it studying her, despite that what she assumed was its smooth head was devoid of any actual facial features or even eyes, yet she felt their intense scrutiny all the same.

It was only when the head began to peel apart layer by layer, blooming away from its mass like black flowering petals, that the researcher witnesses the oni para's glowing eyes, eight bright slits, glowing so brightly against the vanta black of its body they looked like twinkling stars on a clack canvas.

Above them a lipless fleshy maw of ungodly teeth, grinded together almost anxiously, the insides of the thick petal like layers of skin once shielding it's face rippled with dim light, a tell tale sign that the creature before her was not simply a shadowy nightmare cooked up by her hysteria.

It regarded her motionlessly, its eyes twitching subtly as it studied the shuddering human, pressing closer but stopping when Robin in response inadvertently raised her blade in warning.

"STAY BACK!!!" She demanded firmly hoping her confidence would ward it off, and to her surprise her guile did have the massive entity jerk back subtly, an eerie high pitched chattering noise rising up from the coils weaving through the roots around her, more odd glowing petal like plates rose up along the expense of its long neck..

Almost like a spooked cat..

Again it contemplated her, and then her blade...

It's pale irises restricted, shrinking into pulsating white dots on a black sclera, Robin felt something weird, an odd pressure in her mind, one that only grew in intensity until the researcher almost ended up dropping her blade as she doubled over in agony, holding her head against the violent onslaught of a migraine splintering her mind apart, it came all at once and was gone within mere seconds..

Robin had little time to regain her composure, or even question what the hell had it done to her, because suddenly the overwhelming onslaught on her mind subsided, and the beast before her did something the terrified researcher wasn't expecting..

"Are you here for us..?"

It spoke...

A quiet gentle yet grating voice so cold but somehow melancholy and haunted finally reaching the mind of one who could understand..

"N-no..?"

Robin hesitated, her eyes squinting in pained but weary confusion, she still had trouble deciphering the strange inquiry, hell comprehending this new development was a curveball on its own..

"You are not alone...or are you..?" Its eyes slide towards the mound, regarding it almost knowingly, Its words warped into each other, viscous thoughts sliding over her mind like cigarette smoke...

The language it spoke, it felt as if it was always there in her mind and yet Robin had never heard such a disturbing dialect a day in her life, her repulsed mind coiled away from the invasive voice.

Were all leviathans capable of all spea on some level..?

"No I'm.. I'm not." Robin deflects shortly, warily stepping back as its black mass coiled forward again, its massive head never stops oscillating, and yet every move she made, the dark beast mimicked in a way.

When she shifted it shifted in kind almost as if it was curiously testing her movements on its own body..

"Have you come to take us home..? or do you seek to end our existence once and for all..?" It's all speak was nothing gentle like Al-an's or Raah's, it's inquiries pierced into her mind like serrated shards of shrapnel, thin burning fractures of information her poor brain was just barely capable of processing.

Oddly enough communication also seemed to be on some level strenuous for it as well, the way its head tilted curiously from side to side as it contemplated her words, its eyes constricting and expanding not unlike a parrot testing out another creature's words...

"N-no, we are not here to hurt you or anyone else! We are trying to escape this place! Why have you come here..?" Robin winches as she asks, anything to distract it's pale blazing eyes from scrutinizing the blazingly obnoxious pile of mud and leaves hiding her vulnerable precursor.

"You are different, you speak, I am inquisitive.." Its reply was simple, as if this was to be expected...

"W-what do you want to know?" Robin allowed, perhaps she could appeal to its better nature, or at very best it would leave them be once its curiosity was satisfied..the point was as creepy as this thing was it didn't seem particularly hostile or aggressive.

Even if it had almost blown their heads off days prior..

But its questions weren't the easiest to answer, there was a language gap, one that was to be expected with interspecies communication, Robin often found herself increasingly confused as it pelted her with endless, seemingly nonsensical inquiries..

And yet something odd about the way it asks the last inquiry that makes the researcher's skin crawl.

Its pale eyes gleaming in the dark, was that hostility..?

"Is this your skin or another's..?" The confusing question gives the researcher pause, she was unable to make heads or tails of the odd inquiry.

"I-i'm sorry, but I don't understand what you're asking.." Robin hesitated, noting the ripple of energy that pulsed through the plates on its throat...

"What are you..?" It pressed, Robin flinched as a ripple of pain flared within her head, and for a moment the researcher's vision swayed, the dark forest distorting for a moment before refocusing.

Warmth bleeds down her face, Robin doesn't need to touch her face to recognize the nosebleed for what it was.

"I'm a human, I'm not not from this world..." Robin explained carefully..

