The melodic hum of the QL-Engine filled the silent air of Delta Centauri’s Control Room. Seven sat dozing, head raised to the metallic ceiling above, within the semi-comfort of his Captain’s Chair. Ivy did the same, opting to fight off the sickening vibrations of quantum travel with a peaceful daydream. There was comfort; There was calm.

That was, until the ship experienced a slight rumble of turbulence; A small hiccup of the thruster’s breathing, nothing to be alarmed of. But it was just enough to interrupt the tranquility of the vessel’s passengers.

Seven groaned as he sat up in his chair, his goal of catching a few extra Z’s rudely altered into one of pinpointing their location on the starmap.

The update of the system was slow, a result of Quantum Leaping’s incomprehensible speed, as well as a lack of signal from any of Neutra’s numerous “ping towers”- space stations placed around the Expanse’s many regions to assist with the immediate update of maps upon Leaping’s conclusion, their passing known to sometimes breach a signal into the 2nd Layer.

Though ships could give jumpy estimates based on their speed and pre-calculated route of travel, the most reliable method for pinpointing would always be to simply trust the ETA given upon launch. Halting the leap at that time never failed to result in a safe landing, even if the stop sometimes landed vessels a few ten-million kilometers away from their desired destinations. It was always better to be safe than sorry.

Disrupted from her own dream of rainbows and sunshine, Ivy took to rummaging through the kitchen area for something to eat. Much to her dismay, all the packaged rations were unknown Neutranite cuisines.

“What the Hell is “Beal and Baby Herb-Snake?” She asked Seven with twisted nose.

“A fine delicacy, I can assure you.” The man smiled. “Try it! You’ll love it.”

“Got any rats onboard?” Ivy sniped as an alternative, for she would much rather risk illness than cram some Neutranite’s dish into her gullet.

“Just one,” Seven said, swiveling playfully in his chair, “Her name is Ivy. Be careful, I think she might have rabies.”

Ivy snarled at Seven, then returned her grimace to the miserable white package in her hands. “You’re a real character…” She lamented.

“Thank you.” Seven responded. 

Finding himself in unusually good spirits, Seven decided not to teach a lesson in independence at that particular moment, something that he would have done had this been one of his sisters being childish about food. Instead, he hopped from his chair and approached the kitchen, Ivy looking as though she was on the verge of tears. He swiped the package from her hands and began tearing it open.

“There’s a certain trick you can use when preparing these,” He started, “To make them easier on the palate.”

Ivy watched in gut-twisting horror as Seven revealed the package’s contents, presenting the open slit to her and the gray mush within. The man made his way to the fridge and pulled an orange bottle from its icy vice. He popped its top, and tilted it over the package’s opening. A simple “drip drop” and the food was promptly presented to Ivy.

“Here you are.”

“What the Hell did you do to it just now?” Ivy asked, not sure if she should be more wary of the food or the mysterious liquid Seven had just added to it.

Seven jangled the bottle, his face lit with pure joy. “This, my dear, is the finest drink ever cultivated by the genius minds of Neutra. It’s a Betel Juice- named appropriately after its family of creators. This so happens to be the spiked variant- A perfect culmination of all things zesty and candy sweet!”

“So you spiked my food.”

“Yes! Take it from me and try it, lest the bottle's heavenly aroma tempt me to become useless.”

Ivy took the package, her stubbornness no match for the implosion of her own stomach. She gave the contents a sniff. It did smell enticingly sweet, unlike any fruit she had ever encountered back at home. As much as she hated to admit it, her mouth watered for a first bite. Seven handed her a spork, accompanied unprovokedly by a wink. The guy was already shaping up to be a real piece of work…

The hungry fiend snatched the spork from the man’s hands. She dug into the crumbly paste with guard and grace. The spork, heavy with alcohol saturated mush, invited itself into her mouth. The first contact made with her tongue sent an explosion of flavor unlike any other. It was truly a gift from the divine.

“Heaven’s Crown!” She exclaimed, her face immediately growing hot from such an expression.

The look of satisfaction on Seven’s face only added to her embarrassment. Overwhelmed, the feeding rat shooed the man away with threat of sword. “Let me eat in peace, before I turn you into piec-es!” She growled.

Seven threw his hands in the air, backing away with a devious smile playing on his lips. He reclaimed his spot in the Captain’s Chair, twirling and swirling as he waited for the timer to count down.

Ivy took her mantle back upon the sofa- a piece of furniture she quickly grew attached too. There was only one crew she ever ran with that had such luxurious furniture aboard their vessel. Finding herself getting lost in the mixed emotions of such a memory, she quickly took to stuffing more of the intoxicating paste into her mouth.

Then something dawned on her.

“Hey, Seven? How come your ship has these rations, anyway?”

A question Seven never even considered being asked, let alone developing an answer to. He was put on the spot. A query whose thoughtless reveal could very well land him in big trouble.

Luckily, Seven was quick. The best lies were truths, after all. “This is a military ship.” he said, “I stole it during my escape.”

A solid save, he felt. Simple alterations to an already established story; The key to a smooth improvisation. 

“This is a military ship?” Ivy asked as she spooned another pile of mush. “Doesn’t that mean they can track it?”

“You need not worry about that, my dear. I happen to be quite handy when it comes to tech and machines. I was…something of a scientist back on my home planet. An engineer, as well. Tracking programs are a juvenile affair for me.”

Ivy seemed satisfied with the answer she was given. She continued to quietly indulge in her spork feeding, silently melting with each scoop of the rationed meal.

Seven turned his attention back to the starmap, hoping their proximity to the destination would help him change the topic. “We’re almost at Newmi.” He lied, noting that the timer still had an approximate fifteen minutes left. “Where exactly does this friend of yours hail from?”

Ivy licked the spork clean and sat it inside the empty package. “You heard of Mortly? City by the East Rushlian River?”

“Vaguely.” Seven replied, cursing his lack of discipline when it came to his inter-galactic studies during his days in Secondary School.

“He lives a little bit outside of there, in the country. He’s got a junkyard and lives on his parents' big ass farm, so spotting him won’t be hard.” Ivy took her empty package and sat it on the coffee table. “Just get us there and I’ll be directional once we approach civilization.”

Seven turned to face back towards Ivy, feeling safe to do so now that the feral woman had concluded her feeding.“What’s he like? Can I trust him?”

“Charles is the biggest sweetheart you’ll ever meet in your miserable life.”

“Anything I should know about him?”

“Not much to know.” Ivy said, kicking her feet up in post meal fatigue. “He likes women, he likes tinkering with his toys- He’s pretty standard for a guy.”

“Any points of common interest between you two?”

“What the Hell is with all this prying?”

“Just making small talk.”  

Ivy groaned. “If there was anything we had in common: It’d be that we both have a bad habit of getting involved with some baaaaad people.”

“I see…Some sour experiences in your past, I take it?”

Ivy sat up from her lazy state and looked Seven dead in his eyes. “Alright, here’s something we’re going to get straight right now before it becomes an annoying pattern: I have no interest in getting to know you, and I damn sure have no desire in you getting to know me. So all this little buddy-buddy stuff needs to cut right now. This is just a job, not an ice cream social. Kapeesh?” 

Seven stared at the brash woman with wide eyes. “Duly noted.” He said, swiveling back in his chair to face the abstract scene of a Leaping view. 

Newmi was a fairly large planet with an atmosphere of swirling yellow clouds and green-tinged skies, hints of blue stronger in some areas than others- said areas changing the region of sky they occupied every second on the second. The descent into the Mesosphere was a little rough, given the planet’s dense air composition. Seven maintained an altitude of about 6 km off the ground, setting the ship’s “Auto-Pilot” so Ivy could begin navigating using the now surface-displaying starmap.

After a few minutes of scrolling, she found their course. “90 km ‘round to there.” She said, pointing to a highlighted area on the map- info icons hovering around it. “That’s Mortly.”

