Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The irken woke up to bright lights shining in their eyes. Against their back was only a bed cushion and their pack, no exosuit. They tried to sit up, but cuffs around their wrists and ankles kept them anchored in place.

They tried to think back. How had they ended up here? No memories of traveling here came. That was when the fear set in. They should have been home. Instead they were suddenly somewhere else with no memory of having gotten there. Anything could have happened. Anything. And they knew nothing.

Maybe they'd been injured somehow? Their current location seemed like it might be some kind of medical unit. That was no comfort at all. What had happened? They needed to know what had happened to them.

As if in response to the irken's waking, a drone quickly stepped over to the bed to speak to them. Their exosuit was clean and well-made, with an imperial design. They had a curious, almost expectant look as they spoke.

“Well, hello there. I've got an assessment for you now that you're up.”

“...Where am I?” the irken asked, but the drone gave a dismissive wave.

“We've got to see what you remember first.” The drone took out a data pad and gave it a few taps. “What's your name? Can you remember?”

The irken thought. Their name? They got the feeling they hadn't said it in a long time. But it came to them instinctively all the same.

“Clav.” The drone tapped at their data pad, presumably entering the information Clav had given them.

“Matches. Current position?” Clav thought on that, and thought and thought. Did they have a job? They couldn't remember one. But at the same time, they couldn't remember that they didn't have one either.

“I'm not sure.”

“Hmm, alright.” The drone noted down whatever it was they were recording, then stopped to think. “Do you have any memory of what you might have been doing in the past that could be your job?”

“Not really.” More taps on the data pad. Clav began to fear for the worst. They had lost memories of something entirely, something this drone seemed to expect them to remember. They hoped they would get their answers soon.

“How about your favorite nourishment?”

“Waffles. I love waffles.” The answer came out before they could really think about it. Though as far as Clav could remember, they'd never been so lucky as to lay eyes on such a delicacy. The love and desire for this treat, though, was unshakable. They wanted to go home and eat waffles. That was their dream.

“Yes, we figured as much,” the drone said, amusement showing in their halfway-curled antennae. “Seems you at least remember the more set parts of your life. But what's the last thing you remember before here?”

Clav thought about that. They didn't remember anything that could have led up to this, that was for sure. A memory came of sitting in a metal room, thick with grime and slimy growth. But no, that wasn't it. They remembered the stars. That was right. Their hands on the controls of a small craft. They'd been driving. That was the last thing they remembered.

“I was in a ship, in space,” they said. The logical answer hit them like a lead weight. “There was an accident. I sustained serious injuries. Didn't I? And now I can't even remember what I did.”

“Precisely. You were very lucky, you know. It was one of those crazy Korvax. They didn't look where they were going and launched a frigate straight across your trajectory. And honest accident, but a stupid mistake.”

“And they actually stopped to help?” Clav said.

“Oh, no. The Korvax didn't do a thing. There were luckily other irkens nearby to witness your signal going wild. They brought you here before your life support went out. Your ship is trashed, by the way. You'll have to get a new one.”

“I don't think I remember the ship. Or very much else.” Clav just lay there in shock. Their whole life, turned around. And they could barely even remember it.

Chapter Text

No one had told Floyosa what to do with strange lifeforms. Animals and plants, sure--there were endless species in the many ecosystems of the planets they visited, to be scanned and analyzed and harvested. But not people. Not lifeforms that drove spaceships and parked at Floyosa's landing pad and came out to inspect their base, but who weren't Gek, or Vy'keen, or Korvax. That had always been Floyosa's job. The Traveller, gawked at and worshipped and everything else the people of this universe did seeing them.

But here it was.

Their analysis told them the ship was a Shuttle, but it looked odd for one. The lifeform, now, Floyosa's analysis would only give its name. Clav, appparently. No title or anything, like they usually saw on people. At their scan, the lifeform turned around, looking for the source of the signal, then finally saw Floyosa.

“Oh, hi,” it said, and walked up. Definitely not a creature Floyosa recognized. Was it possible there was more than one Traveller here? But the Korvax had said the odds of ever meeting one were so low. One was a miracle. Two was unfathomable.

“Um. What is there to offer here?” Clav asked.

“Shelter. Amenities.” The thing's questions were easy, at least.

“And food?”

“Life support recharges. The animals have milk.”

“Drat. Do you by chance know where to find waffles? I haven't even been able to get a recipe.”

Never mind. The questions weren't easy. Floyosa had no idea what to do anymore. What did you do when a strange creature came to your outpost and asked you for something you'd never heard of?

“I don't know. Show me the thing. Waffles. A model.”

“Oh... I, um, don't have one on hand. That's fine. I'll ask someone else,” Clav said. They turned and went to look around the outpost. Floyosa took that as an opportunity to look at the strange ship. It was definitely a spaceship, and its workings and sequences had been fine enough to land on the landing pad, and their scanner was registering it as a Shuttle still. But something was just weird about it. it was not a model Floyosa could fit into what a Shuttle would possibly look like. The curiosity was too great. They went over to find Clav, who was inspecting the mushrooms outside the walls of the outpost.

“Where did you get your ship? I have not seen it,” Floyosa said. Clav startled, then looked up at them. Floyosa's nonverbal language aid suggested to them that Clav was smirking at the question.

“Irken imperial model. You probably don't want to buy it unless you're good at hacking starcraft systems.”

“Is it a Shuttle?”

“Yep. Though it's not the best out there.”

“Are you a Traveller?” The language aid told Floyosa that Clav was surprised, possibly alarmed, by the question. They hadn't meant to scare them, only to hear what they were. “I am only asking.”

“I'm an irken. Are you a Traveller?”

“Yes.”

“Really? That's...” Predictably, Clav ran a scan. These were the exchanges Floyosa was used to. “...Wow. I've only heard about you guys. That's cool!” Floyosa smiled. Or, they did their best to. They didn't know if Clav had a language aid too, that could tell them. Maybe they could see it without one. They couldn't say, with so many uncertainties here. But it worked for all the people they'd seen before. It made them happy, instead of tense. And tension was the last thing Floyosa wanted at their nice planetary base.

“I didn't think a Traveller would keep a station like this. So many adventures to go on,” Clav said. After a minute, they added, “Do you just stay here all day?”

“I have a home like everyone else,” Floyosa said. “But I explore and collect things too.” They didn't feel any real need to keep talking. But... the curiosity. “What do irkens do?”

“Do? I suppose we just live our lives, too,” Clav said. “If you're wondering what I do, well, you're out of luck, because I'm not really sure. I'm a weird irken. Better to ask someone else, if they'll even talk to you.”

“No one talks about irkens. You are the first I've seen.”

“Well, maybe you can ask. Or maybe...” Clav smiled, gesturing to themself. “If you really think I'm that cool, you could help see if anyone can get me some waffles.”

“You will have to show me what that is. I might have it, or the pieces of it. I collect stuff. Could be willing to sell it.”

“Pieces of... No, no. It's a food. A specific kind of food. Tell you what: Give me a couple hours here, and I'll draw you up a diagram and everything. If you're invested in it, that is.” Floyosa wasn't sure how invested they were in this strange thing this strange creature kept mentioning. But... They were curious, now. The Korvax had told them to always follow that drive to learn and understand. That the more they did, the more life would become clear to them, and the more beautiful it would be. Whatever piece this Waffles was in the complex formula of existence, they could learn it now. Even if they weren't really sure they cared about it.

But most importantly, in two hours, Floyosa would still be here. So it was just as well.

“If you want.”

Chapter Text

Clav's waffle drawing wasn't very good. Still, it was quicker than going to find someone else's drawing, and few people around here seemed to know what waffles were anyway. This Floyosa, this Traveller--how lucky Clav was to see a Traveller!--was the first lifeform that had even seemed to care. Or perhaps it was just too much curiosity combined with a naivety Clav hadn't seen in many aliens. But they needed any leads they could get, and here was a possible one.

That was all Clav had seemed to do since they had woken up at the imperial hospital. Chasing down leads. Chasing down their lost memories, their lost past, chasing down themself really. And finding nothing. Well, they had found out their old job. Apparently, they were an agricultural technician. But farming seemed so dull. Why would they have ever chosen to do that? Only if they were enslaved, but none of the records mentioned that. For a while Clav had wondered if that was why they'd been on the ship, escaping their old work, maybe that was why its details were fuzzy too. But it didn't really make sense. Nothing made sense. And they didn't even have a plate of waffles to console them in their misery.

Floyosa just stared at the hologram in silent judgment when Clav showed them. Clav couldn't tell what was going on in their head, but they could be pretty sure it was a new image. After another minute of silence, Clav broke the awkward tension.

“So, uh, this is what a waffle looks like. What I'm looking for.”

“You can go to a nutrient processor and make that,” Floyosa said almost immediately. “If you can draw the shape you can put it in the modeler.”

“No! You don't understand. A waffle is more than the shape. It's also the ingredients. The experience of pulling out a fresh confection, and setting it on your plate. I can't find anyone making them. I can't even find a recipe. If I just had that... I could do it. A real waffle, not a brick of carbon.” Clav hadn't spoken this enthusiastically to aliens in quite a while, and realized they were still probably speaking to deaf ears. But even that little bit of curiosity from this one had inspired them once more.

Floyosa just stood there, looking at the hologram. Clav tried to read their expression, but they couldn't tell. The barbels on Floyosa's chin were relaxed and still, and their eyes carried that look of perpetual judgment. They had smiled initially, but now, Clav really couldn't tell what sort of impression they were making on this Traveller. They wouldn't be surprised if Floyosa wanted them to just leave already.

Clav put away the hologram, just to be sure Floyosa was actually paying attention. They looked Clav's way, but still said nothing. This Traveller was...

Strange. Of course. They were supposedly a distinct species from anything that ever evolved in this universe. Anomalous entities, supernatural beings. Of course a Traveller would be difficult for an irken to communicate with. Clav was suddenly thankful for the fact that Floyosa was extremely docile for such a creature. Friendly, even, instead of trying to blast them to pieces for being too boring or something.

“I will keep a note if I see waffles,” Floyosa said, throwing Clav out of their thoughts. “If you ever visit again, I'll tell you if I found it. I could keep it and then sell it to you too.”

That was more than anyone else had ever offered. Clav couldn't help their squeal of joy.

“You will? Thank you! Thank you! I'll come back! I'll--” Floyosa's blank expression stopped their sentence short, leaving the rest to fall out as a childish giggle. “Thank you, stranger,” they finally added. How embarrassing. Finally losing it, over what must seem trivial to this person.

Then Floyosa smiled back.

Chapter Text

“Next.”

Clav stood up and went over to the databank archivist's desk, where an ancestral sat fiddling with cables and something else behind the table that Clav couldn't see.

“I'm looking to sell some bio-scans,” Clav said. The archivist nodded.

“Turn around.” Clav did as they asked, and felt hands press against their back. Then a sharp push. “Dang it! Hold on a second.” Clav looked around the room, at the chairs and the entertainment panel that was advertising various new snacks. No waffles. Most of the irkens here were ancestral, and from the looks of them, Clav guessed they were going to try and squeeze out whatever units they could for math problems or eavesdropped conversations or useless “inventions”. Being a public-facing archivist had to be a terribly annoying job.

After a few seconds, Clav said, “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, just expected a different data jack. I can connect you fine. Long way from home, huh?”

“Uh, what?” Clav felt another sharp push, and their exosuit display lit up with a prompt to transfer data.

“Drop your scans in now,” the archivist said. Clav began searching for the files on New Gieldena. “They've only recently started using this plug on drones near the main fleet, and they haven't been near Zorplink in ages. Didn't expect to see it on an ancestral. Only reason you'd have it is if you live there.”

A clue.

“Oh, really?” Clav pulled the files and copied them to the archivist's data cord.

“Well, I assume. Am I wrong?”

“Uh... I don't know.”

“Aw, cute,” the archivist said. “I'm keeping a picture of that.” They clearly weren't paying too much attention to the conversation.

“Of what?”

“The Traveller. I like it.” Clav felt a tug at their back. “All done.” They turned around to face the archivist, who was looking at the displays on their desk and calculating something.

“Are you even allowed to keep data for personal reasons?” Clav asked.

“Well, no. But you can say you gave it to me.”

“And what if I don't?” The archivist stopped their calculations and looked at Clav.

“What are you getting at?”

“Well... Would you get in trouble for pulling something for me?” The archivist made a disapproving motion with their antennae.

“Absolutely not.” They went back to their work, and transferred the units to Clav's account. 24,847 for that batch of scans.

“I just want to know if you can pull a recipe...”

“Next.”

Chapter Text

A Vy'keen had once told Floyosa that curiosity was a good way to get yourself killed. Having a purpose to drive your actions mattered far more and made your life complete. But Floyosa had never seemed to need such a thing. Or was it just that they had never been given a purpose? Everyone in the universe was born from others. They had grown up in their species, in their cultures, at least their families, and been shaped from the moment they were born. Floyosa, on the other hand, had woken up one day and that was that.

They knew only learning by themself, of how things worked and what things were supposed to do. The pleasures of building and socializing and collecting had popped up as surprises, and Floyosa didn't know where they had come from any more than themself. They just assumed these things were a Traveller's job. A purpose, perhaps. But that was not the sort of purpose the Vy'keen had meant, or else they surely would have said it as an affirmation rather than a caution. It was a puzzle they could never solve, no matter how much they thought about it.

A flash of bright red caught Floyosa's attention. Their analysis visor was alerting them to the presence of a clutch of eggs nearby. They'd seen this signal before, but always been distracted by something else. Today, there was nothing.

As they followed the signal, they came to a small metal building. The doors and parts of the walls were thrown aside, and the only signs of power were emergency lights. Floyosa had seen ruins before, but this structure seemed in significantly better shape. They scanned it, but whatever signature of its occupants may have been there was too degraded to analyze. They guessed the structure could be anywhere from a few years abandoned to a couple decades, but they had no real way to tell.

The other thing, of course, was the clutch of eggs. Four large purple sacs were nested inside a mass of stringy, slimy growth, which Floyosa then noticed had grown over plenty of the building as well. It might be even younger than anticipated if this stuff could spread quickly. Floyosa wondered what might have happened. Maybe it had become overgrown after being abandoned, or maybe the growth had choked it out. They saved their scan to show to someone later.

Floyosa knelt down to examine the eggs. They ran their hand along the surface of one. It had a leathery texture, and Floyosa could swear they felt a vibration within, something either restless or responding to their touch. They found it was rather disturbing, though they weren't sure why. But that only made the thing more intriguing. Morbid curiosity, they had heard it called.

They wanted to smash it. They wanted to see what was inside. But they also didn't want to be touching it when the shell split. They pondered, weighing their options. They could throw something at it. But that might destroy it too much. Or they could laser open the shell, but it wouldn't be as satisfying. But it would be a cleaner cut, too, and would offer a more accurate view of the contents. Maybe they could save it for their collection. that seemed like a good course of action.

They pulled out their mining laser, stood up, and sliced the shell of the egg open. A writhing, yellow-green blob fell out, and Floyosa jumped back. The blob seemed fully self-contained, rolling around next to its shell, so Floyosa readied a capsule. It took a couple times to catch the egg-blob, but finally it sat suspended in the glass.

Before Floyosa could have a good look at it, a sense of immense dread suddenly came over them. It was as if their whole environment had become unnamably... evil. The smell emanating from the split shell, the stringy growths on the ground, the vibrations in the soil beneath them. But the sight of a green claw rising from the gunk was what jolted Floyosa's instincts into action. They shoved the capsule into their backpack and ran.

They were greeted by a horned, fanged, many-eyed head, countless forms of legs, and a barbed tail, all clicking menacingly. It was the most horrible thing they'd ever seen. They turned around. There were at least six of these creatures.

They had to pick some direction. Their hand gripping their multi-tool tightly, they ran for the first opening in the group they saw. Claws and teeth clicked and snapped, but Floyosa made it through and just kept running. Feeling their stamina fading, they remembered the ad they'd seen a month ago and ignored. A neural stimulator, for providing an extra boost of forced power when adrenaline failed. It had seemed like a crazy thing to want, but now they saw the utility. But it was too late for that.

They stopped, drawing in gasps of air, hearing the fans of their exosuit working doubly hard to exchange gases for them. Behind them, they still heard clicking and hissing. They scanned their surroundings. Their ship was still a distance away, and a bit more to their left than the path they had been running. They quickly shoved their oxygen tube into their throat for an extra push, but the moment they inhaled they coughed it back out. There was nothing for it. They turned around.

Most of the creatures had seemed to fall behind, but one was heading straight for them. With all of their strength, when it got close enough, Floyosa kicked it in one of its massive horns. Floyosa fell backwards, but the creature was thrown off balance as well. They aimed their multi-tool at it and activated the mining laser, cutting through the thick chitin and causing... something to spill out. It was enough to distract the already-disoriented creature. Floyosa pushed themself to their feet, turned once more, and headed towards the signal of their ship as fast as they could, which wasn't very fast, but it was all they had.

Once they were in the safety of their ship, they took a minute to calm down, then pulled out the capsule again. The thing inside looked like an egg yolk, mostly. It was probably the egg of whatever those horrifying creatures were. But now, it was safe, a part of their collection. Floyosa took it to the space station to ask the locals about it. They said that indeed, it was an egg yolk, a sac containing the larva of the menacing green things. Aside from its tendency to squirm around and whisper, it was much like any other egg. If one could stand the unnerving aspects of it, of course.

They were about to head for their ship and leave, but then they remembered something. They went to the public trade terminal, scrolling through the listings. Then they typed in 'waffles'. Nothing came up for it. Then they remembered Clav had seemed to use a slightly different word, perhaps a singular form, when showing them the model, so they just typed in 'waffle'. Still nothing.

Well, it was worth a shot. They continued on their way.

Chapter Text

The irken, Clav, came back to Floyosa's base. Floyosa had been out caving, then gone to the trade terminal to sell the albumen pearls they had extracted from those colorful sacs. They were coming back to make some batteries when they noticed Clav's ship parked at their outpost. That made them forget the batteries. Their analysis tool told them that Clav was inside the building, so they went straight inside. There they were, putting their hands on the osstar in the middle of the room.

“Hello, Clav,” they said. Clav turned around. The language aid said they were embarrassed.

“Oh, hi! This is, uh, a cool sculpture. I was just feeling it because...” They didn't say more words after that. They were just embarrassed, apparently.

“That is an osstar. I found it on another planet. They were all over the ground. I put it here to please visitors,” Floyosa said.

“Well, it's lovely,” Clav said. “So, how are things?”

“I did not find any waffles. I checked multiple trade terminals but they were not selling any.”

“You actually looked?”

“Yes. But I did not find them.”

“Well, thanks anyway. It's good to know someone's looking. Good to know someone's looking out.” Clav looked around. “So, this is your home? I'm guessing you built it yourself?”

“I bought some blueprints for the building patterns. Then I arranged them myself. I have been working on it over time.”

“Well, it's a nice place. Personally I wouldn't have chosen this area. The weather seems to be eternally overcast. But the building itself is well constructed.”

“I like the weather. I have not found another planet that is better than this one. The only bad thing is that wood rots very easily here. But otherwise, it is good. The Korvax here like it too.”

“Yeah, well, the Korvax are crazy,” Clav said with a laugh. They stood there for a moment. “Well, whatever makes you like this place, keep it. Having a home is a really valuable thing. You won't realize that until you lose it.” Floyosa thought about that.

“If anyone attacks this place, I will stop them,” they said. “It is for people to enjoy and for me to store things. It is not a place to be aggressive or steal.”

“Good. And don't let it fall into disrepair either. That's what happened to--well, I don't know if it's my home. But it's the place I go to a lot. It's very bad.”

“Do you want some materials? I have a lot of silicate. It's free.”

“I wish. No, it's the colony I've been visiting. They say it used to be really successful, but as far as I know it's always been a heap of trash. Materials can't fix what's wrong with it. I should really just leave, but I don't.” Clav ran their hand over one of the osstar's bony protrusions. “You know, I don't tell people this very often. But you're a Traveller, and you're nice too, so no harm, I guess. I don't remember who I am. Lost a lot of memories in an accident, woke up in the hospital. I've just been looking and looking. But I can't figure it out.”

“I woke up like that too,” Floyosa said.

“...Huh? Really?”

“Yes. But it was not an accident. I think I came into existence like this. Waking up. No memories. On a planet.”

“Oh, wow. How did you deal with that?”

“I found some catalyst to recharge my thermal protection unit. Then I was okay.”

“You just... were okay?”

“Yes. Then I found a spaceship. It was my ship. And I started flying through space.”

“It doesn't bother you that you, um. You woke up with a functioning hazard unit and didn't know where it came from?”

“I think it came with me.”

“So you just came into existence, suit and ship and all? I thought Travellers came from other planes of existence or something. That they had an existence before this one, at least.”

“I do not think so. I would know. This is my existence.”

“Hmm. I guess you're lucky, in a way. You don't have a past to dig up, or not one that you know of. You can just learn who you are right now.”

“You can do that too,” Floyosa said.

“Not really. A lot is lost. I might never even know whether Zorplink is my true homeworld or not. I can't find any records of where I was born.”

“Maybe it has been your home the whole time. Maybe it has been your home even before you saw it. Knowing where you were born might not tell you this. It is just data.”

“That data is what's important to me, though,” Clav said. “It doesn't matter where I settle now. Where was I from, Floyosa? What was my origin? Don't you ever wonder about your origin, before you 'just woke up'?”

“I do not have one.”

“Hmm. Well, I do. I might never remember it. And that really bothers me.” Floyosa didn't know what to say to that. But the language aid said Clav was expecting something.

“I would like to visit Zorplink. Can I have its coordinates?” That was a big surprise to Clav, apparently.

“Are you crazy? That's literally in an irken-controlled system.”

“I would like to see irken settlements.”

“Irken settlements is not the same as a whole system under our control. The infrastructure isn't built for you. It's not Atlas. The empire's made sure to keep it that way. You'll have a very hard time interfacing with any of the networks. They won't recognize your exosuit, they won't recognize anything. You'd be better off visiting Yervon. And that's at least ten thousand light-years away from Ellekt.”

“Can I have the coordinates? Maybe I will travel to Yervon some day,” Floyosa said.

“Listen... I really don't want you going to an irken colony by yourself. In the wrong parts, you'd be an obvious target.”

“I visit other species. I even visited a place where they took out the Atlas system thing. The people there were impressed by me. What is different about irkens?” The language aid said Clav was giving signals of discomfort.

“Those people... They aren't part of an empire that tells them... um. Irkens are just different. Not bad, we aren't bad, but...”

Floyosa waited, listening.

“I just don't want someone at Yervon, or Zorplink, or wherever, dragging you off or something. It's... I'd rather not talk about it. Just don't plan to visit Irken settlements any time soon.”

“Oh. I will not ask you then.” Floyosa wasn't sure why Clav did not want to talk about this. But usually, it meant there was something bad involved. Or at least something the person thought was bad. It could just be embarrassing, like Clav had been looking at the osstar. Nonetheless, Floyosa did not want to make Clav unhappy if they didn't have to. This outpost was for good things.

Clav stayed at the outpost for a while. Floyosa watched them as they put together the batteries they had originally been meaning to make. A Korvax visited too, looking for a refill on their starship shield, which Floyosa provided. The Korvax warned them and Clav about a fleet of ships hunting people near Ellekt Junction. There was always something like that here, it seemed.

Korvax conflicts still didn't make a whole lot of sense to Floyosa, but every so often they'd get caught in one and have to run or drive off. The Korvax, at least, seemed to understand that this outpost was neutral ground. They didn't attack it, and Floyosa had even seen truces negotiated here. It was something about their convergence, their ability to come together as a greater being. Multiple convergences knew about this place, and so a good amount of Korvax entities did as well. It didn't seem to stop them from fighting within those convergences, though.

After Clav had left, Floyosa grabbed a bottle of milk from storage and sat down on their lounge chair. That irken was very interesting. Their determination to find their forgotten past made Floyosa think about themself a little bit, too.

They drank half the bottle of milk with one swallow, thankful for the refreshment after their adventures. They also didn't really understand Clav's determination to find these waffles. Carbon and milk were just fine for nourishing yourself. But they did have Clav's explanation, of wanting to mix ingredients and craft this thing. Perhaps it was like wanting to build a house from stone rather than wood. That didn't seem to be the best comparison, but it was something like that.

Houses, homes, origins. Floyosa's mind drifted back to that terrifying day. All they'd known at the time was that the environment was hazardously hot and their exosuit systems were running low on power. They remembered traversing that planet for days, just learning what the world was. They'd left that planet behind, and found New Gieldena, where things were much more pleasant for a living space.

But what of before that?

The world had existed. Most of the people, maybe even Clav, had been alive. They knew this much. But what of themself? What was it like not existing, or whatever form of existence they might have had?

A vision filled their mind, a vision of endless red. But it wasn't the heat and fire of that planet. It was NOT that planet. They knew it. They knew this vision. How had it come in here? Floyosa slammed their milk bottle down on the arm of the chair and hurried outside.

Green plateaus and a cloudy purple sky greeted them. The ferns embraced them. They lay on the boggy soil, watching the leaves above them, listening to the Riverteris calling out through the sky, feeling their body squishing the mud beneath them. This was their home. This planet. This system. All these planets, all these systems. This universe. The reality choked out the crimson nightmare, as it had time and again. Floyosa was grateful for their home.

Chapter Text

Clav needed a snack. Maybe someone at the snack bar would have a lead for them. Maybe they'd know where to get waffles. Then Clav could put aside all this silly wandering around. Maybe. For the time being. Even if not, they'd have some food.

Then they noticed a small commotion further down the street. They hurried over to get a closer look. Two soldiers, one drone and one ancestral, were forcefully hauling a citizen out of a pipe, with the other offenders standing sullenly nearby. No doubt they were getting tagged for “obstruction of city infrastructure”. Clogging the ductwork and machinery, but only looking for shelter in this colony. Clav felt a pang of resentment towards the soldiers. They wanted to curse them. Tell the citizens to make a break for it. They had no idea why such an urge was coming to them. It was just like... like...

Whatever it was just like, it was long forgotten. But Clav shouted anyway. The drone soldier looked over, then back to their work. “Hey!” Clav shouted again.

“What? We're kind of busy!” the soldier said, looking back over at Clav.

“Come here!” Clav yelled.

“What is it?”

“Idiots!” Clav couldn't think of a better insult on such short notice. They were shaking, but their anger kept them standing there.

“Good grief.” The drone only seemed to handle the citizen more roughly now. Clav needed something better. Something offensive.

“I--I bet you're a leaky drone!” That seemed to catch their attention, because the ancestral soldier walked over to Clav, glaring.