"Nothing is...Nothing belongs here." It stated plainly, however the energy slowly drained from the petals on its throat, and Robin instinctually recognised that the immediate danger had passed...

"That's because this place was created by the precursors as means-" Robin started to explain but was quickly shut down.

"Lies...we stand in the film of the almanac's nest..."

"Almanac..? They are the sa-"

"A deaf colony, weak..soon they will be extinct like us." Suddenly its pale glowing irises dilated, pitch black scleras shrinking as they shifted down to regard the dirt once again with intrigue, and before Robin could even hope to dissuade it, a large tendril shot out raking through the mound exposing her architect's lifeless vessel to the night.

"But they are not extinct." It assesses almost curiously, the chattering noise never ceased.

"Wait! No! Stop!" Robin demanded, quickly forcing her way back before it.

"Why? Are you storing them to consume? You will die, many have, almanac are vindictive even in death." It stated simply, and it took a moment for Robin to realize it was warning her about her architect's blood...

"No! I'm not h-he's my friend..we are just passing through! we didn't mean to disturb you..just please let him be and we'll leave as soon as we can!."

"I've killed many of your friends. They are deaf..."

"Deaf..?"

"Yes. If you leave, I may kill you as well." It stated enigmatically, its declaration only confusing Robin..was it threatening them..?

"What w-why?!" Robin asked warily, the fact that this creature was actively looking to communicate with her was still mind boggling, Ryley had mentioned communicating with the emperor leviathan, a feat Al-an claimed was impossible for the precursors...

And while she believed the hermit Robin never considered it to be anything coherent like this...

The precursors there were deaf, meaning like Al-an they were unable to communicate with the levitation class entity before her.

"...you carry a poison, one to spread into another world, I care not, yet this place, my domain will cease very soon..if you leave I may kill you."

"W-why are you even here?!"

"To silence, to kill..it is my only face...you are being sought by wardens, they will kill your almanac." It warned simply, the long tassel like plates rippling at its neck.

"Shit.." Robin paused, noticing for the first time it too had a collar similar to the contraption that nearly blew Al-an's claw off, except this one was not broken...

"Come closer, I am still curious. What is earth like..?"

"It's-" Robin hesitated but was given little time to answer as she was immediately pelted with another eager inquiry.

"Is it gentle like this nest..?"

"No, this world the almanacs made to be gentle, to help the creatures they saved to acclimate and survive..."

"Then why did they allow poison to strip it..? Why did they not save us..?"

"They..they didn't know this would happen.." Robin explained quickly, trying to quail the contempt that suddenly washed over her...were these its emotions..?

"Would you save us..?" It inquires instead, choosing to ignore her explanation on the behalf of a species it seemingly cared little for.

"I-" Robin stammers unsure how to answer this almost desperate inquiry.

"Would you take us to earth..?" It pressed almost eagerly, its massive body shifting closer.

"I.." It had snatched up the mere thought of her home world and seemingly ran with it, Robin wasn't certain what it's sudden fixation on the planet was, but realistically speaking, there was no way in hell she would even consider the notion of bringing a creature capable of such destruction to her already dying home.

And it must have realized this as well, as it was rooting through her thoughts like a rabies infection consumes soft cerebral tissue.

"You won't save us..? Why not?" There was no contempt in this assessment, simply despondency, it coiled within her own chest confusingly, as if these emotions were her own..

"If you can read my mind, then you know why..earth it's in bad shape, there's a lot of conflict there, i can't imagine that would be safe for anyone involved..."

Robin paused as a loud deafening noise suddenly exploded overhead, a steak of blinding red manifests in the sky overhead, as a medium alien vessel streaks above the treetops, a rush of frigid air accompanied by red glowing search lights tore through the forest around them, the trees around them rippled and groaned dragged down on the vortex of suction left behind in the ship's wake.

"You are hunted..soon they will find you and the almanac here, dirt will not guise your friend.."

"They haven't found us yet, but that might change..we need to get back so we can leave.."

"If you leave I may kill you.." Anxiety struck the researcher so profoundly for the world Robin couldn't tell who's emotions it was she had felt..

The omni para's or her own...

Communing with this creature was like wading through sinking sand, the further she pushed the deeper she sank, once Al-an had warned her about the dangers of falling into the mindscape of a precursor's consciousness, as it stood Robin felt as if she was treading above a depthless blue hole, unaware of what drifted depths below..

And yet still she pushed trying to make it understand...

"We can't stay here! Look I understand you were put here but if we stay here we'll die.."

"I was not to spare lifeforms untethered, it is my purpose without purpose, nothing remains, what am i..?"