“Righto.” Seven said, marking a waypoint. “I’ll take us up a little higher so we can cruise without concern.”

It was a mere ten minute cruise in the clouds for Delta. She and her crew breached the city limits of Mortly just as Newmi’s sun reached its zenith. 

Never having laid eyes on the city before, Seven took the time in the air to admire it as a skyline. Compared to the cities on Neutra, and even the cities on its two sibling planets, Mortly was nothing to gawk at. Its architecture was as dull and dusty as the rest of the planet’s surface. Bringing mention to all the dust, Newmi seemed no better than Slem when it came to soil composition. The city of Mortly sat as an oasis in a desert, threatening to be buried under the tonnage of sand blowing through its rectangular towers and cuboidal residentials. Hailed as one of Newmi’s “star cities”, it certainly wasn’t living up to any of the hype. But, surely, it was what lay within the city’s itchy infrastructure that earned it the honor of such a title.

“Which way to your friend’s?” Seven inquired from Ivy, satisfied with his sightseeing. 

Ivy peered deep beyond Delta’s front display. “Let’s see…Tin Tower is facing that way, so that means we’re coming in from the East…So Charles’s place is over that way.” Ivy pointed in the direction of Northwest. “Not too far; In that direction. You can just follow the road, actually.”

“Verily. Let us commence.” Just as Seven prepared to take reign of the wheel and begin their way, he received a request for communication over Delta’s UI. The I.D. came up as “Newmi Air Control”.

“What the blazes…?” 

Seven accepted the request. A grungy, manish voice cleared its throat on the other side of the line. “Attention, Neutranite Military Vessel. You are currently flying over restricted airspace. Turn around now, or you will be shot down.”  

“What in Novia’s name- Umm, excuse me, kind sir, I would like to apologize for the intrusion. I wasn’t made aware of any ‘restricted airspaces’.” Seven shot an accusatory glance to Ivy, who simply returned with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Well, I’m telling you now. Turn around or face surface to air subjugation.”

“Umm, right, of course, but, a question- if you don’t mind? Just how much of this space is restricted? Where can I park my vessel for safe dock?”

“All areas within a 20 km radius of Mortly are restricted. Your vessel will have to be docked in either Pok or Nan.”

Seven took a deep, exhausted breath. “Ivy, where are those two places located?”

“About 30 km back East and to the South respectively.”

Never in his life had Seven wanted so badly to hit a woman. “And why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

“They’re usually a lot more chill with the crowd I roll with.” Ivy defended, accusation radiating off her tone. “Maybe it’s got something to do with that unsightly flag you’ve got displayed, loud and proud, for all your enemies of the galaxy to see.”

Enemies? Even here his affiliation with Neutra would cause such issues? To what extent did this unfounded hate reach? Seven felt as though his brother greatly underprepared him for such unruly prejudice. Nevertheless, there was no time to complain. Unless he wanted to be reduced to red mist in the thick air, Seven had no choice but to return east immediately.

“Understood, sir.” He confirmed over the communication channel. He whipped the wheel into a sharp right, and Delta promptly made her 180 retreat.

“30 km…” He complained, “How the Hell are we supposed to cover that distance without an aircraft?”

An impish smile crept across Ivy’s face. “Oh, Pok’s got something way better than aircrafts.”

Ivy remained tight-lipped in her mystery until the motley crew arrived at their destination. 

Pok was much, much smaller than Mortly. In fact, it looked to be nothing more than a local tourist stop. Most of the oasis’s space was occupied by parking lots and ship docks. Strange shapes zipped and zoomed on the road beneath Delta’s descent as she hovered her way to the advertised dock- a huge neon sign declaring “open” with an obvious arrow leading the way.

Seven followed the designated runway, hovering above it at ridiculously low speeds. He was immediately directed by an aircraft marshall to the spot within the semi-vacant lot that his vessel could park. Delta Centauri found her new, sorry, temp home on the shadowed side of what looked to be a Brig. 

“Be good, Old Girl.” Seven cooed as he fought to abandon his ship. “Daddy will return with prompt and great haste to rescue you from such an unsightly dung-hole…”

Ivy rolled her eyes at the sad display. Spotting the aircraft marshall walking away to reclaim his post, she hurriedly flagged him down to get his attention. Once she had it, she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted “WHICH WAY TO THE BIKE RENTALS?”

The marshall pointed to the building that occupied the lot adjacent to the dock. He made the shape of an “X” with his arms, indicating to Ivy the shape above the door that led to the rental department. Ivy thanked him with a thumbs up, then returned to alert Seven.

“-...and I promise that when this is all over, we’ll feast at the banquet hall with the gods and angels whose spots we’ve earned at the expense of our woeful struggles! So wait for me, my sweet Delta, wait for me…”

“Are you done?” Ivy asked her senile partner, the very man who she trusted to bring her out into the deep corners of the Vast Expanse; The very same man who now stood caressing his ship to console its non-existent heart.

“I am done.” Seven replied.

Ivy pointed her thumb back to the building she was instructed to go to. “Bikes are that way.”

“Oh? Shall we be off then?”

“Please.”

“Righto.”

The journey to the rental department felt like an eternal quest all on its own. Ivy was a sweating mess by the time the pair arrived within the crisp, cool walls of centralized AC.

“Why the Hell are you all fine and chipper?” She asked Seven with dripping envy.

Seven mimed a proud flick of his hair beneath his shadowy hood. “Ah, that would be my fine Neutranite blood, my dear~ We’re children of the stars, after all. Our bodies are greatly resistant to heat! Why, I’m actually quite chilly in this temple of bleached floors and bright lights.”

Ivy fanned her smelly kimono in her best attempt to quickly de-dampify it. “You’re a real character.” 

“Thank you. Now which way to these promised bikes?”

Ivy pointed up to a sign that listed the different directions in which one could find all the establishment’s services. The icon of the “X” stated to simply continue straight, then, at some point, make a left.

“The ‘X’ is where we’re going.” Ivy told her annoying comrade. “It’s been a while so I’m having a tough time remembering shit, but that’s why we have the convenience of modern technology.”

“I think a sign hardly counts as some sort of pivotal breakthrough in the modern age.” Seven snarked.

“Yeah? Good luck finding your way without it.” Ivy returned, to which the woman began racing her way down the incredibly bright, intoxicatingly perfumed corridor. Seven took the time to chuckle at his own joke, before following suit behind her.

Bike rentals consisted of a singular desk with a singular, furry, woman behind it. Pamphlets and advertisements littered its countertop. A few metal chairs sat against the wall adjacent to the exit that led directly out to the main road.

The woman herself was nose deep in her…well, it appeared to resemble a communicator, though archaic and analog in its design- a design from a bygone era.

Seven and Ivy both approached the counter. Not knowing the first thing to do, Seven resigned himself to flipping through pamphlets while Ivy took care of business.

“Yo!” The ever-brash Ivy banged on the counter, knocking a cup of pens over, its contents spilling onto the floor beneath.

The distracted woman looked up from her device. “Fill out the form, show me some identification, and get out your money…” She grunted. She reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a yellow slip of paper attached to a white sheet of paper.

Ivy snatched the forms and grabbed the last remaining pen from within the assaulted cup. She took a seat on one of the metal chairs. Seven followed, opting to sit directly next to her before a glare pushed him one seat away.

“Those poor pens weren’t Neutranites.” Seven teased in her direction. “You got a problem with them too?”

“Bite me.” 

Seven smiled at the sight of a golden comeback. “It looks like Fangs over there already wants to.” He gestured his head towards the furry woman at the desk, who glared at Ivy from behind its metal form with murderous red eyes. 

“If I’m not mistaken, she’s a Poochsleian.” Seven continued in his teasing, “I'd watch out, if I were you~ I hear they’re quite capable hunters.” 

“Can you shut up so I can finish filling this out please? Thank you.”

“Oh, do we have trouble multitasking! Sorry, I’ll be quiet!”