“You trying to get yourself arrested? Shut up with your stupid name-calling and have some patience. Fine. Here I am. What the hell is your problem?” Clav looked over at the two citizens, who were now unattended, and gave them a signal with their antenna. But the soldier noticed, and looked behind them, then back at Clav with a smirk. “Ohh, nice try. But they can't go anywhere. Thanks to people like you, we tag them before officially charging them with anything. So, do you want a shock tag yourself?” Clav looked over again. The drone soldier had just gotten the person out. If they could save just one citizen, before they had the shock tag applied...

“No, sir,” Clav said. They couldn't. They couldn't take the tag just for the sake of that one stranger. They'd made a bad mistake. Why had they done that?

“The 'cestral has a point. You look like a dripper,” one of the tagged citizens said to the drone soldier.

“Yeah. You've got the little lashes, the ones under your eyes. 'Cestral is observant,” the other added. The drone spun around angrily.

“Do you want to get vaporized?!” they said. “Pash. Tag that one anyway. They're an instigator.”

“No. Just a fool,” the ancestral soldier said. Clav watched the citizen who had just been pulled out start to run away.

“Damn it!” the drone soldier said.

“Let them. Hope this teaches them a lesson,” the ancestral soldier said. They turned back around and pointed at Clav. “As for you, next time you try something like that, you're not getting away with it. Got it?”

“Um, yeah,” Clav said. The tagged citizens smiled silently at them, and they nodded in return. It felt like... solidarity? Sort of. At least they'd actually saved one poor Zorplink citizen from an unfair punishment.

Clav didn't even know why they still came here. It wasn't like you could find that many great things on the furthest out, least-loved colony in the empire. No, not just that. Zorplink was terrible. So toxic that stepping outside the protection of a city would melt the flesh off your bones in two seconds flat, and then melt your bones in another two. Assuming you made sure not to inhale first. Not to mention, the whole planet was infested with giant, disease-ridden worms. Not a thing lived on that planet anymore that hadn't been warped by their influence, except for the irkens of course. And on top of that, the colony itself was run terribly. But it was always Zorplink. The place they came back to. The only thing they could see was that it had been their homeworld.

But then again, the archivist had commented on their data jack being too new, a sign of living somewhere else. Like everything else, it made no sense.

When they got to the snack bar, Clav took a tube of glow bean sausage and sat down at a table. They scrolled through the news on the table's monitor. It would be test time soon for new potential invaders. A Vy'keen frigate had been found derelict, harboring traces of a virus that didn't match irken records, and they were in the process of consulting with the nearest Vy'keen authorities about it. An article on the latest trendy pet, a small scuttling creature from a volcanic world.

And then there was one much closer to home. A surgeon at Zorplink Imperial Hospital Seven had been arrested. Clav looked at the picture. It was a drone, but not the same one they'd seen at the orbital hospital. The surgeon, apparently, had been removing people's packs and smuggling them onto ships bound for Paztu. Presumably, the article said, they were renegades on their way to a secret camp, though the surgeon would surrender no information. Said camp had not been located. But the article encouraged all citizens with possible information to tell the authorities. Considering the method being used here, it was likely the camp would appear abandoned and would be undetectable by standard scans.

That was the annoying thing about removing packs, at least for people who wanted to hunt down someone like the Zorplink renegades. Irkens without packs or exosuits were hard to pick up on scans, even at close range. More so even than most wild animals. Clav had heard that a standard analysis visor couldn't tell you irkens were in an abandoned building until you could see them unaided anyway. And there were a lot of abandoned buildings on Paztu.

A fugitive, flying to Paztu, their pack removed. The image came into Clav's head. It made more sense than anything else they had come up with. It explained their loss of records as well as their attraction to Zorplink. Whoever had taken Clav's old pack had likely wiped the data as a safeguard. And then, at the hospital, they'd put a brand-new one on.

But no, Clav would surely have been in prison for that. Or enslaved. Or killed. That was what happened to criminals and renegades. The moment they'd seen interface scars, they would have known. The doctors had gone so far as to replace their ship out of kindness. They thought of Clav as an unfortunate, but law-abiding, citizen.

Unless the doctor was like that surgeon. What if they had saved Clav themself? Had Clav been some important agent? The accident with the Korvax had cost them their life's memories; surely they had noticed that. They weren't much use as a secret agent now, especially not after causing that scene at the pipe. Not to mention... They didn't like the idea of shuttling people across to Paztu. They didn't know the renegades' cause. Surely they would have remembered that?

No, it made no sense at all. The doctor hadn't even given them a clue, and if Clav were important, they would have made sure Clav knew. They were back to square one, they told themself. But paranoia still stuck. Had they missed the message? Was someone trying to talk to them? Was there a secret code they were supposed to get that they'd forgotten? No. Of course not. That was stupid. But they couldn't shake it. Where would it be? How could they even know?

They didn't even finish their sausage. They got up and hurried back to where they had parked their ship. The doctors couldn't tell them outright, no; everything was watched inside those facilities. There had been other drones there taking care of Clav. But the ship... They probed the data logs.

There was nothing suspicious. Absolutely nothing.

Chapter Text

“Are you a drone?” Floyosa asked. Clav apparently was offended, but spoke up before Floyosa could apologize.

“What? No! Who told you that? Where did you learn that word?”

“A Korvax told me they met an irken and that it was a drone. Is that an offensive word?”

“No. Just... I'm not.” Clav crossed their arms.

“What is a drone?” Floyosa's language aid gave yet a stronger signal of exasperation from Clav. “I do not know what the word means. I can not use it correctly until I do.”

“A fair point, I suppose,” Clav said. “Look, it's... irkens are born one of two ways. Ancestral irkens, they are like me. You know them because they're like the natural creatures on planets. Like, dimorphic.” Floyosa recorded the verbal data being picked up by their exosuit. One never knew when they might need information like that.

“So you are of the ancestral dimorph.”

“N-no. Not exactly. You're either an ancestral, or a drone. Ancestrals, we have the dimorphism. Drones... They don't have that. They're made from spliced genes and hatched in a facility. They can look like anything. Just know... I'm not. If you see someone who looks like me, they're not. And don't ask them.”

“I can tell them that I am curious.”

“Don't. Most irkens will really hate that. They might even hurt you for saying it.”

“Oh. Then how do I know?”

“You just--you just learn. You probably don't want to hang around my people in the first place, but you see enough of us and you'll see the pattern. Ancestrals will almost always come in one of two basic forms. Drones, they run the spectrum, and they're supposed to. It's really rare for one to look ancestral, but the ones I've heard about were arrested and weren't let back out until they passed some sort of genetic test. The Tallest don't like it.”

“So you irkens do not like to be called a different class. Or to have your own class questioned. I have seen cultures like this before. I think it makes sense,” Floyosa said.

“Not exactly... Well... Close enough,” Clav said, shrugging. “So... What I'm getting out of this whole exchange is that you've been asking Korvax about irkens.”

“Korvax, Vy'keen, and Gek. Not many of them talk about irkens. But some have met them, and do not like them. They say you treat other species badly. I told them about you specifically and they said all irkens are like that. They seem good, but are actually evil.”

“And... you're still here talking to me.” Clav appeared surprised by that fact.

“You have not treated me badly. I do not know why these people think you are evil. I think irkens are very interesting.”

“Yeah, well... we kind of have a reputation,” Clav said.

“Did you know,” Floyosa said, “that some Gek even told me irkens just have an evil aura. That they just know they are bad before seeing anything else.”

“I didn't know that but I'm not surprised. Like I said, we have a reputation. There are lots of stories that get passed around, some of them true and some less so. The invaders are real. But I'm not an invader or even a soldier, just a citizen.”

“The Sentinel hunters sounded scary. But I did not hear stories about citizens. Only that all irkens are bad. That they are all rude, too. But I can not tell if these stories are true. I can not tell if you are being rude, either. You seem to be nice, actually. So I am working with that.”

“Oh my. Sentinel hunters. I forgot about them. Yeah... They can be jerks. Those are the ones drawn by the rewards.”

“I heard that they will take Sentinels apart and wear them and walk into Korvax outposts saying they are the true power in the universe,” Floyosa said. “And that is very insulting to Korvax. But they do not care. They laugh. Is that true?”

“I... Well, someone probably did it. I wouldn't say all of them do that. Probably someone's anecdote that got generalized. Lots of the stories you heard were probably like that. One irken did it, and now people think that's what all irkens do.”

“That makes sense. I do not think they have met many irkens. I have only met one myself.”

“I'm glad you can see that. I'm glad you're still helping me. It's hard to find someone like you, you know. And I don't mean that you're a Traveller. I mean you're... What's the word I'm thinking of... You're accepting of others. I guess that's part of being a Traveller, though, isn't it? No one else like you. You kind of have to learn to respect others. Or live forever alone, I guess.”

“I just like to learn things,” Floyosa said. “I do not mind being alone. But when I find people, I think it is better to be nice if I can.”

“Not everyone thinks that way,” Clav said. “A lot of my people don't. The stories you heard were probably the worst of it, but there's always a good and a bad side when it comes to people. Of any species, really. I try to be good, because... um. I'm not entirely sure.” Floyosa realized their exosuit was still recording words, and stopped it. They archived the data alongside all the other files they had of people talking about irkens. They could use it later. They suspected their language aid could draw from it too. It was always surprising them.

“Maybe you like to see people happy. This is a social trait, I think. A Vy'keen told me about this once. I have it too.” The language aid said Clav looked skeptical, though Floyosa couldn't guess what about. But then they spoke.

“I'll... have to think about that.”

Chapter Text

The Sentinel hunters were unmistakable. Six heavily-armed soldiers, with orange plating and black wires worked into their exosuits. One had taken fragments of glass and wrapped them in Sentinel wiring to create an eerie armpiece that twisted up their left sleeve. They had certainly been beyond Zorplink many times, and most likely to outside civilizations just as much. Whether they were the type to bully Korvax or to aid local settlements with Sentinel attention Clav could not say from looking at them. But they gave Clav a good feeling.

“Hi!” Clav said, waving to get the soldiers' attention. Two of them looked, the rest engaged in discussion.

“You talking to us?” one said.

“Yeah. Hi.”

“And who do you think you are?” the soldier said. The other soldier ran a scan, but didn't say anything.

“I bet you guys have seen a lot of neat stuff out there. I just am wondering if you've ever found a place to get waffles.” The Sentinel hunter gave Clav a curious look, then turned to their comrade who had run the scan.

“Do you know what they're talking about?”

“Um, no.” They turned to the rest of their group. “Any of you guys know where this person can find a waffles?”

“Who's looking for waffles?” the soldier with the glass armpiece said.

“This guy.” The second soldier pointed to Clav.

“Looking for waffles here? You're in the wrong place, buddy. They don't make them in this arm of Torweierf that I know of.”

“Oh. Do you know where they do make them?”

“Not many places. It's a specialist item. Expensive, too. But you probably know that.”

“I don't care what it costs. I need them. Have you found them before?”

“I did. It was once, at a restaurant. Came with pilgrimberry syrup and everything. I enjoyed that waffle.”

“Where?!”

“Easy there. You'll trip your life support alarms.” The soldier laughed. “It was on that one colony... What's the one with the orange grass? And the trees.”

“Not very specific,” another soldier said. The rest shrugged.

“And all the Gek.”

“Oh. You mean Yervon?” the first soldier Clav had addressed said.

“That's the one. I forget the name of the place. But they've got waffles at a place in Yervon.”

“I really don't understand why we don't just enslave them all already,” a soldier said.

“Politics. But Gek smell nice, at least. Sometimes.”

“Why bother with Gek politics, though? Just take the planet already. We know we want it. Fit them with tags and put them to work. That invader will be turning profits in no time.”

“Uh, thanks for the information!” Clav said. They didn't particularly want to be drawn into this conversation. And the soldiers seemed to be talking more to each other still anyway. They had what they needed, now.

Clav was shaking with excitement. Their search had been narrowed down so far. All it would take was to get to that city, and then it would be their dream come true. The thing they'd been searching for... Yes, it had been their whole life. They were sure. Even before the accident, they were dreaming of waffles. They remembered. An old memory.

Sitting in the center of a dark, empty compartment. Huddling, keeping away from the slimy films that were ever growing on the walls and floor. But they couldn't clean it, that'd be too much of a risk... It just was. They didn't want to be here. They wanted... Waffles. The slime must've been an old nightmare. The waffles, they were real. And they were almost here.

Their exosuit flashed a warning. Check System Integrity.

“I know, I know,” Clav said, dismissing the alert. “Can't an irken be happy about waffles every now and then?” They went and got a snack. And then, they headed for the navigation office.

Chapter Text

Floyosa remembered when they'd first gotten their language aid.

It was quite some time ago, though they weren't sure how many years it was. They usually didn't care to measure time like that. They were exploring planets back then, as they always loved to do. That day, they were walking through a Gek settlement. They loved the wooden towers these Gek had built, and took pictures of all of them. Though wood wasn't the best material for building in the swampy environment of New Gieldena, they could take inspiration from the architecture. Or they could just keep these pictures to look at. They had a whole collection of pictures of the cool things they'd found, whenever they couldn't take a sample or souvenir of the real thing.

The Gek residents stared as Floyosa walked by taking pictures, but whenever Floyosa tried to go over to say hello, they would shy away, running off in the direction of a larger building. So Floyosa stopped saying hello and just walked around for a while.

Eventually a group of Gek came back over to Floyosa, with one individual leading them.

“Hail, Traveller!” the leader said. “We are honored, blessed, by your appearance. To have chosen us, out of the infinite civilizations you could visit... We humbly offer ourselves to your service. Your will shall be carried out. All we ask is to join you in enlightenment.”

Floyosa wasn't used to hearing sentences like that. They stared. How were they supposed to respond to that? The Gek stared, too. All of them.

“Hello,” Floyosa said.

“Uh... Um... Traveller... What do you want from us? Have I... have I forgotten the words?” The Gek turned towards their group. “This is embarrassing. Can someone correct me here?”

“You sure that's a Traveller?” one of the group members said.

“No, you got the words right,” another said.

“No! You forgot something!” a group member said. “The Traveller doesn't know who they are! Tell them! They'll be confused until you do. Then everything falls into place.”

“Right!” the leader said. They pointed at Floyosa. “You. Traveller.”

“Hello. Hi.” Floyosa waved.

“This universe is but a playground the Atlas has put together for you. We are meant to serve you.”

“Atlas?”

A scent wafted over to Floyosa. It smelled red. A familar red. A red that lurked beyond their dreams. A red that patiently waited at the core of their nightmares. That always saw them. That they had to see. That they needed to see clearly. A maddening red, that they ran from, that they knew they needed, they wanted, but they would never give in to it, it lied, they did not need it, but in their nightmares, it was waiting.

A red that was here again.

“No. No, no, no...” Floyosa shook their head.

“You did not know it, but you are Atlas incarnate. We are at your disposal, Traveller. Anything.”

“No.” Floyosa didn't know what the Gek were talking about. It was too much to process. What was the Atlas? Why had the Gek shown them this red? The vision would not go away now. “No, no...”

“Tell us.” Floyosa looked at the Gek's face, and saw red orbs instead of eyes, staring back at them. It was watching them, even through this Gek. Floyosa screamed.

“They sing! Harmonize with the waves of the Atlas!” The Gek opened their mouths and began screaming too. Floyosa screamed louder. Anything to drown it out. The red. The creepy Gek. The screams. Their own voice. But they couldn't drown it out no matter how loud they screamed or how hard they stomped the ground or how tightly they curled up or anything at all.

The sound of a pulse shot put an end to the shrieking chorus. A rough voice said, “This is your warning. Leave them alone. Or I don't care how much prison time I get.”

“Heretic!”

“You call me heretic? As you scare your supposed God half to death?” the rough voice replied. “They need help. Not to be screeched at. Now, you and your cult had better do some helping or get lost.”

Floyosa sat up and looked around. The Gek were looking at something behind them. Floyosa looked too. A Vy'keen was standing over them, pointing a multi-tool at the crowd.

“Need some help getting up?” the Vy'keen said, extending their free hand down toward Floyosa. Floyosa stood up, glad at least that all of this had stopped. The shot had made it go away, it seemed. “Well, okay. Let's get you away from these crazies. Follow me.” The Vy'keen turned and began walking, and Floyosa went with them.

“This is why I hate the Gek,” the Vy'keen said as they walked. “They ruin everything. Long before I was born, they ruined half the universe. Now that they can't do that anymore, they form these stupid, creepy cults to who knows what. Atlas, usually, but sometimes other stuff too.” They stopped and turned to look at Floyosa. “I thought I heard the Atlas's name before they started shrieking. They thought you were God, those cults always think the Traveller is God. Am I right?”

“I'm not a god. I'm a Traveller.” Floyosa looked at the Vy'keen. They wanted them to say yes. They wanted nothing more than for the Vy'keen to affirm that they were a Traveller, and not a god. They weren't entirely sure why, only that it had to do with the red vision the Gek had forced upon them. These things were connected, somehow. “I'm just a Traveller. Not a god. Not an Atlas. I'm not,” they pleaded.

“Ask some people, and we're all Atlas,” the Vy'keen said. The vision seeped back in, though in a new form. Crimson infinity, watching them, waiting for them to reach in and understand it, to gain true knowledge... The power of a God, their own power, that they only had to unlock...

“No!” Floyosa wailed.

“Okay, calm down. Let's stop talking about that,” the Vy'keen said, putting a hand on Floyosa's shoulder. The creature's touch, or at least the vibration caused by their exosuits colliding, helped break up the vision some. “You're away from the crazies now.”

“This has happened before,” Floyosa said.

“Cults accosting you? I can imagine.”

“The red.”

“You mean the Atlas?”

“Maybe. This red watches me all the time, but the Gek forced me to watch it. The leader's eyes were red too. It was watching me through them.”

“I see...” The Vy'keen put away their multi-tool and took out a data pad instead. “Can I recommend someone for you to talk to about that? One of the few Gek I don't dislike. I've run into them at the tea shop a fair amount. They help people with, um, unnamed things that stalk them.”

That Gek hadn't been able to solve the problem. They told Floyosa it was something called a hallucination, a misfiring of neurons, and offered Floyosa a drug to stop it. But it hadn't done anything. Then they had tried something for paranoia, but Floyosa found themself barely able to feel emotions with it, so they had dismantled their injector altogether and put it into storage. No more Gek medicine for them.

The other thing was the language aid. That, on the other hand, was one of the most useful gifts they'd been given, even though it wasn't related to the problem. The Gek, after watching Floyosa's behavior, had offered it to them and installed it into their exosuit. This nonverbal language aid had originally been invented as a tool for Gek diplomats. But, the Gek explained, one scientist had wondered if it might be useful for certain difficult spawn who seemed to refuse to communicate from the moment they came out of the pool. A modification of the device, combined with extensive assistance, had turned out to be hugely successful, and was now a routine treatment for Gek on this planet. Surely it could help an alien like Floyosa too, they said.

The tool itself was very useful. Floyosa could customize its output to whatever they desired. A color, a shape, a sound, text, smell, vibrations, anything they could program into it, really. The AI chip would pull data from the nearest local infrastructure to explain cultural gestures or scents. There was even a feature that Floyosa had never used, because the Gek had deactivated it. It could supposedly send impulses to the user's brain to simulate an emotion being signaled, used for teaching Gek to sort the signals out in their own head. But as Floyosa was not a Gek, they had been discouraged from testing it. They didn't want to try that anyway, not after the drugs. If the neuron chemistry hadn't been compatible, the wiring definitely wouldn't.

They had tested so much else with it, though. One time, they had even tested its limits. They commanded it to query the wind outside their base, to see what it would come up with. What pattern this computer would find in meaningless data. But the AI had told them it wasn't communication. It was just the wind. Floyosa was impressed.

It was a dear item to them now. They weren't sure what they would do if they lost it.

Chapter Text

Clav looked at the sheet of plastic in their hands. The path to their dream, bright green lines drawn out over a map of the Torweierf Galaxy. It was going to be quite a trip. They had never taken a journey this long before, but the secretary had assured them that their ship could point them on the exact path if they fed it the chart. No complex calculations necessary. That was the ship's job. They were ready to put it in immediately. But something was holding them back.

They knew they needed to call Floyosa. Tell them that the search was off. They wouldn't find waffles here, so best not to waste the effort. Then Clav would be free, free to fly off into those stars they could see in their hands right now. But they were hesitant about that too.

It felt like a goodbye they couldn't say. A goodbye they didn't want to say. Clav didn't want to wish Floyosa farewell and fly off. That was when they realized how much more there was than the Traveller being their helper. They had hoped to visit again and speak with them. To share stories and thoughts, to watch that face, that alien face with those fleshy barbels and feelers, not knowing what it thought, until Floyosa whacked them with some peculiar reply. Never wishing any ill, never any hidden teeth. Always so naive.

Was that what Clav liked about them? That they were naive? It didn't really feel right... What was Floyosa, really? They weren't sure. They just knew that they didn't want to say goodbye.

But the green lines beckoned. They wanted waffles.

They should promise to come back, promise to make Floyosa a batch of waffles once they'd found them. To show them what it really was. It would be a while, but it wouldn't be the end.

And in that time, Floyosa would more than likely be asking all the Korvax they knew about how to get the coordinates to Yervon. Maybe they'd even get directions to Zorplink instead, with how perilously close it was to their home.

Suddenly Clav saw many things. Floyosa snapped up by a giant worm. Floyosa wandering lost and confused through the streets, unable to make any of the systems respond to them. Floyosa innocently asking some invasive question to an ammonia miner, the miner getting the wrong idea, showing that Traveller who they were messing with. A gang of adolescent ancestrals beating Floyosa up, high on hormones and sugar, blowing out their life support, laughing and leaving them to suffocate.

They couldn't do that. Clav would take them to Yervon themself.

They could now see the stars, their Shuttle alongside Floyosa's Explorer, flying together. Traveling with the Traveller. It occurred to them that Floyosa probably actually knew a fair amount about interstellar travel. It would be good to have an experienced companion. Clav found themself wondering if they'd ever done this before. Who had their friends been? Had they flown alongside Clav too? Maybe as a secret agent they didn't have time for such things... But they didn't know if that was the real story either. They sighed. So much was lost. And whoever their friends might have been, Clav evidently hadn't found them.

Was that what Floyosa was? Their one friend in this chaotic new life? The one who'd taken a moment out of their time to help. The one who tried to offer advice, even if it was... odd. And perhaps not that useful to them. The one who let them explain things, and... cared about what they had to say. Did Floyosa even understand the concept of friendship? They had said being alone didn't bother them. For all Clav knew, Floyosa behaved this way to everyone. They certainly asked all sorts of annoying questions.

Well, that at least made them friendly, didn't it? And it was the closest thing Clav had. They could take that.

Clav went back to the navigation office and made a copy of the chart. They also looked through the pictures the office had of Yervon. They took their own pictures of the screen to show to Floyosa, mostly of the ones with irkens in them. There were also plenty of Gek dressed in exotic clothing, as well as architecture and NipNip farms, but Clav took only a couple of those.

Floyosa said yes before even seeing the pictures. Clav knew they would. But it was the first time Clav had noticed something like an expression of happiness or excitement, aside from the occasional silent smile they had known Floyosa to make. Their words were paced differently. They had a certain rhythm Clav didn't hear in their usual conversation. They really wanted to go. So it was set. So their journey together began.

Chapter Text

Flying with Clav actually turned out to not be that difficult. They put tracking beacons on their ships for emergencies, but in reality it didn't seem like they much needed them. They had a system. Their star charts were copies, so they would both pass through the same systems. Clav would jump first, then Floyosa would follow. It did feel like a bit of a waste of fuel to Floyosa--their ship could have made much further jumps with the same amount of antimatter. But Clav's ship probably couldn't do the same, so they let it be.

And of course, if they ever needed a break, or whenever their hyperdrives were emptied, they would stop at a space station. Clav actually had plenty of room to sleep in their ship, which was something Floyosa didn't have. They had tried using cargo spaces before. It wasn't fun. They much preferred spending a few units to rent a little chamber at the station where they could rest both lying down and without uncomfortable metal corners and pressure controls not made for living things.

Floyosa had just been sleeping in one of these station beds, quite a nice one, actually. They had slept quite well. It was a Vy'keen station, adding more evidence to their hypothesis that Vy'keen had slightly better comfort technology overall. When they woke up, they refilled their nutrient and oxygen levels and went to check on Clav. Once they had made their plans for this cycle, off they went in their two ships.

Soon after launching, Floyosa received a call.

“Ready to warp?” they said pre-emptively.

“Please, identify yourself. I'm--” No. Not this. Not now.

Floyosa slammed the button to end the communication, but it stayed open, as if something beyond the electronics was keeping it running. One of these. It was simply impossible. They thought back to the Gek doctor and their advice. But they knew this wasn't a hallucination now. None of these things were. The Gek had been wrong. But there was no way to explain it... And worst of all, their communication to who knew what was still open.

“I know you can hear me...” Floyosa froze. They didn't move the ship. They didn't speak.

“Be that way, then.” The call ended. Finally.

A call like that had been Floyosa's first introduction to electronic communications. Needless to say, they had been terrified of touching that panel for quite a while. They knew better now, but every so often, they would receive some version of this strange transmission, and they'd be nervous about it all over again. Sometimes they could end it immediately. Sometimes, it stayed open like this. Those were the worst.

But this was an interesting opportunity to investigate something. They called Clav.

“What's up?”

“Did you just call me?”

“Um... No? Did someone call you?”

“Yes. But now I know it was not you.”

“What did they say?”

“I just wanted to know if it was you. That is all.”

“Oh, um... Alright. Is everything okay...?” Floyosa didn't want to talk about the transmission just yet. But also, they didn't lie very well. They usually didn't put themself in situations where they had to.

“...Yes.” A single word wasn't too hard.

“Okay. See you later, Floyosa.” Clav ended the call.

Chapter Text

If there was one thing Clav got out of this, it was that long space flights were boring. Horribly so. They had to keep reminding themself, over and over, why they were doing this. Because there were waffles at the end of the road. Because maybe they'd settle down in Yervon, and have a home. A new home, since they were pretty sure they hadn't been there before. But they didn't want to be sitting in this ship or these stations. All the windows offered was a view of the great, starry nothing.

Floyosa didn't seem to be bothered by it. Maybe that was why everyone called them Travellers, because they were at home flying around like this. But Floyosa wasn't anything like Clav had expected, hearing the stories. Who knew how they really felt about this trip? Floyosa was fascinating, really, especially with how boring the trip was. Clav was actually glad they had taken them along. They found themself watching the Traveller at space stations, watching them interact with people of various species while they stretched their limbs and looked around.

The thing that Clav really noticed, though, wasn't how Floyosa interacted with the locals. That was the same old story, scanning things and asking about funny details that presumably piqued their interest. Actually, it was what conspicuously didn't pique their interest that Clav noticed.

That thing was food.