"Who put you here? Why did you shoot down those pre-almanacs..?!"

"Wardens, it is my directive, we too are trapped and so we trap others..they have kept us so long, on earth we could hide, disappear and fade.."

"On earth they would just hunt you down..it's not an option." Robin rebuffed quickly before anguish washed over her..and again it felt as if she were drowning.

"Then where..? Where do we hide..? I see no sanctuary.." Robin held her head as flashes of memories flooded her mind so violently, it felt as if someone had struck her head with a baseball bat, everything was so bright, a field of translucent lillies warm glades of flora spotted stone, deep pools pocked the oasis, pink clear water steaming from within, its edges stained yellow orange and blue with calcium.

It looked to have been a gentle paradise on some faraway world, and yet this thought, dream aspiration quickly deteriorates into the memory of a dry brittle wasteland, it's harsh stones once cushioned by blue moss and overgrown foliage was now withered bare and jagged..everything looked to be covered in glass...no.

Not glass but ice.

The beautiful garden world was suffocated under frigid ice...

In a flash Robin finds herself back in her own shoes gasping for breath, except she's on her back crushed by the claustrophobic grip of despair and desperation, teary eyes gazing blindly up into a canopy of lush leaves, the cold wind buffering against her sides, the ache in her numb fingers..

Would this be Marighettis's fate..?

Had their sanctuary become a living hell for all those who came there..?

Its overwhelming fears echo over her foggy brain as if they were her own, her vision begins to rapidly fade, a haze settles heavy on her body, much to Robin's distress she finds she simply could not get up, her body would not comply her thoughts refused to connect.

Holy shit, she could hardly twitch her damn fingers!

Everything was numb! And she was fading fast! not even the alarm that surges through her is able to take root while she witnesses the massive shadowy beast lurch forward, what she assumed was it's whole region split apart to reveal a black maw filled with translucent teeth, easily it plucked her architect's limp vessel from the soil lifting him as if he weighed nothing..

Dazedly her eyes drift back up to the pale stars, noting how brightly they reflect off the long scaled bodies of the creatures quickly surrounding her in its absence.

A musing thought washes over her mind..

Curious and indifferent..

"This failed nest has no fate, we are trapped on this precipice and so we will die on it, the almanac do not forgive... in that they are not unlike the wardens..but maybe you are not.."

RYLEY:

Slowly Ryley wandered into the translucent starwalk, consumed by his unsettled mind when the hermit came to a sudden halt as his eyes caught on the splash of vibrant yellow painting the dark field.

The sun has long set, painting Marighettis in thick shadows, but it wasn't anything compared to the blackout they were forced to traverse through days prior, and Ryley's narrowed eyes easily reflected what little light remained.

He saw the blood drenched field clear as day...

A moment then another passes before shock releases its grip on the hermit enough for him to even try to make sense of the carnage surrounding the ship.

"What the hell.."

So many corpses littered the field..

Familiar creatures that once haunted them through their first night there, now lie ravaged, many ruthlessly dismembered, other lay disemboweled, it looked as if a small war took place around the ship in the scent moments he allocated to washing the den weaver.

But how..?!

It hadn't been that long...had it?

To Ryley's surprise the culprits behind the slaughter were still casually loitering about, scuttling around on self assigned patrols around the ship, still defending the parameter..

Was this what would have happened to them had that ill precursor not called them off...

Drones, a good dozen of them, those who had once curiously brought the hermit bones, told him a story of loss without words, tended to a dying precursor now crept around a field littered in bloody remains, some even seemed to be...eating them..?

Ryley wasn't certain what the hell he was seeing, but quickly found himself questioning if it was really wise to try to open the ship with all of them out there..?

But what if they were trapped out there with those things..? Ryley chewed his lip.

Beside him Paco chirped pensively, watching it's larger cousin's crusade of blood and gore with what Ryley could only assume was intrigue..

Resolute the hermit turns towards the storage rooms, determination was not enough to dull his inner turmoil, but it sure as hell was enough to ensure the hermit's step did not falter as he quickly searched for a tool to pry the damn door from its frame..

But this plan doomed to fail is quickly forgotten when Ryley overhears a sound that damn near sends the hermit into a panic attack.

An unnervingly static sound,on that still haunted the hermit in the depths of his slumber, dragging him down stripping him of oxygen..

Warpers on the ship?!

No. It couldn't be...

But quickly the eerie noise quickly mutates into something more curious, a static voice.. Soft voices?

Ryley's eyes squint as he tries to decipher the nearly inaudible hisses of anxious whispers, he wasn't quite certain he even heard, it bled from within the comms Al-an often used to communicate while in other rooms.