Ivy filled out the remainder of the form with a heavy, paper gashing hand. “I. Am. Beginning. To. Regret. Agreeing. To. This. Job.”

“Hmm?” Seven antagonized once more, “Sorry, did you say something?”

With lightning quick speed, the Last Of The Pens found its precious life lost to the dusty winds as it was thrown towards Seven’s face, missing entirely and disappearing out the open exit door; Gone, but not forgotten.

“Let’s go get our bikes.” Ivy snarled.

“You’re paying for me, right?” Seven asked, pulling his mask down to show his charming smile.

Ivy forced on a venomous grin. It was all for that bounty. All for the bounty. “Don’t forget you already owe me from last night’s drinks.” She spat through gritted teeth.

“I have a tab.” Seven responded with an uncaring wave of his hand.

Ivy’s fingers itched for her sword. Then, an idea; One that equally infuriated her, but at least she wouldn’t have to pay for two. She took her forms to the counter and slammed them down with repressed rage.

“Ignore all the stuff under the name ‘Seven’.” She said, “We’ll only be needing one bike.”

The outside scratched at Seven’s eyes as he waited alongside the curb of the small town’s main road. Ivy volunteered herself to retrieve the bike for the two, so he was left to wait in the windswept agony of a third world planet.

The distant rumbling of an aggressive motor grew closer and closer from around the side of the building. Seven’s eyes dared play tricks on him as Ivy came barreling around the corner on some strange device in the shape of a bike, though it bore two wheels in place of the Hover Thrusters he knew.

Ivy rolled up before Seven’s bewildered form with a spiteful kick of dust. She scooched forward a little and tapped the back of the seat.

“Get on, bitch.”

Seven tried to rub the hallucinogenic debris out of his eyes. There was no way his radiant diamonds were telling him the truth in that instance.

“What kind of madness is this?!” He asked.

“The fuck are you on about now? It’s a bike.”

“I’m no fool. That is not a bike!”

“Ok, doorknob, then what the Hell is it then?”

“Well, from the looks of it, a ticket to a quick death. Two people can’t ride on something that gyroscopically unstable! Where are the hover thrusters?! The back booster?! Why the blazes is this damn thing on wheels?!”

Ivy raised her helmet’s visor. With it up, Seven could easily see her shit-eating grin amidst the rising cloud of dust. “Awww, poor little Neutranite~ Is this not like the fancy-pants shit you had back at home~? Oh, poor baby~”

“You’re telling me that this is an actual mode of transit on this planet?!”

“Newsflash, Hotshot. In case it hasn’t clicked into your privileged little head yet, this is this planet’s only form of transit; The wheels, that is. There ain’t no hovercrafting. There isn’t any of that flying cruiser stuff that you’re used to. Here, they ride! And they do it: On Wheels! Get it?”

Seven felt like he was going to be sick just looking at the affront against modern engineering.

“Get. On.” Ivy pressured.

For the Eterna Core. For Neutra. For his family’s pride, for his honor, Seven had no choice but to brave the reckless unknown. He had no choice but to dive head first into oblivion with nary a fear! If that was his Destiny, as cruel a wench as she may be, Seven would accept her!

Determined to complete his mission no matter what, Seven straddled the back of the “bike’s” seat.

Ivy turned her head as much as she could to speak to him. “DON’T. TRY AN-Y-THING! KAPEESH?!”

“What?”

“Grab the hips or get too close, and I’m chopping it off.”

“Excuse me?”

Ivy revved the bike’s throttle and began the drive without preparation. Seven clung to her for dear life, knowing that one bump, one rock, and his journey would be over.

Dust stinging in his eyes and anxiety rising in his heart, Seven lifted his gaze to Newmi’s sun, hoping to find strength in its flaming ball of luminous beauty.

…

The luminous beauty of Novia never failed to bring peace to Phetzana’s heart. There was always tranquility to be gleaned from its radiant glow. As a child, she held fond memories of trying to reach the Vast Expanse with nothing more than a swing set and a dream. For hours she would stare up at the ever-elusive ball of divinity, hoping, and praying that if she hoped hard enough, she could pluck it from the sky and hold it in the palm of her hand. She imagined it must feel quite warm. Though her flesh burned easier than most of her kind, she felt she spent more time than any other bathing in their star’s heavenly light.

The park was quite busy on the one day she decided to venture there for peace of mind. Huddled by the Statue of The Founder, she tried her best not to think too hard about all the little lives running about the grassen fields. Her fellow brothers and sisters of the stars enjoyed the same light as she, spending time walking their pet rabbyts and feeding the wild Soil Snakes. They were all enjoying the simple ecstasy that is “life”. They carried not a care nor concern in their hearts about the future’s dark uncertainty. They continued on, blissful and ignorant to the greater world around them; A world that Novia herself couldn’t purge white with all her light.

Such joy was fragile; Fleeting, yet, dangerously permanent. She wondered if her people would still be happy had their future taken a different path. The path that the Eterna Core re-opened to them, would it be one of any greater joy than what is now, what is present? Does this happiness simply exist because Neutra lost her way all those centuries ago? If so, perhaps it truly was a divine act of some unseeable force. The path to true Heaven, was the cleansing of Hell through fire. With that said, Phetzana tried to console herself with the idea that, perhaps, she was an Angel, born to preserve Heaven and thwart the Devil’s plans. She curled her face into her knees as she figured it was time…to finally stop being so selfish.

“Well, isn’t this just the most pleasant surprise!”

A voice so familiar, like the one that calls out to her in her dreams, and in her nightmares; Urging her to look to the future, to pick a path of Destiny and Desire. Phetzana lifted her face from the huddle to gaze upon the visage of the fallen Messiah.

Dr.Euclid looked better than she expected. She heard he fell into a slight depression after discovering his life’s work had been lost to the cruel void. But, looking up at him now, smiling creases and grinning crevices shining in the light, he seemed fine; He seemed content.

“We’re not still down about the ol’so-and-so are we, dear girl?”

Such compassion, such humility. Such an unreal being shouldn’t be conversing so casually with complete, ungrateful scum. It was hard to even look the Doctor in his eyes; For the light of the future had left them, nothing more than hollow loss sucking in every ounce of light that graced their blackened pearls.

Dr.Euclid took his place on the warm ground beside Phetzana. His presence made her wish she could perform a Quantum Leap of her own, vanishing into the hidden blankets of creation like a ghost that was never there. But, running would be too easy. She needed to suffer; In exchange for her continued presence in this world, Phetzana needed to suffer. It would be her atonement.

Dr.Euclid took some time to basque in Novia’s warmth himself. It visibly refreshed his empty heart, every ray of light stitching a piece of him back together.

“It’s a shame…” He piped up, summoning a monologue that would erase what was left of Phetzana’s decaying self, “I really wanted to preserve this for as long as eternally possible…Her light is truly something else to experience. Perhaps because, as I feel its buttery caress, I know that I’m home…No star feels as good as this.”

Phetzana agreed. Watching the gorgeous beacon as it hovered above all qualm, all manner of problem, she wished she too could be a star. 

“Maybe it was selfish of me,” Dr.Euclid continued, “To want to hold on to this in spite of everything else. I look around this park today, and I see peace. And as much as I wish it were not so…I know my Eterna Core would have destroyed all of this…I wish Destiny could have been a little different…But I walked my path and I reached its conclusion. However…it was not the conclusion I dreamt of. Try to imagine such a feeling, my dear…” 

The Doctor grabbed Phetzana’s hand and closed his eyes. She closed hers as well, the tears stinging as they swelled behind sealed lids.

“I saw an eternal future…one of prosperity on a galactic scale…But, even in my millennia, I was still just a starling compared to the age of this world’s truths…This realities…truths…”

Phetzana couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down her face. 