It wasn't like Floyosa was trying to save any units. It definitely wasn't like they were anything but materialistic. Clav had seen them buying curios and souvenirs at almost every station they stopped at, giving them thorough examinations, then packing them into their ship. But even when Clav treated themself to a snack, or sat down for a meal with them, they said nothing about it. They would pull out what looked suspiciously like animal feed and toss it into their mouth. Or milk. What was it with them and raw milk?

Furthermore, how could a person live like that, eating nothing else? Clav would go insane before a single week was over. It was entirely possible, they reasoned, that Floyosa really was suffering, deep inside, and just didn't know it. Maybe they needed a nudge in the right direction, a flavor to awaken their tastes. It couldn't hurt to try. So this time, Clav got out two packets of cactus gel from their stash. One for them, one for their friend. They invited Floyosa to sit at a table with them, and pushed the packet over.

“Here. It's for you.” Floyosa looked at the package. They turned it over, reading the composition information.

“Irken food,” they said. They poked the bag, absorbing themself in whatever careful calculation was going through their head. “Thank you for this.”

“Try eating it. Tell me what you think.” Clav broke the seal on their own package, pulled out the sticky, gelatinous lump, and took a bite, giving Floyosa a pointed smile. Floyosa regarded their package for a moment, then opened it too. Then they dumped the entire lump into their mouth and swallowed. Clav almost dropped their food. They couldn't help but stare. Floyosa had teeth, right? Clav had seen their teeth before.

“Easy to consume. Nourishing, too. It is good.”

“Better than milk? A nice change, at least?”

“They are similar, I think.” Clav didn't even know what to say anymore. They had thought good food was something all organic lifeforms could appreciate.

Or maybe it would just take a while. Maybe Floyosa would learn to appreciate it eventually. They did have a lot to learn. Was that... hope?

Were they hoping Floyosa would learn to appreciate it? The thought made them anxious. It was like... Something. What was it? There was an ancestral, speaking angrily. Something about invaders, something about irken nature. Control yourself.

Slime. Stringy slime. Darkness.

Control yourself, Clav.

“You are very distressed by this.” Floyosa's voice snapped them out of it. “Is this because I ate too fast? Sorry about that.”

“No, it's--fine,” Clav said. “It's not about you. I just... remembered something.”

“What is wrong?”

“N--no. Like, I just saw...” Clav took another bite of their snack, focusing on the sweet, juicy cactus. “I don't want to talk about it out here.”

Floyosa looked them straight in the face. “Did you see something very scary, but it seemed like it must just be in your brain?” Clav blinked. That was such a specific question. A scarily pertinent, specific question.

“Kind of.” Floyosa nodded. They looked... They were acting solemn. Concerned, maybe. They knew something.

“Red?” What was Floyosa on to? What did they know?

“No. Slimy. And dark.”

“Do you have nightmares about it?”

“Well, not now. I think I used to, though.” Floyosa was silent for a while, and Clav ate the rest of their snack nervously. They wanted to get up from the table, but it was clear Floyosa was thinking about something. They had stopped looking around, their gaze fixed on whatever was in their head.

“I see strange things too. I wonder if this could be similar. But maybe you are mentally ill, and that is why you see things. I do not know.”

“Oh. No. I mean... I think I recalled something specific. From before. But it was fuzzy, and it seemed sort of like a nightmare I once had.”

“Oh.” There was an awkward silence.

“Hey, don't be ashamed. I won't tell anyone you see things. It happens to some people. It's not like you can... control... yourself,” Clav internally flinched at their own choice of words, but Floyosa didn't seem to notice. “Shall we get some rest before our next warp? Maybe we can get there by the end of the week...”

“Yes. I will sleep. Goodbye.” Floyosa walked away, leaving their wrapper on the table. Clav picked it up, along with their own wrapper, and threw them away.

They'd definitely learned something about their odd friend.

Chapter Text

As Floyosa was waiting for Clav's ship to arrive at a station, they got a call.

“Hey, um. We have a bit of a problem. I can't land here.”

“I was able to land. Try approaching the dock from another angle,” Floyosa said.

“No, like, the station is denying me. I got a warning that Sentinels will be called in if I attempt a forced docking.” Floyosa had never even heard of such a thing. They had assumed the space stations took anyone. Even that empty station they'd found had pulled them in just the same, despite most of the power being out.

“Give me a minute. I will call the station core.”

“Won't do you any good. It's because of my ship. They don't like irken ships here, apparently,” Clav said. “I should have prepared for something like this. But I need more warp fuel. Damn it!”

“I brought spare warp cores,” Floyosa said. “Let's land on the nearest planet. I can fuel your ship myself if I can get out to look at it.”

“Great. See if you can get outpost coordinates from the station.”

“Just land on the ground. It's easier. The planetary landing pads could deny you too.”

“The ground? What?” Clav said. “I mean, you're right. You're absolutely right about that, but... I don't know how to park a ship manually, Floyosa.”

“It is not really manual. The ship should be able to perform a landing sequence over open ground. Just go slowly and you will not crash it,” Floyosa said. “I will go there first.”

“Are you sure we shouldn't find, like, a passing freighter? Maybe they could refuel us too. Though it'll be expensive...”

“You can board a freighter if you want. I can still use the spare fuel. Just tell me where you get on.”

“You got it.” The communication ended. Floyosa got out of their ship to walk around a bit. They ordered a refuel of their hyperdrive, then briefly went to check out the marketplace area.

There were a lot of Vy'keen here, speaking in those distinctive guttural voices. Floyosa had tried to speak like that before, and it was surprisingly effective. Though they couldn't always form the proper words while maintaining such a voice, it was still entertaining every now and then. Sometimes it got them favorable attention from the Vy'keen too, which was always nice.

After checking out what was on the public trade terminal, as well as the market stands a few traders had set up in the station, Floyosa went back to their ship to wait for Clav's signal.

They checked the star chart. It would only be a few systems, now, before they reached their destination. Floyosa thought about the pictures Clav had shown them. Other irkens! Drones, ancestrals, citizens, and who knew what else. Surely they had a language of their own, too! Clav never spoke anything strange, but they might just know how to speak local trade languages. Or maybe they had a verbal translator in their exosuit. Floyosa had noticed that different people had different sorts of translators. Clav's might render their outgoing speech rather than simply parsing what it heard. Floyosa had found those sorts to be annoying to use. But Clav was someone else.

The ship's panel lit up with a communication alert, and Floyosa eagerly opened the channel.

“I got us both permission to land on a frigate. Just track where I go.” Floyosa took off from the station and scanned for Clav's ship signal. Sure enough, they could see a fleet of large ships nearby. They turned up the pulse engine and headed for it.

As soon as they landed, they jumped out and ran towards Clav's signal. Several Vy'keen were also coming out from the larger ship. But once Clav exited, Floyosa went ahead and began searching for the warp input.

“Well, I'll be damned.” An unfamiliar voice.

“They've probably got nip. Shouldn't have let them dock. This was a mistake.”

“If you're so sure they have nip, why don't you just scan the ship already?” Floyosa could feel the Vy'keen's scan run along Clav's ship, passing over them as well. Sure enough, the ship had a panel for inserting warp cores, just like all the others Floyosa had seen.

“Just checking your flight path... Ah. Yervon.” Floyosa jumped down and trotted over to their own ship to retrieve a cell.

“Wh--How did you get that?! That's private information! You shouldn't be able to scan for that!” Clav's voice. Then there came the barking Vy'keen laughter.

“You ought to see the look on your face. I didn't scan any of your data. Every irken around here is either heading to or from Yervon. That's what I've heard, anyway.” Floyosa slotted the cell into Clav's ship and watched it disappear. They sealed the access panel and walked over to Clav, who was apparently alarmed and embarrassed.

“Your ship is ready. We can warp now. I had my ship refueled at the station.”

“Great. Let's... Let's get out of here. These guys are putting me on edge.”

“Oh, come on, it was a joke,” a Vy'keen said. “Well, safe travels to you both.” They waved, and the group walked back through their ship door.

Chapter Text

The moment they saw it, Clav knew that Yervon was like nowhere else they'd been. It was so much more than the pictures had conveyed. An irken city, without a doubt, but with distinct buildings placed across the orange terrain. Their ship had no warnings for them about environmental hazards, and when they stepped out, the atmosphere was warm and refreshing.

“Look at this!” they shouted as they saw Floyosa exit their ship. They gestured towards the city. “Isn't it just amazing?”

“It is very beautiful. I am going to walk around,” Floyosa said.

“Well, stay with me.” Clav led them off the landing dock and started to walk down the street.

The openness of the whole thing was what amazed Clav the most. They'd always thought of irken cities as fortresses, places that protected and sustained life against the ruthless wilderness. In Yervon, the native plants grew as weeds along the sides of buildings. The streets were areas between the buildings rather than corridors to allow access to different sectors. It was just a nice place to be.

Though it didn't feel like home.

“Is that a drone?” Floyosa said, pointing to an irken walking the other way.

“Shh! Don't talk so loud,” Clav said.

“Sorry. I am only asking.”

“Yes. That's a drone.” Clav watched Floyosa scan the poor citizen, who looked over at them with a bewildered expression. The citizen hurried along, clearly eager to leave the situation.

“There are a lot of Gek here.”

“Yeah. This planet's owned by the Gek. The city's ours, but they still have standard Atlas infrastructure in place. It's why I wanted you to come here,” Clav said. And the irkens here might be nicer to Travellers, they thought, but they didn't want to say that.

Floyosa continued to play the drone game throughout the walk, which was embarrassing. But it made Clav realize that, in fact, there were a good deal more of them here than on Zorplink. Not that it was any real surprise, of course. They were the ones who, more often than ancestrals, got to make a choice about where they lived. Their parents, too, if they had them. What sensible drone, or would-be parent, would pick that garbage pile?

Some did, probably. But not as many as the ones who chose Yervon.

The other thing Floyosa seemed to like was the NipNip farms. Clav was happy to let them gaze at the rows of plants while they scanned the area for any promising restaurants. Predictably, a lot of them focused on NipNip more than anything else. Yervon was the only place in the system to acquire the plant legally. What were irkens doing getting into this business? Politics, a Gek had said. The irkens had no true claim to the city. But they circumvented the pressure from the nearby Vy'keen systems to keep NipNip illegal, and no Gek wanted their supply of their favorite herb kicked out.

So the invaders were biding their time with this one, Clav guessed. They would sink their roots in deeper and deeper, and eventually the Gek would be powerless against them. Surely that would have caught the attention of the Vy'keen, though? They had to know this business was going on. What was stopping the Vy'keen from launching their own invasion against Yervon?

Or were they biding their time too, manipulating the situation in their own way?

Well, Clav didn't know the whole situation. They weren't an invader, either. They didn't want to be. It was said to take a certain personality, along with exceptional skill, to do that job. Clav was actually rather glad they'd never met an invader. And that they probably never would. Invaders weren't just soldiers out to gain riches and glory, like Sentinel hunters. They had grand plans. They were in it for the empire, one way or another. And in some ways, that was far scarier than a trigger-happy robot blaster. The Vy'keen might well know that too.

Yervon was quite a nice place, though. Clav was glad they had come here. And the best part was still to come.

Eventually, though, it got to be late.

“I am tired. I will go to the space station,” Floyosa said.

“Well, we're in a city. Might be easier to get a hotel room or something,” Clav said.

“I usually go to the station anyway.”

“I'm staying in Yervon. And I don't want you to be on your own just yet.”

“Okay. We can be together. Just do not wake me up in the middle of my sleep.”

“What's liable to wake you up?”

“Loud sounds. Touching. Strong smells.”

“I'm not going to wake you up. And I'm definitely not touching you in your sleep. That's creepy. No sensible person would do that.”

“People have done it. It is why my room is locked at my home.” Clav blinked. Did they even want to know?

“Well. I won't. That wakes irkens up too, and it's rude. I'll be quiet, and I'm not exactly a Gek. It will be fine.”

Thankfully, it was, in fact, fine. They found a Gek-owned place that wasn't very expensive and was mostly clean. They split the cost of their room, a decently sized chamber with two separate beds. Clav didn't wake Floyosa up. Rather, it was the other way around. Their friend, apparently, had a tendency to move in their sleep, and at some point kicked the end of their bed, startling Clav awake.

Dreaming of exploration, perhaps, Clav thought, before drifting back off.

Chapter Text

Sleeping in the Irken city was different than the space stations. It was very subtle, but... Floyosa felt like they had more nightmares that cycle than usual.

They'd mostly learned how to control this before. Making sure they were sleeping in a safe place was a big one, which was one reason why space stations were so nice. Just them, secure inside a floating sanctuary, nothing but vacuum on all sides for as far as their brain could truly register a distance. Their base was also good, after they had figured out how to lock it. This hotel room could be locked, too, and Clav had promised not to wake them up. And they had always been nice before, so Floyosa was sure it would be fine.

Still, that little bit of anxiety managed to creep in. In one dream, they were visiting a Korvax settlement where they found red slime growing along all of the building interiors. In another, they asked an irken in Yervon whether they were ancestral, to which they replied they were 'crimson'. And then they had a dream about kicking that one horror-thing's head. Not too unusual, all things considered, but it was still noticeable.

Even on the second day, Clav insisted that Floyosa stay with them. They were apparently anxious about the city themself, though they still refused to say why. Floyosa was well aware that Clav knew much more about irkens than they did, though, so they waited. They had the coordinates to the city now, after all, and they could come back themself when Clav was done with their little tourist trip to find waffles.

So they listened carefully to everything Clav pointed out, and asked plenty of questions. The only thing Clav completely shrugged about, unfortunately, was the NipNip farms. Floyosa found it impressive to see that much of the plant in this city. They rarely saw this stuff elsewhere, and it was always traded discreetly. But in Yervon, it was perfectly legal, or so they had heard.

Laws didn't mean a whole lot to Floyosa. But they knew they had to follow them when they were in someone else's territory. There had been an accident with some moon ether once. But Floyosa had only needed to hand it over and everything seemed fine after that. It was honestly a shame. The canister had looked very beautiful. They would have liked to keep it in storage. The plants were also pretty. But they weren't going to make that same mistake by trying to take NipNip cuttings back home. So instead, they just took pictures.

“I can help you find this waffle restaurant,” Floyosa said while they were walking. “I am scanning a lot of things here. If I see it, I will come and tell you.”

“Yeah, but... Then we'd have to split up,” Clav said.

“I can walk alone. You have told me how to talk to irkens. I think I understand this now.”

“Yes, but... Do you really think you could handle it if you got into... an altercation?”

“I think so.”

“Eh... I'm just...” Floyosa watched them, waiting for their explanation. “A little while longer, okay? Maybe after we find waffles. I'm just...”

“You are worried that I will get hurt. I understand. I would like to see more of this city, though. I am not looking for waffles.”

“I know... Yeah, after we find this place. I'll take you anywhere you want to go. How about that?”

“Okay.” Floyosa made a nod, though they couldn't bring themself to do it with as much vigor as usual. Clav didn't seem to notice.

The second day passed like that, Clav looking for restaurants. On the third, Clav stopped answering as many questions. Floyosa started to feel a strange emotion. The whole city of Yervon was there, waiting for them to explore it, and yet an insubstantial tether kept them just out of reach. They could leave any time they wanted, but... They couldn't, really. They were in irken territory, and in someone else's territory, you had to follow their rules.

But were these irken rules, or just Clav's rules? It occurred to Floyosa that they didn't actually know irken laws. NipNip was legal, and that was about the depth of what they knew. That night, they dreamed about sticky slime, gluing them to the floor. Being sucked into a crimson well.

On the fourth day, Clav noticed.

“You seem... sluggish. Is everything okay?”

“I would like to explore Yervon.”

“I know... Just hang in there, okay?” Floyosa's language aid said Clav was frustrated. That described how they felt. Frustrated. With everything. This was supposed to be a trip to learn more about irkens. To find new people, to explore this fascinating little corner of the empire. Even a tour would be nice. Floyosa had been on some tours. But it wasn't. It was following Clav around, for much longer than they had expected, looking for something they didn't even care about. It was nightmares every night.

Try our pilgrimberry syrup! said a sign over a window.

Wait. Pilgrimberry syrup. Clav had mentioned something like that. They snapped to attention.

“Clav. I think I see it.”

Chapter Text

Serk Sav Sweetroot's. A cafe whose signs colorfully proclaimed they had doughnuts, spun sugar, and more. And pilgrimberry syrup. Nothing about waffles, though. How had Floyosa even seen that? Clav would have passed this place over.

No matter. It was time. They pushed open the door and walked inside.

They took in the sweet fragrance of the room and looked around. Both irkens and Gek occupied the tables, various cups and plates in front of them. Some were talking to each other, some were reading the tables, and some had their own data pads out. Floyosa, at least, had the sense not to scan everything when they were indoors. Clav looked at the plates that hadn't been cleaned already. Some of the food was unrecognizable. Were those... exotic treats? That sent a flutter of excitement through their body.

There were two people in line at the counter, so Clav and Floyosa got behind them. A drone cheerfully took the other customers' orders while Clav looked at the selection and the menu in the meantime. There were a lot of options, and they were all tempting. But no. They were here for one specific thing right now.

“Welcome to Serk Sav Sweetroot's! How can I help you?” Clav was so absorbed in reading that they didn't realize the drone was talking to them.

“This is Clav. They are looking for waffles.” They definitely heard Floyosa's voice, though.

“Huh?” Floyosa was a few steps ahead of them, talking to the cashier. “Oh. Yeah!” Clav walked up. “How much are the waffles here?”

“The what?”

“Don't you guys have...” Clav paused. Was this the right place? It was the most likely candidate so far, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. “I heard about a restaurant here that had waffles and pilgrimberry syrup?”

“I don't think we have that. Maybe the system's wrong, though. Sprune?”

“What's that?” Another drone appeared from around the corner.

“Do we have waffles?”

“Oh. Not anymore. I think that was a special at one point, though. You don't remember Jark. They made it, I think.” The drone, Sprune apparently, noticed Clav and Floyosa. “Wait. Is that a Traveller? What?”

“Yes. I am a Traveller,” Floyosa said.

“Holy...” Sprune stopped. “Can I--Can I get you a tea or something?”

“No, thank you. I am exploring Yervon.”

“Okay. Well... I'm off work in three hours...” Clav reached up, locking Floyosa's forearm in their elbow. Floyosa looked at them, but didn't protest.

“They're with me. I'm the one looking for waffles.”

“Oh. Well, we don't have them. Jark made them for a special once, but they aren't here anymore.” Clav let go of Floyosa's arm, putting both hands on the counter.

“Did they leave a recipe?”

“Nah. It never really became a thing, so we didn't save it.”

“Then where else can I get them?” Sprune shrugged.

“Beats me. Sorry about that.” This could not be happening. A solid lead, weeks of travel, all this effort, and it was some temporary thing the restaurant didn't even have a recipe for anymore? How bad could their luck really be?

“Are you sure you don't have something lying around back there?”

“Look, I need to get back to work...” Clav needed something to persuade them. Anything. They racked their whole brain. Their future depended on it. But like all their other important questions, it eluded them. They sighed and looked at Floyosa.

Floyosa. Of course. The answer was right in front of them.

“What if I let you shake the Traveller's hand? Or... hang out for a little bit later?” That made Sprune's antennae go up.

“I'm on it. Meet me outside in three hours.”

Was that really all it took to get people to do them favors? No wonder Floyosa liked talking to everyone.

Three and a half hours later, Sprune showed up outside the cafe. They had nothing. Nothing except a few receipts and a note to use frostwort grains instead of wheat flour for an allergic customer. Why did they have that, but not the recipe? Clav held up their end of the deal, though, which thankfully, Floyosa was more than happy to comply with. After Sprune had asked some silly questions, shaken Floyosa's hand, had their own hand slapped away for trying to touch Floyosa's feelers, and taken a few pictures, they finally left.

“Where am I supposed to go now?” Clav said. “Where in Torweierf are any freaking waffles?”

“You know there is flour in them now,” Floyosa said.

“You're not helping.”

“It is more than having nothing.”

“No, it's not. Who doesn't know a waffle would have flour in it?”

“It is still good data, I think...” Clav couldn't take it anymore.

“You know what, Floyosa? Shut up. You don't know what it's like to have real problems.”

“...What?”

“Floyosa. Seriously. Have you ever stepped back to look at yourself? You've lived for this long and you still act like--like an animal with no natural predators. Going up and touching everything. Talking to everyone. And they swoon over you, because you're the Traveller. Seems to me like life is one big game for you.”

“What? This does not--”

“Life never treats you unfairly, Floyosa. You don't know what it's like. You only have 'problems' when you choose to make things harder. That's a privilege. Yeah, that's it. Your problems are a privilege. And that's something entirely different. So yeah, shut up.” Floyosa stiffened. Clav rarely saw them do that when they talked. And, it seemed, they had listened. They were silent. Clav was glad.

“I did not...” Floyosa spoke in a low, trembling voice. So much for being quiet. “I did not choose to wake up on a hostile planet. I did not choose to be chased by the red. Again and again. I did not choose the radio messages. From nowhere. That tell me to identify myself. I... did not. Choose. I did not choose to have these problems that no one understands.”

“Then how come I never see you doing anything about it? You just sit there acting clueless and sticking your feelers into places you shouldn't.”

“You do not let me do anything. We have been in this city for days. And still, you have me stay with you. You treat me like an animal that can not help itself.” Clav paused. They... were right about that.

“Well, maybe if you didn't act so childish...”

“I have been to many cities. I have talked to many species. I have a language aid. You say irkens are different. But all aliens are different from me.”

“I--...” Clav didn't know what to say. They stared at each other. “Fine. Go explore Yervon yourself for all I care. Just stop talking to me. Irken problems are still beyond you, and you know it.” Floyosa stood there, speechless, their expression unreadable as always. And then, they turned and walked off down the street.

Clav walked back to their room and sat down on the floor. All gone. It was all gone. They didn't know how to even process it. Where would they go now? Stay in Yervon, knowing it held nothing? Return to Zorplink, spending weeks burning fuel and staring at stars? Looking for their past... It felt so futile without a future to look forward to. And what were their dreams for the future, if there was no hope of finding that most wonderful confection?

They lay down, spreading out their hands and feet on the glossy floor. What would they have done in a situation like this before? They couldn't remember.

...What did they feel like doing, now, in this situation?

Cards. Cards would make it a vacation, at least. Something to take their mind off things, looking at pretty designs. Making up some weird game to play by themself. Had they ever done that before? But it was such a strange impulse. No, they didn't really remember any cards. But it was still something.

They went out and got a Gorgee deck, took it back to their room, and read the instructions. There were several games you could play with these. Clav picked one and started playing. It did make them feel better, for what that was worth now. Then they realized what had happened.

They had been really mean. They'd hurt Floyosa's feelings. The way their voice had changed... But it was too late. Clav should never have invited them. But now they were somewhere out there, and they didn't know what was going to happen. This whole trip had been a mistake.

Chapter Text

Floyosa gave Clav time to calm down. But also, they were thinking about what they'd said. That Floyosa didn't understand real problems. That it was all just fun and games for them. Those words... had actually been painful. A fresh slice into an old wound. It was far from the first time they'd heard something like this, though Clav couldn't have known. Those were the words of someone who was upset.

Still, it made them think.

Certainly Floyosa didn't understand irken problems. Clav was right about that at least. But here they were in a whole city of irkens. A whole new planet to explore. They considered what to do. Say hello to some irkens, or find the edges of the city and explore the wilderness? Both were good options.

They settled on saying hello to irkens. And scanning the species they saw inside the city. There were plenty of both.

Overall, Yervon was definitely a nice place. Floyosa was glad they had come here. They were definitely glad Clav had taken them. It would have taken quite a long time to find this place otherwise, if they ever managed to.

Walking through a park, Floyosa saw an irken and a Gek sitting together, a bag of GekNip between them. They weren't sure what sort of irken this was. Even after looking at a lot of irkens, Floyosa still found it hard to tell which were drones and which were ancestral. They supposed it didn't really matter, but it was one of those things that stuck in their head. Just like they liked to distinguish toxic and non-toxic swamps, among other things.

“Don't you worry,” the Gek said, placing a hand on their companion's shoulder. “I can smell your words as clearly as any pheromone. You have a Gek's spirit. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.”

“Thank you,” the irken said, resting their head on the Gek's arm.

“If only you were ancestral. We could spawn together, and see if anything grew. But maybe it's better this way.” It was a drone, then. These people were being very affectionate, according to Floyosa's language aid. Floyosa took a note of this. They wanted to ask if the irken was a citizen or not. But they figured it would be best not to interrupt this interaction. So they kept walking.

The irkens, in general, did not seem to be very mean to the Gek here. Floyosa wondered about the stories they had heard. They thought about what Clav said. About a few irkens being mean and that becoming the story everyone told. But also, Clav had definitely been wary of letting Floyosa meet other irkens. They had been alarmed at Floyosa having asked around. Why did Clav behave like this? They still weren't sure about that.

Then it occurred to them that they were within the Irken Empire now. Empires and nations, Floyosa had seen, could be a bit like convergences for non-Korvax. They sometimes had extensive archives, so you could find common information most places you went. Maybe there was information here in this city about the other parts of the empire.

Floyosa walked around until they came across another irken in the park. This one was alone, and was walking too. “Hello,” Floyosa said, waving at them.

“Hey there,” the irken said.

“Does this city have an archive?” Floyosa asked. The irken looked them over.

“Not sure they'd pay you for your data. They only really like irken knowledge. Unless you have intel, but that's a different story.”

“I want to learn about irkens. Not to sell to them.”

“Oh! I see,” the irken said. “Hmm... Well, we do have a visitor's center. Down that way, I think.” They pointed across the park. That was closer to where Floyosa had landed their ship. “Would that help?”

“Yes. Thank you for the information.” Floyosa walked down the street. They had actually seen this building before, but Clav had walked past it.

Inside the visitor's center were several holo-screens on the walls, with an irken sitting at a desk in the center of the hexagonal room. They seemed to perk up when Floyosa entered, but didn't say anything.

“Hello. I would like to learn about irkens,” Floyosa said. The irken silently pointed behind them, at one of the screens. So Floyosa walked over to look at it.

“Greetings, visitor,” came a voice from the panel. “Welcome to Yervon. Are you in an emergency or in need of other aid?”

“No.”

“Please speak or type your inquiry.”

“Information about the Irken Empire?” They spoke their query.

“Sure thing. Yervon, as you may know, is one of the colonies of the great Irken Empire. Their civilization currently spans a total of thirteen planets, including this one, as well as many more orbital stations, freighter fleets, and deep-space complexes.”

“Is Zorplink a planetary colony?”

“Yes. Zorplink was the third colony to be established by the Irken Empire. It is known for its high environmental hostility, being one of the most toxic planets on record. The empire did not want to consider it at first, but Invader Lome's dedication and vision turned it into a successful mining endeavor, and the colony it is today.”

