Chapter Text
Ghost, the only human aboard the 141, gaz, a cat like species from the neighboring Galaxy to the Milky way and price, a humanoid with bear like traits from a Galaxy several million light years away from the Milky way, had left the 141's ship in two pods, Ghost on one and price and gaz taking the other. They would go to the same location but Ghost was the one tasked with taking the rescued survivor, John, a humanoid fish species, back to the 141 where they would take the ship, the 141 along with the rest of the crew, to John's home planet.
Easy in and out mission with the only downside being the time it took to travel all the way across a Galaxy in a small travel pod instead of the ship. But they couldn't take it inside the galaxy as it would alert the enemies if a ship of its size entered.
In and out, done, John MacTavish, Posh and annoying humanoid survivor, rescued. Now it was just a long and peaceful time back to the 141. Or it would be if the Posh fuck would shut up, walking around the pod as if he owned the place and leaning against ghosts seat and Ghost as if he was nothing more than a servant. Asking him when he would prepare food, why it tasted so bad, when they would arrive. It was exhausting, and if he wasn't worth so much he would’ve been outside the pod 5 hours ago and freezing his fish balls out in space.
Needing to stop on a small moon to charge the pod was like heaven to his ears as the bastard left to look for something edible to buy at the small store on the moon, leaving Ghost alone.
Then the time came and they needed to leave and John simply stared at him before smiling awkwardly and getting in the pod, acting nothing like himself, which put Ghost on edge.
"We need to do a scan, make sure nothing got in," Ghost murmured to John as he went to the small shower like contraption that could be used as a minor med bay but also as a scanner, and one of its many purposes was to scan people and look for other life forms.
".. right after you" John motioned with his hands for Ghost to show the way, which he did, before he got in and started the scan. Once he stepped out he checked the screen and saw no new life forms or other matter on him.
Ghost sent John a look as if saying “go on, get in” which John did while grabbing at his shirt unconsciously, stepping in and looking at his feet while the scan did its thing.
As Ghost looked at the scan he saw nothing on the surface level, then nothing on his muscular level, but once he scanned inside the skeletal level, a life form popped up, one that looked like some type of bug at the back of John's brain, a parasite. Ghost took a sharp breath but didn't react otherwise, his eyes went to the body of John MacTavish, currently being controlled by an unknown parasite species.
Probably eating his brain. Probably and improvement but Ghost needed that money.
".. somethin' wrong.?" 'john' asked nervously, stepping out of the shower like object while his eyes went to the screen angled towards Ghost.
"No, nothing out of the ordinary," Ghost responded and put away the screen and turned away from 'john', going back to his seat at the front. "We should be back at the 141 in about 40 hours," he said while closing the door behind him, which was sound proof, and then went and sat down at the control panel, calling price and gaz, who should not be too far away from his pod and on their own.
"Price, gaz," he greeted and got one in return from both of them. "I dropped to get more fuel and let the bastard MacTavish go out on his own and when we came back and did a scan there was a parasite at the back of his brain," he said and to that he got a few seconds of silence before price spoke up
"any signs of aggression or what type of parasite?"
"Not yet, and it seems to have hidden any identifiers," he tapped his hand against his knee as he thought about what to do but didn't need to as price spoke up yet again. "Keep low contact and communication, but don't make it obvious and we'll meet up at the 141 as planned where we can detain him and get the parasite removed," "Yes, sir," Ghost agreed and hung up, leaning back in his seat and staring at the ceiling.
He sat like that and occasionally steered the pod away from any objects. Until a few hesitant Knocks rang out from the other side of the pod, and he opened the door revealing the parasite standing before him.
“I uh, wondered if you wanted some food? It's surely been a while since you last ate,” it said and pointed behind it towards the small sitting area that also stored food. “... Yeah, sure,” Ghost said and walked over to sit and prepare some of the food while the parasite stood at the door still, watching him while biting its lower lip. “I uh…,” it started speaking but stopped to look away and fidget with its shirt and Ghost let it, figuring that it would speak when it felt like it could and he didn't really want to speak to it and risk revealing he knows what it is.
“I.. that scanner, it can detect things deep inside, Yeah?” it said and looked back to Ghost, who was avoiding eye contact but nodded.
“.. so you know,”
it didn't sound like a threat, surprisingly, just a statement, one that Ghost nodded to. “I do,” he answered anyway, cautious if it tried anything.
The parasite looked away again, thinking of what to kill him with maybe? “Are you- are you going to kill me?” “... When we get to the ship,” he answered truthfully despite it all. “Right..,” it was tapping at its leg now, stressed. Ghost eyed the hidden knife closest to him. “So.. 38 hours until my death then?” Another nod. “It's.. at least more than if you would have killed me when you found out, aye?” It looked at him and smiled nervously, but it looked much better than every annoying expression John MacTavish had made towards Ghost before he was taken control of by the parasite. “Guess so,” Ghost answered and started eating, but kept one hand near the knife.
It fidgeted a bit more before going to sit down opposite Ghost. “.. Why this guy?” Ghost asked while eyeing it. “Well, I wanted to leave the moon and he was about to do that,” ”So was I,” ”Yeah, but he went further away from the pod and closer to me, and he doesn't know how to control the pod. Complete idiot he is,” it said and reached to take some food for itself. ”So that's the only reason’s didn't get a parasite burrowed in my brain? I can steer this thing?” Ghost Said and continued when the parasite was about to answer. ”Dont know why I expected something different, you are a parasite afterall. You’ve evolved to do what you think necessary no matter what it might be,” he leaned back and observed its reaction, shrinking in on itself and looking down at the food.
”when we get back to the ship we’ll remove you from your host and secure you until be can stop at a planet with some wild life you can burrow in,” Ghost doesn't think about how they could just kill it when they removed it from John’s brain and skip the extra step.
After that they sat in quiet until both had finished their food and Ghost went back to his seat and after hesitating, it joined him, sitting down in their own seats. “.. I guess I should thank you for not just killing me, shouldn't I?” It looked to Ghost but upon seeing that he wasn't going to look towards it its gaze went to the window In front of it, looking out into the Galaxy.
“I don't care whether you do or not.” Ghost answered plainly, having remembered that he isn't supposed to talk to it. But that was so that he didn't tell it he knew, wasn't it? The thing next to him sighed but kept quiet.
A while after it excused itself to take a nap and leave Ghost alone. And alone he was for about twenty minutes before he decided he should call Price again and tell him what happened.