“But, despite all that, all my sorrow and loss, I am happy. In the end, I got to finish my work. I saw to it that all those who believed in me received their glorious expectations. I can feel them, in this light cradling my flesh, I can feel them…they’re happy too. And now, my Eterna Core no longer has to have its pure existence tainted by such evils…It exists in this universe only as it was made to…A symbol of hope…for a better tomorrow.” The Doctor let out a long, shuddering sigh. “I would like for her to stay that way. I want my life’s work to live as I have…a long existence of never living up to your purpose…but inspiring hope regardless. I did inspire, at least some hope…didn’t I, Phetzana?”

Phetzana clenched the Doctor’s shaky hand as hard as she could. She squeezed, hoping to transfer her own hope into his heart; The hope he gave to her when he bestowed upon a nobody-schoolgirl the glorious opportunity to make a name for herself. 

“You did, Dr.Euclid…” She whispered, not knowing if the old man could even hear her.

Regardless of whether he could or not, the magnificent, marvelous, gift of Novia herself, Dr.Euclid released his prodigy’s hand. The feeble old man, no longer standing tall enough to call himself a Doctor, rose to his feet and cast one last look into the pristine sky. 

“You are the future, Phetzana…If my hope is to become truth in this world and all others…then you must carry it with you…As my successor…can I expect of you to carry on my hope?”

Phetzana nodded. She nodded only to herself, for the Doctor already had full faith in her answer; Full faith in her, just like he always did.

The fresh winds blew through the park, carrying joy and laughter in their pursuit of a low-pressure region. With their motion, Rigel L. Euclid took his leave, sauntering down the brightly lit path one, final time.

Feeling her last chance slipping away from her, Phetzana rose to call out to the man above all men.

“Dr.Euclid!” She shouted. The elderly man stopped and turned to her with a smile of all warmth and no sun. “Dr.Euclid, I’m-...I’m-…I’m moving away tomorrow... So, if you’re not too busy…Please, come and say goodbye to me…”

Phetzana gazed into her mentor's eyes with all the hope and love and admiration she could muster…but their fierce vacuums only swallowed her light whole, leaving the empty man just as hollow as he was when she stopped him. 

“Ok.” The old man smiled.

Phetzana watched as he became just another white speck amongst the legion of his people, all dancing and scurrying like ignorant little ants in a bigger world they would remain oblivious too. As the currents of colorful hair and colorful stories consumed Euclid’s form, Phetzana bid her quiet farewells…as she knew she would never see the man ever again. 

…

Seven bid a quiet farewell to his life as he and Ivy darted in and out of traffic like slithering serpents. The woman wasn’t kidding when she said that wheels were the way in this world; Newmi’s roads screeched and howled with the roar of rubber against their tarry pavement.

The rush of the wind in his ears threatened to rob Seven of his hearing, the bugs it carried with it threatening to take his taste. Why any planet would subject themselves to such a miserable method of travel was beyond him.

The main road leading back into Mortly was packed with all manner of road-bound vehicles. Massive semi trucks hauling long flatbeds of steel beams and smaller automobiles dominated the lanes. Ivy, being the creature of impulse and instinct that Seven had come to know her as, took to squeezing past these behemoths of accelerated mass without fear nor sense. 

Every road sign passed raised hope in Seven’s racing heart as the duo grew closer and closer to their destination.

Within the city itself, traffic was much smoother; Forced obedience due to traffic lights and the increased presence of law enforcement. Being on the ground granted a whole new experience compared to viewing the civilization from the air. It was now clear to Seven that what Mortly lacked in presentation and charm, the city more than made up for in its commerce and abundance of business. Mortly looked to be a rich and prosperous locale disguised as a dust covered land of soot and sobs; A pattern that Seven was beginning to recognize in everything he came to judge based on appearances alone.

With only about twenty minutes zipping through the city itself, the motorized maniacs found themselves back out onto the main road heading North. Significantly less traffic than the East road coming in, relief filled Seven’s every cell as Ivy offered to take it easy, feeling his clammy hands soaking into her waist. 

The sight of barren dirt and occasional residentials gave way to rows upon rows of growing crops and unsown land. Fellow motorists became farther and fewer between; Eventually, they stopped appearing all together. A swift left onto a sketchy side road sent the pair on a rather bumpy ride. It would be a miracle if the bike remained functional after crossing such lumps of uncare and disarray. Upon the sight of a structure enclosed in a sheet metal fence with piles of scrap rising into the air, Ivy slowed her speed-demon pursuit into a gentle gallop. The pair slowly drifted past the fence’s entrance, before Ivy immediately hit the throttle and sped a few dozen meters further up the road.

She stopped once she felt the distance was good enough, removing her helmet and adjusting her hair. Seven hopped off the bike, his legs threatening to crumble beneath him. Confusion filled his drifting eyes and dizzy mind.

“Why did we park all the way up here?” He asked, stabilizing himself. “That’s the place, isn’t it?”

“You didn’t see them?” Ivy responded, hanging her helmet on the bike’s handlebars.

“See who?”

“All those goons gathered in front of Charles’s place. There had to be at least fifteen of them.”

“I can’t say I was really paying attention to all of that…” Seven said with shame in his voice. “Are they not friends?”

The look that Ivy shot him with confirmed for Seven that, no, they were in fact “not friends”.

“Charles doesn’t have any friends. That’s why he spends so much time tinkering. Come on, we’ll creep around the side of the fence.”

The sheet metal fence was a lot taller than it seemed from a distance. Standing before its handcrafted majesty, Seven found himself eagerly wanting to meet its creator within.

“How quietly can you jump?” Ivy inquired with a whisper.

“I should be able to clear this.” Seven responded, hushed confidence fooling even himself.

“That’s not what I’m asking. How quiet can you be?”

Seven prepared to reiterate his sure reply, but then he considered the results of a memory he shared with his brother; A tale from their youth.

It would happen that at the ripe ages of 10 and 12, Seven and his brother attempted to clear a fence into their neighbor-at-the-time’s yard. The mission: Get Back Our Damn Ball Before That Bloody Wolf Snake Chews It To Oblivion. It was to be one of simple stealth. Hop over the fence, locate the ball, grab it, then dart back over the fence. The only stakes came from the sleeping Snake itself. A creature known to stir at the slightest crunch of a leaf, its constant presence in the backyard would make for a tricky recovery.

We need to be quiet. Those were the last words Seven heard before he eagerly followed his brother over the wooden fence. No sooner than he jumped, Seven found himself yelping on his tailbone from a botched landing. Suffice to say, the mission was an instant failure.

“Go on without me.” The man knew his limits; He knew them all too well.

“Where’d your confidence go?!”

“It died with my favorite ball- now go! I’ll stay out here. If anything happens, just shout and I’ll clear this thing without grace nor regal step.”

Ivy prepared herself for a silent leap, and what a silent leap it was. Not a single speckle of dirt shifted beneath her foot as the woman crouched into a lunging stance; There one moment, and gone the next. Seven wasn’t even sure if she landed on the other side. There was no soft “thump” of boot smacking soil. No hushed grunt as legs bent to absorb the shock of force. There was nothing, nothing but silence.

Then, voices in the distance began to surge.

Ivy crept her way closer to Charles’s shack- the main location within the wonderland of junk and gizmos; The very place she witnessed the gaggle of goons gathering only minutes before.

Just as she approached the building’s side wall, the sound of angry fists pounding on metal startled her. Voices rose to a frenzy within seconds.

“CHARLIE!!! BRING YOUR FUCKING ASS OUT HERE, NOW!!! WE KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE!!!”

Damn it, Charles! What the fuck did you get yourself into this time! Thoughts of worry and concern suddenly flooded Ivy’s mind as she ran through the possible scenarios her miscreant friend could be currently submerged in. 

The sound of the man in question’s voice could be heard faintly through the thin metal walls of his shack.

“I’ll come out when you guys back the fuck off some and thin the Hell out! Let’s be civilized, yeah?”

“OH, WE’LL BE FUCKING CIVILIZED ALRIGHT!!! COME OUT AND TALK!”