“Is it still successful?”

“Yes, Zorplink is still under the control and operations of the Irken Empire.” Well, that wasn't much of an answer. But they were talking to a computer, after all. They thought of a better question.

“What are irken citizens like?”

“The citizens of the Irken Empire are the cleaning drones all the way up to the Almighty Tallest themselves. They are among the most brilliant beings in the galaxy, and even a newly-hatched drone has intelligence beyond your average Vy'keen, Gek, or even Korvax.”

“Are they rude to other species?” The computer seemed to hang for a moment, and Floyosa heard what sounded like irken laughter from behind them. But it was quiet, stifled, almost. They turned around. The irken attendant was pointing a device at them.

“Are you harassing the computer?” they said. Floyosa's language aid confirmed it. They were laughing.

“I am just--”

“That question is beyond the scope of this center. Please ask something else.” Floyosa looked back, their attention torn.

The irken finally broke out into unrestrained, full-blown laughter.

“What? Why are you so surprised, alien?” they said, still holding that device.

Condescension, the language aid said. So the irken thought they were stupid, and was clearly signaling it to them. They knew by now that this was definitely not nice behavior.

“That is very rude. Goodbye.” They turned back to the panel, thinking of something else to ask. But they knew that irken was watching. They didn't like it. And this computer didn't have many good answers for them. “End query,” they told the computer. Then they turned to walk out.

“Oh, this is going to be great...” they heard the irken say as they left the building. But they ignored it. What a terrible day.

Chapter Text

Clav went to sleep early that day. Their brain was overloaded. Maybe sleep would help. But it was difficult to rest. And finally, when they had managed to get to sleep fully, they were woken up again by the door opening.

It was Floyosa. They walked in, looked at Clav briefly, then closed the door and went over to their own bed.

Clav slept better after that. Though not by much.

Floyosa was still sleeping when they got up, so they played some more Gorgee. They carefully ate a snack, doing their best not to make too much noise, and Floyosa didn't seem to hear it. When they did wake up, they looked at Clav.

Neither of them said anything. Floyosa took a handful of pellets--Clav was sure it was animal feed now--and ate them. Clav rounded up their cards.

“Good morning, Floyosa.”

“Hello, Clav.”

“Did you... explore the city?”

“Yes.”

More silence.

“...How was it? Did you learn about things?”

“Yes.” Clav was about to ask something else, another vain attempt to break the tension, but Floyosa continued. “I have learned more about irkens.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

“I know why people say they are rude, I think.” Oh, no. That wasn't a good sign.

“...You do?” Clav asked, cautiously.

“Yes. It is not really that they are rude. Irkens think they are very smart. And they think other species are very stupid. You are like this. The irkens I met were all like this.” Floyosa explained this in their usual calm tone. “Many groups of people are like this. Some convergences, too. They think they are better than everyone else in some way. Irkens, they are not so different. But they have invaders who can conquer whole planets. They are powerful. And people hear about this, and turn these stories into big ideas about all irkens.”

Clav was shocked. “You got all that out of a single day of walking around?”

“No. I have been collecting data. I saved recordings of all the stories I heard. I was thinking about what you said. It is very interesting.”

“That's...” Clav thought carefully about what words to use. “...Really insightful, actually. So... You came back anyway, huh? Knowing irkens truly are a bunch of self-important, xenophobic... creatures?”

“I paid for this room already. And not all irkens are invaders who conquer people. You told me this yourself. Many of them are something else. Like you. Like the people in the park. And the attendant at the visitor's center.”

“So you don't hate me for it? You aren't... mad at me for how I treated you yesterday?”

“You have told me you try to be good. You let me go when I told you what you were doing. I know that you were upset. You were saying many things to stop me talking to you. That is all it was. I gave you time to calm down, and now you are calmer.”

“Yeah... well. Take this for what it is too. I'm sorry.”

“Okay. I will take this apology.”

“Thanks. You're really a lot smarter than I give you credit for, you know. I would've gone crazy on the trip over here. I... might not have made it without your warp fuel, too.”

“I have traveled in space for a long time. But you are smart too, to help me with irken culture. I do not always do well in cultures. I think people let me make mistakes because I am a Traveller. But not always. One time, a Vy'keen tried to kill me. I was never able to understand how I offended them.”

“...Do you actually know how to kill a person?”

“No. But... The idea is simple. If I hurt them enough, they will die. And I have--”

“Okay, okay. I think that's enough,” Clav said.

“Sorry. I will not talk about killing things.”

“No, it's just... off track. I... What were we talking about, again?” Clav really couldn't remember.

“You apologized to me. And then we talked about being rude to people in cultures. And killing.”

“I guess so. Well, clearly we aren't on killing terms with each other over this, so... Hmm.” Clav looked at their cards, and then at the door. “Want to go take a walk? Enjoy the city together, for once? I need something to... to take my mind off this whole waffle fiasco, still...”

“Yes. We can walk together.” Floyosa stood up. Clav put their cards away.

“Let's go, then.” They stood up and walked to the door. “And while we're here, let me show you why you don't want to visit my 'home'. You learned a lot about us, but you need a probably-Zorplink irken's perspective to get the whole picture.”

Chapter Text

“So, a little bit of background. Do you know about the Tallest?”

“I have heard of the Almighty Tallest. I think they are the rulers of your empire.”

“Right. So you at least heard something. Well, they're absolute rulers. And lots and lots of irkens are fine with that. In fact, they think the Tallest are the smartest and wisest of all irkens too. So they just listen to everything they have to say. Make sense?”

“I think so.”

“Well, the Tallest, they say that irkens are all superior to other species. Kind of like what you said. But... You need to understand that our leaders actively tell this to people. It's not just your standard egocentrism. And... They say that all non-irkens are... are future slaves. Resources to be used, not people to be respected. Keep in mind, a bunch of citizens, a bunch of normal people, believe this as a result.”

Floyosa thought about that.

“That is another reason people say citizens are rude, then.”

“Exactly. I'd say that's a big one, actually. Not that you're wrong... It's both.”

“What is bad about Zorplink, then?”

“Okay. That. So here, in Yervon, you have a lot of Gek. In fact, irkens are a minority across the whole planet. Just like you were able to see that irkens can be good, from talking to them? Irkens can see that Gek are people, too. That kind of mitigates the effect of what the Tallest tell them, when they see the Gek for themselves.”

“That makes sense. They have more information.”

“Yeah. Well, on Zorplink, it's entirely irken-controlled. You would be really hard-pressed to find another species there. So a lot of people... don't see what the people in Yervon do. They live their whole lives seeing non-irkens as creatures they can kick around and use. Creatures like... you.”

“So they might actually be very mean there.”

“Yeah. Really mean. Hurting you for fun mean.”

“But you think you are from Zorplink, and you are not very mean. You are nice.”

“It's... Ugh. Like you said... not all irkens.”

“Yes. Not all of them are mean.”

“But a lot more are. And that can make a difference. This is not even getting into the fact that the place is a trash heap.”

“I know it is very corrosive there.”

“Toxic environment, yeah. Wait... How do you know that?”

“I learned this at the visitor's center.”

“Ah, fair enough. There's also a lot of... other problems. Sometimes I feel like the Tallest don't actually care about Zorplink, you know? They haven't sent anyone competent to manage it. They definitely haven't assigned us as many drones from the smeeteries. I heard someone say we 'have a substantial population already'. Sometimes... I think they're just waiting for their soldiers to find an excuse to tag all of us, so they can enslave us instead.”

“That is a lot to think about,” Floyosa said. They weren't actually sure how much of it made sense. What was a smeetery, for one? Tagging? They must be irken things. Things Clav had never mentioned until now.

“Sorry. I get... emotional about it. And there's these people. Some renegade faction hiding out on Paz--on another planet in the system. But my gut just... tells me they aren't any better than our current management. I...” Clav paused. “I said 'us'... didn't I?”

“Yes. You have been using 'us' the whole time. I think you are from Zorplink too.”

“...Yeah?”

“You speak of it like it is part of you. The Korvax taught me about this concept. You consider Zorplink as part of you, or yourself as part of it, I think. You identify as it.”

“With it, you mean?”

“Yes.”

“Well... Thanks for the vote of confidence. But do you, um, understand why it isn't a great idea for you to just go around there now?”

“The irkens on Zorplink are mean. They will hurt other species for fun. And the Tallest want to enslave everyone on the planet. Is that it?”

“Basically, yeah. I'm not really sure about the Tallest enslaving all of us, but... Sometimes it seems like it. I... I can't stop you from going there, I guess. But it'd be a terrible idea. It's not a tourist destination. Not by a long shot. And I'm not going to help you get there.”

“Okay. I can learn a lot about irkens from Yervon, or from you.” Relief, Floyosa's language aid said.

“I really should've just told you this earlier. But there it is. I hope it's not too late.” Floyosa looked at them. They understood Clav a lot better now. They had been like this because they thought Floyosa wouldn't understand. It was just inherent to irkens to think that way about other species, that they were stupid and didn't understand anything. Even nice irkens. They were outright told by their own leaders, too.

But Clav hadn't only shoved an apology, that verbal token of peace, at them, when it had caused a problem. They had made a pretty big effort to rectify the situation, even going so deep as to explain the whole thing about Zorplink. What a delightfully... anomalous companion.

Chapter Text

Clav had an enjoyable time with Floyosa here in Yervon. They even dared to let the Traveller take the lead for some of the time, and it proved to be intriguing. Floyosa really did have a way of putting their feelers into places they would be better off ignoring... But they also noticed things that even surprised Clav themself. They had managed to track down a wild Starhitosa--the famous flying ungulates of Fritan Tau--and placate the normally skittish animal with some treats. (The same treats, Clav noticed, that Floyosa ate themself. Confirmed.) Clav had been free to watch the creature hovering with its tiny butterfly wings right in front of them, something not many tourists to Yervon got to see.

They'd even figured out how to identify drones. Well, specifically the ones that had features never seen on ancestrals. It was admittedly the easiest kind for a non-irken to see. But for someone who needed technology to tell them when they were being smiled at, it was impressive.

Still, Clav couldn't ignore their problems forever. Even Floyosa couldn't change the fact that they had no waffles. They tried to avoid the subject, knowing the fight it had caused before. But it came out. Of course it did.

“I just don't know what I'm going to do with my life anymore,” Clav said as they were passing by a farm.

“You like Zorplink a lot. You can go there.”

“Actually, I hate it. And you know what I mean.”

“Waffles?”

Clav sighed. “Yeah. Just... trust me. It means a whole lot. More than you can... can fathom. But with the way things are going, I'll never find them. I'll die without ever having tasted one. I'm just... Frustrated, you know? Just... having emotions.” Floyosa was silent. “Do you know what I'm talking about? Do Travellers have emotions? Like, real feelings?”

“I have emotions. I do not know if they are the same as yours. Different species have different emotions sometimes.”

“Frustration? Do you know that one?”

“Yes. You were making me very frustrated when we got to Yervon before. I wanted to explore. But you would not let me. This caused that emotion.”

“Yeah... Sorry about that, again. That's how I feel right now. I want these waffles so badly. But they aren't anywhere. It makes me really frustrated. And... I feel kind of hopeless too. You know?”

“Yes. I think I understand this feeling.” Clav looked at them. Had they really been assuming Floyosa didn't understand complex feelings like this? Yes... They had. They knew why. Floyosa just never signaled it to them, except when they talked slightly differently. Their feelers and barbels were always so still. Their eyes never changed. But Floyosa definitely felt things, even if they didn't exactly communicate it well. They both understood frustration. They both understood despair.

That was... terrible, actually.

“You know about happiness too, right? You seemed happy when I asked you to come here...”

“Yes. That made me happy.”

“Oh, phew.” Clav smiled at them.

“I think you are social, like me. You have become happy seeing that I am happy. I said this before, but I do not think you believed me.”

“I do. I don't know if that's why I try to be good... But I want you to be happy. You... want me to be happy too, don't you?”

“Yes. I want you to be happy.” Floyosa smiled, but their smile faded. They were thinking.

Clav watched an ancestral partway down the street with a whole litter of newborns clinging to them. The ancestral was trying to open a package of nutrient paste, but the little irkens were fighting over it, throwing them off balance. A Gek came over to offer assistance, and the ancestral handed them the food packet. What an unlucky parent. Seven was just too many. It made Clav think back...

But there was nothing to think back to. They shrugged and looked back to Floyosa.

“What do you think?” Clav asked, to break their own internal thoughts. Floyosa looked at them.

“If you irkens are so smart, why do you not make your own waffles?”

“Wh--What?” Clav had to stop for a second. Was Floyosa seriously asking them this? “Oh, sure. And why don't you build yourself a Solar without any blueprints?”

“Why are you asking me to do this now?”

“I'm not. My point is, that's impossible. I don't know all the fine details that make a waffle what it is. The proportion of flour and sugar. The processor setting, the cooking time, maybe even other things I would never know are factors without the recipe!”

“It is possible. Someone made a Solar ship without having someone else's blueprint. We could invent our own ship. It would just take some science.”

“Well, it wouldn't be a ship like you see on the market. It'd be something entirely different. Something weird. You see the problem?”

“You want to put ingredients in a processor, and pull out a fresh waffle. This is what you told me is so important about waffles. You can do this without someone else's recipe.” Clav couldn't deny that the idea of making their own kind of waffles was good. Maybe Floyosa was right after all. But they had no idea where to start for that either.

“...How, then?”

“It will take science. You make a recipe-hypothesis. Then you cook it. And if it is wrong, you find what is wrong, and change it. You do this until it is a waffle you like. And then, you are happy, and you have waffles. This will work, I think. You may even make a waffle that you like better than this formula you talk about.”

“...And where do I start? Flour and sugar and... uh. Eggs? Whip them together, set the processor to, um, deep fry? No, that's not right...”

“That is a hypothesis for a waffle recipe. You can also find a recipe that you know makes something similar. You have told me waffles are sort of like cake. I have seen chocolate cake recipes for sale in many places. So you might have to change less.”

“Chocolate cake? That would... That'd make a chocolate waffle.” Clav blinked. What a strange idea. They laughed at the absurdity of it. “And waffles don't have chocolate in them.”

“Then do not put chocolate in it. This is science.”

“Yeah... I guess it is.” Clav thought. That actually sounded good. Not a cake waffle, but a chocolate waffle. Such an interesting touch. A new spin.

“On second thought... Keep the chocolate in. I'm making a chocolate waffle. But where to get the ingredients...” Clav thought. “I think I saw some stores. There's probably a few trade terminals... But it's going to be so expensive! Not that waffles were going to be cheap anyway, but the experiments will take so much!”

“I can help,” Floyosa said. “I will get you chocolate cake ingredients and a recipe. You will have to find your own nutrient processor.”

“Are you sure? I... I might have to take up a job anyway to afford all this. Do you want to be paid back?”

“It is not hard to get. Cocoa grows wild on this planet. It showed up on my scans.”

“Yes, but... you have to go into the wilderness.” Floyosa looked straight at them.

“You seem to be scared of natural environments. But this is not a problem for me. My problems are different.” Clav was silent. What did that mean? But Floyosa smiled at them. “We can meet at our room tonight.” Then they turned to go.

It was actually less difficult to find a nutrient processor than Clav had anticipated. Unlike Zorplink, Yervon had outdoor parks, and there were a couple of processors out in the open for people to prepare snacks. This was such a foreign place.

As promised, Floyosa returned to the hotel with ingredients. Wild wheat, impulse beans, milk, eggs, and sweetroots. Clav was amazed. They were so... raw. So fresh. Floyosa didn't even care about food, it seemed, and they had taken the time to get this? They also transmitted a recipe for a chocolate cake. Well, it was set then. The next day, they went to the park and started cooking.

They followed the recipe exactly, with the single exception of telling the processor to mold the batter into a waffle shape. It should have been no surprise that what came out was a chocolate cake, just shaped like a waffle, complete with chocolate frosting. Somehow, though, it was still disappointing.

“Well, I made a cake...” they said, looking at their finished product. “I did want a waffle, though.”

“It is a chocolate cake waffle,” Floyosa said. “A waffle cake, maybe.”

Yeah, that was exactly what it was. Floyosa had it spot on. They had made a waffle cake. Clav couldn't help but laugh.

“Well, here's hoping the next experiment goes better.”

Chapter Text

Floyosa was excited to be going home. They had all sorts of things from the trip to add to their collection. Souvenirs from the stations on the way. Scans and recordings of irkens. Pictures of vast fields of NipNip. And the best thing of all: real irken artifacts! Not ancient ones, of course; irkens were far too new of a presence on that planet. But they were real things that had real uses to these people, and that was cool.

Their personal favorite was a lifeless device supposedly used for playing some specific table game. Floyosa couldn't get their exosuit to connect to it, but it was beautifully made, with two rectangular panels attached to a set of spiraling retractable arms. Clav didn't know what it was for, but had said it would only go into one of those special irken backpacks. Floyosa liked it anyway.

They were waiting with Clav on a ship refuel, and had sat down at a table together. Floyosa was looking through the files in their exosuit while Clav ate one of their irken snacks. They heard the sound of quick footsteps and glanced over to see a couple of young Vy'keen in the open area. They looked back to their files.

“Shh. Turn on your cloaking. There's aliens here.”

“Oh! Activating.”

“We gotta sneak up on them. They're a threat to our frigate!”

“But those are Travellers. We're supposed to help Travellers.”

“Well--These Travellers are Sentinel-lovers! They help the Sentinels, so they're evil.”

“No. Travellers don't like Sentinels. That's objectively wrong.”

“Well, what are you going to do? Invite them aboard?”

“No. We're going to scan them. Be quiet. Cloaking doesn't stop sounds, you know.” Floyosa looked over. The two young Vy'keen were sneaking up, entirely uncloaked, holding their hands up as if there were objects in them, but there was nothing. They were playing, Floyosa guessed. Some creatures, especially young ones, liked to play like this.

“You can't see us. We're cloaked,” one of the Vy'keen said.

“You can scan me if you want,” Floyosa said. Clav looked up when they spoke, then over at the Vy'keen.

The other Vy'keen, the one that hadn't spoken to Floyosa, took a step back. Fear, the language aid said.

“Wait.” They grabbed the other's arm and pointed at Clav.

“What?” the first Vy'keen said. The second whispered something into their ear. “You were the one who said Travellers can't be evil!”

“I'm... not a Traveller?” Clav said. “I'm an irken. We're different.”

“See?” the scared Vy'keen said.

“Coward. It's not even scary. I bet I could beat it up.”

“I'm not going to kill you. I'm a nice irken. This one can testify,” Clav said, gesturing to Floyosa. Floyosa nodded in response.

“Yes. They are a nice irken.”

“Can we just go somewhere else?” the scared Vy'keen said to their partner. The other Vy'keen just looked at them. Confused, apparently.

“Fine. But I'm telling your parents you're a coward!” The two Vy'keen ran off to continue their game elsewhere.

“What...?” Clav said. They looked themself over. “Do I look suspicious, Floyosa?”

“No. I think that Vy'keen just did not like you.”

“Yeah, you're probably right. The other one didn't seem fazed at all. Weird...” Floyosa thought about that. It was quite strange, but... familiar. Where had they seen something similar? They ran through their files on irkens.

Aha. There it was.

“I have a file of something like this.”

“Like what?” Clav said. Floyosa turned the playback to their external speakers.

Enemies. Evil aura. This is irkens. A Gek's voice.

What is evil about them? Floyosa's voice.

They smell of evil. I know they are bad. Trouble will come where irkens come.

Have you met irkens?

Yes. That is how I know. Others, they don't understand. But I feel it deep in my core. Irkens are not to be trusted. Stay away from them if you can.

Okay. Thank you for this information.

“This was one of the stories I heard. You said it was from your reputation. But I do not think these Vy'keen have heard of irkens before now.”

“Huh... Maybe it's some kind of irrational phobia?”

“Maybe. It is very interesting.” Floyosa thought back to their time in Yervon. They hadn't noticed anyone acting like this there. The Gek were either quite happy with irkens, or bitter about their supposed slow taking over of the whole world. Were the irkens truly invading it, trying to take it for themselves? Floyosa didn't know. No one had mentioned any invaders ever being seen in the city, but one Gek had said an invader's fleet was most likely hiding out near the system. These politics were as confusing as ever.

But all in all, no one had really been very scary. The only thing had been Floyosa's nightmare about the 'crimson' irken. And that hadn't even been real. But... Their dreams. That had been anxiety, right? There were too many variables to tell for sure. But it couldn't be ruled out.

“I also had more red nightmares in Yervon,” Floyosa said. “I can not tell if this is related. But it is interesting data.”

“What's a red nightmare?”

Floyosa thought carefully of what to say. They had long since learned the subject was a fragile one to bring up. A hazardous material with unpredictable reactivities. But Clav had been good about it so far. They were okay to talk about it with. Probably. It would still be good to tread cautiously.

“Oh, wait. Is it those... things? You asked me if I saw things that were red, or something.”

“Yes.”

“Huh... So being in Yervon triggered your hallucinations? That's weird...”

“Not hallucination!” Floyosa practically spat out.

“Hey, sorry. Whatever it is you're seeing. Stress can make anything like that worse, I think.”

“It is hunting me. I know it is real. But stress makes it worse too,” Floyosa said. “That is why I can not tell.”

“...What's hunting you?” This was getting into uncomfortable territory.

“The red.” Clav was apparently confused. Just like so many others. That was fine. No one understood. Not even themself, really.

“Something red is hunting you? What do you mean? Are you okay?”

“It is not one thing. It can look like many things. But it is always red. It is always watching. People have told me it is my brain. But it is not. The nightmares are my brain reacting to it. It is real.”

“Um... Have you tried getting help?” This was what they all said. Floyosa didn't want to go through this again. Would Clav listen to their answer?

“Yes. No one understands. Nothing they tell me helps. So I do not talk about it anymore.” Floyosa's words had apparently sobered the irken.

“I...” Clav trailed off. “I didn't realize it was that bad.” So they had actually listened. That was... nice.

“No one does.”

Clav just picked at their food, some kind of crumbly, sugary thing.

“I thought you might see it too, once. But you were only remembering something.”

“Speaking of which... Are you sure you don't have a past, Floyosa?”

“Yes. Why are you asking?”

“Because waking up somewhere unfamiliar, with possessions already, and something unknown haunting you... kind of sounds like my story. Like you have a past that you just don't remember. A past beyond our universe, maybe. That's what I heard about Travellers, anyway.” Floyosa thought about that. But that couldn't be true. They knew. They...

The last time they'd tried to think about this, they'd seen it. While awake. The worst kind of vision. They shook their head. Not here.

“I do not want to think about this any more. It makes me see it.”

“Um... okay. But you can't run forever. Might want to try... Right, it's probably some weird Traveller thing, so no one knows. But you might want to... look into it?”

“Not now.”

“Well... If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know. Since, you know... You've been helping me with my waffles this whole time. I think I owe it to you. Thanks, again, by the way.”

“Maybe. We should go. Our ships are probably fueled now.”

Chapter Text

Clav had mixed feelings about being back on Zorplink. It wouldn't be easy to find something to make a living, but... They couldn't live in Yervon. It was a vacation. That was all it was. How did Floyosa get their hands on all the stuff they had? Maybe they could ask Floyosa for some tips. As long as their tips didn't include 'don't buy any snacks and just live off of milk that came from some random dirt beast'.

They had better find a backup, just in case. They needed something.

They checked every entertainment panel they saw in this city. They checked all the posters and signs. Maybe something would jump out at them... They couldn't remember having had a job before, but surely they did! They were... An agricultural technician, right. No thanks. They still couldn't get over the feeling that that wasn't quite right... It was in the city record, though. It had to be true. They had worked in agriculture, of their own will, not enslaved.

Well, it wouldn't happen again. They saw a lot of mining jobs... Jobs that were practically volunteer work. Drone work, tag work, slave work. Enough to keep them out of a pipe and not much more than that. Heck, the pipe would probably be preferable anyway. Science jobs... Not many, and Clav didn't meet the qualifications anyway. Worm guard... No way!

Then there was a hacked sign. Let someone FROM Zorplink RUN Zorplink, it flashed in bright purple. As if that would ever happen. Manufacturing plant jobs... All of them required mechanical skill. Refining chemicals didn't actually sound so bad, though, as long as they got adequate hazard protection. They scanned the sign and made a note to check it out.

After staring at job postings for most of the day, Clav went to a paste dispenser. The trip had really whittled down their units. They allowed the machine to scan their pack, then waited as it spat out two tubes of barely-edible material. At least it was free. They found a corner table to sit at and eat their sustenance.

The paste wasn't actually as bad as they'd thought. It was just... not great. While they ate, three citizens came over with their own paste tubes and sat at the table next to them.

“Two. Two litters,” said an ancestral.

“Did they say the age difference? I can't remember,” a drone said.

“Nah. But probably close.”

“These people are messed up.”

“You can say that again,” a second ancestral commented. “What I want to know is how they got into the agricultural sector. That's the thing they still haven't figured out. Or else they aren't telling us, so we can't do it ourselves. Ha! Wouldn't put it past them.”

Two litters. Agricultural sector. Clav's antennae involuntarily swung over toward the conversation.

“Wasn't coded on their pack. Wasn't in the records. That's what I heard,” the first ancestral said, shrugging.

“Someone let them in.” The drone spoke with certainty.

“Or they snuck past someone!” the first ancestral suggested.

“Pff. The father was a tech. Or a farmer. And they let 'em in,” the drone said. “Those Paztu guys hide out everywhere. They're probably just trying to figure out which one's the traitor.”

“Genotype tests, my friend,” the second ancestral said. “If it was the father, they'd have picked it up on the genotype immediately.”

Something sounded all too familiar about this story. It was like... Something. They knew it was like something they'd seen before. They just didn't know what. It reminded them of... Flying their ship? That old Shuttle. The one that had been wrecked. They must have read about it at a space station. If only they could remember which one.

After finishing their paste, they considered looking at more jobs. But the moment they saw a sign, they decided better. That was enough for one day.

What were they doing, looking at these jobs all of a sudden? They'd felt so uncertain, wandering all around before. Something had changed since they left for Yervon. They thought back to that night, lying on the hotel floor. How hopeless they'd felt. Only until they'd thought to play cards. Only until Floyosa had told them to design their own waffles.

Maybe Floyosa was right after all. Clav had learned more about themself in those two instances than they had from any of their fragmented memories. They'd found something to do going forward. They needed that. They wanted to find their lost past, but that wasn't the only place where they were. They were here now, and they would still be here in the years to come.

Though they did worry about that Traveller... What could possibly be stalking them day after day, giving them nightmares?

They went back to their ship. There wasn't much sense worrying about it. Maybe it was just bad memories of Floyosa's. And who could do anything about that but Floyosa themself? No one. All Clav could do was offer guidance, like Floyosa had been to them.

