"What do you have on him?"
"Nothing, for all we know, he's a criminal or pirate, of course." Mantis said with a scoff, "And he doesn't want us here."
"What do you mean by criminal? His Excellency is just shy and kind."
"Would you please stop glorifying him just because he did the bare minimum in such a situation! How can you even say that after what we've discussed?" Mantis exclaimed, obviously displeased by the whole situation. He added in the lowest voice he could muster. "How did you even get to that promotion with your stupidity?"
"What did you say?"
"You heard me."
Of course, it all descended into chaos. Kaerin sighed. He should have gotten used to their bickering, yet here he was, sick and tired of their fights. No one was happy about the situation, tensions were high, and temper tantrums weren't uncommon. They were wasting energy they did not have.
In the meantime, they needed to hold out before rescue came. Which, sadly, wouldn't be for a while due to the various contingencies put in place. Along with their newest discovery, the male zerg.
Kaerin had met many strange zergs in his life, but never one as unique, both in appearance and personality, as Lan. Lan was not strange in the obvious ways. That was the problem.
He perfectly fit the textbook definition of Male Zerg. Extremely pretty and dainty. Unique soft features, moderately small build. Yet at the same time, he didn't; he was taller than most male Zerg. He undeniably had muscle mass, which, while not visible enough, packed a lot of weight. Additionally, he was skilled, obviously not military trained, but skilled nonetheless. He was better than most of his army. It made something within him vibrate with the need to fight him regardless of the outcome.
He was arrogant, egoistic, self-saving and rude, but he still helped. Even if the reasoning behind most of the decisions was for strategic advantage, he didn't have to offer them shelter, food or offer to fix their communication equipment. They would have been fine regardless of his decision as long as Kinsley got to the healing pod.
Another issue that emerged was that the ship running itself made it harder to ignore. Kaerin had walked its corridors enough times now to identify its extensive output. Power fluctuations were minimal. Environmental controls stayed steady despite the increased load. Systems shifted smoothly when strained, rerouting without alarms or visible stress. That alone contradicted the normal flagship fleets for civilians.
Weak Zerg did not maintain ships like this.
Kaerin kept some of the observations to himself, bar the most obvious and identifiable ones, to his colleagues.
He had no intention of antagonising their host this soon. Selling Lan out to the others crossed his mind more than once, but it never lingered. While convincing Verrik may take longer than usual, he was still their commander with more experience after all. Additionally, the consequences were too obvious. If the group turned on Lan prematurely, they would lose shelter, power, and the only functioning medical pod keeping Kinsley alive.
Worse, Kaerin still didn't know Lan's weaknesses, bar biology, and something told him that wouldn't work well. Kaerin had seen him fight; he was sure that Lan wouldn't hesitate and would try to kill them once he established them as threats.
So Kaerin played it safe.
He watched.
He listened.
And when curiosity threatened to spill into action, he redirected it outward.
A sudden wave of pain assaulted his brain in one clean sweep. He barely managed to control the wince that threatened to escape. His headaches had worsened, and his situation wasn't the best. He needed help fast.
His arm shook as he tried to steady it. His jaw locked for half a second too long. His tongue felt thick. Breathing took effort, shallow and uneven now in short bursts. His ears started ringing. His vision closed in on him a bit. It felt as if his head was under boiling water, unbearably hot, uncomfortable and painful. Heat surged up his neck, then vanished, leaving a cold prickle along his spine. Kaerin pressed his palm to his temple, forcing his posture to hold. He would not collapse.
Not Now.
From his periphery, he could feel a presence approaching him. He ignored them and grabbed his head with a groan. Why was it this painful? How…
"-rin RIN,"
*********
In all honesty, Jinyue hadn't meant to eavesdrop. If anything, he was just passing by. However, when your name is mentioned several times in succession…interest peaks. That was the lie he told himself as he stood still behind the half-open bulkhead, breath shallow, presence as small and muted as possible with his body angled for quick escape.
"I've got information on the ship's running from Lan," He heard Mark mention.
"What is it, the ship's still running, for all we know this is a second-hand model waiting to be scrapped. He can't have been here for long…"
"Keep on lying to yourself,"
"It's the blue rock,"
"What?"
"Are you sure?"
"I've ascertained it myself."
"It's a power source…unbelievable"
"We need to figure out how to activate it; it's crucial for the mission."
Jinyue frowned despite himself. He couldn't help but wonder why the mineral he used seemed to be of such importance. He had earlier inferred it from Mark's facial expression, but the confirmation unsettled him nonetheless. He couldn't help but feel cautious. Something deep down told him that his peaceful days were quickly coming to an end faster than ever.
He must have zoned out at some point, since he was startled back to reality by two voices shouting
"-rin. RIN."