Was someone else on the ship..?

AL-AN:

Distantly he hears his human's voice, desperately calling out to him, the unappealing taint of fear coloring her voice, he knows he needs to get up but he can't..

No matter how hard he tried couldn't..

And she wasn't leaving, hours ticked by and yet she remained with the precursor trapped within his own mind.

The later it gets the more rapidly her chances of survival dwindle; there was no logic behind this stupidity..

And then he senses it, slinking, coiling, creeping closer, yet he was to what it was.

His terror echoes off of him but is only projected back onto himself, his mind screamed for her to flee his side, to escape to safety..to survive.

Even as his mind sank deeper into nothingness her distraught architect's terror stings all the same..

What has he done..?

ROBIN:

Robin jolts awake to the shrill sound of screeching and a scuffle, flinching aside and back just in time to dodge a clawed foot landing right where here head would have been, confused and disoriented it takes a moment of the researcher shielding her sensitive eyes from the sun's bright rays for the world and simultaneously her booming headache to bloom into color, to hear the sound of trickling water through stone..

Above her was a canopy of thick vines and leaves, but the lush foliage was weaved together in a way they did not seem natural, haphazardly woven like a massive bird's nest...

There was also an odd putrid scent, one that had the researcher's nose scrunching up as she took stock of her surroundings.

Relief floods her as she spots the familiar teal and purple streaks of Al-an's vessel resting safely against pale white tendrils, tendrils that were seemingly everywhere like webbing fungus..

Her eyes drift back to the familiar creatures that had attacked them days prior fighting not far from her, two smaller ones and a larger one ganging up on a single medium sized creature.

She wasn't sure if it was a territorial dispute or perhaps a hierarchy but she felt almost bad watching the singular beast fight off the mob on its own, they looked to be fighting for its life..

"They are fighting for it's life, they simply do not understand that there lies existence beyond servitude.."

It doesn't take her long to spot the Omni pera, and yet it looked drastically different in the light then it had in the first encounter, its long now pale body was devoid of most color, to the point the researcher could see glowing black organs glowing within its elongated body..

Its face was already open, dimly luminescent fleshy petals outspread and pulsating, its eyes were glassy but colorless as if the inky black had simply evaporated..

Still it regarded her with the unnerving intensity it had the night prior..its thoughts still suffocating and overwhelming.

"We have been stripped of our purpose and assigned a new one, our names are long forgotten, they are now leads and little more.."

"And what are you..?"

She asks boldly, her eyes trained on the fight before her, the struggling lead screeches out in terror, trashes fighting tooth and claw to break away from the mob wearing it down until a long pale tendril suddenly shoots out and strikes it!

"I was a sentinel..."

Robin jumped at the sudden violence of the strike, the lead itself was knocked onto its side pinned down by the translucent pale limb, the mob dispersing quickly once the invader had been subdued.

"They attacked us when we first landed here."

"That is their purpose, if not for this function what would they be..? there is no escaping subjugation...At least not easily..."

It states calmly as the lead's body was rapidly overtaken by coils of tentacles and literally dragged into its throat maw, one that had carried her architect here, Robin watched as it's pale colorless eyes dilated, the now diluted pink irises shrinking as it concentrated, suddenly there was a loud snapping noise and stifled explosion, one that was contained by the leviathan's body, seconds later the lead was promptly regurgitated confused and disoriented.

And a shattered yet familiar smoking collar shortly after.

Subjugation..

"Now they are nameless, like us.."

She noticed there was an alarming amount of leads loitering around, some coiled in tight piles overs huddled in shaded corners, seemingly content to watch on curiously...

They all seemed so docile, somehow at peace something they had not seen from the malicious pack of beast that had run them down, even the still bleeding one was now curiously exploring the den unhindered, still shaken but too curious to ignore the impulse to investigate the new environment.

It was almost peaceful...that is until a familiar low groan that quickly turned into a sharp hiss and a sudden shriek had the researcher swinging around to see Al-an very much awake and pinning a lead down into the stony floor.

"AL-AN!? Oh thank Sol!" Robin exclaimed relieved, anxious and shocked all at the same time!

Even if they weren't out of the woods yet, her architect was still in the game, hours she had prepared for the worst..

Behind her Robin felt a sudden pulse of energy, a low dangerous warbling echoed through the cave, as its anxious ire washed over her..

it's warning was all too clear

Let their lead go.

Much like the PDA data she had once gleaned on from research tabs, the emperor leviathan was often flocked by a plethora of minor species, all in which exhibited docile disposition..