Clav had a nightmare of their own that night. The shadowy figure of an ancestral irken loomed over them. You're taking them with you. They're your responsibility. Clav looked down and realized a whole litter of little smeets was squirming around at their feet. Seven of them.

But I didn't want this!

No one wants it, Clav. Now. In your ship. Suddenly Clav was in their Shuttle, their new one. The babies were crawling over everything, setting off displays and controls, and Clav couldn't stop them. They were heading straight for an asteroid, and when it hit, the ship exploded into a million pieces, leaving Clav floating in space, filled with guilt and terror.

I'm telling Floyosa what you did, said the ancestral, who had appeared floating beside them. They'll know what an evil irken you are. They'll never talk to you again. You'll have no friends.

They were jolted awake by their life support. What an awful dream. That story they'd heard about yesterday must have really hit them. Was that what they'd been having nightmares about in the past? Maybe it was better to forget... But what about it had hit them so hard?

Why had this been all they could think about, anyway? Before they'd woken up, and even now? Their life was way more than some sensational story they'd heard. They couldn't let it rule them. No more of this.

They needed to find their actual history, not listen to a dream like this. They needed to get a job again. They needed to design the perfect waffles at last.

It was difficult to shake, but by the end of the day, Clav was able to focus on something else.

Chapter Text

The fog made it hard to see out the outpost window. That and the fact that the grass had already melted, so there was no purple luminescence to help distinguish the ground from anything else. That was what storms were like on Shfo. Even the powerful technology in Floyosa's exosuit couldn't sustain them in a torrent of boiling rain. So they had taken shelter in this building for now.

“You may stay until the storm lifts. Then, I insist that you leave. I have little tolerance for organics,” the Korvax outpost owner said.

“Thank you for this,” Floyosa said. The Korvax didn't even acknowledge their gratitude, apparently, since Floyosa's language aid didn't tell them anything. They didn't seem very keen on socializing. It was a shame, really; they'd hoped to talk with them. But there were infinite Korvax out there, and perhaps more importantly, there was plenty of Shfo to explore still. They could walk around the planets of Ellekt their entire life, and they'd never see everything on them. Infinity was a mind-blowing thing. And maybe it wasn't even infinity. Maybe it was just too much for anyone to truly know how much that finite amount was!

Floyosa shook their head. That was enough silly thoughts for now. It was good to be back in their home system. Sure, they loved to travel, and had gone through phases where they just kept going further out, scanning and taking in everything they saw. The longest had been months long. But Ellekt was the place they could fall back to. It was a place to keep all those souvenirs from the far reaches. The point to relate everything else to. Like Clav had Zorplink, this system, and in particular New Gieldena, was a part of them.

After the storm was cleared, Floyosa said goodbye to the Korvax and walked outside. The gray-brown soil was bare, and gray worms frantically burrowed back down beneath the surface. The landscape always looked so strange after a melt, but Floyosa knew it was far from dead. Larger animals came out from their hiding places to dig through the freshly exposed dirt. Floyosa even saw a wooddrinker. A rare sight. They fed the muscular, feline creature some pellets and reached up to stroke its spiny shoulder, then continued on.

They contemplated as they traversed the fields of lobed, purple grass and mushrooms. They had found such great things lately. A whole new sentient species, when they'd thought the universe populated entirely by Gek, Vy'keen, and Korvax. And a Traveller, of course. The irkens were so unknown to many, and yet... They were nearby. They'd been nearby since before Floyosa existed. Clav's star chart had ended with a particular system, Chuorur, which Clav had insisted they not finish the route to. They hadn't said anything, but it didn't take much wondering to realize it must be Clav's destination. Why else would they have it?

Asking around to the Korvax had confirmed it. One of the planets in the Chuorur system was named Zorplink, and another was Paztu, most likely the 'other planet' Clav had started to say the name of. Only a few jumps away from Ellekt, the whole time, but they didn't particularly feel the need to go there now. The Korvax had also said that star had anomalous signals coming from it, which Floyosa didn't need any more of right now, and Clav had given them enough warning about the inhabitants. They had Yervon now, where the irkens were nice and offered them tea and things like that. Usually.

Passing by some hills, Floyosa dug up a few activated copper deposits. This stuff was quite annoying to get, and the Korvax valued it, so Floyosa liked to pick it up when they could. They'd heard about experiments done in the past to activate copper in a controlled manner. But as far as they had heard, no method was ever as efficient as simply going down a planet like this, where extreme conditions were simply a part of the works, and searching for it.There were some machines one could use to dig into the ground for larger quantities or extract trace amounts from soil and rock, but Floyosa had never cared enough about those to look into them.

They liked this life of wandering around, picking stuff up. That was what a Traveller did, wasn't it? They were the one who was just a little different from everyone else. Everything was in its natural order like this.

They saw a small bunker and went over to check if it was inhabited. There was no one there. So they looked around for salvage, but most of it was old, slimy machinery and rusted boxes. Shfo's humid climate and boiling rain had a way of making short work of stuff like that. As if the world had responded to their thoughts, their exosuit warned them of another approaching storm. So they went into the little building to sit it out. There were a few interesting things in there, some old navigational data and a can of grease. There was also a data panel, which Floyosa probed for any interesting logs.

Iteration, iteration iteration.

Running over the same process, sometimes changing a little bit every time.

Iteration, the key to success. Iteration, the way to the best. Iteration, again and again and again.

It was a poem. Floyosa had heard about these. Some Korvax must have left their art here.

Iteration, again and again and again... The rhythm of reading it was pleasant, calming, even. They scrolled through at a leisurely pace, just enjoying the words the Korvax had left.

I heard of a people that were iterations; one person repeated again and again. And some of them knew it, and some of them didn't, but all of them had to find out in the end.

The terminal's data went staticy as the storm picked up, throwing Floyosa out of it. Where was the rest of the writing? They had liked it. Maybe if the wind died down, maybe if the temperature stabilized a bit, the machine would function properly again. They waited.

And then, on the terminal's screen, there appeared words in bold red.

[HOW LONG WILL YOU RUN?]

It was a trap. After years of stalking, after years of hiding, letting them do as they pleased, the red had lured them in here. To try and force them to watch it. To reply to it. To harmonize with it. To serve it. Whatever it wanted from them. Floyosa screamed, running for the door and out into the storm. They watched their exosuit's thermal protection plummeting as the superheated fog enveloped them.

But anything was better. Death was better. They were not a god. They were not an Atlas. They were not whatever everyone called this red. They were a Traveller. This storm would not make them snap. So they pushed through the storm, shoving their hazard unit full of catalyst, over and over. They ran as fast as they could. To try and hit the edge, the boundary of the storm, to escape it.

And they did, though not without exhausting most of their supply of sodium. They considered calling their ship, to go home, but they didn't want to receive another transmission. Not while they were being hunted like this. So instead, they found a cave to stay in. They lay against the cool, moist stone for a while. It was good, actually. They were safe for now.

But they couldn't help but worry all the same. It occurred to them that these things had been getting worse lately, when they'd managed to keep the red at bay for quite some time before. Ever since meeting Clav, things like this had been happening...

They thought of Clav, telling them they couldn't run forever. They thought of that terminal. They saw Clav's red eyes, staring into theirs.

Floyosa shuddered. Clav. Were irkens really... evil? Maybe they were more than that. They were whatever lay beyond nightmares of crimson. They were here to consume Floyosa at last. Floyosa huddled into the cave wall even more. The red had come in the form of irkens, something irresistibly interesting, something Floyosa had to look into, and now the jaws were closing.

...No. This was what the Gek and Korvax had called paranoia. This was based on all of the stories they had heard, not on anything that made sense. The red might be real, but this was something entirely made up. Clav's eyes might be red, but they weren't crimson red. They and other irkens might have some connection to red nightmares, but they probably weren't evil itself. In fact... Clav was one of the only people who believed Floyosa's own story, instead of continuing to insist it was all a hallucination. Clav had consistently shown themself to be good, despite everything they heard to the contrary.

Clav might even be able to actually help them. Maybe it was time to try again?

Chapter Text

“Wake up, Clav. I didn't hire you to sit around.”

“Yes, of course.” Clav went back over to the refinery monitor. Everything was still running smoothly, except... Oh. It needed a new amino chamber. They went to the assembly hood and put together a new one, then removed the spent chamber from the machine and added the fresh chemical. This was so boring.

“You should know better than this. I ought to just get a drone in,” the overseer said.

“You know good and well you won't get one,” Clav retorted.

“Look, you're lucky you didn't start making toxins instead of protein. I'd rather the job not get done than get done wrong, so do better.” The overseer pointed at them, then left.

They'd been in this job for a month now, and it hadn't gotten any better. At least it's not worm guard, Clav would have to tell themself every day. They just felt so trapped by this daily obligation. But they needed the units, to rent space for their ship, to fund their snacks, and most importantly, to acquire the nutrient processor they had their eye on. It was a simple model, mostly for household use, but it would do. Probably.

How did Floyosa do it? They would have to ask... But they had no time to jump to Ellekt anymore. Just their life. They'd been the one to choose to come back to Zorplink. Did they have some futile hope they could change things, make things better here? Perhaps. But that hope seemed to go down the drain a little more every day.

They needed a break, that was what they needed. Once they got the processor, they'd do it. They'd ask for a couple days off, maybe even work overtime to make up for it. Then they'd fly to New Gieldena. Maybe Floyosa could keep the nutrient processor, too. There really wasn't enough room to fasten it in the little Shuttle. And on their days off, they could work at their project.

They looked at the monitor again. Abnormal pressure in the ventilation system... Already? Clav brought up a diagnostic map. The system seemed to think there was blockage near to where the vents connected with the city's air processing. Clav would have to tell the overseer, and then they'd no doubt be annoyed, and take it out on Clav anyway...

Wait. Blockage that close to the public infrastructure? This soon after the overseer had ordered a cleaning? Something in Clav's gut told them that wasn't just waste buildup.

“Sabi!” Clav called.

“What now?” The overseer came back over.

“Can you take over the monitor for a bit?”

“What, so you can laze around?”

“No, it's... Look.” Clav showed the map to Sabi. “Vent's blocked again. I... Believe it or not, I recognize this issue. I have some... expertise. I think I can fix it if you let me get in there.”

“Hmm...”

“Trust me. You won't have to hire a tech to do it!”

“Fine, go,” Sabi said. “But if you mess up my refinery, it's coming out of your account. Do you know how to get in the system? Because I don't.”

“Just let me scan the diagnostic. I'll figure it out,” Clav said. Sabi stepped aside as Clav took the data. They hurried out of the plant. If their hunch was correct, this spot had to be accessible from outside. They looked around until they found the closest exhaust system access. They wrenched the hatch open and climbed into the tunnel.

There were pipes of all sorts in here. Clav pulled up their analysis tools to see if they had any embedded data. Not much, but they were able to scan for the chemical composition. That would at least tell them which ones were waste and which ones were relatively clean air... But it wouldn't tell them what facility it went to.

After a good few minutes of looking around, Clav saw there was tape stuck onto the pipes. Of course. They had just labeled them manually. They followed the ones leading from their facility's ID until they found the exit pipe. Then they left the system, looked for the pipe opening outside, and climbed into that one.

It didn't take much walking through this pipe to find the problem. Clav's flashlight suddenly illuminated the form of a very tired, very angry ancestral brandishing a charred multi-tool.

“Come to tag me, eh?! I won't go down without a fight!”

“Wait!” Clav said. “Keep your voice down.”

“Step any closer and I'll...”

“Your multi-tool is broken,” Clav said. It was true; the device looked like it had been salvaged from a trash pile. “Look, I'm here to keep you from getting tagged. You're blocking my facility's vent and it's showing up on our diagnostics. If you don't listen to me, my overseer will call someone else to come in and clean it.”

The ancestral stopped, evaluating Clav, evaluating their multi-tool, then sighed. “You can see it on your computer?”

“Yes. You're too far in. You don't want to get inside private facilities.”

“But someone could come in and find me!”

“Someone just came in and found you. You need to get a bit further out. And then you need to...” Clav paused. Where were these words coming from? Why were they offering this advice? “Keep your segment clean. But not too clean.”

“And why should I trust this?”

“...I could have told my overseer to fix this, you know,” Clav said. “Instead, I risked their wrath to leave my posting, come in here, and help you. Is that enough?”

The two ancestrals shared a moment of silence.

“I guess,” the pipe dweller said. I'm just not inclined to trust people when everyone like you is out to get me.”

“Well, if I wanted to get you in trouble, it would have been a lot easier than this,” Clav said. “Take or leave my advice. But next time, I might not be able to do anything about it, so I hope you listen.” The ancestral looked straight at Clav, studying them again.

“You really think I can make it in here?”

“I've given you the best I have. And I won't tell anyone you're here. Now, I need to get back to work. My overseer will be paying attention if I'm in here too long. So... Good luck.”

“You too, zesty... Thanks.”

Chapter Text

As the days went on, Floyosa found themself less and less driven to think about these irkens. That was a sort of satisfaction. They had learned quite a lot about the species, and they had a way to access them, and so, it was just another part of the world. Another part of their knowledge of this universe they lived in. They liked that. Sometimes, at night, they could look into the sky and point out Bansky-Robe, around which orbited Fritan Tau. Yervon. Or the emeril star, Chuorur. For Zorplink. That was fun.

Though, whenever they saw the twinkling green light of that nearby star, they felt something else too. A longing to speak to irkens again. No, not that. One specific irken. Clav.

it wasn't just that Clav had offered to help them. No one could really help with this problem, in all likelihood. They were just... fond of that particular irken. As the Korvax would call it, Clav was a significance in their mind now.

But were they a significance to Clav? Did irken minds work like that? Floyosa had no way to know. Clav just hadn't come back after that trip, and that was all they really had. They supposed it didn't really matter--whether or not they met again, no matter what they thought about each other, their lives would go on as usual. But Floyosa hoped they'd show up again. They hoped they would get a chance to see them be happy. They... would make sacrifices for it. A week spent at home instead of traveling. An object from storage. Not much, all things considered, but this individual irken's company was worth that.

But they continued on, doing what they normally did. Enjoying this existence, learning all about the universe. Flying to planets, picking up cool things, talking with the people they found. After a while of that, and being able to sleep in their personal chamber, the anxiety and crimson went back a little bit. Though it was still, on average, worse than before.

Eventually, Clav did come back. They had a nutrient processor, as well as irken food for them to eat. (The food was fine.) They were ready for more experimentation. So Floyosa happily set the processor up next to the charging stations. Maybe visitors would like to use it too. Clav wasn't so happy about that, but they were able to come to a compromise. If anyone else broke it, Floyosa had to pay for the repairs.

Floyosa also had to set it up. It struck them as strange, actually. Clav was always rather clueless as to how to install or operate technology. The fact that they could fly a spaceship without ever making a terrain landing was bizarre. But then again, they didn't seem to like being outside of constructed buildings. Nature scared them.

But of course, they had grown up on Zorplink, an extremely toxic planet. Their first experiences of the wilderness would have been dangerous. It would make sense that Clav would think of all planets' environments as inherently dangerous. But Floyosa's first planet had been hazardous too. They had almost been roasted alive. And they weren't scared of a little toxicity.

Or had that been their first planet...? They remembered what Clav had told them. Were they wrong? Had they really been around longer and just forgotten it? No, of course not.

Look deeper, a little part of their brain urged them. No. This wasn't the curiosity the Korvax had told them to follow. This was something else. But it is where the real truth will be found. At the edges of their consciousness, a presence threatened to seep in. They didn't need to guess.

“I... need to go outside,” Floyosa said, shaking their head. They walked out the archway by the hazard modules and took a deep breath of fresh oxygen and humid, swampy air. This ritual still worked. For the most part. It was their language aid that alerted them to the fact that Clav was watching them with concern. They turned to look at them. “Sorry.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. I am okay now.” They looked off to the horizon, at the starry sky cut off by the plateaus and trees they knew so well. They didn't know whether they should ask or not. This was what they had heard called a paradox. Clav was the one who saw them and their problem better than anyone else. And yet, Clav had been the one to make it worse in the first place. Irkens had. They were part of the problem somehow. But at the same time... they rejected this Atlas thing on a level even the Vy'keen wouldn't. What were they? What should Floyosa do?

“So...” Clav said, but they didn't have anything more to say.

“I would appreciate your help, Clav. With the red.”

“Oh... Is that what's going on?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Alright, then,” Clav said. “Where to even start with that...” They thought for a moment. “Anything you haven't told me about it that you think I should know, then?”

“Some people say Atlas talks in crimson. But I do not know if this is the same.”

“Atlas...? You mean the thing people worship and stuff?”

“Yes. That is Atlas. People tell stories about it. It seems like it could be similar. But the things I see do not always correlate with it.”

“Have you ever actually asked about it? Like... I think the Korvax tend to be into that stuff.”

“I have asked Korvax priests, and cultists of Nal, and Gek. None of them understand me when I speak of my problem. They can not understand that I do not like it. Atlas is only greatness and goodness to them. This is one reason I doubt it is the same.”

“Huh... Are you sure the thing hunting you is evil?”

“No.”

“Maybe you should listen to it...?”

“NO.” Floyosa shook their head.

“H-hey. Sorry.” Floyosa looked at them. It was genuine, according to the language aid. “But... If you don't know it's evil, how do you know... you know. Just trying to help...”

“It is hunting me. That is what I know. This does not make it evil, but it is not good for me. I know it is not good for me.”

“Um, okay. Gotcha. I think,” Clav said. “So, something red, that seems like Atlas, but it could be different. Hmm. Wait. Didn't you say you once visited a place without an Atlas system? What did they say about it?” Floyosa thought back. Clav's question was actually a really good one. They remembered the lawless space station they had stumbled across, what the people had been like. What they had said about the Atlas.

“They told me Atlas is a liar. And they took out their space station's Atlas thing so it could not watch them,” Floyosa said. “I did not like those people very much. They said it is better to be strong and to kill everyone who is weaker than you. They said this is the truth of existence. But I did not think about what they said about Atlas. It is good to be reminded.”

“Oh... Anarchists. I think that's what they were,” Clav said. “They just didn't want a system. Dangerous. And not exactly what I was hoping for... But I'll keep a note. So, all that. Being anxious makes it worse, you told me that... Oh. Is there anything that ever made it better? Probably not...”

“Feeling good things makes it better. Like breathing this air. Or seeing this landscape. Touching things. Sometimes, touching animals and people.”

“I thought you didn't like people touching you?”

“Only when I am asleep.”

“But that drone at the sweet place...”

“They tried to touch my anterior feelers. Other parts are okay. I like to touch other lifeforms. This can be a form of nonverbal communication. And it can make me feel better too.” Clav looked uncertain, according to the language aid. So Floyosa held out their open hand and smiled. That seemed to do it. Floyosa was getting better at this. Clav reached out and gently placed their own palm against Floyosa's glove.

That was when it occurred to them. They'd never really touched Clav before. Only at Serk Sav's, when Clav had grabbed their arm, but that had been more of a restraint than anything. Never like Floyosa had wanted. Like opening their arms to the wind, like pressing their face against a rock. Truly feeling this significant entity. They took in the shape of that smaller, three-fingered glove. This was Clav's hand.

And something strange happened. The red didn't go away. And yet, they felt as calm as if it had.

Chapter Text

It was a while before something came out of Clav's nutrient processor that they could call a good waffle. But when that day came, they held their bitten-into confection up in triumph.

“I've done it, Floyosa! This waffle is within acceptable definitions! Excellent flavor, good consistency, and with the perfect spongy texture.” They sighed, looking at the waffle. “It's real. All my life, I dreamed of you... And here you are.” They didn't wait for Floyosa's reply. They dug into the rest of it blissfully.

“Be sure to write this formula down,” Floyosa said.

“Yeah, I will,” Clav said in between bites. They licked the crumbs off their gloves when they were done. Every bit of this perfect waffle had to be savored. This was the moment of dreams. Then they went to record what they had done. It could be a recurring thing, now. Waffles every weekend. The light in the dim tunnel of their job.

“Should I still find ingredients for you?” Floyosa asked. Oh, yeah. As long as they had ingredients. That was important.

“Please do. There'll be many more waffles to come.”

“Okay. Should I get cocoa too? It grows on Shfo. You originally wanted chocolate in your waffles, I think.”

“Oh, yeah,” Clav said. “Yes, please. Get me some chocolate. And, huh.” Floyosa had brought up a good point. Not only did Clav have a waffle recipe now, they could put additions in. Chocolate, yes... But what about other things? Syrup, as was traditional. What about caramel? Or fruit? Better yet, what about fruit cooked into the waffles like a berry delight? The things they could do with waffles... They were endless. An infinity of delicious possibilities.

Was this how a Traveller felt exploring space? Maybe that was why Floyosa was able to be so happy all the time.

But what to try next?

“Hey, Floyosa. Next time you go out, see if you can't find something interesting too. An edible plant or something. Something that could be added to the waffles. I'm not done experimenting yet.”

“I will bring you some grahberries. I have seen creatures eating these,” Floyosa said. “Also, I like to pick them.”

“Good by me,” Clav said. “I can't wait for chocolate and grahberry waffles!” They did a little dance of excitement. Such happiness! They'd never felt it before, they were sure. But things were getting better!

Chapter Text

One day, Floyosa invited Clav out on a walk. Not a scary one; they knew strange environments scared Clav. Just a journey across the surface of their perfectly familiar, mild, beautiful home planet. Clav had wanted to know where Floyosa got all their units. And Floyosa wanted to show Clav how to travel outside of established structures. Maybe they would learn to not be as scared. Maybe not. Definitely, though, it would be a nice day out.

Clav didn't seem to understand very well what Floyosa showed them, though. They were bewildered when Floyosa helped them install a mining laser in their multi-tool.

"I heard that Zorplink was a successful mining colony. And it is extremely toxic. And I know it is in an emeril system, because Chuorur is an emeril star," Floyosa explained. "I think it might have activated emeril you can mine. Emeril is valuable to people, and activated stellar metals of any kind are even more valuable. So you can mine it and sell it now, if you want."

"Actually, I think Zorplink's main export is ammonia. And synthetic protein if I'm not mistaken... Made with the nitrogen, of course," Clav said. "But I work in a protein plant, so my overseer probably makes it seem more important than it is."

"You can also mine ammonia with this tool. You can mine almost anything you want. You could even kill things with it. Some people prefer lasers as weapons."

"Weapons? Maybe I should leave the module here, then. I don't want to get arrested or something." Clav had told Floyosa about that. It was true that weapons were frequently regulated in many cultures and civilizations.

"I will keep it when you go to the Irken Empire. You can come back and get it whenever you want to go mining," they said. Clav seemed satisfied with that.

They felt tense as the walk went on. After a while, they realized why. They wanted Clav to be happy. They wanted to know they were being nice to Clav. It was another one of those social instincts. The same reason Floyosa smiled at creatures when they noticed those creatures were tense. They could ask Clav to smile, to make their language aid signal happiness. But that wasn't right. They knew Clav much deeper than that now. Clav's happiness needed to be deeper than language too.

Socializing with creatures was already complicated enough that you needed technology for it in most cases. But Clav made it even more so. They made everything more complicated. Floyosa thought about what to do. They didn't want to cut the walk short; that would only make the entire situation worse. But they also didn't want to drag Clav around the way Clav had dragged them around at Yervon. It might just end in more fighting. Unnecessary hostility, simply due to frustration. They might even lose them.

What could Clav do on a walk that would make them happy? Floyosa thought and thought as their feet squished the muddy soil. They thought of the other times they had been with Clav. Then it came to them.

"I would like to hear a story while we walk, Clav."

"Um, okay. About what?"

"Waffles. Or irkens. Or anything you like. I want to hear a story that makes you happy."

"Anything?"

"Yes. I will listen to this story. Even if it is one I have heard many times."

"Hmm..." Clav thought for a moment. "Well, I guess this is and isn't one you've heard a lot. I have a theory now. I'm pretty sure I know where I came from. What my past was. For real."

"That is something you wanted to know very much."

"Yeah. It is. And... I think I'm finally there. You really want to hear it? I thought it thoroughly bored you..."

"Yes." Floyosa couldn't deny that they were interested in this irken's conclusion, as much as they didn't care about looking for such data themself.

"Alright. So one thing is very, very clear. It wasn't a nice life. I probably had next to nothing. Possessions, money, anything. I know way too much about living in the city infrastructure. Eating free paste, climbing through vent pipes, it comes so naturally to me. That's what people do when they have nothing on Zorplink... It's so hazardous outside that it's hard to just go out and make a life for yourself the way you've done."

Floyosa nodded, listening.

"That's one reason it's such a trash heap, you know? Maybe they should give people habitation packages too. Like, why do they give us packs, feed us, then leave us with inconvenient and illegal places as our only living option? That's why I think they're trying to enslave us sometimes."

"Maybe Invader Lome wants to do that. I heard that irken invaders can be very cruel."

"Invader Lome? No. They're long dead. Before I was born, I'm pretty sure." Clav shook their head. "Surprised you know that name. But anyway. The big discrepancies I've never been able to work out. Why was I an agricultural tech when I hate it? How did I have a ship if I was so poor and sleeping in a pipe? Why do I have a newer pack model, when ancestrals from Zorplink don't get them?"

"You have solved these mysteries, then."

"Exactly! I figured it out, Floyosa. I just had to look at myself. I was probably really determined back then too. I wanted a better life for myself."

Floyosa nodded. "And waffles." Clav smiled.

"You know me. So I had a plan. A scheme. I wasn't a renegade. I don't like their angle. Never did. They hate drones, you know? They've brainwashed so many drones into believing their own existence is a mistake. No. I stole a spaceship for myself, and only for myself. I signed up for agriculture only to get myself access to people who did have things. I hacked into the ship system, then flew off. I was free! And then..."

"The Korvax frigate hit you."

"It makes perfect sense, doesn't it? It explains everything. I was probably injured in such a way that they had to do a pack replacement. I was at an orbital hospital, so they could have gotten it from anywhere. They had no idea the ship wasn't really mine. But now... Now I really do have one. I really am free. So I guess there's a good side to it after all."

"You are not very good with technology," Floyosa said.

"...What?"

"You do not know how to use a ship very well. You are scared to make a terrain landing. And you needed my help to set up your nutrient processor. This evidence does not support your story."

"Well, that's different than getting into a computer system. I'm... Well, I'm not sure I'd know how to hack a starcraft system now. But I must have, at one point. What other explanation is there?"

"I do not know. I was only commenting. Every hypothesis has data that does not support it. You are probably right."

"I guess perhaps I simply forgot... I don't remember any real specifics of my old life. Maybe that ship's system was part of it."

"That makes sense," Floyosa said. "That was a good story. Are you happy with knowing this?"