“Like I said: Thin. OUT.”

“THE BIG MAN’S TIRED OF PLAYING GAMES, CHARLIE! DO YOU REALLY WANNA MAKE THIS HARDER ON YOURSELF THEN IT ALREADY IS?”

Ivy’s fingers itched for her sword. Peeking around the corner, she evaluated what she was up against.

Only a handful of the goons looked like they’d put up some semblance of a fight, but none of them seemed armed; Not obviously, anyway. She could probably cut through half of them before they even knew what was going on, then dice up the other half in the confusion. The only problem holding her back, was that she wasn’t quite sure who she was dealing with. “Big man”- the phrase could only mean one thing in this context. She couldn’t risk chopping up the guys of someone big. She clenched her fist, forcefully silencing her squirming fingers. 

Charles’s voice spoke up again from inside the walls. “I told Marvin I’m still working on it!” He defended, “Just give me a little more time, I-”

“WE ALREADY GAVE YOU ‘MORE TIME’, LITTLE MAN!!! IT’S OVER, YOU’RE DONE!!! NOW, YOU CAN EITHER COME THE HELL OUT OF THERE, OR WE GO PAY MOMS AND POPS UP THE STREET A LITTLE VISIT!!!”

Marvin? These were Marvin’s guys? Ivy was surprised to hear that her old buddy, Baby MarMar, was someone with his own posse now. They grow up so fast… 

The bloodthirsty woman grabbed hold of her katana’s hilt. The name “Marvin” might as well have meant “Just come chop us up, no threat whatsoever!”. As if she would ever be scared of the little boy!

Just as she posed herself to reveal and strike, the door to Charles’s shack opened with a slow creak.

Out stepped the little furball of mischief- A Comettail, a species as colorful as they were cute.

Before the little bundle of blue fur could even speak, he was snatched up and sacked, his tiny body left flailing in the binds of burlap. Ivy moved in to strike, but her plan was immediately cut off by the arrival of a massive boxtruck. The cuboidal vehicle swerved into the dirt path entrance to Charles’s junkyard without a single shred of courtesy for the man’s possessions. It smashed through works, both in-progress and completed, as it skirted its way into his shack, driving through the shambly thing with the ease of crushing a tin can. 

From the truck’s back poured out another dozen or so guys, each one visibly armed with guns and blades. The driver of the truck shambled out of the wreckage, seemingly unbothered by the damages from his crash. He held a phone up to his ear.

“The junkyard is yours now. The boys have got Charlie, he’ll be to you in thirty.”

Knowing it unwise to stick around any longer, Ivy made her swift retreat from the invaded yard’s borders. She cleared the fence with an effortless jump, rejoining Seven as the man sat against the sheets of metal with perplexity in his eyes.

“What the Hell is going on in there?!” He asked as he stumbled to his feet.

Ivy took no time to explain. The woman made an immediate bee-line for her bike. Seven followed in quick pursuit.

“Hey!” he called out to her, “What are we doing?!”

Ivy scrambled to put on her helmet. “They got Charles!” She panicked.

“They got him? Who?”

“Some of Marvin’s fucking guys- They got him in a sack and they destroyed his shack- I’m gonna fucking strangle that kid- What the Hell does he think he’s doing hurting family?!” 

The woman was a fuming mess to say the least. Seven fought to gain his own grasp of the situation. The Charles they came to find now found himself in something hairy; That was about all he could glean from his partner’s panic. He needed her to calm down and explain. 

“Ivy, please, I don’t understand, what’s going on?” Seven urged the feral beast to quell her wrath, but she showed no signs of stopping. The moment her helmet secured itself to her head, Ivy revved the throttle to her bike and attempted to take off. Seven quickly jumped in front of it, stopping the charging vessel by its handlebars.

“Damn it, would you just slow down and explain this to me!”

“Get the fuck out of my way, Seven- I just did!”

“That wasn’t an explanation! What do you think you’re about to do?! Follow them? You’re panicking like a Star-damned animal right now- that is not the way to go about this!”

Ivy refused to entertain Seven’s attempts at a slow down. She pushed the throttle farther, determined to mow the man down where he stood, the cloud of burning rubber behind her growing as testament to her will. Seven fought back the ferocious beast with an awesome power, his will equally as strong.

“Furthermore,” He grunted as his heels dug into the cracked asphalt, “Just where the Hell do you think you’re going without me on board?! We’re on a mission together!”

As soon as those words left Seven’s lips, Ivy hopped off the bike and removed her helmet. She chucked it with violent force at the man’s face, pounding him square in the jaw with it.

“FUCK YOU, SEVEN! AND FUCK YOUR FUCKING MISSION- MY FRIEND JUST GOT FUCKING KIDNAPPED- I DON’T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT ‘BEING CALM’ RIGHT NOW! YOU FUCKING NEUTRANITES ARE ALL THE FUCKING SAME- I HATE YOU!!! ALL YOU DO IS THINK ABOUT YOURSELVES AND WHAT YOU WANT, SOMEONE ELSE’S FEELINGS BE DAMNED!!! YOU’RE JUST A BUNCH OF SELFISH, GREEDY, ARROGANT COLONIZERS WHO DESERVE EVERY ENEMY THAT YOU MAKE AND EVERY BLADE YOU GET TO YOUR THROATS!!!!”

Seven rubbed his jaw from the helmet’s collision. Though the strike sent him to his ass, he wouldn’t take the woman’s wrath sitting down. He sprung back to his feet, prompting Ivy to draw her sword.

“You just can’t wait to chop me up, can you?” He asked with a shocking level of hurt clenching his throat. “For crimes I didn’t even commit- things, that I didn't even do! I have tried, and tried, and tried to establish some form of comradery with you, and you just continue to cut me down at every turn! And now, here I am worried and panicked wanting to help you- asking you for a simple explanation so we can go and deal with this together, and once again you draw your blade against me! Do you think it's fair that I be the punching bag for your prejudice? When I say ‘we’re on a mission together’ I don’t just refer to mine! You’ve agreed to help me out, so I’ve agreed to help you in turn, no matter what your mission might be! And right now, if it’s a rescue mission to save your friend- then damn it I’ve got my sword ready! Because that’s what partnerships should be founded on: A level of mutual trust! I’ve shown nothing but trust towards you since the beginning…when are you going to start showing a little trust back?” 

Ivy’s grip trembled as her emotions cocktailed into a sickening soup within her turmoil. She looked down to her wobbly hands, wondering just which feeling it was that wouldn’t allow them to stop shaking. Anger? Guilt? Perhaps it was simply adrenaline. Whatever it was, she didn’t like it. She wished for nothing more than for a drink to appear from the heaven’s, bestowing upon her the blessing of a quiet mind.

Instead, what she got was the offer of her blood speckled helmet from the bright hands of a man whom she didn’t know what she should feel. 

The air grew heavy with an approaching storm, Newmi’s dense clouds swelling with an abundance of refreshing rains for the planet’s dry crust. Ivy lifted her hands to accept the offer. As her fingers grazed those of her current partner-in-crime, she was reminded of how they belonged to yet another man of flaming hair and awesome power. She wondered why she had done something like this to herself; Why she allowed herself to get caught up all over again. 

She was happy on Slem. Her past couldn’t find her there, nor could her dreamt of future. Whenever the pain cropped up, rearing its ugly head once more, a drink was always an arm's length away. It was paradise; It was Heaven. Why had she forgone what so many spend their whole lives reaching for, simply to aid a man whom she knew nothing of?

The fact that she now found herself doing something much similar, throwing herself to the unknown for the sake of another, only confused her more. If this was something she had a problem with, why was she still doing it? She wasn’t one to continue on living in a way that she didn’t want to, that much was evident by her initial flee from her own home.

Yet here she was, perpetuating a cycle that has only caused her pain, and only pushed her Heaven farther and farther away. Maybe that just meant…that the Destiny she dreamt of was different from the Destiny she was heading towards.