She would have to ask Ryley for a comparison as he was the only one who actively communed with the massive creature..

"Al-an baby! Stop! It's fine!...let it go and back up..."

"Robin! I thought you were-" Al-an began ignorant to the pet name, but it was apparent he was still heavily fatigued, the lights abruptly waned from his vessel and with it his boost of adrenaline, resulting in her architect deflating into an awkward sitting position and yet still he was hesitant to release the potential threat..

"I was worried..." Her architect wheezed weakly, the pained relief of this admission makes guilt practically simmer under her skin.

His tired but pleased acknowledgement is hard to understand, his voice once again was heavily distorted, but at least he was awake and lucid if only a little disoriented..

"Al-an you've been out for hours..what happened, are you okay..?" Robin asked but Al-an quickly brushed her question aside as he finally took note of the leviathan's presence.

"...Do not make any sudden movements Robin, that creature is dangerous..." Al-an warned bristling, the bio lights of his vessel sputtering in a struggle to blaze red, his stiff warning coming simultaneously with the spine chill of a presence far too close to the researcher.

Robin turned around to glance back at the massive creature only to jolt as she realized it had moved and was literally right behind her again..

Jesus! nothing in space had a sensible grasp of personal space...was that purely a human concept?!

"Understatement of the decade Al, I know you just woke up and you're confused but if you don't let that thing go, it'll blow both our heads off..." Robin muttered tensely, backing up slowly, but gaining little distance as for each step she took the pale leviathan instantly pressed forward.

A familiar warbling hiss suddenly raises behind her, a sound that is easily drowned out by her architect's guttural warning groan, slowly Robin turns to see a smaller lead behind her, its elongated body hunched and the sheath of its face peeled back to reveal countless rows of silver spiny teeth and pale narrowed eyes.

Yet it didn't move to attack her, not like they had in the woods prior.

It was a defensive posture Robin one recognized easily, and a quick glance down confirmed the researcher's suspicion, it was protecting a nest...

In Fact there was an alarming amount of nests, many filled with rotten and spoiled eggs, others inhabited by more of the colorful leads.

"Al-an...I-I think we're in a nursery..."

"I believe you are correct, that smell.. Robin...many of these offspring are stillborn..." Al-an confirmed, reluctantly releasing the lead still in his grasp, the smaller creature dashed off with a spitting screech, vanishing into the dark tunnels within the nest.

Its testy descent attracted the Omni pera's attention and the massive beast quickly shifted its attention away from Robin and to the still upset beast hiding in the tunnel.

"Are you certain they will not engage us aggressively Robin? How did we get here? You are not hurt are you..?" Al-an pelted her with questions anxiously but gave her little room to actually answer the previous before he inquired another, his claw raising for her to come to him as he watched the leviathan quickly pluck up another lead lingering close by to place it decidedly as far away from the aggressive precursor as space allowed.

"Slow down big guy, take a breath okay..? Im fine, I don't know why but the Omni pera brought-"

"I'm sorry, I don't understand why my ves-"

"Al-an! Calm down okay? What happened wasn't your fault, I think you're ill...but..we're going to fix this okay..?"

"...You should have fled.." Her anxious architect hissed sadly, suddenly burying his head against her chest, she knows he's furious but only because he was scared...

"I know..." Robin allowed wrapping her arms around him as tightly as she could, precursors didn't have the ability to produce tears but she was certain if he did her architect would be weeping now...

if they had been on earth, a day like this..so emotionally charged would be a day Robin said no, she would have stayed in her pajamas and made coffee for Sam and herself, it would be a day huddled up on the couch watching sea life documentaries or perhaps cheesy rom coms..

She holds him, a grounding constant until the leviathan suddenly shifts its attention back onto them and her precursor pulls away to stare down the massive creature warily but defiant.

"Calm down.." Robin soothed again, his emotions were all over the place, she didn't need him lashing out unintentionally..

"Why are we within its nest Robin..?"

"That ship..it was searching for us, so it brought us in here, I think that those creatures-wardens are trying to freeze the forest.."

"Wardens..?" Al-an tilted his head confusedly and Robin had to remind herself that he wasn't able to understand the leviathan nor was he present for its impromptu info dump.

"The Omni pera its speaks-er well.. I can hear its thoughts, it kind of projects them at me, it's uhh really chatty...it told me they put it here to keep others from fleeing the planet..." Robin fumbled to explain as she watched the muted mauve creep across his face at the mention of the creature's involvement in ensuring the architects fleeing for their lives were trapped there.

"I can not understand it... however this shortcoming matters little we need to leave."

"Shortcoming..?" Robin didn't know what to make of this comment but was quick to stop her architect who was already searching for an exit route now that he had confirmed the immediate danger had passed..