"More than you could imagine, Floyosa," Clav said. "I... I feel in control of myself. I know who I am. I know where my home is. It's Zorplink. Just like you said. Only now, I don't have to live like I did. Things have really gotten better. And waffles... It's all thanks to you. Thank you, Floyosa. I'm glad we went out today. I'm glad I got to share this with you."

That had done it. Clav was happy on this walk. Floyosa was happy on this walk. They were having a good time. Together. That made Floyosa even happier.

The clouds passed by, the animals went about their lives, and the mist blew across the trees. And the irken and Traveller walked together. Floyosa even saw their favorite plant on the walk, and pointed it out. Clav smiled.

"Somehow I knew that one was your favorite," they said. They showed Floyosa their scanner, pointing it at the dark green, tentacled flora. Varimalla floyosa, read the display. "Named it after yourself and everything. I'd love to name a new species some day."

"I did not name it. It was discovered by a Korvax explorer many years ago," Floyosa said.

"Eh? So it's a coincidence...?"

"No. I named myself after this plant, because it was my favorite."

"You what? Didn't you come with a name?"

"When I woke up, I did not have a name. I did not need one, but I learned that people are supposed to have names. So I looked for a name to call myself. I liked this plant a lot, because it is like me. It is strange in this climate. Plants like this are usually in toxic environments. And it has nice feelers. So I entered it as my name in my identification tag, and now that is who I am. Floyosa."

"So you had everything, your hazard unit, your ship, all that, and you didn't even have a name?"

"Yes."

"...Huh. That's weird. I even heard that Travellers come with names. If you were a full person when you got here, and people have names, like you said they're supposed to... Are you really sure you don't have an innate name somewhere in there?"

"I am very sure. I think it is strange, too. But I know I did not have a name before."

"But it'd make a whole lot more sense... You're a rational person like me. I know you are. We've been talking about hypotheses and stories and data... Heck, you taught me how to invent waffles. I think maybe it'd help you understand this whole red thing better too. Like your conviction that you don't have a past. Even if the truth is scary... You've got to be reasonable about it. That's the way out, I think."

"Maybe this is true. But I know I did not have a name, Clav. This is also true. It is rare, but sometimes a story has a lot of data that does not seem to support it. People call these anomalies. But they are real. They make sense when you can find the right data."

"I guess you're right... I was pretty sure I wasn't in agriculture despite all evidence to the contrary. And that turned out to be true. I just... I had to think differently, I guess. The records said I was a tech. But all that said was that I'd signed up for the position... Not that I'd ever intended to do the work."

"Yes. I was trying to tell you this before. You did not think Zorplink could be your home, because your data did not match. But sometimes you are looking at the wrong data. Sometimes you can not get the right data. These things can seem strange, but they are real."

"I suppose a literal anomalous entity knows that pretty well," Clav said.

"Maybe. But I have had to work as hard as you did to find your story. I had to learn it too. Once, I thought I had hallucinations and was paranoid. Once, I thought I was not real. But now I know." Floyosa remembered how hard they'd worked. They remembered all the obstacles. The Gek doctor, the Korvax priest, all the failed attempts, and finally...

Finally, the thing that had made everything clear. A place they held almost as dear as New Gieldena. Clav wasn't ready to go there yet. Floyosa wasn't ready to show it to them yet. But maybe one day.

Maybe one day, it would help them too.

Chapter Text

Clav had sort of resigned themself to the fact that Floyosa would never appreciate any of the foods they shared with them. But still, there was hope. If the waffles were edible, Floyosa could tell them that. Maybe.

The grahberry waffle was certainly edible by Clav's standards. It was every bit as wonderful as their ordinary waffles, if a bit soggy. And the grahberries themselves--so tangy and sweet! You would almost never know they were grown with nuclear decay on a planet millions of miles away. Floyosa had to try it. So when Clav was done, they offered them one.

The Traveller held the waffle in their hand, turning it around and observing, as if contemplating which way to eat it. Clav wondered if maybe they would actually chew for once. There was no way they could eat it whole. Finally, Floyosa bit off a large chunk and, with some difficulty, swallowed. They had no comment, which was probably good news. Clav waited and waited, watching what they were going to do next.

Which was to take a slightly smaller chunk, and then another, until the waffle was gone. That was very good news. If an alien could eat it, it had to be decent cooking.

Then, however, as Clav was cleaning up, Floyosa shook their head.

“I feel very sick.” That was definitely not good news.

“Uh oh. Do you need, uh...” Clav scanned the room for an adequate receptacle.

“I will go outside.” Floyosa walked over to the archway and stepped out. That was probably better, honestly. Clav really, really wanted to stay inside. But it was their own waffle that had made them sick. So they followed.

And saw Floyosa kneeling down, pawing through the dirt. Were they... going to bury it?

But then, Floyosa found a particularly gravelly clump of soil, shoved it into their mouth, and swallowed.

“What are you doing?” Floyosa looked at them.

“...I do not know. I wanted something hard. Like this soil. This urge was very strong.”

“You feel sick and... you crave dirt? Doesn't that seem a little counter-intuitive?”

“I think it helped. I feel better.” Clav was thoroughly confused. And concerned.

“Are you sure you're okay?”

“Yes.” Floyosa stood up again. “It was very strange, though.”

Clav kept a close eye on them for the rest of the day, but they seemed fine. According to Floyosa, the soil on much of New Gieldena was safe to eat, otherwise they wouldn't have done it. It was still by far one of the strangest things Clav had seen a person do, though. Perhaps Floyosa was on to something; maybe the soil had medicinal properties. But any sensible irken would've just taken the bucket, that was for sure!

Chapter Text

Clav was just about ready to exit their ship when they felt an unfamiliar bump from underneath. Their ship’s display panel showed a warning sign.

SUSPICIOUS CARGO DETECTED. CRAFT IMMOBILIZED. WAIT FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTION.

Suspicious cargo? What? Maybe this was the legendary random inspection, they realized. They waited. Hopefully it wouldn’t take too long; they had work soon. After a minute, they saw a guard trot up within viewing distance and wave for them to come out. They did.

Then the guard pulled out a multi-tool and approached Clav, resting it against their neck. This couldn’t be real. Could it? The guard clicked a button, and something sharp dug into Clav’s flesh, causing them to instinctively flinch.

“Hey, is this even legal?” Clav asked.

“Required. Ever since Pen took over,” the guard said. “Just cooperate and you won’t get shocked, alright? The tag’s just to keep you from trying anything. Our scans show some berries in your cargo hold. Care to tell us about them?”

So this was real, then. “You mean the hexaberries?”

“Mhm.” The berries? The hexaberries? Of all things? Clav had done quite a few waffle experiments already, and brought leftovers back to Zorplink. Crystallized honey waffles hadn't been suspicous. Neither had meaty ones, when Clav decided to venture into savory varieties. They hadn't even stopped Clav for the waffles growing that delicious mold Floyosa had found in a cave somewhere. Surely that would be more concerning, right? But here it was.

“I... didn’t think they were regulated. Take them. I didn’t realize.”

“They’re not,” the guard said. “Let me rephrase. Tell me the location the berries were harvested from and the means by which you acquired them.”

“Um… Look, I don’t exactly remember... My Traveller friend picked them and gave them to me. It was on some planet in the Ellekt system. Started with an A.”

“Ellekt? Alright then. We’re going to take a sample for strain analysis. Just have to verify your claim, and then you’re good to go.”

“Look, if you think they’re some poisonous sub-variant or something, just take them all. They were leftover from a waffle project. Whatever you think I’m doing with them, I’m not doing it.”

“It’s not about the berries. You seem like an honest guy, so just listen...” The guard lowered their voice and leaned in. “Pen wants to make extra sure people aren’t coming in to Zorplink from places they shouldn’t be... You get me? Anything that primarily comes from said place is suspect now.” Places they shouldn’t be. With hexaberries? Oh.

"There's a lot I'd rather do than work with those people, you know."

"Oh, I'm sure. Like I said, just have to verify with a genotype test."

"How long is it going to take? I have work later today and my overseer isn't going to be happy if I don't show up."

"Depending on when the tech gets it, a few hours to a few days. You can go anywhere within the city in the meantime. Next time you come back, if you're good, we'll remove your tag. If not... Well, you know that isn't going to happen. It just has a tracker on it in case you needed to be taken back. Or if you forget about it for too long, I guess. I think that actually happened once."

"Just to be clear, this thing will shock me if I leave the city still, right?"

"Yep. And your ship is locked down."

"Pff. Guess I'm sleeping in a duct tonight."

"I'm sorry, did you say something? No? Well, see you," the guard said, giving a wave with their antenna and walking off.

Clav went to work in a bad mood that day. The tag was itchy. And Sabi asked about it, to which they replied it wasn't their business. They got straight to work, mostly to avoid having to have any sort of conversation about it. It was humiliating. Being forced to walk around with this on them, and they weren't even a criminal. They hadn't even technically done anything to deserve it. They wanted to just hide away in shame. And it reminded them of something. Slime. And flying their old ship? Huh... Perhaps this was what they'd been scared of before. Obviously, it hadn't happened. Until finally, it did.

After work, they went to go rest. Right. Their ship. Maybe it was time to try out a housing block and rent a space for the time being. The normal mode of living. Something Clav had never actually experienced. They really were such a weird irken, weren't they? Maybe it would be good to try, if only for that. They laughed to themself a little, then went to look for the cheaper blocks.

But the irkens on the street seemed to react to them in a way they didn't in the past. Even the housing manager at the place they chose gave Clav a suspicious glance, asking if they should really be there. It was the tag. The stupid tag. That was what they got for choosing Zorplink. They could've stayed at Yervon with relaxed regulations, or New Gieldena with no regulations at all, save for whatever the Korvax had. Anything else. But they'd chosen this.

"No. You aren't seriously!" came a concerned voice as Clav walked into the common area. They turned to look for the source, though they weren't sure why they bothered. They knew what it was. Yet another gawker.

But it wasn't. It was a fairly short drone looking at a data pad, their gaze riveted to the screen. Clav walked around to sneak a glance, but then found out exactly why the drone was staring. On the screen was an irken with a clearly heavily-modded exosuit, their hand against a Sentinel drone. The Sentinel gave a series of beeps that were almost certainly a warning, but didn't attack. The irken backed up, then took a red fruit out of their pack. Think they'll take a solartillo as a projectile weapon attack?

"They want to get themself killed!" Clav blurted out. The Sentinel came to life as soon as the fruit hit it, and even bigger, scarier Sentinels seemed to appear out of nowhere around the irken. Aah! They don't like that! The video swung around just as the irken was taking out a multi-tool, then cut out entirely. The drone watching turned around to look at Clav.

"I know, right? They've got one about trying to ride a wild animal over a Sentinel depot too. But its legs are too light. I don't think they're very good at math."

"I don't think you're smart in general if you're throwing a tomato at a Sentinel," Clav said.

"No, probably not. One of my old smeetery friends ducked out to hunt Sentinels themself. Didn't score very high on the tests." The drone shook their head, then looked up at Clav expectantly. "Want to sit down?" Seeing Clav's surprised look, they added, "I'd just be happy for company is all."

"Well... Sure," Clav said, taking a seat beside the drone. It couldn't hurt, could it? And this drone wasn't reacting to them like other people. They could use the friendly company. "So you came from a smeetery, huh? I've wondered what that's like."

"I wish I could go back," the drone said. "It was the one orbiting Foozle-Rech. We got to take planetside trips all the time. Everyone at the smeetery wants to see you succeed. Here... No one cares. I don't even get thanked for what I do, and that's the best treatment I think I get."

"They try and tell you Zorplink was better than it is?"

"I didn't even know this planet existed until I got assigned. I assumed I'd be headed to Mbluna, with my qualifications. Instead, it's this random mining colony or something, and I'm sent to process diseased goo. Tracking the migration and evolution of giant worms in places that would make your standard poison meter explode. I mean, sure, the concept isn't so bad..."

"But it's Zorplink. I know."

"And no amount of research could have prepared me for the zesties here. Acting like I'm some kind of dangerous animal. Like, I didn't choose to be spawned in the smeet machine. It's not even like that makes me any different. If anything I'm more average than any zesty in existence. I just can't figure out what everyone's problem is."

Clav was suddenly struck by the feeling. This was a memory they still had. An unpleasant memory, but such a precious thing now. Something they'd learned in their dreary, slimy, homeless past, long before they ever learned about what the renegades thought. They needed it. They thought, hard. Then the shadowy figure from their dreams rose up in their mind.

Right. I forgot. You're going to donate to the gene pool. So your offspring are a bunch of sterilized, mindless slaves. Maybe one will become an invader, and wreak senseless havoc; that's surely a gleaming mark on your bloodline.

"Are you all right?" the drone asked.

"It's just... Ancestrals here pass around a lot of stories about you guys. That drones are mindless slaves, just made to... to serve the Tallest. And..." No, that wasn't it. Not entirely.

Or are you a real irken, Clav? Do you want to preserve and better the irken species? That last part. That last part filled them with fear, and rage, and everything else.

"...And they say you aren't really irkens." That was it. And then, another thought came, tagging along, something related.

Irkens are invaders by nature. It's in our genes; we corrupt everything we touch. But don't listen to what they tell you... That ancestral. Or maybe it had been a collection of ancestrals their brain had merged into one vague, shadowy memory.

Control yourself, Clav.

And in that moment, they knew. They knew why they tried to be good. Somewhere in their past, they'd seen arguments like this. Somewhere in their past, they'd known people making arguments like this. They'd known people worse than Paztu. Closely. The specific memories were long gone. But whatever had happened, that, more than anything else, drove them to never be like that.

"Like I said. By some definitions, I'm more irken than they are! It's senseless!" the drone said.

"Not by theirs," Clav said. "They see manufactured entities. Sentinels. Just like in that video. Extensions of the Tallest, which... Heh. I think you can see why we're not always so happy with our Tallest here." They gently tugged at their shock tag. "Shouldn't be saying stuff like this... Who knows what data this thing is collecting anyway."

"Oh, that's a tracker?"

"Shock tag, tracking tag, who knows," Clav said, shaking their head. "A means to control people in any case. Way more than you drones are."

"I thought that just marked you as a slave. Whoops."

"Nope. That's a criminal tag. Long story... Well, I think they do give slaves something similar. But this isn't it."

"Well... You seem nice anyway. Want to get some paste? And I can show you that other video too. They fail spectacularly." What a lonely drone. Clav hadn't even thought about what life for assigned drones would be like in a place like this. They'd always assumed ancestrals were the ones looked down on. Seen examples of ancestrals being pushed around. But ancestrals were aggressors in their own way too. That thought made Clav feel so helpless, somehow... But it was surely just a product of their past.

"I could use something to laugh at, I guess." Clav tried to push the thoughts away. "By the way... I'm Clav. And you are...?"

"Tee. Chemical Analyst Tee. Let's go, then." Tee stood up. Then something occurred to Clav.

"Wait," they said. Tee stopped and turned around to look at them. "I... I have a better idea. You see, I've been experimenting with food processing... Want to tell me how my waffles are?" Clav reached into their pack and retrieved a caramel-covered waffle, displaying it for them to see.

"Wow. That looks tasty!" Tee said.

"It's alien-approved. But it isn't a snack unless it's irken-approved too. Also... It's bound to be better than paste."

"Yeah. Let's try it." Tee sat back down, laying their data pad on the table. Clav broke the waffle in half, offering one half to Tee while keeping the other for themself. Tee eagerly bit into it, and Clav could tell immediately that they liked it. It felt so satisfying. Sharing this thing they'd worked so hard on with a fellow irken, stranger or not. Someone like them, who understood their expressions, their gestures, their tastes and feelings. Someone who just understood irkenness, rather than taking thirty seconds to read off a technology panel and guess at an appropriate response. As close as Clav and Floyosa had gotten, as much as they might like each other... It could never be like this.

The Sentinel video was actually quite entertaining. That same irken from the first video had lured some poor strider over to a Sentinel building, attempting to coax it to step on the material pods. Finally they climbed up on its neck and forced it to go in the direction they wanted. But no matter what they did, it was just like Tee had said. The animal's legs were too light to do any real damage. At one point, the strider tripped over something, sending the irken falling straight into one of the pods and alerting the Sentinels. In the end the irken just shot the building themself, provoking the swarm. How ridiculous.

Chapter Text

“Oh no! No, no, no!” Clav said. “I calculated wrong!”

“What is wrong?” Floyosa asked, hurrying over.

“I'm out of eggs... Damn it. There go my aloe waffles. Those leaves weren't cheap...” Clav shook their head, looking into their mixing bowl. “I should've double checked the math. I should've.”

“I have an egg in storage, I think. I collected it a while ago. You could use it.”

“Oh, can I?”

“Yes. I will go get it.” Floyosa went back to their storage vault. They scrolled through the inventory list. They didn't remember what they'd categorized it under. Eggs? No. Food? No. Where was it?

Creepy things. That was where it was. Floyosa retrieved the capsule with the squirmy egg yolk they had extracted. Suspended in the capsule, it looked harmless enough. People had said it was edible, and had many of the same proteins as other eggs. It should go in Clav's waffles just fine. They brought it back out and set it on the table.

“Thanks, Floyosa. You just saved my waffles.” Clav popped open the capsule. Almost as soon as they did, Floyosa was struck by a sense of dread. They remembered exactly why they had categorized the egg the way they did. “Oh. This is just the yolk, not the whole egg. Well, guess I don't have to crack it then.” They tipped the capsule and poured the egg in with the rest of the wet mush. But then they jumped back as the yolk began to squirm within the bowl.

“Sorry. I did not tell you it moves. And it is disturbing. It is still a good egg. That is what people told me.”

“Is it still... alive?” Clav said.

“I think so. Maybe we should kill it.”

“Yeah, best to end its misery then. Sorry, egg,” Clav said, picking up their whisk. They brought it down into the bowl, stabbing the writhing yolk. It let out a shriek that chilled Floyosa's bones. They wanted to scream and run. But seeing Clav still standing there, nothing happening, reason prevailed. It was just a very disturbing egg.

Clav's expert strike, however, did not stop the yolk's contents from moving around, even as Clav whipped them into the bowl harder and harder. Eventually they set the bowl down in defeat.

“Why won't this thing stop whispering? What the heck is this, Floyosa?”

“I found this egg next to an old building. People said it can be very disturbing. But it is still edible like other eggs. Maybe you just need to cook it for it to stop.”

“I hope. It's... weird.”

“It is making me scared. I do not like it. But I know it is okay.”

“I feel like I... almost know what the whispers are saying. Like I should know what they're saying. Do you understand them?” Floyosa carefully stepped closer to the bowl. When nothing happened, they leaned in and listened. The stuff was letting out whispery screams, but they didn't sound like a language of any sort. Floyosa pinged their language aid, directing it at the bowl.

“Parse this?” they queried.

RUN AWAY. That was what it had to say. Floyosa strangely felt as if they were in a nightmare, seeing the device's output, looking at the writhing mush. The whole room seemed to be tinged in anxiety, dread, and evil. They batted at their feelers, trying to clear the sensation.

“You alright?”

“Yes. I think. It is signaling 'run away'. Maybe it is trying to escape. Or maybe it is warning us. I do not know which.”

“Are you sure we should cook this? Maybe we should just dump it?”

“Do not dump it. I want to see what it does when you cook it. I am curious.” It was true. The whole thing was strangely intriguing. They wanted to see.

“Well, goodbye aloe waffles,” Clav said sadly. “It was worth a shot.”

“I said do not dump it!”

“I'm not. I'm just saying this is probably going to be a failure.” Clav poured the bowl into another larger bowl and stirred. “Well, here goes.” They opened the lid of the nutrient processor, poured the batter in, and closed the lid. Then they both waited.

The waffles that came out looked perfectly fine. At least, they felt less nightmarish. They still whispered unsettlingly, but it was more like the echoes of a dying animal's screams. Floyosa wasn't sure how that was possible. The egg had been stabbed and whipped and molded and denatured and it was still moaning in agony. Or something like that. They actually weren't sure what the sound was. Those sounds just felt like terror and doom. Their language aid hadn't been picking up on any of this thing's sounds on its own, so it might not be conventional communication. They weren't even sure they could trust its conclusion anymore.

“What do we even call this? Screaming waffles? But they have aloe in them, too,” Clav said.

“It is a screaming aloe waffle.”

“Yeah. I guess it is.” Clav stood there, looking at their creation. Finally, they said, “Well, someone's gotta try it. And you were the one who insisted it'd be fine.” They looked at Floyosa. Expectantly. So Floyosa picked one up. It was still warm, and the screams almost seemed like they could be hot air escaping from the porous material. They took a bite, separating a mouthful of the thing and swallowing it.

“It seems like a waffle.”

“Pff. You're such a terrible food critic,” Clav said.

“You asked me to eat it. Not to write a report on it.”

“I know.” Floyosa took another bite. It was really very similar to the waffles Clav had made before. They saw no problems with it. So the people at the space station had been right. After watching Floyosa consume the entire thing, Clav picked up a waffle themself.

“Can't be as bad as the pickle experiment, if you kept it down.” They bit into it. After chewing on it for quite some time, they said, “Mm! The aloe is actually really good!”

“That is what you wanted,” Floyosa said.

“Yeah. And you can't really taste the weird egg all that much.” Clav ate the rest of the waffle while Floyosa sealed the remaining one in plastic. “Success after all! But next time, I'm double checking my math.”

Chapter Text

A strange group of individuals showed up today. Called themselves “the irkens”. They said they'd pay me to use the antenna and keep up with all the facility's maintenance as long as I let them stay. I asked why. They said they were listening for a space signal and needed the cover of a foreign establishment. Maybe I'll just let them. Not like I can't defend myself if they try anything funny. I'd be a sad Vy'keen if I couldn't.

Irkens? Floyosa wasn't expecting to see them mentioned in this old transmission tower's log. But it made sense; they'd definitely been nearby this system for a long time. And, perhaps, for longer than Floyosa had previously imagined. They looked up at the unsettling growths covering the walls and equipment of the room. How old was this stuff? They didn't have a way to measure. Perhaps the log would provide more clues. A reference point, a mention of a historical event Floyosa knew. They flipped to the next entry.

The irkens are pretty nice, actually. They don't pretend they aren't just interlopers. They follow my instructions, which is more than can be said for a Vy'keen apprentice sometimes. I like having the company. They even go out and bring me scrap from the wrecks I pick up on. Found me some valuable stuff. If they weren't here for something else, I'd hire them to be my salvage team.

-

Those guys get really obsessive about their cleaning sometimes. I told them dusting the shelves is fine, but they insist on scrubbing everything. Something about germs. Well, maybe Vy'keen germs are bad for them. I've started washing my hands more myself. Kind of can't help it. They're rubbing off on me a bit, I think.

-

There is something growing in my room. Some kind of alien slime mold. It reminds me of the stories of horribly negligent facility managers. But I'm not! The irkens have been working twice as hard as I ever did to keep this place up. I'm scared to get too close to this stuff, but it seems like I'll have to take action at some point. It's giving me nightmares.

-

They're infected. The irkens have brought some disease into my life's work and my home. They tried to play it down. Said they were sorry, that they didn't realize it would grow in my room too. They could clean it for me. Not a big deal? Seriously? The hell! I don't know what to do. I could be infected too. Why didn't they tell me? I would've turned them away if I knew. Oh. That's why. Damn it.

-

I did what I had to. I can't let their disease spread. It's for the sake of the galaxy. That's what I have to tell myself. And yet, the guilt returns. Every day. Something in me tells me if I did it to them, and if I'm infected now too...

Well, that wasn't helpful in the way they'd hoped. But it had such curious new data. Floyosa saved the log to their exosuit. They looked around again at all the thick, slimy growth that had infiltrated the room. Just decay, abandonment, corruption, gunk building up inside technology from years of disuse. But was it? The poor Vy'keen living here had seen things like this grow even while they were occupying the building. This stuff might actually be able to choke out a well-maintained facility after all.

And it had come from the irkens. An infection, spreading through otherwise healthy hosts. Was this the same stuff that they saw now? Floyosa reached out to start digging through it, but as soon as their glove touched it, they were hit with a wave of dread and nausea. And their hand, despite being shielded by their glove, felt so unsettlingly crawly and itchy. That was that, then. No touching it. They ran a sanitize over their whole exosuit, just to make sure they didn't pick anything up from that little mistake.

That feeling, though. That gut feeling Floyosa got from contact with it. It was so much like the feeling they got from whispering eggs, every time they were exposed. The stuff was just bad. Memories began to click.

There was that Vy'keen, the one at the space station who had seemed to be scared of Clav without knowing what an irken was. There was Clav, perplexed at the egg yolk, saying the whispers seemed like something they should know. The Gek, saying they could smell evil on irkens. Their own time in Yervon... The nightmares.

Did irkens carry a disease, a parasitic form of this whispering nightmare stuff? But Floyosa had never seen it. Well, maybe they cleaned it up. The irkens from the log seemed to be obsessive about cleaning it. It would explain a lot of the things they'd seen in the past.

Or maybe... Floyosa brought up their own files on whispering eggs. They flipped through until they found a picture of one of the creatures. Pale green, insectoid, many-limbed, rigid exoskeleton, massive horns. They secreted nightmare slime to hold their eggs and communicate with each other. Floyosa brought up a picture of an irken from Yervon to set alongside it. Pale green, insectoid... Bipedal, soft, fleshy, with antennae on the head. A much simpler anatomy, but... What if they, too, secreted some form of nightmare slime as a bodily product?

That was really unique. That could tip the taxonomical scale. Were irkens some distant relative of these horrors? It wouldn't be implausible... Floyosa had heard of dozens of distinct worm species that were universally corruptive and infectious by their very nature, soiling the planets they colonized. Something like this would surely be a logical find. A rare sub-species? An ancient evolutionary outgroup?

Floyosa felt a shiver of excitement run through their barbels. It was that morbid curiosity again. If that was true... A new question was forming in their head. It was time for science. And they knew an irken they could study.

Chapter Text

Clav had expected Floyosa to have some new samples for them. But this time was different. Instead of offering a tasty ingredient from a distant star or a new cooking technique they'd heard of, Floyosa presented Clav with a capsule of stringy slime. It looked positively revolting.

“Touch this. But only for a second. Tell me what you think,” Floyosa said.

“Okay, I know I asked you to bring me weird stuff, but please don't think I'm going to try and make waffles out of this. This is straight-up nasty.”

“I do not want it to go into waffles. I am doing an experiment for myself.”

“Alright then...” Clav was glad they had their exosuit on. They reached in and poked the mass. It was every bit as disgusting and squishy as they imagined. “It's gross, Floyosa.”

“How do you feel, when you touch it?”

“...Confused that you're asking?”

“It does not make you scared.”

“No. It doesn't. What is it?”

“I have more samples for you to feel first. Then, ask your questions.” Floyosa pulled out another capsule, this one containing a specimen full of brown and green pustules. It was equally as disgusting. Then there was some more stringy slime. A leathery purple egg sac. All in all, Floyosa had at least twenty specimens.