Ivy rejected the offer of the helmet. As the breeze intensified and the air cooled from overcast, she decided to start trusting, just a little bit more.

“Could you drive us back to the city this time?” She asked Seven as she pushed the helmet towards him. “My hands…won’t stop shaking…”

Seven accepted the request with haste, donning the helmet and taking his mantle upon the bike’s head. He revved the throttle, signaling the start of the new mission. 

Ivy shambled her way to the back of the bike, straddling its seat with careful step. She positioned her hands to grab onto Seven’s waist, but they seemed to fail her just as she went to follow through. There were many times when Ivy felt her fingers had a mind of their own. Excellent for mastering swordplay, but not so great when she wanted something they could not do.

Admitting defeat to her defiant digits, Ivy resigned herself to holding on to the bike’s undercarriage as hard as she could, its sharp edge making quick work of her pain tolerance.

Without preparation and without warning, Seven reached back to grab her hands. He pried them from their painful hold and gently rested them upon his sides.

Ivy’s face burned, although the sun was well behind the clouds. Seven seemed a bit hesitant on the throttle at first, giving it a few jumpy twists. But, the man very quickly got the groove of operating the device. In truth, it wasn’t much different from what he knew back home. It was a little unusual, but it worked; It operated in its own unique way. Different, yet the same.

The tarry roads were now just as much his as the starry skies. His course was set. This time, it was not Destiny who knocked on his door, but he, who knocked on hers.

…

Phetzana knocked three, formal, polite taps on the front door to Liter’s apartment. The skies grew gray with the threat of a downpour. She would only be a moment, as quick as she was on the day when she first proposed the pitch that ruined the man’s life.

The door crept open and Liter’s face poked its way into the cool air.

“It’s just me.” Phetzana assured him.

A relieved smile greeting his lips, Liter swung the door open to invite his accomplice in. Phetzana accepted the invite, wiping her boots at the front door before stepping into the grace of Liter’s home. Or, at least, what was his home before she snatched it all away from him.

“What’s up?” Liter asked as he offered to take her coat, “You never come by this late unless it’s something serious.”

Phetzana rejected the chivalrous offer. Removing her coat would imply that she intended to stay, and there was no time to get attached to comfort anymore. ‘Twas a luxury she no longer deserved 

“I just came to see…if you were all ready for the move tomorrow?” She lied.

Liter pointed to his wall lined with boxes and sculptures- the latter of which he loved to collect. 

“I heard the Villa is fully furnished and it’s got way better stuff than any of the junk I have here, so I packed light!” 

The man seemed genuinely excited to be making his new start on the complete opposite side of the planet. His cheery demeanor and optimistic outlook were something that Phetzana could always admire. In fact, she absolutely loved it about him. For someone like herself, who tended to have quite the pessimistic outlook on everything and all things, Liter’s brightness was a necessary balance. He shined like a star of his own, one that she could easily reach out and touch if she wanted to.

But here, in the shade of a crying evening, Liter’s happy-go-lucky charm only sickened her. Not a reaction to him particularly, but to herself.

“How can you not hate me…?” She felt those words slip from her mouth.

“What?” 

“Nothing…”

“No, not ‘nothing’. Do you want to sit down?”

No, she didn’t. And yes, she did. Phetzana found that there were always two sides to her heart these days. It was like she had undergone nuclear fission, splitting into two when there used to be one; Whatever was lost in the process, gone forever.

“I ruined your life…” She lamented. 

“No, you didn’t.”

“Yes…I did. I should’ve kept all this shit to myself, but I roped you into it…I took your future from you…”

“You did not…”

“I DID!!” Phetzana snapped, the unstable isotope that she was, she was bound to react violently. All she was waiting for, was the day where she would finally combust.

“Phetzana, I am telling you that you did not!!! I wouldn’t have done anything that I didn’t want to do!”

“But I practically forced your hand- I made you care about me- I made you listen to me! If I hadn’t shown up that night, you never would have known anything and all this would be my sole burden to bear!”

“Damn it, I never would have wanted you to bear something like this by yourself!!”

Phetzana collapsed in on herself, a star crushed by her own weight. And now she threatened to devour everything around her, simply by existing. Everything close to her…was now in her Event Horizon.

Liter knelt down to console her, just as he always did, just as he always would do. 

His strong hands. His gentle voice. The warm red glow of his hair. All that constantly threw itself at a ravenous singularity, and yet it always emerged unfazed. Perhaps that was why it kept on doing it. Her pull was simply that strong. How evil, such a thing’s nature was; To force others in, then tear them to pieces once they got too close. Even if the black hole only longed for the warmth of the stars, she could never have it; For she would tear them apart, atom by atom, feeding her infinitely dense ego by burdening others. 

And she never should have come here.

Phetzana threw Liter off of her miserable being. She rejected him, all his kindness and all his warmth. She raced to the door and threw herself into the evening’s drizzle, hoping a bolt of divine justice would be gracious enough to take claim of her dangerous existence.

As she fled the scene, she could hear her friend calling out to her through the rain. Maybe he was even chasing after her? If that was the case, she would simply keep running.

Yes, that was it. Phetzana would simply run. She would run away, as far as she could. Through the sobbing clouds, past the cold Expanse, over the blazing stars. She would keep running until she found it.

That wonderful thing that they call Heaven. 

…

Seven did consider calling his brother before he and Ivy stormed the HQ of the man called “Marvin”. If one thing, he just wanted to give him a piece of his mind for all the circus-shit he’s had to put up with thus far. If another, he wanted to relay one last message of love, should he lose his life in this, the end of a day filled brimming with danger.

According to Ivy, Marvin was absolutely in love with a singular location back when she knew him. Fuzzy’s Ferocious Babes- An adult club within the heart of Mortly. She bet that if the kid was still “kicking it” anywhere, it would be there.

So, there they were; Outside of the itchy establishment, watching as furry men both big and small, Poochsleian and Comettails alike, poured in and out in a vicious cycle of vice and consequence.

“When we get in here, just let me do all the talking.” Ivy urged, “Me and Marvin are still cool, as far as he knows, so I should be granted an audience with him no problem- Can’t believe I’m fucking saying this.”

“How long have you known this kid?”

“Since he was sucking on his sippy cup and holding up convenience stores. Now it seems the little bastard’s gotten full of himself. Pups, you can’t raise ‘em right.” 

The image of a young puppy holding a gun prompted a small chuckle within Seven before it turned into a ghastly image of his own baby sisters doing something similar. “It’s a dark galaxy we live in...” He whispered.

“A depraved one too; Try to keep your eyes down while we’re in here. The women here will flock to a guy like you in seconds if you invite them to.”

“Was that some sort of wrap-around compliment? You’re saying ‘because I’m so handsome’, right?”

“N-no! Plus you’ve got the hood on, stupid, so it’s not like anyone can see your face! I meant ‘because you look desperate and lonely’!”

Ah, life’s simple amusements. “Your friend’s probably getting waterboarded right now.”

“Right! So stop making stupid comments!”

The inside was just as scratchy as the outside. Seriously, how did a planet consisting of nothing but fur-people living in sand not suffer from daily cases of allergy attacks, static shocks, and carpet burns?

Seven kept his gaze humble and to the shag carpet at his feet. He followed Ivy’s steps. After a few minutes of shambling about the floor, Ivy finally managed to stop someone- A young woman serving drinks to all the horny patrons.

“Yo!” The ever-brash icon snapped at the poor girl, “I’m looking for Marvin. Where is he?”

The girl, frozen like a startled bunny, pointed to a door towards the establishment’s back most corner. “He-He’s in the gaming room!” She stuttered.

The door to the gaming room was locked, a neon sign displaying “Game In Progress” warning all those who dared to interrupt.

“Should we knock?” Seven asked.

“Nope.” Ivy responded as she kicked the door open with blinding speed.