An assumption that could lead to them getting blasted out of the sky if they weren't careful..

"Al-an! if we try to leave now, it's likely we'll get shot out of the sky by it..just like the others, we need to convince it to ignore our departure if we want this to work.."

"...This species was too unstable to properly contain for study and yet the destruction they were capable of made them an ideal candidate to place in the forefront of intergalactic skirmishes, many clutches fell prey to these ambitions, until the species was seemingly stripped from existence..at least most assumed. What would appeal to such a creature..?"

"I guess we'll have to find out..h-hey wait!" Robin exclaimed as her architect began to attempt to struggle to his feet!

"I want to accompany you..." Al-an hissed stubbornly.

"No. You stay here... rest and I'm going to try to reason with it, these guys shouldn't give you any trouble.."

"Are you certain...?" Her architect sighed warily, settling back down

"Yeah, I'll explain more when we make it back okay? Just don't hurt them, it won't end well for any of us."

"I will not harm them unless they give me reason to implement self defense."

"Good. I'll return in a moment." Robin assured patting his shoulder before pulling away from her architect to go confront the leviathan, it was easy to see Al-an was still unsettled and getting him back to the ship was priority.

AL-AN:

He wants to inquire she stay close, admit that he did not trust the creature sharing this den with them and yet Al-an recognised these emotions as brash and irrational in truth he knew very little, how could he contest her resolve when his human herself communed with the enigmatic creature, survived ita wrath when his kin died...?

He was so tired, the numbness nipping at his awareness clung to his vessel like a thick film.

Anxiously he watches Robin vanish into one of the smaller caves, the creature had slipped away without their notice, but his human simply followed a stray tether like tentacle flicking idly against the rooted floor, or perhaps they were whiskers.

Only when she is out of the weary precursor's sight does his attention slowly shift to the den around him, it is warm here, and many of the occupied burrows lead deeper into the planet, curious glowing eyes scrutinizing him from every corner..

If he ignored the scent of failed broods, he could smell the dense minerals in the dirt around him, the planet's land was still fertile, perhaps that was what drew attention to this world after the Elisskat were eradicated.

He's roused from his musings when a lead slowly creeps up alongside him, a weary distance from the still sitting architect but still a bold move considering he was moments from disemboweling one of their fellow packmates moments prior.

He studies them with the same regard he would give any creature he was unfamiliar with cautiously, the smooth textures of its hide remind him of a reptilian species, and yet the fragile pores on their scaleless skin rendered it far more fragile, they were streaked with pleasantly vibrant colors, bright yellows and dark oranges coloured the flanks of their elongated gray bodies.

The traces of harmless luminescent bacteria led the precursor to suspect these streaks would glow within the dark environment of their natural habitat.

It was clear this species was naturally subterranean, their poor eyesight and bodies were not suited for thriving above ground, he could see the tell tale signs of traumatic acclamation, pressuring their scar covered bodies to rapidly adapt to survive, deep craters marred many of their necks, evidence of a familiar collar..

Slowly the precursor reached out his palm claws up, to his surprise it took only a meager few seconds for the lead to fall prey to curiosity, jumping around in a little dance around the precursor the beast finally if not cautiously nuzzles the outstretched claw, the huffing of the tiny sensors on the bottom of its guised face tickles the foli of his palm.

Oh. It's skin was pleasantly cool and not as greasy as it visually appeared, it tolerates his exploration for a few moments, seemingly enjoying being pet before darting away, launching itself obnoxiously up the a rooted trunk before vanishing into a tunnel.

Somehow Al-an was pleasantly reminded of planet 4546B's seamonkeys, melancholy paints his vessel, not long ago he tore one of these ill fated creatures apart, painting the night with its bright yellow organs, while he did not regret his actions then and would not hesitate to repeat such brutality if necessary. .

He would do so knowing what could have been and lamenting their fate...

Empathy was a strangling grip...

He was certain they would have acclimated well to Marighettis given the proper environment and diet, and care but such calculations were mere delusions, there was no hope for these creatures, they would leave after his human secured a safe pathway out of the planet's atmosphere, these creatures would be just as quickly abandoned to their bleak fate...at least until they discover the truth behind what remains of the network..

But what if they came back..? Robin had been adamant about repairing the planet's protective barriers, a feat Al-an himself deemed pointless when confronted with the harsh reality of the planet's decaying state.

But what if the future presented such a favorable opportunity...? One which did not demand him weigh her mortality against his past achievements..

Would his human be opposed to returning someday in hopes of taking back this shattered world so it could once again house life..?