“So... What exactly are you experimenting with and why do I need to touch them?” Clav asked, after they had poked each capsule of filth and thoroughly washed their gloves. Floyosa pointed to a capsule.

“This is slime from an empty space station.” They pointed to another. “This is a cancerous growth from an animal.” They pointed out a capsule of excrement. Clav shuddered. A dead crawling-colony. A whispering egg husk. Runaway mold. Clav had to imagine the Traveller at each site, gleefully bottling these things up. (It wasn't hard to imagine.)

“So you've just collected and presented to me the most disgusting things you could find. That's horrible--Er... Unless this is some weird Traveller thing? Is this a ritual of yours?”

“No. I was testing your reaction to scary and disgusting things.” Floyosa smiled. Clav wasn't sure whether that was reassuring or unnerving, considering all of Floyosa's smiles were apparently deliberate. They opted not to think too hard about it. “This is good data." There was a long silence as Floyosa thought about something. "I think I will continue this study. May I have some irken slime? I need this for my collection.”

“Irken... Slime?” Clav blinked. They couldn't be. Just who in Yervon had Floyosa been talking to? “Okay, now, what sort of slime are we talking about?”

“I think this slime grows in rooms where irkens live. A Vy'keen wrote about it.”

“Oh... You want that.” Clav sighed. “Oh, Floyosa. Of course you would be the one who actually wanted to collect that stuff. I mean... Sure. Next time I come over here, I can bring you some scum off a pipe or something. But it's just filth.”

“It is crucial. It comes from irkens. And I think people might be scared by it.”

“Disgusted, probably. But okay. I'll bring you some.”

“This reaction is more than disgust, I think. You did not have it. You did not even get scared by whispering eggs. Or screaming aloe waffles. You were just surprised. And disgusted by these capsules. It is very interesting,” Floyosa said. “I will collect data on this. I might share it with the Explorer's Guild. They like information like this.”

“Well... Don't expect to have very happy test subjects,” Clav said, giving a little laugh. “But good luck on your study.”

Chapter Text

The study was actually going quite well. Floyosa noticed a clear dichotomy in how Gek, Korvax, and Vy'keen reacted to all of the samples they had. When they were willing to touch them, of course. Many of them didn't want to even let Floyosa pop the capsules open. They didn't force anyone to touch samples, of course; that was mean, and this study was for getting information peacefully.

The ones who had a reaction to irken slime at all reacted to it in a similar way as whispering eggs or abandoned-building slime, a heightened and more frequent fear response compared to things such as fecal and tumor samples. Many of them weren't even aware of what any of the samples were. It was strong evidence for sure.

They were on their way to a space station, probably one of the last they would visit for this test. Then they could pack up the capsules and put them into storage. That was when they got a call.

At first glance of the hologram, they thought it was Clav. But then they noticed that instead of the jagged shapes on the ends of Clav's antennae, this irken had something of incomplete curls. They also looked somewhat taller, on further inspection.

“Ah, greetings there, Floyosa,” the irken said. “Say, do you happen to be doing an experiment on horrifying capsules?”

“Yes. Who are you?” Floyosa said.

“I am Blosho, Lead Surgeon of the Majestic Frupiina. We're accredited by the Almighty Tallest and everything; you can even scan my pack data if you like. Anyway, I got your contact info from a Korvax I talked to the other day. They said you were making them touch irken... filth. You explained you were doing a study measuring their responses to the stuff, if their story is correct."

Floyosa affirmed.

"Wonderful. Then I have a student who would like to collaborate with you,” Blosho said.

Floyosa didn't even know what to say.

“I understand you might be a little hesitant; that's okay. But I want to let you know you'll get substantially more units from the Irken archives for your report than from that Explorer's Guild. And, being within the Irken Empire, we get irken subjects for our research,” Blosho said. “Adding irkens to your study would significantly bolster your argument, as you probably already know.”

Something felt a little... off about this irken. It was something about their behavior. Floyosa couldn't place what it was. They checked their language aid, but Blosho was being perfectly polite. It was difficult to tell very much else through a holo-call. But the idea of getting willing irken subjects was tempting.

“Can we meet up on a space station?” Floyosa asked. It would be better to judge from there.

“I'll tell navigations to dock at the Korvax station here. Will that work?” Floyosa agreed, and so they continued their course to the local space station. At the station, Blosho came to the main area with a slightly shorter irken.

“T--Traveller! It's an honor!” the shorter irken said. Floyosa smiled at them. The irkens didn't actually seem so bad in person.

“Please pardon my student. Their social skills leave a bit to be desired,” Blosho said. “Anyway, make your pitch, Innz. Inter-species negotiation will be something you can put on your record.”

“Yeah. Okay. So...” According to the language aid, Innz was rather nervous. “I specialize in neurology. Nerves... Brains... That sort of thing. Specifically, irken neurological responses to stimuli. And as I'm sure you know, that's exactly the sort of project you have going!”

“Yes. I am studying emotional reactions to things,” Floyosa said.

“Good! We're on the same page. And as I'm given to understand, you have a broad and well-curated collection of disgusting specimens... Right? You even have samples from ancient space stations, from what I heard. Rare tumor types... Actually, I don't know how rare. Rumors have a way of magnifying details. But a collection that takes considerable skill and a discerning eye to acquire nonetheless, and that is uniquely suited to elicit negative responses from people.”

“Yes.” Floyosa recited the contents of all twenty-six capsules to Innz, who listened patiently.

“Great,” they said. “So, I propose a... a, um... A collaboration! The Frupiina is something of a mobile Irken hospital. We treat patients from all over, but especially difficult neurological cases that other facilities can't handle. What that means is, we've got a lot of irkens you can take notes on. And we've got specialized equipment! More objective measuring tools for gauging responses to your specimens. You'd get even more, better data!” They paused for a moment, Floyosa's language aid alerting them that Innz was anxiously trying to signal they weren't done talking. “And of course... I'd be oh so grateful for a chance to work with your amazing collection for my own subjects, if you'd allow it.”

“Yes, everything Innz has proposed,” Blosho said. “And to our knowledge, your study is the first of its kind. You are ultimately trying to discern the biological relationship of irkens to other entities, if I'm correct? Specifically, the ones that infest abandoned structures?”

“Yes.”

“Just making sure. In all likelihood, no one cares enough to actually research it. But I can tell you that the empire would reward you for such concrete data. They'd pay a lot. And I can get you set up to submit it to Irken archives. So, what do you think?”

Floyosa thought. It seemed pretty straightforward. And they would have irken subjects... But what was the catch?

“Do I get to keep my specimens?” they asked.

“Of course. None of our procedures will be destructive. You will retain full ownership and control, if you decide to work with us. We could even work out a contract, if you so desire, though I will say Innz is known to be pretty accommodating.” Blosho laughed a little. “Probably more so in this case. I think they're a bit awestruck by you.”

"Can I share my data with anyone else besides the Irken archive?"

"...Well. You can, I suppose. We can't really stop you. We're just hoping you'll give it to us first. Since we would have helped you out, of course." So they really wanted Floyosa's data, it seemed. But they didn't seem to be planning anything unfair or exploitative. They were just scientists.

“Okay. You can use my capsules.”

“Excellent. You can dock on our ship at any time; we'll send you a signal for your records. And since this is primarily Innz's affair... Anything you'd like to say?”

“Oh. Yeah. Looking forward to working with you, Floya!”

“Floyosa,” Blosho corrected them.

“Oh, right. Floyosa.”

Chapter Text

Clav hadn't seen Floyosa's ship outside the outpost, so they knew their friend wasn't home. Still, they decided to stay inside. As safe as the weather was here, they preferred it. They looked around at the ossified star, the chairs, tables, the exosuit and life support chargers on the wall. And, of course, the most recent additon. The nutrient processor. Clav smiled.

They collected so much stuff. Where did they even put all those things they'd picked up on the way to Yervon? 'Storage', evidently. Clav wouldn't put it past them to have some enormous underground vault, full of things beyond their imagination. Anything was possible, really.

Wasn't that always the story with Floyosa? There was just so much Clav didn't know about them still. About Travellers at all. Where did they really come from? They were definitely supernatural in origin, from other planes of existence where who knew what the laws of reality were. But they'd never heard an explanation as to where that was. Even Floyosa seemed to have no memory of it, except a terrifying presence they could only describe as 'red'.

It probably did have to do with the Atlas, Clav knew that much from basic research. But what? There were so many theories and cults and whatnot claiming to know or be studying the “crimson entity”, and they could vary wildly. A virus infecting the universe. A star around which realities orbited like planets. A watchful guardian. And more. Korvax claimed to have found interfaces, computer terminals, to speak to it. Vy'keen sometimes worshipped it; other times they swore to see it die at their hands.

It was a real mess to get into, that was what it was. Irkens long before Clav's time had surely thought that too. What were the ramifications of relying entirely on a “crimson entity” you didn't even know the nature of for all of your needs? Why would 99% of sentient beings in this galaxy, whether they liked it or not, so blindly chain themselves to it, and use the dreaded Sentinels for enforcement on top of it? Why did no one make their own system? If anyone did, it was exceedingly rare, or it was people like Floyosa had found. Dangerous outlaws.

Though Clav had to admit it was a convenient system. Perhaps it was simply that the Gek, Vy'keen, and Korvax couldn't be bothered. Atlas was already there. It took work to build a new system from the ground up, and they lived their lives just fine as it was.

But the irkens had put the work in, at some point in the past. Ancient ancestrals, before drones existed. Maybe even the ancestors on Irquel themselves. Clav actually wasn't sure who had built the initial Irken systems, or when they had come around. But they knew it was irken-designed and very old.

The lock by Floyosa's private door flashed green as they passed by. Wait, what? Clav stopped and stared at it. It was definitely green. But it had always been locked to them before. Floyosa had granted them access to the rest of their base at some point recently, without telling them.

Maybe they were going to tell Clav the next time they came over. That was the most reasonable explanation, anyway. Or else they didn't feel the need to say anything until Clav actually tried to go in, since they never needed to anyway. Well, they still didn't need to, but they were curious. And this was Floyosa's permission. They slid the door open and looked inside.

Beyond the door was a hallway splitting into two sections. The first answered Clav's long-standing question. It did, in fact, lead to something of an underground vault. A network of cargo pods lined the walls, each with its own terminal to access the contents. At the end of the room was yet another terminal, which seemed to have an inventory of the entire network. It looked like it belonged on a freighter, not in someone's basement. But this was Floyosa Anomalous-Entity after all.

The other section of the building branched in two. One part was clearly Floyosa's room. Comfy furniture, tables of eye-catching rocks and artifacts, and a sleeping compartment with its own door and set of controls. Just the way they liked it. It also had a computer terminal. Clav briefly waved their hand over it, waking the screen, but there were so many files that they didn't even know what to look at.

Floyosa did a lot of investigating, didn't they? They were always scanning things. Always writing stuff down.

The last room was a windowless chamber with fluorescent panels mimicking sunlight. In the very center stood a single tree, a strange umbrella-like plant that didn't look native to New Gieldena or any other place Clav had been. They scanned it. The tree was apparently adapted to highly radioactive environments. Whatever it was, Floyosa liked it enough that they kept it in its own room instead of packing it away in a cargo pod. Enough that they didn't let visitors see it.

Clav suddenly found themself intrigued. Floyosa hadn't even told them about it. And it wasn't even their favorite plant. That was the funny tentacled thing native to New Gieldena. There must be some reason they had it here.

There was a data panel in the room too, attached to a stand. When Clav woke it up, they saw analysis diagrams they couldn't understand. It seemed Floyosa's tools didn't annotate their scans the way Clav's did. Clav flipped through, looking for any real notes on what this was. Finally, they saw a few legible paragraphs.

I feel compelled to stand before this tree, pointing anterior feelers towards it. Do not know why. Seems to satisfy unknown primal necessity. Sample taken for analysis.

-

Analysis tool was mounted in test chamber. Results inconclusive. Specific brain region is engaged when interacting with specimen. No matches to known biological functions of organic or synthetic species.

-

Study paused indefinitely. Cannot find match for brain scans in any database. Specimen seems beneficial to myself, so will keep.

Brain scans. That was what those images must be. Clav didn't think their own scanner went that detailed, but they were still surprised they didn't recognize them at first. Perhaps these were the other ones Floyosa had acquired from who knew where. Clav was starting to see how Floyosa might have all those units. They had a knack for finding things. The right things. Valuable things. Or perhaps it was that they collected so much that really valuable stuff just came along with it. Either way, it worked out for them.

But this tree wasn't some commodity or an average curiosity, it seemed. Floyosa liked it. Their feeler-tree. Clav smiled. Clearly, it made them happy.

And if Clav were in their position, they would consider it another clue. An insight into what they really were. Their species got some sort of satisfaction out of watching this particular tree, via a very specific function, one that didn't have any known analogues. Yet. Was Floyosa's species native to radioactive environments, wherever they'd come from? Did they not need a hazard unit for radiation? Floyosa hadn't even bothered to write such notes down, it seemed.

They had such an aversion to looking backwards. Such a fear of seeing who they were, where they came from. This Atlas stuff sure was a mess to look into, but so was Clav's own story. Wouldn't it be better to see that messy past than to walk through their life forever blind? Clav had been a pipe-dweller themself, the lowest of the low. Just knowing that made them feel in control of themself more.

Of course, they didn't have pipes stalking them everywhere they went, sending them transmissions and such that only they could see. That would be pretty scary, all things considered. But didn't that make it all the more urgent, to know what was threatening them? Either way, Clav wasn't so scared of it. They could ask questions about the Atlas to people. They could encourage Floyosa to test their hazard unit on radioactive planets, if they hadn't already.

They'd find something useful eventually. The answer had to be out there somewhere. They were sure of it.

Chapter Text

Two of the irken subjects on the Frupiina stood out to Floyosa, out of the many they saw. The first of them seemed fine enough initially, walking into the room and perking up when they saw Floyosa standing there. Well, one antenna did, anyway; the other appeared to stay in a relaxed state no matter what they did. This one was a drone, Floyosa noticed. But they didn't say anything about it, remembering Clav's warning.

“You're the scientist, I presume?” the irken said.

“Yes. I am doing an experiment,” Floyosa said.

“I figured as much when the doctor put all the probes on. So what do I need to do?”

“You will need to touch some specimens and tell me how you feel. That is all.”

“Sounds sciency. Okay. I'm ready.” Floyosa pulled out a random capsule, this one containing runaway mold, and opened it. They presented it to the subject, who apparently was intrigued.

“Hmm... How am I supposed to touch it?” They'd never gotten that question before.

“You only need to poke it.”

“...What if I use my tongue?” Floyosa had never thought about that. They had to take a minute to think of an answer.

“I suppose you can. But try not to salivate on it. It could contaminate it.” And so the irken reached in, brought the sample closer to themself, and poked it with the tip of their long irken tongue.

“Nope. No way. That's not gonna go on my crackers.”

“How do you feel?” Floyosa asked.

“A bit disappointed, to be honest. It doesn't taste fun at all.”

“I do not think you should taste these specimens. Some of them could have toxic chemicals or microbes in them. I did not analyze them for this.”

“Well, if the Gek can do it, why can't I? I'm building up my tolerance. Bring me the next one!”

The irken tasted every single one of them. They were completely unfazed at Floyosa pointing out the identity of everything they had exposed their system to. Floyosa had to wonder how many times they'd ended up at a medical facility before for poisoning themself. On the other hand, it occured to them that this irken might like to try Clav's pickled waffles. But unfortunately, those had been thrown into the swamp and subsequently detonated. So Floyosa made no additional comments.

“Well, that was a fun experiment. I'm telling the little ones about this when I get home,” the irken said as they left the room. Innz later informed them that this subject had, in fact, ended up here for drinking out of their adopted smeet's scented marker, becoming disoriented, and falling against the corner of a desk. They just didn't learn, it seemed.

The other subject was just as unique. Firstly, this one was wheeled into the room entirely unconscious. Innz asked Floyosa to set up the capsules while they slept, which they did. Then Innz removed some sort of device from the subject and left them to do as they would, assuring them that it would be just fine and advising them to be firm with their instructions. Unsure what to do at first, Floyosa approached them.

“Hello. I am conducting a study,” they said to the sleeping irken, but they got no response. They waited for a few minutes. Eventually, the irken began to wake up, emitting a soft squeaky noise when they noticed Floyosa standing over them. “Hi,” Floyosa said again.

“Mmh... Who are... you? Where... am I?”

“I am Floyosa. You are at a hospital. I am conducting a study and you are one of my subjects.” The irken slowly sat up, stretching their limbs.

“Ehh...?” They sleepily looked around themself. “Ugh... Stiff.” They massaged their shoulder. “Why... Why am I here?”

“I do not know. Something made you have to go to the hospital, I think. Maybe you were injured. I am only a person doing an experiment.”

“...Huh.” The irken sat there, staring off into the distance. Then, finally, they looked up at Floyosa. “Oohh... What are you? Your antennae are all funny.”

“I am a Traveller.”

“Aw... I like that. You... You seem nice.”

“I try to be nice if I can,” Floyosa said. “But I am here for an experiment. Are you willing to touch some samples and tell me how they feel?”

“Sure... Sure, I--Ugh...” The irken shook their head. “Sorry. It kinda... hurts to think.” Floyosa retrieved the capsule of irken slime, popping it open and presenting it to the irken.

“Touch this. Tell me how it makes you feel.” The irken looked at it, curiously, according to Floyosa's language aid. Then they reached in and poked it.

“Eh. Reminds me of...” The irken trailed off, withdrawing their hand. “You know. You remember that.”

“I do not know you or what happened to you before,” Floyosa said. The irken was silent. Then, their expression changed. Anxiety, apparently.

“That... That didn't actually happen, did it?”

“I am not sure. I do not know what you know. But how did the sample make you feel?”

“Uh... Can I poke it again?” Floyosa nodded at them, and they reached in a second time, thinking. “You are a very nice person, you know...”

“Do you feel comforted? You are talking about memories and about feeling nice. This can be a sign of comfort.”

“I wanna tell you, but... Can't. It hurts.” Well, they weren't getting good data like this. Hopefully Innz's probes had some more insight. They went over to get a tumor sample.

“Hey... Who am I? Is that in your records?” the irken asked as Floyosa was picking up the capsule. Floyosa took out their scanner when they came back. Nothing. That was odd. But when they walked around to get a better angle, they realized this irken had no backpack. Instead, from their back protruded two loose cables.

“I do not know. You have no pack to scan.”

“Yeah I do... Had it since I was a smeet.”

“No, you do not. Feel your back if you do not believe me.” There was a moment of silence.

“Ha... Haha... I feel it. You're trynna play mind games,” the irken said. They hadn't reached back at all. Floyosa didn't want to argue with them. And Blosho and Innz had warned that some of the subjects might have mental problems, especially the worse cases. Be firm with this one, Innz had said. So they just presented the tumor capsule to the irken.

“Touch?” The irken reached out for Floyosa's hand, which they withdrew, along with the capsule. They couldn't exactly blame the subject, as they hadn't explicitly told them what to touch. Still, it was disconcerting, considering that this person had understood what to focus on mere moments ago.

"Touch the thing in this tube." Floyosa held it back out.

"Right... Right, that..." Floyosa's language aid signaled distress. "Hey, purple guy..." Floyosa waited, but they didn't continue.

"Do you have a question?"

"No, no... I'm thinking, but there's... it doesn't match..."

"I do not think you are mentally competent. I am going to stop."

"But I gotta know... I have to... Why do I only remember thinking? I know there was more..." The irken reached out, making grabbing motions with their hands.

"I do not--"

As Floyosa started to speak, Innz rushed into the room, replacing the device they had taken out earlier, and the other irken quickly and peacefully fell back asleep.

"That wasn't exactly being firm, Floyosa. You should have kept going. But oh well. Probably the best we could hope for," Innz said. "Funny, though, they really liked you. Not what I expected out of that guy."

“Why are you keeping this person asleep?”

“Well, that's one of our... difficult cases. They can't exactly wake up properly, as you probably noticed. We've been trying to help them for quite a while. Figured it couldn't hurt to throw them in with your mix, though. Diversity, and all that. I saw you gave them an irken sample, yes? The probe data should be really interesting.”

“I noticed they have no pack. I heard that irkens will die if their pack is taken off. Maybe they need it back, and then they will be fine.” Innz was surprised by Floyosa's statement, according to their language aid.

“Heh... Um. Just leave their treatment to me and Blosho, alright? Let's pack up the capsules. This room needs to be ready in the next hour.” Floyosa did as they asked.

The Irken ship really was a fascinating experience. Floyosa learned a lot of cool things Clav hadn't told them about. For one, the symbols used in the interfaces and controls on the Frupiina were quite unusual compared to the ones in Yervon. (In fact, Floyosa's language aid had started throwing errors, until a friendly lab tech helped them connect it to the ship's network.) Also, according to Blosho, the irken nervous system was quite adaptable to extra limbs for whatever reason, and some workers could keep their tools as installed attachments in their packs, with Blosho themself being able to perform surgery using their pack limbs. Floyosa also saw several pictures of a pink butterfly-like animal Clav had never mentioned, but it was apparently a beloved companion among spacefarers.

After the study was done, with further evidence that irkens did not generally respond to these samples in the same way as other creatures, Floyosa returned home a happy Traveller.

Chapter Text

"You are blessed. You have seen as the Atlas will see."

"Yeah. We're jealous."

Clav gritted their teeth. These Gek were so hard to get through to. But they were one of the only Atlas-knowledgeable groups, of any species, that hadn't brought forth some "chosen person" begging to see Floyosa so they could carry out some contract. How everyone could be so sure they had this special one despite there being so many of these groups, Clav had no idea.

"Yes, okay. I have the Traveller's touch-blessing and all that. But, please... how do I help them. I've asked you this five times already. They're terrified."

"Yes, you have. Haven't you?" a Gek said. "They say that's how you know someone really means it. And conversely, if you have to say it more than six times, you won't get the most truthful answer."

This was getting annoying. And yet, the Gek's statement left Clav paralyzed. Were they actually going to get an answer? Or was that their way of telling them to stop? They stared in silence, and the Gek smiled at them.

"Ahh, irken-friend, you get it. You are serious." The Gek reached for their datapad, scrolling through to something. "I give you this. I asked the Atlas once how to find the Traveller. It was a foolish request, but miraculously I was answered. None of my cult have been able to understand it. Now I see that answer had a different purpose. It is for you." On the screen were twelve odd symbols. Clav could recognize a stylized lunar eclipse, and a beetle, but not much else. It did look like a message, but they couldn't even begin to guess what it said.

"I don't... My equipment isn't translating it. What does it mean?"

"One must never translate the words of the Atlas. It speaks to you in Gek, you read it in Gek. It speaks to you like this, you read it like this."

"Do I have to say it six times..." The Gek laughed, emitting a bubbly perfume as they did. Clearly they were tickled by Clav's mention of their culture.

"I don't know what it means either. All I know is it is a true statement, given to me by the Atlas, about the Traveller. It is the best I can give you."

"Well... Okay." Clav pulled out a transfer wire from their pack and handed it to the Gek, who plugged it into their data pad. "So... If you don't know anything about this message, how are you so sure it's both true and has to do with the Traveller? I mean... Have you ever considered that the Atlas could lie to you?"

"What brings you to ask this?"

"...Like I said. Fl--The Traveller is terrified of it. It's not very nice to them, from what I've heard. Yet all you guys say it's blessed or something. Everyone wants to serve the Traveller, to serve the Atlas. It's either lying to you or to the Traveller, wouldn't you say?"

"Irken-friend. Have you ever considered that your logic is flawed? Or that the Traveller is wrongly afraid?"

"...Yes. Yes I have. And you know why I don't think that's the case?"

"Enlighten us, friend. You are wrong, but we would like to hear your perspective. We do not speak to irkens much."

"Oh, for goodness' sake..." Clav shook their head. "What's the point in talking to all of you Atlas people? I never get a straight answer. It's like everyone's... Everyone's talking around something. I ask how to help, and I get..." They gestured to their extended pack wire. "...Something completely irrelevant! I asked six times, like is so special to you. You're driving me crazy!" They yanked their transfer wire back and retracted it into their pack, then stood up. "But you know what? I think I know what I need now. I need to find whatever it is you all won't say. Easier said than done, but..." They sighed.

It was something. The whole exchange had, in fact, given them something.

"Praise the Atlas!" another Gek said. "Its message has shown this irken the way."

"Atlas can suck my syrup."

Clav wasn't even sure what to do after that. They had hoped to have something for Floyosa before they got back from whatever excursion they were on. Instead, they were barely past square one. And they were already sick of these people.

What would no one say? What was always left out of their answers? Maybe if they put together a map, recorded everything they heard... But they hadn't recorded any of their conversations. Trying to recall everything they'd mentioned was a headache. There was no way.

Then it occurred to them. Floyosa had seen something like this too. The reason they stopped looking for help. People couldn't understand them talking about their nightmares. They didn't understand how Floyosa could not like the Atlas.

In fact, that was what all the aliens Clav talked to had gotten hung up on, too. Clav remembered the Korvax entity they'd sat down with a while back. They will die alone, a fragment, incomplete. That was what they'd said when Clav insisted they didn't want to converge with the Atlas. When Clav said that Floyosa didn't like it, the Korvax had basically repeated themself. But they will be alone, disconnected...

No, it wasn't just that they couldn't understand Floyosa's wishes. It was more than that. It was like... the very idea that Floyosa might not like it simply did not compute in people's heads. It wasn't malice, or spite, or zeal for their crimson entity. It was just hard-wired into their minds somehow. So much so that it was impossible for such a thing to occur to them, even when it was thrown in their face.

That was why everyone said Floyosa hallucinated. This thing was entirely invisible to them. If anything convinced them that Traveller was telling them the truth, it was what they had found now. The Atlas, whatever it really was, was actually stalking Floyosa, but they were the only one who could even see it.

It left Clav with so many questions, though. This was a fundamental truth for nearly all people Clav and Floyosa had talked to about it. That was... It was weird. Really weird. For this one specific thing to be so universally and unquestionably great, and especially when it clearly wasn't... Even the Vy'keen used the Atlas system faithfully, all the while saying it was foolish to rely on it or even saying it should die. That...

Now that Clav thought about it, the whole thing was scary weird. They could feel their antennae alerting up. It was like staring into a rip in reality itself. Atlas came from beyond this universe. Just like Floyosa. And it was chasing them, covering up its trail by altering reality somehow. Every time Clav tried to help Floyosa, it just got more and more complicated. Now, they could almost understand why Floyosa was too scared to look back. It seemed there might not be a way to help them at all. Not unless this dubious message actually led to another Traveller, because if they'd found Floyosa, there was pretty much no hope of stumbling across another.