The sight was just about what Seven expected from a gangster’s meeting. There were seven men total in attendance. Six promptly rose and reached for their weapons upon the breach of their meeting’s secrecy. The man, or rather, the boy, at the table’s head appeared rattled before holding up a hand heavy with various rings.

“Where the fuck is Charles, Marvin- you little traitor!” Ivy spat, her venom stinging the air.

“Ivy! Look what you did to my door. Why didn’t you just knock, you animal?” The young hound seemed quite happy to see his old time friend. It was unfortunate that the feeling was not mutual.

“Don’t act cute with me! Why the Hell are you picking on Charles like he’s some random schmuck off the streets?! We all used to run together!”

“Ah, good memories~” The boy sang, “But it’s all past, past, past. We’re finally in the future now, Ivy! The future we always dreamt of! Look! I’ve got rings now! Rings!!! Just like I always wanted!” Marvin presented his two hands covered in various gold and silver rings. The fashion statement didn’t seem the most practical.

Fed up with the conversation’s whimsical nature, Ivy drew her blade to start driving her point through. “I don’t give a fuck about your rings, MarMar. Where. Is. Charles.”

All the other men in attendance looked to Marvin in confusion. As this unknown woman stood across the table from him with a blade in his direction, they wondered if they should act without order or simply watch.

“Don’t get worked up, fellas.” Marvin smiled to his crew, “This is just a spat between old amigos.”

Ivy stepped closer to the table. “Past, right? Then I ain’t your ‘amigo’. That shit died the moment your goons rolled up on Charles and ransacked his paradise! Now where is he?”

Marvin’s bratty, shit-eating grin never left his face. The young boss snapped his fingers to alert his men. “Someone go grab Charlie from the back. I think we all need to have a little talk.”

The boy flagged his hand towards the chair beside Ivy. “Go ahead and take a seat. I’ll clear this up with you before I clean up Charlie and skedaddle. Your friend will have to take a seat too. I don’t want things to get ugly in here, this is my favorite room.”

Marvin then flagged to the rest of his crew. “Alright, go ahead and pull ‘em out, fellas. Ivy’s a real livewire, she needs persuading sometimes.”

The men all quickly obliged, retrieving their guns from the pockets and holding them, respectfully, as a quick threat.

Seven grabbed Ivy’s shoulder, encouraging the woman to do as she was told. Rage unlike any other boiling in her blood, Ivy claimed her seat directly across from Marvin. Seven chose to sit on the edge of the table beside her, offering her at least some shield from the men to her left.

It didn’t take long for the goons to bring out the flailing little ball of blue fluff. Charles looked as though he had already been roughed up quite a bit, his fur dark and matted where presumed bleeding wounds festered underneath. The little cotton man was sat on the table right beside Marvin, who rubbed him sadistically like the freak he was proving to be.

“Alright, let’s start with Ol’Charlie here, and why he’s become a stranger to me!” Marvin began, giddy to have an audience. “You see, to put it simply, I came up, and Charlie, he stayed down. Now, me being the kind, loyal friend that I am, I offered to help Charlie out when he was down on his luck. Too many late nights with expensive women and feeding that hobby of yours, right buddy?” 

Charles chuckled in response. “Yeaaaah, that’s pretty much exactly it!”

Marvin chuckled as well, his grip on the little man’s head tightening. “Yeah, so I helped him! And I expected to get a return on my generosity, ya know? Nothing wrong with that- it’s common courtesy! Ivy, did I not pay you back for all the Rodent Burgers you got for me back in the day?!”

Ivy refused to entertain Marvin’s question. Her gaze only continued to burn holes in his miserable furry little head.

“Anyways, when time came to pay up, Ol’Charlie here was down on his luck, yet again, go figure right. So, what do I do? Well, I extend the deadline, naturally. I mean, that’s what friends are for, right? That was almost a year ago now, and frankly I think I’ve been about as patient as I ought to be. You see, you don’t get to have this many rings and this kind of future by just lettin’ guys walk all over ya, whether they be friends, aunties, uncles, third cousins removed, anybody! Nebula Beard taught me that!”

The mention of that name, of some individual named “Nebula Beard”, to Seven it didn’t do anything. No reaction, no sense of recognition, no familiarity. To him, it was just an amalgamation of random words.

But to Ivy, to Ivy that name meant everything. And she was sure to let her cocky adversary know it.

“Don’t you mention him in my presence.” She snarled, her feet dancing skittishly beneath the table, yearning to lunge. 

“Oooooh, that’s right!” Marvin squeaked, “I forgot you two had bad blood! Well, He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named has been helping me out a lot recently. It’s thanks to him that I got this swanky joint from my childhood all to myself! It’s thanks to him that I got all these fancy rings! And, it’s thanks to him that, now, we gotta move planet! Nebula Beard had us do something reeeeaaall crazy involving Neutra this past weekend. Now my boys are all scared shitless of the repercussions! So, I’m just wrapping up some last minute business, making sure all my affairs are in order, then, I’m gonna bounce. Simple as that. Was that a good enough explanation for you?”

Ivy continued to glare in flaming silence. She turned her gaze to the men bordering each side of the room, wondering how many she could take out before she got shot.

Though her fingers twitched and her mind raced with an attack plan, it was not her who acted first. 

Seven piped up from his considerate silence, something prompting the man to begin involving himself in a discussion between outsiders. 

“What’s this about Neutra?” He asked. “Some sort of haul, I take it? A heist perhaps?”

“Woah! You can talk, masked man?!” Marvin joked, “I figured you for a mute! Surprised Ivy can get along with anybody with a functioning mouth! To answer your question, that’s a big fat nun-ya business.”

“Oh, I think it is my business.” Seven threatened, something changing about the man’s demeanor. Who once appeared like more of a thinker, suddenly felt as though he was ready to spring into action. 

And as the feeling swelled, and the first crack of thunder broke outside to welcome in the torrential downpour, Seven reached for the hilt upon his belt. He reached for Solaris, and as the guns rose to meet his direction, a bright beam of light shot from the hilt and rended the throats of the three men on his side of the table.

Seeing her opportunity to strike in the white flash of Seven’s attack, Ivy pounced with a photon’s speed, making quick work of her three men. Both sword-wielding assailants made it to the table’s head with blades against Marvin’s throat before the heaven’s first rumble reached its conclusion. 

Before a single drop of rain hit the thirsty dirt, Marvin was at gunpoint, blade point to be more accurate. 

“Now, I want to ask you again: What’s all this about Neutra?”

The scared little boy could barely even string coherent syllables together. “Y-y-you, you’re a Neutranite?”

“You bet your forsaken star I am, now unless you want to end up a medium-well chunk of meat on the cum-stained carpet like your friends here, I suggest you start talking.”

“S-s-s-sure, man! I like talking- I love to talk! What do you wanna know?!”

“The nature of this job your ‘boys’ did. What was it?”

“It was a haul, man! Just like you said- just a simple haul!”

“A haul of what?”

“I don’t know- Some piece of junk destined for sale at the Petri Dish! Nebula Beard didn’t give me any details and I didn’t ask- Someone like that you just follow blindly, ya know?!”

Seven pressed the hot edge of his blade against the squealing little piggy’s tight throat. “No, I don’t know. What’s this ‘Petri Dish’? Is that a location?”

‘It’s an event!” Marvin responded, pissing himself proper. “On Wemlo! Port Anderson in Bec! It's held every month! A little get together for black market consumers to make some illegal purchases and all that!”

"So you’re saying that this haul has already made its way there?”

“Most likely not, but it should be damn close!”

Finally, a solid lead to follow. Satisfied with his interrogation, Seven retracted his blade and holstered his hilt.

“I’m all done with him.” He said to Ivy.

“Good.” Ivy returned. The wrathful force of nature positioned herself to grab Charles’s body while keeping her blade to Marvin’s neck. She cradled the little blue feller against her breast, something she was sure he enjoyed, even in such a scenario.