Perhaps these displaced creatures could still be saved..?

After the first Al-an quickly realizes he was not the only one studying them, they were also studying their brief but simple interaction, and many more were also eager to get pet by the enigmatic alien, three more leads scuttle in close eager to prove their worth..

ROBIN:

"We can't stay here, you realize that yeah..?" Robin pointed out, watching the dimly glowing organs pulse through its translucent skin,

"If you stay you will die, the faceless consume all.." Surprisingly its words come softer this time, its once razor sharp edges dulled and almost palatable for her mind, much like Al-an's all speak...had it learned and mimicked her architect's methods of passive communication that fast...?

"You learn fast.." Robin mused allowed, without thought Robin pulled out her PDA and scanned it, a feat that was surprisingly easy as the creature cares little to thwart her attempt, its attention seemed more focused on the rotting nests, pale tendrils feeling through the broken and failed eggs..

"We speak many languages, but many are lost as there is nothing left to speak them to... How many languages are found on earth..?"

"Millions if we're counting wildlife and fauna, but we humans can't understand the other species there, only through research."

"You are deaf..?" The way its head tilts leads the biologist to wonder about the flexible anatomy behind its skeleton..

"Yes, but not in totality, like I said we used research to learn their language to the best of our abilities and even sometimes communicate back, but it's nothing coherent like this.." She explained gesturing back and forth between her and it...

"Why did the almanac not use research to save us too..? Were we not worthy..? The whisperers they spoke of such beautiful silence...and yet we are here and there is only death.." Again there was no blame, simply despondent curiosity..

"I..i don't even think they knew you guys still existed, you're the first of your kind Al-an has seen in a long time, we still need to leave though.." Robin pointed out, her thoughts echoed back to her, like talking into a faceted mirror and yet each thought projected back was tainted with melancholy, emotions that were not her own but perhaps a confused entity that was allowed very little room to understand its own sense of being...

But it's when the creature asks its final inquiry, not why but a simple question Robin could easily answer that the researcher feels it...

Home sickness, so profound and overwhelming that she herself felt lost for a moment while suffocating under the emotion..

This creature had long given up.

"Would you save us, if you could..?" Robin bites her lip, swallowing the rending pain that wasn't her own...how many broken souls did Marighettis hide..?

Robin would have answered, assured it that the likelihood of the precursors aiding these distressed creatures was high, while cold they were stupidly sympathetic in their own way.

But this thought is plucked from her mind quicker than her lips could put voice to her thoughts, much like the thoughts of earth, a planet that closely resembled a familiar but now frozen barren planet.

"...I don't see why we wouldn't have-ehhh?! Wait! What are yo- ack!!" Robin started right before the massive leviathan suddenly turned around to the unprepared researcher and vomited.

Right on top of her...

AL-AN:

The anxious architect smells her long before his disgruntled human reappears looking more then irked and dragging what looked to be a fleshy sac of some sort in tow, she also reeked of pungent digestive fluids

Quickly he ushers the lead from his lap, the large creature rolls over limply still drunk off flank pats, and head scratches..

"Robin, are you alright..?" Al-an asked with uncertainty, she was unharmed but it was obvious she wasn't pleased with her new state.

"Absolutely peachy.." Robin sighed tiredly

"Does the fruit on your planet naturally produce such a repulsive sce-"

"No Al they don't, I just meant im fine, and better yet, we came to an agreement! So we can start heading back."

"And at what cost..?" Al-an wheezed, shying away from the pungent scent, even the leads once lazing around the precursor were quickly roused from their stupors and promptly vacated the nest.

"It's not that bad..." Robin scowled in agitation.

"What agreement did you agree to Robin..?" Al-an inquired quickly, his human had a worrisome habit of misweighing odds, odds in which he easily deduced were too steep, he would not so easily allow her to make such reckless agreements like the one she had struck with that Elisskat matriarch..

However he was unprepared for his human's explanation.

"Well apparently omni para are decent parents, and don't exactly like the idea of blowing their kids out of the sky.."

"...Please elaborate." Al-an trills with a confused tilt of his horns.

"This!" Robin gestured to the fleshy sac behind her for a moment, between the thinner membranes of the slime covered mass, Al-an could easily see countless glowing orbs.."

"These little guys are our insurance.."

"You intend to take an omni para's brood with us..?" Al-an asked as his human deflated, finally releasing her burden to settle down beside him.

"Just a tow to somewhere safe and alone.." Robin reasoned optimistically, and yet her architect wasn't so certain...

"You are aware of the potential destruction they are capable of reaping on a planet..?" It wasn't a question but an acknowledgment.