Or... If Clav found a way to help Floyosa themself. Taking all the information they had now, and deciding for themself what to do with it. Clav was sure they had no chance against something like the Atlas. It was curious, though. Clav had assumed at first that Floyosa should just go along with what the others said, but they were able to be convinced otherwise. They weren't blind. Not entirely. They knew now. It had to be them.

They would start small. Like with the waffles. It was the only way.

And at the station's marketplace, they found the perfect little gift.

Chapter Text

“Here. I got this for you.” Clav held out their open hand. In it was a stone sculpture, cut in a familiar rhomboid shape, complete with a circular core of red volcanic glass. Floyosa shrank away when they saw it.

“Why are you giving me this?”

“W-wait. Hear me out, okay?” Clav said. “Can I tell you about it first?”

“...Okay. Tell me.”

“I... I've been looking for something to give you. Something to help you with this whole... Atlas thing. Then I saw this. They told me it was a worry stone. Do you know what that is?”

“No.”

“Well... I was told that you can rub this stone to transfer all your anxieties and fears to it. Not literally... I don't think it has any mechanisms or chemicals in it. Sort of symbolically. Honestly, I think the touching distracts you... But something about that symbol helps people. Maybe it would help you too,” Clav said. “I think it's an Atlas symbol because some people find it comforting.”

“I do not find that symbol comforting. It scares me,” Floyosa said.

“I know. Trust me, I know. Hear me out. In your case... It made me think. I wonder if you wouldn't benefit from being able to stick it to an effigy of your nightmare. Your enemy. Whatever this Atlas thing really is.”

“...What?”

“What I mean is, you could rub it too, use the same principle as everyone else. But in a different way. You're not reaching out to the symbol of the Atlas for comfort, you're throwing all that anxiety it gives you right back at it.”

“I do not want to reach out to the Atlas for anything.”

"Oh. Well... I just... I thought this might be a way to deal with it without denying it. Because it seems like it's catching up, and if it ever does..."

"I will have to defend myself. I know this."

"And you'll have to be brave enough to look it in the face. I... I don't know what the Atlas is hunting you for, but it really seems like it's doing this to you on purpose. And... And..." Clav squeezed the stone in their hand. Floyosa didn't need their language aid this time. Clav was quite distressed. "I'm sorry, Floyosa. You know better than I do. Maybe this was selfish. I just... I really thought it could help."

“I will take your gift, Clav. You told me it is only a rock. But I will probably not use it,” Floyosa said. They held their hand out.

“Brutal honesty.” Clav smiled, loosening their grip on the stone. “Okay... Deal.” They held out the stone again, and Floyosa took it. It really was well made, even if it was made in a shape that terrified them. They could at least appreciate that. But it was going into storage, quickly. Clav just didn't understand. Like everyone else.

Or did they? Clav had tried to give them something to solve it, something to assist them in dealing with it. Not a way to understand how their terror was unwarranted, or just their brain misfiring, or even outright blasphemous. This offer, while not really a solution, was a real attempt.

“Thank you for trying to help, Clav,” Floyosa said, putting the stone away into their exosuit pack.

"You're welcome. I just... I have to. Hearing what everyone says about it is shocking. I want to punch someone. I... I want to punch the Atlas if I ever meet it," Clav said. "But I'm sure what you've heard is worse. Isn't it?"

"I do not know. I have not heard what people tell you. But..." Floyosa felt their throat catch on their sentence. They stood there for a moment, startled. So rarely did they have this problem. "Some people... Told me this is all a game. That it must be fun. That is what hurts the most." Clav stood there for a moment. Guilt.

"I... I told you something like that too, once."

"Yes. You did."

"I mean, you do have unusual privileges... And I'm sure you're not the most pure and good person out there..."

"But this is not a game for me. You see now."

"I do. If it's anyone's game, it's the Atlas's."

After Clav left, Floyosa thought about what they'd said. They took the worry stone out of their pack and went down to storage. The symbol of the Atlas stared at them as they went to assign it to a location. Not stones. Not creepy things. Maybe they needed a new place for this thing. Things To Not Look At Again.

They couldn't help but feel resentment, looking at this thing. Resentment towards what, they weren't sure. Towards Clav, for giving them the thing they feared as a gift? Towards all the people they'd talked to, saying what they saw wasn't real? Towards the Atlas? That thing. That thing Clav had said.

If it's a game, it's the Atlas's game.

A shudder ran through Floyosa's body. Even their anterior feelers ached with the sensation. Their throat clenched up again, just like earlier. And then, the stone in their hand went blurry.

This was a thing that had happened to them before. Only a few times, and they didn't understand it very well. But when it did, it was when they didn't know how to feel. Maybe this wasn't resentment towards anything in particular. Maybe they just didn't know how to feel about Clav's words.

Because when that significant horror-spawn spoke about the red, they made sense.

Chapter Text

When Clav went into work, their overseer greeted them cheerfully. Clav knew to be suspicious, of course. They knew very well that Sabi didn't like them very much. Because no matter how hard they worked, it was always apparently less than what a real drone worker could produce. Maybe Sabi had somehow gotten one assigned, and was ready to kick Clav to the curb at last. If that was the case, it was time to think about a new job. Great.

"Found a drone, eh?" Clav said as they headed for the assembly hood and began the daily setup.

"No, sadly," Sabi said. "Clav. You've got a ship, right?" That made Clav stop.

"Yeah. But I'm your amino drone. Not your taxi."

"Oh, no. Not that. The sulfur's evaporating, by the way." Clav looked back to the hood. Oh. Sabi had startled them out of it. They resealed the open canister and looked back to their overseer. "Do you mind talking with Vy'keen? Because if you could run over to Kogawata and get us a part..."

"I'm not an errand drone either."

"I'll pay you. We need a new ligator and Quayo Industrial has a better price than anything here."

"And you aren't ordering it for delivery because...?"

"They don't ship to chromatic systems. Lousy Vy'keen. If I have it delivered to Kogawata Station, can you pick it up?" Clav thought about that.

"Put it on work hours and I'll get it."

"Oh, fine. I'll give you a whole day for it. Plus your 'shipping'."

"Vy'keen aren't all that bad, you know. There's records of them collaborating with irkens a long time ago."

"Well, I'm leaving you to do the collaborating, so that works out," Sabi said with a smile. "Thanks, Clav."

The trip to Kogawata Stellar Observer was nothing special, really. Clav was used to navigating alien space stations by now. They went to the trade terminal, input their credentials, and waited for the machine to dispense their package.

Except it didn't dispense anything. It said the credentials were incorrect. Clav tried again, making sure to put all the numbers in correctly. Same thing. Had Sabi put their ID on the order? They weren't warping all the way back to Chuorur just for that. Not if they could help it. So they looked around the area for someone who might be able to help. Surely there were trade officials, or dock workers, or anyone who could correct the mistake.

They checked the market stalls, seeing who was standing nearby. Most had clueless merchants. One was vacant, its monitor proclaiming its availability for all to see. Finally a customer pointed Clav to a security guard, who checked their information and the terminal. Then they input an override code and the machine dropped Clav's package.

"Stupid machine. I don't know why it does this to you irken guys sometimes."

"It could be a mismatch between Atlas and Irken system data," Clav offered.

"Probably. We need a universal authentication thing in this galaxy. It would avoid stuff like this."

"That's the Atlas system. Irkens just went and made theirs different," Clav said.

"Huh. Guess we just can't have nice things," the guard said. "Have a good day, then." They turned to walk away.

"Wait!" Clav suddenly said. The guard turned back around to give Clav a confused look. "The empty market stall. How do you sign up?"

They were directed to the station's trade office, where two Vy'keen sat chatting with each other behind a long desk. As Clav approached, though, they went quiet and turned to look at them.

"Hey there. Is this a complaint about the trade terminal?" one of them said. This one had no horns, while their apparent coworker did.

"No, actually... What do I need to do to sign up for that empty stall I saw?" The Vy'keen eyed Clav over for a moment before replying.

"What are you planning to do with it?"

"I'll sell waffles." The Vy'keen looked baffled. "It'll be a food stand."

"Vy'keen don't like irken food. It's not nutritious enough."

"Is there an application I need to fill out or something?" Clav asked.

"The trade chief really doesn't need people wasting their time. You don't seem like you've thought this through."

They were right. Clav hadn't thought it through. They'd just seen the stall, and it had suddenly occurred to them that they could make a whole living off of it. It wasn't even in Irken space. It was off-planet, which they weren't a fan of. It wasn't home.

But what did they have to look forward to back home? The person who'd sent them here. Sabi. This was Clav's chance to get out. They needed to scrape together something.

"You get irken customers here too. Enough that they frequently complain about the trade terminal. I know for a fact some of them want to trade with Kogawata rather than Zorplink. Do you really want to drive them away?"

"The majority of customers here are Vy'keen. Your place won't stay open very long, and that's bad for business all around." Clav remembered the drone at Serk Sav's. It never really became a thing. Were the Vy'keen right? Was this feeling just a whim, a pipe dream?

But there was everyone. Everyone Clav knew to have actually eaten a waffle. The Sentinel hunter. Tee. Floyosa, the Traveller who seemed to regard food as boring material. They had called it passable. The others, they had loved it.

"Listen, I'm pretty sure you aren't the ones in charge..." Clav began, reaching for their pack. "But it seems like I have to convince you first. Do you like sweet or...?"

"I've gotta see this," the previously silent horned Vy'keen said with a snort. "Let's see the irken food." Vy'keen liked meat, right? But Clav didn't have any of those ones. Grahberries? Clav hadn't made any of those recently either. All they had, they realized, were some plain waffles. It would have to do. They took one out and offered it to the Vy'keen.

"Waffles, homemade by me," they said. The horn-less Vy'keen took it from them and took a bite, chewing thoughtfully. They handed it to the other Vy'keen, who took a bite right next to where it had already been eaten from. Clav suppressed a shudder. They waited.

"Eh. About what I expected," the horn-less Vy'keen said.

"I don't know. I kind of like it." The horned Vy'keen spoke with their mouth full.

"Then you eat the rest of it."

"I wonder if the chief will like it? I'm letting the chief try it." The horned Vy'keen stood up and walked through a door behind them. The other Vy'keen rolled their eyes at them and looked back at Clav.

"I think we're done talking." They went back to their work, paying Clav no more notice. Clav just waited there. Did they have a chance? Probably not. But it was worth a try, wasn't it? If the Vy'keen really didn't like them, they would fly back to Chuorur, and never see them again. But what if they did? It was too much to think about. They took out their Gorgee cards and fiddled with them.

When the horned Vy'keen came back through the door, it was with a smile on their face. They waved to Clav.

"Trade chief will give you the stall, if you're serious about it. When do you want an appointment?" Clav gasped, nearly dropping their cards.

"As soon as possible!" The horned Vy'keen nodded and picked up their data pad. Their coworker ignored both them and Clav as they set up a meeting with the Kogawata trade chief. When Clav finally headed back to Zorplink, it was their turn to greet Sabi with a cheerful tone. Fetching the ligator was the last task Clav would ever do for them.

Chapter Text

Many years ago, there was Verille, the Korvax from Ellekt Tetra.

Floyosa had met them when they discovered Verille's crashed ship and helped with the repairs. They had talked for a while after that. Verille lived in Ellekt, but on Ansin Omega, the planet Floyosa liked the least in that system. Verille preferred it, though. As a collector and processor of hard drive data, they liked being in a place with natural defenses against potential enemies.

Floyosa, however, was not an enemy of theirs. Verille invited them to come visit at any time, and Floyosa took the offer up. Verille would sort through data with them, displaying it on a movable screen in their base. The drives they collected seemed to have everything you could imagine: species descriptions, blueprints, medical records, family photographs, experimental data, virus software, and more. (Had Floyosa known what to look for then, they might well have seen Irken data in there with it.) It was too much for Floyosa to take in most times, but Verille always knew how to categorize it.

And not only that, but Verille was all the wiser for what they collected. They knew so much about the universe that Floyosa was always humbled by their presence. This Korvax could tell them how to spot platinum-rich asteroids, or about the curiously universal distribution of rolling deposits on planets, or anything that Floyosa thought to ask. Their knowledge and wisdom seemed limited only by the data they could get their hands on.

That was, until Floyosa asked for help with the red.

Verille had seemed puzzled at first, when Floyosa mentioned it. But it wasn't about what they had described. Verille recognized that. They told Floyosa it sounded like the Atlas speaking to them. But the way they had presented it, Verille had said, made no sense. Something was clouding Floyosa's mind.

"This entity recommends you do not flush your mind with such biological sensation. Focus. See beyond. You may find the truth better like this," they had advised.

"I can not do that. I will end up screaming."

"So it is fear. Fear will not leave you until you face it. This is the programming of our minds." Floyosa had given that a good thought. Verille was wise. They knew a lot about the universe. And this didn't contradict anything they had learned before.

"You are right. I will face this fear. Maybe it will go away."

Floyosa had tried to face it. But every time, they felt that red reaching out its tendrils, waiting to grasp them at last. The embrace they needed. No. Lies. That they wanted. No. Others said this. And the red waited. And Floyosa would scream.

"I tried to not be afraid, Verille," Floyosa had said when they next met the Korvax. "But it hunts me. If I do nothing, it will consume me. How do I defend myself from this?"

"Floyosa-Entity, your defenses are already up. That, I believe, is the problem. You cannot receive data with your ports blocked."

"I am talking about the red. It hunts. It stalks. It tells me I need it. Sometimes, I almost believe it. And then it waits."

"Eheu! Korvax are favored by Atlas, but not so much as a Traveller. When you speak to it, do tell this significant entity what it says. I have wondered." Floyosa's language aid had detected a mix of pride and curiosity. They were taken aback. That was a response completely mismatched with what they had just said.

"You do not understand. I will speak simply. This red is hunting me like a Quilky hunts an Apisaldoe. It is bad for me. How can I defend myself from that?" Floyosa had been sure this would get the message across. Verille knew Ansin Omega's vicious predators well.

"I see this. You very clearly feel the pull towards it. Let down your fear, Floyosa-Entity. It is the only way to harmonize. You will see."

Floyosa had started crying then. Verille reached out to offer a comfort-touch. But Floyosa, not quite knowing why, smacked their hand away.

"You are hurting me, Verille," they had said, tears running down their eye stalks. "Stop this. Stop hurting me." According to Floyosa's language aid, Verille had been surprised.

"You know I only wish to help. Neither of us likes lies. I do not want to lie to make you feel better."

"Then stop talking. You can not help me, Verille." The expression displayed on Verille's visor was sad, apparently. Floyosa tried to understand it. But doing so only made the frustration bubble up even more. And then Verille said the most bizarre thing.

"Failure, failure..." they said as they turned to leave. Floyosa had spent no small amount of time wondering what it meant. Worrying. That was the last time Floyosa could bring themself to talk to them. And that was the last time Floyosa ever asked about the red.

Chapter Text

Clav didn't want to make the landing. But here they were, speeding down into the atmosphere of planet Ahok. There would be no landing pad signal, no green light, nothing to guide their ship to a safe resting place. Only some patch of ground with an uncertain shape and stability. As they got closer, they began to see tall, rocky structures dotted across the planet's surface. They looked like piles of glittering, geometric pebbles. Glittering. Now was the time.

When you can see light reflecting off the rocks, disengage your thrusters. Clav shut off the extra power. Floyosa's instructions had been very precise. If Clav followed them, Floyosa had said, they would be able to land on Ahok with ease. And they trusted Floyosa with spaceship operation.

There was something about the way they'd talked about this planet. It was like when Clav had asked them along to Yervon. As afraid as Clav was to try and land their ship out in the wilderness, they knew that whatever this was, Floyosa really wanted to show it to them. Clav couldn't refuse.

Look for a valley or a flat plain. You will want to be able to walk around when you get out. Clav saw an area that looked mostly free of the rocks, so they steered the ship towards it. They pulled on the brake, probably too soon. But they wanted to be careful. Reflexively, they looked to their transmission screen. Of course there was nothing. Outside the window, they saw Floyosa's ship pass in front of them, making an arc as it flew around and out of view again. Poor Floyosa was probably bored out of their mind, with the speed Clav was going.

When you see tufts of vegetation, initiate landing protocol. I looked on your ship and it is the same as for a landing dock. Clav hit the button, and their stomach flipped as the ship jerked to the side and back. But they could hear the pulse engine winding down, just the same as usual. And then, they felt that final thud. The ship had landed after all, without the need for guidance on Clav's part. They sighed in relief. But then they saw the panel.

It was flickering, trying to display the environmental hazards, before finally resting at ERROR. Clav's stomach twisted right back up. Had they broken something in the ship? What had been jostled out of place by the landing? Did Floyosa know how to fix it? They probably wouldn't. Irken ship tech was different, especially anything to do with computers. Worse come to worst, they could ride in Floyosa's cargo hold to get back, but... This was their ship. Their only ship. They might never be able to afford another one. Well, hopefully it was just that one panel. Hopefully they could still fly the ship to a mechanic, carefully.

When they got out, Floyosa was waiting for them.

“Hey, Floyosa. I did it!” Clav said. Floyosa smiled at them. “But... I think I broke the ship.”

“That is not good. What is wrong with it?”

“The main display panel doesn't work now. It's giving me an error.”

“Oh. Your ship is not broken,” Floyosa said. “Come and look around here.” They walked around and behind their ship, and Clav followed. Then Floyosa pointed into the distance. “Look.”

The landscape around them was mostly barren of flora, and the ground had been hard underneath Clav's boots. They could see the same shiny rocks as earlier, though being on the ground put into perspective just how tall some of these formations were. And then, they saw it. Some of the rocks were floating. And... shifting. Distorting, almost, their shape stretching and contracting ever so slowly, like liquid.

“Wow. That's weird. Are those clouds?”

“Rocks. And plants.”

“You're kidding.”

“Scan them if you do not believe it.” Clav did. Floyosa was right. They were, in fact, minerals and flora. But they were impossible for Clav to distinguish without their analysis tools. They looked to their feet to scan one of the smaller clusters. These were not just shiny rocks. They looked like panels of glass framed in metal. But the glass wasn't right. It was too shiny, even in the shadows. Some panels even looked staticy, like a poor reception holo-call.

They looked up again. The landscape was so completely bizarre. And... almost haunting in its strangeness. They scanned the scene again. That was when they realized that some of the data had refused to scan properly, showing up as corrupted in their record. They thought of their ship panel.

“Floyosa? What is this?” They were starting to feel anxious. They knew Floyosa wouldn't take them anywhere too dangerous, but something was really unsettling about this whole thing.

“I do not know. It is a strange planet. People say these are anomalies. Some say they are glitches in reality. Many people fear them. Maybe we should fear them too. But I wanted you to see it.”

“It's... definitely anomalous-looking, yeah.” Floyosa began to walk slowly away from their ship. Clav waited for them to turn around, but they didn't. So they awkwardly trotted over to catch up with them. Eventually, they came to a large rock, a towering structure of glass and metal. The whole time, Floyosa didn't turn around. They placed their palm against one of the shiny panels.

“This. This is how I know. What I see is real.”

“Um...? By being in a place like this?”

“Other people can see this. These strange planets. This is how I know. The things I see are real. My problems are real. And so am I.” Floyosa bowed their head, resting the top of their head against the rock. They stood like that, their head and hand touching that eerie formation. Clav had never seen Floyosa display this sort of behavior. It almost felt like something they shouldn't be seeing.

“Do you, um, want me to leave you alone?” they asked. Silence. They were ready to leave anyway when Floyosa finally lifted their head and turned around.

“Sorry. I did not hear you. What did you say?”

“Never mind.” Another awkward silence. Floyosa sure was good at those. Then they smiled.

“I want you to know about this place too. When you feel like what you see is not real, because no one else understands. You can come here. And see that this is real.” Clav blinked.

“Um... What do you mean?”

“People say this planet does not belong in reality. But they can not deny that it is real. This planet is not really relevant to our problems. But it is a reminder. That strange things can be real. That reality is more than the rules you have made in your mind. I hope that you can use it, if you ever need it.”

Clav thought about that. About their problems that no one else saw. But really, they didn't see how this glassy world could have anything to do with them. It didn't evoke any feelings. It just didn't mean anything.

But what they did know was that Floyosa had given them a gift right here. Clearly, to Floyosa, this place was worth the odd gesture Clav had seen them doing. Such an... intimate behavior, they realized it had been. This place might be worth more than gold in Floyosa's eyes. It was a precious fragment of the wisdom and internal life of a Traveller themself, however strange it might be. And that meant everything.

Chapter Text

Clav's Wacky Waffles. Coming Soon. Authentic Irken Waffles, Made To Order. A large hologram displaying a stylized, rectangular waffle. Floyosa couldn't miss the sign. They lugged the crate in their arms all the way over to the stall, waiting to see their friend come to greet them.

Instead, though, a different irken came up to the counter. They gave Floyosa an apparently excited look, then spoke.

"Are you... Floyosa, by any chance?"

"Yes. I am bringing supplies." Floyosa set the box down on the counter. The irken, however, didn't seem interested in doing anything with it.

"Pleasure to meet you. Clav's told me about you... Not sure if they've told you about me, though. I'm Gwerp."

"I do not know anyone with that name."

"Figured. No use mentioning the weirdo they pulled out of the ductwork. Ah, but I make them sound bad... They saved my life, you know. More than once. Really nice guy. Doesn't surprise me they've got the Traveller on their side."

"I think they are a nice person too. I like them. I am glad they are starting this waffle stand."

"Me too... But this is the test, Floyosa." Gwerp gestured to themself. "Splice, or zesty?"

"What?"

"You know! Do I look like I was cracked out of a tube or an egg?"

"So you are asking if you are drone or ancestral," Floyosa said.

"Well, which is it? And no looking at your diagrams or whatever."

"I will not tell you. Clav said that is very rude."

"Aw, don't be a killjoy..."

Clav came out then. "I thought I recognized that voice. Gwerp, what are you telling them?"

"Just putting their intelligence to the test. But apparently you told them not to."

"...You asked them if you're a drone, didn't you? Tell you what, Floyosa. Since they asked for it, you can say it. If they get upset, it's their own damn fault." Clav gestured with their antennae. Teasing Gwerp. It was a friendly gesture, according to the language aid.

They looked for a long time at Gwerp. This had always been an interesting game, but never had they actually been quizzed on it. Nothing about Gwerp stood out at all. Floyosa racked their brain, remembering all the irkens they'd seen before. The conversations from the Frupiina were no help. All about functions Floyosa couldn't observe here. So how did they know? How did irkens tell?

And then... Floyosa got a spark of inspiration. That was it. Of all the irkens they'd seen, Gwerp didn't look very random. That was the only way they could describe it. It was just like Clav had said, all that time ago.

"You are ancestral, like Clav," Floyosa said.

"Oh yeah? What makes you think that?" Gwerp said.

"You just look like it. I can not explain this pattern I am seeing very well. But you fit into it, and drones do not. Their appearance is more randomly distributed."

"You sound like a freaking Korvax," Gwerp said.

"And some Korvax are really smart! I told you," Clav said. "You're right, Floyosa. You're better at this than I thought."

"I think I have seen enough irkens to recognize this, like you told me." They smiled. "Also, I brought you some ingredients. They are a surprise. You should look at them."

"Great! Um... Can you bring it back?" Clav said, eyeing the box Floyosa had deposited on the counter. Probably too heavy for them, Floyosa figured. They were rather small. So Floyosa picked it up, and Clav led them into the room they had come out of, which looked like some kind of storage. There weren't a lot of things in here yet, but supposedly Clav had things in hand.

"So what do you think of this place?" Clav asked once Floyosa had set the crate down.

"It is a good place to sell things. Lots of people come to space stations like these, and they buy things. But I am surprised that you are not selling things on Zorplink."

"Yeah, that... The opportunity came up here, I guess. And like you said... This is a better place for it," Clav said. "I do want to be around Zorplink... But I think this is relatively nearby. And I think I'll try to hire people from there, too. Give them a chance to see what else is in this universe. It's... something, at least. Better than working at Sabi's protein machine."

"One day, the irkens on Zorplink might like these waffles so much that they will ask you to make a second shop there too. I have seen companies that do this."

"I doubt it. But anyway... Let's see what you've started me off with." Clav opened the crate and pulled out all of the capsules and bags Floyosa had prepared. Floyosa had had a fun time picking up all sorts of things for this crazy waffle shop. They had even used Clav's nutrient processor at their own base to make some chocolate frosting.

"I hope these ingredients are crazy enough. But also delicious for irkens and Vy'keen."

"They're great. Thank you, Floyosa," Clav said, stepping over and reaching up to put a hand on Floyosa's arm. "Thank you for everything."

"I will bring you more things. When I go out traveling, I will look. Maybe I will even bring a pickling solution. There are irkens who might like it."

"Only selling that with a biohazard warning." Both Clav and Floyosa smiled at that.

Once Floyosa left the space station, they paused for a minute before turning on the pulse drive. To see Clav so happy... It brought them such joy. To know it was in part due to them was even better.

The transmission screen flashed on Floyosa's control panel. They opened the channel.

"I know where you're going..." Not this. Not now, when they were so happy. They slammed the button to close the communication.

And the voice continued.

"All I ever wanted... was an answer."

Floyosa had to hold back a cry of fear and frustration. They would not answer. They would never answer. They were not an Atlas. But it would stalk them, forever and ever. Until their death, whenever that might be. It would always catch up to them. This was how it would be.

But this time, they also thought of Clav. The perspective they had offered. The Atlas, or whatever this was, never seemed to scare Clav. Even when they had the tiniest fragment of understanding. In fact, it made them angry. Clav saw the Atlas as playing a game. Floyosa thought about that. Had the Atlas ever done anything to them, besides give them headaches and visions and scares? Was there reason to be afraid of it?

No. The rational answer was no.

Verille had told them that too, years ago. To let down their fear. But those words had been damaging, because of what Verille meant behind them. Clav was different. They gave Floyosa hope, because they spoke to the truth Floyosa knew.

What about the other thing Verille and Clav had both said? To face it. Could they do that too? Was it even possible to face the Atlas without submitting to it? They would never know, until they learned to let down their fear first. But maybe, just maybe, they could observe it in peace some day. Like the squirming egg. Like planet Ahok.

Like that strange glyphic message Clav had sent them, that had supposedly come from the Atlas. Some kind of symmetrical lamp, a sunset, a pin, triangle, another sunset, a moon, that same sunset, a hexagonal shape, this weird beetle, a boat with antennae, and at last another triangle and yet another of those sunset things. Floyosa didn't have a single clue as to what any of it meant, but seeing it written out on their screen didn't seem to affect them. Maybe they could learn. Clav had given them hope.

One person out of billions, and one who had put so much effort into helping instead of fighting only for themself. Floyosa had been so lucky to find this irken. And it was all thanks to one very simple thing.

That was how Floyosa knew that waffles were their very favorite food.