“Now listen to me, little boy.” She growled to piss-pot Marvin, the poor kid swimming in his shoes. “Since we have history together, I’ll let you off the hook. But don’t you ever come for my family again! You will absolve Charles of the debt he owes you! Considering you fuckers leveled his happy place, I think you’re about even. Another thing you will do, is stop hanging around that fucking scumbag! He’s clearly warped what should matter in your heart. This future you have here doesn’t mean shit without the ones who used to love you! I hope at some point you realize just how lonely it can be to turn your back on your family. I hope that isolation eats away at whatever fucked up vision of the world you have stirring around up there! When all that shit is cleared up, you know where to find me. Kapeesh?” 

Marvin nodded, the poor thing on the verge of tears.

“Good. Now call off those assholes at Charles’s junkyard before they end up like these sorry bastards soaking up the carpet.”

Marvin nodded, praying for the divine blade of fury to find its way away from his Adam's apple. 

Ivy sheathed her trusty weapon, and the trio sauntered their way out of the game room, paying no mind to all the frightened spectators they amassed.

The bike ride back to Delta Centauri was one of enjoying the refreshing breeze of a soaked and hydrated Newmi. Charles rested comfortably in Seven’s downed hood so he could talk to Ivy, while the terrifying man of blazing hair drove the crew across the soggy road. 

“Am I fucking lucky or what that you were stopping by for a visit!” He thanked her.

“I’d say you could’ve been luckier. How bad did they cut you?”

“Ah, the dickheads on the drive got a little annoyed with me, that’s all. Listen, I was going to pay Marvin back, but the little demon refused to be patie-”

“Shh, that shit’s done. Doesn’t matter. Marvin never should’ve treated you like that. You were like a big brother to him. Kids just got some issues to work through…”

“Ha! Don’t we all, sister! So anyways, who’s this mysterio?”

“My name is Seven.” Seven interjected, “It’s a pleasure to meet such a fine craftsman. Ivy’s spoken nothing but good things about you. I got to spy some of your work back at the yard; Not bad for a scrapper.”

“The Hell kind of name is Seven?” Charles asked, “Like, the number?”

“Yes.” Seven answered with pride. “It’s cultural.”

“To be named after numbers?”

“No, to be named after a pre-existing word. Somewhere within the Second Millennium it became trendy and has stuck ever since. If you think that’s bad, I once knew a lad in grad school by the name of ‘Toenail’.”

“You're shitting me?”

“I kid you not.”

Charles laughed, a man who enjoyed some good nonsensical humor. “That is rich!”

“He was, actually!” Seven added.

Charles’s laughter rose. “Ah! Ah, man, stop- You’re killing me! So how’d you and Ivy get together?”

“What do you mean ‘get together’?” Ivy was quick to correct, “There is none of that! We’re just on a job together.”

“Right…” Charles agreed, “Which means you’re still ‘together’. Geez, you still get all defensive like this? Age can’t fix everything, I guess…”

“We’re on a quest to recover that haul that Marvin was talking about.” Seven answered, “If you’re interested, I can fill you in while we’re dropping you off.”

“Actually, if you guys are doing a job right now, I don’t mind coming with.”

“Really?” Ivy asked, “It hasn’t exactly been glamorous thus far.”

“Listen, to be honest, I’m not looking forward to having to rebuild my shack. I’d rather put that off for as loooong as possible.”

“I mean…It’s up to Seven.”

Seven had no objections. In fact, though maybe he was playing into the character a bit too well, he actually had a courteous proposition. “I don’t mind. In fact, I encourage you too. I’ve promised Ivy a handsome reward at this journey’s end. If you stick it out with us, a cut of that is as good as yours. You could use it to help with repairs.”

“Ah man, are you serious?!” 

“Dead serious.” Seven smiled as the wind blew through his fiery hair. “You in?”

“What are you, crazy?! Of COURSE I’m in, you son of a bitch! Ha haaaa! You’re alright, Seven!”

“Yeah…” Ivy agreed, “He’s a real character.”

“If I’m coming with you guys, then there’s something I’d like to grab from my yard! It’ll make me a lot more useful. Can we swing by?”

“I don’t see why not.” Seven replied, “We’ll go in the ship. To Hell with the airspace restriction. They’ll never catch us!”

…

A soldier raced to catch up with Heaven as he strutted ahead with purpose in his every step. The Third Captain didn’t have time to entertain the “request an audience” rule. He felt the news he had to deliver was important enough to disregard such formalities.

The input procedure to enter the office was quick, Heaven having memorized his clearance code with muscle memory alone.

Sitting at his desk, smoking a cigar as always, was His Strongest; The man’s trusty right hand, Remote, standing guard beside him.

“Your Strongest,” Heaven started, eager to give his report, his need to contribute to the investigation overwhelming in its demand. “I have an urgent update about the search for the Eterna Core.”

His Strongest puffed casually from his favorite pastime. “Proceed, Soldier.”

“We’ve got a lead, Sir. Seven is investigating a rumor that the device is in the current possession of the black market. Right now, its whereabouts are rumored to be on the planet of Wemlo; Specifically, Port Anderson in Bec. Some monthly event called the ‘Petri Dish’ seems to take place there- A gathering of black market patrons from all across the Expanse.”

His Strongest halted his drag, opting to instead smush his cigar into his ashtray, its flavor suddenly holding no more appeal. “Is that true, soldier?” He asked, his tone sending inexplicable chills down Heaven’s spine.

“Yes, Sir.” The dutiful soldier confirmed in spite of his uneasy feelings.

“I see…Thank you, Centauri. Tell your brother to keep up the good work. Now dismiss yourself before I remember you just barged in here without permission.”

“Yes, Sir.”

And with that, Heaven took his leave, the black steel door sealing behind him.

His Strongest sat up in his chair. His fingers quaked violently as he clasped his hands together, fighting to keep his composure.

“Would you like your stress ball, Your Strongest?” Remote asked.

“No.” His Strongest growled, “Get me a line to Mr.Orion and Ms.Lyra.”   

…

“Who were you trying to get in contact with, Seven?” Ivy inquired as she stretched out on Delta’s magnificent sofa.

“Just some of my comrades on the ground.” He answered, the best lie. “I’ve got quite a few fans and supporters, believe it or not.”

‘I don’t believe it.” The autumn haired woman teased, “But I guess there’s all kinds in this galaxy.”

“Yeah…Speaking of all kinds…” Seven turned his attention to the kitchen area, where a hulking, mechanized suit resembling that of a Scaled Gorilla stood preparing itself a package of “Beal and Herb Snake”.

“The kitchen isn’t too small for you, is it, Roboman?” Seven asked the mechanized Charles, whose “Super Useful Robot Suit” or S.U.R.S for short, seemed more like a liability in the cramped confines of the ship, rather than an advantage.

“No way, man!” Charlie assured, “I know how to pilot this bad boy like an expert! See, I put the cockpit in the head area so I could be better at environmental awareness and stuff, so you don’t have to worry. I. Am. Coordinated~”

“Why didn’t you hop in that to fight Marvin’s goons when they showed up to curb your face in?” Ivy asked, a genuinely good question.

“Uh, duuuuh, because it was all the way in the back of my yard! Plus, you know, I didn’t want to get it scratched.”

“You almost died.”

“Almost, baby! Hell yeah!”

Seven shook his head. Wherever he went, he just couldn’t help but amass an army of freaks. He wondered how his own team was doing, back in the comfort and safety of home. It was a dark galaxy indeed…and he was grateful they never had to see it. Imagining Verity being harassed by some prejudiced furball, or Monti having all his gadgets and gizmos destroyed by a psychotic gangster; It was all too much. 

All the more reason to look towards the future. A brighter future, one where hope shined as true as Novia herself. The Eterna Core was right there in his grasp. Hope, was within his reach. He was confident that if he prayed hard enough, and pushed on in his Destiny holding Desire strong in his heart, he could grab hold of the future; Clutching it in the palm of his hand.

He imagined it would feel quite warm.