Through quick elimination, he could instantaneously conclude that it was Mark whose name or nickname was Rin. Mark always felt wrong to him anyway. Rin wasn't better, though.
He felt the shift before he could stop it. A subtle change in the air. His senses started assaulting him, screaming that something was wrong. He couldn't place why, though. He could feel his mental power moving instinctively to quash the feeling of wrongness.
Something was wrong.
His power spread; its pressure flowed outward. It then met resistance from something frayed and unstable, vibrating under strain. The moment his power pressed against it, the resistance smoothed. The agitation dulled. The wrongness quieted. The connection snapped.
Jinyue gasped softly, the sensation yanking him back into himself. His heart raced once, then slowed. He counted his breaths. Three. Four. Five. He forced himself to stay where he was. Did they find out that he was listening in?
It was awfully quiet. The shouts of panic had ceased; not a sound could be heard.
He did not wait to confirm why.
He turned and left as quickly as he could without making a sound. Anyone watching would see nothing strange. By the time he reached his quarters, his expression had already settled back into its usual softness.
What was that? What did I do?
He pressed his back to the door and closed his eyes.
He was confused; it had been a while since his powers went haywire. Everything was going to hell since the strangers came. Why wouldn't they leave him alone? He frowned as he tried to examine himself and do a quick mental assessment. He did feel more drained than before, but other than that, nothing else.
He exhaled through his nose, jaw tightening.
They needed to leave.
Jinyue did not notice Cody at first.
That alone should have told him something was wrong.
Normally, Cody's presence registered before sound. The faint scrape of cloth. The shift of air. The quiet hum of movement that always synced with Jinyue's routines. Now, none of it landed. Jinyue sat on the edge of his bed, staring at nothing, thoughts looping without order.
He lay down, hands resting on his face, gaze unfocused. His thoughts circled without direction. He replayed fragments. A name. A sensation of pressure. The abrupt sense of something happening without his permission.
Something brushes near the edge of the bed
Nothing.
"Master."
Jinyue didn't react.
"Master."
The third time, Cody's voice was closer.
"Are you alright?"
His face was directly in his line of sight, which startled him.
Jinyue jolted.
His head snapped up, pulse spiking. Cody stood near the storage unit, a folded cloth in hand, the corner of the desk already cleared and wiped. Half the room had been reset without Jinyue noticing.
"I called your name," Cody said. "Twice."
"…"
Cody tilted his head. "You look under the weather."
"Not really."
The lie tasted flat.
Cody did not argue. That made it worse. He finished setting the items in their exact places, movements careful, almost gentle. Jinyue watched him with growing irritation. He hated that the room looked right again. He hated that he had not been the one to do it.
"How long," Jinyue asked suddenly, "until the one in the healing pod wakes up?"
Cody paused. "The sub-female? Two more days. Possibly a little longer if the neural repair takes."
Two days….
"Can it be sped up?"
Cody turned fully toward him. "Not safely."
"What about the others?" Jinyue pressed. "Can they leave tomorrow?"
He was immediately given a rather disappointed and pointed look. Worth a shot, but…
Jinyue felt heat crawl up his neck. "Why not?"
"Companionship protocols—"
"No." Jinyue stood. "No. Enough of that. I don't care about those stupid protocols. They've stayed long enough."
Cody's voice softened. "Jin—"
"Don't."
"You've been isolated for too long," Cody continued. "The presence of others helps regulate—"
"I don't want to hear…"
Cody stepped closer. "You're agitated. Your sleep cycle is off. Your heat is late. These are early signs of male neglect."
The word snapped something.
"Don't you dare," Jinyue said.
"You're showing mood instability," Cody went on, calm and relentless. "I'm concerned."
"Concerned?" Jinyue's voice got sharper while the volume remained the same. "You keep talking over me. You keep deciding things for me. When did that become your right?"
"I am responsible for your health."
"And I am responsible for my life."
"You're not thinking clearly."
That did it.
Jinyue surged forward, power flaring sharp and wild before he caught it. The lights flickered once. Cody stopped, but did not retreat.
"I was fine," Jinyue snapped. "Before they came. Before you started acting like I'm broken. We were fine. I did not need anyone. I do not need anyone."
Cody's voice dropped. "You're angry because you're scared."
"I'm angry because you won't listen."
"I want what's best for you."
What the hell…Jinyue thought incredulously
"Now listen here…"
Knock knock!
They both paused the discussion and turned to face the door, each wondering about the frantic knocking, one more worried than the other. The door slammed with sudden urgency.
"Your Excellency!"
Another knock. Harder.
"Your Excellency, please. We need help."
Jinyue turned sharply.
He opened the door.
Collin stood there, breathing fast, eyes wide, composure cracked.
"It's Mark," he said. "Something's wrong. His mental scape took damage earlier. You're a male zerg. You can soothe him... please your excellency."