"Yeah..I know what they are capable of if they are discovered again...and frankly I would never dream of taking them anywhere near earth or any inhabited planet, but these guys once had a home, and they sure as hell were not the ones who destroyed it..." It doesn't show on his human's face but he can sense it in her entire being..

His human was frustrated, tired but above all else..Robin was furious, what had it told her..?

Why was such a creature trapped here..?

"Hey..i know we don't really have a choice in the matter.. But I do know what part they played in all this.."Robin paused, chewing at her bottom lip as she mulled over her thoughts, contemplating her words.

But when she does he can see her resolve hardening as she speaks.

"If it's of any consolation for you Al-an, nothing here wanted to hurt the network, they were under the control of these..wardens and they still are. They could die for letting us go, but if we help them it will at least ensure this can't happen again." Her eyes flutter over his vessel attempting to glean any emotion she could from his neutral disposition..

And yet if she had been privy to the amalgamation of scattered emotions her precursor was experiencing at the moment she would no doubt be quickly overwhelmed.

Al-an stumbles to his feet, a brisk glance around the clearing, the countless glowing eyes tracking their every move, bright with intrigue..wonder.

..it's the first time in a millennia the planet has felt actually alive.

"...If that is their terms we have little choice but accept them, I do not begrudge them for their temperance. Robin, many species are unfathomably cruel in the universe. Though leaving this place in such a state...abandoning these displaced fauna...it feels like a failure..."

"There isn't much we can really do, maybe if we were to reinstate the shields, but that has to come later. after we find what's left of the others.." Robin states firmly, a development that has her architect glancing down at her.

"They may not survive that long.." Al-an lamented quietly.

"They know, and I know it's too dangerous to undertake this ourselves, there's too much counting on what ifs, you understand that right?."

"...yes." He knew she was right.. And yet it still felt oddly wrong.

"We need to leave, now, they will make a distraction but it likely won't distract them for long." Robin announced standing up.

"It will be enough, if we encounter resistance I will ensure we are not hindered." Al-an assures cooly.

They would return, Marighettis would not be lost forever, they would not make the same mistake twice..

They would fix this...at least.. this is what Robin's precursor assumed..

Together they leave the next, another burden weighing them down, but a burden neither would shirk if opportunity permitted it so..

RYLEY:

'We've failed...?'

Soft whispers danced through the halls, a dialect Ryley had no business understanding but somehow did..?

'And the network..?'

That persistent headache was back to pounding behind his eyes, it had been plaguing the poor man's mind since Al-an had detached him from the Elisskat..

'They won't come for us..'

Wearily the hermit followed the voices into the navigation wing, a wretched clinched in his fist, a pathetic excuse for a weapon but still a simple comfort..

'What have we done..?'

One of the tanks were still aglow, blazing an anxious yellow, the glowing lights within it were still rapidly dancing in unison.

"H-hello..?" Ryley called out cautiously.

"Survival is not necessary..'

It's only then the hermit realizes something disturbing...

'Initiate containment, it is mandatory.' The voices were not in fact coming from the comms as he suspected previously...

'Is someone there..?' They were echoing loudest here, but they were in fact coming from the hermit's own mind.

'...we are afraid...'

'It is gone..'

The restrained terror in these simple words made the hermit's fins rise on end, what the hell were they on about!?

'It's silent..'

"H-hello..?" Ryley spook warily, his eyes fluttering over the odd pulsating tank, easily recalling what occurred last time he touched the tank, not only did he nearly fry his brain but also pissed the Al-an off.

Not something he was keen on doing especially after witnessing the precursor easily kick a creature's upper body from its lower half.

"Greetings survivor.."

Robin had once said it echoed Al-an's thoughts, but that he now knew was a blatant lie, the faint almost indescribable rambling did not seem like the architect he had come to know either way, or one entity at all.

The consciouses was that what she called them..?

What Ryley was certain of was that, whatever these three architect things were, they were watching him with the familiar intensity of Robin's companion.

"The anomaly.."

"Intriguing..." The words scattered around his head, as if overhearing a distant conversation on the street except these felt...like scattered) thoughts.

'Focus..they call to us'

'We are..needed?'

Suddenly all at once their wandering thoughts narrowed into a point and hardened into a singular focus.

Focus that required aid.

"Conduit required, come to us survivor..." The voices suddenly ordered, a demand Ryley's body complied to whether he wanted to or not..

Suddenly Ryley leaned forward, ignorant to his body's sparking panic, as if under a spell he could not fight, the hermit reached out a shaking hand and hovered it over the glass's pulsating surface, so close he could feel the electrical field radiating from it...